Okay, 10 days later.
9 days longer than my longest backpacking trip before this one.
let’s chat-
the ground–
Mountainous. Who would have guessed? It is painful but not invincible. I’ve been doing nice easy days, mostly 8 miles. The biggest day so far was a 13.4 mile ride to reach Uniqoi Gap at noon and enjoy some magic on the Baptist Church Trail. I woke up at 5:30 a.m. to ride 10 miles, eat hamburgers and hot dogs, and take a short nap in the sun before calling it a day. It was worth it, but I was sore the next day and it was a good reminder to be kind to my body in these early days. I have no deadline, I have no one to impress, and the stupidest thing in the world would be to have to go off track with an overuse injury when I’m fully aware of my limitations. (By which I mean that they are abundant and like to make themselves known on every slope)
The campsites–
The campgrounds and lodges in Georgia are amazing. Rich in toilets, hanging bears and water.
I stayed in a shelter for the first time two nights ago and woke up to the poor 19-year-old kid (who had actually been the one who pointed out to me that there were mouse nests in the attic) exclaiming, «Dude, there are mice in all my shit!» There was a big stir of nylon and then he quickly dropped his pillow on my face. The shelters are impressive.
Town–
Beautiful. So many lonely women!! Hurrah!!! I think almost everyone I’ve met can be grouped into the following groups: military veterans, returning hikers, the sober community, born-again Christians, tough lone women, and musical fans. There are some Venn diagrams to be made.
the food–
Pinnacle Foods and Bowl and Kettle did not disappoint – absolutely delicious, but heavy. However, I’m done being boujee and looking for the best Knorr Sides.
the gear–
In the end I didn’t opt for a hammock. At the last second I packed up my tent and I’m so grateful I did. I think I’ll explain why in a separate post. At first, my backpack weighed about 35 pounds, which got me some looks of pity and surprise, but I really didn’t think it was that outrageous. Leaving Hiawassee I got it down to 30 pounds. By the time I leave Smokey’s I want to be 20 years old.
the bathroom–
Pooping outside is amazing. And evil. And I avoid it at all costs. But when I have to do it I laugh at the sky and hang from a tree and there is no denying that we descend from apes. Me hanging from the trunk of a tree, with my ass dangling over a hole I panicked in 40 seconds, relieving myself and laughing at the sky? There is a thin brown line between man and ape, and for two wonderful minutes each day I am nothing more than a primate.
Other notes–
-My route name is Lucky Charms because of all my necklaces and their special abilities.
-It hasn’t rained yet. Oh.
-I saw a ring-necked snake, but that’s about it for wildlife. Apparently this has been a big year for bears and rangers warn they have been scratching up people’s tents.
-I’m having a great time but I also can’t believe that this is what life will be like for the next 6 months. It doesn’t seem real yet, which is doubly crazy because I’m already about to cross the border of my first state. They say it takes 14 days to develop a habit. I don’t know if completely uprooting your life and completely redefining what constitutes a priority counts as a “habit,” but I’ll let you know if all of this suddenly feels normal in 4 days.
Until next time, don’t be a stranger.
Happy trails!
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