Day 9: Goodbye Georgia, hello North Carolina

I woke up to the breakfast of champions: French toast, bacon, banana, and coffee.

I wasn’t emotionally prepared for how difficult it would be to leave the shelter.

But today was huge.

today I would do it leave georgia and enter North Carolina.

Returning to Dick’s Creek Gap was strangely heartbreaking.

Life on the trails is that fun.
You leave comfort…immediately after rediscovering how much you love it.

And of course, the tracking tax came up again: I realized I had left my tripod at the hostel.

It only cost $15, so I chose emotional acceptance over logistical recovery.

The era of influencers is postponed.

After days of brutal climbs, the trail suddenly became… manageable.

Flat miles.
Gentle walk.
It’s time to think.

I spent most of the day reflecting on the fact that people doubted I would ever make it, and now I was about to finish an entire state.

I’m not going to lie, that felt really good.

However… a new fear was unleashed.

I had heard about bear activity near Muskrat Creek and the Standing Indian lodges.

Mrs.’s advice:
Just enter North Carolina.
Camp at Bly Gap.
So travel long kilometers beyond the shelters.

Avoid the bear piñata party.

Solid plan.

And then, suddenly… there it was.

No fireworks.
No neon sign.
Just a small wooden marker on a tree:

North Carolina-Georgia border

I screamed.

Strong.

As, very strong.

Then I realized that the 0.1 mile camp at Bly Gap was right there and had probably terrified half of the hikers already set up.

It’s worth it.

I had officially walked the entire state of Georgia.

Then, more friends crossed the border:

• Timber Jim took an iconic photo of me (seen above)






• Dread Pirate and Dan arrived.






• We celebrate with fire and sunset.

A perfect ending to my first state on the Appalachian Trail.

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