There was frost all over the car when I went outside this morning... I didn't hurry, hoping it would warm up, and got breakfast at McDonalds in Franklin (0800). Counting on the forecast being correct (50s), I left Franklin via US-64 and headed to the southwest. For once, there was no fog at Winding Stair Gap and I made good time crossing the mountains. Down in the Hiawassee Valley, however, the fog was as thick as pea soup! Followed NC-69 into Georgia and then used US-76, US-19, GA-180 and GA-60 to reach the hiking zone. I also had to drive on a gravel road (Cooper Gap) to reach the desired trailhead at Hightower Gap. I arrived at the AT by 1030 but didn’t get started for 15 minutes because there was a guy parked there who worked for the Army and helped maintained the gravel roads in the vicinity. He gave me some tips on getting back into town after I was finished. Armed with this new knowledge, I headed into the woods (SOBO). The temps *might* have reached 45 by this point and I was comfortable in just a long sleeved shirt with a light jacket in reserve. I was a bit concerned about the lateness of my start time because rain was predicted in the evening (in town). However, it started out sunny and I felt very energized. I climbed up to the ridge (Hawk Mountain) and encountered a huge crowd of Asian backpackers. They smiled pleasantly but didn’t saw much to me (for the rest of the day, I wondered if it was this group that had spray painted big white arrows on the trail). The next people I saw appeared to be a family of three generations, with a very determined grandpa leading the way. Shortly after that, I passed a mellow, bearded Millennial who seemed to be just walking along with no goal in mind. I chatted with him briefly but his mind seemed to be elsewhere. After that I didn’t see anyone (or animals) until I reached the VERY crowded Long Creek Falls area. This attraction, which I bypassed, was located only one mile from the Three Forks area and the gravel road (USFS-58) was packed with cars. I must have passed close to 50 people in a two mile stretch. Previously, I’d been up on a ridge but then had to descend close to a 1,000 feet. After leaving the busy area, I had to climb back up to another ridge to get to the turnaround point. I didn’t see anyone for a while during my ascent of the base of Springer Mountain. By this point in the day, I’d become frustrated by the sporadic use of white blazes by the trail maintainers - most of the time, I couldn’t even tell I was on rye AT... I eventually reached the southernmost sign for the Benton MacKaye Trail (I crossed it three times), which my mileage tracker indicated was my stopping point in 2014. Unfortunately, I started to have doubts about whether it was actually the same place. Usually, I have a sort of deja vu when I return to a trail milestone but I felt nothing this time. I had cell signal and checked my blog notes (no help) and a photo I’d taken the last time - the latter clue *looked* similar but it was hard to tell (angle of the sign)... Decided to hike a bit further, just to be sure, and eventually headed back towards my car. The inbound hike was almost a carbon copy of the outbound, with crowds at Three Forks but almost no one anywhere else. I encountered the three generation family (on their backtrack) and the grandpa quizzed me about my day and experiences in North GA on the AT. After that, I soloed the rest of the way. It started to get overcast and the setting sun behind me was partially blocked by clouds. It didn’t matter, though, because I was done at 1615 after almost 13 miles. Drove out of the woods, following the advice from the Army guy, and arrived in Dahlonega (my overnight waypoint) at 1700, just in time to hand my mail to the postal clerk as she closed up for the day (lucky!). I got some dinner at a nearby Taco Bell (1715) and made an online reservation at the Quality Inn (I stayed there in 2014), checking in at 1815. Soaked, rested and vegged for the rest of the evening (bed just after 2200). It’s supposed to rain tomorrow but I’m hoping to get another section completed before heading back to Hiawassee... AT Today = 6.50 miles / G.T. AT = 1492.86 miles
