Right Place Wrong Time

Springer Mountain to Woody Gap, Georgia

AT miles hiked - 20.5

AT miles to go - 2,172.5

This was a week of ups and downs, both physically on the trail and mentally having to adjust dreams and plans.  After my start at Springer Mountain and "nero" on Monday, Marci dropped me off Tuesday morning at the Springer Mountain parking area where I proceeded to head north on the AT.  Tuesday was a wet, muddy, rainy day most of the morning but it was exciting to be on the trail.  I took a break at Long Creek Falls, one of my favorite spots along the AT in Georgia where the water was flowing strong.

The rain finally stopped after noon and the sun eventually came out.  I made it to my intended stop for the day at Hawk Mountain shelter about 2:45 pm and selected a nice tenting spot.  By evening, there must have been more than 40 other hikers camped around the shelter.  I was fed and in my tent well before "hiker midnight" (nightfall) and was resting my tired muscles when I checked email on my phone.  The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) had sent an advisory to all hikers who were registered pleading for them to either postpone their thru and/or section hikes if not started, or get off trail if already started.  I have a great deal of respect for the ATC and recognize they are trying to protect the health and safety of everyone involved with trail - hikers, hostel owners, shuttle drivers, trail maintainers, etc.  After texting back and forth with Marci, I decided that I should comply with their request and decided to get of the trail the next morning.  Marci picked me up at Cooper Gap about 11:30 am after I huffed and puffed my way up and over Sassafras Mountain, one of the early tough climbs in Georgia.

My plan B was to continue hiking the Georgia portion of the trail as day hikes with the thought I would be social distancing and would not have to rely on hostels, shuttle drivers, etc.  With that in mind, I spent Thursday and Friday at home.  Originally, I had planned to make it to Mountain Crossings at Neels Gap by Friday afternoon and had made reservations for a cabin at the Misty Mountain Inn & Cabins near Blairsville, GA.  We decided to keep the reservation and Marci and I drove up there Friday evening so I would be able to day hike on Saturday.  Saturday morning we dropped my truck at Woody Gap and then Marci drove me to Cooper Gap where I had stopped on Wednesday.  Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day and I hiked another 8 or so miles from Cooper Gap to Woody Gap.  The trailhead at Woody Gap was crazy when I arrived there at 1:30 pm.  I have never seen so many cars and people there before.  Cars were parked everywhere and there were tons of people.  Although I recognize that folks are trying to get out of town and practice social distancing in the woods, I have to say I don't think it was working well there.  I decided if I do any more day hikes for now it will be on a week day, although I'm not sure that will make a lot of difference with so many people working from home and kids out of school.

So, for now, it looks like my AT plans are on hold.  I'm hoping to be able to get back on trail in two months or so and will start further north for a flip-flop if at all possible.  We'll see.

Camped at Hawk Mountain shelter.

The view from Ram Rock Mountain.

"Right Place Wrong Time" - Dr. John

From the Beginning

Springer Mountain, Georgia and my first nero!

AT miles hiked - 0.9

AT miles to go - 2,192.1

I'm dedicating this blog post title (and many more to follow) to one of my closest friends since childhood, David Buzzell.  Thanks to a comment Dave made to one of my FB posts, I've had a favorite Iron Maiden song stuck in my head all day!  As a result, I've decided I'll be using different tune titles as inspiration for most of my blog posts.  Although Dave won't need it, for all the rest of you I'll list the song and music artist at the end of each post.  Thanks to Dave, we can play a little musical trivia and perhaps have a song stuck in your head for a day as well!

This morning I started my NOBO (northbound) AT thru-hike attempt.  I checked in at Amicalola Falls State Park where I received hiker tag number 1184 and a short presentation on leave no trace principles from the ATC ridgerunner there.  My pack weighed in just under 28 pounds.  Much as I had feared, I find myself right in the height of the AT hiker bubble.  The ridgerunner advised today was the largest number of hikers registered to start so far this year - 53.  Of course, not all of those who registered in advance, as I did, will actually be starting today, but there will also be hikers who did not register starting.  Originally I had intended to start earlier but recent work and travel required a slight postponement.  Oh well, the bubble will soon sweep over me and leave me behind!

After completing registration, I drove from Amicalola Falls SP to the parking area one mile north of Springer Mountain.  Although the AT officially starts at Springer Mountain, you can't actually get there by vehicle.  Thru-hikers have two choices.  You can take the 8.5 mile Approach Trail from Amicalola Falls SP which makes for a pretty steep and tiring start or you can drive to a parking area on a forest service road which crosses the AT 0.9 miles north of Springer Mountain and hike back southbound for that 0.9 miles.  Having hiked the Approach Trail last year, I elected to drive to the forest service parking area and hike the 0.9 miles to the summit of Springer and the first official AT blaze.  Then I hiked back to the truck and headed home for my first "nero."  A nero is a day where you hike low miles and spend the night in town or at a hostel.  A zero day is a day spent resting and not hiking any trail miles at all.  I expect I'll take my first zero somewhere around Franklin or Robbinsville, NC.

Here are a few stats regarding the AT for those who are interested.  This year the official length of the AT is 2,193 miles.  (The length changes from time to time as the trail is occasionally rerouted, but it always seems to be getting longer!)  It passes through 14 states from its start in Georgia to the end at Mount Katahdin in Maine.  Most thru-hikers take 5-6 months to complete the journey.  Thanks to the many PUDS (pointless ups and downs) along the way, hiking the AT is supposedly equivalent to climbing Mount Everest 15-16 times.  So, with my 0.9 miles hiked today I only have 2,192.1 miles left to go!

The real start begins tomorrow when Marci drops me off at the parking area north of Springer.

At the arch in Amicalola Falls SP.

No view from Springer Mountain!

"From the Beginning" - Emerson Lake & Palmer
 

Packed and ready to go!

I returned home last Friday after working for 3 months in the United Arab Emirates.  I've spent much of the past week packing my backpack and making last minute arrangements.  Am I ready to go?  I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be.  My pack weighs in at about 28 pounds.  That's a little heavier than I had hoped, but includes about 3 days of food and a liter of water.  I'll keep trying to whittle the weight down as I toss out things I end up not needing.  They say you pack your fears and I've been trying to avoid that, but I'm sure a few fears snuck in there!

Lots of folks have asked me if I'm still planning on hiking during the Coronavirus pandemic.  The answer is yes.  Is that the right decision?  I guess we'll see.  I'm disappointed I won't meet as many international hikers as usual since travel has been severely impacted.  And getting your hands on hand sanitizer seems almost impossible right now.  However, I've got hand sanitizer which will last for awhile and I have soap which works better anyway.  I've also heard rumors of hostels, hotels,, etc. possibly shutting down and it may be harder to catch a shuttle into some trail towns.  On the other hand, I feel like I'll be just as safe on the trail as anywhere else.  I don't plan on sleeping in many shelters unless required to do so (Great Smoky Mountains National Park).  As for shuttles?  Well, I guess I can always walk into a town if necessary.  Many a hiker has done that over the decades.  I feel fortunate to have plenty of family and friends that are not far from the trail along much of the route and who I've been counting on for support anyway.  Although I may be hiking "solo," I certainly would not be able to do it without their help.

Next stop - Springer Mountain!

What's in a name?

Long-distance hikers, both thru-hikers and section hikers, usually introduce themselves to other hikers by their "trail names."  Traditionally, trail names were earned by hikers somewhere along the trip when other hikers bestowed them upon their fellow hikers.  These trail names could be either flattering or embarrassing, silly or serious, but are always carried with some pride.  Many hikers still wait to be christened with their trail name somewhere along their hike.  But it is also quite common now for hikers to pick their own trail names even before they set off.  That at least has the advantage of avoiding something embarrassing!

I enlisted my family members to help me decide on a trail name before I started my thru-hike attempt.  Originally, I thought of adopting something that had to do with ham radio.  I've been a licensed amateur radio operator for almost 30 years and ham radio played a crucial role in my decision to attempt the AT.  Several years ago, I got very involved with Summits on the Air (SOTA), a ham radio awards program that involves "activators" climbing to the top of mountain peaks and operating their radio equipment to make contacts with "chasers" operating from their home stations.  I continue to chase SOTA "Mountain Goat" status and have hiked many portions of the AT in Georgia and North Carolina to activate peaks along the trail.  When I decided over a year ago to attempt a thru-hike, my original idea was to operate SOTA all along the trail.  I even researched and created a complete list of all the qualifying SOTA summits along the trail from Georgia to Maine.  I may still decide to do some ham radio activations along my trip, but eventually the desire to complete a successful thru-hike became more important to me than operating my radios.  And although my radio gear is lightweight and portable, it's still extra ounces that I didn't want to carry for 2,193 miles.  Marci also pointed out that although ham radio was one of my many hobbies, it didn't really define my life.  So, what to do for a trail name?

Well, ever since I was a boy, my favorite movie of all time has been the awesome WWII story of "The Great Escape."  I even made a pilgrimage of sorts to Stalag Luft III in southwestern Poland some 20 years ago.  I've always been inspired by the story of teamwork, courage, endurance and sacrifice made by the Allied POWs that attempted to escape from that camp.  So, my trail name is "Great Escape."  And hiking the AT is my version of a great escape of sorts from the "normal world."  That also explains the name of my blog.  I settled on Great Escape on a Trail because I'm hoping this long-distance hike on the AT will just be one of many long hikes in my future.  There are so many great trails out there.  Get out and hike one!