Yesterday (December 9, Sunday) I decided I would go down to Georgia and hike North from Springer Mountain, which is the Southern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail, for ten days. After ten days, if all goes according to plan, my gallant brother will come pick me up wherever I am and hike with me for a day. Then we will come home in time for Christmas. My goal is to reach North Carolina, 78.5 trail miles north of Springer Mountain.
In preparation for this adventure I e-mailed Subman. I met Subman at Bromley mountain in Vermont back in September. He was hiking the Long Trail and had thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail back in 2003, he has also completed the Benton MacKaye trail. His name is Subman for two reasons-he was in the Marines for years, and on his thru-hike he often bought a subway sandwich in town and then hiked into the woods and ate it for lunch or dinner. He is an avid hiker, and currently he runs a lawn business, so he has more time to go hiking. Anyway, he lives in Elijay, GA, near to Springer Mountain and in September he gave me his business card and said that if I was ever to come down to GA to call him and if he could help me out he would. So I e-mailed him to let him know that I hoped to hike through GA and to ask his advice about where to rent a car, where to stay, how to get to the mountain, etc. He promptly e-mailed me back with a fountain of wisdom and an offer to meet me at the rental car return and drive me up to Springer Mountain. And he said that he had about three free days and so if I wanted company he and his dog Pepper could hike with me for the first two days. I am glad for this offer because he knows the area well and I don't know how many other people will be out on the trail, so hiking with another hiker seems like a way to be safer. And dogs are good at keeping the mice away from the shelters!
I also made myself two boxes of food and mailed them ahead; one to a shelter in Neels Gap called Walasi-Yi Inn, and one to a hotel in Hiawasee, GA. I called to reserve a rental car and I think that I am ready to go hike again. I'm very excited. Although, this time the excitement is different than it was in the summer. It is like going back to your first day of school but when you have already been to that school for three years. You're excited, but you also have an idea of what some of the hard parts will be. It is a more tempered, (more mature?), kind of excitement.
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