And On the Third Day, She Rose The Wrong Way

Man has it been a roller coaster thus far. From snow, to sun, to laughing, to blisters, to soaking wet towels, to gorgeous views, to crammed hostel rooms- my adjustment to the trail is definitely under way!

Days 1-3:

After hiking the Approach Trail, which kicked my ass, I decided to stay on the top of Springer my first night. On that note- don’t think the Approach Trail is a walk in the park- I debated turning around and calling my fiancé to drive me to Springer. Not joking. But after that passed and I got my tent up, I went down to get some water. Upon return, my camel pack decided that it would be okay to leak all over the bottom of my tent. “No problem,” I think to myself. All part of it. Mop it up with my towel, hang my towel to dry, and in the morning, it is an actual frozen brick. Good luck stuffing that thing in a stuff sack. For real- I hiked with a frozen towel for the first four days.

But it was my first real day on the trail!  Nothing but love and smiles this day. And lots of sweat.

The next day was great- beautiful and the sun was shining. By the time I got to Hawk Mountain Shelter, it was early, but I was ready to be still. I enjoyed hot cocoa from my tent, along with a delicious lemon pepper tuna packet- which is surprisingly delicious.

And On the Third Day, She Rose the Wrong Way. 

A light dusting of snow on everything, I woke up and went right- a mile and a half backwards. A total of three miles all together. Mind you, I was humming along, feeling good, looking good, wondering why people with giant backpacks were going the opposite way…

And then I realized, laughed so I didn’t cry, and turned around. I really hope that only happens once….

Day 4-6

These days I’m honestly going to say were a mix of everything. My pack wasn’t fitting the right way, leaving giant welts on my hips, it snowed about three inches, I was up by 5:45 hiking to make it to a hostel that is first come first serve- I wasn’t the best version of myself on day 4.

But Day 5 & 6, I did a total of 22 miles (together) and had gorgeous views with new found friends. Seriously I felt so great. I’m finally getting those “hiker legs” people talk about.

The winds had died down and the temperature rose, making for a much better hike then we thought.

As I write this now, I’m laying diagonal in a hotel bed because on the 7th day, she rested. Well, still plan on hiking 13 miles today, but my body and soul needed a bed. As great as the hostel was to get out of the storm, being surrounded by 12 other smelly wet hikers and all their gear isn’t exactly a night of good rest.

BUT I’m happy, healthy, and loving every minute of this hike (and loving Helen, GA!) And sorry if this seems rushed- my free continental breakfast is calling my name.

Until next time, cheers and keep chasing the sun!