Appalacian Trail or Bust

This is the story of Team Rockley's (plus Boompa) three days on the Appalachian Trail. We started with a short backpacking trip to see how the kids would like it. We got them siked about backpacking in 2017, which coincidentally led to them asking for backpacking gear for Christmas (parenting win!)  

Cooper Gap to Amicolola Falls was our route: 22 miles in total. This is the southernmost section of the trail in Georgia.  Let the wandering begin!

Dropped off for a 7am start time. The first mile that day was a hefty incline. After breaking through some minor mental barriers, everyone made it to the first "peak" with high spirits. 

Dad's backpack banana😂😂

This little guy blazed the trail with zero complaints for three days! He's got the backpacking fever. 

First break. Snacks were one daily Clif Bar...I talked the kids into saving half of their Clif Bar ration for "dessert" after dinner. 

With only three days on the trail, we were able to keep our packs pretty light. Twenty five pounds for Graham, 20 for me, 10 for Alastair, and eight for each of the girls. 

Our first day was only 5.5 miles, so we stopped at this shelter for several hours. We filled up on water, chilled in hammocks, and made dinner. 

Electrolyte Happy Hour! 

Every day needs a little pick-me-up. This powdered gatorade was a real treat. 

Boompa's sleeping quarters.

Two, 2-man tents for Team Rockley. We may have to expand for next year...the kids were like sardines, but I don't think they cared much.

We stumbled upon this incredible waterfall on day two. It was a magical, mystical gem in the middle of the forest. We could've stayed here all day, but we had some miles to cover. 

My favorite Boompa pic of the trip. 

Our Sawyer water filter is the best purchase we made for this trip. We filled a few of these pouches straight from the river and it filters as you drink from it. So simple. 

Maisy, day two.

We had a lot of talks with the girls about overcoming doubts about what your body can do. Just tell yourself to keep going and you will. They opposed our theories with a bit of skepticism, but mostly they were able to power through. And at the end of the day, both girls were proud of themselves and happy about being in the woods. 

This girl gets barefoot any chance she gets. 

Trailblazers

The AT is beautifully maintained. We were constantly surrounded by the canopy of the forrest and shaded from the sun.

 

Day two was 7.5 miles. It ended with a 45 minute steep incline in the pouring rain. Our shoes and socks were soaked and we were losing momentum. 

Because of the rain, we opted to stay in this shelter. It's just wooden plank floors with a roof, so it does the job. We set up tents inside to avoid getting all of our gear wet through the night. I think we need better sleeping mats, because sleep was overall kind of miserable. But on this night particularly, we laid there listening to scampering mice in the shelter...GROSS! We kept our food in bear boxes provided at the shelter; mice got into it and chewed through one container of noodles😑 Anyway, the shelter was great and provided us some interesting experiences. 

With wet shoes on our feet and nine miles left to cover, we collaborated and took a vote. Should we hike our planned seven miles for today and camp our planned third night? Or should we power through nine miles, finish early, and grab a hotel room in Chattanooga? Forgoing another day's hike in wet shoes won; nine miles FLEW by on day three!

The kids loved to help fill our water jugs each day. This water source was just a babbling brooke. 

This is the southern terminus of the AT. Eight more miles until we reach the car. 

The misty morning was breathtaking.

Signing the guest book.

Here we are, all six of us. 

So glad Boompa joined our adventure!

Final lunch break. Day three was the highest spirited day on the trail. I don't know if it was the promise of a hot meal and a good night's sleep or that we were acclimating to backpacking life. Either way, this was an experience to remember! We hope to section hike a piece of the trail each year. 

I had the kids write a short reflection paragraph after the fact. It's funny how each of them chose different things on which to reflect. For Maisy, it was the wildlife. She wrote, "Other than sleep on the trail, my favorite part was seeing the chipmunk because it was super cute and the snake because I had never heard of a corn snake." For Francis, it was "doing everything in the forrest like eating, going to the bathroom, and dealing with rain." For Alastair, it was the tranquility. He writes, "I loved all the trees and tranquility in the forest. It felt like a form of meditation. The hike was tiring, but the vibe was still relaxing. It was nice to just look into the infinite forest and just relax." 

Until next time, AT! You hold a special place in Team Rockley's book of memories💜