Hello world.... this is another of my "SAGA's"... so go get a cuppa (tea or coffee or maybe even a can of soda.... you will definitely need it to get thru this post)... .... you're back??? well, get comfy...
My birthday was on a Tuesday --9/25.... But I started my celebration almost a week early on a Wednesday. This was the biggest BD celebration for me since..... wow..... over.... uuuuuumm.......maybe the biggest I have EVER had!!! So BIG I will divide it into a 3 part blog.... :)
I. The "On Your Mark, Get Set...." Day.
I love to hike. My first real hike occurred while I was in college. We'd go on walks while I was growing up but the first real hike was at AnnaRuby Falls near Unicoi State Park GA back in 1970. There were no warning signs or rules limiting access as there are today. My college roomy & I decided to hike to the top of the falls, not the wisest decision we ever made, as others have since fallen incurring severe injury, but we survived, reached the top and a love of hiking was the result.
Carol & I hiking Tray Mt. with a bottle of wine, cheese, fruit,& flat bread. Then Tray Mt. hikes with my 2 babies ...Amber toddling & Wendy still an infant & having to be carried, falling in love with the Appalachian Trail and deciding to hike thru... one day .... but my joy in hiking sent me on day hikes and a few overnight camp hikes all thru GA, TN & NC. I managed to hike all the 'AT' in GA this way. Vacations were frequently camping trips with just the girls & I. A hike or 2 was always included. As my girls got older & we were living in Ringgold and Atlanta areas (making the mountains easily accessible) they'd hike with me by choice and we created many great memories.
So back to my Big Birthday celebration.....
Time, weight & health issues had curtailed all my hiking. Shoot, I couldn't even vacuum my living room with out taking a break to catch my breath a year ago!!! So this year, to celebrate both my 100 lb weight loss, improved health & birthday, I started planning a.... HIKE!
A 2 day trip. Because I could! I had been working out on my "TreadClimber" to be sure I was up to the task and I was walking up to 5 miles 3 times a week. I wanted to hike on the Appalachian Trail so decided to begin at the beginning of the Trail..... Springer Mountain. Do the approach trail one day then the 9ish miles to Hightower Gap the second day. Since my early hiking days an Inn had been built near the trail head of the Appalachian Trail. It is a "green" facility and it sounded like something I'd like to check out. We could stay there rather than have to pack in tents & food for my first excursion in over 15 years. So.....after checking with Amber & Wendy (they don't have jobs outside the home) to see if they wanted to go, I booked us for the Friday nite before my birthday (all the Saturday nites booked thru Nov.) Plans were: drive up to the area Thursday in 2 vehicles, leave 1 at the "take-out" point, and then drive to Amicalola State Park where the approach trail to the Appalachian Trail begins. We'd stay at the Amicalola Lodge or a hotel nearby then Friday morn get our hike permit, see falls at the park and start the 5.5 miles to the Len Foote Hike Inn after lunch on Friday 21 Sept., spend Friday nite at the Inn, Saturday we would continue to the AT and Hike the 8+ miles to Hightower Gap, get in the truck drive back to Amicalola SP to get the Corolla & head back to Atlanta. (...... hmmmmm wasn't the approach trail to Spring Mt 8.+ miles???)
I left Glennville GA Wednesday afternoon for Marietta Ga. --- Upon my arrival Dalton was so proud to show me his progress report!!!! All A's!!! And Brandon was sporting his Student Council shirt. Megan was passing all her subjects, Jonathan now has a job with Chic-fil-A and is running on a track team and Nathan ..... well he was just a little sport! I spent the nite with Wendy & her crew. Amber would drive up from Peachtree City on Thursday morn after getting her boys off to school (her m-i-l was staying with her boys as Jason was in China). I had to make a WalMart run because it was to get down to 48 degrees at nite -- I did not have any warm jammies!!!! It was still in the 90's in south GA.
Well, we got all the kids off to school.... and we are ready to go....
My birthday was on a Tuesday --9/25.... But I started my celebration almost a week early on a Wednesday. This was the biggest BD celebration for me since..... wow..... over.... uuuuuumm.......maybe the biggest I have EVER had!!! So BIG I will divide it into a 3 part blog.... :)
I. The "On Your Mark, Get Set...." Day.
I love to hike. My first real hike occurred while I was in college. We'd go on walks while I was growing up but the first real hike was at AnnaRuby Falls near Unicoi State Park GA back in 1970. There were no warning signs or rules limiting access as there are today. My college roomy & I decided to hike to the top of the falls, not the wisest decision we ever made, as others have since fallen incurring severe injury, but we survived, reached the top and a love of hiking was the result.
Carol & I hiking Tray Mt. with a bottle of wine, cheese, fruit,& flat bread. Then Tray Mt. hikes with my 2 babies ...Amber toddling & Wendy still an infant & having to be carried, falling in love with the Appalachian Trail and deciding to hike thru... one day .... but my joy in hiking sent me on day hikes and a few overnight camp hikes all thru GA, TN & NC. I managed to hike all the 'AT' in GA this way. Vacations were frequently camping trips with just the girls & I. A hike or 2 was always included. As my girls got older & we were living in Ringgold and Atlanta areas (making the mountains easily accessible) they'd hike with me by choice and we created many great memories.
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| Amber & I on Blood Mt., the Appalachian Trail, July 1992 |
Time, weight & health issues had curtailed all my hiking. Shoot, I couldn't even vacuum my living room with out taking a break to catch my breath a year ago!!! So this year, to celebrate both my 100 lb weight loss, improved health & birthday, I started planning a.... HIKE!
A 2 day trip. Because I could! I had been working out on my "TreadClimber" to be sure I was up to the task and I was walking up to 5 miles 3 times a week. I wanted to hike on the Appalachian Trail so decided to begin at the beginning of the Trail..... Springer Mountain. Do the approach trail one day then the 9ish miles to Hightower Gap the second day. Since my early hiking days an Inn had been built near the trail head of the Appalachian Trail. It is a "green" facility and it sounded like something I'd like to check out. We could stay there rather than have to pack in tents & food for my first excursion in over 15 years. So.....after checking with Amber & Wendy (they don't have jobs outside the home) to see if they wanted to go, I booked us for the Friday nite before my birthday (all the Saturday nites booked thru Nov.) Plans were: drive up to the area Thursday in 2 vehicles, leave 1 at the "take-out" point, and then drive to Amicalola State Park where the approach trail to the Appalachian Trail begins. We'd stay at the Amicalola Lodge or a hotel nearby then Friday morn get our hike permit, see falls at the park and start the 5.5 miles to the Len Foote Hike Inn after lunch on Friday 21 Sept., spend Friday nite at the Inn, Saturday we would continue to the AT and Hike the 8+ miles to Hightower Gap, get in the truck drive back to Amicalola SP to get the Corolla & head back to Atlanta. (...... hmmmmm wasn't the approach trail to Spring Mt 8.+ miles???)
I left Glennville GA Wednesday afternoon for Marietta Ga. --- Upon my arrival Dalton was so proud to show me his progress report!!!! All A's!!! And Brandon was sporting his Student Council shirt. Megan was passing all her subjects, Jonathan now has a job with Chic-fil-A and is running on a track team and Nathan ..... well he was just a little sport! I spent the nite with Wendy & her crew. Amber would drive up from Peachtree City on Thursday morn after getting her boys off to school (her m-i-l was staying with her boys as Jason was in China). I had to make a WalMart run because it was to get down to 48 degrees at nite -- I did not have any warm jammies!!!! It was still in the 90's in south GA.
Well, we got all the kids off to school.... and we are ready to go....
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Amber ~ Signe ~ Wendy
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We drove up to Amicalola State Park, about 2 hrs north of Wendy's, got there about 2 pm and went in to talk to a park ranger to find best road to get to Hightower Gap and get a AT map. Armed directions & a excerpt of the Chattahoochee National Forest/Ed Jenkins National Recreation Area Map we headed out to deposit the truck at our end destination. We had driven about 10 miles on the forest service dirt road and stopped at a cross road that I thought was our destination. Pulling up to park the truck Wendy leaned out and said "look at your tire". I did not really hear her, but got out to go check out the spot AT crossed the road...... Wendy reiterated with more emphasis.....
"YOUR TIRE IS FLAT!!!"
FLAT AS A PANCAKE!!
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| Jumping on the tire iron "trying" to get lug nuts off! |
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| Incorrectly trying to lower spare. |
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| Correctly trying to release spare! |
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| Having a GREAT DEAL OF TROUBLE releasing the spare!!!! But I'm still smiling! |
I first tried to use my AllState road side assistance..... what a joke...... the person I spoke to was in India and kept insisting she had to have the city I was in.... the nearest town was more than 30 miles away! We were 10 miles down a dirt road! I gave her the GPS coordinates, I gave her the name of the National Forest & Recreation Area we were located in, I gave her the Forest Service Road #'s , the county ..... but she just couldn't get it..... so I hung up after 15+ min. trying to explain where we were. You should have seen us changing that tire!!! I had to lay in the mud to get the spare out from under only to find out you don't release it from the bottom but use a long screwed together pole to unscrew it from the truck bed. That was a REAL challenge! Then we had to jump on the lug wrench to get the nuts off the tire!!! It was just a hoot!! Had to dig a hole to put the jack in because it was to tall to fit under the chassis. But finally, between us all we GOT IT DONE! ( I will add the pictures when Wendy/Amber send them to me from their cameras....)
So we got ready to head back to Amicalola, ..... but when we went to find where the AT crossed ....we could not find it..... I was sure it was there.... it was getting late so suggested we just go ahead & head out .... Boo was worried that we couldn't find the trail but started back at my urging......I sat in the back seat & started going over the map.................. wait, Wait, WAIT!!!! TURN AROUND !.................... there is another cross road !! I missed it on the map! that was NOT our destination! We have another 4-6 miles to go!!! So we turned around and proceeded on down the road.... passed some GI's on maneuvers from Ft Benning, crossed another little cross road where I saw something swoop up into a tree... I stopped to see
This wise old owl was looking at me!
We continued on a little further and finally found the right intersection of FS road 42 & 69, Hightower Gap, and the AT was actually crossing the road!!!!!!! It was after 7pm! We had headed out from the park about 3-3:30 ish! We left the truck and headed back to the Lodge, hoping to get there in time to eat dinner...... did not happen. We managed to get to the paved road at 8pm ... called the lodge to find out what time they stopped serving (8pm) and decided to head to Elijay,the nearest town) and find something for supper. Taco Bell was quick & easy & since the park gates closed at 10pm & it was almost 20mi back to the park that was our pick (shewww, there sure are a lot of &'s in this sentence!) We high-tailed back, got tucked in and ready for our "Big Day".
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| Nite-Nite Ya'll..... See ya "tomorrow " for the next installment.... |
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