Day 6❄️❄️❄️

It was nice to have an overnight stay in a hotel, especially due to the overnight rain and high winds. Today’s forecast did not look great either, which included rain, wind, and 1-3 inches of snow in the higher elevations where we were headed. We started the day with a big breakfast at a local diner, packed up, then got shuttle to the trailhead. The hike started by meeting two trail ambassadors Trillium and OB. They were absolutely wonderful and shared lots of their backpacking knowledge and experience with us. Today we crossed the Georgia North Carolina state line, thus completing our first state of the Appalachian Trail. We were greeted by North Carolina with a substantial climb that reminded us of Maine. From that point forward, the weather continued to worsen, which included on and off rain, high winds, and sleet/snow once we started reaching the higher elevations. Due to the weather, my dad and I thought it would be a good night to stay in a shelter for the first time. Standing Indian Shelter was 17 miles from our starting point at Dick‘s Creek Gap so this seemed like a good option. Due to the late start, and inclement weather we did not arrive to the shelter until dusk with heavy snow and heavy winds. We checked out the shelter and it was full, and all inside the shelter looked very cold. We did not mess around and found a nearby campsite and quickly set up camp in less than favorable conditions. It was a challenging evening as it was very cold and snowy and we were staying at the elevation of 4700+.  My dad and I want to give Jerome Richard (who has thru hiked the AT and PCT, section hiked the AT, and is starting the CDT this April for his Triple Crown👑) a huge shout out for our gear list and all of the advice he has given us. He has been spot on and such a great mentor for us.