Hello from the Georgia/North Carolina border!!

This is my second week on the trail and a second milestone has been hit, crossing into my home state of North Carolina! But let’s go back to where I ended at last, Blue Mountain Shelter.

Week 2

The first day of the second week started oh so nice with my first trail magic! Never in my life would I have ever scarfed down a cheeseburger and coleslaw and beans and chips and a muffin and an apple and 2 mini snickers at 10 am…but I did today! And then I quickly learned what the term “Privy Princess” is. And yes I am referring to me. For anyone unfamiliar with the term, let me explain. A “Privy Princess” is someone who will ONLY do #2 in a privy. So anyways when this whole thing started I’m not gonna lie, I bought the poop trowel but had no actual intentions of using it. I thought to myself, “There will be privies at the shelters, and using a privy HAS to be better than digging a freaking hole in the woods, TO POOP IN” haha I was wrong.

I will report that I am still a privy princess but I cannot confirm for how much longer. All I have to say about these privies is woof prepare yourself and DO NOT camp downwind.

Besides the privy experience though the day was yet again amazing. I rinsed my face in an ice-cold stream, crushed 8.2 miles, and ended the day with a late lunch on top of some random rocky peak. It was beautiful and so perfect. I have realized that I am for sure a stop and smell the flowers type of hiker and I think that’s ok. I’m taking in everything around me and taking full advantage of every moment. I don’t remember the name of the rocky peak I sat on but I’ll never forget sunbathing on top of it, eating a packet of tuna, and listening to some Ray LaMontagne.

Day nine started at the crack of dawn, literally.

Let me just say ya girl is not a morning person, but Tray Mountain is known for some of its beautiful sunrises and I couldn’t leave Georgia without getting in at least one. I was not disappointed at all in my decision to lose a little sleep. Although I was dead tired at the end of my 9.9-mile day.

Days 10 + 11 (Town Days)

Trail life is so different in so many ways except one. Plans can quickly change and you just gotta roll with it. So what was planned to be a quick trip into Clayton, GA to resupply turned into a 2-night stay at the Holiday Inn.

The day started with just a short hike to Moreland Gap where I had my first attempt at hitchhiking (and failed). Who knew that you were supposed to stand on the side of the road in the direction you were wanting to go? I just thought any kind soul wanting to pick up hikers would just take us anywhere we needed. HA sounds ridiculous now. As I was told by my hiking friend Dijon this is not the Uber of hiking. That’s news to me.

So off we go -in the shuttle- to Outdoor76 in Clayton, NC. And thank god we went there. Shout out to Rob the master foot/shoe guy at the outfitters. A few hikers in my group had been having various foot and knee problems and as random trail magic goes he just so happened to be in the shop that day to give us all the full foot spew. It was a long spew but I’m so glad I sat to listen. I learned that I am supposed to wash my socks more than, well never in the last 10 days. And for everyone now wondering, yes I have washed them, and yes I do have a second pair of hiking socks. I was just being conservative with switching them out and well, I thought they were fine. Turns out they were what was rubbing my heel and trying to cause a blister. I can now report I am now switching my socks out regularly and my feet remain blister-free. AND my socks do not stand on their own any longer so that’s also a plus. Oh and there’s a taproom INSIDE of the outfitters, need I say more.

The rest of that day was filled with figuring out what we needed to get back on the trail. Resupplying in town is different than having a prepackaged box shipped to you or even just resupplying on dehydrated meals at the outfitters. Resupplying in town gives you options. Too many options, and I for sure hiked out of Clayton with more food than necessary.

Resupplying in town also gives you hotels and restaurants and laundry and so many things to do. So many actually that I plan to write a post on what a day in town fully looks like. It’s so much more than just picking out some meals, showering, and sleeping in a bed. It takes a lot more thought, time, and planning on town days than I thought it would.

Day 12

I walked my last 9 miles in Georgia and crossed into the second state on the trail, North Carolina. It never felt so good to step foot in my home state. Not only was I so happy to check one of the states off the list but good lord Georgia was testing me trying to get out of it. It was a rough day and I was ready to set up my tent at Bly Gap. My first night in North Carolina.

-A

Hiker#1989