Foothills Trail - Day 1

Day 1 on the Foothills Trail started with a legend: Jen, a trail angel with Cherokee Hills Neighborhood Hostel.

She was on time to pick me up at the airport and incredibly kind and even brought me camping fuel! Jen was living in Tampa, but she sold everything and moved to South Carolina, which already makes her cooler than most people I know.

Once I hit the trail around 11:45 am, it did not take long to settle in. Much of the day was shaded under mountain laurel, dogwood, oak, and pine trees. The first stretch was mostly a cruiser with a couple of long climbs, but nothing too steep or soul-crushing. The weather was perfect too: partly cloudy, not too hot, and thankfully not too humid.

Chattooga River sections were beautiful, and Lick Log Falls was a cool stop. After filtering some water, I was casually drinking when I looked over and noticed a snake about three feet away from me! Nothing like a little trail-side adrenaline to make sure you are fully awake.

My plan was to camp at the Burnell Campsites but they appeared to be closed for restoration, so I kept moving and ended up camping around mile marker 16. It turned out to be a great shaded spot right along the river all to myself. I believe the water source is called Kings Creek.

Camp life was a bit of a learning curve due to some new gear this season. The Zpacks Plex Solo tent is okay so far, but I am still fighting with my ULA Circuit backpack setup. I have not quite figured out where everything should go yet, so right now it feels like I am constantly adjusting the pack to fit right.

I made it to camp by 5:30 p.m., with darkness settling in around 8 p.m.. A solid first day on trail: good weather, good miles, one snake encounter, and only a mild amount of gear confusion.