Date: 2004-04-14
To: Dogged Pursuit
Miles today: 0.0

Tomorrow, my journey of a lifetime begins on nearby Springer Mountain here in Georgia, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.I flew into Atlanta today and was picked up at the airport by my cousin Joey. He drove me to his cabin in Morganton which is nestled among the mountains in the northern part of the state. To my surprise, there was a fresh coating of snow visible on the higher elevations. The temperatures were unseasonably cold.Near the end of the drive up north, I noticed a hitch-hiker on the opposite side of the highway. He was shouldering a backpack, holding a sign, and walking backwards in order to face the traffic. I could not make out all of the words on the sign, but two capital letters jumped out; those letters were "AT", as in Appalachian Trail.Ah! A kindred soul. I strained to get a better look at his face, hoping to recognize him later, on the trail. But the distance was too far and we were traveling in opposite directions. It's nice to know that beginning tomorrow, that hiker and I will be traveling in the same direction--northward--for what could be six months. Actually, I did make a mental note of his general build and the appearance of his backpack. I might be able to recognize him again.At the cabin, Joey fired up his Polaris ATV and invited me on a tour of the back roads. The vehicle is not a truck; it is more like a motorcycle but with four wheels. There is room for the driver and a single passenger.I told Joey that I had never rode an ATV. He assured me that he would take it easy. We tooled around the rural and hilly area near his cabin.Things went fine until we descended a dirt road into a wooded hollow. There, while passing by a house, a dog charged toward us. It appeared to be a pit bull. Joey increased the speed of the ATV but the animal gained on us. In the meantime, the surface of the dirt road became rougher. Joey increased the speed again, but the animal continued its (pardon the pun) dogged pursuit. I realized that because I was seated in the back, the pit bull would probably lunge at me first. That is, unless we crashed from hitting a rut at high speed. Imagine that, lying on the ground after the impact and being mauled by a crazed dog.We gained some distance on the beast, only to realize that the dirt road was about to dead end. A log was blocking the way. Joey steered the ATV off of the road and into the woods. I jumped off the vehicle, not wanting to crash into a tree or flip over. Better to run for it or shimmy up a tree. But to our relief, the dog broke off its chase, apparently not realizing how vulnerable its prey had become.We could not return the way we came, so Joey navigated the ATV through the trees and brush while I jogged behind him. Shortly thereafter, we emerged from the woods. I hopped back on board, Joey hit the throttle, and we cut across someone's yard toward a road with hardtop. I assumed¢or rationalized¢that the property we had crossed was a summer home with nobody inside. I didn't ask Joey about this. In a weird kind of way, the incident with that dog represents a good omen.I have embarked on this journey to seek an adventure. The journey has not officially begun, but the adventure sure has.