The Adventure Begins
March 25, 2026
Approach Trail 8.8 miles
Appalachian Trail 8.1 miles
Day one started with signing in at the ATC Welcome Center at Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia. This included a quick “Leave No Trace” presentation. Then I got my picture taken at the arch, said good bye to my parents and started up the Approach Trail.
The trail started with a climb up the 600 steps up to the top of the falls. These falls are impressive. Once I was at the top it was a seven mile hike just to get to the start of the trail. Along the way I hooked up with a couple of others that started about the same time and hiked with them to the Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the trail.
After a nice long break, and a wonderful talk with a local I started down the trail. I didn’t see anyone until I got to the first shelter. I took another little break here before moving on because it was only 3. After walking a couple more hours I found a nice spot to set up my hammock just short of the next shelter.
It was a great first day. I did 8.1 miles of the A.T. We’ll see how day two goes, it looks like I should have good weather.
