Stayed up all night traveling to Georgia. Got about 20 minutes from Dawsonville, GA. Mailed the last two bounce boxes out to myself from the FedX. Got gas, hopped back in the car and dropped off the rental at the Enterprise and met up with my shuttle driver, Kathy.
Kathy is a nice older woman with a minivan and a penchant for kayaking. She shuttles hikers for a bit of extra income and had spent a time or two on the trail herself. Like all good shuttle drivers, once I was in the van she proceeded to squeeze me for a bit more money by offering to take me to Amicalola Falls first, let me sign in there, then take me to the trailhead for Springer Mountain. That way I didn’t have to hike the approach trail and could start my journey earlier. It would only cost an additional $60. I told her it wasn’t in the budget and she promptly reduced the price to $40. You got me Hon! Kathy had also brought me a chicken sandwich for the road to sweeten the deal. Of course, she charged me for that too. LOL
Ad soon as we pulled up, I grabbed the bag out of the back of the van and realized how freaking heavy it really was. Too much stuff and packing in a hurry left me wondering if I was going to have to chuck some food off a mountain like in the book A Walk In The Woods.
I made the hike up to the Springer Mountain shelter and crashed out for the afternoon/evening. The plan? Wake up at 3AM, pack it up, and head to the southern terminus at the top of Springer Mountain. Kick off starts at 4AM.
