Date: 2019-03-23
To: Frosty Mountain summit
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I left the house outside Philly at 3 this morning and drove to Georgia to start my last leg of the AT - Springer to Damascus. Seventeen hours later I am five miles up the Approach Trail camped on the summit of Frosty Mountain, sipping hot tea as the fire burns down to coals.I left the car in the Damascus area (in the Virginia panhandle) and drove a rental down to Dawsonville, Georgia. Bret "Suches" Eady (AT '17) met me there for the final hop to Amicalola Falls State Park. I drove over the AT three times on the way down: in Carlisle PA, Atkins VA, and Sams Gap TN/NC. On the last crossing, the snow-covered Roan Highlands and Unaka range towered in the distance, as impressive as anything in the White Mountains. Looking forward to seeing them up close!Spring has sprung at lower elevations here. The forsythia and pear are in full bloom, people are mowing their lawns, and violets dot the lower reaches of Amicalola Falls. But higher up it is still and quiet, the silence of winter.At the Amicalola visitor's center I weigh my pack and it comes in at 26-27 pounds with two liters of water and four days of food. Not bad for winter outfitting. A Georgia AT Club volunteer assigns me tag number 1384. Slightly fewer hikers than last year on this date, but still some 4500 thruhikers are expected. Bret told me he's shuttled a number of repeat thruhikers this year. It's past five when I walk in and when I say I'm headed immediately up Springer to the first shelter, Black Gap, seven miles up, the volunteer warns me about a bear sighting there. Undeterred, I head out to the arch that starts the Approach Trail. A young guy named Andrew and his dad are thruhiking together and take my picture. They'll shuttle to Springer tomorrow so I may see them again. I start out with an ex-military mother leading her young son and daughter on a backpacking trip to the top of Springer. It's practice, she says, for a family thruhike between high school and college. Climbing the steep path to the falls I stop to chat with Emmy. A self-described "flatlander" from the Outer Banks, she's regretting not quitting smoking before her thruhike. I assure her this is the toughest stretch of the Approach Trail. Plenty of time to get her hiker legs. One step at a time. "And a lot of breaks!" she exclaims.It's a gorgeous, clear day approaching 70 degrees. Too hot, in fact, and I'm sweating climbing the falls. They are beautiful and impressive. And very popular on this sunny Saturday. Eventually I leave the crowds behind as I continue past the lodge. It's perfectly quiet except for my own shuffling. Blue mountains shimmer in the West and the sun dips low in the sky.I pass several enticing tent sites on minor summits. But there's still daylight. I can make the shelter. Surmounting Frosty Mountain, there's a couple setting up a tent next to a lovely view. My mind churns it over. A half mile later, at the second Frosty summit, there are several more perfect sites with fire rings and views. I debate with myself. I turn to head forward Why am I pushing on? This is a perfect spot. And quiet. And time to relax and get chores done before dark. Why am I out here if I won't take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves? I stop, and turn back to the tent site. I'm quietly proud of myself, and surprised, for not being a stubborn fool. Maybe I'll go easier on myself this hike.Since it's clear, I leave the fly off the tent to see the stars. And to experiment with the benefit of the fly at 40 degrees. There's a fire ring, and some wonderful soul has collected piles of dry wood. I quickly have a small bonfire going. Unfortunately some other soul has left copious litter about the site, so I fill up my trash bag to carry it out. Back at the visitor center another trail volunteer, Master Splinter, had come in with a bag of trash he had just collected from the Approach Trail. Leave No Trace is still a theory to many people.With the fire going I treat myself to a Subway tuna hoagie, knowing I wouldn't want to cook after such a long day. Then, with some hot tea and a dying fire I journal and gaze up at the stars, thinking about my family and what tomorrow will bring.