I am .5 miles West of the trail at Top of Georgia Hostel near the town of Hiawassee. It was only a 10.5 mile hike here from where I camped last night. 10 trail miles plus a .5 mile walk from the trail to the hostel to gain shower access (it had been 8 days!), laundry, and a shuttle to and from town for supplies. Cutting mileage goals a bit short to be here seemed justifiable. That, and, well my feet just did not want to move anymore. The blisters and soreness have arrived!
Most of todays hike was spent with a fellow thru-hiker who I had met in passing yesterday. Though I value time spent on trail alone, hiking with a friend never fails to make the miles fly by. We exchanged a brief synopsis of our lives and made small talk about trail life and relationships and travel and the weather and sore feet.
I saw my first snake of the trail today! Not sure what type it was, but it sure was long.
This area of Georgia is especially beauitiful. I will be in North Carolina soon! It is only 9 miles away. Looking forward to crossing that border! Also: thunderstorms. They are in the making. Should be seeing plenty of percipitation tomorrow. This time, I’m ready for it!
Those all-black snakes are Rat Snakes. They are plentiful on the AT.