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Appalachian Trail NOBO

February 2023 - May 2024
Hiking the Appalachian trail northbound from Feb 22, 2023 to ???? Read more
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  • TravelerAppalachian Trail NOBO

    Travel from Boston to Amicalola GA

    February 20, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    Was emotional leaving Karina and CJ this am for my flight from Providence RI to Atlanta GA, but I’m excited to get started with something I’ve been thinking about and planning for years. Flight went like clockwork and I was soon meeting Ron Brown outside of the ATL Airport for the 1.5 drive to Amicalola Falls Lodge (essentially at the base of Springer Mtn). Ron is an AT trail legend who has been working his magic each day for the past 17 years. He gave me some great insights and advice for what’s to come. Stayed tonight in the beautiful lodge, had dinner, and then checked all of my gear for the 63rd time. 😆Read more

  • TravelerAppalachian Trail NOBO
    1
    Day 1

    Sign In Day & Hike the Falls

    February 21, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    A lot of fun today hiking 1 mile downhill to the Approach Trail visitor center from the Lodge to check in, get my official AT bag tag, and then hike back up the famous Amicalola Falls trail and steps. The falls here are the highest east of the Mississippi and absolutely breathtaking.
    Started the walk from the makeshift visitor center (attached are pics of the new one being built… ready late summer), and through the iconic arch that begins all thru hikers’ journeys (pic attached). I’ve seen over 100 YouTube vlogs with others’ emotional send offs from here, and it was surreal that it was now me walking “down the yellow brick road”.
    About 3,000 thru hikers start from here each year, with only 23% successfully reaching their final goal of summiting Mt. Katahdin in Maine. I didn’t pull a hammy walking up the 600+ steps straight up the side of the waterfall, so I’m considering that a good omen. For now. 😃🙏
    The whole approach trail is 8.8 miles long (from the arch to the official start of the AT at the top of Springer Mtn). The 1.3 miles back up to the Lodge was beautiful, steep, exciting and thought provoking. What is in store for me over the next 6 months? The journey starts tomorrow at 9:00 am.    Read more

  • TravelerAppalachian Trail NOBO
    1
    Day 2

    Approach Trail to top of Springer Mtn

    February 22, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    The 8.8 mile Approach Trail is no joke. Essentially uphill the whole way to the summit of Springer Mtn, but it was worth it. Got to the top with a few others from the class of 2033. The rock face at the summit has the first white blaze that begins the journey. You sign the hiker journal that’s found in a metal box cut into the rock face. And there’s the iconic turquoise colored plaque with the rendering of an early AT hiker. Was a wonderful day and stayed overnight at the Springer shelter site 0.2 from the summit in my Big Agnes tent. All went well for the first night. A bit of drizzle and very high winds, but that added to the mystique.Read more

  • TravelerAppalachian Trail NOBO
    11
    Day 3

    Day 1 (officially) on the AT

    February 23, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 68 °F

    Day 1: Springer Mountain Shelter to Hawk Mountain Shelter. Miles today: 7.9. Total AT Mike’s: 7.9.

    Very exciting to finally be on the AT officially! Was a nice start down hill off Springer Mtn, but that didn’t last long. Weather was overcast and GA is in the middle of a heat wave that will last the next 2 weeks. Both good & bad.
    A highlight was the beautiful Long Creek Falls, and staying at Hawk Mountain shelter) in tents, with 8–10 hikers that I had been going back and forth with all day.    Read more

  • TravelerAppalachian Trail NOBO
    Day 4

    Day 2

    February 24, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    Hawk Mountain Shelter to Gooch Mountain Shelter. 7.6 miles today, 15.5 total.

    Was a pretty cool day with lots of climbs and descents. Started off the day with oatmeal & instant carnation breakfast, and then had my typical lunch of peanut butter, a Bobo bar & a large snickers all periodically while walking. A decent day weather wise, though it started to rain once we got to camp @ 5:00 and rained most of the night.
    Met a Ridgerunner trail name moxie that had thru hiked back in 2014. We chatted for 10 minutes on the way up Mt. Sassafras. These volunteer Ridgerunners do tremendous work on the trail and are great sources of info and generosity.
    A mouse chewed a hole in the side of my tent at 2am trying to get (and succeeding) a Bobo bar, the only food item I didn’t put in the bear box with the rest of our items. Mice are damned good. Thank God it wasn’t a bear. A rookie mistake that has been rectified. 😳    Read more

  • TravelerAppalachian Trail NOBO
    Day 5

    Day 3 on the AT

    February 25, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    Gooch Mountain Shelter to Dockery Lake Trail. 8.1 miles today. 23.6 total.

    Today was interesting as I knew I would be stopping at the Hidden Pond Hostel tonite for my first non “on the trail” stay. Run by 2 for thru hikers from last year that met on the trail and got married shortly thereafter, they purchased this quaint property and are now hosting thru hikers. Johnny & Rainbow are their trail names and “Poots” (another trail name) helps out with picking us all up at various points on the trail and taking us back the next morning. A great group meal tonite of garlic bread toaster cheese sandwiches and chili. Was lucky enough to get the only private room they have tonite, so I don’t have to stay in the close quarters bunkhouse with 8 hikers who tend to snore and maybe not smell the best! 😃😏Read more

  • TravelerAppalachian Trail NOBO
    Day 6

    Day 4

    February 26, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    Dockery Lake Trail (stayed at Hidden Pond Hostel) to Bull Gap tenting spots.
    9.1 miles, 32.7 miles total.

    Said goodbye to Rainbow (Olivia) and Johnny at their Hidden Pond Hostel and Pootz drove me back to the Dockery trail head. It was then mostly uphill 6 miles (in the fog, mist, and cool’ish temps) including climbing Blood Mountain before grabbing a quick Snickers bar lunch at the iconic Blood Mountain Shelter at the summit (4,500 ft).
    The fog & clouds lifted suddenly providing some nice views. It was then straight down 2.4 slippery miles to Neels Gap & Mountain Crossing Outfitters for some pizza, burrito and coke. Never tasted so good!
    I decided to head north uphill @ 1 mile mile on the trail to the Bull Gap tent site where 5 of us are spending a beautiful evening amidst woodlands with roaming sounders of wild pigs/boar.    Read more

  • TravelerAppalachian Trail NOBO
    Day 7

    Day 5

    February 27, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 63 °F

    Bull Gap tenting spot to Low Gap Shelter.
    10.4 miles today, 43.1 miles total.

    After yesterday’s tougher day summiting Blood Mountain (tough uphill and then tough downhill to Neel Gap) and then late day climb to Bull Gap to sleep, today’s route was more rolling and ridge running. A wonderful change of pace.
    Got my bear bag down from the tree, filtered some water from the campsite spring, and headed off into the misty morning. The clouds burned off a bit by late am which added some pep to the step.
    Saw some of my hiking pals during the day including Big T (BigTontheAT YouTube channel, a 60 yr old builder from MS with 2 young grandkids: he can really hike and is such an awesome guy), Karaoke (a 60’ish year old gal from Fairbanks Alaska whose lifestyle is based in hiking), and Cat & Adam (Driftless Adventures on YouTube, 2 early 30’ish artists from Wisconsin who are very personable and fun to hike with).
    Ended up tenting at Low Gap Shelter at 5pm with Karaoke & Alabama Chowder who is a young gun with a energetic personality. They were in the Shelter, me in my tent. Perfect weather for sleeping (50 degrees), with warmer temps to follow in the next few days. Can’t believe I’m lugging all of this cold weather gear in my 34 lb pack and haven’t had to use any of it yet! But the Smokies and winter weather are just down the road!    Read more

  • TravelerAppalachian Trail NOBO
    Day 8

    Day 6

    February 28, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Low Gap Shelter to Cheese Factory site.

    13.4 miles today. 56.5 total miles.

    Today was a tough, hot and interesting day.
    Filtered my water mere feet from my tent at 8:30 am and began the steady 8 mile climb out of Low Gap Shelter to the summit of Blue Mountain (4,000 ft). 75 degrees by late morning.
    Then a 1,000 ft drop in elevation in just 1.2 miles off the back side of Blue to Unicoi Gap, a fairly major road that hikers quite often use to meet shuttle drivers to take them to various hotel and/or hostel options in the towns of Helen or Hiawassee 10-12 miles down the road.
    This is where me, Big T, Richard and 7 other hikers (one from New Zealand) found our first trail magic!!
    Smoky Bear was parked there in his old SUV offering up sodas, fruit, pkgs of ramen, bags of chips, etc. . Was a wonderful sight.
    He was rough around the edges but his heart was certainly in the right place.
    He said he had thru hiked 20 years before, and his trail name is Smoky Bear as he smokes a pack a day, and his wife says he snores like a bear. He is a true character.
    After a 30 min break in the Gap, we set off straight uphill to the top of Rocky Mtn (1k ft elevation in 1.4 miles), followed by a 1,000 ft rocky descent crossing Tray Mountain dirt road to Indian Grave Gap.
    Was getting late in the day with nowhere to camp there, so trudged as fast as I could 1 mile uphill to the old Cheese Factory site to get my tent set up before darkness.
    Karaoke, Dan, Thumper and her husband Rabbit, and 3 other folks were just in front of me.
    I got the last flat tent site, quickly fixed dinner by the glow of my headlamp, then threw my bear bag (bag with all my food and other items that could attract a bear) securely up into the branches and got to work catching some Zzz’s by 9:30 pm as tomorrow will be a long, hot and arduous day.    Read more

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