Appalachian Trail, Days 29-31

Days 29 through 31 on the Appalachian Trail brought some great weather for the epically beautiful Roan Highlands. I reached Mile 400, and there was a rotating group of familiar people camping with me at the end of the day.

Mallory Weston 6/9/25 Mallory Weston 6/9/25

Appalachian Trail, Days 21-25

The trademark AT weather created a week of highs and lows: a sleepless night in the torrential rain followed by dreamless sleep in the shelter and another night of pleasant camping. There was also so much wonderful and unexpected trail magic. Big Bald was the hiking highlight of the week, but there was also a fun scrambly ridge line that I tackled in the fog.

Mallory Weston 6/1/25 Mallory Weston 6/1/25

Appalachian Trail, Days 16-20

There is little fanfare when crossing over into Tennessee, mainly because for the next 200 odd miles, I’ll be hugging the state line, criss crossing back and forth between them both. This week, I visited Gatlinburg and Hot Springs, two places with opposite vibes. I surpassed 200 miles on the AT. I continued my quest to karaoke blaze. Plus, I connected with some new cool people.

Mallory Weston 5/26/25 Mallory Weston 5/26/25

Appalachian Trail, Days 11-15

After the last few days of terrible weather, things cleared up a bit and it was a much more pleasant camping experience. I set foot in Smokey Mountain National Park for the first time, I hiked my first 20+ mile days, and I slept in an AT shelter for the first time (rather than camping nearby)! I also saw my first bear of the trail and had some other wildlife encounters. Things are starting to feel routine out here as I pass the 2-week milestone since I started the AT.

Mallory Weston 5/19/25 Mallory Weston 5/19/25

Appalachian Trail, Days 6-10

This week, I reached a few of my first AT trail milestones: I passed my first state line from Georgia to North Carolina, I finished 1 full week on trail, and I passed the 100 mile mark (both on the AT and in total miles hiked). It started with some truly foul weather that drifted north after a few days and left some of the nicest days since I started at Amicalola. Using the bad weather as an excuse, I’ve been feeling guilty about spending so many nights in hostels. But I guess I’m still easing into things, and I’m planning to work my way up to spending more nights on trail.