The Starting Arch in Amicalola State Park

Amicalola State Park Arch

It has begun!  I started the climb to Springer Mountain this afternoon.  I was already pretty tired from getting up at 4:30am to drive over to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. I left the truck (which starting having some serious idle trouble on the way over) at the NOC and got shuttled over to Amicalola State Park by “Catahoula,” where the AT approach trail to Springer begins under the iconic stone arch.

3 sweaty uphill hours later, I pulled into the Black Gap shelter, where I am spending the night – in my hammock!

The Professor