2180miles
  • Home
  • Adventure Blog
  • Overland
    • Meet The Jeep
    • Mods & Installs
    • Overland Gear
    • Trip Reports & Videos >
      • Allagash Winter 2019
      • Greece Adventures 2019
      • Overland Expo East 2018
      • Allagash Wilderness 2018
      • Trans-Canada Overland 2017
      • QB-5 Adventure 2017
  • Long Trail
    • Trip Summary
    • Photojournal
    • Hike Statistics
  • Appalachian Trail
    • Trip Summary
    • Photojournal
    • Gear Talk
    • Hike Statistics
    • Financial Planning
  • Bicycling America
    • Trip Summary
    • Photojournal

Atlanta

4/3/2014

2 Comments

 

After a whirlwind few days home, I'm now writing from the last (quasi) comfortable bed I'll stay in for a while, at the Stratford Motor Inn, located about 20 miles from Springer Mountain (the start of the AT) in northern Georgia.  As someone who could be coined a 'frequent flier' (not entirely to the extent of George Clooney in 'Up In The Air') I'm usually pretty seamless about the packing/rental car/hotel process, but these past few days were an entirely different story. 


My normal packing is for 7-14 days at a time, and doesn't consist of everything I could ever possibly need to stay fed, warm, and alive against an altercation with a bear.  Leave it to me to plan for a trip for a year and be running around the house 2 hours before my flight freaking out about where my new box of Burt's Bees Chapstick was.... Yes, this is real life.  The bag was packed, toss-ups between how many insulating layers were needed were made, extra batteries, my GPS, knife, water filter, Chapstick... All thrown into my suitcase to be checked at the airline to keep my hiking backpack from tearing or being destroyed by baggage handlers. The Audi was dropped off at an exceptionally gracious friend's garage, where she'll slumber for a few months without me (the separation anxiety will be present for both of us, I'm sure), and my lovely end-of-year 2013 donations to the Internal Revenue Service were mailed, a record 13 days before they're due. Things were looking up.   Airport was seamless, as it should be, seeing as that's at least one thing I'm good at.  Once we got to Atlanta, I gave my dad the choice of what rental car we got. His selection of a new VW Jetta would turn out to be a curse, as the trunk release mechanism broke and it took multiple attempts at my crawling through the rear bench center arm rest to release the emergency hatch lever. Quite the experience... We seriously debated a crow bar. 


We spent today running last minute errands to AT&T to transfer my cell number over from T-Mobile in order to have better service on the trail. For those who have my number, it will *remain the same* during my hike.  We also stopped by Home Depot to make a clip-on camera mount for my Canon dSLR, and spent a bit of time organizing my pack. Weight is a bit heavy at just around 35lbs, but for the first time that's actually including a few days worth of food that we got at Wal-Mart last night. Oh how I've missed Wal-Mart SuperCenters of the South.  Plenty of people-watching to do.  After finishing up errands and a quick stop at iHop (is it spelled like an Apple product? I'm now doubting myself...) we headed an hour or so north of Atlanta to Amicalola Falls State Park where at the visitors center I signed into the Official Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker 2014 log book. I'm officially Hiker #920. I've joined the ranks. Per their statistics, 17% of those that start this year will finish. 


We climbed the many many 'strenuous' steps up the 700' waterfall to a gorgeous vista and hotel/lodge where we soaked in the 75 degree sunny day before walking back down and finding our way to the Motor Inn. The roads around here are amazingly paved (unlike every single road in New England after this past winter) and are curvy, making me wish I had something a bit more peppy with a manual gearbox to drive. In all honesty, though, the local towns are quaint and gorgeous. Luscious green fields, falling-down and recession stricken barns, old cars, etc... I was saying aloud how it makes me feel like I'm in the History Channel show American Pickers.  Being able to spend this kind of time with my dad before leaving I think is exactly what I needed to get me mentally prepared for what's coming, and I can't thank him enough for tagging along. 


A lovely last dinner with just the two of us at Longhorn Steakhouse, complete with a 1/2 lb burger, a few Sam Adams Summer Ales, and the Sox beating the Orioles before they head back to open up Fenway tomorrow. Lights out at 2230hrs, it seems like the world's in decent shape for me to go to bed, and wake up tomorrow with quite the adventure ahead of me. 

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
2 Comments
Steph
4/4/2014 00:57:11

So excited for you to start this new adventure. We're all so proud of you and of course missing you back here. :) xox

Reply
Barb
4/4/2014 03:59:40

And away we go - you on the Trail and we in our armchairs!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    SUBSCRIBE

    Join Over 2,000 Readers On The Search For Adventure!

    Delivered by FeedBurner


    Author

    Hey there! I'm Ryan McKee, a free spirited adventurer, photographer, and digital media creator who calls North Carolina home. I travel incessantly, carry a camera with me everywhere, and am always dreaming of my next big trip.

    Picture

    SOCIAL MEDIA

    Picture
    Picture

    SPECIAL THANKS To

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2015
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2013


      Quick Survey

    Submit

    Categories

    All
    Allagash Wilderness
    Appalachian Trail
    Banff National Park
    Bears
    Canada
    Caribbean
    Connecticut
    Georgia
    Greece
    Hiking
    Italy
    Jasper National Park
    Jeeps
    Katahdin
    Long Trail
    Maine
    Maryland
    Massachusetts
    New Hampshire
    New Jersey
    New York
    North Carolina
    Overland
    Pennsylvania
    Photography
    Sailing
    Tennessee
    Travel
    Vermont
    Virginia
    West Virginia

    RSS Feed

ADVENTURES

Trans-Canada Overland Expedition
The Long Trail
Appalachian Trail
Bicycling Across America

Overland Build

Meet The Jeep
Backcountry Gear
​Modifications & Installations

Everything Else

Read The Blog
Photography
Guest Book
Contact

Picture
© COPYRIGHT 2019
​All Rights Reserved