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 051

Day:  051
Date:  Sunday, 22 June 1986
Daily AT Miles:  24.8
Daily Other Miles:  0.2 (shelter)
Total AT Miles:  982.4
Total All Miles:  1012.8
Weather:  Hot, humid, sunny.
Nutrition:
  Breakfast:  Muesli, health drink.
  Lunch:  Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar.
  Dinner:  Egg and bacon pie, fruit salad, muffins.
Aches:  Right little toe and sole of right foot sore.
Animals Seen:  Tortoises, snake, deer, squirrels, chipmunks.
People Seen:  2 AT Thru-hikers (GEOKA), 6 overnight hikers, 2 day hikers, many others.

Journal:
Got up at 5:45am and was on the Trail by 7am.  I had said I would meet the Binnings 24½ miles up the Trail by 5pm but, as Uncle Al had warned me, the early going was hard.  New Trail with lots of rocks, turns, abrupt rises and descents, and bramble overgrowth that scratched up my legs.  Just before lunch I caught George and Karin again – they had passed while I was I was in Front Royal.  We talked for a while and I managed to point out to them that Harpers Ferry was further away than they anticipated.  I left them and hiked another 3 miles to a sand spring and had lunch.  They caught me again and I wasted another half hour talking.  Despite rumours to the contrary, the going was still hard for the next 4 miles and it became evident that I was going to be late for my appointment even though I was taking fewer breaks.  Some sore spots on my right foot (little toe and sole) also were slowing me down.  I reached my destination, Keyes Gap Shelter, at 5:45pm to find an old alcoholic tramp in residence and the Binnings gone (but expected to return).  I tended my feet and 20 minutes later they appeared.  I decided to go down to their car for our picnic, which we did, and spent a pleasant few hours chatting.  I decided that, rather than stay with the tramp, I would hike another mile or so and sleep in my tent. This I did, and stopped at 8:15pm, washed, got into bed at 9pm, and updated my diary until 9:30pm before going to sleep.
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