I Walk the Line

Since my last post, I've continued to do some day hikes on the Appalachian Trail. I use a number of applications and tools to track my hikes: Gaiagps, AllTrails, Guthook and a Garmin InReach mini. My favorite of these tools is the Gaiagps app which I can use on my phone in Airplane Mode and still track my hike. For some reason, last year when I started my AT thru-hike attempt, I either forgot to turn the app on or chose to use a different app some days. So, I had a gap on my map which was getting on my nerves. Most of my hikes over the past month have been to fill in those gaps so that I now have a 200-mile continous line on the map from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Clingman's Dome TN/NC, along with many other hikes I've completed in the region.

Screenshot from my Gaiagps map.

Long Creek Falls near Three Forks

On Monday, March 8th I did 8.96 miles out and back from Three Forks to Hightower Gap on the AT. On Thursday, March 11th I did the stretch from Cooper Gap to Hightower Gap, 6.95 miles roundtrip. Monday, March 15th was Cooper Gap to Gooch Gap, 9.1 miles. Finally today, I completed Woody Gap to Gooch Gap, 7.21 miles. My continuous line is now complete, even if it is a sign of some obsessive-compulsive behavior!

On Ramrock Mountain.

The view from Ramrock.

I also did quite a few hikes at the Sawnee Mountain Preserve which is much closer to home and allows me to replicate some AT trail-type hiking for excercise without the longer drives to AT trailheads. Next week, we'll be visiting one of our adorable grandsons in Winchester, VA. Then I plan to hike the AT sobo through Shenandoah National Park for about 9 days.

Wild turkey at Sawnee Mt. Preserve.

Hundreds of Mayapples near Ramrock Mt.

"I Walk the Line" - Johnny Cash

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

 Day Hikes on the Appalachian Trail and the Benton MacKaye Trail.

Well, it's been five months since I last posted. I had intended to do more hikes during the fall and winter but life get's in the way sometimes. When I left the Appalachian Trail last October at Clingman's Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, my plan at the time was to pick up again this year and continue on my thru hike. Here we are in a new year and Covid-19 is still with us. More importantly for me, during the winter I decided to start another Master's Degree program in World War II studies (thus the blog post title) because who doesn't need another expensive hobby? So my plan for this year is to do some longer section hikes of three to four weeks during semester breaks and then maybe try and complete the AT next year.

Tuesday, March 2nd, I finally got back out on a trail for a day hike. I did about 6 1/2 miles hiking to the summit of Springer Mountain where the AT begins and completing a sort of figure 8 loop hike on the AT and BMT. Tuesday was quite cold, cloudy and blustery. It was good to get back on a trail even though the hiking conditions were not the best. But it wasn't raining, so that was nice.

On the trail to Springer Mt.

The view from Springer Mt. on a cold day.

Back to the beginning. AT start on Springer.

Thursday, March 4th, I did another 4 1/2 miles of a loop starting at Three Forks, hiking up the AT to the BMT junction and then back to Three Forks on the BMT. On both hikes I met lots of thru-hikers beginning their journeys as part of the Class of 2021. Also met a great group of 15 teenage boys from a Boys Club in Ohio hiking on the AT for two weeks.

Sunshine at Three Forks.

Crossing the bridge at Three Forks.






"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" - The Andrews Sisters