Date: 2003-03-25
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Miles today: 0.0

"Finch" is finally on his way and actually started on March 25th as originally planned. As we were preparing to leave for Georgia, we received word that Tom's mother died. We left early Wednesday morning to drive to Chicago, help with funeral arrangem ents and to spend some quality time with family. Tom's mother was a wonderful, loving woman and, together, her children, all seven grandchildren and five of her seven great grandchildren, celebrated her life. She was an avid walker herself would love t o have done what her son is now undertaking. I'm sure she will be with him.From Chicago, we drove to Georgia where the grass is already green, the cherry blossoms and spring flowers are in bloom and we gladly swapped the snow in New England for the b l a ck flies that were appearing on Springer Mountain. Tom registered as a through hiker at the park visitor center (picture of Finch at the arch where many people start their hike) and weighed his pack. It was thirty-five pounds¢¦not what he had hoped. W e m et "Mississippi Mule" (another through hiker whose trail journal "Finch" had been reading) at the lodge at Amicola Falls State Park (See picture of falls and lodge) where we stayed on Monday, the 24th. We hiked the falls and enjoyed the peacefulness of ou r surroundings. Finch spent a sleepless night, however, trying to figure out what he could leave behind to lessen his pack weight. It was in vain because it weighed 38 pounds once he had discarded a couple things and finished packing everything else. Tu esday (25th), we drove 35 miles around and up the other side of Springer Mtn. by way of an unpaved, 6.6 mile, one lane, forest service road. We pulled into the parking lot (.09 miles from the summit and trailhead), put the car in park and the ge a r shift c able broke. While the severity of the situation was sinking in, we met Elisabeth and Dean Tully (librarian from PA) walking across the parking lot. They are doing the Georgia piece of the trail. With their moral support, we developed a plan. After gett ing a signal, we were able to use our cell phone to call Toyota, a dealer and finally a tow truck. While waiting for the truck, we hiked to the trailhead, where Finch signed in and I took some pictures. I hiked the first mile of the AT with him, perh aps I can join him for the final mile on Mt. Katadin where we spent our honeymoon camping and hiking so many years ago.We waited on the trail and spoke with several others beginning their through trek on the Appalachian Trail. Two and a half hou rs lat er we were relieved to hear a truck laboring up the mountain road and even more so to see that it was a flatbed truck and not a tow truck. Finch wanted to delay his start til he knew the car was working but I made him promise that he would lea ve as soon as the car and I were safely in the hands of our rescuers and on our way to the Toyota dealers in Dalton, GA. I followed through with my promise to him to leave him voice messages as to my progress and safe return home. I doubt that he went very f ar until he kn ew I was safe and on my way home.Twenty-four hours later and several $$ in repair costs, our car sounded much better, had more of its original pep and I was finally on my way home. I took Interstate 81 north. It parallels the Smoky Moun tains and the Shanendoahs through most of Virginia. To think, Finch will be coming through this way in a few weeks. He will send me pages from his journal that I will continue to post here for him. The tow truck driver was somewhat confused when he sa w our car with Massachusetts plates and the backpack. He asked if anyone was coming down with the car. I told him I was going to ride with him and the car to the Toyota dealership and Tom was going to walk home.¶¢¢