My husband and I began the drive to Georgia on a misty, gloomy Wednesday. Ten hours later we arrived at the Green Dragon Hostel in Hiawassee to spend the night. Our plan was to leave our car at the hostel and get a ride to the Amicalola Falls State Park Visitor Center to register with the ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy). Then, over the next week we would hike the 60 miles back to Unicoi Gap and stay one more night at the Green Dragon before I continued my hike alone and my husband returned home to work.
I was both nervous and excited. I was finally on my way to start the journey I had been planning for so long. The Green Dragon was nice, but I tried not to look around too much. I wanted to wait and take it all in after completing the first leg of our hike. If you have never stayed at a hostel, it’s a unique experience. Everyone gets a bunk in a shared space and a towel for the shower. Many places have curtains surrounding the bunks so you get a little privacy. Ear plugs are a must if you’re a light sleeper! Most of the hostels offer free rides to and from the nearest trail access points and some offer breakfast as well. I do have to say that Donna and her husband, owners of the Green Dragon, made me an amazing breakfast that first morning of gluten-free avocado toast. I never expect anyone to cook for me because of my dietary restrictions, so I felt very grateful and blessed.
Our shuttle driver, Grace, picked us up at 9:00 am for our hour-long drive. There were 3 of us going to Amicalola and we chatted about random things along the way. Grace told us about some of the reasons she had to pick up hikers who had to leave the trail unexpectedly, including a guy who was having a lot of pain in his hip and could barely walk. She drove him to a local medical facility and it turned out that he had a broken pelvis! It was amazing that he could even walk. Then, by chance, we actually met that man at the Amicalola visitor center. He was heading home but first wanted to give away some of his hiking stuff that he would no longer need. He gave me a glow-in-the-dark bracelet that I put on my water bottle and I have added his recovery to my prayer list.
We signed in at the ATC office and attended a short trail briefing before going into the visitor center to look at the wildlife and history displays. In the early afternoon we started up the approach trail and the 600+ stairs to the top of the waterfalls before reaching the Amicalola Lodge for one more night in a bed before hitting the trail. There were a lot of visitors at the park and lodge, and many seemed very interested in my plans to thru-hike all the way to Maine. It was strange to hear admiration and congratulations from people we met that first day. We had not even started the trail!
At the lodge we met a gentleman and his wife who had lived in the area his entire life. He showed me a gap where you could see all the way to Atlanta on a clear day. He also told us that many hikers don’t carry enough water when doing the approach trail and that we could get good water from a spring just off the trail near his home church. It ended up being a cool day so we didn’t need to refill our water bottles, but I appreciate the kindness offered by people I will likely only see once in my lifetime. Maybe we will meet again in heaven and that will be sweet.
That night the rain poured and the wind howled and we were glad to be safe and dry in our room at the lodge. We woke to sunshine, blue skies, and cool temperatures –- a perfect day to start our hike. It was challenging and uphill all day. My husband said it was the “initiation” to be able to start the AT since repeat hikers (like the German couple we met outside the lodge) often skip it by taking a shuttle to the trailhead. I very much enjoyed the scenery and company, but it was mentally challenging because we needed to complete 8 miles just to get to the start of the Appalachian Trail! We got to the Springer Mountain overlook and southern terminus of the AT at about 3:30pm. We sat a little while to take in the views and appreciate the moment. I signed the hiker log book and talked with a couple of the other hikers we met. One was from Norway and another from Switzerland.
We ended the day near the Springer Mountain shelter, just 2/10 of a mile north of the trailhead. We put up our tent and then walked over to the shelter to cook our dinner and chat with other hikers around a picnic table. It is so enjoyable getting to know the other hikers and their motivations for attempting a thru hike as well. We slept well for the first night in our tent, and woke up energized for our first full day on the Appalachian Trail.
Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase – MLK Jr.