D1 – Georgia to Overseas Heritage Trail Southern Terminus

Saturday, November 29th, 2025. Stanimals Around the Bend Hostel. Hiawassee, Georgia. Wake via alarm at 3:55am.

I’m not sure how many pieces of “day one” writing I’ve done in the past five plus years, but quite a few, and here I go trying again.

You’re reading what wants to be a hiking blog. The first thing to know is that making it to the start of a hike is one of the more difficult parts of the adventure.

Thanksgiving day. Information board at the top of Brasstown Bald describing visible points on the Appalachian Trail.

After feasting at the hot bar of an Atlanta Whole Foods for Thanksgiving, I drove north for the short adventure up Brasstown Bald overlooking the Appalachian Trail.

Thursday night, I slept in the parking lot of the Hiawassee grocery store, and Friday afternoon, I drove the short distance up to Around the Bend Hostel.

I woke just before 4 a.m., and before I could turn my alarm off, I smelled coffee. That’s friendly service.

Around the Bend Hostel drove me two hours to the Atlanta airport but dropped me off at the wrong terminal. I didn’t know there was an airport where the international terminal was a 10-minute bus ride from the domestic terminal, but now I do. It all works out.

I’m sitting in 28E of my first Spirit flight to Fort Lauderdale. I’ll take a second flight to Key West.

The adventure I’m attempting has a simple tagline. Over the next year, I’ll be attempting to walk from “Key West to Canada and Back” via the Appalachian Trail.

It’s about 8,500 miles, and I have to survive these two flights with my backpack intact to begin.

Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail, 108 miles
Eastern Continental/Florida Trail Connecter, 92 miles
Florida Trail to Deer Lake Junction, 1,055 miles
Blackwater Connecter, 45 miles
Alabama Roadwalk, 200 miles
Pinhoti Trail, 350 miles
Benton MacKaye, 72 miles
Appalachian Trail, 2,200 miles
International Appalachian Trail to Canada, 138 miles

I have flown with my backpack a few times, and while nothing catastrophic has ever happened, the stress of that possibility has always loomed heavy over the experience. Checking my backpack is a terrible feeling.

I tried a different approach on this flight. I put my backpack inside a large laundry bag. It either works or I’m a very sad person.

My first flight, from Atlanta to Ft Lauderdale, was completely full. The flight was late, and passengers started disembarking at the time my flight to Key West was to begin boarding. Something of a run across the airport, I make the flight. I asked the reps at the gate if they thought my luggage would make it, and they said, “Oh, yes, of course.” Good times.

The second flight was basically empty, a pleasant surprise.

An empty flight is a definite rarity. Aircraft announcement says just a 39-minute trip.

Navel Air Station on Boca Chica Key, trail miles 8-9 down there somewhere.

The flight was quick. I waited for my backpack longer than the flight, I think. I was thrilled not to get a cocktail at the First Call Beach Bar at the baggage claim. Mt backpack arrived safely, laundry bag idea is definitely worth repeating in the future.

It takes a good bit of time to unpack my pack. Get myself situated, drain water from the can of green olives I brought and add water to my water bottles. Attempting to walk out of airport at about 2:15pm. Thrilled.

I’m not a big fan of sea life, which perhaps is turning my nose up at 70% of the earth, but so be it. This sign, however, gets a thumbs up from me. I don’t stop for manatees, but I did stop to take this picture.

I reached the southern terminus at the southern most point at about 3:15pm, and of course, it’s closed for construction, a hilarious and hopefully not ominous sign.

Southern most under construction point. Lol.

Walking 100 feet north to this bar front replica, I got a German tourist to take a photo.

At about 5 p.m., I stopped at the One Love Food Truck for jeek chicken. It was delicious. The ginger tea was a perfect match.

Sun goes away pretty much immediately after dinner. Passing the naval station in the dark. Two sessions of rain, both very brief and not very serious.

As recommended to me by FarOut, there is a cowboy on Big Coppit Key across the street from the Monroe County Fire Rescue Station 9. Google Maps calls it Porpoise Boulevard, but it’s really just a place where meth heads dump house remodeling trash in the middle of the night, preferably not tonight.

Difficult time setting up, the ground is debris covered asphalt for the most part. I use chunks of concrete to weigh down the corners of my tent. Hopefully, it will be fine.

Inside the tent, it’s immediately very hot and very humid. Uncomfortable. Lol. Down on the ground at 8pm.

What a fantastic day!

Milage:

0 – Saturday, November 29th, 2025 – 3 miles walking from Key West airport to the southern terminus (southern most point monument). Tented just south of m11.3. Call it 14.3 miles.

Harold Williams Cooney