Just hangin’ out on a Springer Mountain tree!
I have sad news to share with you. Michael, my awesome hiking partner, has to leave the trail for the time-being. His knees started bothering him after a few days on the AT and it just progressively was getting worse and worse…And for something like this hike, which is so freeing and exciting – – – pain with every step on an already challenging landscape dampens the spirits like mad and it makes the journey anything but fun.
SO, I dedicate this post to Michael, my Yoda of Hiking. With him by my side, he filled in the gaps of my research by actually showing me the HOW TO of hiking and camping. Besides the efficiency of the tent set-up and how to set it up with the right stake angles, he showed me how to use the cook stove (and the lighter! Hey, I’ve only needed to use matches before this adventure, believe it or not!! 😁) and how to hang a bear bag properly off of a tree branch. No food for you, Mr. Bear!!
Michael showed me how to patch my sleeping quilt, when the zipper on the tent snagged the side of it and feathers were “floofed” everywhere!! Duct tape is seriously the answer for most everything!
Patching my poor quilt with duct tape already!
In addition to his guidance on the trail, with his eye for the perfect campsite and his patience with my many questions about living in the wilderness, our personalities meshed really well together. As much as we are opposites in so many ways – one being that I’m a morning girl and he’s a night hawk who loves to sleep in! – we still brought out the best in each other, looked out for one another, started saying things in unison and finishing each other’s sentences, and shared TONS of laughs along the way.
Striking a pose on the Approach Trail steps!
Here are some highlights from our time on the AT together!!
Meeting hiker friends in high places on Springer Mountain!
STORY: So, we hiked Blood Mountain, which at 4,457 feet of elevation was the tallest mountain to summit so far! And we realized that the way down was the reason for the name of this mountain. The nearly-vertical sheets of rock that you must descend plus all of the boulders and all-shaped and -sized rocks to climb over and down onto…well, let’s just say that one false step or one sneeze just might ruin a perfectly wonderful day with a broken body. Or death. 😳 But we made it without experiencing either of the two!! Even when we went the wrong way on those nearly- vertical slippery rock faces I spoke of earlier and we had to backtrack and climb back up to find the actual Appalachian Trail!!
The hike up Blood Mountain
Getting closer to the top of Blood Mountain!
The incredible view from Blood Mountain
We met “Quartz,” who gave Michael a Tarot reading!
The huge boulders around Blood Mountain Shelter
Starting to descend Blood Mountain
Follow the white blaze down sheets of rock!
Notice the “vertical nature” of these rock faces!
Traversing more slate-like rock!
Stair-step boulders down Blood Mountain
Blood Mountain looms behind us as we move on…check!!
With our shortest day being six miles and our longest day being 12 miles, we hiked a total of 60 miles together and saw beauty everywhere!
Bright flowers growing between the rocks!
Beautiful flowers!!
Michael, Hunter, & Anna
This “tree tunnel” on the AT!
Our tent on the Blue Mountain campsite
And fun dogs on the trail!!
Meet Xena!!
Lastly, we had the chance to experience two towns together in-between all of the trekking. Our first town was Blairsville, GA. We had amazing REAL food, shopped at a Foodland, ate at Hole in the Wall (a real place!!) and rested after 5 straight days on the trail.
Our first in-town experience in Blairsville, GA!
Great food at Hole in the Wall in Blairsville
Blairsville, GA
Hitching a ride back to Neel Gap from Blairsville, GA!
The last town ended up being our last town together, in Hiawassee, GA. It’s so important that Michael takes care of himself and that he listens to his body. That is priority number one, which he knows very well!!! But I’m still so sad to see him go.
TOTAL sad face..Last dinner date in Hiawassee, GA
Such great times and adventures together on the AT!
We gave ourselves our trail names – unless something even better and more fitting came along! I am “Chipper,” which seems to work well for me!!! And Michael is “Sleepyhead” or “Midnight,” for short – – because he loves to stay up late and to sleep!!
Therefore, the adventures of “Chipper” and “Sleepyhead/Midnight” are put on pause for now. But don’t lose sight of KeepOnTreken because Michael still has major plans for his travels that is sure to be incredible to see and inspiring to follow!
As for me, well, Eponine from Les Misèrables said it perfectly: On My Own!!! I will be trekking solo and showing off my wilderness skills!! For those of you reading this that are having panic attacks and VERY concerned for my well-being, (mainly my poor Mom!! And perhaps my friends who already thought that I was nuts to do this in the first place?!?!), I’m going to be just fine! I know I will reunite with hikers I have already met and that I will make so many more hiker friends as I go. The hiking community is so amazing!!!!
Plus, I have to make my Yoda of Hiking proud as I move forward! Thank you, Michael, for all of your help and for motivating me to explore the Appalachian Trail. (Even though you didn’t realize that I had never even slept in a tent before!! Had I forgot to mention that?!?!? WHOOPS! It was not intentional but thankfully, it all worked out!!)
Let’s do this!!! The trail awaits!!! Many more stories to come, you know it….❤️
“Chipper” and “Sleepyhead,” rockin’ the AT!