Date: 2006-10-14
From: Hiawassee, Georgia

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 66.6
Weather: clear sky

Leaving Hiawassee we caught a ride with a group of middle-aged section hikers who have been hiking the Appalachian Trail for 20 years. They will be finishing the trail after all of these years on October 13th. On that date we will also finish the trail. It also happens that in the past few weeks they canoed the Allegheny River for 100 miles from our hometown of Warren, Pennsylvania south through Franklin.         They dropped us off at the trail around 5 o¢clock in the evening and we had 3.5 miles of hiking till we reached the Deep Springs Shelter. The shelter/campsite was a happening place with 8 other hikers besides ourselves. We had camped with 5 of those hikers on the previous evening, and the remainder of them were headed in the opposite direction. They had started a nice little fire on which I cooked up a few hotdogs I had picked up for dinner.         In the past few days of the trail water had become increasingly scarce. Springs were turning up dry, and we were forced to put a little more effort into staying hydrated. Luckily, The General and I had brought water from town because many of the hikers were forced to hike 1.5-2 miles downhill to obtain aqua.         At this point of the hike we only had 66.6 miles of trail left to the Southern Terminus at Springer Mountain, Georgia. We were scheduled to meet Jon¢s mother Dorothy and his brother Nick on Saturday October the 14th. This gave us a nice relaxed schedule that included two 15 and two 16.7 mile days. While this is nice in a number of aspects it leaves a large number of empty hours during the day. Much of this time we are forced to lay huddled in our sleeping bags in a vain attempt to stay warm and comfy.         Our first full day of hiking out of Hiawassee was a beautiful and almost hot day. After a leisurely morning of eating breakfast around the fire Jon and I headed off after 9AM. At this point we were both nearly out of water, and were compelled to take a few side trails in search of more. Having found none at any of the possible springs we hiked 7.1 miles to the Trey Mountain Shelter for lunch. This shelter had a nice, trickling spring where we filled our reservoirs and stomachs with liquid. There was an excellent vista overlooking a Georgia that appeared much flatter than the land over which we were currently walking.         The afternoon left us with only 7.7 miles of mostly downhill hiking to complete. Before arriving at camp we did climb two short but remarkably steep hills. We had been warned along the entire length of the trail that Georgia was going to be a Bear. Only being 70 miles in total length we were never to concerned with these warnings. Despite a couple of steep climbs and one 5 miles section of continuous ups and downs Jon and I both agreed that the terrain was friendly. Personally, I wouldn¢t say that any of our days in Georgia even ranked in the top 2/3 in terms of difficulty. That evening we built yet another fire and talked with a nice pair of brother-in-laws out to hike all of Georgia.         Our next day was 16.7 miles long and the weather began to cool a bit. The morning was over incredibly easy trail. We found water at infrequent but acceptable intervals and ate lunch beside the trail during a brief burst of showers. It appeared as though the weather was going to go downhill, but miraculously it held. That afternoon was decent and we stayed up on a high ridge. During the course of the day we passed and were passed by the gentlemen with whom we had shared the previous nights shelter. Cow rock mountain was a precipice worth noting. The view was excellent and we got to tread across a slab of rock that was reminiscent of more northern peaks. As evening closed in the sky continuously darkened. I was worried that the rain would begin before we got a chance to set up the tent. Jon showed up just in time and we set up camp before the falling water flew. The Tarptent received its last use of the trip that evening and I am happy to say that it performed well. The material is certainly waterproof and it withstands the windy evenings solidly. It does require you to set it up perfectly with the ground-cloth properly tucked under or water will manage to find its way inside.         The next morning the skies had cleared and we set off downhill to Neels Gaps. This valley is home to a historic gear shop where many Northbounders send back superfluous gear. We checked out the inventory and got coffee and a snack before heading up the notoriously arduous BLOOD MOUNTAIN!! The climb proved to be nothing that we aren¢t used to, but the summit was rocky and had nice views. The rest of our hike till lunch was almost all level or downhill. The morning was cold, but comfortable for hiking. There was a nice stream down in the gap where we ate lunch. The afternoon was punctuated by a few rolling mountains and the same forest we have been seeing since Virginia.               Waking up at the Gooch Mountain Shelter it was freezing cold. I headed off down the trail wearing all of my clothing with a light pack and the prospect of sleeping that night on Springer Mountain. All morning we hiked in long sleeves and pants. The first 5-7 miles of that day were the up and down hiking people had told us about. Hills were steep and short. It would have been tiring, but just as the routine was wearing thin we broke the cycle and again we moving over nice trail. It remained cold throughout the entire day as long as we were in the shade. Lunch was a quick affair in late morning. After a couple more miles I came upon a wonderful field of clover. The sun was shining brightly and I lay down for a great basking session. After I nearly fell asleep Jon showed up and shared in the last rays of summer sun. The rest of the afternoon was nice hiking along streams, through rhododendron thickets, and at last up Springer Mountain.        I nearly ran up those last two miles and arrived at the shelter early in the evening. With only .2 miles of hiking left I set about the task of collecting firewood for one last fire. When Jon showed up we fiddled around camp awhile longer before heading up to the summit to finish our hike, eat supper, and watch the sunset. It was a clear and cold night up near 4,000 feet. After taking a few pictures next to the plaque we sat down to relax. The sunset was colorful and it was a good feeling to be done. We weren¢t as excited as most people would probably imagine, but I am proud to have finished the trail, and glad to have so thoroughly explored the East Coast.        That evening we built a raging little fire and endured our last cold night. The shelter was deserted and we spent our last night on the trail alone. In the morning we killed as much time as possible in the shelter to avoid waiting to long on the summit. As I was preparing to leave for the top two other hikers showed up. It turned out that one of them had thru-hiked Northbound this very year. In fact we had met him at an ice cream shop up in Northern Massachusetts. On top it was very cold and windy. We set about the task of passing time till Nick and Dorothy found there way up to Springer. Around 10AM Nick appeared suddenly out of the woods. He had hiked up from the lodge in under 3 hours. Miss. Hvozda had decided to drive up to a parking lot located .9 miles north on the AT. Due to a dose of poor directions she ended up taking a lengthy detour and hiking approximately 6 miles in order to find us. She presented us with AT t-shirts and 2000 miler patches. We then drank a glass of champagne before heading back down the trail and back to civilization.         During the rest of that day we would celebrate at the Amicalola Lodge before heading off in our separate directions. We cleaned up in the room and explored the park around our hotel. In the evening we had a very nice Prime Rib dinner compliments of Nick. In the morning we ate breakfast and packed up by 11AM and set off. Jon and his mother were driving back to Warren where the journey would end. I was heading down to Florida with Nick on the way to visit my aunt, uncle, cousins, and the rest of their families. It would be 5 days before I make it back to Warren and have to really face any sort of reality and responsibility.         Now that the trail is done I would like to thank all of the people that gave us so much help over the course of the last month. My friends, family, and complete strangers have showed so much generosity and support in all aspects of this trip. The help ranges from a kind word, a car ride, to all of the amazing help that my parents give. I appreciate everything that you have done for me, and without you all this journey would have been many times more difficult or perhaps impossible. Thanks also for reading the journal. I hope that you got some insights into hiking the trail yourself or at least entertainment from some of SauceDog and The Geneneral¢s exploits. Yours Truly,Sauce DogAppalachian Trail Southbound Thru-Hiker 2006: June 1, 2006 - October 14, 2006