Date: 2013-03-17
From: Springer Mountain, GA

To: Hawk Mountain, GA
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: broken clouds

I awoke after a restless night. Not sure why, but maybe I¢m used to sleeping in a bed¢¦ on a mattress¢¦ in warmth. I got my new alcohol stove out of the very bottom of my pack where I had strategically packed it, and cooked myself some water that I purified in my new water purifier. I poured some instant coffee in my cup and ate my freshly squashed and very cold bagel. It was absolutely scrumptious. I don¢t know why, but anything nutritious tastes good in the field. I guess it makes you happy to get anything to eat or drink, like you¢ve been deprived¢¦ for a whole day. After my delicious breakfast, I put everything I just took out of my pack, back in, wondering how I got all this in there in the first place. I gave it the old ¢foot persuasion¢ and was ready to go. So I march out on the blue blaze trail leading to the white blaze AT, only to see to my disappointment that the trail leads both directions. According to my aforementioned affinity for going in the wrong direction, I turned left, knowing last night I turned left to go to the shelter. As I¢m hiking, it occurs to me that the sun is rising over my left shoulder, indicating I¢m going south. Now I know the trail sometimes loops around, so maybe that¢s why, and soon the trail will loop around and start North, only that didn¢t happen. Luckily I passed three hikers and exclaimed, ¢I hope you guys are going south¢. They laughed and said, ¢Sure we are¢. This statement didn¢t leave me with a lot of comfort, but I tread on. Shortly thereafter, I passed three more guys hiking toward me in the opposite direction. I said, ¢I need some help because I¢m not sure I¢m going in the right direction¢. They truthfully told me they were ¢going North and I was not¢. This tells me one thing¢¦ people I¢ve never met can¢t even take me seriously. So I turn around and realize that I¢m going back to where I started and it hit me: I do recall reading that Springer Mountain is south of the parking lot at Big Stamp. I can¢t rely on my poor sense of direction, and now I know I can¢t rely on my memory either. Maybe they¢re related.Now that I¢m hiking in the right direction, I have it made. So I hike up a mountain¢¦ and down a mountain¢¦ and up¢¦ and down¢¦ Knowing I only had to hike 8.1 miles, a distance I¢ve hiked many times and further, I couldn¢t believe how far it seemed I had walked. Was I lost again? So I kept walking and eventually made it to my second destination, Hawk Mountain Shelter. Just as I arrive, I see a familiar face, another thru hiker. Yeah, it was GB Man, who I¢d met at Amicalola Falls the day before when we were weighing in our backpacks, mine at 40 pounds, his at 50¢¦ ouch. On the way down the trail, I also met Robin, Christina, Tom, nine college girls and a whole host of people hiking on a beautiful St. Patrick¢s Day. Being that I¢m finding I¢m not in the shape I thought I was in, to hike 9 miles which does not include mountains, I soon realize this is one of the hardest things I¢ve ever done.So I¢m on the trail, being passed by almost everyone including the nine college girls. I see them ahead where they are stalled at a water crossing. I catch up to them and this one young lady is having some issues walking from rock to rock to cross the creek. I offer my hiking poles, which she is grateful for, and when she gets to the other side, she is debating how to get my sticks back to me on the other side. I¢m a proud man so I just say ¢Keep them and I¢ll get them when I get across¢. As I¢m crossing, I forget I have 40 pounds on my back and lose my balance. If not for one of the girls grabbing my arm, I certainly would have taken a swim. Embarrassed, I just laughed it off. That¢s all I could do.After what seemed like a lifetime, I finally arrive at Hawk Mountain Shelter, a total of 8.1 miles. At least the weather was nice. Hawk Mountain was a lot like Springer Mountain, only there seemed to be many more thru hikers and fewer boy scouts. I guess boy scouts don¢t hike 8.1 miles. At the shelter, I meet Erik, Drew, Liz, Waffles, Laurie, and several others I can¢t recall their names. I just remembered Dave. Sorry Dave, and any others too. So many names¢¦ so little memory.Luckily, even though the hike was difficult today, at least the weather was nice.