Georgia
Spring blooms along the first 70 miles in Georgia – The Trek
Good Morning!
The trail has been treating us well. I have seen how well cared for this Appalachian Trail has been in Georgia! My career with water has been primarily in operations and maintenance and understanding the care needed to keep things in good repair. The well placed rocks, logs, and swales to take the rain water off the trail, the marked restoration areas, and the start of prep for areas needing some tlc all show how well this trail is appreciated in Georgia! Giving a nod of appreciation to your great work.
Spring blooms
Each day in these first 70 miles are showing more signs of green and spring. At home I watch for the early crocus blooming through the snow. Along the trail I am watching for new flowers and learning their names. For you in the area, dont laugh too hard if I am sharing pictures of weeds like dandelions rather than true wild flowers. I would love comments with the right names if I miss something. I have seen so many Rhododendren buds and remain hopeful I may be able to see some flowering before leaving Georgia. I have seen a large grouping of Periwinkle and a Quaker Lady. All of the have been fairly scarce right now, but I expect in the next week will be very colorful.
Lessons from these 70 miles
Most things are really working out well with more time on the trail. I did need to pick up some ankle sleeve supports to help my feet continue climbing over so many varied surfaces. My daughter has now pick up a knee sleeve also for some support. We dont think we will need them long term, just to give us support as we are building muscles and putting in the miles.
We have been really been fortunate with the right gear and insulation levels on our sleeping bag pads for the cooler temps. We only had one morning of drizzle so far. In the next few days we will have a couple of days of rain. So likely a few more lessons to learn. So far we have just been able to figure out one or two things at a time which has been good.
We both ran out of fuel for our stoves this week. We had been fully turning them up before lighting, now we will adjust to igniting them with a lower volume of release of fuel. I had also screwed on my stove to the fuel canister without keeping the canister fully below the stove. So I had fuel leaking out. More lessons learned.
Thanks for reading. I hope you will find your next adventure. It is so good to think about something new each day and have some peace. The trail has been good to me.
Take care,
Mic
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A Griffin, Georgia man is now under arrest, charged in connection with a cold case homicide investigation in New Jersey, prosecutors say.
It’s been nearly 37 years since 42-year-old Mauricio Cuadra was shot during an apparent home invasion; now, authorities say 62-year-old Joseph Quiros-Soto is charged with his murder.
Officials say on Aug. 9, 1989, the officers with the Bayonne Police Department responded to reports of a home invasion and shooting at an apartment on the 400 block of Avenue C. Inside the home, they found Cuadra suffering from a gunshot wound. Cuadra died shortly after.
The case remained a mystery until 2024, when Quiros-Soto confessed to the murder to police in Locust Grove, Georgia, saying that he had become a born-again Christian, NJ.com reports.
Police told the outlet that he gave the detectives details of the crime and allowed visiting Hudson County authorities to take a DNA sample, which matched a stain on the victim.
Authorities were eventually able to obtain a warrant for the Georgia man’s arrest. On May 27, 2026, deputies with the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office arrested Quiros-Soto at his home in Griffin, charging him with murder and murder during the commission of a burglary.
Quiros-Soto is being detained in Georgia, awaiting extradition to New Jersey.
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball has made the super regionals in the NCAA Tournament and will face a team its already played four times.
The No. 14 national seed Bulldogs (43-17) are matched up with No. 3 Georgia (49-12). The best-of-three series will take place in Athens, Georgia, because Georgia is the higher seed.
The super regionals run from June 5-8, and the winner will make the College World Series.
MSU is 0-4 against Georgia this season, getting swept at Dudy Noble Field and then losing a fourth time in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Georgia won the SEC regular season and tournament championships.
Both teams made it through their regionals without a loss. Mississippi State blew out Louisiana 19-5 on May 31, while Georgia defeated Liberty.
MSU has played Georgia only once in postseason history, losing in the 1990 College World Series.
Mississippi State baseball history in super regionals
Mississippi State has played in 10 super regionals and won five of them. It has won three straight super regionals. MSU is 2-4 as the visiting team in super regionals.
New Mississippi State coach Brian O’Connor is 7-2 in super regionals.
NCAA baseball tournament schedule
- Super regionals: June 5-8
- College World Series: June 12-22
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Georgia football landed a pair of commitments Sunday for its 2027 recruiting class.
Wide receiver Taurean Rawlins from Mount Vernon School in Atlanta posted on his X account on May 31 that he’s pledged to the Bulldogs.
Georgia also picked up a commitment from offensive tackle DJ Dotson from Hattiesburg, Miss., he posted on his Instagram account.
Both are rated 3-star prospects.
“I loved the support and love they showed towards me and my family,” Dotson said in a text message to the Athens Banner-Herald.
The 6-foot, 175-pound Rawlins is rated the No. 58 wide receiver in the 2027 class and the No. 478 overall prospect.
Rawlins had 67 catches for 1,395 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, according to MaxPreps.
Rawlins and Dotson give Georgia 10 commitments for this cycle.
Rawlins is the first wide receiver commitment. He also had offers from Ohio State, Florida and Michigan.
Georgia signed four wide receivers in its 2026 class: Craig Dandridge, Ryan Mosley, Dallas Dickerson and late addition Tre Shields.
Rawlins’ coach at Mount Vernon is former Georgia star wide receiver Terrence Edwards.
The 6-foot-7, 330-pound Dotson is rated as the nation’s No. 85 offensive tackle prospect and the No. 851 overall prospect.
He picked Georgia over Ole Miss, LSU and Georgia Tech, according to 247Sports.
Georgia also has offensive line commitments in its 2027 class from Kelsey Adams from Langston Hughes, Abram Eisenhower from Lowndes and Ty Johnson from Mount Pleasant, S.C.
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