The Appalachian Trail extends for about 2,175 miles, starting from Springer Mountain in Georgia and going to Katahdin Maine. There is an International A.T. that extends up into Canada to the end of the mountain range where it enters the North Atlantic ocean. Now at the semi-advanced age of 63, I can say I hiked the Appalachian Trail. I didn't start exactly at the beginning in Georgia although I encountered several along the trail that had. And I must further admit, I did not make it all the way to the North Atlantic. In fact, I didn't even make it through Maine. It is hard to say how many miles I did go because I made two different attempts at different times. Both attempts started near the middle in Virginia and one headed north and the other south.
My first attempt started at the Big Meadows campground near Shenandoah Virginia. My wife, Pat and dog Kira joined me on this particular adventure. We made camp at the campground and got up early in the morning to get an early start. The trail actually skirts a portion of the campground so it didn't take much time to get to the trail and head toward our first destination, Fishers Gap. The skies were cloudy and a bit cool. I started with a sweatshirt over my regular shirt and then wore my photographer's vest over that. It was comfortable in the early morning moist air. I was carrying my Canon 5D with two lenses and miscellaneous accessories in my vest. Pat was similarly dressed without the vest but with a jacket. When embarking on long cross country trails, it is important to dress in layers to be shed as the sun warms the trail. Kira, our new canine companion was secured with a long retractable leash so she could scout the trail ahead and bark if there were any bears along the way. Pat and I decided that if we did encounter a bear, we should stand side-by-side to look bigger and a more worthy adversary. 
The trail was well marked with occasional concrete posts and numerous painted bars on trees along the way. The flashes were color coded to mark different trails as there are many shorter trails that criss-cross the A.T. The posts showed the AT symbol along with distance notations on the metal strap that went around the post. ( Like all pictures on this blog, the above picture can be enlarged to see the strap markings. Simply click on the picture.) Each side marked distance with direction arrows. This post (above) showed the first destination at a mile. It is much easier to go from destination to destination only a few miles apart than it is to look at the total distance you plan to go in a day, week, or month. We were a little out of shape so we didn't plan to go more than 20 miles the first day. But for now, it was just that next post we would be looking to see. You should be seeing a picture now of two hikers unprepared for 100's of miles of rugged trails.
Wildlife along the trail was plentiful; especially the deer. They seemed to enjoy posing for pictures. They were also fascinated by Kira who did not bark at them. They even walked up toward her when we were on walks in the campground.
The trail along this section was a easy downward grade and all but the steep sections were smooth. On the slopes, the soil is washed away to expose the grapefruit sized sharp rocks that make up the walking surface. As the sharp points pressed into my worn sneakers, it reminded me why we got steel shanked hiking boots for our trail hiking in the Rockies above Estes Park CO. I made a mental note to buy a new pair before I did much more mountain hiking. We were not traveling very fast because Pat has problems with her knees and the uneven pathways made hiking difficult and rapid travel painfully impossible. The only thing that might quicken her pace would be the sight of a bear. Did I mention this is bear country? And bear sightings are common on the trails? You are probably saying to yourself, "What are they thinking? They are not ready for even a week on the trail. "
The first thing we noticed on the trail was the saturated color all around us. Ferns covered most of the forest floor and it resonated the color green. It is said that green is a very soothing color and it was. My euphoria was interrupted by Pat's question, "How far do you think we have gone so far?"
My quick answer was, "About 1/2 mile."
"Are you sure that is all?" she replied in a hesitant voice.
The trail was beginning to descend more quickly now as we walked on. Have you ever ridden in an old car with worn out shocks? Old knees are a little like that. There is little bounce as your foot hits the hard rocks on each descending step. I looked back and knew Pat was in pain! Fishers Gap would have to wait for another try. It was time to turn back toward the comforts of the camper and an easy chair while we sipped a cold drink and planned the next trail to conquer.
As we headed back up the trail, the clouds began to thicken rather than clear. The fog was now rolling up the side of the mountain. The foggy tendrills were almost like the serpent tongues of a fire devouring everything in its path. The humidity felt wet on the skin and our layers of clothing were trapping the heat we generated as we climbed up the now ascending pathway. Sweat began to form but could not evaporate in the moist mountain air. Remember the layers of clothing? We had too many and began to shed them as a snake sheds it's skin.
There was a eerie beauty of the fog as it would ebb and flow. One minute it was difficult to see each other and other times it was as clear as a cloudless day. According the time stamps on the pictures, we had been hiking about an hour and a half. We had probably gone just less than two miles but remember it is climbing and descending. Did we really expect to go 20 miles in a day? Get real! WE knew from our hiking experience in the Rockies that a 6 mile round trip is a long trail! While our journey was short, we could now say we had hiked the AT. What a rewarding experience.
Now, where is our camper? I know we left it here?
Next post, A visit to a waterfall.
