FEBRUARY 2024 Monthly Running Challenge

On Friday, we drove to Georgia, parked the car at a hostel and had a shuttle driver take us to the start of the Appalachian Trail on Springer Mountain. The actual trailhead was a mile from the road so we had to do an out and then back past the parking lot and up the trail. We hiked 9.45 miles that afternoon (1513 feet ascent/1753 feet descent) to set up our tents at Hawk Mountain shelter. We had just enough time to get set up before it got dark so after a quick bite to eat I crawled into my sleeping bag. I shivered for about 30 minutes but then finally got warm and stayed fairly warm all night.

Me on Springer Mountain

We broke down camp, packed up and were back on the trail by 6:00 am on Saturday morning. Temp was 30F when we started hiking. We hiked 12.62 miles (3305 feet ascent/3261 feet descent) to Woody Gap. When we got to Woody Gap, the temperature had dropped, it was windy and sleeting so we decided to call it a day. We didn’t hit our mileage goal but it was either stop here at a major road intersection where we could get a lift or hike on until the next spot which we wouldn’t have reached until after 9:30 pm. It was supposed to get down to 20F that night so we had already reserved a cabin for the night. A lovely trail angel named Georgia gave us a ride from Woody Gap to our cabin.

Random stream crossing on trail.

On Sunday morning, we arranged for a shuttle ride back to Woody Gap and was on the trail by 7:00 am. It was 21F but we warmed up quickly on the hills.

Sunrise from Preacher's Rock
We hiked 16.77 miles (4,443 feet ascent/4483 feet descent) into Tenastee Gap. We saw a lot of people on Blood Mountain and the views were spectacular. You could even see the skyscrapers in Atlanta in the very far distance. Because we had strayed from our mileage plan and due to camping restrictions in that area, we got picked up by a local hostel and stayed there Sunday night. My first time staying at a hostel. My friend and I were the only females in a bunk room with 7 guys…it was an interesting night.

This is a tree at the road crossing in Neel's Gap. Many thru-hikers make it to Neel's Gap and decide the adventure is just not what they thought it would be. Legend has it that they throw their shoes up in the tree when they call it quits and head back home.

Monday morning we were back on trail around 6:30 am. It was 32F but the sun soon popped out and it warmed up to the upper 60s by afternoon. We hiked 15 miles (3539 feet ascent/4196 feet descent).

Filtering some water on trail.
We got back to our car around 4:00 pm. We then drove south to Amacolola State Park, had a nice meal and spent the night at the lodge. The next morning we hiked out to the Falls and checked out the AT Visitor Center before hitting the road home.

The Appalachian Trail: “Remote for detachment, narrow for chosen company, winding for leisure, lonely for contemplation, it beckons not merely north and south, but upward to the body, mind and soul of man.” Harold Allen