Hello all! Wanted to share my 6 year old's first trip on the AT. She had been begging me to take her on an overnight trip, so I figured I would take her to one of my favorite sections that I have completed. It was one of those last minute drop everything trips, I wasn't really thinking about the time of year it was but figured there would be a few people in the area so I chose the Overmountain shelter do to the size and also not bringing a tent to cut weight. We accessed the AT via Overmountain Victory Trail. When we reached the junction of the AT and Overmountain Victory Trail we headed north on the AT to Little Hump so that she could take in the 360 degree views. On the way back from Little Hump we came into the field that is above the shelter, to my surprise there was already several tents near the shelter and I began to worry that the shelter was full. Once we reached the shelter it finally clicked in my head that we were right in the middle of Thru-hikers making their way north. Luckily the shelter had plenty of room left in the loft for us to set up in a corner. After we unpacked we made our rounds talking with several hikers and she was completely amazed once I told her where everyone was headed and how long it would take to complete what they had set out to do. The next day we woke early to the sounds of everyone getting ready to head out so I told her to grab her sleeping bag and that we would head down to the platforms to eat breakfast and watch the sun rise down in the valley. After we finished breakfast we packed up all our gear and said our goodbyes to a few of the hikers and wished them good luck on their journey. As we hiked back to the car she was non stop talking about her first night on the AT. By the time we got back to the car she had already decided that her next trip she wanted to do 2 nights and experience more of the AT. She could not wait to get back home to tell her mom and all her friends at school about her weekend. I believe she has caught the bug. McKinley AT 11.jpgMcKinley AT 9.jpgMcKinley AT 8.jpgMcKinley AT 7.jpgMcKinley AT 10.jpgMcKinely AT 6.jpgMcKinley AT 5.jpgMcKinley AT 4.jpgMcKinley AT 2.jpgMcKinley AT 3.jpgMckinley AT 1.jpg