2020 Spring Semester

     Last night was cold and snowy. It was also my best night of trail-sleep yet. Went to bed around 6:30 before the sun fully went down. There was a lot of wind and about a half inch of snow accumulation over the night. We woke up to an incredible sun rise. It began with very bright and vibrant colors juxtaposed with the darkness of the rest of the sky and the clouds.      Then the colors of the sunrise faded to pastels over the mountain peaks.      Before too long the sun rose like a red ball of fire, turning the faded pastels into burning colors again.      Before we spent too long watching the sun rise, we packed up and hit the trail. Meanwhile, our compatriots from less latitudinally gifted locations (southerners...) stayed in their sleeping bags to avoid the cold and snow. We were right at home in the conditions. For most of the morning we were the first people on the trail, setting the first footprints. ...

     Today was another beautiful hike. Georgia has been much more than either Tyler or I expected in terms of challenge and beauty. We expected the state to be relatively flat in comparison to the hiking we are used to in New Hampshire. While Georgia is not nearly as vertical as the White Mountains, it is still difficult hiking and will take its toll if we are not careful.         We woke up after a good night sleep and gathered our things for breakfast in the dark. As the sun rose we ate breakfast and packed up. Hiking started pretty easy and we moved quickly for the first few hours. The skies were still pretty clear and we had some nice scenery. Not too long after, the difficulty of the trail picked up as we started ascending Blue Mountain. We got up to a shelter near the peak of Blue Mt and ate a snack. I used some trail medicine to take care of my first blisters of the trail.         At Blue Mt Shelter we...

     Today was fantastic all around. The store at Mountain Crossings usually doesn’t open until 9 am but they opened early today for us. We were able to pack up, resupply and hit the trail by 9:15. Part of my resupply included a tent. It hurt to spend money on a piece of gear I already had, but the other tent was just incapable of keeping me dry. Lesson learned.      The hike started in chilly fog but after a short time the fog began to clear. For a while the fog would roll through as we hiked, giving us occasional views and occasional thick fog. Then the fog was completely clear on one side and very thick on the other, giving views in one direction and a white sheet in the other. Not too much later the fog cleared completely and we were able to see the complete area around us for the first time in a day and a half. And they were great. We were able to see the entire range of mountains in the distance, which we had been hiking through.     ...

     There was a moderate amount of rain last night and it was about 40 degree. Neither of which should have been an issue. However the fabric of my tent apparently stretches significantly when wet, meaning that I woke up around midnight with my tent basically on top of me, and once again my sleeping bag was soaked. I will be buying a new tent at the next opportunity.      Apart from my poor night sleep because of my tent failure, today was incredible. We started moving around 6:30 and we’re yet to decide if we would do a 12 mile day to Woods Hole shelter or push over Blood Mt, the highest point of the Georgia AT section to make it to Neel Gap. We hiked hard in the morning as the rain wasn’t too much just yet. We stopped for breakfast and water early, then for lunch at Woody Gap after crossing several ridges. After Woody Gap we hiked up to Preachers Rock, a well known overlook with generally excellent views. At this point we were in the clouds but it was ...

     I slept well last night. It was in the low 20’s again but I managed to pitch my tent in such a way to avoid bumping into the sides at night. It was definitely a good learning experience. Woke up to a nice sunrise. Tyler and I hit the trail almost immediately after packing up and hike a little over a mile before stopping for breakfast next to a steam. We bumped into other through hikers we had already met and a couple new people too.      After breakfast we really found our stride, hiking much more quickly and efficiently. I am still sore and adjusting to hiking every  day but it hasn’t slowed us down at all.     We hiked over several ridge in quick succession after stopping for lunch. The excellent weather allowed us to have some great views as we hiked over Sassafras Mt. The terrain was rough today but we were still able to hike more quickly and get to camp around 3 in the afternoon.      We are staying at Go...

     Today started off rough but enjoyable. Last night I had a minor gear failure where my sleeping bag bumped the side of my tent which was full of condensation. Long story short my down sleeping bag got wet. Down doesn’t keep you warm when it’s wet and last night was in the low 20’s. After waking up confused and cold I was able to find my jacket and get warm. It was a restless night but I still got the sleep I needed.       The weather today was beautiful. It got into the 50’s with perfectly blue skies. The hike itself was challenging as our bodies aren’t used to hiking 15 miles while carrying 25 pounds. But the experience were worth it.       We started the day by breaking down our tent site and walking around a half mile down to the visitor center of Amicalola falls where the was a gear weigh in, a registration, and a brief lecture on leave no trace, the policy where you hike with the least impact on nature. We were giv...

    Today we woke up early and drove to the airport. Our flight is at 8:40 and we will have a two hour layover in Maryland. We expect to get to Greenville SC around 2:30 at which point Tyler’s friend, Andrew will pick us up and drive us to the Amicalola Falls Visitor Center, stopping at a Walmart on the way to buy our first food supply. We will arrive at Amicalola around 7 pm, set up our tents and camp at the base of the trail.      It’s exciting to be starting but I don’t think it’s really hit me yet. Maybe after a couple days of hiking I will realize the magnitude of what we are doing. Right now I’m just looking forward to being  done with flying and get started. I’ll keep everyone posted as tomorrow plays out. Later that day:      We just got to our campsite at the Amicalola state park lodge. It’s like a big lodge area with many nice camp sites and cabins. We just set up camp for our first time (in the dark, I might add). It ...