Date: 2008-03-28
From: Jarred Gap

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I'm actually writing from my childhood bedroom. Fret not, friends, for I am doing just fine. I had to come back for an interview for an assistantship at Villanova that I originally was told could be done over the phone. I thought about trying to get another 20 miles in (2 more days). Then I was having panic attacks about not making it into town on time to get home (read: visions of bear attacks danced in my head), so I left Neels Gap, the first town after 39.5 trail miles (including the connector trail at Amacalola Falls State Park).Here are some facts about the trail:- It is 2,176.2 miles (this year... changes from year to year, but not by much)- On the AT, a thru hiker will climb and descend a total of 91 miles, the equivalent of going from sea level to the summit of Mt. Everest and back about 16 times.- It's tradition that everyone earn a trail nick name. Some folks are inspired by an event and find one themselves, but most are given to hikers from other hikers. I don't have one yet.- Roughly 2,000 people start the AT with the intention of thru-hiking. Only 10-20% make it. I have the spirit and the resolve to finish it... I just hope my body does too.- I love it.In the relatively few short miles that I've hiked, I've already come to find that the trail is truly magical. On my first day out I met a fellow who flew in from Alaska just for a couple of days so that he could meet this year's batch of thru hikers and dispense of some trail magic* in the form of powdered juice mixes. I also met a fellow, Ben, from Australia who had just left the continent down under for the first time in his life, and felt called to, of all places, the AT. I've already shared meals and stories by the fireside, and have even said farewell to a retiree and section hiker who just felt like going home a couple of weeks earlier than planned.I started my adventure with "You GO Girl" from Indiana at Amacalola Falls State Park. Many people have asked, "Why bother with a connector trail? Isn't 2,176 miles enough?" Sure it is, but if this hike were all, or even mostly, about distance I probably never would have started. The connector trail is a a bit of a tradition, I think because it's a grueling introduction to what life on the trail might be like. The first flat quarter mile of trail is followed by another quarter mile climb with a 30% grade with 600 steps. The 8.3 miles to Springer Mountain, the official souther terminus of the Appalachian Trail, has an average of a 10% grade uphill. There isn't much down hill... I was very thankful that I decided on trekking poles!Since most of the readers here will probably assume the hiking will be hard, I probably won't write in too much detail about that. I'm more interested in the personal and spiritual growth that occurs on the trail. I'm excited to see what changes will occur in me, but I'm also interested in the reasons my fellow hikers have come to the trail and what they hope to learn/gain, if anything. There are dozens of reasons why people hike. Almost everyone expresses a desire to grow closer to the natural world and themselves without the distraction of modern society, but there are also other reasons. Some folks are most interested in the physical challenge, others 5 months of meditation or soul searching. I met one woman who is hoping to find healing after the death of her husband of 35 years. Some people just had the time and resources and thought it would be interesting. It is a diverse group of people, but it's also quite amazing how quickly a community forms. I've already met dozens of hopeful thru-hikers, but with my break, most will be about 5 days ahead of me when I get back. I was sad leaving. But I'm sure it won't take long for me to fall in with a new group of folks, and even catch up with some of the ones who hike on as I type. I've been blessed so far. My back and shoulders seemed to be used to the pack after only a couple of days, and, so far, no blisters or even minor foot pain (which will surely change). My knee, on the other hand, is a bit more of a concern... enough to convince me to take off from Neels on Saturday instead of push on another 20 miles. We'll see what come of it, but for now, I'll be headed North again starting April 3.Yes, there is a strong community of hikers, but the community surrounding the AT is even more so. People bend over backwards to help thru-hikers, whether it's but picking us up as we try to hitch to town, or by small businesses creating special (we're talking dirt cheap special) deals for thru-hikers. It's an interesting culture, one for which I am truly grateful. I was telling some of the details of the trail angels to my friend Michael, who said it was more like the Trail of Love. The irony there is that the Trail of Tears began not far from the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. It's hard to imagine such atrocities occurred there only a couple hundred years ago when now the energy around the trail is so different. It should be an interesting journey, no matter how far I go.*Trail magic: term used to describe the serendipitous acts of kindness extended to thru-hikers by strangers during their hike.