Day 1 (and Day 0) of my Appalachian Trail thru-hike. I am trying to get the hang of hiking, managing my social media accounts, producing videos, producing content on the towns, and blogging.
My journey isn’t just about just hiking the AT, but about the towns and people along the way as well. For most, doing a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail means quitting their job and hoping they can find a new one 6 months from now. For me, this is my job. This hike won’t be your typical run of the mill thru-hike you typically see. I will show you the towns (and spend time and money there), show you the people, and of course show you trail life. If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to me on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
Day 0 – Checking in & the Waterfall
Today was exciting. We signed ourselves in at the Visitor’s Center and got our tags.
Then we slackpacked the first mile of the approach trail with family up the famous steps of the waterfall. Those steps are no joke y’all!
Watch the Day 0 Video
Day 1 – Springer Mtn to Hawk Mtn Shelter
The day is here. Excitement and adrenalin are high! I say goodbye to my Mom at the lodge as she bawls like a baby. You would think she was sending me off to war!
Nikki’s husband had a 4×4 which would allow us to get up the road to Springer. The park ranger advised us the day before that the road was open again but only to 4×4’s. So we all piled into the truck and started the long drive up to Springer Mountain.
The weather was dreary and rain was on the way, but we didn’t care!
We slackpacked it up to the top of Springer and picked up our packs from Nikki’s husband on the way back down. When you decide to start at Springer, you have to go a mile to the top and then retrace your mile back and continue on.
Day 1 was amazing even if it ended in the pouring rain. We got to use our umbrella’s and quickly realized how much we were so happy to have them and that we needed to figure out a better way to secure them. Nikki kept getting slapped in the face by hers lol.
This section of trail, despite not having any views, was absolutely gorgeous! Maybe it was just because it was new to me and the rain had not started to dampen my spirits. I call it the honeymoon phase of the trail.
I slept in the shelter this night. I was tired and cold. There was no way I wanted to mess with my tent. After a small dinner of cheese it trail mix I headed to the top bunk to settle in for the night. I didn’t get much sleep that night. I had to pee twice and couldn’t get comfortable or warm. I finally got to sleep about an hour before needing to wake up when the girls sleeping on either side of me ended up almost cuddled up next to me lol. Thanks for the body heat ladies! =)
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