Goodbye, Home

Twenty-twenty coming at you from the Appalachian Plateau. Georgia is a beautiful, brutal bitch. I knew starting out would be tough here, but I thought it wouldn’t be too bad having the home team advantage. My knees want a word with that sentiment. It’s been an incredible journey so far. I’ve gone through the areas and up the climbs that I heard so much about growing up, and the feeling is hard to describe. It’s like I can see the old family stories unfold in front of me.

I’ve met several incredible people so far, locals and hikers alike. It’s true what people say about the thru hiking community on the AT, it’s a great bunch of folks. There’s a lot to get into here, and I won’t bore you with too much of the nitty-gritty but trail life is a different animal.

Don’t Get Too Comfortable

Starting out, I was in wonderland. Literally. The weather was perfect, my body felt great, and the trail was easy. As for my pledge to do low miles starting out, it only lasted two days. I’ve ‘had’ to push big mile days (for a first time thru hiker) because of the weather, and let me tell you, these mountains are no joke when it gets cold and wet. This morning I left camp at 5:00 am and hiked through freezing rain for about two hours. My trekking poles and raincoat had a layer of ice forming on them as I was making my way down the mountain. While this may sound miserable, I was having the time of my life. It was brutal but absolutely beautiful. Seeing the mountain laurels, tree stumps, and mud freeze over in real time was surreal.

With that said, hiking through wet, cold conditions wore me down the first time. It’s something that takes truly solid mental fortitude, especially when you have to pace yourself to keep from sweating and getting chilled. The trail has gone from dry and cool to wet and freezing in less than a week. These storms have been a reality check for all of us it feels like. We’re still in winter.

Beauty Unparalleled

The scenes these mountains have to offer in February are downright unreal. One morning I started hiking before the sun came up, and as I was walking I could hear the forest come to life, and the cloudless sky went from grey to white to blood orange. Then finally as the top of the sun began to peek over the distant mountaintops, two whitetail deer bounced down the mountainside like ghosts, their tails flashing into the dead foliage until disappearing. It may sound simple, but that’s the beautiful thing about it. The southern Appalachians are humble and grand at the same time. Every day has had new vistas and experiences so far, though that may change as the days wear on.

The Community

The hiking community has been great to me so far. Two incredible people I’ve met have been Johnny Cash and Roachmeister. Cash gave me my first trail magic, although he wasn’t exactly doing trail magic. I was walking through Woody Gap, dejected because no one was there roasting hotdogs and burgers as I was passing through, and as I was about to hit the trail on the other side I heard “Hey man you want some oranges?” Turning around, and without any hesitation, I simply replied with a “yes I want some oranges”. He was there in an RV and invited me in for some coffee. We just hung out and chatted for a while. Not at all what I was expecting for trail magic! Turns out he was supporting his wife on her thru hike and was waiting there for her to pass through the gap. It was a great conversation with an old hippy that I’ll never forget, thanks for the coffee and oranges, Johnny Cash!

I ran into Roachmeister at Mountain Crossings, we both bunked there one night. He’s a retired businessman looking to rediscover what life could be like be through the trail. He had some amazing jokes and was just a great person. He (like several others I’ve met out here), is hiking with preexisting health conditions, but fully knew the risks going into the hike. If it doesn’t motivate you to see perseverance like that, I don’t know what will. It’s just a reminder that this Herculean effort we’re making isn’t just for glory and adventure, but for healing and reflection too. Hike on Roach!!

Adjusting To The Trail

Trail life itself has been a wild and abrupt change from the normal day to day (of course). Every morning I get up I have to drink water that’s been marinating next to my feet all night (if its been a freezing night), poop in privies, and pack up everything I need to live as quietly as possible because I am always up at 4:00 am ready to go. Packing everything quietly is the worst part, every time the contractor bag crinkles, I cringe. I’m telling you, this is the loudest contractor bag that’s ever been made.

I’ve come to appreciate lots of the little things that make trail life what it is. Taking a nap in the sun on a warm, sunny day. Having dry clothes. Pitching my tent perfectly. Getting the sleeping pad to juuuust the right level of inflation. Water sources that are on the trail and not half a mile downhill. Things liked those make the biggest difference when you spend all day in the woods just trying to get to the next spot to sleep. I’m sure their impact is only going to increase as the months wear on.

Until Next Time

Anyway, I’m having a great time despite the crummy weather we’ve been having. Even with that, I want to experience everything this trail has to show. I’m here for the ride. Twenty-twenty out.

Edit: music picks for this section – Hobo’s Lullaby (Arlo Guthrie), Blood Mountain (Mastodon)