Hiking the Appalachian

For years, I have wanted to hike the Appalachian trail. Not necessarily a thru hike, although that would be pretty cool. I have followed several people on instagram who have done thru hikes on various trails, and it looks like an amazing experience. I am just not ready to be away from my family for that much time right now. Plus, I don’t know of anyone who would want to, or would be able to, do the thru hike with me, and I’m not ready to set out on that adventure by myself. Hats off to those who have done that hike solo, but that is not me. Yikes.

I have started section hiking the Appalachian. I have made two trips to Georgia to hike on the trail. So far, I have hiked 26 miles from the southern terminus at Springer Mountain in Georgia. This story about the first trip. It will be the first of many stories about my Appalachian hiking experiences.

The first trip to Georgia to start on the trail was in November, 2023. My friend, Cindy, loaned out her husband, David, and her adult son, Nick, to go with me. My husband, Greg, also went on the trip, but he did not hike. Our dog, Josie, was along for the fun. She kept Greg company at the campground while the rest of us hiked. We drove to Georgia and we camped at the Amicalola Falls State Park.

Josie is such a good little camper. She is so calm when she is camping. If you look closely, you can see her sitting near the picnic table. That is her favorite spot. She’s always ready, just in case some food gets dropped.

This is a very nice campground. It has beautiful views, and the showers and bathrooms are well maintained.

The next morning, Greg took us to the Springer Mountain parking area. FYI: The parking lot is NOT the southern terminus. From here, you have to walk about a mile to get to the southern terminus. I didn’t realize that until we got there, so I had not added that extra hour into my mileage calculations for the day. But that was okay. I was full of adrenaline about actually starting my hike on the Appalachian trail, so one extra mile was not going to make a lot of difference. Plus, a friend had loaned me his super warm, camouflage hunting jacket. Do I look like an outdoor badass, or what?

We waved good bye to Greg and Josie and started off on our walk to the southern terminus. By the time we had arrived, I had already shed the super cool camouflage jacket, but I was very thankful for it at the beginning of the walk. Now I just had to carry it in my backpack the rest of the day. I might have wanted to think that through a little better, but I HATE being cold.

There was a book where we could sign our names at the southern terminus. I am now officially an Appalachian trail hiker. It says so in the book.

We hiked that day from the southern terminus to Hightower Gap.

The day was pretty uneventful, the weather was nice, and it was a lot of fun. We hiked about eight miles on the trail that day, plus the mile walk to the terminus.

Greg picked us up at the road at Hightower Gap and took us back to the campground. Josie was happy to see me. We fixed dinner, cleaned up, and got some rest.

The next day, Greg took us back to Hightower Gap so that we could hike another day.

We hiked that day to Gooch Gap. It was cold that morning, but it warmed up again and it was another beautiful day.

We hiked another eight miles to Gooch Gap that day. Pretty uneventful day again. Except for the snake. And the sound of the bear huffing. Let me explain.

As we were hiking, all of a sudden David stopped and motioned for me to stop. I didn’t need to stop. I was not tired. I was a badass hiker with a camouflage jacket in my backpack. Turns out, I did need to stop. David motioned to the ground. There was a snake crossing the trail, angrily switching his tail back and forth. Apparently, Nick had just unknowingly stepped over him. We stood there for a few minutes while the snake made it’s way off the trail and into the grass. Well, okay. I guess I owed David a thank you for that one.

We were getting close to Gooch Gap as the sun was starting to go down that evening. I was a little nervous since it was starting to get dark, and I had always heard that the bears are more likely to come out at night. I was in the lead, and I have to admit, I was walking at a pretty fast clip, trying to get to Gooch Gap. I heard a sound. I turned around, looked at the guys, and I said, “I think that’s a bear.” Nick’s eyes got wide. David tried to reassure him that it was not a bear, but I’m pretty sure it was. It was the huffing sound that bears sometimes make. I don’t think it was close to us, and I don’t think it was threatening us, but nevertheless, it was the bear sound. I was very glad to see the sign for Gooch Gap, and see Greg sitting in his car waiting on us.

We went back to the campground to have some dinner and to get some sleep. When we arrived at the campground, the wind was really blowing and the air was very cold. It was supposed to storm pretty bad that night. The campground worker drove by and told us that it was too dangerous to have a campfire because of the wind. Bummer. It was REALLY cold. We ate dinner, and listened to the thunder in the distance. I suggested that we pack up, get in the car, and head home. Yes, it was an eight hour drive, but the wind was really blowing, the thunder was getting louder and the lightening was getting more frequent. But the guys, because they are so tough and manly, decided we could tough it out in the tents that night. I lay there for a long time, watching the walls of the tent blow and hoping the stakes were going to hold. The next morning, we woke up with a lot of water in the floor of the tent. Now we had to pack up all wet stuff and head home. I think maybe they should have listened to me. Sometimes I make a lot of sense.

Tips:

1. Amicalola Falls State Park is a very nice place to camp near the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. They have tent sites, glamping units, cabins and a lodge. The lodge looked very nice. Most of the people we saw staying at the lodge did not appear to be Appalachian Trail hikers. They didn’t look like they were used to “roughing it.” More information can be found at amicalolafallslodge.com.
2. Bears do make huffing sounds, and I know what that sounds like.
3. It is probably a good idea to watch for snakes when hiking the Appalachian Trail. And if the person in front of you motions for you to stop, then you should stop, even if you have a camouflage jacket in your backpack.
4. If there is lightening, thunder, and high winds, and someone suggests packing up the camping gear and leaving, maybe it would be a good idea to take their advice. It would avoid a tent full of water.
5. If you have a husband who doesn’t like to hike, but is willing to drive to Georgia, set up camp, take you to the trailhead in the morning and pick you up in the evening so you can do the things you enjoy, hang on to him. He’s a keeper.