My Last Week in Georgia

I’ve already spent 2 weeks in Georgia, slowly making my way over mountains, trying my best to make my way to North Carolina. Did you miss those? Go back here to start. I was only averaging about 4 miles a day and kept taking days off when I would get frustrated. I knew that I needed to do more, but it was just so much more than I had ever imagined it would be.

After my evening of bonding with Bilbo and my new friends, I went back out to start again. I was energized and told myself that I could do anything! I made my way that day, meeting and talking to thru-hikers along the way. We were all in the same boat; tired but trudging along. I met him with some friends from the night before at the next shelter. The next day, I kept going. When I got to the next shelter, I didn’t want to stop! I kept going, not realizing that the next shelter was several miles away and there were no good stealth camp sites along the way. I ended up making camp near a small stream. The ground was bumpy but I was so tired from my 12 mile day that I didn’t care!

Rain in the forecast!

The next morning I awoke to rain. I knew it was going to rain. I’d already seen the forecast but kept pushing because, I thought, what’s a little rain? I debated about staying in my tent for the day, I had enough food, but water was starting to get in and my sleeping bag was beginning to get wet. I packed up and started making my way, alone this time. The rain was so cold and was pelting me in the face. My raincoat turned out to not be great for this weather. I was soon soaked through, as was my backpack. I was absolutely miserable and had once again told myself that I was done, I couldn’t do this. It was just too hard!! As I came down from this mountain, I came across a ranger who offered me a ride back to town. I got a hotel room, laid out all my gear to dry and called my husband. I was done.

As I was searching for the easiest way to get a rental car or get a ride to the nearest airport, others that I knew were making their way to the hotel as well. We were all soaked and exhausted from the rain. Many people had stayed, crowding into shelters to stay dry. I met up with some of these people. One of them convinced me that you should never quit on a bad day, because you would always regret it. She encouraged me to keep going and I’ll never forget that!

Staying in Town

I stayed in town for 2 days and then made my way back to the trail again, ready to keep going. I caught up with another girl from the first hostel that I stayed at, Paz; we gave her the trail name Life Saver! She had hit her breaking point and was at a camp debating about quitting. Somehow, I convinced her to at least keep going with me to the next campsite. We talked and learned a lot about each other. She’s from Canada but had been living in Israel for the past several years. We made it to the campsite and stayed in the shelter for the evening.

The next morning I continued on without her, thinking she would catch up. The sun was much stronger that day, much more than I had been expecting. I stopped to put on sunscreen, but by then it was too late, I was already burned. Carrying a pack on my burned shoulders was extremely painful but I kept going. After refilling my water at one point, I decided to just relax, enjoy the shade and eat some lunch. I ended up falling asleep there under a tree and woke up covered in tiny spiders. One of my worst nightmares come true! I simply brushed them off and continued on. The next afternoon I made it to another large intersection and walked a couple miles to the closest hostel. I was once again ready to quit! I called my mom and she agreed to come pick me up. I was going to make my way to Franklin, NC and she would meet me there.

Time to Go Home

I took a shuttle to Franklin and found another hostel to sleep in for the night. This was the first time I felt uncomfortable at a hostel. The people around me were not the type that I would usually hang out with and the property manager was very strange and didn’t talk much. I received my packages that my family had sent to me and was once again re-energized by the notes from my kids telling me to keep going. But it was too late, my mom was already on her way…I left the next day.

I learned a lot about myself during these three weeks in Georgia. First off, it felt like a lot longer. I felt that I’d been out there for months with all the people I met, the sights I saw and the things I did. It still surprises me that that was all. At the same time though, I’m disappointed that I gave up and that I didn’t stay longer. I tell myself that I could’ve kept going. I could’ve made it a little further. I came back home to my family. Many of my friends and family were proud of me but I had so much resentment that I’d given up. That resentment has turned into a desire to go back but to also do more! If you aren’t already, follow along on my journey as I reach for new adventures in my life!