The Dropoff

Jack the Web Goblin here - I'll be caretaker for the blog while she's on the trail. She's headed north now.

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The day began at 7:00 am - one hour later than anticipated. With much rushing and preparation (and a few imprecations thrown at malfunctioning alarm clocks) we were out the door and on the road toward Springer Mountain and the AT trailhead.

A steady rain cut visibility somewhat on the drive north toward Amicalola Falls, but "you can't hike the AT without getting wet eventually" and so our stalwart party forged onward. The report from AFSP personnel was that Winding Stair Gap was not an ideal choice for access, so we rounded the western border of the mountain and found Forest Road 42 (an auspicious number, for any Douglas Adams fans out there) which would apparently give us an easier ascent.

Our hardy Chevy Cavalier began the trek up toward the trail, and the rain had settled the dust on the gravel road nicely; low lying clouds, however, prevented any view of potential vistas as we continued onward and upward. After ten miles or so we found the access to the trail itself - white blazes leading all the way to Maine. It's really rather astonishing, when one pauses to consider the scale of it.

And so photos were taken (courtesy of some other hikers), goodbyes were said, and excitement ran high, to say the least. It's a culmination of over 7 years of planning and preparation, and to see Kris starting her journey was a privilege we'll not forget soon. Amanda snapped a picture as she turned around for the last farewell.


A text was received later on, which I reproduce here:

"Hawk Mtn shelter - 9 miles in. been here a couple hrs. kinda wet out. doing ok. calling it an early night. <3kg "

And so it begins!