Final Trail Update: The Hike

It may not surprise some… but we finished the tour! It’s been over a month now. For the rest of my readers who don’t know Nick or me personally, we did it. As with most bloggers, my posts were delayed up to a few weeks at a time to protect our location and give me some time to catch up on the writing and submit it to my trusty blog manager and cousin, Rachel. A million thanks to Rachel. I wouldn’t have been as successful at updating them all. Honestly, I probably would have ended up doing an update once a month. It’s frustrating trying to transfer hundreds, even a thousand words, synchronized with images, to a mobile web page. There is an app, but I didn’t find it very intuitive. I mean, if you enjoyed keeping up with this blog in any way, it was brought to you by Rachel!

I obviously fell off the blogging bandwagon during the last few weeks of our hike. I didn’t really realize the impact this had on people, mainly our family members, who were trying to keep up with this adventure. After the hike, we visited family and I was immediately harassed with a repeat of «We’re waiting for the rest of your posts!» So with that, I give you a quick final update on how the rest of the Appalachian Trail went for us.

We finally left the Smokies and crossed the Fontana Dam. I think this is the tallest dam on the east coast and it sure was beautiful. Nick was waiting for me at the visitor center with some candy, chips, and a soda as a reward for completing the Smokies. The visitor center also had some spotless bathrooms equipped with showers for individual use. I sat in a rocking chair with our things while Nick took a shower.

We walked the last mile to the Fontana Hilton, an impressive retreat with a bathhouse not far away. As we approached, a family with five children under 10 years old had already claimed the shelter. We were looking for a good night’s sleep, so we found a concrete platform to set up on. This turned out to be a good decision because one of the parents was snoring so loudly that night that we could hear him hundreds of feet away!

The next day was hard! Or we are just tired. I forget the exact amount of positive elevation gain that day, but it was significant. When we arrived at the shelter, there were already some hikers from the section and a dog. One of the hunting seasons in North Carolina had just begun, so people were letting their hunting dogs loose to track animals, mostly bears. These dogs wear tracking collars, allowing their owners to locate them. They are also usually very thin, I assume they are malnourished to encourage them to be more aggressive in their hunting.

We got the dog to follow us the next morning for a while to Bryson City, where the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) is located. He ended up catching a scent and ran off before we got there. We made sure to give him plenty of old tortillas before he went on his way.

Our arrival at the NOC was glorious. We initially set out to get a day pass at a nearby hostel, but they never called us back. Instead, we were able to do all our tasks at this rafting center. Starting with laundry, showers, a hot meal, chaotic resupply and take-out burgers. The showers were disgusting, but not as disgusting as we were. The resupply was exorbitant, but there was no need to hitchhike or take a ferry to another location. We were on our way in just two and a half hours, with tasks completed.

We didn’t get as far as we wanted after leaving town, but that’s okay. We enjoyed our smashburger dinner in a cute little retreat. The next day was incredible. We arrived at a fire tower and had some amazing views over the trees.

The next day, we reached another major milestone: 100 miles! We sat under that famous fire tower and had an early lunch. I checked the forecast for our last week on the road and it couldn’t have been more perfect. From 50 degrees at night to 70 degrees during the day, every day for the foreseeable future. The colors of the leaves on the trees were starting to peak and our weather was absolutely incredible.

The next day another couple of important milestones were met, our last state line was crossed and we entered our last city. We say goodbye to North Carolina and say hello to sweet Georgia. We arrived at Dick’s Gap in the early afternoon and Dob of Stanimals Around the Bend drove us to their lodge in Hiawassee.

After putting our last load of laundry on the road, we were driven into town and completed a few more tasks. We had the most amazing burritos at Bronco’s, a burrito and barbecue joint. Nick ordered a brisket and a fries burrito, and I ordered shrimp and rice. We weren’t satisfied after that, so Nick ordered fries and I ordered a tres leches cake. We bought a couple of freeze-dried meals from the local supplier and walked across the street to the grocery store.

The next day we started early. Apparently this was the most difficult stretch in Georgia and we wanted to cover at least twenty miles during the day. I think we ended up making a total of 26; It actually wasn’t as difficult as we were promised.

The next day we arrived at the famous Neel Gap trail center. There is a tree littered with the shoes of hikers who I assume did not go beyond this point. For those heading north, this is approximately thirty miles. The trail is not for everyone.

We bought some frozen burritos, sodas, and some freeze-dried desserts for our last night. One of the friendly employees also brought us a bunch of slightly expired treats after noticing we were walking around. I called my dad and officially confirmed our end date and time. He was planning on driving to Amicalola Falls to pick us up when we were done.

After Neel Gap, we headed to Blood Mountain. This is a very popular day hike and it was a beautiful day so the trail was very busy. The views were decent and the Blood Mountain shelter was clean, although I don’t think I would sleep in that dungeon.

We had originally planned to finish the official AT on October 14, but we ended up doing more miles each day than we had anticipated. We had camped the night before in the Lance Creek Restoration area, which put us about 23 miles from the end. This was absolutely doable in one day.

Our last day was filled with a lot of, «Oh my god, I can’t believe we’re doing this.» The plan was to arrive at Southern Terminus by the end of the day to officially complete the trail and backtrack the quarter mile to Springer Mountain Shelter. We arrived at the Terminus around 5:00 pm on October 13th.

Most of the time we are left speechless. I mean, what is there to say after a 2,194.7 mile trip? We held each other for a long time and had quiet, tearful reflections for the rest of our time at Springer Mountain. Was I ready for this to end? I don’t know. It’s hard to break out of a container that you’ve spent months of hard work creating. This strength we have built over the past few months will quickly dissipate. Do I have to go back to the life that is currently in a bunch of dumpsters in West Virginia and get a job? I can’t just walk to where I need to go, do I have to drive? I don’t know if I’m ready for this to end. I still have money left in my savings. I could keep walking.

No, it’s time for this season to end. For now. There will be long-distance trails. Now I know I can do this and I actually like doing it. Nick and I had this incredible, life-changing experience together. Can you imagine spending almost every moment of every day with your partner in a sticky, sweaty and often disgusting space? Here we live some of the most incredible moments of our lives. I will never forget the magic of watching a river otter splash in waterfalls and swim after trout just a few feet in front of us. There is no doubt that this has brought a deep strength and connection to our relationship that we would not have gained otherwise.

So the next morning, we walked to my dad’s car. We took the 8.5 mile access trail to Amicalola Falls State Park. As soon as we walked under that iconic arch, I said to the two closest people, «Hey! We just finished the trail, would you take our photo?» They asked: «What path?»

We changed and enjoyed our final refreshments; None of us drink soda outside of the context of a hike, so we savored this last ultra-sugary beverage. My dad pulled up shortly after and we piled our backpacks and ourselves into his car.

Life after hiking

After a full day of traveling, we returned to West Virginia. We settled into the mobile home next door to my parents and rested. My car stayed here, but we soon had to drive to upstate New York to pick up Nick’s. We spent a few days with his family and then I headed to Maryland to see some of my family. After about a week, Nick and I met up in West Virginia to pick up our cat from summer camp. He spent the entire summer living in his favorite place and spending most of his time outdoors.

I immediately started classes the day after we arrived from Georgia. I applied for a job that will pay for my school, as well as some volunteer positions nearby. Nick has started some courses on HVAC work and will begin looking for a trade for work. We decided to stay in West Virginia for the time being, at least while I’m in school. We both love it here and are much closer to family and the outdoor spaces that make us feel at home.

We try to stay active, running regularly and taking walks. We are resuming our daily yoga practice and reading a lot. Something we both missed during the hike was cooking, so we’ve made some really delicious meals since we now have access to a full kitchen again. Like a venison (thanks to Nick’s grandfather) and chestnut (thanks to the chestnut tree next door) ragu with handmade pappardelle. And, a tomato cookie with the last tomatoes from my dad’s garden.

Our adjustment to post-trail life has been surprisingly easy. At first I wanted to get back on the road every day. Now it seems like a dream. I’m sure in a few years we’ll both be itchy again.

Thank you for following the most important thing I have done in my life.