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View Full Version : Reflections from a NOBO N00b



Vince
04-14-2006, 12:20
I just polished off a coupla-few Coronas and a gargantuan steak from the grill. Life is good. Subsisting on stream water, Clif bars and freeze-dried meals wasn't bad at all, but it's funny how the simplest things can be so amazing after spending just a few days on thge trail.

Not a backpacking newbie, but it was my visit to Springer and trek northward. I started at Amicalola Falls state park in Georgia at 3:00 PM on Monday, 4/10. The weather couldn't have been better, which was pretty remarkable considering the foul weather from just a week prior.

The approach trail is hell's staircase. It normally takes me a day to "burn in" and get my groove, but this was the most God-awful hike I've ever endured. Come nightfall I'd only managed 3.5 miles, so I pitched my tent, started a fire and pretty much collapsed under the moon & stars.

I slept too well and didn't get moving until 10:00 AM. I'd rather get going at first light, but I guess this was a blessing in disguise. I must've needed the rest and it did set me up for a productive day. I reached the top of Springer around noon and still can't get over the view. I talked with a Ridge Runner named Glen and still marvel at this Coolest Job In The Known Universe. Part ranger, part wildfire spotter, part information kiosk, part E.M.T. Great guy and very helpful.

An older man going by the name "Pappy" ventured up. Turns out he's the oldest triple crowner. He's north of 70 years old and has the AT, PCT and CGT under his belt. Then I met Lefty and Righty. This mother-daughter tandem had each conquered breast cancer and were fulfilling a lifelong dream - something that struck a chord with me. I'm a cancer survivor also and the ordeal very much played into my desire to hit the trail.

You can read Lefty & Righty's trail journal here (http://www.trailjournals.com/rightyleftybuoy/).

From Springer Mountain I aimed for Three Forks, just past the Stover Creek shelter. The trail leveled off in the gap for the next couple of miles or so. It traversed a hemlock ravine that had me imagining Uruk-Hai racing along the ridge. +500 geek points for me!

I took a two-mile detour to check out the Len Foote Hike Inn. What an oasis! Some of the most hospitable people you'd ever want to meet, as well. Another gentleman in his 70's stopped in. Glasses, long white beard, very friendly. Seems he'd recently finished a 70-mile trail in the Carolinas in 3 days.

I swear, if the trail makes me look half as vibrant as these vets when I'm their age, I'll take it.

With darkness due to settle in at 7:45-ish PM, I pulled off the trail on Hawk Mountain at 7:30 and camped for the night. I'd covered a lot of ground, felt sore but great & heard coyotes howling at the moon as I drifted off to sleep. The 15 degree sleeping bag I picked up just a few weeks ago was worth its weight in gold, as the temperature hovered around freezing throughout the night and I opted for no fire (no ring, too much brush/leaves and dry conditions).

The next morning was gray, to my surprise. I broke camp after a quick breakfast and watered up at the next shelter. Saw many squirrels, rabbits, crows, hawks, eagles and one wild turkey. No black bear or boar, unfortunately, though some undoubtedly saw me. http://www.pcsad.net/forums/images/smilies/wink.gif

Met up with two guys from Oregon who were bound for Maine. Then some Army Rangers atop Sassafrass Mountain (which was probably my hardest climb after the approach trail). They were working on their compass/map orienteering, from what I could gather, and not wanting to get in the way I figured it best not to linger at the top. They were from nearby Camp Merrill (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/camp-frank-d-merrill.htm) and on my way down a chopper flew just beneath me... looked like a Huey, but not sure.

This was undoubtedy my finest and most productive day backpacking ever. I managed thirteen miles through some of the prettiest areas imaginable and finally pulled out at Woody Gap. This was a great place to halt, since one of the only paved roads in the area (Rt. 60) crosses here, and the 4500 foot tall Blood Mountain lurked in the distance. http://www.pcsad.net/forums/images/smilies/tongue.gif Patty's Taxi came up and dropped me off down in Dahlonega for $42. Not bad, and very much appreciated since I was anxious to get home to my family and start preparing for my return to work.

I still can't believe I did it, solo no less. Every step of the way was cathartic, from honoring the promise I made to my recently departed father to working through the scars from chemotherapy and radiation, to the beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy who smiles when he calls me "Daddy". I'm happy to have plowed onward & upward, fortunate to have experienced what I did, to have seen such magnificent panormas, to have encountered some of the nicest human beings in the middle of nowhere. Sorry if this sounds so "mushy", but it was one of the most positive llife experiences I've ever had. 30 backcountry miles in 2.5 days. I didn't knock out as much as I'd wished, but it was a great start and it showed me that I can't just finish the rest of Georgia, I can go all the way to @#$% Maine.

Special thanks to everyone who made this possible for me, from my wife for working through the logistics to the trail maintainers to Glen the Ridge Runner to the gentleman who refilled my water at the Hike Inn to all the other friendly faces along the way. I can now understand how the AT gets in your blood and anxiously look forward to stepping out again!

tyro
04-14-2006, 15:39
Sounds like an awesome time. Definitely makes me wish school was over already(!) so I could get on the trail.

When're you doing the next piece?

The Hog
04-14-2006, 18:03
Status Crow, I really enjoyed reading about your hike. You write really well - there could be a book in this for you...

Allow me to wish you a Class I day when you do climb Katahdin.