In 1986, a few days after running the Boston Marathon, and following a year of touring the US and Canada in a campervan, I set off by train to realise a dream to walk the Appalachian Trail. I first heard about the Trail from the American wife of a work colleague in Melbourne a few years earlier and had since read widely about the trail. The Trail follows the crest of the Appalachian Mountains for more than 2,200 miles along the eastern side of the US. Starting in mid-spring, I followed the trail northwards from Springer Mountain in Georgia to its northern terminus at Mount Katahdin in Maine, finishing in the late summer. It remains one of the most meaningful experiences of my life, fostering an ambition for more such experiences and inspiring me to retire from work early enough follow through on that ambition. In 1986, only about 80 people each year completed the whole trail, but during that year National Geographic did a feature article on the Trail and its popularity increased dramatically.

Appalachian Trail - Day 001

Day:  001
Date:  Saturday, 3 May 1986
Daily AT Miles:  7.7
Daily Other Miles:  1 (Station to Post Office), 2.3 (Nimblewill Gap to Springer Mt)
Total AT Miles:   7.7
Total All Miles:  11
Weather:  Warm, sunny.
Nutrition:
  Breakfast:  Eggs, chips and sausages (on train).
  Lunch:  Biscuits, peanut butter, date roll.
  Dinner:  Mexican rice, instant pudding.
Aches:  Both little toes chafing.  Lower back and hips sore at start.
Animals Seen:  Squirrels.
People Seen:  Approx. 25.

Journal:
The train arrived late in Gainesville at 8:50am.  I walked from the Station to the Post Office after asking directions.  I decided on the train to send back to Boston my wool trousers, gloves, hat, groundsheet, air pillow and some tent pegs.  At the Post Office I bought a padded mail bag and some postcards.  Wrote one card to Barb and mailed off the gear.  I then rang for a taxi to take me to Nimblewill Gap, the closest you can get by road to Springer Mt, the start of the Trail.  The taxi driver didn’t know the way, but we got instructions over the radio, which neither of us understood very well.  We then met another taxi driver returning from taking another hiker up to Nimblewill Gap.  I swapped to his taxi.  We arrived at Nimblewill Gap at 11:30am and I changed into shorts and boots. Set off at 11:40am and reached Springer Peak (3782ft), the start of the Trail, at 12:45pm after a solid climb.  It was mostly sparse woodland with new spring growth and undergrowth.  Poison Ivy?  I don’t know what it looks like, but know I would be wise to avoid it.  I stopped at the top for lunch.  Opened my bag to find the tubes of peanut butter had their bottoms broken and the margarine container was open.  Great!  There was peanut butter and margarine over everything.  I cleaned up slowly and took an hour over lunch in a pleasant spot.  Lots of hikers about and  Army helicopters zooming around.  I descended from Springer Mt on the Trail which crossed several streams and passed through some leafy glades.  At one point I encountered two soldiers in camouflage on exercise.  Ascended the slopes of Hawk Mt and caught Mike from Long Island, New York, who the taxi driver had dropped off before me.  I pressed on to Hawk Mt Shelter, arriving at about 5:30pm.  Washed my self and socks in the stream and lit a cooking fire as Mike and Don and another Mike, a pair I had seen a couple of times on the Trail during the day, arrived.  I cooked dinner as the sun set.  It got cold.  Went to bed last at 9:30am.  Fairly despondent during the first seven miles.  Too much weight, steep hills, etc. Decided stove must go.  Will send back soon, but did empty fuel along way.  Felt better thereafter.

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