Last updated on March 29th, 2025 at 01:27 pm
Pondering hiking the Appalachian Trail? Or maybe you’re just looking to get an idea of what it’s like? Then you’ve come to the right place! If you choose to do an AT thru-hike, I promise you you’ll be in for an incredible adventure!
Hi! I’m Cindy. In 2022, my husband Barrett and I accomplished an Appalachian Trail thru-hike! 🥳
I kept a daily journal while on trail! This is week three of my hiking on the Appalachian Trail blog.
👉 Click here if you arrived here from elsewhere and would like to start at the beginning with week one, and here, you can see all the weekly journals in one spot.
Also, if you know us as flip-flop thru-hikers, it should be noted that we are not aware at this point that we will become flip-floppers.
We started a Georgia NOBO thru-hike in April. So, during week three, we are NOBO.
(In hindsight, starting either earlier or as flip floppers would have fit us better. But that’s for a later journal entry.)
When picking a route to hike the AT, remember you can adjust along the way!
👉 Click here for tips on where and when would be the best start for you. 👈
👉 And click here for advice on thru-hiking gear. 👈
Alrighty! Week three!
Week 3 on the Appalachian Trail was full of milestone moments, brutal cold, and trail magic. We celebrated reaching the 100-mile mark, braved below-freezing nights, and soaked in incredible views from places like Albert Mountain, Siler Bald, and Wayah Bald.
We also started to hit our stride with stronger legs (and arms!) and enjoyed our first visitor meetup at the NOC—all while pushing through long climbs and miles!
Ready to find out what it’s like to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail? Well, here’s week three:
Day 15
April 19, 2022
We hit the 100-mile mark today! 🥳 It felt awesome, and the view from Albert Mountain was fantastic. We climbed the fire tower and admired the clear views of all the mountains since we had been hiking in fog for much of the past few days.
Last night was stupid cold. We heard it dropped below 30, and I believe it since much of the trail’s mud was frozen during our morning climb to the tower. Anything we didn’t want to freeze, like our electronics and water filters, spent the evening in our sleeping quilts with us.
I activated two 10-hour Hot Hands hand warmers before bed and was blown away by how amazing they were. In the morning, they were still warm enough to warm up my gloves and boots. They are a true luxury!
Also, I did not have wet or frozen boots in the morning. Because they are waterproof, I managed to keep them dry the day before in the rain and puddles. Barrett is in the trail runner shoe crowd, so he was not as fortunate, and his boots were wet.
But, as I noted on day one of trail, waterproof is not always genuinely waterproof. It takes some skill and side-stepping to keep them that way.
Anyways, I digress…
We both slept pretty terribly that evening due to the cold. We were warm enough, but just enough. These were the moments I was least looking forward to on the trail because I hate the cold.
I spent most of the night in my sleeping quilt, playing solitaire on my phone and counting the hours until we would start hiking again.
The downfall of that is that we couldn’t do big miles the next day because we were both so tired and out of it.
After enjoying and appreciating the views and beauty of the hike in the morning, we continued to hike until we arrived at the first spot on the trail that had a shuttle into Franklin, mile 105.8 (Rock Gap).
We were 1 1/2 hours early, so we sat and waited.
After some time, other thru-hikers started to show up, too. It was going to be another cold night, and it was clear that another night of below-30-degree temperatures was sending most of the thru-hikers into town.
We all started talking about how we weren’t sure whether or not there would be enough hotel rooms in town to accommodate us all.
During the next hour, a woman drove by, stopped, and gave us trail magic, including clementines, chocolate, and gummy bears. Then, another woman came off a day hike of the trail and offered to drive us into town.
Everyone let us nab the ride since we were the first ones there. It turned out her name was also Cindy (Cinderella was her trail name).
Another woman also gave a few more hikers a ride.
As both cars pulled up to the hotel, additional hikers ran to the hotel. I laughed and said I felt like we were on The Amazing Race as we all booked it to the hotel to get in line for our rooms.
I’m pretty sure everyone got one, though, so all was well.
We cleaned up and headed into town for some Mexican food and margaritas. Then, we headed to a brewery whose beer we’ve seen sold in Asheville, Lazy Hiker. It was a fun night. The place was packed with hikers, and we spent the evening getting to know many of the people we’d been crossing paths with on the trail.
Day 16
April 20, 2022
Today, we resupplied, did our laundry, got some gear, removed some weight from our packs, sent that stuff to Mom, and chilled.
Tomorrow morning, we say goodbye to Franklin (and hopefully the cold weather for a bit) and get back on the trail!
Day 17
April 21, 2022
Today was an easier day. It sure was nice to ease back into things after the zero.
We did a better job on this past zero of getting all our chores done early and then resting our legs for the second half of the day.
We woke up, checked out, and were picked up by the hiker shuttle at our hotel and taken to the trailhead. (That was fantastic! It’s so cool that Franklin offers that.)
The weather was terrific today. The high was 60 degrees, and the low was 48 degrees, with minimal wind. It was a bit cloudy when we started hiking, but it cleared up after a bit, and we were treated to many beautiful mountain views.
We accomplished 7.8 miles.
Once we reached our camp spot for the night, we were able to reconnect with people we’d met earlier along the trail and also meet some new friendly faces.
Everyone at camp has been wonderful! It’s been so great to get to know people even better.
There’s been a lot of talk lately about how 35% of people who attempt this hike have already quit at this point on the trail and that, generally, 1 in 5 make it to the finish.
The gear shop owner in Franklin was talking to us about how we thru-hikers, at this point of the hike, are now essentially pro-athletes because all we do is hike, eat, and rest.
It was kind of crazy to think about, but I actually had a similar thought the other day. (I’m not sure I ever thought I would fit into any pro-athlete category in my lifetime!)
He stressed the importance of stretching and how that would make or break our hike, and we’ve been stretching ever since. 😆 Especially in the evenings. We also hydrate like crazy.
(We’re trying everything possible to be in that 35% pool of finishers!)
Also, this camp spot for the evening is beautiful!! It’s by far my favorite up to this point. Getting here was a bit of an extra hike, but it was well worth it! We’re tucked away in what feels like a secret open grassy patch with streams abound.
Oh! I also keep forgetting that Barrett got a trail name back at Bly Gap: Mothman.
The short version of a funny, longer story is that Barrett scared his WV buddy out here, mid-peeing the other night, by creepily coming out of the woods. His friend woke up telling him he scared the shit out of him, saying he thought the Mothman was coming for him. 😆
We agreed that would be an excellent name for Barrett, and so far, it has stuck.
Another thing I keep forgetting to mention is that back in Helen, we got to Facetime with our pets, which was adorable. They are very happy with their sitters. I feel like they’re at summer camp and being spoiled rotten. It was great to see them joyous and playful and to know everyone was doing well back at the house. 😻
Day 18
April 22, 2022
This morning was our slowest wake-up ever. But it was also pretty nice. The campsite was beautiful, and we enjoyed it all to ourselves for a bit over coffee.
While using the privy this morning, I watched a bird build a nest—a very scenic bathroom experience. 😆 I also saw what I’m pretty sure was an owl bringing food to baby owls.
We were the last people out of camp. The climb out of that camp spot was intense and straight uphill, but it was still worth it due to its secluded beauty.
Once back on the trail, we dropped our packs and did the .2 additional climb up to Siler Bald since it was such a beautiful day. We were treated to 360-degree views of mountains! 😻
We then hiked the rest of our day’s miles in the second-warmest temperatures we’ve seen, partially due to it warming up and partly due to the late start. (I actually changed my entire outfit before we even made it back out to the trail.)
One of the day hikers we came across on the trail was a woman in a shirt with tons of tiny corgis printed on it. We chatted with her for a bit.
This exchange was memorable and funny because she thought we were too clean to be thru-hikers. Barrett takes this as a point of pride because he has a whole end-of-day cleaning routine built into his evenings. It’s been relatively entertaining to witness.
It makes sense that thru-hikers have an aroma because the second this pack gets on my back and the sun starts to shine, I sweat- much more than I’m used to while hiking. But I also have a little evening cleaning ritual—nothing as impressive as Barretts’, but it’s getting me by.
There was a pretty hefty amount of up all day with a more serious grade than we’ve seen in a while.
The trail honestly gets more beautiful daily. Today, we saw the most flowers we’ve seen so far. There were tons of little white ones developing pink stripes.
At one rather lush point, Barrett said that he felt like he was in the Shire from the Hobbit.
We ended just past the Wayah Bald lookout tower, which had another fabulous view of the mountains, including some near Asheville and a few of the ones we had hiked over the past week.
When we got to the shelter spot, we were the only people there for about an hour, which had never happened before due to being in the bubble.
We made dinner and were able to call and chat with my brother before the herd began arriving for the evening.
Oh yes, and last night was our first PCT bear hang as a couple (Barrett and Quigley were doing them when it was stupid cold out. Also, Quigley is a bit further ahead of us now on the trail.)
We got it up there really quick, and we’re super proud. But it was definitely beginner’s luck because this evening’s bear hang took much more effort. 😆
Day 19
April 23, 2022
We hit the trail early today. We were up and drinking coffee in time to watch the sunrise. Then everything was packed, and we were moving just after 8 am.
While hiking, we were feeling good! Happy to be up early and motivated to be moving. For the first time, I started to feel like I understood the “bug” of the whole thru-hiking experience on a deeper level. I told Barrett, and we spent about an hour discussing all the other long-distance hikes worldwide. 😆
We’re not sure yet whether we need to hike another one straight through, but section hikes are likely. But who knows?! I’m just saying I understand how this has become a bug for others out here who are on their second, third, or fourth.
On paper, the hiking day was hard. We conquered decent elevation and pushed further miles than usual, but we still felt alright in the end.
Early on in the hike, we ran into trail magic, and we were once again referred to as “too clean” to be thru-hikers. 😆
(But don’t worry; no one was saying that by midday, lol. It was a beautiful day, full of direct sunlight. We looked much rougher by 2 pm as we sat trying to scoop water out of a stream, using a leaf to direct the water into a bottle for filtering while coated in sweat and sunscreen. A day hiking woman with her dog came by and just said, “Thru-hikers?” Haha, we just said, “Yep.”)
But back to that trail magic real quick. There was a hike for cystic fibrosis going on. Their group was doing 30.1 miles in one day for charity.
A woman and her daughter (Caroline and Rebecca) were there with a full-on tostada or naan with hummus menu. We explained we weren’t with her hike, but she said it didn’t matter; they were supporting anyone and everyone. So, I got a tostada right before the day’s biggest climb, and it was awesome!
Barrett got the naan, and I think he wished he had sat for a few minutes after eating it. However, they were so kind, the food was delicious, and it was the best trail magic we’ve encountered yet!
This was also the first Saturday we experienced much more of the weekender crowd than the thru-hiker crowd. We may have been the only thru-hikers at camp last night, but the campground was packed and bustling.
In the last few days, we’ve been inspired to hang out a bit longer at camp when we arrive before going to bed because we’ve been having a bit more energy in the tank at the end of the day (still not as much as typical Cindy would have, though) and have had nicer, warmer weather.
I also meant to point out in the last note that my arms are starting to get strong from using the hiking poles—like, very strong! My uphill stride is getting faster because I can rely on my arms more.
The moment I noticed my arms most, though, we weren’t even hiking. It was yesterday at the Wayah Lookout.
Barrett told me to sit up on a tall ledge for a photo. I looked at it and said, “I’ll try to get up there.” I then quite literally proceeded to put my arms behind me and lifted myself up there instantly.
I was blown away! Legitimately, I was completely shocked by what I had just accomplished with such ease. 😹 I’m not sure my arms have ever been this strong. I can’t imagine where they’ll be by early fall.
Onward!
Day 20
April 24, 2022
Today felt like the best day we’ve had on trail so far!
We were moving before 8 am! (7:57 am, to be precise.) We were just a bit past the Wesser lookout tower at the shelter area.
I mentioned yesterday that the shelter area was packed with the weekend crowd. We were fortunate to have found a tent spot.
Other thru-hikers came in after us and were not so lucky, but honestly, the site was pretty slanted and rooty. We’ll consider moving on next time we’re in that scenario, but we were so worn out from the bump in miles.
Anyway, I mention this because we both got garbage sleep last night. The slant was so bad that I woke up twice, sleeping almost entirely on top of Barrett. 😆 I had a bit of hip pain in the morning from trying to restrain my body from rolling all night, but it went away with time.
Also, the privies at these North Carolina shelters are all weird. They face the shelter, which makes absolutely no sense since they have no doors. Barrett and I woke up early and went straight to it, having to stand in the doorway for each other. 😹
Once we were hiking, I was trying really hard to keep spirits high because I could tell Barrett was struggling-busing hard. Luckily, we quickly walked out of the fairly dead forest we spent much of yesterday hiking through and into some of the best views and lushest scenery we’ve seen so far. That helped a ton!
We walked on this small ridgeline with bald trees alongside us for the first mile or two. However, beautiful mountains were sprawling out as far as the eye could see to the left and right. Eventually, the view changed into an entirely green and beautiful landscape all around! In my opinion, the views were the best we’ve seen so far.
We saw a mountaintop bunny, SO many flowers and ferns, all kinds of trees (including some pine at the end), butterflies, and birds galore.
It reaffirmed our happiness in moving to the North Carolina mountains before starting this thru-hike! 😻 So far, North Carolina has been more beautiful than Georgia. I know part of that is due to time and seasons, but I can’t help but think it’s also just a bit more beautiful here.
We were coming from 4092 feet elevation down into the NOC at 1732. I just scrolled through the guidebook. I’m pretty sure that’s the lowest elevation we’ve encountered since the stairs at the approach trail in the very beginning!
That means this day turned into a toasty one! The high was 84, I believe. Luckily, we started hiking so early that we hat we stayed cool for most of the short hike.
We could smell burgers as we approached the NOC, our day’s end location! 🤤 The NOC is a fabulous outdoor adventure area with ziplining, rafting, and more—a bit of a hiker haven.
I haven’t mentioned yet that Tina and Craig messaged us in the morning asking if they could surprise us at the NOC with Marty since Asheville is only about 1.5 hours away! I was so excited and instantly said yes!
So we first got the NOC, sat down, and had a drink by the river. Then, an hour later, we saw them and Marty for a few hours while picnicking by the river. It was so awesome of them!!
We loved spending the afternoon with them, hearing how house-sitting was going, and telling them some of our new stories.
The get-together ended with us going through three boxes we had mailed to the NOC along the trail.
We sent Tina, Craig, and Marty off with some things we didn’t need, swapped out some things, and FULLY resupplied off the extra food we were shamed with carrying all the way back at the beginning that we threw in a box and shipped here, plus the bonuses Mom sent along.
They gave us and our packs a lift to our room on-site for the night and said goodbye.
Day 21
April 25, 2022
We woke up around 7 am and were getting ready to get back at it! (Showered and laundered, of course.)
Yesterday was a “nero” (almost zero), and today will be too.
We’ve heard it’s a doozy getting back up into the mountains, so we’re just going as far as feels comfortable. Also, Barrett will have to rip me away from this river this morning. 😆
We hiked back up into the mountains for five straight hours. It was tiring, and I felt utterly brain-dead when we got to camp. 😆
It was the most challenging climb we’ve had so far.
I drank 2.5 liters of water, which is a lot for me. I peed when we left the room and again at 10:20 when we grabbed some stuff at the gear shop. After that, I did not pee again until after camp was set up at 5:40.
Barrett drank double and peed once the entire climb up.
This is just some proof that it was a difficult and toasty one. Our bodies were using all of the water we gave them. 😹
The good news is that it kept getting cooler and breezier as we climbed up, which kept us motivated to keep going!
This side of the mountains had lots of blooms, pine trees, young trees, shrubs, and rhododendrons for much of it.
At one point on the hike, I told Barrett it felt like we were in a fairy forest. He said, “Fun fact: fairy forest green was the name of the carpet I picked out for my room as a kid, and I told my mom she could never tell anyone.” 😆
It was hard to leave the NOC. I love the water so much and really wanted to go on an adventure on the river before going. But we’re on a mission and need to keep moving forward.
Plus, Barrett kept reminding me that the place was only 1.5 hours from our house and that we could go there many times later in life, which made me feel a lot better.
Also, around 2+ hours into the climb, I realized it was probably best I didn’t have shot arms from rafting during the intense climb.
(Another also, we do have other water adventures planned ahead! 🤗 ones that are a bit more relaxing.)
Camp is beautiful. We’re tucked away by a little stream down the hill from a massive multi-level shelter that most people opted to sleep in last night because it was calling for rain.
But the rainfall has held off for the most part, and once again, we have woken up to nothing but the birds chirping.
I just read everything above to Barrett, and he reminded me that he hit his head! How could I have forgotten?!
Barrett has a tendency of not noticing low-hanging limbs across the trail. He says it’s because of his large sunhat and intense focus on the ground. I am generally hiking in front, so I try my best to tell him about any limbs ahead of him.
With this particular fallen tree, I had to duck my entire body and pack below it, and I assumed he noticed me slowing down and ducking.
He did not.
The thud was so loud. I spun around and couldn’t believe it. Barrett was completely on the ground. He was in as much shock as I was.
But don’t worry, y’all, he is fine. It was more amusing than anything. The fall left him with a mere minor flesh wound, and I spent the rest of the day being overly cautious and yelling tree/log whenever necessary.
- Length: 7.2 miles
- Total Ascent: 3222′
- Total Descent: 584′
- Total Grade: 529’/mi
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