I haven’t even left Georgia and I’ve already seen my first black bear! It was amazing! With my luck, I won’t see another one for as long.
The encounter with the bear
I was walking early in the morning through Jarrard Gap. I’ve been walking only in the mornings because I’m usually the first to break camp.
The bear saw me before I did. It was no more than 30-40 feet from the road. When I saw it, I completely FROZEN. The bear was looking directly at me and I at him or her. I imagine the bear was thinking: what is this person doing?
We stared at each other for what seemed like 5 minutes at the time, probably 20 seconds max.
When you meet a bear
When you encounter a bear, you should do the exact opposite of what I did. My brain froze and was no longer processing information! The only thing I could do was grab my phone to take a photo.
Luckily in my stupidity, as soon as I moved my hand towards my phone, the bear bolted in the opposite direction into the woods. Luckily nothing bad happened. It was amazing to see such an animal in the wild and up close!
Two trail icons
Overall, today was an amazing day on the AT. I know not every day will be like this. But I’ll stick with this one!
I reached the top of Blood Mountain and saw the stone shelter. Then I went down to Neel Gap. I saw the tree with all the boots and shoes left behind by abandoned hikers. That’s NOT me, at least not today.
It was too early to buy a pizza at Mountain Crossings, but I bought a Coke Zero. It tasted wonderful!
magic trail
My first magical trail! Tom and his friend set up shop every Tuesday and Thursday at Tasnatee Gap. I bought a ham and cheese wrap and drank a REAL Coke. I know high fructose corn syrup is terrible. It was the first one I had in a long time.
I was also able to sit in a chair with a backrest while eating and drinking. I didn’t realize how much I love the invention of the “chair with a back” until I sat in one in that space. It was tremendous!
people i met
Flat Pick carries his guitar and a flag to Katahdin. He’s getting everyone he knows from the class of 2026 to sign the flag.
I was able to help him with some information about water sources or lack thereof. I suggested he bring water because we were approaching a dry stretch.
Sunrises
I’m really enjoying the sunrises along the way. This is probably my favorite thing so far. They are spectacular! My love for God’s creation grows every day.
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