The Unpolished Princess

Start: Gooch Gap (AT mi 16.9). Stop: Springer Mountain Shelter (AT mi 0.2). Today’s miles: 16.7 miles. Total AT mileage: 2192.9 miles.

So, I’m writing this post after the fact, because on this night I was so cold in my tent that I couldn’t stop shivering long enough to type, and when I finally stopped shivering, I was sound asleep! I think it worked out like it was supposed to though..

Anyway, I slept so good, snuggled into a cozy quilt. I did not want to get up, let alone at 6am.. but duty calls-we had to get Sundae’s dad to the Springer Mountain parking lot to meet her for her summit and then to hike the approach trail into Amicalola State Park. I’ll be doing that tomorrow.

Excitement got me moving. I packed quickly and when I went to the dining room, Mrs. Bonnie told me breakfast would be about 20 more minutes.. so I set the table and then went and crawled back in bed.. alarm set. Haha.. some habits die hard, or in this case-don’t die at all. When breakfast was ready, I got up and made my coffee. This morning was scrambled eggs (they had to have had something in them, because they were better than regular ole scrambled eggs), sausage, blueberry pancakes, and chocolate chip scones. For some reason, their orange juice is better than normal, too.

We ate it all up, chatting lightly and getting excited for the day ahead. Once finished, we loaded the car and headed out. It was cold, I was in my shorts but had my warm top layers on.. in the car I had my seat warmer on, so that helped up until the moment I got out.. ha. Mr. Paul took my picture at Gooch Gap and we all hugged goodbye. That sweet couple really felt like grandparents, loving and welcoming.. it seriously felt like being home for a holiday at their house. Part of me was waiting for mom to show up there. Being around them also got me thinking about my Granny Sara and PawPaw Bob. They’ve been tracking my progress throughout this whole trip, and I’ve been hoping they’ll come to Amicalola tomorrow when I finish. I don’t see them nearly enough, and I’d sure love to hug them!

I got moving but honestly didn’t have any real reason to hike fast. It was only 8:15, I had 17 miles to do over pretty easy terrain.. and getting to camp early would mean sitting still longer-and freezing. So, I hiked along leisurely, soaking up my last several hours on the trail thats held my attention for almost 6 months now. I listened to the birds and the squirrels squawk and complain to each other and attempt to chide me for interrupting their lives. I marveled longer than normal at the colors of the leaves on the forest floor under my feet. I talked to anyone with ears that passed me (and looked like they wanted to talk, too.. some were too out of breath and miserable for chatting). And, I teared up quite a bit, too.

The sky was cloudy, but the rain was gone. The ground stayed damp and squishy underfoot, but-still no falls in Georgia, yet. Maybe home was happy to have me back. I didn’t have many views, but I did pass a lot of water.. plenty of creeks and streams and some smaller waterfalls. When I stopped for lunch, I actually had a hot meal instead of a sandwich. I ate chicken and dumplings, plus the leftover casserole from last night (although that was cold). I sat there for an hour, taking bites and smiling at the scenery. I started an audiobook, “Braiding Sweetgrass” and it being about nature just sucked me in and had me touching trees and wondering how I’ll ever be able to do “normal life” again.

When I made it to the Springer Mountain Shelter, I was literally only 0.2 miles away from the finish of the Appalachian Trail. Seriously, only 10 more minutes of walking and I’d technically be done! But, because I wanted to hike the Approach Trail down to Amicalola State Park, 8.8 miles of “extra” trail but gorgeous scenery with the most stunning waterfall in Georgia, I didn’t let myself go to the summit. That way, the official “AT finish” and the day I finish hiking will be one and the same. I went and scoped out the campsites at the shelter area, picked one and set up. It was already only 39 degrees and I was starting to shiver, so I ended up in all my layers, and wishing I had more.

I carried my food bag to the shelter picnic table, got water to filter, and chatted with the guys already there doing the same. Two of the men there were on their day 1 of backpacking. In jeans. And had their hammocks set up inside the shelter. Thank goodness I wasn’t planning on sleeping in there. One of them insisted on explaining to me why his choice in water filter was better than mine. Cool bro.. mine only got me everywhere north of here to Maine, but sure-your filter may have made life easier somehow, I guess. They didn’t seem to appreciate my comment on jeans not being very warm in cold weather or a good choice for hiking in general, either, but whatever. Ya win some ya lose some.

While I was making my dinner, a man and his two sons joined me. They had just set up their tents and were on their first backpacking trip. They were so funny and entertaining, the 9 year old explaining the difficulty of the stairs on the approach trail and saying that the waterfall made it almost worth it, until he realized they could have driven to the top.. he was so animated and had me cackling for sure. The older son had some great one liners, and I was thankful I was spending my last dinner on trail with a good family out enjoying themselves, even with the struggles they faced.

I ended up cleaning up and going to get in my tent by 6-6:15. I was so cold that I couldn’t stop shivering and needed to get in my sleeping bag. I actually used it like it’s intended, a mummy bag, zipped to the top with my arms and legs trapped inside. I had my filter inside the sleeping bag, so it wouldn’t freeze overnight, along with my cellphone and the charging bank it was connected to.

As I was still shivering, I thought to myself I made a huge mistake and should have skipped the approach trail and had mom come pick me up from here tonight. But it’s too late for that now. Plus, mom, Uncle Keith, Aunt Kathy, and my friend Traci are all coming to see me finish tomorrow. And maybe my grandparents, too. So, for now, I’ll just have to suck it up and pray I get warm, soon.

Then, it dawned on me.. SoFarSoGood gave me hand warmers, what did I do with them? I popped up and started rummaging through my pack until I found them.. two of them.. and opened the package. Within 15 minutes I was no longer shaking uncontrollably, and within 30 minutes I was comfortably asleep. All before 7:30pm. I didn’t even have my earplugs in. I think that’s a pretty good way to have a last night on trail go.. I hope y’all slept that good too!

Start: Springer Mountain Shelter (AT mi 0.2). Stop: Amicalola State Park/Approach Trail. Today’s miles: 9 miles (0.2 AT miles). Total AT mileage: 2193.1 miles + 8.8 Approach Trail miles.

It’s taken me a few days to write this post, to comprehend all that’s happened.. but as always, I’ve written out my last day just like every day before, detailing the events of the day as they transpired. I’m still shocked it’s over, really. But as to how my very last day hiking the Appalachian Trail.. this is it:

Once I was warm in my sleeping bag, I slept until 3am without moving. Those hand warmers were still toasty warm when my bladder woke me up. I tried my best to ignore it, but I eventually could hold out no longer. As quick as I could, hand warmers literally in hand, I sprang from my cocoon and handled my business in the freezing cold. The wind was howling! It had to be a record, because I was quickly tucked back inside my safe warm haven, praying I’d been quick enough to not start the uncontrollable shivering again. I must have been, because the next thing I knew, I was waking up again, to my alarm on my watch was vibrating, telling me it was 7am.

I snoozed until 7:25, and finally got a move on.. granted, slowly. I got my food bag from the bear box and cooked my last breakfast while zipped into my sleeping bag, only my arms and head free. I ate my oatmeal and drank my coffee, all the while wondering how I was going to get a picture at the top of Springer Mountain here soon, because I highly doubted I’d be passing anyone up so early on this cold morning. The sun was barely making her appearance and it was almost 8!

Packed and ready to figure out a way for propping my camera, I headed down the path to meet back with the AT for my last quarter mile. That’s when I heard, “PBSSSSSS!!” What?! No way! PineStick was hiking up the trail with 2 guys I didn’t know! What are the odds!? We hugged and he introduced me to the two guys he was hiking with- who happened to both be triple crown hikers that knew PineStick and talked him into hiking the AT.

The four of us hiked the quarter mile together, chatting and giggling and tearing up the whole way. Before I knew it, I saw the sign for Springer Mountain and started to cry. We all hugged and hooted and hollered, then started to take pictures and videos to capture the moment. My eyes were still wet as I looked around and saw the sunshine peaking through the trees. What an incredibly serendipitous morning. I thought I’d be up here alone, and here I was with someone I knew and had hiked with and enjoyed immensely. I would be posting pictures of the two of us together on that mountaintop, but PineStick hasn’t sent them to me yet! Ha

After what felt like seconds and also an eternity, we hugged one last time before I headed down the Approach Trail and PineStick and his friends returned back down the AT to the parking lot. Absolutely over the moon, I was accepting that I had OFFICIALLY completed the Appalachian Trail in its entirety. Now, all I needed to do was hike this 8.8 miles of the Approach Trail and walk through the arch behind Amicalola’s Welcome Center.

Giddy as all get out, I called my mom to give her an updated arrival time. I was so excited talking with her that I stubbed my left foot on a root and then absolutely ate it. I fell to both knees and instantly knew I scraped them enough to draw blood. So much for not falling in Georgia! Still amped up on adrenaline from the fall AND the excitement of reaching the summit, I quickly popped up and kept hiking-quickly getting off the phone and paying attention again. I was too pumped to give the pain a chance to take over, but as always, humbled by this trail.

There weren’t many views on that first bit of the 8.8 miles. Actually, until I hit the parking lot with the massive crowds of people at the top of Amicalola Falls, I hardly had any views other than deep woods. I loved it though. I saw a deer and we chatted a minute, letting me get video before it sprang off. I passed several hikers, some who knew where I was headed, offering me congratulations.. I stopped and talked with at least 5 or 6 different groups of hikers. I was so excited I couldn’t contain it. I was beaming ear to ear just waiting for someone to say, “are you thru hiking!?” And then I’d tear up on every “yes!” I gave. One man, Professor, took his pack off and gave me a beer!

I didn’t have my headphones in at all today. I just smiled, laughed, talked to strangers and loved every bit of the last day of my hike. When I got to the parking lot area and made my way to the falls, I snapped some pictures and then lost the crowd when I walked down the stairs. At one of the more picturesque views of the waterfall, I asked a lady to take my picture for me, and then choked up like a lunatic when she asked if I hiked the Appalachian Trail. Her excitement for me, a stranger, really touched me. And then to know I’d be seeing my family soon.. I was already so overwhelmed with gratitude!

I followed the trail down into another parking lot and saw a man that looked like my PawPaw Bob and a lady.. I wasn’t quite sure it was him but once the lady waved and I heard her voice I knew that was my Aunt Terry and I took off running to them, tears streaming down my face. The three of us embraced and then Pawpaw and I walked arm in arm the last stretch of the trail, with Terry close behind, all the way to the arch, where I knew my Mom, Uncle Keith, Aunt Kathy, and Traci would be waiting.

Pawpaw practically sang his happiness that whole walk, telling any person that passed, “she did it! Hallelujah! She hiked the whole Appalachian Trail!” His pride was beaming off of him and my heart was so full I couldn’t control the tears if I tried. We rounded the corner, I saw the arch and my Uncle Keith, and then.. y’all.. there was an entire welcoming committee yelling and cheering! My eyes had so many tears I couldn’t make out the faces immediately. I was so absolutely overwhelmed with the outpouring of love for me and the support of this crazy dream I had accomplished that it was hard to breathe.

When I caught my breath and wiped my eyes, the faces started to register. Sarah, my best friend since 6th grade was there with her daughter, Kylie (who I’ve talked about and to on several posts), and her husband, Kyle (who I didn’t even see at first! Sorry about that, friend!), my Mom, my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Keith, my Aunt Shannon (one of my biggest blog supporters and always giving an encouraging word.. she kept me going some days and I don’t think she even realizes how important of a role she played for my success) and Uncle Robert, my Mom’s best friend Jackie and her husband, Jeff (they drove down from Kentucky to be here for my homecoming!), my Granny Sara, and my friend Traci that’s also followed along with the blog and has given me more inspiration to keep going than I could ever thank her for.

My heart could have literally just burst with all of the love I have for these people, my people, my family. I just couldn’t believe all of them would come all this way to be here for me. I still can’t, really.. after the initial shock was over and we all got our hugs in and some pictures taken (thank you for taking charge, Traci!), Mom informed everyone (they probably knew, actually, she was informing me.. haha) that there was a pavilion set up with a BBQ lunch for everyone! Uncle Keith cooked and we were all going to celebrate this incredible day a little longer! Y’all know I love food, so this was even better than the TacoBell bean burrito I thought mom was bringing me!

Everyone made their way to the pavilion, Mom got me the warm, clean clothes she brought and I changed in the bathroom before meeting everyone for lunch. The food was beyond good, as is anything my Uncle Keith makes. He had pulled pork sandwiches, hot dogs, Mac and cheese, baked beans, chips.. drinks.. Aunt Kathy baked cupcakes—CARROT CAKE cupcakes, my favorite dessert she makes! She’s the baker of the family and dear Lord her carrot cake is to die for.

Mom had also had some decorations made for me, a gorgeous hand drawn sign of the AT map through all 14 states that said “CONGRATULATIONS” at the top.. it was made by my Mom’s coworker, Kelsie, who I haven’t even gotten to meet yet but already adore! There was another sign, on metal, that was a gift from Jackie’s sister Krystal, also beautifully made and will be cherished forever! There were little AT cupcake toppers and buttons to pin to your shirt with my face on them saying “The Unpolished Princess 2021 Thru Hiker.”

We all sat around, talking and eating, me still being completely blown away and shocked that this was even happening. My Aunt Faye and Uncle Todd came then, they had just barely missed my entrance because of the parking and crowds at the park.. they drove up from Florida and I was so happy to see them and hug their necks! Then, my dear friend Jen, her husband Adam, and their twin baby girls, Luciana and Vera showed up! It really felt like the party that just kept coming!

We all stayed awhile, enjoying the company and the beautiful (albeit cold) day. The sun was shining and I couldn’t stop the tears from sneaky out every now and then.. still overflowing with gratitude. When we all finally cleaned up and said our goodbyes, I was emotionally and physically exhausted! In Moms car, we started the hour plus trip home, reliving the day’s events. Friends called and texted and FaceTimed to tell me their congratulations. Stacey, Katie, Ken and Tracey, so so many people I love and cherish.

We pulled into the driveway of my house, that I’ve missed for 6 months, and my other best friend since 6th grade, Lauren, pulls up at the same time with flowers and balloons! She couldn’t get out of work this morning and had to miss the celebration, but made sure to stop by to show her love anyway. I immediately cued the tears all over again. She came inside and I started to notice things around the house.. like the flowers on the coffee table and groceries in my refrigerator and on the counter.. Aunt Kathy and Uncle Keith did that for me so I’d have food in the house when I got home.

Y’all. I just can’t even begin to describe how much all of this has meant to me.. or how I’m feeling knowing that the trail is over and done, and now already something of the past. My friend Kelly and I were talking about it, and like I told her, I don’t really know how I feel because it all just feels too big to process at the moment.. at least the trail part anyway. This day of celebration and all of the pouring of love from family and friends near and far-that I know for sure that I feel intense and immeasurable gratitude, thanks, and love.

It feels unworthy to only be able to say, “Thank You,” but that’s all I know to say for now. Sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, Thank you. For following along with me on my journey. For encouraging me. For keeping me motivated, even when you didn’t know it. For loving me.
Thank you.

**I do plan to have a few more posts about the AT in the future, maybe a rundown on my gear choices now that I know what it takes to complete the AT.. and my pack weight at the end. Maybe I’ll even have a statistical breakdown of sorts, including my budget, once I collect all my data and organize my life a bit. I know I’m not done hiking long trails, at least not yet, but the next one, The Pacific Crest Trail out west won’t be happening this coming year by any means.. we’ll all get to see what happens next, I guess.

Again, thank you all so very much.