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Day 3 – it’s getting colder

The morning was cold, windy and uninviting. I made the mistake of not checking my maps before going to bed and the two towns I was choosing between to watch the super bowl in were over 27 miles away. Although I have no doubt I could walk that far, it was not an inviting challenge in day 3 as I have already been struggling to let my feet and legs rest up enough. I chose to cop out and take the road into town at about mile 12 for the day. There were a few things I really needed. So I visited the town of Helen. I found a food special, charged up my phone and headed back into the woods with the plan of listening to the game. Luckily, I had no trouble finding the game on the radio. I put in 6 miles in the dark for just under another 20 mile day. Today was supposed to be an easy recovery day of less than 12 miles but I decided to go ahead and keep walking. Tomorrow I should finish my first state of the trip (Georgia) and will be in North Carolina. It is very cold tonight and supposed to snow so we will see what Mother Nature brings. For those wondering how I deal with the cold (less than 20 degree). I just try to stay dry and reduce transition time and time where I am standing around. I sleep with my water, food, electronics and most my belongings in my sleeping bag with me. Some nights it gets very cramped in there. Also, the Appalachian trail (AT) has shelters roughly every 10 miles that are 3 sided structures, sometimes with mice as greeters! I will use them in the cold and use my tent as a wind block on the open side and try to set up in a cozy corner. Warm days are definitely welcome but cold weather is the reality.

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