Today we start our journey. We got our picture at the famous Amicalola Falls stone archway and off we went.
We start walking down the trail giggling to ourselves because we can not believe this day has finally come and we are actually walking all the way to Maine. My eyes fill with tears as we start walking and I don’t know if they are from excitement, the longing of waiting for this day, or fear. Probably a little of all of those things along with many more that I can not express. Not five minutes in, we turn a corner and in front of us we see the beautiful Amicalola Falls and the not so beautiful 600 steps we have to climb to get there. Huffing and puffing we lug ourselves and our 30lb bags up the stairs misted by the over powering falls. By the time I got to the top my legs were on fire, and that was the first of 4 climbs that day! What have we gotten ourselves into? Then I remember that the approach trail is 8.8 miles not along the AT, but leading up to the AT. Well...that’s what we’ve signed up for I guess. The day was foggy, but the mist and the rain could not dampen our spirits. We set off into the woods already talking of the states to come. As we approach Springer Mountain, we came across our first log book.
In the log book we see names of 15 or so people from today alone. The entries range from a name, to pictures sketched, to many people commenting Katahdin awaits! What an interesting life to lead for months where you and hundreds of others are all walking with the same purpose in mind. Katahdin.
We made it about 13 miles today and have stopped at the Stover Creek Shelter. Camped outside the shelter, I lie here in my tent writing this and listening to a man snore so loudly I thought it was a bear. Well at least he’s enjoying a well earned sleep. Aren’t we all? As we all lay quiet by 8:30 ready to awake and start another foggy, rainy, but adventurous day along the AT.
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