Sprouting

Our first trip to Georgia to section hike was a huge learning experience for us. Two biggest mistakes we made were purchasing flimsy foam sleep pads and not understanding the value of hiking poles. I look back on that time now and marvel at just how naïve we were.

Our tent choice was great though and performed well throughout the first and subsequent section hikes. And our decision to go with a Jet Boil and freeze dried food was one we would take into our current thru hike attempt. So not all bad decisions. We did learn, however, that it only takes a couple bad decisions to mar the entire trail and a good night’s sleep is mandatory if you are going to spend all day hauling yourself and your oversized pack up and down mountains all day. We’ll talk AT terminology later, but one term we learned quickly was PUDS – pointless ups and downs.

We decided to start right at the base of the trail and not hike the approach trail so we would get more time on the actual AT. After all, we didn’t come all the way to Georgia to climb a bunch of stairs. We wanted to spend all our time in the mountains. So we hired one of the many shuttle drivers in the area to take us to the base on Springer Mountain. It was perhaps one of the most surreal experiences we have ever had. We left before sunrise and found ourselves riding in the back of a stranger’s jeep through the pitch black night and backroads of the Georgia mountains. I know…banjos…right? He was great though and after checking our shoes and water supply and giving us some sage advice, he dropped us off and drove away. And then we just stood there. At that very moment our decision soaked in and we were just a little bit nervous. We had no choice at this point but to head up the mountain and hike to our rendezvous point.

#camping #camp #camplikeachamp