SO, WHAT CAN I EXPECT ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL?

The View from the Fire Tower on Albert Mountain

I think this question can best be answered by telling you what we weren't really expecting on that day we set out to complete our first section hike.  Rain.  And lots of it.  So much that we actually held off departing for a day.  But, the rain didn't seem to care that we were on a time schedule and couldn't delay starting our hike past the one day we chose wait it out.  Nope.  It was still coming down by the bucketfuls on the second morning, but we had no choice but to load up and head up to the parking lot at Springer Mountain.

 I can vividly remember sitting in the back seat of the shuttle driver's pickup truck, wondering what on earth we'd gotten ourselves into.  Jack offered to "wait it out," but it looked set in for the day, so we declined his generous offer.  He was so happy as he zipped up his rain jacket and hopped out of the truck - maybe because he knew he'd been hopping right back in a couple of minutes later.  I zipped up the camo rain jacket we'd purchased at Walmart the day before, opened the door, and stepped out into the pouring rain. We slung our backpacks on, waved goodbye to Jack, and took our first steps on the Appalachian Trail - in the pouring rain, making our way through what seemed more like a stream than a trail 

Scott and me at the summit of Springer Mountain

Thankfully, the rain stopped by the time we reached Three Forks, and stayed away for the remainder of the hike.  That being said, what we learned from that point on was that mountains tend to make their own weather, so expect to be rained on at least once during any particular hike!  I'll add the following disclaimer: while you might get "used" to walking in the rain, it is not "refreshing," nor does it help wash away the hiker smell.  You'll probably argue with yourself about whether to wear the rain gear or if it's just a waste of time - it'll make you sweat, but without it, you risk getting cold (yes, even in the warmer weather) - and when you get where you're going, you'll have one more piece of wet stuff to find a place to hang.

Double Spring Gap Shelter, Smoky Mountains

No hope of getting a fire started in this one!

A shelter full of 12 soggy hikers!

 It's in the rain, that you learn what it means to "embrace the suck."  And it does suck.  We spent two full days of hiking in the pouring rain as we covered the first half of the Smoky Mountains.  It was not fun in any sense of the word.  With the rain comes other foes: mud and slippery rocks/tree roots.

MUD

AND MORE MUD (managed to keep shoes on feet though)

During said hike in the Smoky Mountains, I found myself on my backside in a cold, muddy puddle thanks to a tree root that I couldn't see because it was under water.  It's not fun, folks!

Between Double Spring Gap shelter and Clingman's Dome

The beauty of the AT

But it's some of the most memorable time you'll spend hiking -

The moral of the story is to go into a section hike knowing that it WILL rain on you at some point - maybe even for days at a time. Expect it.  Embrace it.  Revel in the feeling of the cold water running down your legs, soaking your socks, and sloshing around in your shoes.  Bask in the glory of having to slide back into those cold, wet clothes the next morning.  And know that, when all is said and done and you're back home all toasty and dry, that you'll look back on those rainy days and think to yourself, "It doesn't get any better than that!"

Happy Hiking!