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| Gooch Mountain Shelter |
As you know by now, I reached Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail (AT) on Saturday, Sept. 9.
On
the 7th I hiked from Neel Gap, which is at mile marker 31.4 if one is
hiking north from Springer, to the Gooch Mountain Shelter which is located at MM 15.8. In the process I hiked over the beautiful Blood
Mountain. I had heard from a number of north bound hikers how tough
climbing this mountain would be, but in comparison what I had already
experienced up north, it turned out not to be much of a challenge.
However the views were great and I was pleasantly surprised to see just
how beautiful North Georgia really is. While on the top I met a man a bit
older than I am whose wife started working for the IMB in August of
2016. Small world!
As I approached the Gooch
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| Gooch Mountain Shelter |
Mountain
Shelter, I debated with myself as to whether to pass it and camp alone
further south, or to spend my last night in a shelter where I would be
more likely to be with other people. I opted for the shelter and it
proved to be a great choice for my last night on the AT.
First
of all, a guy named Matt pulled in around 7:00 p.m. who was a classic
example of an over-packer. He must have been carrying a good 75
pounds. His pack alone weighed 12 lbs and was military surplus.
Fortunately he was the kind of guy who can dish it out and take it, so I
had a lot of fun with him. What made the situation even better was the
fact that a 24 year old thru hiker named Robert entered the shelter
around 7:30. He started at Mt. Katahdin on June 4 and did the whole AT
in 98 days. Robert and I laid it on thick as Matt pulled various items
out of his pack, i.e. 6 lbs. of powered milk; 6-8 lbs of a powered
protein shake mix, and an assortment of items he chose to carry "just in
case" they might be needed. The laughter and ensuing banter were like
medicine for my soul. The next morning before I left the shelter, I
asked Matt to put my pack on his back so he could feel the difference.
The look on his face was priceless! I only wish I had asked Robert to
stand nearby ready to take a picture when Matt hefted it on to his back.
During
the evening, I asked Robert what his plans were after
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| Robert |
arriving at
Springer Mountain. Given that the remains of Hurricane Irma were
expected to hit that area of GA on Sunday night, I figured he would have
somebody picking him up. However his answer let me know he had no real
plan since it involved catching a bus to Tampa, FL; an area currently
being hit hard by Irma. So I told him my wife would be meeting me and
that we would be happy to carry him to a place where he could catch a
bus to another destination.
I left the shelter for Springer
before Robert, but he caught up with me about 5 miles before we reached
the end. My thinking was if I beat him there Renee and I would have
some time to ourselves for making pictures and a video. However, in
retrospect, I am glad Robert caught me because I really enjoyed the
conversation we had as we traversed those last miles. I sent Renee a
text message upon leaving the shelter, asking her to bring food for two
and alerting her that we might have a passenger on the way home.
Well,
we ended up bringing Robert home with us, after we discovered he had an
aunt and uncle living in a town only 2 hours from where we live. That
allowed us to learn more of his background, hear more stories of his
epic thru hike, and shower some love on a fine young man. And while
ultimately I would have preferred to finish at Springer with Nephew,
finishing with Robert and getting that extra time with him was, I
believe, a God-given gift which acted as the best possible substitute. I
carried him to the bus station on Sunday afternoon after we attended a
church service and fed him a big lunch.
Providing Robert with that
"trail magic" made the whole act of finishing my own hike easier and
even more special.
On Monday afternoon, Renee and I
traveled to Ridgecrest where we attended a meeting held every 5 years the IMB
puts on for emeritus personnel. We returned home on Thursday
afternoon, and in part that is why I am delayed in sending out this
update. During the first day of the meeting, on several occasions,
people who have known me for 25 years passed me without recognizing who I
was, until they saw Renee sitting with me. I enjoyed immensely the
look on their faces, and the ensuring words of affirmation from people I
have respected for years was like balm to my weary soul.
Here are some basic facts pertaining to my AT hike.
a. I ended up hiking 1,652 miles in 104 days
b. I started on April 9 and finished on Sept 9, taking 40 days off
after I left the AT on June 4 in
Vermont. Two weeks were given to
healing up from celluitis and shin splints and the majority of the other
days were focused on visiting grandchildren.
c. I ended up
with an average of 15.8 miles walked per day. In the process I put some
serious wear and tear on 4 different pairs of hiking shoes, finishing
up in the same brand
of North Face I started with. Other than shoes and
shoe inserts, all other equipment survived and performed well.
d. I know I was blessed with the support of a small army of prayer
supporters. Various old friends and family members provided much
welcomed help at critical times, and I am extremely grateful for each
person.
e. Renee's first cousin, Ron Ritchie, did an
outstanding job of making my blog and trail update entries look so much
better. His involvement and input proved invaluable from start to
finish.
Uncle
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