Date: 2017-05-01
From: Amicalola State Park

To: Amicalola State Park
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day 0Monday, May 1, 2017Wisconsin to Amicalola Falls State ParkMiles: 1 mile on the uncounted Approach Trail¢all slackingWeather: Clear skies, warm, sunnyWildlife: Tourists, of which I was one todayDinner: Amicalola Lodge buffetHikers: GiverThis morning I dressed in a newer moss colored merino wool shirt, the second of two Ibex shirts I had bought on sale at the end of 2015. The gray one made it 1300 miles last year, before increasingly thinning fabric reduced it to shreds. I'm yet reluctant to give it up. It witnessed cloudless skies, crystalline lakes and exhilarating heights. It also was routinely drenched in rain and sweat, and saw me through all of my lowest lows. I¢m heading back today to finish what was started last year¢865 or so miles left of what has turned into a LASH (Long Ass Sectional Hike) of the Appalachian Trail. Flying out of Milwaukee was less than one third of the cost of flying direct out of Green Bay, but without the convenience of being able to choose a seat. I occupy 39E, the very last seat on this flight, one of five lacking amenities, such as reclining seats. And a window. Yet some people find the idea of hiking challenging? I sent my stove, small knife and other possibly perceived sharp objects that I didn't wish to risk confiscation (like my umbrella) ahead to the woman who is meeting me in Atlanta and taking me to Amicalola State Park. I thought I might attempt taking my pack on the plane as carry-on, but wasn't sure my trekking poles would be allowed on. Or the tent stakes once I remembered those. That bright yellow and red bulk toilet paper Sam¢s Club commodity box I decided to use for checked luggage will be easy to spot on the baggage claim carousel.Crystal (Giver) is a fellow 2016 Appalachian Trials blogger. She completed more than 600 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail last summer before medical conditions took her off trail. She lives in Atlanta and after seeing my post in our mutual Facebook Group page inquiring about shuttle experiences and options from Atlanta, she offered to pick me up herself. I'm arriving this year five pounds lighter than April 2016, so some of the 20 or 25 pounds I lost last year managed to stay off. Curse you holiday food, craft beer and cold Wisconsin winters! I'm also arriving with a very different mind set. Last year was full of expectant posts and preparations. I made a big deal about announcing my plans¢partially due in part to the much longer planned leave of absence (five or six months vs 10 or so weeks). This year there were no pre-trip posts, fewer lists made for my husband (the plants all survived) and I'm not sure if even all of my family members knew I was heading back. I mean, I'll be back for most of the summer. I¢m starting out again with all the same gear, packing it all the same way, wearing most of the same clothes and more or less ready to just show up and follow white blazes. I¢m wearing the same ¢camping-only¢ undies still bearing the hydrochloric acid markings of an unfortunately squished giant millipede inadvertently sat upon at the Mashipacong Shelter back in New Jersey. That¢s one reason these only get hauled out for camping trips. And I¢m still sporting the kid¢s BatMan bracelet Dysfungshenal found on the trail while we were hung together somewhere in New York. My most pressing concerns remain trying to recall all the tricks to keep my phone battery from dying and getting used to typing on a tiny keypad again.Update: Most of this was written earlier today from the confines of Seat 39E. Crystal has since found me at Delta passenger pick-up area, slacked and hiked with me for the first mile up the Approach Trail and deposited me at the door of my first campsite, the Amicalola Lodge. It was overcast when I landed, but clear and sunny when we reached the park. I registered as a section hiker. If I had been a thru-hiker, the number was up to 1,987. I find myself in a categorical limbo. Like Katahdin, I received no assigned AT thru-hiker number documenting my summit day because I hadn't started in Georgia. Now I¢m in Georgia heading north equally traveling beneath the Appalachian Trail Conservancy statistical radar. But no matter. I'm here. As a Georgian, Crystal was able to check out a state park vehicle pass from her local library, a perk the state of Georgia offers residents¢and one that is completely foreign to this tax-paying, public lands using Wisconsinite. We entered the park around 3 p.m., parked the car and walked the 600 stairs following the 729-foot cascading waterfall up to its narrow little brook source. After taking lots of pictures we then headed back down and said goodbye at my first campsite¢the Amicalola Lodge. I'm roughing it in a king size bed tonight. But tomorrow? Tomorrow¢s the real deal.