Date: 2004-04-30
From: Approach Trail of the AT

To: Stover Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: light rain

And so it begins.        The approach trail is as much tradition as it is a way to get to the start of the Appalachian Trail. It is the beginning of the misery and comedy that can be your hike.Said to be one of the toughest sections along the 2,174 mile length of the AT, it has turned many a dreamer into a defeated, demoralized backpacker. People who¢ve planned for years to thru-hike the AT, that is to say hike it from end-to-end in a single season, have had their optimistic bubble burst in those tortuous first 8.8 miles that don¢t even count.        The approach trail is not the steepest ascent we face on our quest; it is just the first. As the thru-hikers arrive at the visitors center to sign in and confirm their intentions with a quip or hiking mantra in the register, the butterfly¢s flock to the stomach. It is an inner battle of anxiety and excitement, fear and fun. We offer our fully loaded packs to the official scale there to face the truth. As the needle pivots, the pupils widen! Many will flashback to the countless decisions made about gear. If the scale has failed to get our attention, the approach trail surely will. For it starts as we exit the door. For the rest of the day, it is up up up up up up up up up up¢¦ you get the idea. Despite training in gyms or taking various practice hikes, most face this climb with naivet©, ill fitting boots and muscle fiber not yet accustomed to ups. It¢s very common for we adventurers to have just loads of journey enjoying gear. Can you blame us? After all, a thru-hike will take some five to seven months. So naturally we¢ll need to take along a half years worth of stuff, right? But since we cannot possibly pull a U-Haul, a backpack will have to suffice. Unfortunately, most have no idea at how important those gear choices are before they start. No matter how many times I heard it two years ago, it just seemed too fanatical to count ounces. Really now, what¢s the big deal about something that weighs a measly eight ounces more than something else? And that¢s how the folly begins. But Oh how we learn. One achin¢ step at a time.Another tradition exists for those who live near Amicolola Falls State Park, the home of the approach trail and Springer Mountain, the southern end of the Appalachian Trail. This one doesn¢t involve carrying stuff, but rather picking it up.It seems the locals know that when the core group of dreamers start showing up in March, one can find all kinds of free goodies which has been tossed in hopes of lightening their horrific burden. Things like a gallon of Colman fuel, that saves a nice ten pounds. Maybe a nice camp chair or a tent big enough to sleep a small village. And my favorite I¢ve heard of, a Dutch Oven. A Dutch Oven is one of those 15 to 20 lb. cast iron pots the cowboy chuck wagon driver would cook in. Not only are they terribly heavy, they¢re as big as a kitchen sink. Crazy, just crazy?#!*? So, like the swallows return to Capistrano, the locals arrive each season to partake in the cornucopia of free trail goodies. Remarkably, there¢s not a single piece of brand spanking new gear, regardless of its price, that isn¢t beyond being chucked if it means a lighter backpack. For me though, having already been there done that, I make it up with my ¢lightish¢ load and placed my foot by the beginning plague and then picked up my small rock to carry to Mt. Katahdin in Maine¢¦another tradition. So, I¢m off to see the wilderness¢¦ The wonderful wilderness of awe¢s.