Start of the Appalachian Trail in December 2010

Given an extra day on a business trip to Atlanta, what better to do as an unplanned adventure than to hike north from the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.  The 3,508 km (2,180 mile) trail officially starts at Springer Mountain, GA, but there is a great day hike that takes you up to that spot from Amicalola Falls State Park, about an hour and a half north of Atlanta.

We made a few quick checks of Google and a couple of phone calls and had reservations for the Amicalola Falls Lodge, a not-so-old but very comfortable and scenic property located at the top of the 222 m. (729 ft) waterfall.  The rooms were reasonably priced and there was a good restaurant in the Lodge, a great thing as there aren’t any other business within miles of that spot.  We spent our arrival evening walking the trail and bridges that cover the length of the falls and enjoying the beautiful late Fall scenery.  This area, though close to Atlanta, is the beginning of the Appalachian Mountains and it feels remote and is truly gorgeous.

The Falls

If you drove that far and only saw the Falls, you’d still have a very worthwhile trip.  It isn’t a straight drop to the bottom, but rather a variety of picturesque cascades that together make for a peaceful and strenuous activity.  There were patches of snow on the rocks and the combination of crisp air and the smell of drying leaves made us both think back to our earlier lives in a different climate from our Southern California.

The Approach Trail

We had an early start the next morning and were able to quickly reach the Hike Inn, a comically named lodge in the forest that for everyone but workers, requires a walk of a few miles to get there.  The Approach Trail is a connector trail to the much better-known “AT” and it is 13 km (8.1 miles) from the Amicalola State Park Visitor Center to the AT trail head.  It isn’t an easy walk as it climbs over 600 m. (2000 feet) as it crosses the sides and summits of Woody Knob, Frosty Mountain and Black Mountain before finally climbing to Springer Mountain.  Its famous blue blazes on trees become the well-known white blazes the moment the transition to the AT happens.

Springer Mountain

Once at the top of the hill, the fun begins for many people as they hike through to Mt Katahdin, Maine at the northern end.  For us, it was very interesting just to arrive at the start and consider whether we could someday do this trail.  Knowing we were able to have this quick, unplanned adventure was the other great part of this. We suspect we’ll be back someday with more than just water and snacks.

To know more about the Appalachian Trail, see the Appalachian Trail Conservancy website.