Amicalola Falls to Walasi-Yi (Neel's Gap)

After Heather, Kyle and their dog, Denali, left us at the foot of the approach trail to the AT in Amicalola State Park, GA, we started up some very steep stairs up the side of the mountain. I have to admit that my first thought was

what the heck are we doing???!!! My pack felt incredibly heavy, my calves and thighs were burning with fatigue, and I was panting so loud I couldn't even hear Mark behind me. But within a mile or so the trail leveled out, somewhat - at least it wasn't straight up after that. The approach trail is 8.8 miles, and the weather was pleasant... we quickly found something of a hiking rhythm. Then, almost before I knew it, we were in a small clearing at the top of Springer Mountain, where a man named Roger took down our names and had us sign in the register. The view was spectacular, since there are no leaves on the trees yet, but the wind was intense, so we lingered just a moment. After the perfunctory photos of us grinning, trying not to look so tired, we headed to the shelter, where we ate some trail mix and pondered our next move. A section hiker who knew the area, recommended some campsites further down the trail, and theoretically, out of the wind, so we found some renewed energy and headed down hill, another 2.5 miles.

When we got to the next shelter site, we met Bonnie and Tambourine, also on their first day. We set up camp and cooked some dinner, exchanging the usual getting-to-know-you banter. As it was getting dark (and very cold), we mentioned something about the plaque at the top of Springer Mountain, at which time Bonnie discovered that she had not, in fact, started at the beginning of the trail, but at the forest service road crossing. Bonnie had done about 1500 miles of the trail in the late eighties and early nineties, but this was her first thru-hike attempt, and she was bound and determined to make it a valid one. She bundled up, put on a headlamp and strapped on her knife and did the first, of what would be several night hikes. At first, we tried to talk her out of it, or at least to do it in the morning, but she could not be swayed. Bonnie's sense of adventure continues to amaze and inspire us. Unfortunately, her hiking partner, Tambourine, dropped out the very next morning, but Bonnie is still going strong, as far as we know.

When we woke up the next morning, to very light snowfall and ice on our tent, the real hike began.

Over the next couple of days we experienced cold temperatures at night, but sun during the day, incredible views from mountain tops, lots of introductions with other hopeful thru-hikers, and sore legs. By the time we reached Blood Mountain, we were definitely ready for a rest (and a shower), which we found right down in the next gap, at Walasi-Yi hostel and outfitter.