[A prefatory note to you, kind viewer: these photos were taken with a regular (and of necessity, lightweight) 35mm camera, and they were then scanned into the format you see here by my Grandpa. On account of such, please forgive any imperfections you feel are unbecoming of this adventure journal, and remember to thank my mom's dad when you see him.]

Here they are-- the trees of the Appalachian Trail. At this point, I still can't believe that I'm really doing it. Forgive the dramatic italics, but it truly was blowing my mind that I was there taking the first baby steps of what would become the experience of a lifetime (or rather lifetimes, considering all of the deep and warm support I received from my family principally and my friends as well).

My mom would later make for me a large painting of this very scene, and I treasure it to this day. Also, being as I was in the woods of Northern Georgia, I counted it a plus that I'd never seen Deliverance.