Springer Mountain

April 6th, 2011 - Springer Mountain, GA 

After 8 months of planning and preparation, the time has finally come for me to begin my northbound hike of the Appalachian Trail.  Thanks to great support from my family, friends, and a few sponsors, this dream has now become a reality.  A big thanks to JT Vonlunen and the Gear to Grow Organization for contributing a large portion of my gear needed for this journey.  Also Thank you to Brooks running for making and donating the best trail shoe available; The Brooks Cascadia 6.

          

This picture shows the gear that I have collected over the last few months to aid me along my journey.  I will not be taking all of this gear with me on the trail at once, but I will be using each piece of this essential equipment throughout various stages of the trail.  I plan to go into greater detail about my gear in the near future.

After a three hour drive from my mom's house in Cullowhee, NC, we finally arrived at the base of Springer Mountain.  Excitement doesn't quite express my emotions.  Yea, I was excited to get started, but I was also starting to wonder what I was getting myself into.  Do I really want to live in the woods for the next 5-6 months?  What's in store for me?  I don't know but I am ready to find out. 

From the parking lot, it is just a mile to the top of Springer Mountain to get to the start of the trail.  Dad, Phil Lane and I headed up the mountain.  

From left to right: My Dad, Me, Phil Lane

At the top of the mountain I sat down beside the famous AT plaque that marks the start and finish of the trail at Spring Mountain.  On the right side of the rock was an imbedded metal box that houses a notebook of the 2011 Thru-hiker registry.   A 'Thru-hiker' is someone who completes the entire 2,181 miles of the AT in 12 months or less.  Each year thousands of people attempt to become a 'Thru-hiker' of the AT, but only about 20% will actually complete the entire trail.  With my intentions to thru-hike, I grabbed the notebook and quickly made my mark as an official AT hiker. 

The view from the Top of Springer Mountain

While sitting on a giant slab of rock, I quietly gazed out over the beautiful mountains in the distance. Considering the journey that lay ahead of me, my usually active mind went silent.  My presence at that moment felt so good.  I closed my eyes for a few moments and began to say a prayer for protection for myself and also for my family which I will be away from for the next 5 months.  It was a beautiful day, and just the way I hoped it would be.  The saying, "A journey of a thousand miles, starts with one single step" never felt more accurate.  Except, this journey is over TWO thousand miles!  Well, I better get to stepping!

My pack felt pretty heavy, especially when hiking up a mountain.  It weighted in at 42 lbs, and that was without water.  I probably had at least 10 lbs of food, which was way more than I really needed to carry at once.  I have plenty of opportunities to resupply my food and other necessities when needed.  But food is important!  Most Thru-hikers burn 5,000+ calories per day.  It's hard to replace that with no easy access to a fast food joint.  

My Dad has helped me with most of my food supply.  Several months earlier, we started experimenting with dehydrating different foods for the trail (i.e. pasta's, vegetables, meats, and fruits). He even invented his own protein bar that tastes way better than any Protein bar you can get at the grocery store.   He calls it the Trail Magic bar.

After hiking with me up to the summit of Springer Mountain and back down to the parking lot, Dad gave me a big hug and we said our goodbyes.  But with the aid of my At&T Iphone, I will be able to stay in constant contact with my friends and family.  I wouldn't have been able to start this adventure without the help from both my Mom and Dad.  Thanks Guys!

One last photo taken by my Dad as I disappeared into the woods with my new hiking friend Christoff from Germany.  Christoff and I chatted as we made our way to the first shelter of the journey.  Hawk Mountain Shelter was just over 7 miles from the top of Springer Mtn, which was good considering that it was starting to get late in the evening. 

Around 6 O'clock Christoff and I arrived to a packed shelter with many little tents scattered throughout the area.  I quickly claimed my territory and began to set up my little humble home as the sun started to set.

As sun disappeared behind the mountain, I made a quick dinner and started the think about the days that lie in front of me on this great Appalachian Trail.  Doubts and negative thoughts starts to race through my mind.  What had I really gotten myself into this time? 

Once reality sat back in, I realized that in order for this journey to be successful I have live each moment as comes and not to get lost in the magnitude of the destination.   After all it's the journey that is the most important part of life anyway.  

Happy Trails!

Grayson