4/26/2026: Amicalola Falls State Park & AT Southern Terminus at Springer Mountain to Dicks Creek Gap, GA (Mile 0-69)

“I’ll see you in October and good luck!” said Deven, my new friend who kindly offered to be my trail angel and works at RAR (Radical Adventure Ride) Atlanta, in the morning on Earth Day at Amicalola Falls State Park. I chose this day to begin my new full circle journey of the Great Freedom Loop, hiking the Appalachian Trail and biking the Underground Railroad Bike Path, to appreciate our beautiful planet, live fully, commit to work towards peace and justice, and take responsible action to sustain our Mother Earth.

Here we go! At the arch that leads to the Southern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail

As I took a deep breath and inhaled the humid air surrounded by the thick green forest, I thanked the Earth for the life I have and thought how incredible to live on this beautiful planet! With that, I took my first step into the woods, to Mount Katahdin, 2,200 miles ahead.

After hiking the first 8.8 miles, I arrived at Springer Mountain, at mile 0 of the Appalachian Trail

I passed Amicalola Falls on my way to Springer Mountain.

Everything was different compared to the PCT and CDT. I started the last two thru-hikes in the desert. The Appalachian Trail began with thick green forest and waterfalls! The water is everywhere, and the forest floor is covered with thick vegetation and flowers. In the past four days, I never had to carry more than a liter of water. In the desert, I carried up to 7 liters of water, adding over 14 pounds to my pack, and tolerated the scorching sun that sucked life out of me. Here, my pack is lighter, and my body is pleased with the shade that the trees provided for me.

Downtrees are one of the most dangerous hazards on the trail. I won’t go without noticing trail crews who work hard to clear them and keep the trail safe. Thank you!!

A friend of mine who hiked the AT mentioned that the AT is referred to as a green tunnel. It’s so true!

I was excited to see a salamander crossing the trail. I watched and saw it crawl back into a hole in the ground. Now I know who lives in the small holes on the side of the trail!

The trade-off is the rain. I was baptized by the first real rain yesterday afternoon. I had a small window of no rain to set up my camp, and it down-poured for about an hour. When it stopped, I walked over the vista point and saw the Blue Ridge Mountains with slow-moving clouds. So quiet. Nobody was there. Walking through the wet forest in the rain when it is warm is cleansing. I heard people mention that once you’re wet, it is difficult to dry out because of the humidity. Working with wet weather will be a challenging aspect of hiking the AT.

I love it when a piece of gear serves multiple functions! My bear hanging cordelette worked as a clothes drying line. The only problem was that my clothes didn’t dry at all due to high humidity. On CDT, my feet were wet for 100 days from postholing snow, numerous river and creek crossings. On AT, I’ll get used to wearing wet clothes

I spent a lot of time and energy on route finding on the CDT. The AT is very well marked with what’s called “white blaze.” There are many shelters and campsites along the way and roads that cross the trail. At Neel Gap, where the first major highway and the AT intersected, there was a hostel, and all the amenities were available. What a luxury!

This white blaze marks the AT all the way to Mount Katahdin in Maine

At the hostel at Neel Gap, I saw this funny sign. I just started and I hope to get there before the end of August

One of the first things I noticed when I arrived at the hostel was many shoes hanging from trees!

I appreciated an exhibit celebrating women. In 1938, Cynthia Ward was elected as club president, the first of many women to serve as Georgia Appalachian Trail Club (GATC) president. Women served in important leadership roles in the early days of the GATC, and the club adopted a rule that membership should not be dominated by either sex

In 1955, Emma Gatewood, at age 67, became the first woman to thru-hike the A.T. I wondered what it was like to thru-hike without modern technology and gear. These women reminded me of my responsibility to leave footsteps that others would be able to follow, benefiting a larger world than myself

I understood quickly why many people who attempt to thru-hike begin with the AT. I saw and passed 69 people in the past 69 miles. My AT tag number is 2,196, which means that there are 2,196 thru-hikers ahead of me, roughly one person per every mile. I also met two “slack packers.” I never heard of them before. One of them said to me, “I’m living the best of my slack packing life!” when we passed each other. Apparently, slack packing is a thing on the AT. You only carry a day pack and have hostels along the AT to pick you up and drop you off at different trailheads. You sleep at hostels so you can begin and end your day at accommodation. It sounds wonderful, and it’s possible to do that on trails like the AT that pass lots of towns. The AT attracts different types of hikers- day hikers, backpackers, slack packers, section hikers, and thru-hikers. It is very popular. And yet, so far, I was able to settle in for a solo camp spot. I avoid shelter sites and camp spots near water where people tend to congregate.

A beautiful sunset at a quiet solo camp spot

The mountains are steep to climb, but I have done something similar. Since it’s steep, it is critical to start with low mileage to avoid injuries. It is my nature to push, and yet, I learned to listen to my body and take care of it.

I’m surprised how everything came back to me so quickly. Perhaps because I have already done the last two long trails. My body recalled how to walk as if I never left the CDT. It usually takes me about a month to develop hiking legs to walk with agility and strength, and 2,000 miles to hike with little effort and flow. I already have hiking legs and qualities of movement this time. I just have to build stamina, which comes with time. My awareness and intuition are sharp. Every cell in my body that became dormant needs to wake up to thrive in nature has awoken. For example, I felt the presence of water around me, and I found a spring 400 feet down the hill from the trail, not marked on the map. Another example is that I found butterflies mating under leaves where it is difficult to spot. My senses to feel things around me will get better as I go, and I’m curious about how close I will become to our ancestral keen sense of awareness of our environment.

A pair of butterflies mating. I also noticed a swarm of bees along the way

Although the Appalachian Mountains are unfamiliar to me, so far I am pleased to have consistent access to water, hike in the shade provided by the forest, surrounded by a constant chorus of a variety of song birds, and beautiful flowers.

As I approached Dick’s Creek Gap, my first resupply access point, in the morning after the big rain, I felt joy and happiness. I descended down the hills, following the sound of a flowing creek, listening to bird songs that echoed in the forest, feeling warm sunshine through the fog, and inhaling fresh, humid air. I smiled. In Japanese, we have a perfect term for this experience called 森林浴 (pronounced: Shin-Rin-Yoku), forest-bathing.

Blessings to all things on this beautiful planet. Cheers to the wonderful beginning and happy Earth Day again, because every day is Earth Day for a lifetime!