How to get going – The Trek

It is difficult to describe the feeling of being under the Arch of Amicalola knowing that we are about to embark on this epic journey. I barely slept the night before and when the alarm went off at 5:30, I was already awake. Some friends picked us up and drove us 3 hours to Amicalola. We picked up our tags and a ranger even gave Turkenna an honorary tag with her name and a footprint instead of an actual number. After taking some photos under the arch, we turned our backs on «normal» life and took our first steps down the trail.

Infamous stair section

Well…the first steps were really UP the path. THOSE STAIRS ARE NO JOKE! Fortunately, at the top of the 175-step staircase, there was a beautiful waterfall and a view of the mountain landscape as a small reward. Getting to the start of the AT and completing the approach trail felt like an accomplishment in itself!

Thankful for the maintenance of the trails

As we made our way down the approach trail, we ran into a group of college students who used their spring break to go out and maintain the approach trail. Shout out to all the volunteers for keeping the trail maintained. Every landslide, bridge, retaining wall, staircase, or just a clear section of downed trees, walking a well-maintained trail makes all the difference! Hikers notice (or at least we do) and appreciate the hard work that goes into keeping the AT in good shape.

Meeting other hikers at Trailhead

One part of life on the trails we look forward to is meeting other hikers. Starting the tour in mid-March means we are officially in ‘The Bubble’. If you don’t know, The Bubble simply refers to the fact that most NOBO hikers start in March and April, which means we hike with a LOT of people. We anticipate that most campsites and shelters along the trail will be full each night. But it also means we get to meet lots of people from different walks of life. The first hikers we met were at the end of the approach trail/start of the AT.

The AT begins at the top of a mountain. There is a plaque embedded in the rock that each SOBO hiker can take a photo with when they finish. As NOBO hikers, we took a photo with him to symbolize the start of our hike. While we were there, we met a hiker from 2025 named Chill Out. She was walking a section with her friend who is trying to do his walk this year. We also met a handful of other hikers from the section. It’s hard to know if the people we meet on day 1 will be the same people we end up walking with in a few months or not. Either way, it was great to meet a welcoming community that shared the same goal as Cody and I (and Turkenna). We are all aiming for Katahdin.

Get to the camp

The weather on the first day couldn’t have been better. The sun was shining and our legs were cool. Stover Creek Shelter was our first night’s destination. Because we set off around 10:30 in the morning, we had no idea how many people had set off before us. But as we walked towards the shelter/camp, it was evident that quite a few people had started that day. Cody set up our tent in one of the last remaining campsites while I prepared dinner and introduced Turkenna to everyone.

Turkenna is the nicest Gorl

One of the things we were worried about before setting out was how people would respond if we had a dog. I’m sure we’ll run into some people who aren’t too enthused about dogs or dogs walking the trail, but so far the reception it’s received has been positive. Baca juga tentang psf6. He received many praises for his manners, behavior and obedience. Maybe all the hard work preparing her for the AT is paying off. He did exceptionally well during the hike and exceeded our expectations at camp, even when the campground was full of people.

It’s actually happening

I was the first to go to bed. Maybe it was daylight saving time that we missed two nights before starting. Or maybe it was the restless nights of lying awake in anticipation. Or maybe it was just pure exhaustion from a long day of hiking. But when I went to bed just before dusk with noisy groups of jovial hikers still sitting around the campfire, I quickly fell asleep. I stayed there long enough for the surreal feeling I’d been feeling for the past few days to disappear. Finally it was me who sank. We are hiking the Appalachian Trail. This was just day one of many more to come.

Alex- The Norris Trio

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!

For more information, visit the About page of this site.