re: Heading to the Appalachian Trail for a 51 mile trek ...

I've hiked every stretch in Ga and NC. Gorgeous country, man. This time of year, make sure you have have plenty of iodine and taste-neutralizer tablets, because you absolutely tear through some water. The last time I was up there was in '09 and it was probably the worst shape I've ever been in so Unicoi to Tesnatee almost killed. At that point I swore I won't go back out and embarrass myself again until I was back into shape. I finally got serious about it this past fall and I'm almost there. Whether going solo, with a friend, or a group of friends, it's a great way to get away from everything and find yourself again.