AT Start: Fresh Ground’s Trail Magic to Blood Mountain

Dream Come True

Starting a thru-hike by walking under the Appalachian Trail Arch has been a thing of my hopes and dreams since the spring of 2023. I came back from Spring Break and told my high school English students that somehow I was going to make it happen. I had just hiked Blood Mountain and inspiration swept me upwards.

Emily Dickinson wrote:

Hope

To get to the Arch, I needed that little bird of hope to sing to me. And she did. The first year prepping was filled with changes. I’m comfortable with routine. If I wanted to make it to the Arch, I had to get comfortable with discomfort. And I did. Prepping required job changes and lifestyle changes. I had to start working with a trainer to build muscle. I had to work smarter. And I did. 

My shake down hike was a storm. Not just because it rained 5 inches on the Foothills Trail that week, but also because my body let me down. Some of my old injuries popped back up. But the little bird, “Hope” kept following me and singing.

Healing Before the AT

In order to be physically at 100% to start the AT, I went back to physical therapy for the month before our start . The physical therapist loved my goal and assured me I could get there. They gave me a regiment of quad and hip strengthening exercises that they assured me would make my first week of the AT hike strong. I had hope again.

The other half of prepping was packing, weighing, unpacking, removing items, repacking and repeating the process. I was looking for all the items needed for a winter start with as light a weight as possible. I started a little heavy, knowing I would send some items home at our first zero.

The Arch

The Arch is so iconic. I had taken pictures with Bill here before his 2023 AT start. That  experience and hiking Blood Mountain were where my AT dream began. Standing under it with Bill, ready to begin our thru-hike was an unbelievable highlight. The little bird of hope darted by me singing merrily as I hiked up the first mile of the Approach Trail.

Amicalola Lodge hosted our last night before taking off for Day One. The restaurant there serves the best shrimp and grits I have ever eaten. Five stars for sure. Bill also gave their double cheeseburger and fries five stars. We were full and raring to hike. Going to sleep was a challenge, like the day before my birthday as a kid.

Summiting Springer Mountain

The morning dawned bright and cold, just what I asked for. I hike cold, so I hiked in merino wool t-shirt and shorts with knee and ankle braces. The birds flittered across and above the trail all morning as we climbed upwards. 

I had summited Blood Mountain, so I knew that feeling of relief upon arrival at the top. What I wasn’t expecting was the elation; I just laughted and smiled for a half hour. Happy tears came and went as we took photos and chatted with the people admiring the view. They were surprised to hear that we were “actual” thru-hikers. To them, we were a thing of legend. They were excited to actually know someone who was attempting it.

First Night in a Shelter

We hiked down the mountain a short way to the shelter because rain was in the forecast for that night. We set up in the shelter, which seemed crazy to me. It is totally open and seemed to me like it would be freezing cold.

Sunset was approaching, so we left everything to hike back up for sunset. It was beautiful, but I was exhausted. So before it set, we headed back. Cold dinner was the order of business and then hitting the hay. It wasn’t as cold as I expected, but I didn’t sleep well. I definitely am a tent girl.

Thankfully, the owls kept me company when I had wakeful moments, hooting and screeching as they hunted all night.

Sassafras Kicks Your…

We woke up in cloud! You would think I expected that to happen at the top of a mountain, but I was shocked. The sun drove the clouds off the mountain, so we began to hike down. It was a kind gentle hike down.

Bill told me that Sassafras Mountain had a reputation. But all my hard work had paid off, and I was hiking strong even on the ups. I tried a new approach. When the trail was up but without obstacles, I didn’t use my poles. That way I could just focus all my energy on my legs and enjoying the scenery. It worked and the views were breathtaking.

Sheltering with Friends: Hawk’s Mountain

Rain was forecast again, so we found a shelter around mile 8 and called it a day. We were the second to arrive. A Ridge Runner was already camped there. We chatted, and Chris told us a bit of his story and asked ours. He told us to expect people to start joining us soon. That made me a little nervous, but it was for no good reason.

Every person who arrived had an interesting story to tell, and I loved them all. The girls took the top-even with the mice up there. And the men joined us downstairs, warning that there might me some snoring. And BOY was there some snoring. Not sure I slept at all that night. There thunderstorm raged for several hours, and when it died the men’s band was playing. I was thankful for sunrise.

First Trail Magic

Laughing, photos, reading of the Shelter Journal and lots of coffee made for a slow start that morning, but we were happy. We were the last out that morning.  I was TIRED. But I hiked out as hard and fast as possible.

Surprise! At the bottom of a long downhill hike, Fresh Ground’s Leap Frog Cafe was serving up a full, delicious hot breakfast. He had scrambled eggs with cheese, amazing blueberry pancakes, bacon and home fries! But, honestly, his encouragement is as valuable as his food. Everyone leaves Fresh Ground feeling like they are loved! What a blessing he is!

After that refreshment, the birds and my full belly and heart kept me going all day. We hiked 8.5 miles. Our biggest miles yet. I was thankful we could set up camp early. I spent the late afternoon massaging, stretching and resting my body. The temperature was dropping, and Bill wasn’t feeling well. We had cold dinner and went to sleep at hiker midnight when the sun went down. Bill coughed all night, despite taking NyQuil. But I still got a lot more rest than the night before.

Freezing Cold Start 

Thank goodness for that little bird called “Hope,” or I might not have been able to start that morning. Bill had prepped me the night before, even though he felt terrible. My water and water filter were NOT frozen because it was in my sleeping bag with me. But I WAS FREEZING. The temperature was around 24 degrees. A temperature I had not hiked in. 

Mornings are frequently hard for me when I hike. But this was beyond hard. My hands didn’t work in the cold. Couldn’t even tie my shoes. We finally got on the trail at 9:30am. But we weren’t the last out this time, so my spirits started to lift. 

Closer to Blood Mountain

Today’s hike got us one step closer to where my AT dream started on Blood Mountain. I used all the tools in my belt to keep myself steadily moving forward. And I swear there were more birds singing to me on the trail today: ups and downs. Singing hope into my tired body.

I started learning to use my Coros watch to monitor my speed, and that helped uplift me. Technology can be helpful like that when you USE it. I’m not a techie, but I am learning.

A New Kind of Tired

Bill found a perfect campsite for us around 8.5 miles into the hike. That would leave 7.5 to Mountain Crossing where we had planned our first Zero. Bill needed a day to get over his cough. I needed a day to rest. This was a new kind of tired for me.

We set up camp, and Bill took a nap because he felt so rotten. I did my whole self-care routine and my legs were feeling good but just plain exhausted. The same kind of exhausted they felt after a half marathon. But tomorrow, I would hike again. Blood Mountain was calling. Bill woke up. I had rehearsed my morning plan for the next day to avoid another bad morning. Bill liked my plan. 

New Morning Plan

My morning was going to start by getting dressed the night before. That way I wouldn’t get FREEZING getting dressed in the morning. I would also use the hand warmers I used at night to warm my hands in the morning, so they could be more functional.

Finally, food, medicine and packing. The next morning this worked well up until the food part. I had to pack first, so Bill could pack the tent up. But that one tweak, and it was perfect.

 Blood Mountain 

We hiked out at dark. I was so proud. The sunrise greeting me made the hard work worthwhile. The day started the way I had hoped.

The hike up is four miles of mostly ups, but I used my watch and monitor my speed. I was staying in what I thought was a good pace, later when reading my Coros data I found I was pushing too hard. Unfortunately, when we got near the top of Blood Mountain on a sharp ascent, I took my first tumble ON CAMERA. Later, I am sure I will be glad I have footage of my first fall on the AT. In the moment, I was mortified. 

I took the tumble onto my hands and knees trying to avoid some of the first ice we had seen in the trail. 

Snow on the Trail

As we climbed higher, all of the fall stress lifted because we had SNOW on the trail. I had dreamed of hearing snow crunch under my hiking shoes, but didn’t know if it would happened. We started our AT hike early with hope in our hearts.

The last half hour of the hike up was snowy, and I was blissed beyond measure. We got to the top and climbed up. I climbed right back down for my warmer gear. It was FREEZING sitting out on top.

I climbed back up and had a snack and a photo with Bill. Then it was time to climb the 2.7 miles down and to Mountain Crossings for our zero.

Fall 2: Runaway Freight Train

The hike down starts with a decent on mostly rocks. I had overexerted in the morning and rocks are hard on my joints in the first place. Not good at all. I was hurting by the time we hit the mud.

We have hiked through mud many times in North and South Carolina. So I was relieved to see mud instead of rocks. That was until I hit the first slimy patch. I was descending at a normal pace, and I was using my hiking poles for support. 

Impact

I didn’t slow down when I saw the mud because it was nothing new. But when I hit it, my poles couldn’t stop me. Like a freight train, I went flying downhill. It lasted about four steps, and I ended up on my bottom. Thankfully, I was unhurt.

But I was shaken. What had just happened? 

I gave myself a couple of minutes to regroup, and the tiptoed the rest of the way down the trail.

Not more that a tenth of a mile later I went down again in the mud. But hard this time. I got back up. Cursed the red Georgia clay and hiked on.

Mountain Crossings

I had been here before. I loved the shoe tree. I didn’t throw mine up. But I did have their famous pizza. It was the best pizza I had ever eaten.

When we went inside Bill, who runs Mountain Crossings, noticed the mud instead my backside. He asked, so Bill explained my “runaway freight train” fall to him. He let me know that I was in good company, and told me that red Georgia clay mud is “slick as snot.”  My embarrassment lifted.

I was so thankful to be taking my first Zero. But more than that I was happy that “Hope” had kept me going through my falls.

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