Date: 2018-02-24
From: Springer Mountain, GA

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: scattered clouds

A lifetime dream, enabled by opportunity, became our reality today. We are really hiking the Appalachian Trail! Wait, there¢s more! With 8.1 miles of A.T. hiking behind us, we still get to do this for another 2,182.8 miles over the next six months. Day one of our hike started in Atlanta, where nine of us piled into two vehicles and headed for the mountains. We had an amazing ¢send off¢ party¢Patrick, Rachael, Irene, Lisa, Ralph, Christopher, and Ashley. They certainly showed a lot of grit in delivering us safely to the trail. It was about a 90-minute drive to Amicalola Falls State Park, with another 45 minutes added on for a breakfast stop at Billie¢s Country Kitchen on the outskirts of Dawsonville. From there it was a quick 20 minute drive to the Visitors Center, where Which Way and I officially registered for our A.T. thru hike, as hiker¢s number 294 and 295, respectively. Will, a hiker from New Zealand, was among the half dozen or so other aspiring thru hikers who were also registering at the visitor center. According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), 35 hikers pre-registered and declared 24 FEB as their starting date. The numbers of hikers starting each day will jump significantly in March and then begin to taper in April. The visitor center has a hook scale on the front porch for weighing gear. Which Way and I weighed our packs loaded with four days of provisions and 2 liters of water each. Which Way weighed in at 28 pounds and I, at slightly over 35 pounds. That put our base weights (weight without food and water) at 21 and 25 lbs respectively. With a few adjustments and elimination of winter gear (still six or more weeks out) we should drop about 5-7 lbs each. Nonetheless, our packs fit comfortably and we were not hindered from the heavier- than- desired load.Behind the visitors center is an arch marking the beginning an 8.1 mile ¢approach trail,¢ leading to Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the A.T. The approach trail begins with 600+ stair steps and continues with a steep, challenging climb to Springer. The other option is to drive about 30 miles to a parking lot bisected by the A.T. just one mile trail south of the summit of Springer. Opting for the drive, we snapped a few pics at the approach trail archway and piled back into our vehicles. The 60 minute drive offered some challenges of its own, as the final 6.5 miles was on a gravel, dirt, muddy, pothole-ridden Forest Service Road. It was touch and go, but both vehicles made it to the parking area. However, one unnamed member of our party was visibly shaken from the ride. When we arrived at the parking area, not only was it full, but there was a bit of commotion with emergency vehicles along the road and in the parking lot. More on that later.We eventually parked the vehicles and the nine of us started the one mile walk south on the A.T. to Springer Mountain. To think, the first mile of our hike does not even count toward A.T. miles hiked, but is included in the daily mileage. Anyway, the walk up featured an 800 foot ascent over a somewhat rocky terrain.The top of Springer Mountain is marked by a plaque and the first of thousands of white blazes was painted on a rock. It also offers a nice view of the surrounding area. We took a few minutes to snap pictures and let it all sink in. There was a metal container built into a rock. Inside was a logbook that Which Way signed for us. Patrick took a quick video of me explaining to Jeff Probst that I was fulfilling a life¢s dream while waiting for an invitation to Survivor Island. Meanwhile, Which Way was on the phone with her parents. They sang ¢Happy Trails¢ to her. Finally, at 12:15 PM our A.T. hike officially started and we worked our way back down to the parking lot. This time, the mile counted. At the parking lot, we bid farewell to our family and wished them safe travels down the Forest Service Road. We are so blessed to have a family that desired to share this special day with us and thankful that they made the send-off such a special memory. After saying our final good-byes, we hiked seven more easy miles to Hawk Mountain Shelter. We walked most of the afternoon on soft terrain through some old growth forest and along and over several beautiful mountain streams. The unseasonably warm temperatures brought out many day hikers and some trout anglers. We also passed by a few thru hikers, including a blind man and his wife¢together they are the Dynamic Duo¢from Ohio. The man was also a former Army Medic. What an inspiring story! When we arrived at the shelter at 5:00PM it was full, so we pitched our tent on a level piece of terrain, filtered water and cooked dinner. While eating dinner, another hiker told me the tragic story causing the chaos at the Springer Mountain parking area. The hiker¢s family was not able to make it up the steep, muddy Forest Service Road, so they let him out and he started walking towards Springer. It wasn¢t long before a vehicle with a father and his two sons stopped to offer him a ride. One of the sons was to start his A.T. thru hike. Like us, he and his family started the one mile hike up Springer Mtn. Tragically, the father had a massive heart attack just 50 yards from the top and died. I can only imagine the pain that his family is enduring on what should have been a day of elation. Please pray for them. It is well past hiker midnight, 9:00PM, and time to get some rest, as Which Way and I are hoping to get back on the trail before the rain sets in tomorrow.Elevation Data:Ascent ~ 1,500¢Descent ~ 1,700¢Grade - 7.0%Weather:Day - 65 degrees / Partly Sunny Night - 50 degrees / RainOver the Horizon - Blood Mountain