Day 1 – 14.65 miles – We met our new friend in the lobby at 6am and did the shuttle bit before returning to the lodge and having breakfast. After checking out we headed out towards the approach trail. We had lunch on the summit of Springer Mountain and took a few pics. It was another 7.4 miles north till we reached Hawk Mountain Campsites. We decided to stay here instead of the shelter for a few reasons. We heard mice were bad at the shelter and we knew a lot of people were planning to stay there already. The sites were nice albeit a little small. There was a privy and a spring as well.