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 005

Day:  005
Date:  Wednesday, 7 May 1986
Daily AT Miles:  17.3
Daily Other Miles:  0.5 (0.3 from Shelter, 0.2 to spring)
Total AT Miles:  80.7
Total All Miles:  85.6
Weather:  Hot, humid and partly cloudy with storms and rain in the afternoon.
Nutrition:
  Breakfast:  Muesli
  Lunch:  Biscuits and peanut butter, date bar.
  Dinner:  Tuna and rice, instant pudding.
Aches:  Right little toe sore.
Animals Seen:  A marmot, chipmunks and grasshoppers.
People Seen:  Six AT Thru-Hikers, six motorists.

Journal:
Got up at 6:15am and away at 8:05am.  I had trouble with a snagged rope, used to hoist my food supplies out of bear reach, which delayed me.  I made good time to Dicks Creek Gap where I stopped for a morning break.  As an experiment I decided to write up the previous day’s diary then to give me a longer break.  Just before the Gap, I met two old dears hiking south with packs.  It was a lovely descent through bright orange azaleas.  While writing my diary at the Gap a pick-up truck stopped and a female hiker, Lisa, and her Labrador, Teddy, got out.  She’s had to make an extra trip into a nearby town because she had forgotten something.  She was from Boston and we chatted for a while and arranged to meet further up the Trail for lunch.  This we did at Plum Orchard Gap. She explained that there was also a “weirdo” hiking nearby (I was obviously protection).  While she talked, he emerged from the trees behind us.  It was 90°F and humid and he was wearing two jumpers and jeans.  He said he was camping for the night and Lisa said, quietly to me, that she was going on as far as she could.  While I fetched some spring water, two more AT Thru-Hikers, Eric and ?, turned up.  They had spent the previous night in the nearby town.  Their pace was slow.  We moved off, aiming for Muskrat Shelter, 7.5 miles away and not quite as far as I had intended, but Lisa was obviously keen for the company.  We reached the Shelter around 6pm after a steep and strenuous climb up from Bly Gap, the Georgia/South Carolina border.  During the afternoon there had been thunderstorms and rain.  I had difficulty lighting a fire, but finally managed.  Lisa insisted I cook on her gas stove.  Tuna and rice, quite nice.  It was a big Shelter and the register showed lots of people had been through during the day.  I will probably catch some tomorrow.  I went to bed at 9:30pm.  The valve on my air mattress is broken and I spent an uncomfortable night.  Something was also scratching in the roof.  Nevertheless, a good day.  Over 17 miles without effort and some of the aches are abating.  Good company.
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