Water abundantly and wildly flowed like the spirit of God across the trail from creeks, streams and springs due to the recent rain storms. However, the need for this life giving energy wasn't as required as my hike on Georgia's ruthless and steep terrain during the summer. On this trip, I only lugged around about a liter of water and I filtered it with a Sawyer mini filter (2 oz) instead of chemically treating with Aquamira chlorine dioxide drops. The taste was much better despite the water having no taste at all. The stench of sweaty polyester didn't exist either since I had switched totally to merino wool (I prefer Icebreaker merino wool from New Zealand) from head to toe before my trip in Georgia. (Yes, head to toe to include 100% merino wool hiking shorts and underwear. It may sound gross, but I tested a pair of underwear for a week and still no smell). However, in Georgia, I had made the mistake of wearing polyester half-finger gloves to protect my hands from blisters while using hiking sticks. This time, well, you guessed it right, my new gloves had an outer covering made of merino wool and no longer did
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I actually jogged a few straight aways just to test my shoes and pack. I arrived with enough sunlight to setup my tent next to the shelter, fill my two 700 ml “smart water” bottles from a nearby spring, and test my new stove setup.
I had longed for a night totally alone in the wilderness to reinforce my faith in God and protection from the wild. He had other plans knowing I was good to go solo. Instead, I camped next to the Carter Gap shelter housing 3 other hikers. During my short 109 miles on the AT, I’ve pitched my tent in a variety of spots along the AT; however, I prefer pitching my tent near a shelter to take advantage of the bear cables (most of the shelters in Georgia have them), the privy, and there is usually a reliable source of water from a stream or
I actually jogged a few straight aways just to test my shoes and pack. I arrived with enough sunlight to setup my tent next to the shelter, fill my two 700 ml “smart water” bottles from a nearby spring, and test my new stove setup.
I had longed for a night totally alone in the wilderness to reinforce my faith in God and protection from the wild. He had other plans knowing I was good to go solo. Instead, I camped next to the Carter Gap shelter housing 3 other hikers. During my short 109 miles on the AT, I’ve pitched my tent in a variety of spots along the AT; however, I prefer pitching my tent near a shelter to take advantage of the bear cables (most of the shelters in Georgia have them), the privy, and there is usually a reliable source of water from a stream or