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 063

Day:  063
Date:  Friday, 4 July 1986
Daily AT Miles:  23.2
Daily Other Miles:  0
Total AT Miles:  1251.6
Total All Miles:  1288.0
Weather:  Warm, sunny.
Nutrition:
  Breakfast:  Muesli, health drink.
  Lunch:  Biscuits and peanut butter.
  Dinner:  Macaroni cheese, instant pudding.
Aches:  Feet very sore, right shoulder very sore.
Animals Seen:  Chipmunks, squirrels, deer.
People Seen:  5 overnight hikers, 6 day hikers, many others.

Journal:
Got up at 5:30am after a good night’s sleep and decided to attempt the 30+ miles to Delaware Water Gap.  I left at 6:50am on a very pleasant morning and headed north along the Trail through pretty woods.  As usual, I collected all the cobwebs en route.  The Trail, although flat, was very rocky and although I could maintain my three miles an hour, it required a lot of concentration, high knee lift, and stamina.  I plodded on with Wind Gap as my half-way mark and aiming for five-mile sessions.  If it wasn’t for the rocks, it would be really pleasant walking.  I just kept hoping I’d strike some more even stretches but, unlike the other days, it was continuous and wearing.  I pressed on and reached Wind Gap, tired but on schedule at 12:30pm.  I couldn’t see the motel supposedly there, but wandered down the road past some houses and found a guy in his garden nailing up US flags (INDEPENDENCE DAY!) who showed me a tap to get water.  Water was again very scarce.  The stretch after Wind Gap was a killer.  It was a relocation, a few years old, and was just non-stop rocks.  I began to get very weary, my pace was slowed and, after two hours to cover five miles, decided that after a 50 minute break for lunch I would seriously consider stopping at Kirkridge Shelter and walk the last six miles into Delaware Water Gap first thing in the morning.  Getting to Delaware Water Gap around 8pm tonight wouldn’t save much time and would leave me with very sore feet.  After passing Wolf Rocks (views OK), the Trail became a little better but. When I reached the Shelter turn-off at 5:30pm, I decided it would be nice to stop.  I walked up to the Shelter, which was in mild disrepair (no rain forecast) and had a relaxed evening.  There was a great view from the Shelter’s front and I had hopes of seeing some fireworks as it got dark.  There were lots of fireworks and I stayed up until 10:30pm watching them from in my sleeping bag, drinking hot chocolate and listening to patriotic music on the Sony Walkman. A very memorable evening.
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