Date: 2004-03-15
From: Amicolola Approach Trail

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Hello Everyone ¢ Support Staff here, Jacquie and Dale! Some of you may know me as Jacquie, some know me as KrispyKritter¢s wife, I prefer the President of the Trail Widow¢s Assoc. Honestly though, someone has to remain behind to cook, dehydrate, bake and send the anxiously awaited packages, stuffed to the brim with love ¢¦ and LOTS of extras for friends. Long distance trail angeling (LDTA). Dale, my brother, will be looking out for me during Krispy¢s absence. (Actually, since he¢s doing the trail NEXT year, he wants to make sure I¢m a pro at this when it¢s HIS turn!) Yup! I will be uploading Krispy¢s trail journals and translating them (or maybe not) depending on how humorous his verbal contortions are! This will be the only journal solely from me, from my perspective. The rest from KrispyKritter, I¢m sure, will be very entertaining. So here we go, in the beginning ¢¦It wasn¢t two hours from leaving home that we discovered we¢d left KrispyKritter¢s walking stick leaning lonesomely against the back porch. Too late to turn back now. KrispyKritter was notably aggrieved but shortly beamed ¢Oh well, Overcome-Adapt-Improvise¢. His favorite saying. After a brief overnight north of Atlanta we proceeded to Neel¢s Gap, Walasi-Yi, to deliver his first drop box. The beginning of his journey, a dream for so long, was shortly to become a reality. The excitement grew as he stood out front of Walasi appraising the thru hikers who were busily preparing for another day on the trail. I could see it in his eyes. My brother, Dale, too. He¢ll be hiking the Trail in 2005.We spent the rest of day exploring Woody¢s Gap and Amicolola where we stayed overnight. We happened to meet two other hiker¢s who also planned to begin Monday morning.   KrispyKritter had planned to begin at Springer Mountain since we had already hiked the approach trail last year. After meeting Peter Garcia and Grant Cibula, not to mention meeting up with Peak-A-Boo and Cuppa Joe the next morning, he decided to hike the approach again with new found friends. Once that meet time was arranged, we broke out the bottles of wine, speculated and teased, then finally, off to bed (like anyone could sleep!).Morning dawned hazy, overcast, and drizzling ¢ GREAT day to start the trail. Hikers and families all met for breakfast, the hikers with elation, some family members with trepidation. It is here I feel the need to share this little piece of wisdom: So few people have dreams today, even fewer act on them. Whether these thru hikers make it Katahdin, or not, they have acted on their dream, they have tried, and THAT¢s what counts!Breakfast broke abruptly as the predetermined hour neared. It was time to check out, load up and head down to the Amicolola Park office for official weigh in and the all important Signing in the Log. There were another three hikers waiting in the parking lot who were welcomed into the roiling mass, the sixth addition being Shaun "Beatbox".   Families and hikers collected within after jokingly taunting one another over pack weights and luxury items. A few moments of silence as each penned their names in the Logbook - their name, the date they began their journey, and where they intended to complete it. Wayne P. ¢ ¢KrispyKritter¢, 3/15/04, to Mt. Katahadin, Maine. Well, now it was official. Documentation is the proof of any occasion of this magnitude. Pictures had to be taken of each hiker at the Logbook, pictures with their packs on, then more pictures individually AND collectively at the Arch which marked the beginning of their Appalachian Trail adventures ¢ the approach trail. A few are included here for your vicarious pleasure.Dale, my brother, and I had promised to hike the first mile of the Trail with Wayne. As the hikers loosely assembled, we joined in just as though we belonged, and began climbing the switchback ascent to the top of the falls and a little beyond. The mood was buoyant and infectious. Although it had begun to drizzle, no one¢s spirits were dampened. They all took turns in taunting one another as the zig-zag trail grew steeper. The awareness that THIS WAS THE BEGINNING breezed through the assemblage. Early on, quite naturally and seamlessly, the hikers fell into two groups. We were in the first group of three hikers, and two tag-alongs. This seemed the faster group, the cheerful rogues. Camaraderie swelled. Expectations were lightly bantered; brief histories of former lives were shared, and the promise of a consistent repertoire of ¢digs¢ at one another wove the experience together. .All too quickly the end of the first mile broke at the road. This is where KrispyKritter and I would say goodbye. We had previously decided not to turn around once parted, for there was no telling how well our emotions could be held in check. I felt a lump in my throat, my eyes began to fill and I had to breathe very deeply to take control. I can only imagine how KrispyKritter felt. If it had not been for the jovial new friends, this could have been a messy good-bye. We looked into one another¢s eyes but we had already said all the words. I could feel the sheer joy! One last picture and they were off to unknown adventures drawn by the lure of the Trail. As Dale and I walked away he mentioned KrispyKritter was good to his word, he had not turned around after our goodbye. The drizzle had ended. Parting was bittersweet.   ¢Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming - ¢WOW ¢ What a Ride!¢Journal by KrispyKritter¢s TW (Trail Widow)SugarFoot