Drink for Discovery

Yesterday was our main fundraising event, Drink for Discovery, at 5 Seasons Brewing. We offered a chance to taste beers brewed in Georgia and North Carolina from 5 Seasons, Terrapin, Zuma Brewing Company, Highland Brewing Company and Atlanta Brewing Company for a $20 minimum donation per person.
    
Everyone had a great time! Not only did we get to drink some fine, mostly local beers, we also raised over $1700 for LLS! This pushes us past our $8000 fundraising goal, but we're not done yet! We still have one month of fundraising to go and a new goal of raising a total of $10,000! (For those of you at the event who heard me state that we had raised close to $2500, I apologize for the confusion. Some of the donations were counted twice, causing the inflated numbers.)
    
Thanks again for your support. We'll keep documenting our progress toward the big event and beyond!
    

Hike Inn Trail & AT Approach Trail at Amicalola Falls

Yesterday we did our longest training hike to date, 10.3 miles! I was a bit apprehensive prior to the hike beginning since I had never imagined walking 10.3 miles in a day. Hiking? Forget it!

We set off from the house just after 7 A.M. yesterday following a map Steph generated from Streets & Trips. Normally we'd use Google Maps, however, it had us going up 400 N toward Dawsonville, we figured it was more direct to head up I-575 toward Jasper. Sure enough, that's what Streets & Trips told us to do. Off we go...

First turn off of Highway 5 was missed. Oops. Turn around and head back a half mile. It continues to get worse... the route was the most direct perhaps. But it lead us down tiny country roads, including some that weren't even paved! Aughh! But we got there and checked in at the visitor center for the hike.

At the visitor's center I enquired about a trail map for the planned hike. I was told by the less than kind lady working at the visitor's center that she couldn't give it to me. So I offerred to pay for it. Still, I couldn't have one. How about a photocopy? No dice. The only information I could get was "follow the yellow blazes to the Len Foote Hike Inn and the blue blazes back to Amicalola Falls on the AT Approach Trail. It is a 10.3 mile hike.

We went to the top of the falls parking lot and set off on foot. Yesterday morning was cold, about 35 degrees Farenheit when we started our hike. I was convinced we needed to wear more clothes — each of us had on a pair of pants, wicking undershirt, long sleeve shirt and wind breaker — I thought a layer of fleece would have been necessary. I am so happy Steph talked me out of bringing the fleece! Five minutes into the hike we warmed up considerably and were quite comfortable all day long. I should know to always listen to my wife!

The hike to Len Foote Hike Inn is 5 miles, we completed it in just under 2.5 hours. The trail is well maintained with lots of rolling hills and some steep inclines, but not as difficult as last week's hike. Along the trail we ran into a trio of ladies who had spent the night at Hike Inn. When I mentioned to them about our training for LLS they handed me a $20 donation. Woohoo! At the Hike Inn we sat down and ate a quick snack, peanut butter & jelly in toothpaste tubes on wheat crackers. Yummy!

We then took off on the 1 mile trail that connects the Hike Inn to the AT Approach Trail. This was a steady uphill climb then entire way with beautiful views of the surrounding areas. There was snow on the ground and in the trees! This was an unexpected find. But we kept moving to stay warm.

On the AT Approach trail there were a lot more hikers that we ran across. This trail was a bit different with much steeper inclines and more rocks strewn along the trail. Every so often we'd run across camp sites with fire rings. On the way back toward the falls Steph's leg started bothering her, she pulled a muscle in her groin that was making uphill climbs difficult and slow for her. We pushed on to the end anyway — I don't think I could carry myself and her off the trail! — and finished the 10.3 mile circuit in 5 hours.

We feel so accomplished! We're sore today, but not nearly as tired as we were last week. Clearly we're getting stronger and feel more confident about our ability to complete longer, steeper trails.

In a few hours we have our fundraiser, Drink for Discovery, at 5 Seasons Brewing. I'll write more on this later tonight...

Next week is back to Kennesaw — AGAIN!

More Kennesaw Mountain!

Back to Kennesaw again this week. I'm back after two weeks of travel and little in the way of training during my trip. I knew this was going to be a tough hike for me.

We did the parts of the Burnt Hickory Trail yesterday. Starting up the Mountaintop Trail to the top of Kennesaw. We used to turn around here and go down, instead, we continued on the trail down to the road bed and then up to the top of Little Kennesaw Mountain. We paused here briefly for some water, this was the point where Steph had stopped hiking out last week.

From here its down the other side of Little Kennesaw Mountain. The trails are less used and much more interesting visually, as well as for hiking. We walked by Pigeon Hill and to the road at the trailhead to Pigeon Hill. We took a few pictures, some water and trail mix, turned around and headed back up the trail and to the visitor center.

We spent 3 hours on the trail covering about 5 miles! After having a chance to sit down and relax for a few minutes we began to realize how exhausted we were! At 9 P.M. last night we went to bed!

That was the hardest I have had to work physically in a very long time. I feel better today, though I am experiencing some soreness in my legs and arms — I used hiking poles for the first time yesterday — so I'm moving slowly. However, I'm so happy to say we both completed the hike and went further, faster and longer than we have in any past hikes!

Next up: Amicalola Falls. We're not sure which trail to take, though we may try the trail to the Hike Inn out and back. At 10 miles round-trip it will be a challenge, however, it is a moderately difficult trail according to Len Foote Hike Inn.

Kennesaw Mountain: A New Frontier?!

So, with Dean in Sao Paulo, Brazil for work, I joined the Group Training Session on Saturday at Kennesaw Mountain. The first hike SANS rain!! I was a little anxious because the week prior, I was (understatement) a bit challenged. I decided to be a hot shot and pack my bag with a full load of water (130 oz.+). Needless to say, it didn't quite work out the way I had planned (read: hyperventilation). I consulted with Coach Sandy and she encouraged me to step down the load of water for the next hike.

And that's what I did! I filled my water bladder halfway (probably 50-60 oz.) and it made a HUGE difference. This hike at Kennesaw Mountain was different than the others (thank goodness!). We went up the usual trail to the peak and back down the other side of the mountain. Then we continued on down into the valley and back up Little Kennesaw Mountain. I turned around when I was about half-way up little Kennesaw and backtracked my way to the Visitor's Center. It was the most challenging hike I've done so far, but I completed it in a very reasonable timeframe (+1.5 hours). It was a beautiful day...on so many levels!

We're making progress on the Drink for Discovery fundraiser and can't wait for the big day! The beer tasting will be on Sunday, March 26th between 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm at 5 Seasons Brewing. Admission is a minimum donation of $20 per person. It's sure to be a fun beer-filled afternoon!

This Hike
Length: 3.5 miles
Elevation Change: 657'

Total Miles Hiked
Steph: 20.6 miles
Dean: 17.1 Miles