You can train, research, prepare, and do all the right things in the beginning, and the trail will still hit you in the mouth and humble you right off the bat.
Pre-trail SparkNotes: I prepared. A lot. I won’t bore you with all the details, but it’s important to know I spent hours researching and conditioning. I wanted to be budget friendly, so I bought mostly mid-level gear from REI. I wanted to be ready to hike 15 miles a day from the get-go, so I hiked all the time. Get off work, hike. Weekend comes, even more hiking. I wanted to know what to expect, so I watched documentary after documentary and read book after book. By the time April 25th – my start date – rolled around, I was a lean, mean hiking machine.
April 25, 2022 finally arrived. It was a Monday morning. I was coming off a great weekend celebrating some of my best friends, Tyler and Lauren, at their wedding which I had the privilege of officiating. I had also recently shaved my head, and now, I was waking up to the day that I would begin my trek on the Appalachian Trail. All of these events were a first for me, and the novelty of it all had me riding an emotional high all the way to Springer Mountain. Everything felt “right,” like I was meant to be doing exactly what I had been preparing and longing for the many months I had been planning this journey.
I couldn’t lose. I was going to absolutely crush this trail.
At 6:00am, I rolled out of bed ready to attack the day. I repacked my pack one more time, took a shower, and started saying goodbye to everything in my house.
“Goodbye house!”
“Goodbye truck!”
“Goodbye cat!”
I felt like a Disney princess, but I couldn’t help it. I was giddy. Nothing was going to break my stride on this day.
I jumped in my parents car, and we rode to the church I grew up at for a farewell breakfast. I had chosen to use my hike to raise money for a local non-profit, Isaiah 117 House, and they were hosting a breakfast at the church for me to send me off. I had also been hyping my trip up on my social media to all my friends and family, so everyone was very excited for me. I felt so uplifted and inspired by everyone showing up and giving their last words of encouragement. I was going to make them all proud.
I loaded up in my parents car again, and we set out for Amicalola Falls State Park to get my hiker tag. On the way there, I had debated on whether or not I would actually start from the park, but my parents agreed to drive me back around to start from the Springer Mountain parking area which was a much shorter route to the official start of the trail than from the park.
My plan was make it 16 miles to the Gooch Gap Shelter that day. If I could start by 10:00am or 11:am at the latest, I could make it, no problem, I thought.
It was a much longer drive to Amicalola Falls than I thought, then, unbeknownst to me, I had to sit through a presentation on trail etiquette and what to expect hiking through Georgia before receiving my AT hang tag for my pack. By that time, it was already 11:30am!
No worries, I thought trying to suppress my panic. I’m a strong hiker. Surely we’ll get to the trailhead in 30 minutes. If I start at noon, I can still make it if I push a little harder than I expected. Back in the car I went.
An hour and fifteen minutes later, we made it to the trailhead at Springer Mountain.
I was getting hot with frustration. It was now almost 3 hours past my desired start time, and I was going to have to really book it to make it to the shelter in plenty of time to set up my tent and rest before the sun would set and I would need to go to bed. I had to backtrack a mile to the summit of Springer so I could get my picture at the southern terminus plaque and sign my name in the trail log.
Finally, I was able to stretch my legs and feel the trail around me. Even though I was still mad about how late of a start I got, meeting my fellow hikers on the summit and simply being out there was already sending my mood back in the right direction.
I met several people who had just finished the climb from Amicalola Falls, which is 8 miles, and they were kind of jealous that I had taken the shorter route. I was just lucky that I was from the area. We were all having a great time getting to know each other as we sat around talking about the 2,200 miles ahead of us.
“It was great meeting you all,” I said. “See y’all down the trail.”
And away I went, eager to get going. I’ll see them again, I thought. I’ll have plenty of time to get to know them. But right now, I have miles to make.
I never saw them again.
My parents waited for me back at the trailhead for one last, quick goodbye. Then I was finally headed north! I was back to my euphoric self in a flash. It was a warm, mid-spring day. The fresh greens of the new growth were beginning to bloom in the trees and along the forest floor. The interspersed pine groves amongst their more deciduous relatives gave a fun change of scenery as I made my way down into my first valley. And to top it all off, the rhododendron tunnels were simply magical.
I made it down to a beautiful creek near the first forest service road I would cross since leaving the Springer Mountain trailhead. I decided to take a quick snack break and wade out into the water. The cool rush of pure mountain water was soothing against my already tired feet. As I sat hanging out by the creek, I met a few section hikers who also decided to take a quick break. After a great chat with new friends, my dip in the creek, and spending way too long in one place, I made more farewells and was off to camp. I still had over 12 miles to go to my desired camp site that night, and it was already mid-afternoon.
I could make it, I thought confidently. I’ve prepared for these moments. I’ll be fine.
I started up the next ridge I would need to cross. Up, up, and up I went. Surely I was getting close to the top, I thought. But every time I checked my map, I was still not nearly as close as I thought I should be. The day was also getting hotter, but fortunately, I was right next to a stream all the way to the top of the ridge. I finally made it to a beautiful waterfall near the top where I decided to take a quick water break. It was a nice respite from the growing heat of the day, and I was already feeling more dehydrated than I expected I would.
It was all good. Everything was fine. I’m a strong hiker. I can do anything, I kept telling myself.
After some rejuvenation from the waterfall, I filled up my water bottles and away I went.
I topped the ridge and started down again. This is more like it, I thought. Going downhill is great. However, this downhill was very short lived. Before I knew it, I was right back up again. Then I was right back down again, only to be quickly followed by another up. These ups and downs through southern Appalachia on what was now a hot mid-spring day, were wearing me out. I was finding myself stopping more and more to drink water as the sweat continued to roll down my body.
Finally down to my last half a liter, I figured it was a good time to check my map and see when the next water source was coming up. All my research said that water was plentiful on the Appalachian Trail so surely there would be one soon!
I opened my FarOut Guide map on my phone and gaped. I had another six miles to go before the next water source and still had at least eight to go to get to camp. I was running out of daylight and water faster than I had anticipated. I was also getting my butt kicked by these mountains.
All the training. All the research. All the preparation. Months of getting ready for this moment, and here I was on the side of the trail exhausted. I was a little disoriented at first. I was ready to come in like a well-trained backpacker and cruise through this trail, and yet, on day one I was quickly being reduced to a novice who looked like he was spending his first night in the woods. I can’t be this easily defeated, I thought. Especially on day one. After finally cooling down and taking in the beautiful woods around me, I mustered what energy I could and pressed on. I was still riding some of the high from the beginning of the day so my spirits weren’t totally shattered.
I tromped on for what felt like an eternity. The day wasn’t getting any cooler, and with three miles to go to the water source, I was already out of water as a guzzled down the last trickles I had been trying to ration. How bad can the next three miles be? I thought. Surely I can pull it together enough to make it that far.
Three miles is a long way on a dehydrated body. After a few minutes along, I started hearing water. I looked left and right, pulled out my map, and hurried around the next bend hoping to find the source of the sounds I was hearing. No matter where I looked or how much further I kept hiking, there was no water.
Am I hallucinating right now? I wondered anxiously. I’m going to go crazy if I keep hearing running water. And that was true. My thirst for water was growing exponentially. I could feel my mouth and throat drying out. My body began fatiguing faster than I could calm myself down.
I just want water. All I want right now is just cold water. Please be around the next corner, I thought over and over again as I made my way closer to the water source.
Voices. I hear voices.
Water. I swear that’s not in my head this time. That’s flowing water.
My pace quickened. The trail took a nose dive down into a ravine, and sure enough there it was. The next water source! I was saved!
I shot down the trail. Threw my pack down beside the creek, filled up my water bladder, and gulped filtered water straight into my mouth. It was glorious. I had never tasted anything so wonderful in my life.
Next thing I knew, I was stripped down to my underwear laying flat out in the middle of the creek. The rush of cold water flowing over every inch of my overheated body soothed every muscle that had been screaming moments before.
“Hey man, you good?” I heard someone laugh from behind me.
I turned around. A couple of guys who had already set up camp on the banks of the creek were staring down at me with a mixture of amusement and concern.
“Yeah, I’m fine!” I said, feeling a little embarrassed. “I’m just wiped out. That last few miles kicked my butt. I also ran out of water a while back. I’m just trying to come back to my sense a little bit.”
“Sounds good, man. By the way, once you’re done, there’s a spot next to ours you can pitch your tent. We’re probably about to eat dinner soon,” the man replied kindly.
Once I was back to feeling cooled off and hydrated, I was finally able to take in my surroundings. I was in a beautiful ravine with steep hills on both sides of the creek I was still sitting in. There was a tiered landing about 10 feet up from the creek bank where I could see the tents that were already set up. So, I put my clothes back on and headed up the bank to join the others already camped there.
Everyone at camp was doing different things as I arrived to start setting up my tent. I said hello to everyone as we all introduced ourselves. The landing was a long, flat area so we had to set up our tents in a straight line so as to make a walkway through camp. We had to set up our tents relatively close to each other so as to make room for potential new comers throughout the evening. I began to pitch my tent, blow up sleeping pad, lay out my sleeping bag, and get camp sorted so I could eventually crawl into my tent and go to bed.
Everyone else was busy making dinner, hanging their food bags in a nearby tree, or already turning in for the night. By the time I had everything situated, most everyone else had already eaten dinner and were just hanging out. My stomach growled. I was starving. I took my food bag and cooking system back towards the creek and made dinner by myself down by the water.
It’s not good to eat where you sleep out in the woods, I told myself drawing back the lessons I had learned about backpacking. Dinner that night was a backpacker meal that my old roommate had given me. It was like an MRE but supposedly tastier. Sure enough, all I had to do was add water to a package with some kind of hand warmer, looking thing, and five minutes later, I had a perfectly warmed up meal. I can’t wait to put that in mouth, I thought. I’m so hungry, and there’s nothing that could be better than a warm meal out here in the woods.
Ugh. That first bite was not too pleasant. Maybe it’ll get better, I thought.
Second bite. Yuck! Nope, definitely not better.
I forced myself to eat as much as I could. I finished dinner off with a couple of snacks I had planned for camp. After being disappointed with the main course, my sides for the evening didn’t hit like I thought they would.
I sat there for a few minutes trying to take a mental account of the day.
Ok, Ralston. Today was much harder than you thought. The trail is nothing like the terrain you trained on. You weren’t prepared for how hot it was going to be. You also severely underestimated your water intake. Now, your dinner was terrible. The day isn’t over though. You still have friends you met from earlier today that could show up. That might lift your spirits. And you still have the night to go. You might even sleep like a baby out here. Who knows how the night will play out? You’ve got this! I thought to myself as I stared into the creek as if it were the abyss.
I made my way back up to camp to start getting ready for bed.
“Hey, do you want to hang your food bag with ours?” said the man from earlier.
“Sure. That would be great. Thanks,” I replied seeing him attach the other food bags to the line he had just thrown in the tree.
He took my bag, added it to the collection, and up into the air they went. “Surely a bear won’t be able to get that,” said the man.
Dusk was starting to settle in the ravine, and I kept looking back down the trail to see if anyone I knew would show up. They never came. I was a little bummed about that, but I was enjoying the new found company I was with. Everyone I was camping with were section hikers. Some of them were friends who had come together, and a few others were solo. We all laughed at the misfortune I had throughout the day, and many of them said they had similar stories when they started backpacking. None of them were expert backpackers by any means, but they all enjoyed the outdoors and the solace they found in the mountains.
Once it was dark enough to use our headlamps, we all decided to turn in for the night. I got in my tent and layered up. I put my long sleeve t-shirt on, put my beanie over my head, and pulled on my thermals before tucking myself away in my twenty degree sleeping bag. Surprisingly, I was pretty cozy.
Ok so your day was bad, but camp hasn’t been an overall bummer. You got to meet nice people even if you’ll never see them again, and you’re comfortable. That’s a win, the better half of my ego whispered in my mind.
You’re right, I thought reassuringly. It definitely was a humbling day, but I got through it. I’ll be fine.
I nodded off to sleep.
Fifteen minutes went by, and suddenly I was wide awake. Sweat was rolling down face, and I could feel my clothes already starting to get damp. What was I thinking?!, I thought to myself feeling annoyed. Why did I put all my clothes on and get into a twenty degree bag? It’s sixty degrees outside and I’m in a tent that’s already trapping my body heat to keep my warm.
So much for the mental pep talks I had been giving myself. Waking up in a puddle of my own sweat had been the last straw. I ripped off my sleeping bag, stripped down to my birthday suit, and threw my sleeping bag back over the top of me. I was already starting to feel cooler, but not by much. After all that had gone wrong throughout the day, I wanted more than anything to have a good nights rest. That was evening turning out to be miserable.
There’s nothing I can do about it now. I’ll still be fine tonight and tomorrow even if it sucks, and besides, I’m still close to home. I can be at my house tomorrow if I really want to be. But I will not quit this early on, I need to give it a couple of weeks and let myself adapt. I’m sure I’ll figure it out, I thought as the better half of my mentality started taking control again.
Once I got my mind right and my body cooler, I was finally able to relax enough to drift off into sleep. As the thoughts in my head slowly subsided, I could finally hear the noises of the forest around me. It was a still night with a gentle breeze passing through the tree branches. The creek below meandered along sounding calm and soothing. This isn’t so bad, I thought listening to nature around me. I could definitely get used to this.
But for all the good the night was doing for me, I couldn’t help but think about the fiasco of the day. As my eyes finally made their way shut for the second time, one last thought rolled through my mind. If the trail ends up being like this every day, then what the hell have I got myself into?
There was only one way to find out, and off to sleep I went.
– Ralston Drake
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I loved experiencing it and sharing it. Be sure to subscribe for free below to be sure you get a notification whenever I post a new article. Thank you again! I hope your next adventure is one to write about some day too!
Wandering with Ralston 
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