Date: 2012-01-04
From: Springer Mountain

To: Sassafras Mountain
Miles today: 11.0

¢Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished? Yes, work never begun.¢-        Christina G. RossettiDear Vicarious Hiker,With the move from Oregon back to Illinois, along with the arrival of the holiday season, combined with the pre-hike preparations, I really hadn¢t had time to think much about the hike itself. Thoughts of the hike had filled both my waking hours and dreams in the weeks and months leading up to my 2010 attempt, but this time was different. I had known that the busted attempt had left feelings of disappointment and failure, and that a sense of unfinished business is one motivation for this hike. The possibility of failing yet again is a worry, so I guess I¢ll just have to do all I can to make sure I complete the hike.Angus (Doc Rockett) and I arrived at Sherpa Dave¢s and Goldberry¢s yesterday afternoon, and today, after a great breakfast, they shuttled us to the parking lot near the summit of Springer. The morning was clear and chilly, and the wind burned my cheeks as we climbed the .9 miles to the top. After the requisite photo shoot and register-signing it was time to actually begin. I drew as deep a breath as I could and let out a mighty, ¢Yeehaw¢ to mark the occasion. And then it was time to begin.Back down to the parking lot to collect our packs. There we found that Sherpa Dave¢s and Goldberry¢s vehicle, as well as another one, each had a flat tire. Fortunately the spare was in good shape. A quick fix, and all four of us were off down the Trail. Easy walking and in no time we were at Three Forks. Time for a few more pictures (click on the left to view), and then Sherpa Dave and Goldberry turned back toward Springer and home. Doc Rockett and I continued on in the sunshine. With the fine weather and fresh feet I was feeling great. The possibility of failure seemed remote. Since Doc Rockett will only be hiking with me for the first week, our plan is to hike as far and as fast as we, well, as far as *I*, can, and then I will slow down to a better starting speed. I know this is contrary to the advice of a slow start and a gradual buildup, but Doc Rockett would like to finish up Georgia, if possible, so we¢ll need to hustle this week. I¢ll be able to hike at my own pace after he returns to Illinois. When I hike by myself, I tend to be very conservative, stopping well before I get so tired that camp chores like pumping water and cooking become difficult. I tend to crash when I stop, so it¢s a matter of safety. With Doc Rockett along, I stretch past that point. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn¢t. In the mid-afternoon and still feeling good, we arrived at Hawk Mountain Shelter. There we met Shaun, now Cold Start, who was taking a zero there. He¢d had water issues in the very cold weather and was giving himself some extra time. We decided there was still enough time to make more miles, so we quickly put together a hot meal, wolfed it down, and headed back out. We thought we might only go as far as the one mile to Horse Gap, but when we got there we found a group of young men camped there. They said we were welcome to camp, but it seemed that all the promising tent sites were occupied, so we started the trudge up Sassafras, hoping to find something suitable on the way up.   We reached the flat summit just as the sun was about to set and just as I was reaching my limit. I was very tired. I could have kept walking on autopilot, but would have been of no use when it was time to set up camp if we didn¢t stop very soon. The wind had picked up, and we anticipated a cold, windy night there atop the mountain, but we couldn¢t be sure of finding a site on the descent or even in the next gap. With a relieved sigh ¢ from me, anyway ¢ we dropped our packs and began setting up camp. Just as the last rosy glow in the sky faded into darkness we were eating another hot meal before climbing into the tent.We were in a hurry to get out of the cold and wind that we both got into the tent at the same time. The combination of the tight space inside the tent and lack of a routine and lack of a familiar packing system caused a certain amount of confusion and thrashing about in the limited space. Finally we were settled, tucked into warm sleeping bags, listening to the wind roar through the trees overhead. Soon the sound of Doc Rockett¢s gentle snores was added to the wind, and I was left to think about the hike.It had been a wonderful first day. The aid of friends had made for an easy start on Springer, and the company of my beloved husband is always welcome. The sunny weather had been an added bonus. Will I finish this hike? I don¢t know. But the work has been begun, and well begun. Good luck to all of the Class of 2012.