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Pre Trip Interview in Peachtree Corners Life Magazine
Post Trip Interview in Peachtree Corners Magazine
Day 171
Time: Sat, 21 Sep 2019 21:57:56
Location: Henson Cove B & B Mile 2125.9 of Appalachian Trail
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
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Helen and I stayed at the Henson Cove Bed and Breakfast in Hiawassee last night. We had a really nice breakfast and talked with a couple from Charlotte who are house hunting in the area.
We hung around and relaxed on the porch and talked with our hosts, Mariah and Dave. We petted the horse in the pasture across the street.
We went into town and visited the Trailful store, which is a neat outfitter. They were really nice and we chatted about the trail and their cool conversion van parked out front.
We browsed around a boutique and joked that the ladies in there would never camp in the woods. Different strokes for different folks.
I had lunch at McDonald's while Helen watched and ate some of my fries. We went to Dollar General and got some trail food. Then we got peanut butter shakes at Dairy Queen.
We relaxed a little at the B&B and then went to a local brew pub for dinner. They had live music outside so we stayed in the small bar area inside to escape the noise, but then they propped the door open so it was loud anyway. The place was filling up for the Georgia vs Notre Dame football game. Not a good choice for us. My burger was pretty good at least.
We swung by Dairy Queen so I could get a vanilla soft serve cone and then went back to the B&B and had some yummy chocolate covered strawberries and wine. Helen keeps nudging us towards the wine thing, but that just seems like a whole world I'm not sure I want in my head. It was pretty tasty with the strawberries though.
We're meeting Derek in the morning and he's going to hike with me a couple of days.
Love you ❤️ Miss you 😘
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
Sent from the Guthook's AT Guide app
Day 172
Time: Sun, 22 Sep 2019 18:23:11
Location: Tray Mountain Shelter Mile 2133.8 of Appalachian Trail
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
Sent from the Guthook's AT Guide app
Helen and I spent last night at the Henson Cove Bed and Breakfast in Hiawassee GA. We had another delicious breakfast and chatted with our hosts, Mariah and Dave.
We drove to Unicoi Gap and met Derek. He's hiking with me for a couple days from Dick's Creek Gap in Hiawassee to Unicoi Gap. He met a hiker named Ben and told him we would give him a ride into town. Ben started on the Penhote Trail and is hiking north. We dropped him at the Dollar General and then went to McDonald's for lunch.
We finalized plans for Helen, Derek, and maybe Adam to meet me at Springer Mountain on Thursday afternoon and then we're staying the night at Amicalola Falls Lodge to celebrate the completion of my thru hike.
We drove to Dick's Creek Gap and Helen walked with Derek and I for awhile and then we said goodbye to her and hiked on.
Derek and I hiked 11 miles to Tray Mountain Shelter. It was a pretty day but there was a lot of climbing. We stopped at the shelter and talked with two section hikers who started at Springer. We got some nice cold water from the piped spring nearby and then set up our tents on the ridge near the shelter.
Derek called Madison and then took a nap. I called home and talked to Helen.
I ate some loaded baked potato instant mashed potatoes and sweet and spicy tuna out of a ziplock bag. It's amazing how much water instant mashed potatoes can soak up.
We sat out on a rock outcrop at sunset with two other guys and talked. One if the guys is the section hiker we met at the shelter. He talked about starting in the rain and having to take multiple days off in Dahlonega for his foot blisters to heal. He also told us about hitting a deer on his motorcycle. The other guy is set up in a tent near us. He's an EMT from Kennesaw who attempted a SoBo thru hike last year but had to get off in Pennsylvania. He's really nice and we talked with him about the trail and life. His trail name is Big Peach. He's going to Unicoi Gap also. We stayed out until 9:30 and watched all the stars come out and the lights come on in the valley below.
Love you ❤️ Miss you 😘
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
Sent from the Guthook's AT Guide app
Day 173
Time: Mon, 23 Sep 2019 17:30:56
Location: Low Gap Shelter Mile 2149.2 of Appalachian Trail
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
Sent from the Guthook's AT Guide app
Derek and I spent last night at the Tray Mountain Shelter. We tented on the ridge and stargazed and chatted with a couple other guys.
The sky glowed red over the valley below as the sun rose.
We finished the climb over Tray Mountain and then had another climb over Rocky Mountain. We got stung by yellow jackets along the way. Derek got stung once on the neck. I got stung on both calfs. It's not unusual to see comments in Guthook about people getting stung. I've only been stung one other time on my hike. Just one more thing to deal with on the trail.
We saw Ben, the older guy we gave a ride to yesterday. He said that after he resupplied at Dollar General a couple offered to take him to get a shower and clean up. He commented how people are so nice.
He's from Opelika AL and has a wedding to go to in North Georgia in October, so he decided to walk. He's almost there.
Derek and I hiked 5 miles to Unicoi Gap where Derek's car was parked. We had a pretty drive into the kitschy Alpine themed town of Helen where we went to Wendy's for lunch. Burger, fries, soda, coffee, and frosty. I was reluctant to toss my big soda cup in the trash on the way out because I knew I would want more ice cold soda later in the day while I was hiking.
Derek drove me back to the trail and we hugged and said our goodbyes. It's nice that I'll see him again on Thursday.
It was really nice to hike with Derek. It's a real treat to listen to him and get caught up on his life while we walk. I missed him while I hiked alone later in the day.
I hiked 15 miles to Low Gap Shelter. I'm the only one here. There was some ridge walking along scraggly rocks and a lot of loose rock on the trail. Thankfully most of it is flat loose rock and not the round rocks that roll out from under you. They're still annoying. I'm ready to cruise home through softly padded rhodendron tunnels along cool refreshing cascading rivers and streams.
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
Sent from the Guthook's AT Guide app
Day 174
Time: Tue, 24 Sep 2019 19:41:25
Location: Lance Creek Restoration Area mile 2168.2 (Southbound) of the Appalachian Trail
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
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I spent last night at the Low Gap Shelter alone. Lots of sweat drenched climbs today including Blood Mountain, the highest point in GA on the AT. I want Georgia to be easier. People are leaving water jugs at road crossings, which helps when it's warm and water is drying up.
I stopped in Neels Gap at the Mountain Crossings outfitter. There was a lot of activity as usual. I did a shakedown there and bought a lot of my gear there before my hike. They were really nice and we talked about the trail and my hike. They gave me a free soda. The girl working the register finished her thru hike Sept 1. Her trail name is Brother. I had a few sandwiches, a couple sodas, a coffee, and a Big Sur brownie.
I hiked 19 miles to a tenting area called Lance Creek Restoration Area. There were quite a few section hikers headed north and a number of day hikers around Blood Mountain.
Tonight is probably the last night in my tent. Tomorrow is my last full day of hiking and I'll stay at Hawk Mountain Shelter. The next day I'll hike 8 miles and meet up with the family around noon at the parking area a mile before the finish at Springer Mountain.
Love you ❤️ Miss you 😘
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
Sent from the Guthook's AT Guide app
Day 175
Time: Wed, 25 Sep 2019 17:01:21
Location: Hawk Mountain Shelter Mile 2183.9 of Appalachian Trail
I spent last night at the Lance Creek Restoration Area alone. I was camped right off the trail and a couple guys walked north early in the morning with their headlamps.
Today is my last full day on the AT. Tomorrow I'll walk 7 miles and meet my family at the Spinger Mountain parklng lot and then walk the last mile together to Springer Mountain.
Today I hiked 16 miles to Hawk Mountain Shelter. The first half of the day was nice. The trail was nice and easy winding along and even through some rhodendron tunnels and along streams like I wished for.
The second half of the day was up and down some steep gaps with a bunch of loose rock in the trail.
My mind wandered from reminiscing about my trail experiences to what I'm going to do when I return to normal life.
Another guy showed up at the shelter. I had seen him at Mountain Crossings yesterday. He does a lot of hiking around here and is planning to start section hiking the AT.
I called home and finalized plans for meeting up tomorrow.
Love you ❤️ Miss you 😘
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
Sent from the Guthook's AT Guide app
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
Sent from the Guthook's AT Guide app
Day 176
Time: Thu, 26 Sep 2019 11:31:45
Location: Springer Mountain 2192 (Southbound) of the Appalachian Trail
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
Sent from the Guthook's AT Guide app
Finis.
Today I finished my Appalachian Trail Thru Hike.
I spent last night at the Hawk Mountain Shelter with a nice young section hiker. We talked about my hike and all the hiking he's done.
I walked 7 miles to the Springer Mountain parking lot where I met Helen and Derek. Adam has some quizzes today and an internship interview tomorrow so he couldn't make it.
It was a nice 7 miles. It was cool with a nice breeze. The trail walked through rhodendrons and crossed streams. I spent some time enjoying Long Creek Falls.
I met some ladies at the parking lot preparing for a section hike. I helped them adjust their backpacks and they were so excited about me finishing my thru hike.
Helen and Derek walked the last mile with me to the trail terminus on Springer Mountain.
We're staying at the Amicalola Falls Lodge tonight to celebrate.
It's been a rich robust mental and physical challenge with many enjoyable times, but I wouldn't call it "fun".
It's hard...really hard, but certainly doable. You have to be comfortable with being wet, whether it's humidity, perspiration, or precipitation. And you will have to take off your dry clothes and put on your wet ones to hike in. You will be cold, hot, tired, hungry, aching, lonely, etc.
It's hard to eat enough. It's hard to get proper rest. Something will almost always hurt. There's not enough time for your body to recover. You will get injured. You will get sick.
You will meet lots of nice and interesting people. The shared experience with other hikers and the people around the trail supporting hikers is the best part.
I'm glad I did it. I'm going to sit around now and drink lots of coffee and beer with a big smile of satisfaction.
I'm so glad Helen and Derek got involved (and Adam a little bit). Sharing the experience has made it so much richer.
I couldn't have done it without Helen. She's my hero. She came and visited me numerous times, provided unwavering support, and handled everything at home. ♥️
Happy Trails 🥾
Google Maps link to my location: http://maps.google.com/maps?z=
Sent from the Guthook's AT Guide app
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