The Final Day Before the Appalachian Trail

This morning we got up around 6:30am and began slowly but surely packing up. The sun didn’t rise until after 7am now that we’re back on eastern time. Which is pretty crazy! I’ve definitely been used to the earlier time these past couple weeks. Once we were packed we hit up the continental breakfast. I had a bagel and a couple of these yogurt probiotic drinks. Then heated up a Taco Bell burrito from last night to eat a little bit later along the road.

Today is our last full day of road walking before reaching Amicolola falls. Then the actual calendar year triple crown begins! Our bonus miles are almost complete. I’m so looking forward to hitting the AT and being back on actual trail for the remainder of the year. With just the occasional road walk here and there once we’re out west.

Heading out onto the road in the early light this morning.

It was a cold morning as we got moving along the road. I started in my Sambob alpha layers and my montbell wind gear. But within an hour or so I was way too hot. So I just kept the wind gear on along with my gloves. Which seemed to work just fine. There were moments when the wind picked up and I got a little cold. But it was comfortable enough. Over those first couple of hours I finished up Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins. Which was such an incredible book. What a way to start off my year of audiobooks. His mindset on life, pushing yourself and your boundaries, and never feeling finished or satisfied, resonates with me on a deep level.

A very fitting street name that we walked by.

Toward the end of the book he talked about finishing a massive accomplishment, and how it felt anticlimactic. To him, that was because accomplishing one goal was never the end for him. So after one goal was accomplished he would move on to the next. I felt very seen when I heard that. Thinking about the many times I’ve finished a thru hike and struggled to feel anything at all. Anticlimactic was always the word I chose. Because while I do these hikes for many many reasons, one reason is to push my boundaries and my limits. When I don’t find my limit by the end of one hike, then I know I must continue the hunt. I have to push myself even further to see what I’m really capable of. That was a big motivation for this year’s hike. To choose a goal that would push my boundaries and test my limits more than I ever have.

I couldn’t resist photographing the stripping skeleton that someone had in their yard.

As I walked the road I finished my Taco Bell burrito from last night. Which was somehow still luke warm from the microwave and tasted great. Fresh Ground called and spoke to Punisher briefly in between feeding NOBOs. It looks like we’ll be seeing him soon! Which I’m very excited about. There’s never a dull moment around that wonderful human.

Crossing over a small one lane bridge.

A little while after finishing that audio book I moved on to the next. In September of last year my cousin put out a memoir, which I haven’t read yet. I bought a physical copy when it first was released to support her. But I never had the time after the CDT to read it. I’m very excited to listen to it especially since she did the audio recording herself. It’s called “Over the Influence” by Joanna Levesque. And from what I already know about her and what I’ve read briefly, I know it’s going to be a beautiful and emotional story about her life and growth. That girl is a dang butterfly, and watching her continue to come into herself over the last handful of years has been incredible. She’s one of the most talented and kind people I’ve ever known.

This cute horse was very friendly and came up to give my hand a sniff.

We continued to walk the busy road for hours, with its narrow shoulder. Moving out of the way when large trucks came past us. Time moved quickly as I listened to the next book. And it made me emotional at times, learning deeper details that had never been shared before in person. You can know a lot about someone and be very close to someone. But most people don’t share every nitty gritty detail of their past and their lives with everyone. She really laid it all out there in the book, and I learned some things that only furthered the respect I have for her and what she has gone through.

I enjoyed the time that we spent on quiet country roads today.

In the early afternoon we passed through the next small town of Fairmont and decided to stop off for some lunch. The first gas station didn’t have any real food, so we headed down the road to a subway. It was dang cold out at this point, so sitting inside to eat sounded great.

A mural at the edge of Fairmont.

I got a 6 inch sub with chips and a drink. Then we enjoyed the warmth of the subway for a little while. Before leaving I put another layer on. Then we made our way out of town and had a decent sized hill to climb on our way out. I warmed up quickly and tried to avoid taking the layer off again. But within the next half an hour or so I could resist no longer. I heated up real quick and was not going to be cooling down anytime soon. Once I was back in just the wind gear I felt great.

Heading through another small town after Fairmont.

After another couple of hours we went by yet another gas station. But really didn’t need anything, so we just kept moving. And only an hour or so later we passed a dollar general. But by this point it had been a few hours since lunch, and a snack sounded great. I got a chocolate milk and an ice cream bar, even though it was freezing out! That’s the new englander in me coming out.

Nothing like ice cream on a cold day!

We still had another couple hours to go after that. But the road quieted down a bit and the leaves in the trees shined as the final light of the day peaked through. I really enjoyed this section of road and all of the forest that surrounded it. This is a major improvement from the road walking we did the last 2 days. The area is much quieter and more secluded. Our route was bringing us toward Talking Rock. A very small town that we would be passing through in another hour or so.

I loved the way the road got lit up as the sun prepared to set.

I continued listening to my book as we made our way along the road. Eventually getting to the edge of town which had another gas station. We needed to grab some water to cook either dinner or make a hot drink tomorrow morning. I had some juice still, but no water. While I was there I got yet another chocolate milk! I know I need as much fat and calories as I can get, so that is truly the quickest and easiest way to get it. The nice lady at the store asked us about what we were doing. We explained that we’re headed to the Appalachian trail. She let us fill up our water and told us to be safe. Then we put all of our layers back on before heading out again.

The adorable little town of Talking Rock. 

It was getting late by now, but we were almost at our destination for the night. Our route brought us through Talking Rock, which was an adorable touristy looking town. Everything was closed but it was easy to imagine alot of people passing through when it was open. The area was very cute with lots of small shops and an old style vibe. From there we had a little bit further to go and then passed by a couple of churches. These were our options for the night. Whichever church peeked our fancy. But of course we just walked to the furthest one and made it work.

Talking Rock, GA.

We went up a small hill behind the church and found sites to get set up for the night. Our timing was perfect and we got in just before dark. It’s always nice setting up your tent before it’s pitch black out. I’m proud to say we managed 33 miles today! It looks like we’re finally back in the game after two consecutive shorter days. It feels good to be moving again at a decent pace.

We wound up calling it a night in the grass by a church.

Once we got situated I got my tent up. Then did a bit of video work really quickly before settling in for the night. Inside my tent I stretched and charged my phone and headphones. Then just relaxed and got some writing done before heading off to bed around 8:30pm. Not too bad for a slightly later start and a big mile day! Tomorrow we will only have about 21 or so miles to go to get to Amicolola falls, the start of the AT!

If you enjoyed this blog and would like to support my hike by buying me a soda or a snack along the way, there is a “Tip the Author” button below! It links directly to my Venmo. Any and all support is incredibly appreciated!