March 1-4, 2014
After finishing up my packing, I rolled up the windows to the car and locked the doors, hopefully.
After finishing up my packing, I rolled up the windows to the car and locked the doors, hopefully.
From there I met my first fellow thru hiker and two southbound hikers that just finished up!!! So yes, they were hiking through the winter. The first climb was a steep climb up stairs to the top of Amicalola Falls. The grates on the stairs were too wide for Bella, so I got some practice carrying Bella on my back. We made it to Springer Mountain where the trail officially begins.
It was a cold and windy night... and Bella and I got up ready to start the AT. The hiking was good and we were all excited and full of energy from all that driving, so we did a few more miles than I planned on over the next two days. There was a stop on day 2 at Neels Gap, GA for some pizza and a dog food feast. There was an outfitter with some very knowledgeable ex-hikers running the store, so they answered all my questions, mostly about how to beat the rain and stay dryish. That night I ran into a group; First Blood from Germany, ZZ, Beast, Batman, Moneymaker, and Forget-me-not. We had a great time hanging around the fire playing games.
The next day it got a little wet, but there seems to be shelters every 5-10 miles, so the protection provides a good lunch break stop and are a good place to rest when it's raining.
From there I did some early morning miles in the frost covered trees to the town Hiawassee, GA. Nothing beats a nice warm shower after a night that got down to 20 degrees, or so. Oh ya, and we agreed on a hiker name for Bella. She is now Big Hungry!!!
Amicolola Falls
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