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 047

Day:  047
Date:  Wednesday, 18 June 1986
Daily AT Miles:  23.1
Daily Other Miles:  0.4 (0.2 shelter, 0.2 spring)
Total AT Miles:  930.2
Total All Miles:  958.6
Weather:  Mild, sunny.
Nutrition:
  Breakfast:  Muesli, health drink then, later, hamburger, fries, orange juice, ice-cream, milk-shake.
  Lunch:  Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar.
  Dinner:  Macaroni cheese, pop tarts.
Aches:  Tired feet.
Animals Seen:  Many deer, grouse, chipmunks, squirrels.
People Seen:  Six overnight hikers, many others.

Journal:
Got up at 5:50am and left at about 7:30am.  Katherine was very chatty and wanted me to wait a few minutes until she was ready to leave, even though our paths would only be the same for ¼ mile.  We said our good-byes and I headed off, looking forward to a shorter day with easy grades in pleasant walking conditions.  I decided to walk steadily to Elkwallow Wayside where there was a snack bar and have a second breakfast.  I arrived there around 10am and bought a few supplies plus burger, fries, shake, orange juice, and ice-cream.  I took these out to a picnic table in the sun and spent a very pleasant hour eating and itinerary planning.  Then I walked another 8 miles including gentle grades and a few views to the top of North Marshall Mountain for lunch.  After lunch, I continued on and passed through an area of forest devastated by the gypsy moth before eventually leaving Shenandoah National Park.  I reached Tom Floyd Wayside Shelter at 6:10pm.  It was very nice, apart from a long hike down the mountain to get water from a spring, and I had it to myself.  A good dinner and a leisurely evening, and a lovely sunset, made for a great evening.  Went to bed at 9:30pm.
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