Date: 2005-03-14
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: broken clouds

3.14.05Day 1 -- The adventure begins...12pm Last night was quite the meteorological display. The rain beata constant rhythmic drumming on my tent, beginning around 11pm. Alongw/ it came the lightning, brilliant white flashes illuminating my tentceiling. The storms were intermittent, gracing us w/ their presencefor an hour before blowing on. But, then another would follow. Thelast one swept through by 4am, which was fortunate, b/c I wasn'tenthusiastic over the prospect of breaking camp in a raging downpour. But, by 6:30, the sun was beaming across the horizon, w/ a steadybreeze. It was a lazy, leisurely morning, completing the necessarychores, getting water, packing up camp. I (and my gear) weathered thenight w/ minimal ill effects. I thoroughly enjoyed my first nightsleeping in a luxurious down bag. A little dampness seeped into mytent, but everything's dried out now, after an early morning sun- (andwind-) bath.Today's weather is an encore of yesterday's -- perfect. The hike downto Stover Creek was shrouded in mist; the early fog of the low-lyinghills burning off as the day progressed. The trail today is in starkconstrast to yesterday's barren, stalwart, naked treese; the hemlocksand rhododendrons boast full, lusch, green canopies. One stretch oftrail passed through a hollowed, hallowed tunnel of rhodies, growingup and over the footpath, locking in a green embrace overhead. Rightnow, we're breaking at Long Creek Falls, an ideal spot for reflectionand meditation, the cascading white water drumming a trance-liketune.Quote: Mike -- A few weeks ago was the Polar Plunge in Chicago, wherepeople jump into Lake Michigan.Cuppa Joe -- You know what they call people who do things like that?Me -- Crazy?Break -- Says one thru-hiker to another...We crossed paths w/ our first SOBOs of the year, a scant 2 miles fromSpringer. Evid and his Ohian friend Brett, who departed Katahdin onAugust 31. Their prominent facial hair and svelt figures affirmedtheir thru-hike claim. On the cusp of the finale of their journey,Evid's advice? 'You will be pain. Drink lots of water.' Comfortingto know that we will soon be the physical manifestation ofpain...7:30pm The rapidly falling temperature chased me into my tent earlytonight. It promises to be another clear night. ('Tho, as wediscovered last night, things can change.) As I have become fond ofsaying -- The only predictable thing about the AT is itsunpredictability. And, as the weather is a force of nature beyond mycontrol, there's no sense worryin' my little ol' head about it. Somemore encounters w/ fellow Trailjournal-ites -- James, Amanda, andGeronimo. Also included in the thru-hiker gang here at Hawk Mountainare -- Taylor, Chris, Scott, Sunset Screamer and canine companionTess, Jeff. Bramble, who thru-hiked last year, is still afoot, w/ anewly acquired 4-legged companion, Chase, on a yo-yo trek of the AT. Two separate college groups on spring break as well. So, a fullhouse, but not overly crowded. The ridgerunner (Gizmo, GAME '90)swept in to Hawk Mtn, swept up the trash, advised us of the recurringbear presence, and then spoke of a large group scheduled to starttomorrow. By 'large', I was assuming 15 to 20. He corrected mymisinterpretation, upgrading the group size to 50 to 60. Yowzer! Andwe've only got a one-day head-start. I feel as if there's a stampede,or tidal wave, brewing in the near distance. But, Gizmo added that hedidn't expect everyone to actually arrive. He also dropped thestatistic of 180 thru-hikers to-date, having departed from Springer, adecline from last year. It's only the first day, so I have basicallyno data whatsoever to base this on, but the hiker densit feels similarto last year, to me. We shall see.The physical trail today was extremely kind to us, in stark contrastto the rocky climbs of the Approach Trail. Lots of gentle, gradedascents and descents, but no significant elevational 'blips'. That'snot to say that we didn't go up and down, just not to the point whereI was cursing the mountains. No, that will be tomorrow, as we go upand over Sassafrass. It's amazing, how much of the Trail I recall,and how vividly I recall it. I didn't think it would seem sofamiliar; lately, when I've been thinking about the trail (which wasvirtually all the time), it was more of a broad, enveloping memory, anumbrella of remembrances, encompassing and encapsulating the wholeexperience. But hiking today, it was a constant replay of thetip-of-the-tongue phenomenon, where I could just... almost... picturewhat came next, if I could only focus a little more. Or, conversely,focus a little less. When I allowed myself to clear my head of tryingto force recollections, and simply savored the present moment, flashesand glimpses of last year invaded my brain. But, as amazing a journeyas it was, nothing compares to the here-and-now. To be living themoment. Breathing it. Each and every glorious, exhilarating,enlivening, liberating breath.