On the Road to the AT!!
Well we finally got on the road (it is now June 1st!). The first day out ( Saturday) we drove 735 miles to Cheaha State Park in Alabama just east of Birmingham. We didn’t get to the park until after it closed and despite a rumor that there was no gate, we found ourselves sleeping in the car in a parking lot nearby. Some time after midnight a security guard making his rounds saw us and stopped to ask if we would like to get inside to camp. “Well hell yes we would!” So he was kind enough to give us the gate code and we were soon inside and since it was so late we decided to sleep in the car anyways. We didn’t want to set up a tent so we just emptied out the back end and folded down the seats and got about 5 hours sleep. There is nothing like a good nights sleep……and THAT was nothing like a good nights sleep!! When we awoke the next morning ( it was fully light out at 5:30 AM!), it was still early and the camp store was not open so we decided to get on the Pinote Trail and hike to the first shelter. It was a nice hike and just 4 miles round trip so that by the time we got back the store was open. There was plenty of water flowing in the creeks and even some small water falls along the hike and we enjoyed reading all the entries in the shelter register. Of course we wrote our own entry into the log with our trademark CHACO & TOESOCKS logo! We then called Sheila’s sister in Jacksonville and drove into town to see her. We all went to Captain Dee’s for a fish dinner and had a nice visit and showed Nancy our new haircuts! I don’t think she was impressed!
It is now Monday morning and I am writing this at Vogal State Park in Georgia. We stopped by Mountain Crossings in Neel’s Gap last night but they were already closed. We will return there when they open at 8:30 and have a look around for Toesocks sandals to see if they are hanging from the ceiling! I will also get some AT stickers for the car and maybe one of there infamous hotdogs! Today the plan I think is to head for the Smoky Mountains and then get on the Blueridge Parkway and to the Shenandoah’s. It should be a pretty drive after all the interstates and we want to get closer to Waterpenny Farm where Sunny and Share are working and living. We will have to call them today and see when it would be good to drop in for a visit. We also want to start doing some trail magic for the thru-hikers once we catch up to where the majority of them are on the trail. We also will call Jason “TwoLions” who we met in Dallas while walking Whiterock Lake trainiing for the AT. He left on his thru-hike about May 10 or so. I wonder how far he has gone by now? WELL…now I see Toesocks strirring in the tent so I guess it is time to get some breakfast and get on the road again!
HAPPY TRAILS!!
Chaco
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