Today was Fathers’ Day, and we didn’t want to miss it, so Brandon and I had cards waiting for Ronald first thing this morning. Twilight even sent a card, since she knew she wouldn’t be there to give him a Fathers’ Day lick in person. The weather cooperated last night, so the tarp was all dried out this morning. Had a quick breakfast of our granola mix and were hiking by just after 8:00.

Last night we heard several loud booms, and what sounded like gunfire. This morning we remembered that the area around Stover Creek and Hawk Mt. was a training ground for Army Rangers. Brandon thought that was "majorly cool", and he hoped we’d encounter more evidence of them during the day. He wasn’t disappointed.

We headed up the trail past a rustic campground at Three Forks, then up by the cutoff to Long Creek Falls. Just before Hawk Mt. we could hear big helicopters flying overhead, so figured the Rangers were out again. When we crossed the Forest Service road at Hightower Gap, there was an Army Hummer parked there. Brandon was very excited. He’s always trying to convince me that he should have a Hummer as his first car, because they are built like a tank and would be such a safe vehicle. That way I wouldn’t worry so much about him being on the road. (Yeah, sure, kid -- dream on! Old Mom isn’t that gullible!) We did at least stop and take a picture before continuing.

We weren’t sure how the trail up Hawk Mt. would be, but it was very gradual, so not hard at all. I’m beginning to recall Georgia being a lot of ups and downs, with not too many huge climbs. We’ll see as we go along. The morning was cool and overcast, which makes the best hiking weather. But by afternoon, it was sunny and warm, so we really started feeling the humidity then.

We were planning on getting as far as Gooch Gap tonight, but decided we didn’t need to push it that far. We settled on the Justus Creek area, but still had three climbs before then. We pressed on over Sassafras Mt., Justus Mt., and Phyllis Spur. Had to stop for a quick Snickers break before Phyllis Spur. The sugar buzz was enough to push us up over the top.

About 3:30 we came down to Justus Creek and found another "perfect" campsite right beside the creek. We’re doing pretty well for being 20 years older and not quite back in peak shape (yet). The climbs so far have been steep, but short, and we’re making decent time and recovering quickly on the flats and descents.

One thing I know helps me immensely (besides losing weight and training for the last 5 months), are my hiking poles. When Ronald and Brandon first started talking about buying them, I thought, what a colossal waste of money! Use a stick for crying out loud! Brandon researched them on the Internet and decided he just had to have a pair of Leki Super Makalu Cortec Anti-Shock PA poles. He talked about them for weeks. All I’d ever used for a walking stick was a cheap broom handle, and you could get a pair of them for about $6. The Lekis were 130 bucks! Well, the more they talked about buying them, the more I thought they might help my knees. When we hit the REI Spring Sale in May to buy the majority of our new gear, I decided to try a pair. Brandon got his $130 Lekis. Ronald settled on a single Leki Sierra staff with a knob on top that can be removed for a camera monopod. That was $69. I still couldn’t see spending quite that much, so I found a pair of REI brand poles for $44. They seem to be working just as well as the Lekis. After a few trial day hikes, a 20-mile Memorial Day overnighter, and now three days on the AT, I’m a believer. The poles are making a huge difference. I haven’t had any stiffness at all, and I know I would have otherwise.

Well, enough advertising -- back to the campsite. Brandon was thrilled to have the stream to play in for the afternoon. He built dams and played "bomb the shoe" by floating his sandal downstream and throwing rocks at it. He’s a great hiker, and is a trooper on the trail, but he’s still got a lot of little boy in him. I love to watch him play. He’s very inventive, and puts his whole being into the creation of his games.

After dinner, Ronald and Brandon walked over to the next campsite to visit with the three guys camped there. Two of them were counselors from a boys’ school in Dahlonega for troubled youth. The third, apparently, was one of the aforementioned troubled youth. They use the trail for rehabilitation trips with the boys.

For the second night in a row, we enjoyed being lulled to sleep by the sound of a babbling brook.

The threat of rain from yesterday was just that. Our tarp and ground cloth had a chance to get pretty dried out before we packed them up. After a breakfast of dry cereal we said good-bye to the scouts and headed out for our first full day on the trail.

The trail to Three Forks follows a beautiful old logging road. I'm not sure but it looked to me like it had been a railroad bed at one time. Any way it was wide, smooth, flat and lined with Laural. None of it was on our '77 hike. I don't expect to really see anything familiar until we reach Blood Mountain.

We had a perfect day for hiking. The storms left us with temperatures in the low 70's and low humidity. Not nearly the high humidity, high 90's weather we'd been expecting in the South. Well we still have a lot of days left here. The sun was shining bright with clear blue skies as we hiked along. Any possible views were obscured by all of the foliage on the trees.

Our hiking goal for the day was Gooch Gap. However, the many ups and downs over Sassafras, Hawk and Justice Mountains took their toll. None of them were particularly hard, we still along way from being conditioned yet. In particular my feet had taken a pounding. When making preparations for this trip, I'd specifically chosen lightweight hiking boots. We were caring light packs so we do not need heavy boots with steel shanks. One can't hop across sharp rocks and roots with lightweight boots without paying a price. I knew it would take sometime to learn the best foot placement to minimize the pounding. In the meantime today my feet are beat. I'm certainly glad I brought along a pair of light sandals. Linda was right about that one.

Around 3:30 we arrived at Justice Creek and couldn't pass it by. Our prospects for camping at the gap didn't seem all that great anyway. For the second night in a row we'd get to camp by a lovely stream.

After setting up camp, Brandon spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the creek. I washed out my hiking clothes. I'm trying at least for the moment to try and keep them clean. I don't know how long I'll keep it up. With all my chores done, I retreated to the comfort of my sleeping bag for a nap. I haven't had much sleep these last couple of nights and it is beginning to take a toll.

This morning we woke up and I gave dad his Father's Day cards (they were funny). One was from Twilight (boo hoo). We started hiking about 8:00 and walked a slow speed of about one and a half miles an hour. We picked up speed and by lunchtime we had already hiked over five miles. We ate lunch and traveled on. After about a mile, we hit some steep ups and downs that lasted around four miles. Then there was one last long one that took us right down into camp. We saw a great spot right by a stream and setup camp. I went and played in the water for a few hours and then helped with dinner.