My faith in humanity has been restored... as it always is following a walk in the woods! I wrapped up a 30-something day southern AT section hike a few weeks back and am just now slowing down...

I did Rockfish Gap to Harper's Ferry & TN/NC down to Springer... I didn't calculate the mileage to a t... but it was somewhere between 400-500 total miles. This trip put me over 4,500 total Appalachian Trail miles (excluding day hikes).

Here are some highlights (THE GOOD):

1) It's hard to start talking about a backpacking trip without hat tipping the people of the trail. Per usual, I met dozens upon dozens of folks that were kind, genuine, interesting, and on the whole, so much different than the "real world". To name a few... Good Times (2014 thru-hiker from MS), Trooper (MS), Hitchhiker (France), Strings (2009/WV) Wolverine (MI), Rock Fish (MI), Gladiator (IN), Croc Man(ME?), Splinter(FL), Gandalf The Brown (TX), Smokesignal (CT), and about a dozen other 2015 SOBO thru-hikers... There are too many people to name, but I always find that I jive better with folks on the AT than anywhere else on the planet of Earth!

2) SNP & GSMNP walking in the heart of Autumn... I went NOBO thru SNP & SOBO thru GSMNP and they were both stunning! The leaves, the weather, the views... it was really hard to beat. Mt. Cammerer really stood out to me. That has got to be one of the best views 360 degree views on the AT

3) The animals... I'm a sucker for animals. I grew up idolizing the Crocodile hunter and that passion for creatures of all shapes and sizes has really not faded. In total, I saw 15 bear (8 in SNP, 3 in the Smokies, 3 in GA, and 1 just north of Front Royal)... they were all stunningly beautiful, with their thick winter coats coming in... Also, I stumbled across a bobcat in the most northern part of Shenandoah, which is only the second cat I've seen on the AT. Truth be told, that cat brought tears to my eyes... I'm soft, I know. I saw a few dozen deer, a few owl, hawks, and one pissed off copperhead on Skyline Drive that I moved off the road.

4) The solitude... Yes it's the AT... not the CDT, but I managed to have plenty of time alone. I went a 4 day stretch in Northern GA without seeing a single soul. I hiked for 10 days in a constant fog (with periods of moderate to heavy rain), which really kept day hikers and weekend hikers off the trail... I like people, but sometimes it's nice to have that alone time. I got in some great thinking, reading, and hiking in complete quiet... hard to beat it.

THE BAD:

1) The Shelters... I don't want to beat a dead horse or rehash a topic that gets a lot of negative energy on a regular basis among AT hikers, but the shelters seem to be in the worst shape that I've ever seen em... more trash, rodents, and graffiti than ever before. Maybe they've always been that way, but I am just more aware of it now? It was hard to want to hang around a few of them... trash everywhere, nasty things tagged on the walls, and a circus of mice... fortunately, I had plenty of other real estate to choose from.

2) Hunters & guns... I don't know if I am a "show me your gun" magnet... but a lot of section/day hikers felt the urge to show me their hand guns. I kept a tally and 5 different hikers I met felt the need to show me their pistols... it was bizarre. I didn't see a single gun (on a hiker) throughout my entire 09 thru-hike, but in a few weeks of sectioning this year, I nearly saw a half dozen? Also, I had a hunter take a shot in my direction (while wearing two pieces of orange clothing)... I screamed at him & when I crossed him on a forest road, he looked at me and said nothing. I found it creepy and strange. A few other hikers had weird interactions with this man.

Note^^^ I'm not anti-gun at all, I'm just not sure what their place is on the Appalachian Trail. Also, I'm not sure why hikers feel the urge to take them out at a shelter...?

THE UGLY:

1) Clingmans Trash Pit... maybe I hit Clingmans dome at the wrong time, but it was crawling with garbage, toilet paper, and other things that made my blood boil. It's such a beautiful area, but for whatever reason, folks feel the need to litter & trash that section of the trail. I know it gets a ton of traffic, is road accessible, and I hit it when a bunch of leaf folks were out & about... but it was really disheartening.

While up on Clingmans Dome, I heard a mother tell her daughter that the "Appalachian Trail was just a few feet away from them and Reese Witherspoon hiked the entire trail a few years ago"... I figured maybe she was the type that was throwing crap everywhere... !?




I will write about my experiences at a few hostels, trail towns, restaurants, etc in a different forum... but all in all... the trip was exactly what I needed. Already planning the next hike/adventure...