...and its done

[Mags]

The little odds and ends are packed...
My maps arrived at the door while I was out hiking..
Sgt Rock and Egads forwarded me some great beta...
Arranged my shuttle (thanks Mowgli!)...
Talked to Curt and will be parking my truck...


And all is good to go.

I'll be leaving the morning of Feb 10th, hope to start the 12th.

Plan on hiking the big, bad and burly approach trail to Springer.

Hope to finish up about two weeks later at the Standing Bear. I'll just follow the AT three more miles from Davenport Gap.

Maybe I'll see some of you out there.

Should be fun!

[Sly]

Planning done the way it ought to be done, in a weeks time. Of course it helps, if it's second nature.

[Sly]

Oh there's that word beta again in regards to hiking. Never hear it. It means?

[firemountain]

I might see you, I am planning on starting feb 12 or 13 from Springer to Damascus (26 days).

I put my trip together in four days!
(I've been waiting for the unemployment checks for 16 weeks now and they finally came!)

[Mags]

Planning done the way it ought to be done, in a weeks time. Of course it helps, if it's second nature.

Yep. Been there. Done that. Have the t-shirt.

re: Beta...means in depth info, usually in relation to climbing

I have a lot of climbing friends...or I am just a trendy Backpacker Magazine reader?

re: Starting

I'll be starting on Feb 12th at Amicalola Falls (that big, bad, burly and scary trail. )..so you just might.

Of course, I have the web page up now, too:
http://www.pmags.com/joomla/index.ph...Thru-Hike.html

[YoungMoose]

good luck

[Tin Man]

awesome... have fun...

and leave the beta blocker at home

[Ramble~On]

I'll be starting on Feb 12th at Amicalola Falls (that big, bad, burly and scary trail.

My God Man ! You don't mean to have us believe that you intend to carry a backpack up those awful wooden stairs and that horrible beast of a footpath that climbs all the way to Springer Mountain.....do you ?

[Mags]

My God Man ! You don't mean to have us believe that you intend to carry a backpack up those awful wooden stairs and that horrible beast of a footpath that climbs all the way to Springer Mountain.....do you ?

Damn it! I thought there was an escalator. That's it...the hike's off!

[max patch]

Last fall Backpacker mag called Springer to Neels the "toughest 30 miles of the trail" or something like that.

You're a stud!

[Spirit Walker]

Mags - I envy you the chance to hike, even in winter. I'm sure you'll have a good one. I wish we could join you.

[Sly]

Last fall Backpacker mag called Springer to Neels the "toughest 30 miles of the trail" or something like that.

For a new thru-hiker and they may be right, since it seems, many drop out there.

[Bulldawg]

For a new thru-hiker and they may be right, since it seems, many drop out there.

The first thirty miles are not really all that tough for someone who is a seasoned hiker or in great shape. But for someone who has not done their homework and is not expecting it; those first 30 miles or so are an a$$ kicker!!

[SGT Rock]

I thought that thirty miles was nice.

[MOWGLI]

Georgia is relatively tough compared to the couch. Compared to New England... it is the couch.

[yappy]

have fun Mags,,, maybe we will see you on the Azt this Spring if you are tooling around that area...

[Kerosene]

I also thought that Georgia as a whole was pretty nice and relatively easy. Of course, most people aren't in shape when they start out. I still remember a grossly overweight guy with a large pack hiking in bright red Converse All-Stars on a sunny day just south of Blood Mountain.

[SGT Rock]

I got my ass kicked by the AT north of Damascus back in 1997. I had a bunch of crap I didn't need to be carrying on a 30 mile hike.

So I guess experience and perspective helps. For someone that has never hiked before and has outfitted with the finest gear Backpacker Magazine suggests - that 30 miles may be the hardest trail they ever walk.

[MOWGLI]

So I guess experience and perspective helps. For someone that has never hiked before and has outfitted with the finest gear Backpacker Magazine suggests - that 30 miles may be the hardest trail they ever walk.

I was just being a smartass. Sorry.

[SGT Rock]

Me too. Gotta be light-hearted about this thing called hiking. It is as simple as walking.