Date: 2015-03-04
From: Amicalola Falls

To: Stove Creek Shelter 
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: light rain

Landed yesterday in Atlanta and picked up by the Hiker Hostel. We had a quick stop at Walmart where I managed to stock up on food for the next four days. I have rice Knorr sides (just add water), fajita wraps, peanut butter, tuna pouches, instant oatmeal, raisins, strawberry fruit things, brunch bars, vanilla and chai tea. From England I bought some Kendall mint cakes and cadburys hot chocolate. The food seems to add an enormous amount of weight to the pack and I'm hoping to minimise that in the future.After that, we drove to the hostel. Northern Georgia has a lot of twisty roads that are a little terrifying in a speedy van, since a lot of the corners don't even have metal barriers.The Hiker Hostel is really wonderful. I cannot recommend it enough. It was a lot like a lodge in the middle of nowhere. The staff were very friendly, and it had all the useful facilities- a hiker kitchen, an ancient vending machine, laundry, and a free breakfast. The wooden bunkbeds were comfy but extremely creaky.But the best part of the hostel was meeting all the fellow thru-hikers. It was a bit of a relief to finally meet other thru-hikers. The atmosphere at the hostel was one of the best I've ever experienced, everyone was very friendly and introducing themselves and chatting. A few people even shared their food. Everyone exchanged their knowledge about the AT and some tenuous gear comparisons (it's still too soon to argue that you have the best gear). Most people also went to bed before 11pm, getting ready for the early start the next day.My alarm went off at 6.50, but I was already awake and getting ready. Breakfast started at 7.30, so the meantime was used by everyone (the 3 other men in my dorm woke up at 7) to sort their packs and throw on all their gear.Breakfast was waffles, porridge and scrambled eggs. There were also grits, which I learned you add hot sauce to for flavour. We also learned who would be going to Amicalola and taking the Approach Trail and who would be dropped near Springer. There were 7 of us who went to Amicalola, including Mikayla and Asah (I have no idea how to spell that, sorry!).When we all stepped outside with our packs, we discovered that the rain had stopped but there was an endless fog. The temperature was also humidly warm and comfortable. It was absolutely nothing like the snow and freezing weather that I had been expecting.I weighed my pack, and it was 31lbs with everything inside. This is one of the lower weights I have heard so far, but it still feels like a house.We drove to Amicalola in the van, and registered in the visitor center. Then, the three of us (me, Mikayla and Asah) took our photos at the famous arch at the beginning of the trail and then we were off! Within 20 minutes, we were all stripping off layers. It was so humid and warm that I was sweating immediately. The Approach Trail was pretty gentle going until the stairs- all 604 of them! That really made my legs and lungs burn. I followed Mikayla who has a good place and has a boundless enthusiasm for the trail and every creature that lives on it. We saw squirrels and white millipedes, but in the thick fog we soon lost sight of Asah.The falls were quite beautiful, and the fog parted to reveal miles of forest and hills in the distance.Then, we followed the Approach Trail for about 8 miles through woods and thick fog to get to Springer Mountain. The mountain summit was a bit anticlimactic. We reached it at 2pm, having started at 9.30 and stopping for lunch. We registered there and took some photos before moving on.The woods were very quiet, we only heard a woodpecker and the wind sometimes. It didn't rain but it drizzled a little. It felt incredibly warm. Walking in the woods was like walking anywhere else in the world. It could have been England, it could have been Korea.There were a few hills and a few declines, a few small river crossings and road crossings. We passed a couple shelters, and signed in at Springer shelter and met James, another thru-hiker. None of us stayed at Springer, but instead we walked the next 2.8 miles to the next shelter at Stover Creek. Before then, we had only seen 8 people on the trail, but quickly met others - including Mad Hatter, who I had met at the Hiker Hostel, and James again who had powered ahead. The shelter was very fancy, with a large loft. There were bear bag lines, a very small water stream and a privy. The privies do not have doors but they're not as unpleasant as you would expect. It's easy to see if anyone is inside because there is a massive gap between the floor and the wall.We reached the shelter around 3 sometime and from then we met more and more people, even Asah showed up not long after! I set up my tent but most people stayed in the shelter. I can't say I blame them, it started raining hard about 7.30pm. My dinner tonight was a Knorrs side of 'chicken' with a 'rice pasta blend' that was actually revolting. (Lunch was fajita with peanut butter, snacks of strawberry fruit and brunch bars.)Again, all of the hikers we met were very friendly and social. Since I can't remember anyone's names, I can't say who they were- but there were about 14 in total. A couple even brought two adorable toy greyhounds (who I think became less adorable when they scratched open the fly door). There was one other solo woman (Laura?) but the rest were all men, mostly much older. By 8pm, everyone was in bed. Including me, which is where I'm writing this now. My tent is a little lop sided but has held out well against the wind and rain so far. My sleeping quilt, liner, mat and pjs are all super warm and cosy. Seriously my quilt is incredible, just like a cloud. I'm just afraid that it will touch the lopsided part of the tent (I'm sure I'll get better at putting it up!) and get damp and ruin the down. I'm also incredibly terrified of being disturbed by a bear or a mouse or a snake or a coyote. But I'm very comfortable at least. The woods is totally silent except for the sound of distant rainfall, wind and what might be thunder, but I'm hoping is a plane.Tomorrow Mikayla and I are planning to wake up about 7am to leave about 8/8.30. We want to do 13 miles tomorrow to get to Gooch, but we will see how it goes. Today my legs and feet were largely okay - no blisters or lost toenails yet. But the biggest problem by far was my pack. The weight is mostly on my hip bones and it seems to be causing bruising on the bone. It hurts to touch, and no amount of adjustment except for ditching half my gear is going to make a difference. James has suggested padding of socks, which I may try tomorrow if it gets really bad.My first day on the trail. It doesn't feel real, it was so much fun (even with the hip pain). The miles just flew by chatting about all sorts with Mikayla and walking into the never ending fog. Though some of the inclines were less fun, overall it was a wonderful day with wonderful people. I really just can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. Hopefully the rain will stop, the fog will lift, and the beauty of northern Georgia will be revealed. I'm so happy that I'm finally here.