We Have Internet! A 7 day recap.

During our first week on the trail we have come to find out that the AT is definitely not Sprint friendly.  While some AT&T users are literally "live tweeting" their entire experience, we are struggling to find a signal on any mountain top.  We are now enjoying our first "zero" day of the trip in Hiawassee Georgia after hiking 70 miles on the trail.  Here are some highlights of our first week:

Day 0:
Starting Point: Nashville, TN
Ending Point: Hiker Hostel Dahlonega, GA
Total Miles: 0

We left Nashville Sunday morning (April 6th) after a great attending a great fundraising event for Benchmark Adventure Ministries (www.benchmark.org) Saturday night.  We were picked up in Gainesville, GA by Patty, the mother of the owner of the Hiker hostel where we spent our last night before the trail.   We spent the evening going over our gear and meeting other thru hikers.  We shared a room with Lightfoot and Caveman.  A couple from Virginia who had a goal to finish the AT by August and were slackpacking Georgia with the help of the hiker hostel.  

Checking my pack

Day 1:
Starting Point: Springer Mountain 0
Ending Point: Hawk Mountain Shelter 8.1
Total Miles: 8.1

The hostel fed us a great breakfast and we loaded into the shuttle for the hour ride to the southern terminus of the AT.  The weather forecast called for heavy rains all day but by the time we were dropped off at the start the rain had stopped and we were able to get pictures from the top of Springer Mountain.  We spent the rest of the day hiking in light rain and made it to the shelter around 3.  We were happy to set up our tent and get out of the rain.  We were tired but happy to have completed our first day on the trail!

Waiting for the shuttle at the hostel

Starting point of the AT!

Day 2:
Starting Point: Hawk Mountain Shelter 8.1
Ending Point: Woody Gap 20.6
Total Miles: 12.5

We had beautiful weather all day and the hiking was relatively easy.  We had lunch by a nice stream and ran into some of the thru hikers that stayed in the hostel with us.  We have met a lot of great people from many different backgrounds.  The hostel owner said that this season is averaging 47.5 thru hikers starting a day.  Its great to hear all of the different reasons people are out on the trail.

Day 3:
Starting Point: Woody Gap 20.6
Ending Point: Neel Gap-Raccoon Cabin 30.6
Total Miles: 10

We were excited to get going today because we had made reservations to stay in a cabin just outside of Neel Gap.  The cabin promised a hot shower, clean bed and clean laundry (we really like to rough it).  We were sold.  The hike had some difficult climbs including Blood Mountain.  The views from the top of Blood Mountain were definitely worth it.  Again, we had clear skies and could see for miles from the top. 
We resupplied from the outfitter at Neel Gap and walked over to our cabin for the night.  We stayed in the "Raccoon" themed cabin which included 4 stuffed raccoons mounted in various poses over the fireplace.  The star the pack was Ricky, a local raccoon who used to eat out of the cabin's trash but was hit by a car crossing the road.  He now lives above the fireplace in the Raccoon cabin.

  Overlooking Blood Mountain

Raccoon Shelter

Ricky and Friends

Day 4:
Starting Point: Neel Gap-Raccoon Cabin 30.6
Ending Point: Low Gap Shelter 43.2
Total Miles: 11.5

We didn't get on the trail until after 11 today.  We couldn't pull ourselves away from Ricky and the comfortable bed.  The weather again today was beautiful but the trail proved to be pretty difficult.  We had some tough climbs including a hill that seemed to be more difficult than Blood Mountain (the highest point in Georgia on the AT).   We have come to realize that the trails in Georgia are a series of steep rocky hills. 
We also experienced our first Trail Magic today!  After coming down from a particularly large hill we could see a blue tent set up by the side of the road.  We didn't want to get our hopes up too much but we were pretty sure it was trail magic.  By the time we got to the bottom of the hill there was a nice couple inviting us to sit down in the shade and enjoy cookies, soda, fruit, and other snacks.  They were a retired couple from Atlanta who like to come up to the trail a few times a year to do trail magic.  While we were there, a man on a motorcycle drove by and told us there was a bear by the road a few hundred feet away.  Mike raced down the road to take a picture, I stayed with the cookies.  The bear still looked to be a cub and this was probably the first year away from its mother.
 
After lunch we still had about 4 miles to go before reaching Low Gap.  The trail proved to be harder than anticipated, which has definitely taught us not to underestimate the "easy" profiles on the map.  We made it to the shelter around 5.  We had an early dinner and went to bed while the sun was still out.

We also finalized our trail names today.  Mike is officially known as "XYZ" (Z for short) and I am "Gia."  Mike's is from having his zipper down all day the first day on the trial and mine is an old college nickname.

Bear by the trail

Day 5:
Starting Point: Low Gap Shelter 43.2
Ending Point: Cheese Factory Site 56.6
Total Miles: 13.4

We got on the trail by 9:15 this morning which has been our earliest start on the trail by far.  The beginning of the hike was fairly flat and we made good timing on our mileage.  We have been averaging about 2 miles per hour on the trail (including hills and water breaks).  We had lunch at Blue Mountain Shelter.  It was very well maintained and was a great location for lunch.  We also celebrated a mini milestone right before lunch by crossing the 50 mile mark!  We actually didn't even realize it until we were looking at the map later that night. 
We set up camp near an old cheese factory site.  We learned that the factory closed in the 30's and there is no evidence that there was ever anything there.  It was a nice flat place to camp.

Breakfast at camp

Day 6:
Starting Point: Cheese Factory Site 56.6
Ending Point: Deep Gap Shelter 66.0
Total Miles: 9.4

As we were finishing up breakfast a group of about 20 boy scouts stopped for a break at the camp site.  They were on weekend hike preparing to go to Philmont.  We also learned that they were planning on staying at the same shelter we were that night.  Thankfully, they were a well behaved group and went to bed early. 
We had lunch at Sassafras Gap and met Chicken Feathers, an AT veteran who was very knowledgeable about the trail.  He told us about places to stay and avoid along our trip.   His advice also caused us to change hotel reservations in Hiawassee. 
We made it to the shelter by early afternoon.  We spent the afternoon playing cards and talking with other hikers.  We were excited to get an early start the next day because we were taking a shuttle into town for our first official "zero" day. 

Day 7:
Starting Point: Deep Gap Shelter: 66.0
Ending Point: Dicks Creek Gap: 70.0
Total Miles: 3

Today was an easy 3 miles to the highway that leads into Hiawassee Georgia.  We were originally planning on taking a $10 shuttle into town but we found a ride from a nice retired couple who live in Hiawassee and maintain part of the trail.  They dropped us off at the Holiday Inn Express where we are staying until Tuesday morning.  Our timing has been perfect as there is a storm coming through over the next two days.  We will resupply here and rest up for next week.  We are hoping to increase our daily average to around 15 miles per day next week.  Our goal is to make it to the NOC for resupply by Saturday. 

Happy Trails to All!
Z & G