April 21st, 2016

Today was the final day of our 11 day hike on the Appalachian Trail. The plan was to wake up relatively and hike an easy 4.5 miles to Bly Gap by noon, where our dads would be waiting at a service road. We got moving and our "easy" 4.5 mile walk became less and less easy as we progressed. The terrain up to Bly Gap from Plum Orchard is a steady raise in elevation of about 800 feet with a lot of small mountains and hills, making it hard to read on the map which mountain we were on. And so, it seemed like every time we thought we would be done with our hike, another small mountain appeared. And also because it was a steady increase, there was no long downhill hiking for the whole 4.5 miles. We finally made it the Bly Gap after taking a picture at the GA/NC border sign and met two four nice hikers who were eating lunch there. Back when we were in Dicks Creek, we asked Sir Packs-alot where would be a good place for us to leave the trail around Bly Gap. We told us of a blue blaze trail next to the Gnarled Oak Tree at Bly that would take us down the mountain about 2 miles to a service road where we could be picked up. When we got to Bly we found the trail, but decided to call our dads first to tell them where to pick us up. Our phones and all of our portable charges were both finally dead so we asked the four hikers eating lunch there to use their phones. They kindly lent us a phone, but when overhearing our conversation with our dads, interrupted to let us know that the service road we were talking about didn't exist. They claimed that they had hiked here last year and their guide specifically said that there is no way out of Bly Gap unless you continue or back track on the trail. After a lot of debating and map studying, Ford and I decided to risk it and trust our Triple Crown hiker frined Sir Packs-alot and go down the blue blaze trail. We gave our dads final directions and started down the trail. The 2 miles the Sir Packs-alot told us was a huge under exaggeration because we hiked for a solid 3-4 miles downhill, worriedly looking for this service road. Finally, we came across the road which lead into a beautiful mountain neighborhood. We were heading up the stairs to a house to ask to borrow a telephone when we saw Ford's dads Jeep kicking up dust on the horizon. We embraced our fathers and started sharing stories as we drove 2 hours back to Atlanta. My 11 day trip on the Appalachian Trail with one of my best friends, Ford Coleman, was an amazing experience and I plan on continuing on the trail when I get older. Ford and I even talked about maybe coming back every year to conquer another state until we reach Katahdin in Maine. Who knows, I may be the next Sir Packs-alot.

Ford and I at the Georgia/North Carolina state line.

Ford and I on the Gnarled Tree at Bly Gap, one of the most photographed spots on the Appalachian Trail.