The Applachian Trail is a hiking trail in the eastern United States from Mount Katahdin, Maine to Springer Mountain, Georgia. (About 2200 miles total). When we were in the North Georgia Mountains recently for a wedding, I thought we might be able to spend a few minutes hiking on the famous Appalachian Trail...
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| In places, the AT is very much like a ditch, it must get very muddy in the rain! |
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| See the white mark on the tree, just above that shaft of sunlight? That is what you look for to make sure you are on the trail! |
The Holiday Inn in Hiawassee is close to the AT and they have a hiker box for the hikers when they are in the area. I thought that was a nice touch.
One thing...you really do have to be careful about bears. In 2009, my brother-in-law did a charity run on the Appalachian Trail at night. He and his buddies mixed up some power-ade type drinks on the back of his car. When he returned to his car the next morning after his run, the car looked as if someone had been at it with a giant can-opener! Those long scratches that you see on this vehicle were made with bear claws! (The only bear claws that I want to see involve pastry!)
Hope all my American friends enjoy the 4th of July weekend, from the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam!
And to all my other friends in the world, hope you have a great weekend too!
Have a super 4th July weekend!
ReplyDeleteHey John!
DeleteThank you, I will! Going to my Dad's today where he will have a big meal prepared. I am such a good cook, I am taking the sweet iced tea! HA!
So happy to see your comment here! Hope you are doing well these days!
Say hello to Graham and Pat for me! x
Hi Kay, Hope you have a lovely 4th of July holiday. Being in a mountaineering club I'm familiar with the Appalachian Trail as a few of my friends have completed it over the years. Most managed the entire route but one packed in a quarter of the way when he got to an open height and looked ahead only to see trees and forest for the next 50 miles when he'd already been walking through woods for weeks on end without many views each day. He ended up spending the rest of the time in Philadelphia, New York then New Orleans and enjoyed himself much more there. Got to love trees on that walk :o)
ReplyDeleteOh, it is funny that you mention about the views on the AT. Apparently, the nice thing about Georgia is that the trail goes for so many miles through the trees but in our state, it opens up to some incredible views! Oh well, I am glad he enjoyed Philly, NYC and New Orleans anyway!
DeleteWish I could have had the time as a younger woman to have hiked more of this trail. Richard and I had our honeymoon at Fontana Dam, NC, and we saw hikers on top of the dam and they looked as if they had hiked a very long way. I only found out later that the AT goes over the top of the dam there, so I can say I hiked the AT on my honeymoon!
You wander a trail with Bears on it?
ReplyDeleteAre you mad?
I suppose you could feed Richard to them huh...?
Oh no, those bears better not mess with MY husband. They do say that you can't play dead, you have to be aggressive and try to fight them off.
DeleteI feel as if I have I have been doing that all my life. Gotta fight the bears in life and don't be afraid.
Hope you have a happy 4th !
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th of July!
DeleteHappy 4th, Kay !
ReplyDeleteHey, Sylvia!
DeleteHope the loud fireworks don't go on TOO late! They went on until midnight in our crazy neighborhood! Happy July4th!
The forest looks beautiful, like the forests in Ohio! We have a wonderful country! I wish you all a happy 4th of July!
ReplyDeleteThose trees were beautiful! Hardly any pines in that area, which is very unusual from the rest of the state!
DeleteHappy 4th to you in the great state of OHIO!!
Have you ever read Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods? Funny book about his walk on the Appalachian trail.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have that book. My father-in-law sent it to me from England!
DeleteAnd I liked it but I thought he made fun of the folks in Georgia a bit and you might guess I am a bit sensitive about that, since I come from mountain folk! Happy 4th to you in Savannah!
This was a good post. You covered many topics and tied them all together seamlessly. I am impressed.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Maybe I should do more posts late in the evening when I am dead tired! :-)
DeleteThe Bill Bryson book was very enjoyable. I'm not sure that I really fancy the idea of walking with bears though. Enjoy your weekend!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the book that he wrote about Australia. It is called "In A Sunburned Country". It might be entitled something else in England. I really laughed out loud at that one!
DeleteThanks for your well wishes and the same to you! Say hey to Pat!
Being British, Kay, I'm so used to people making fun of us that it's like water off a duck's back. BB went to town on us with his 'Notes From a Small Island'. I also recall that he made fun of himself in the never-to-be-forgotten-by-me opening words of his early book "The Lost Continent - Travels in Small Town America" which were "I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to.". In the UK the Australian book is called "Down Under" and I enjoyed that and learned quite a lot from it too.
DeleteI might be a bit sensitive about being from the mountains because of a little movie called "Deliverance"! I am not a fan of that film!
DeleteI also read the other two books you mention and I enjoyed them, but the Australia one was my favorite! Wish I could see Australia AND New Zealand!
Happy Independence Day! The trail is beautiful, i'd love to go see it for myself someday.
ReplyDeleteIf you are ever in the area, make sure you eat at the Wendy's in Clayton, Georgia! We don't know why, but it has the best food! And make sure to see Brasstown Bald, I will do a post about it shortly!
DeleteHappy Independence Day
This looks like such a lovely hike and how wonderful to have that hiker's box.
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