Week 1

Day: 7

Location: Hiawassee, Georgia (AT mile 69.4)

Hello from Around the Bend Hostel in Hiawassee, Georgia!

This is my first night in town and wow a shower after 7 days of hiking feels absolutely amazing.

The first week has gone by in a blur. Day 1 was a cold rainy windy day and I learned that my rain jacket leaked. (It’s since been replaced). But I made it to the shelter by ~1  on Day 1and enjoyed a cozy afternoon chatting with the 3 other hikers there.

One of the hikers, Robin, ended up being my hiking buddy for the next few days.

We would hike separately but took breaks and camped together for the next two nights.

They got off a Neel’s Gap to take a zero (a day off hiking) due to some tendon pain but I keep on moving and ended up meeting a new group of people. I’ve been hiking /camping with some of them since then.

Day 6 was the longest and hardest day yet. 15.5 miles with 5,240 ascent/ 5,560 decent. It was a long day but I felt really strong throughout it. I’m trying to pace myself though so Day 7 will be a nero (near zero) day since it was only 3.6 to the road crossing to get the shuttle to the hostel. The hostel is full and a lot of the people here were at camp last night too. I’m looking forward to going into town with them to get some food later today.

Next time I write I’ll have finished Georgia and moved onto to NC!

The Numbers

Ramen: 1

Loner Sides: 1

Tuna Packets: 4