The Appalachian Trail, which begins here in Georgia, is the longest continuous hiking trail in the world. It stretches for over 2000 miles and travels through fourteen states as it winds along the Appalachian Mountains to its northern terminus in Maine. Easy access points along the way make it a popular trail for a two or three hour day hike or a two or three day backpacking trip.

Each spring a small number of people set out from Springer Mountain, the southern terminus, with a somewhat more ambitious goal - to hike the entire Appalachian Trail to Mount Katahdin in Maine. A trip that takes from four to six months to complete, carrying a forty pound backpack the entire way, can test you in many ways, both mentally and physically. While strength and endurance usually increase over time, determination and resolve often break down. Many who start never finish.

Each person who attempts to ‘thru-hike’ the AT does so for his or her own reasons. Some do it for the challenge, others for the solitude. Many are at a turning point in their lives and want to get away from the distractions of everyday life in order to think. You can learn a lot about yourself on a trip like this. Most people who complete the hike say they wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

You don’t have to walk all the way to Maine to get a feel for what the Appalachian Trail is like. The Approach Trail to Springer Mountain begins at Amicalola Falls State Park and offers an example of what the AT offers. The trail stays on the ridges and crests of the mountains, following the ridgelines, dipping into the gap between ridges when necessary, and then climbing up the other side.

The best way to enter the trail is to park at the lodge at the top of the falls. The trail actually begins at the visitor center near the park entrance, but by starting at the lodge, you bypass about ¾ of a mile and nearly a thousand feet of climbing. The lodge is near the back edge of the park, where it borders with the Chattahoochee National Forest. Once you are out of the park you can let the dog off the leash.

A short trail from the parking area leads to the top of the falls, and on the way intersects with the approach trail. From here it is seven miles to Springer Mountain and the start of the AT. The hike can strenuous at times, and unless you are in great shape or are an experienced ridge runner, you probably won’t make it to Springer Mountain and back. It doesn’t matter. You will get a lot of fresh air, exercise, and an idea of what the next two thousand miles are like.

The trail soon leaves the park and enters the national forest, rising a short distance to a ridgetop. It then begins a pattern of fairly level hiking across the crest, then down into a gap and up to the next ridge.

Be sure to save enough time to enjoy the park. Amicalola Falls is a really nice little park, and the falls is especially attractive in the spring, especially after a rain.

Take GA 400 north to Dahlonega, then go west on GA 52 for about 18 miles to Amicalola Falls State Park. The road splits at the visitor center; go left to get to the lodge.