[at-l] Atlanta & Area Report (longish)

["Delisle, Denise" <v2ddelis@chmc.org>]

I would like to thank everyone who responded with great suggestions on what
to see and do for my Atlanta trip last week.  I saw and did a lot and had a
blast!  My sister let me borrow the car on Sun. May 2nd.  Beautiful Day!  I
got up early and drove to the Walasi-Yi Center.  Took me a little over 1 1/2
hrs.  Dorothy and Jeff were out of town in Chicago, so I didn't get to meet
them, but Lee and Peggy were minding the store and took great care of me.  

First of all, I was really excited to finally be somewhere I had only read
about.  Out here on the west coast, it is hard to get much information on
the AT, I am thankful that the Trailplace website exists.  I arrived at
Walasi-Yi with a sense of awe that I was finally there and it was a
beautiful and perfect day.  I walked into the store and went to the back
where the boots were and met Lee.  I immediately laid it on thick by saying
that I basically had travelled all the way from Seattle, WA in order for
them to fit me into a pair of hiking boots, if they could.  Lee took that as
a challenge which he fulfilled beyond my expectations.  He spent 2 1/2 hrs
with just me and boots.  I walked away with a pair of Solomons.  I find it
amazing that I live within 5 REI stores including the flagship store and
that I have been greatly disappointed with what the REI employees kept
trying to sell me.  I never bought any boots at REI because everything hurt
and they kept saying don't worry, it'll stretch, you need to break it
in...etc.  Lee figured out that the arch on one foot is more forward than
the other.  When all was said and done, I'm using a Superfeet insole in my
right boot and a Spenco insole in my left boot.  Would REI ever have helped
me figure that out - no, I don't think so.  I am so grateful and impressed
with his knowledge (as Lee puts it, I now know more than I ever wanted to
know about boots and how they should fit - but really, whether of not I
wanted to know it, it is information that I should know); the Solomon boots
feels like they were made for my feet.

Also on that Sunday, I hiked a couple of miles north from the Walasi-Yi and
back.  Drove through Blairsville and Hiawassee and went to Brasstown Bald
and hiked up that.  Since it was a beautifully clear day, I could really see
the 4 states you are supposed to be able to see from there.  I then drove
quickly through Helen (just to say that I have been there), I'm not much for
touristy-type towns.

On Monday I went to the Atlanta Zoo.  There were a gazillion school kids
there.  After walking around the zoo for a couple of hours, I got sorta
depressed about the animals being in cages (oh, excuse me, "habitats").  I
got to thinking that is what we humans do.  We each live in our own type of
"habitat" in where we live and that getting out and hiking was an escape
from our habitat into someplace that is not restricted by what we have to
become in order to live in our habitats without going stir crazy.  Am I
making sense?  And I got depressed for the animals at the zoo because they
are not able to escape their man-made habitats and take a "break", they are
stuck there with thousands of loud, obnoxious humans looking and pointing
and laughing at them.  I don't like it when someone points at me and laughs
and makes fun of me, why should we put those animals in a position that most
people don't like being done to them.  Sigh....anyway...sorry for going on.

I broke out in a rash on Tuesday that is still there and itches like crazy.
My sister (a nurse) thought it could possibly be poison ivy.  I don't know
what poison ivy looks like since we don't have it on the west coast.  What
we do have is poison oak, but I haven't seen any in Washington state as it
may be too cold for it up here.  It was all over the hills and mountains of
California where I grew up.  Has anyone seen any poison ivy on the trail
north of Walasi-Yi or Brasstown Bald (the two places I was on Sunday, doubt
there would be any at the zoo)?

Stayed at the house on Tuesday, Wednesday, watched the incredibly
thunderstorms on Thursday.  We don't have T-storms like that out here.  I
have never seen it rain like that and the size of the hail - ice cubes!  I
was in awe of nature and very glad that I was not a hiker having to endure
that fury!

On Friday (5/7), I got to borrow the car again.  I drove to Forest Service
Road 42 and hiked up Springer where the clouds cleared out for about 40
seconds and I got a great view.  Visited the shelter and read a few entries
and dreamed about when I be like the ones out there now doing my hike.  I
hiked back to the road and continued  north on the trail to the next shelter
(Stover).  I got caught in a deluge of rain and got soaked.  Waited out
another squall at the shelter, had lunch and returned back to the car
(praying that it hadn't hailed on the car).  I then drove to Amicolola Falls
and hiked the trail up to the falls.  When I got back into the car and
turned on the radio, I heard the Tornado Warning announcement.  Since I
didn't know what county I was in, I decided to get the heck out of Dodge and
head back to Atlanta as I didn't hear the county that my sister lives in as
one of the "bad" counties to be in.  Found out later that I was in Lumpkin
County and that was one of the counties listed in the warning.  Think I'd
rather deal with Earthquakes.

Got the car again on Sunday (Mother's Day).  I went hiking starting at
Unicoi Gap and went north for about 4 miles, turned around and went back to
the car.  Another absolutely beautiful and hot day.  Both of my arms are
sunburned.  Especially my shoulders (wearing a sleeveless shirt will do that
to you).  I then went to Anna Ruby Falls and hike the paved trail to the
base of the falls.  That was an amazing people watching spot.  While walking
down the path, I saw a woman in the process of nursing her baby as she was
hiking up the trail.  It didn't bother me really, because that it just a
part of a natural process, but the 2 men behind me from another country got
their tongues dirty from dragging them on the ground and swallowed a lot of
bugs.  For the sakes of others, she should have made an attempt to cover up.
There was a woman dressed in a fancy dress with spiked heels.  She could
barely walk and had to stop and take off her shoes.  Then she would put them
back on and hobble some more.  The path was paved, she would have been
better of barefoot.  Then there were the two fathers who were showing their
children how to ignore warning signs, that it was really okay to climb the
fence and walk on the wet, slippery logs, and try to climb up the waterfall,
that the signs weren't there for them.  Sigh.  That is how irresponsible
behavior starts.  The children are apparently learning from "experts".

Overall:  I was really impressed with how well my knee did with all the
hiking (remember I had surgery in August).  I had some pain on the steep
downhills, but I understand that hiking sticks will probably help with that.
My new boots feels really great, no blisters so far!  Being a diabetic,
blisters are a major concern.  When I go on my thru-hike, I plan to have a
doctor look at my feet at every town stop the first couple of weeks or so,
just to make sure I don't get an infection from blisters that could derail
the hike.

Had a great time.  Sorry so long.

Denise



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