Date: 2004-03-25
To: Springer Mountain (to Neels Gap 2004)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

This will be an account of my 2004 Springer to Neels Gap hike.I'll write it up and add pictures in the near future, stay tuned.Look for pictures in my "photo" section, they have already been added.hotdogPS. Flippy (sean), Sean (go army), Sean II, Arms, Vocal, Sharon & Jack, Allison & Smasher, Willie make it, Chris, SWIFT, Spiderman, Pot Holder, you all made it a great hike, thanks.PPS. Swallowtail, thanks for everything!*******************************Thursday (03/25/04)Well, I'm headed back to the trail.I'm in my car, driving to Georgia, Swallowtail is meeting me at Neels gap (where I'll leave my car), then we will go to Woody gap to Meet Debbie (Debbie and Swallowtail are hiking together from Springer to Woody Gap). I got to Neels gap and shopped for a bituntil Swallowtail arrived, then I moved my car to the hiker lot and we went to Woody Gap to meet Debbie. At Woody gap, we talked to lots of day hikers and thru hikers. Thru hikers met: Hitrailer - He met Wench at the Florida Ruck, where he got talked into hiking this year (he was hiking anyway, they just helped with the year he woulddo it). He was tired, had a few blisters, but was still heading North. Also talked with Tree Frog, he and HiTrailer were about the same age (retirement age), but Tree frog was carrying a ULA P2 pack (the same one I used on my thru hike), I'm anxious to hear how he likes it as he hikes up the trail. We also talked to a group out for a test hike to Neels gap (Crissy, Girl Next Door [AT 02], Radar, and Gold Bond [AT02 I think]). As we were talking, in hiked One leg (the bionic legged thruhiker,Cricket (his young daughter), and their deaf friend (also thru hiking), they have a web site I need to find so I can follow their hike. Who else? Oh, Josh, the guy from the new hiker Hostel down the mountain from Woody gap wa there. Flippy, an 04 thruhiker I met on the trail (well, I will meet him tonight), stayed there and said it was a good place. But now Debbie is here and we are all heading towards Springer (after we drop a car off at Neels gap. The hike is starting.... When we got to the parking area, I put on my pack and headed up to Springer, Debbie and Swallowtail arrived a bit later "sans Packs", they are sleeping back at the gap, but came up to enjoy Springer. As I was standing on Springer, up hiked Damascus Dave and a friend (Dave owns Mount Rogers Outfitter in Hot Springs), they took my picture for me and I took some of them. 2 other women came up from the direction of Amicalolla (I forget their names), and Swallow tail, Debbie and I played camera tag by the plaques on the summit. The summit was warm, sunny, and a little hazy, pretty close to what it was 2/28/03 when I got there before I started my Thru. It sends a chill through you to sit on Springer, after finishing a thru. The boots I was wearing, were the same ones I summitted Katadin with, I swear I could hear them whispering to me, "go north... go north.."... I smiled and I headed to the shelter for the night. I remember how it felt last year, sitting at the Springer mountain shelter, the night before my thru started, a little scared of the unknown, wondering who (of the people at the shelter) was going to make it to Katahdin (since only 15% make it). Wondering why I had so much in my pack (when in fact it wasn't all that heavy). It's not anywhere near as scarey coming back out to the trail after 2200 miles of backpacking. The fears are gone, the pack is lighter, the smile remains. I still wondered who would make it to Katahdin, but with the knowledge that the statistics didn't matter (almost all of my group last year made it).Flippy (sean 1, from Texas), Sean II (go Army), and Shawn III are thruhikers sitting around me at the shelter now, also we have Vocal (and yes he is), a section hiker with lots of miles under his belt (a Maine boy). I can't judge who will make it to Maine, but Flippy has a pretty laid back attitude and a good sense of humor, and you need both to get to Maine. Sean II, is pretty determined, and seems to roll with the punches so to speak, and he kept up with me carrying about 65 pounds (I was only carrying 34, but I'm 20 years older), so he has traites that you need to.. My traite that got me to Maine last year was being stubborn, and flexible. I refused to give up,I hiked through lots of pain, and I molded myself to the trail, I didn't expect it to change for me (It is what it is, I have to hike it). Now for Shawn III (who would have though 3 seans would start the same day?). Shawn is a good hearted, friendly guy, who has been through hell in his life, he wants, and needs this hike more than anything. He is geared up WAY too heavy (but I hear he was giving gear away after we left him at Springer), he is still recovering from shoulder surgery (as I was last year). I just want him to make it soooo bad. I never saw him again after we left Springer, but I heard he was moving North, giving away gear as he went. Good luck to you all! Back at the Springer shelter, we sat around and talked trail, gear and such. I try to give people the benifit of my knowledge, hoping that something I say will help their hikle this year. I see that people are nervous, and joking (the same as we did last year), I envy their excitement, I wish I was hiking North farther than Neels Gap. Now to sleep, they will all dream about what is to come, I will dream about what has been.Friday (3/26/04)(more when I get a chance to type it up)