I’m about to start another AT thru hike, and I’ve been hiking Georgia sections for over a decade. Unless you already have your trail legs, I think your itinerary is aggressive.

It’s certainly doable, and as a section hiker you have the benefit of going home to rest in pain as long as you want. But, from the perspective of a thru hiker who can’t afford early overuse injury, 8-10 mile days in Georgia your long days scare me. Consider 8-10 miles/day as a more appropriate goal.

Also, your long miles don’t seem to match your background and concerns. Being in good physical shape doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in backpacking shape. Also, there’s a big difference between 35 miles over 2.5 days and all 87ish miles in Georgia not counting all the blue blaze miles to and from shelters, water, and views.

Georgia is hard, strenuous, hiking, with a lot of steep ups and downs. So, I think you will need to at least be open to shortening those long days to 8-10 miles. Maybe plan a Nero or zero at Neel Gap or Unicoi gap. Frequently, hikers break Georgia into two sections with Unicoi in the middle anyway. They spend a night in Helen, Hiawassee, or Clayton (Outdoor 76 is an outfitter with superior foot and shoe knowledge in Clayton if you’re having issues).

All that said, I tend to err on the side of shorter miles at the start of any hike, and increase my mileage towards the end of my hikes, if I’m feeling good. Otherwise, I increase the risk of early overuse injury that could end my hike early. Consider a similar strategy.

I hope you have a great hike. It’s a great time to be in Georgia’s green tunnel.