Hiking the AT with Georgia State

On October 4th, college ambassador Fio, along with her co-leaders Nolan and Kayla, took a group of fifteen students and one professor to hike a segment of the Appalachian Trail. This trip was in collaboration with the sociology department, specifically Dr. James Ainsworth. Dr. Ainsworth teaches an Honors College seminar course on the history of Appalachian Trail thru-hikers. They learn about gear, history, trip logistics, etc. In order to foster a connection between his students and the trail they studied, he partnered with us to get them on the trail.

We met at Touch the Earth, where we divided group gear before driving just over two hours north to Unicoi Gap in Helen, Georgia. We then set out to hike 2.5 miles to the Blue Mountain shelter. It was a beautiful day; temperatures were cool, and the leaves were just starting to change color. We made the steady uphill trek to the summit of Blue Mountain, where Dr. Ainsworth handed out celebratory Twix chocolates. From there, we walked the last couple of minutes to the Blue Mountain shelter. This was a challenging, but rewarding trail, as some of the students had never hiked before.

Once at the shelter, we learned about shelters themselves as well as their features and etiquette when using them. Then we opened our bear canister and began preparing a GSU classic backpacking meal, the baby poop burrito. After a long debate about the meal’s name, we took turns cutting cheese, opening cans of beans, and peeling avocados while the professor used his stove to prepare a few freeze-dried meals for everyone to try.

The group spent the next hour or so sharing stories and enjoying a break at the shelter before we cleaned up, did a lesson on Leave no Trace principles, bear hangs, and safety, and finally began hiking back to the vans. We finished the day with a well-deserved Waffle House stop before returning to GSU and sending the students on their way home. This was a great opportunity to bring a group of new hikers out to a famous trail that starts in our very own home state!