But back to camping and hiking. We drove from our friend's home to The Lodge at Amicalola Falls. We had arrived to close to the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail! We did not realize (poor research on my part) that its a day hike from the campground to the terminus. During the first day we hiked up see the Falls and called it a day.
We hiked up to the Falls from one side, up a forest road and then back down using the stairs. I am happy we did not go up this way!
The next day we drove the car to the southern terminus. We drove a very, very bumpy forest road. The pot holes were numerous and deep but eventually we made it to the parking lot. There were other folks getting ready to do some hiking there too.
We first hiked south to reach the actual start of the trail before hiking out to the first shelter. There were a few folks around the area soaking in wonderful scenery. We hung out awhile and then headed north on the trail. We got about a mile further north from the parking lot when I slipped and fell, twisting my right ankle. I thought a small thing and decided to keep on going. We took a break in another half mile and inspected the ankle more closely.
At that point we decided it was best to head back. We hiked up hill most of the way back to the parking lot and went back to our campsite. About 1:00 am I decided it might be time to see a doctor and headed to the closet ER. The upstart is a severe strain and as I write this on August 3rd, I am still in physical therapy. SIGH! Thus our hiking for this season comes to a halt.
