Date: 2010-04-19
To: Approach Trail to Springer Mtn
Miles today: 9.1

Checked out of the Dahlonega, GA Super 8 and mailed 3 maildrops at Dahlonega, GA post office when they opened, sending some food up the trail to Neels Gap, Hiawassee and Fontana Dam. Drove over to Amicalola Falls State Park and registered at the Park Visitor Ctr, I'm AT thru hiker #648 for 2010. Weighed my pack at the visitor center at 25 lbs, with 3 days food and 2L water. Long term parking for thru hikers here is still a bargain at $5 for up to 6 months. I made a couple last minute gear changes as I stood next to my car in the parking lot. I decided to leave the MSR Mini Works water filter, and strictly use the Aqua Mira chlorine dioxide drops. The springs and creeks should have great water flow this time of year with all the recent snow melt and rainfall in the mountains, and I'm obsessed with shaving pack weight. I also left the Patagonia R2 Regulator fleece jacket, and decided to rely on the Cap-2 base layers and Montbell synthetic "Thermawrap" jacket for cold weather. I can pickup a cheap fleece later along the trail if weather forecasts for the Smokies show a late "Dogwood Winter" cold front by the time I get there. Started the Approach Trail around 11 a.m. at the "Arch" behind the visitor center, and arrived at top of Springer Mtn approx 4:30 p.m. The falls are beautiful on this Monday mornning, the park is not busy today, only a few day hikers and tourists at the top of the falls. I see no other thru hikers this morning, but recent entries at the Visitor Center show some thru hikers started over the weekend. I look forward to meeting other thru hikers, as I'm starting alone. I feel familiar with the GA section of the AT, as I hiked this section last summer and fall in several section hikes. This helps my confidence starting the hike. But I still dread the staircase at the falls. However, the staircase, while still difficult, goes a lot easier than it did that hot, humid day last August. The approach trail is approx 9 miles long from the Arch to the top of Springer, and it is blue blazed. Those 9 miles are not included in the total official Appalachian Trail distance from Springer Mtn in GA to Mt Katahdin in Maine. It's considered an optional hike for thru hikers. Another option chosen by many hikers is to drive up or get a shuttle ride up a Forest Rd to Big Stamp Gap parking area...about one mile north of Springer Mtn on the white blaze AT, from that parking area, hikers then hike "south" up to the summit of Springer, sign the register at the peak, then retrace their steps back down the AT downhill "north" to the Big Stamp Gap parking area, then head north on the AT. There was lots of evidence of how severe this past winter was, lots of blowdowns along the approach trail that have been cleared by the Georgia AT trailworkers.  Some earlier hikers wrote that it looked like a tornado hit this area. Blackflies were also out in the afternoon, pretty thick along a few sections of the approach trail. Signs of spring also, wildflowers coming out and trees are coming to life.I met another thru-hiker, Chris from Connecticut at the Springer summit, he had arrived there about 10-15 minutes before me.   Chris is another Army vet, a great guy, and he and I would hike together for the next couple days to Neels Gap. Chris is carrying his old Army rucksack and is a hammock hiker.   Chris's voice reminds me a lot of my nephew Michael Kennedy, I keep hearing Chris' voice and think I'm hearing Michael. I setup my Black Diamond betalight tarp at Springer Mtn shelter camping area that night, Springer Mtn shelter is just a short distance south on the trail from the top of Springer. There were about 10 AT hikers there at the shelter, and camped in tents around the shelters. Three young guys from Ohio who are bringing their guitar, mandolin and ukelele along for evening entertainment. One had a sprained ankle and they were laying up at the shelter for a couple days for him to recover. A young married couple there also who had just gotten married 3 days before starting this thru-hike, this is their honeymoon! Mike from PA suffered a back injury just before his trip, and is here and made it up the approach trail, but his back was bothering him.I can't remember everyone's names and Trail Names, this would continue on the hike, I keep my small journal in a ziplock baggie inside my pack, and it takes time to get it out to write, and I usually only make trail journal entries at night after setting up camp. Rain is in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow.   The adventure begins with the first white blaze on the trail in the morning.