I think I did my first stretch of the trail while driving through Smoky Mountains National Park and going about 200 ft to an overlook. :D It somehow still felt like a great accomplishment. Congratulations!

And I am also so out of shape for hills. I just kept in mind that nobody cared how fast I went and I didn't have to keep up with anyone, so I was letting myself sit and rest about every fifty feet on some of the uphills, and that worked fine. (But I noticed I was doing noticeably better even by the second day, so I can't help but wonder what would happen if I pushed on beyond that.)