Day 0 - Amicalola Falls State Park

After a very stressful night and a restless sleep, morning came – the day had arrived. Not our wedding day, but it almost felt like it. Two hours to get everything together and make sure all the bases were covered for the next six months.

I did some vacuuming, put the rest of our personal belongings in the basement, and took my last (not even hot) shower for some time. Diane drove us to Logan Express in Braintree and we were on our way. Now we know why Airtran is so cheap – very no frills. But the flight was fine. I even dozed off a few times.

We were supposed to meet Bob Lore at the baggage claim area – didn’t see him at first. But then he came over and introduced himself. He’s in his 50’s, I’d say, and has been section hiking the trail for the past nine years. Dave found Bob’s name on the Trailplace web site. He said he would charge us $30 for gas and wear and tear on his vehicle. But I’m sure he lost money with the tolls he paid and fuel he gave us – not to mention the Sam Adams, bottle of while zinfandel, and doughnuts he bought us.

We rode in comfort in his grey van and held on tight when he needed to brake suddenly. But we made it here in one piece. Bob offered to take us to REI if we needed anything. And he stopped at a big shopping plaza where we could pick the venue of choice for our “last supper.”

Dave chose the closest pizza/sub shop. Only four kinds of subs on the menu – all meat! Had to get a veggie pizza. On the ride to the campground, Bob told us that we’d be coming upon a view of the Appalachians. He looked back to see my reaction. Wow! From that location, they looked mighty impressive/intimidating. But I’m really getting excited.

All Bob could talk about was how nice people are and how they really make the trail. Well, he is a genuine trail angel. The Amicalola Falls State Park campground is huge and nicely set up. Other than one other tenter whom we haven’t seen, we have the place to ourselves. There’s a clean bathroom with a shower. And the start of the approach trail is just around the corner. 

 It is cold (hat and gloves weather) and starting to sprinkle. The ground is hard, but my sleeping bag should be warm. And, of course, there are my two pillows.

P.S. – Without water, my pack is around 28 pounds; Dave’s 37. Not too shabby.
P.P.S. – Bob called us a “neat couple.” He also asked if we were in college.