Amicalola Falls - Stover Creek Shelter (mile 2.8)

Today has been a good day! AC and I got to Amicalola Falls State Park a little before noon. We both sat through thru-hiker orientation at the visitor center. A trail ambassador and park ranger named Tom gave us the run down on the AT in Georgia and stressed good Leave No Trace practices. He also recommended that if I felt good when I reached Springer Mountain (the official southern terminus of the AT, which comes after the 8.8 mile AT approach trail), that I should push another 2.8 miles to Stover Creek Shelter. This was advised to avoid potential overcrowding at Springer Mountain Shelter.

After orientation, another trail ambassador named Laurie took pictures of me and AC under the iconic arch marking the start of the AT approach trail. AC also got pictures of me solo under the arch. After the hardest "see you later" of my life, I took the first steps towards Maine.

I must admit, the slew of emotions I felt during the first few minutes on trail was a bit overwhelming. First, there was sadness for the fact that I will not be seeing most of my friends and loved ones over the next five months. Sadness quickly clashed with excitement and anticipation for the upcoming journey and the friends I'll make along the way. In that moment, the enormity of the challenge ahead really started to sink in. My AT thru-hike attempt has begun, and I have a long way to go before I will really be able to call myself a "thru-hiker."

Per Tom's advice, I collected water at first bridge I crossed, and it's a good thing I did! The first six miles or so of the AT approach trail were bone dry. A liter and a half was just about perfect to get me through the first part of the day.

The first fellow prospective thru-hiker I met was Rita, a recent retiree born in Atlanta who has lived most of her adult life in Toronto. We hiked together for a bit and discussed trail names, canoeing in Ontario, and backpacking food strategies. I really enjoyed hiking with Rita, but we both quickly recognized that our paces weren't compatible and I hiked on while she took a break after a steep climb.
The next prospective thru-hiker I met was an older gentleman who goes by the trail name "Monk." We chatted for a bit and he told me he has a hiking YouTube channel. He proceeded to hand me a literal business card with his channel logo and contact info. I haven't had the chance to check it out yet, but if you would like to, his channel is named "wanderingmonkpaths."

I made it to Springer Mountain at about 4:30 where I met Clarence, a man who decided to hike the AT two days ago and was carrying nothing but a school backpack. I enjoyed talking to Clarence and he offered to take my picture next to the plaque marking the official southern terminus of the AT.

After enjoying the view for a bit, I collected water from Springer Mountain Shelter. The campsite didn't look too crowded, but I was feeling good, so I decided to continue on to Stover Creek Shelter. I started my dinner soaking on top of Springer Mountain and started hiking again.

I made it to the shelter around 5:30ish which gave me enough daylight to set up my tent, eat dinner, and collect more water. From what I can tell, there are about the same number of people camping here as there were at Springer. While I ate, I talked with a group of ladies including one applying to grad programs in history, one applying to law school, and one who quit her corporate accounting job to hike the AT. It's really fascinating seeing all the different types of people the trail attracts. Nearly every age and background seems to be represented out here. I'm looking forward to all the people I'll meet and the places I'll see tomorrow. Trail name still pending✌

Today I set out
in search of an adventure
on the path to Maine

The adventure begins: Me and the original AT plaque on Springer Mountain. Poking out from the left border of this picture you can see the very first white blaze of the trail painted on the rock next to the plaque.