Appalachian Trail...Part 2
After our little taste of the A.T. last spring, we decided we wanted to come back and finish the Georgia section before the end of the year. It takes a lot for the Chiro to be willing to close his office doors so I knew the fact that he agreed to do it meant he was really looking forward to this excursion. (But my apologies to those of you that were needing adjustments that week!)
It was the perfect time to go, and the fall leaves were so pretty. It already feels kinda like a dream when I look at our pictures. Weather ranged between about 40 and 70, which was ideal for me (though he would have loved hiking in hot weather...this is why I plan our excursions...🙃). We did have one day of rain, but it wasn't terrible and luckily everything dried out quickly.
Here are a few highlights of our 7 days on the trail this fall:
A Grueling First Day
We pushed an extra 5 miles on the first day in order to avoid trekking to a shelter down a steep side trail that we'd have to back-track on the next morning (and which would mean about 2.5 extra miles in the end). We'd had a tough climb out of Tesnatee Gap but things were leveling out and once we decided we could push on, we just pushed. And pushed. This was when we encountered our first SOBOs (south-bound, or starting-from-Maine, thru-hikers). Two girls with really beat up packs and clothes but very boisterous energy sped past us and wished us "happy trails, no blisters!" They didn't tell us they were thru-hikers but it was pretty obvious.
Eventually, after what became a 12-mile day, we made it to the next shelter only to find it occupied, and not with the most sociable hikers. So instead of moving in to share tight quarters (and endure fairly constant profanity), we found another spot to set up our tent that gave us some privacy. We had a nice fire going that night while we stretched out our sore legs, and the Chiro even rigged up a textbook "bear hang" for our food bag in the dark, which was a bit of a feat. It was a bigger Day One than I had planned and I knew I would feel the effects, but I was happy that my body did okay.
Of course, I was taking extra steroids fairly frequently in order to circumvent anything close to an adrenal crisis. (Last May there was one day that started going south--figuratively--and it was a miserable hour or 2 in the rain waiting for the meds to kick in, so I learned my lesson to get ahead of that scenario! Read here about what that's all about.) Despite our tired muscles, all was well and I think we probably slept better in our tent than we would have in that shelter.
Our First (and only) "Nearo"
Day 3 was only 2.5 miles before we reached where our car was parked/planted at Unicoi Gap. In thru-hiker jargon this would be a "nearo" day (not quite "zero" day). We stopped in at the hiker outfitter there in Hiawassee, the grocery store for some ibuprofen and a new lighter, and the Georgia Mountain Fair (where we invested in some beef tallow body cream infused with turmeric and magnesium in hopes it would help soothe my calves), and then had lunch at Hiawassee Brew before heading on to our hostel for the night. Around the Bend hostel was a delightful little place to spend the night, plus it meant we got to shower. :)
This was our little taste of what it's like when thru-hikers leave the trail for a "town day." All of a sudden you're back in civilization, but you know it's just for a few hours. Our distinct advantage was that we had our own car and didn't have to hitchhike or pay for a shuttle. (That also meant we could enjoy the snacks I had stashed in the car...hello sweet potato chips!).
Disaster in the Shelter
We knew rain was expected on day 5, and sure enough it started right about 8am as we were packing up our gear from the shelter we'd stayed at. We had our rain stuff and weren't too worried about it, but then we had a bit of a disaster packing up. Without going into too much detail, let's just say I should not have asked for help in adding my preworkout powder to my (very full) hydration bladder. The result of some ill-coordinated efforts between 2 certain poorly-communicating hikers was that my pack was suddenly soaked with water and covered in very sweet smelling raspberry-lemonade powder. What was supposed to be a peaceful Sabbath morning may have seen both me and my hubby letting some choice language escape. 😆
We got going and quickly forgot our woes, but then had a tough climb up Kelly Knob that day. Luckily, I had stashed a Snickers bar in my pack from the grocery store (I mean, I did pay for it...) and was suddenly very grateful that I had had the self-discipline not to eat it that same day I bought it. I sensed there would be a time when I would really "need" it, and that time definitely came on Kelly Knob. Thank you Snickers for seeing me through that seemingless endless ascent! 🤣
Hiker Stench...Respectable or Repulsive?
We got to our shelter the afternoon on day 5 and had it to ourselves for a few hours before 2 thru-hikers came speeding in just before dusk. Buddha and C+ (trail names) joined us in the shelter and boy did they have the fragrance of folks who'd been on the trail for many months. It was actually pretty fun talking to them and being a little more immersed in that culture, and they definitely have my respect! They didn't start the trail together but joined up somewhere on the way, and they were fast and strong (I think every thru-hiker is after 2000 miles!)
It was a little sobering to learn that the girl, C+, had started at Katahdin in Maine on the same day that 2 hikers had perished up there last June. She actually said that she wasn't able to summit because the weather was so bad (19 degree wind chill), and after learning about the tragedy later, she said she felt sad but very validated in her decision not to try and summit that day. So technically, she still has to go back and pick up those 2.5 miles to get to the top of Katahdin and have the entire trail under her belt. Apparently Katahdin (the northern end of the trail) is a beast of a climb and no joke for even the most experienced hiker. I guess that's why it kinda works out that most thru-hikers start in the south and work their way up to it, training for a couple thousand miles before having to conquer it!
Crowded at the Border
Getting to the North Carolina/Georgia border was our big goal, so we anticipated making a "moment" out of it once we were there. However, as we got closer we could hear a large, rowdy group and weren't quite sure what we were coming up on. It ended up being a group of about 8-9 SOBOs and they were sure excited to be at their last state border crossing. We took their group photo and talked with them for a quick minute but they had several conversations going among themselves and were having their own little celebration. So we then hiked another .1 mile to Bly Gap, where we climbed the fun, big tree and took our "finished" photos. And then we turned around and had to back-track about 3 miles in order to get to Blue Ridge gap, where our shuttle driver could actually pick us up. So on the way back, once the other group had moved on, we took our own "border" photos...at the very obscure border that you would almost miss if it weren't for the plank of wood nailed to the tree!
In a Nutshell
To summarize, the whole adventure was awesome and I highly recommend any portion of it--at this precise time of year. :]
And I think because of what my body has been through the last few years, this achievement meant a lot more to me than it would have pre-Addisons. I did take extra meds and my emergency injection was on hand, but I was able to avoid the wall I had hit last spring when my energy just evaporated. And this section was an extra day and about 8 miles longer than what we covered in May, so it did feel like a real accomplishment! We technically got up to trail mile 78.4 at the border, but with with the approach trail and side trails we also took, we believe we've covered over 90 miles of trail between the 2 weeks. One website tells us that, not including the 8.8 mile approach trail, that was a total ascent of 23,120 ft and descent 23,080 ft. I'm not great with numbers but that does seem like a bit of up and down!
Of course, my dear hiking partner was given ample opportunities to grow his patience when it came to our pacing and my ability to move uphill with a 25 lb pack on my back. Let's just say he reminded me a bit of our puppy, who will run ahead, then look back to make sure you're still coming, pause for a bit if needed, then go on as soon as you get up to him. No rest for the weary! But of course that's part of what made it so rewarding (I think?). Anyway...
A.T., thank you for the beauty and unforgettable views you gave us. Thank you for the challenge of 90(ish) miles up and down the beautiful mountains of north Georgia. Thank you for the inspiring people you introduced us to. Thank you for making our camp food taste amazing. Thank you for the gorgeous fall colors. Thank you for characters like "Bill-the-Pack-Whisperer" that encouraged us on our way. Thank you for having shelters, privies, and water sources at reasonable distances. Thank you for for letting us do this at our own pace and not feel rushed by anything or anyone else. Thank you for having such limited cell service and no wifi. Thank you for the highs and the lows, and for making us feel truly alive. Until next time!
-Camel and Queen
See a 90 second video of our adventure here 😃
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https://www.addisonsdisease.org.uk/
