Looking back on it, the Benton Mackaye Trail is basically split into four major sections. I think about the sections as the distances you have to walk until you can get more food. The first two marches are roughly fifty miles each, and the second two are one hundred miles. Keep in mind that we hiked the trail northbound, so southbound would be in the opposite order.
The first section is from Springer Mountain to Highway 50. We were basically walking alongside the Appalachian Trail the first day or two, which was fun. There was a waterfall we didn’t see or jump into on the AT, but it was perfect now that it was summertime. Unlike the AT, where you pass another hiker every five minutes, the BMT has far less traffic. On our first day, we met a family giving thru-hiking a shot. On the whole BMT, we only saw about a dozen other thru-hikers, and they were six of them, and they completed the entire thing! Badass family. Can’t wait to see their next adventure.
Jonathan (no trail name), Benjamin (Mouth), Brian (Achilles), Meagan (Caboose), Evelyn (Stinkerbell), and Donovan (Nut)
The trail was lush and beautiful. Just being out in the wilderness was healing for me. I believe our eyes can get too used to looking at screens and when we go outside and put the phones and computers away for a while. Looking at the natural beauty of the woodlands. Listening to the sounds of a forest. When we do this, our eyes adjust to seeing in three dimensions, and our ears tune into our instinctual circadian rhythm. I know for me that I feel more at home in the woods. And when I look back on this first part of the BMT, I remember feeling at home. Even though I was always stepping in to completely new space.
The trail crosses the road a couple of miles from the town of Blue Ridge. There are numerous shops and restaurants there. We ate at Fighting Town Tavern, and I ordered a huge burger and a PBR. It was a good afternoon.
from the other side 