Cozy Cabins in Georgia

The Approach Trail

We started from Amicalola Falls on Tuesday March 14th around 8:30am on a cold morning. Deciding to meet our family at the top of the falls, we hiked the stairs without packs.

We made good time, getting to the peak of Springer around 1pm. Standing there looking at the southern terminus, I tried not to cry with the cold wind, but it was emotional. I’ve hiked 900 miles and there’s always been the AT behind and in front of me. This was my first time seeing that it had an end.

Water filter failure

Stopping by Stover Creek Shelter we met Mimsy who was just starting her thru hike! After chatting for a few minutes we decided we would hike on to a lower elevation where it would be warmer. In the morning, our water filter wasn’t working and Mimsy offered her backup filter to us to get us to Neels Gap.

Seeing Old Faces

With rain coming, we made a shorter day to Woody Gap to go to Hidden Pond Hostel ran by Rainbow and Lost Johnny. They looked familiar so we talked about our time on trail last summer and discovered we were both at the Warwick drive in last summer!

At Neels Gap we met Joy who was helping her daughter, Joyless, with her thru hike. We met again at Unicoi gap and discovered they camped near us the first night on the trail! Joy and I shared a room at The Yellow Deli in Rutland, VT.

We weren’t planning on going into Hiawassee, but the weather had other plans! After 11 miles in the rain, we went to the Budget Inn to dry off and get a warm night of sleep. Walking back from doing laundry we ran into Stone Legs, a trail angel we met a few times last year as he travels with the bubble. In just over a week on trail, we’ve already met so many familiar faces!

Staying Cozy

As cold as it has been starting out, we’ve been taking more zeros than planned. First, we spent two nights at Hidden Pond Hostel to wait out the cold rain. I spent the time reading Nature of the Appalachian Trail and hanging out with the hostel dog, Sam. We also watched The Men Who Stare at Goats with other hikers there.

We made good time getting from Woody to Neels Gap where we secured spots at the hostel at Mountain Crossings. After splitting a pizza for lunch, we ran into Mimsy again! After returning the water filter we borrowed, we talked down in the hostel.

In the morning it was still in the teens so we decided to split a cabin with Mimsy and Dave to stay out of the cold. It was a great spot where we shared stories and discussing everything we could think of with the fireplace going all day. The Cabins at Blood Mountain were a great deal.

Book Review

I’m always listening to podcasts, music, or audiobooks while hiking. This week I listened to Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. It was interesting listening to it from a historical perspective as some of the environmental and agricultural practices she hopes will be researched and implemented have happened!

Looking Ahead

We are about a week out from entering The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Hearing stories of the snow and cold last year makes me a little apprehensive, but I’m hopeful we’ll get through it!