Monday, January 17, 2011

Georgia


It’s official. We made it out of our first state, Georgia. My first personal goal was to hike the first 80 miles to the North Carolina border, and I almost didn’t make it.


But, I am here! We may have gone slower than people thought was prudent. There may be people who think that we won’t make Maine. But I made it out of freaking Georgia, and that’s what counts right now.


There’s no way we could have done it without the help of many people. I would like to take a minute to acknowledge a few people who helped us survive the first leg.


The Hiker Hostel run by Josh and Leigh Saint was a great refresher early on after my first few frustrating days of hiking.


Winton, Lumpy, Pirate, Logan, George, and all the crew at Mountain Crossings were great about giving us a few days rest while I nursed an Achilles tendon injury and offered respite over the Christmas holiday. We spent a very pleasant Christmas Eve and morning with a family at the hostel.


Sage, Mega Mo, and Raggamuffin gave us wonderful and much needed advice. They helped keep us on the trail.


The young crew who plucked us out of eight inches of snow on Christmas night to drive us into Helen made what could have been a very cold night instead a night filled with warm food and beverage.


To the Sheffields, thanks not only for the ride into Helen, but for the encouragement and good company.


Thanks to the awesome man who offered us a right through Helen on our way back to the trail. I never thought I would hitch hike, let alone be picked up by a horse drawn carriage.


Thank you to the family who offered us a ride, accidentally took us to the wrong trailhead, and went out of their way forty minutes to get us to the right place.


Lastly, I have to take a minute to say thanks to Pete. He has pestered and pushed me to the point of making me cry at times, but without him I would not still be here. I can’t find words to explain to him in person how grateful I am, because sentimentality is just not our way. But, if he had a porch right now, I would hide under it (inside joke) and tell him that I am so glad he invited me on this trip.


Now, on to North Carolina and even more awesome adventures.

6 comments:

  1. Awesome! I admire your commitment. Keep at it, and stay safe on the trail in the winter.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Congrats on making it to North Cackalack! You guys are going to be fine. Stay warm and hike hard.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oops. Meant South... you know what I mean.

    ReplyDelete
  4. awesome winter hike

    ReplyDelete
  5. It has been a wonderful winter hike so far, filled with surprises and challenges and huge rewards.

    We've actually not been in South Carolina yet but just went straight into NC.

    Jared, I'll call either today or tomorrow to figure out where to meet.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow...I bet you didn't expect to meet so many wonderful, helpful people already!

    ReplyDelete