May 19
Bud and Vicki Hogan's 1996 Appalachian Trail Journey
The Adventure Begins
School was over at 3:30 pm on Friday, May 17th. We mailed our "mail drops" Saturday morning, then we were on the road by 8:30. We stayed one night in Tennessee, then off to Georgia.
May 19, 1996
We arrived at Amacalola Falls early afternoon on Sunday, much earlier than we had hoped for, and checked in at the Ranger Station for some last minute info. The campground was full, so we would have to find a motel or start the trail. We were told by the attendant in the ranger station that there was a camping spot just outside of the park into the national forest at the top of the hill, just over a mile away. Sounded like a good plan. We made a mad dash out of the park to the nearest store for some perishable supplies, bread and fruit. We entered the park, changed clothes, locked the car, and away we went. Months of planning didn't completely dispel the anticipation of "what were we in for," and the dread of leaving our car parked unattended for so long.
We hit the trail.........we thought. Stopped to take a picture at the marker at the beginning of the trail, then took the "obvious" path to the left (north). You guessed it......wrong trail. We hiked for fifteen minutes right beside the road. Where were the blue blazes? What were we doing right beside a road? What kind of trail is this? We stopped and checked our map. WE SCREWED UP!!!!!!! We hadn't even gotten on to the trail and we were already lost. What were we doing out here? Returned to the ranger station after our "warm-up" hike and finally found the blue blazes.
RESTART! Once we got on the right trail, we climbed 1.2 miles. It was so steep we had to stop constantly, because our legs just wouldn't work. Stopped at the falls for a view...GREAT!! Got up past the road at the top of the hill to a camp area. Didn't look great, so I ran ahead to check for another spot, I didn't know it, but this was going to become a habit. I found a better spot a little farther. I returned for Vicki. The sun was setting as we started our first night, ever, camping out on a trail, I mean "The Trail". It was our first time using new equipment in a real camping environment. We hurried to set up the tent, hang our food from bears, and try out the stove and trail food. The tent was so small, but it did the job. We had purchased thermarest mattresses, not a waterbed, but I was glad to have them. The gear was working. Great planning.
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