Date: 2008-03-06
From: Continued Local Preparation

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, if it's Thursday, then it must be time for the next verse of my new Appalachian Trail Song...THIRD VERSE:I¢ll have no cares, I¢ll have no woes        I¢ll filter water through a hoseIdentify the wild tea rose        Watch sun-downs from a casual pose¢¦REFRAIN:A North-Bound hike is painless        It brings on many changesAnd I can take what comes for six more monthsNOTE: One can also count down the months at some point in the song, if desired...If asked why they want to do it, I suppose the average would-be Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker would probably respond with reasons much like those in this verse. In fact, there is a romance about the trail that I must admit sometimes brings butterflies to my stomach -- very similar to that first, 'infatuation' I felt for my wife as we began to date... *laughing quietly to myself* Don't be surprised if your Significant Other becomes a little jealous at some point, either...The wild part of this process is that every year about this time, that same feeling begins to well-up inside of me and I find myself drawn to the Trail. Of course, it's certainly not just the rocks and mud and leafless trees of the early spring trail. No -- IT'S MUCH MORE -- it's the longing to once again become part of a very special community and climbing mountains with as little as possible is simply the price of admission.I HAVE SPRINGER FEVER, and the only cure seems to be to re-enter that magical world of 'The Trail.'- To watch the uninitiated enter I'm-a-Koala Park [the only way I can remember that name, believe me] with nervous anticipation, much larger loads than necessary, and a little dread as they look up at the mountains, which, from one's armchair seem rather small by worldly standards, but will kick one right in the head if not treated with respect.- To think the residents of these local communities sit back and watch this mad dash for their mountain [as well as the limping, discouraged, and disheveled 'walking-wounded' who so quickly declare that the mountain won and beg for spare seats on the over-crowded mass transportation systems that are choked with Spring Break travelers].- To watch the nooks and crannies, shelter shelves, and hiker boxes for those heavier-than-they-should-be treasures which were recently very expensive purchases on EBay and Outfitter Shops... ...now left for whomever will dare to add more weight to their own backpack [at least until the next trail town, where the USPS resides]... I'm certain the local Trail Club members who, time and again, must carry out much of this 'litter,' just shake their heads and wonder, "When will they ever learn..?"- To know that the big Sellers of Gear also watch this whole process from afar -- waiting for those service calls from such far-away places as Neels Gap and Hiawassee. As the most popular long-distance trail in the United States, our trekking community can make or break the newest offerings by mere comments in chat rooms and on websites such as this one. Nobody should logically expect their gear to last the entire 2,500 miles [rounded with extra mileage added for side trips along the way, which might not count toward the A.T. Total, but which must be traveled nonetheless] -- but they do, and it's up to the Fearless Customer Service Representatives to determine how best to 'fix the problem.'NOTE: This is where one finds, in the long run, that it's normally a better deal to buy from the companies with respected names and reputations for support to Thru-Hikers generally... BIG BONUS POINTS to the companies that'll drop ship replacements and spare parts to 'General Delivery' in towns along the Trail!So, simply sit back, watch this whole process as it begins again for yet another year, and smile because you now have a little better understanding of 'how it works.'May I also suggest that you pick an Appalachian Trail Trekker and make it a point to do something, however small, to help this Love-Sick wanderer along his/her journey...?APPALACHIAN TRAIL COROLLARIES TO MURPHY'S LAW:- Pointless Up¢s and Down¢s (PUD's) occur most often in one¢s chosen direction of travel.- One is always too late to find a shelter space in horrible weather.- Mice don¢t care if your backpack stinks¢¦- The dead ¢possum is always floating in the water above your filtering source.- Ramen Noodles fall out of a tipped pot in one glob. Multiple batches of noodles, when prepared one after the other, have been known to create quite a pile [isn't that right, 'Hobo' at Low Gap Shelter?]