On the Appalachian Trail: Springer Mountain to Neels Gap

The Appalachian Trail runs 2,175 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine, passing through fourteen different states along the way. Each year about 1,600 backpackers set out to hike the entire trail. For most the blisters, sore muscles, rain, snow, heat,and endless ups and downs (both physical and emotional) prove to be too much. Of those 1,600 that start only about 400 finish.

While I would love to hike the entire trail there is no way I could just head out for a five month walk in the woods. So a few weeks ago I decided I would do the next best thing - section hike the trail. Section hiking allows you to complete the trail over a number of years. You simply begin each new trip at the spot you left off. Of course you could hop around on the trail but I think there's something to be said about seeing it and experiencing it as it is naturally laid out.

So last Friday afternoon the boys and I loaded up our packs and drove to Neels Gap, Georgia. In Neels Gap is an outfitter, Mountain Crossings, that actually lies on the Appalachian Trail (AT). After thirty miles of hiking you suddenly come out of the woods and pass right through the store. For this reason Mountain Crossings does great business each March and April as they sell a lot of gear, cold drinks, and ice cream to exhausted walkers who are ready for a break from blisters and trail food.


The boys and I decided to park our car at Neels Gap, stay at a hostel for the night, and get a shuttle to Springer Mountain. Once at Springer Mountain the plan was to hike .9 miles to the summit, take pictures of the plaque marking the Southern Terminus of the AT, and head back down to begin our thirty mile hike back to the car. We would complete the first thirty miles of the trail and hopefully have a good enough time to want to return many more times, slowly making our way to Maine.

Along the way the boys kept trail journals. Most nights they sat in the tent, though exhausted from miles of walking and climbing, and recorded what had happened and what they had seen. Since this is our hike, and not just mine, I'm going to allow them to help me tell the story by alternating voices, taking their words straight from their journals (with some spelling and grammatical editing).

Day 0: The Hostel

First we had dinner. Second we hiked a little. Third we went back to the bunkhouse and played cards. We played Rummy, UNO, and me and Muluken played Othello.

We are sleeping in a bunkhouse. There are shovels, books, and a chocolate dog. We are sleeping in bunkbeds. I'm sleeping on top. (Ty, age 6)

Well when we finished the four hour drive we parked and went in a store for a map and see where we were going to sleep for the day. When we heard where we were staying for the night we went down there and got scared when a dog started barking. We went back to the store to make sure that was the right place and it was. When we went in there was a lady to tell us where to go and where the beds were. When we got in we got our backpacks and put them on the beds.

We went back to the car and got all the stuff for dinner. We had sandwiches made from Publix and chips. We also got bananas and muffins for Saturday morning. After we ate we read Harry Potter. We also listened to Harry Potter in the car for four hours. It was fun. We didn't get bored. (Muluken, age 9)

The other hikers at the hostel tonight are very interesting. Kat, who is hiking with her chocolate lab mix, says that she has walked all the way up from Florida. Somewhere along the way she learned that she had lost her job and decided to just keep walking. When asked where she is head she answers only "north."

There's another hiker, Mike, who lost his job as well. He said that with the rough economic times his employer began skipping paychecks. He eventually became fed up with this and quit. Now he's here on the trail with sore knees from trying to squeeze too many miles into each day. Most backpackers will begin with seven or eight mile days and he has pushed himself to do fifteen. He sits on the small love seat looking exhausted and downbeat. I ask him how much further he will go and he thinks before saying "to that bunk in there." After a few more moments he reconsiders and explains that he has a ride coming to pick him up in a few days so he needs to decide what he's going to do. He'll either hike out another ten miles or so and come back to catch the ride or call to cancel it and just keep heading north.

There are many others here as well. One young guy has an impossibly heavy backpack, a mohawk, and wears a long flowing robe that looks to be an exact replica of the one Obi Won Kenobi wears in Star Wars. When he returns to his bunk wearing this I fear the boys will laugh or say something embarrassing but miraculously they don't. Instead they act as though this is something they see every single day of their lives.

The hostel, located in the basement of Mountain Crossings, consists of a small kitchen, living room, and bunkroom that contains about sixteen beds. The boys and I were among the first here and have claimed beds in a little alcove that offers as much privacy as you can have sleeping in a room with so many strangers. The mattresses smell like a mixture of wet gear and cleaning supplies. When the lights are finally turned out around 10:30 it becomes very dark but we can still hear hushed conversations around us. We all fall asleep rather quickly. Tomorrow is our big day. We'll begin our journey from Springer. (Dad, age 36)

Day 1: Springer Mountain to Stover Creek Shelter (Trail Miles: 2.8, Hiking miles 9.8)

We went in the car to drive our car to a place to park because we couldn't leave the car parked by the store. We brought bananas and muffins for breakfast. When we were done we waited for an hour for the beard man to drive us to our trail. It took us an hour or so to get there.

When we got in there we started to go in this swiggle road that made me sick so I got a cup in case I had to do the business. I went to sleep for a long time. We were driving on a bumpy road and we got a big bump. It pushed me off my seat right on my face and that's what woke me up. We did not have car seatbelts and two car seats are missing and it is really dirty. I tried to go back to sleep but Big Daddy kept waking me up.

When we got there we asked the man which way to start. We went that way until we got to this bridge and asked this man if we were going to Springer Mountain and he told us that we went three miles farther away the opposite direction and we had to turn around. That had added to our 30 miles we were going. (Muluken, age 9)

I knew the shuttle van was going to be interesting as soon as I saw that the door handle was missing and that Dartman (our driver) had to reach inside to get it open for us. Once inside I noticed that the floor was littered with cans of Fix-a-Flat and brake fluid. This did little to settle my nerves as we navigated over rocky roads with potholes large enough to serve as bunkers. The ride was interesting to say the least.

Thinking we would reach Springer Mountain around 9:30 I was a bit disappointed to finally arrive at 11:00 am. Dartman hopped out and ran up the trail to relieve himself. Upon returning he extended his hand for a handshake and it occured to me that he hadn't washed his hands. Cleanliness takes on a whole new meaning in the woods so I shake his hand and ask him which way we need to go.

Dartman has hiked the AT twice and shuttles hikers up dozens of times each spring and summer. He knows this trail well. He looks up ahead toward a clearing and asks if we want to head up to the top of Springer, which would require coming right back down to this same spot, or just head on down the trail from here. I explain to him that we have come all this way and plan to section hike the AT so we want to summit Springer to start at the very beginning.

He points toward a clearing in the woods and says "Just head on down that trail right there." I pull out my camera and ask him to take a picture of us before our journey. Afterward I point to the clearing and say "So we just head down that trail right there?"

"Yep."

With that we head down the trail. Along the way we take a number of breaks, talk, and laugh. I'm not wearing a watch so I'm not even sure how long we have been walking. However, it seems as though we should have walked a mile. Finally we reach  a stream where there's a father with his two older sons. They're just packing up their map and preparing to take off. I ask him if the summit of Springer is close and he informs me that we have walked three miles in the wrong direction. To reach the summit we would have to hike four miles back the way we came.

The boys don't really understand but I'm deflated. Should we just head on or should we walk back to make our summit, thus beginning at the true beginning of the trail? It's 12:30 which would put us back at the parking lot at 2:00 - three hours after what had already been a late start. I think ahead to the thirty miles we have to walk from the summit and what this would mean for our daily mileage. I was planning to hike six to nine miles each day but backtracking now would mean hiking longer days both in terms of miles and hours.

I ask the boys and we all decide we want to start from the beginning. It makes for a long day. We wind up getting to the top around 3:00 where we take in the view, eat our lunch, take some pictures, and rest our weary feet. After about forty-five minutes we head back down the mountain stopping to notice the very first white blaze of the trail.

Three miles later we finally arrive at the Stover Creek Shelter at 6:30. We treat water from the creek, make dinner, and decide to sleep in the loft of the shelter rather than mess with our tent. It's getting late and we're a bit exhausted. We climb up the ladder into the shelter's loft, set up our pads and sleeping bags, and drift off to sleep with the sounds of mice scurrying below us. (Dad, age 36)





Day 2: Stover Creek Shelter to Justus Creek (11 miles today, 13.8 AT miles total, 20.8 total miles hiked)

We hiked together. We hiked 11 miles. My brother's trail name is Jolly Roger. My trail name is Flash. (Ty, age 6)

We went hiking and we went the right way this time. "Never ask someone" that is what we said once. Then we kept saying "I can't believe that man made us go the wrong way" over and over on the trail.

We went 11 miles and stopped by this campsite and stream so we could make our dinner. Dad made the rice and Jolly Roger (JR) and Flash went down to the stream and played in it for a while. When dinner was over we went up with our packs and put them down and started getting the tent poles out. While Big Daddy and JR was building the tent Flash made things with his sticks he had.

When Big Daddy and JR finished the tent we hung the food bags and trash on a tree so bears wouldn't try to get in the bags. We went in the tent and made our beds and pillows and started to write this. (Muluken, age 9)

Eleven miles. We're going too far and I fear burning the boys out. However, we had to get near the halfway point today because there are only two days left until we are supposed to reach Neals Gap and head home.

The boys were cute this morning at the Three Forks stream. Ty had accidentally dropped a piece of Poptart into the stream and they spent about twenty minutes watching what they thought was a scorpion carrying it away. It was a nice stream and provided a great chance to relax.

Today was our first day of real climbing. We climbed a number of mountains including Hawk Mountain and Justus Mountain. Ty really struggled with the climbs, wanting to take a sit down break every five minutes or so. Our pace has been established at about one mile per hour including breaks. Considering the hard climbs, that's not too bad.

The campsite at Justus Creek tonight is wonderful. The Forestry Service has leveled out about eight tent pads about a hundred yards above the stream. There's only one other camper here tonight. He has hiked in six miles from Woody Gap and has to return in the morning to get to work later in the day. As the boys and I sit and write in our journals we can hear faint booms off in the distance. I had forgotten today is the Fourth of July. It's strange to feel so removed. (Dad, age 36)





Day 3: Justus Creek Campsite to Woods Hole Shelter (13.2 miles today, 27 AT miles total, 34 total miles hiked)

We had breakfast after we got all of the things done. We ate a chocolate drink and Poptarts. We all ate on the hike and went really far. When we went five or six miles we put our stuff down and got out our stove and rice bag and cooked it. We stopped at Woody Gap and there were picnic tables, bathrooms, and a trash can so we could empty our full trash bags. After we ate we went to a stream to fill our waterbottles. It was really far from our table where we were eating.

Dad let Flash and JR play in a little stream and we had lots of fun moving rocks and making the water go faster. When we went back on the trail we had ten miles left to go and Big Daddy said we couldn't do it in one day.  "We could do five today and five tomorrow," JR said. I wanted to do it all but we couldn't.

We did about 4 or 5 more miles and it started to get dark and we had to find a campsite to make our tent. When we found a campsite Big Daddy asked if we wanted to go on or stop here. We both said keep going. Big Daddy asked for a reason and I said that I wanted to hike in the dark so we could see bears but we didn't. We had to get our flashlights out because it was getting so dark.

We hiked a while and didn't stop or take breaks because it was so dark. Big Daddy looked on the little paper he had and saw that we were getting closer to a shelter that has campsites by it so lets go there. When we got to the sign "Shelter" we went that way and we had to walk a mile (it was actually a half-mile) to get there but finally we got there and set our stuff down and started to build the tent. It took a while too because we were in the pitch dark and couldn't see that well. (Muluken, age 9)

After three days I begin to wonder how crazy my hair must look. Since we're in the middle of the woods and generally see no more than five or six people in the course of a day it doesn't really matter. Still, I'm curious so I use the camera to take a picture of myself and then check. Yes, it's crazy. I look like a peacock. So as I walk along the trail I try to brush it out with my fingers and keep taking more pictures to check my progress. Am I vain?

Today was a big day. We climbed a lot of mountains and finally we were rewarded with spectacular views. Big Cedar was my favorite. There were large rock outcroppings at the top and you could see for miles and miles. The mountains were beautiful. I took pictures and had the boys pose as if they were getting ready to jump off the edge of the mountain. In reality the rock just dipped down a bit and went about ten or twenty more yards before falling off into the tree tops below. We laughed and laughed knowing that Grandma would hate this picture.

Ty was such a strong climber today. I learned that if we play a game such as I Spy when climbing he just keeps walking and walking without complaint or need for constant sitting. As we were playing I'd stop every five or ten minutes to act as though I was really thinking hard to make a good guess so that we could take a short "stand up" break. Before we knew it we had climbed 600 feet in just a mile of walking. That's quite an elevation gain in a short distance - and all without so much as a whimper. The next few mountains played out much the same. Ty has become a mountain goat.

Muluken is the perfect hiking partner. He finds a good pace and keeps it. He offers to help when there is work to be done. He encourages his brother and leads us in our games as we walk. His cheap tennis shoes are wearing thin on the bottom and I know that the sharp rocks on the trail are killing the bottoms of his feet. Still, he marches on. I promise, next year, to buy him some boots or really good hiking inserts for his shoes. Not surprisingly he wants them now.

Both boys are awfully good at spotting insects and animals. We have seen grasshoppers, caterpillars, snails, mice, rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, birds, spiders, and ants. We all want to see a bear but we are far too noisy coming down the trail to sneak up on one. We often hear branches breaking as animals dart off through the woods. We can't see them but we know they are there.

We hiked well into the night. At 8:30 we found a campsite but Ty asked to go on a little further. Both boys want to get closer to the car to make tomorrow a short day and they also want to hike in the dark. I think everyone, including me, is getting homesick. We miss our family.

Around 9:30 we finally come across the Woods Hole Shelter and set up our tent in the dark. After 13 miles of hiking with packs on their back you would think the boys would be dead tired but neither seems too excited to be going to sleep. Muluken works hard on his journal and Ty looks up from his sleeping bag to comment on the noises he hears outside.

Not long after I turn the lights out I hear mice outside our tent crawling through the boys' backpacks. The packs are stowed under the rainfly just outside the tent door. Obviously someone has mistakenly left some food in their pack and the mice are happy to dive in after it. I, however, am not comforted by knowing there are mice on the other side of a thin sheet of nylon just three feet from my face. I smack the side of the tent numerous times to scare them away but they always return in just a few moments. Finally I give up and drift off to sleep. (Dad, age 36)



Day 4: Woods Hole Shelter to Neels Gap (3.7 miles, 30.7 AT miles total, 37.7 total hiking miles)

Today was a much welcomed short day. Just a little over three and half miles into Neels Gap. However, standing between us and a cold drink and ice cream was Blood Mountain. At 4,461 feet it was the highest mountain we summited on our trip. If that weren't enough it was a somewhat technical climb with so many rocks of every size to navigate. The payoff was remarkable though. The top offered many large stretches where we walked across rock outcroppings overlooking more mountains than you could count. As Muluken said, "This is beautiful!"

The climb down was surprisingly as difficult as the climb up. I turned my ankle which only served to contribute to the quarter-sized blisters on the backs of both feet where my Achilles tendon attaches to my heel - not to mention the newly forming blisters on the sides of my big toes. I feel a bit like the walking wounded but I march on knowing that soon my new boots will be worked in and, hopefully, much more forgiving.

Ty and I struggle along without water. There were two streams listed on my map but one is dry and the other is nowhere to be found. When we reach the final half mile of the hike we can hear the loud rumble of cars below. Our pace picks up and at the end we are almost running. Finally we come out of the trees and see before us Mountain Crossings and their parking lot. Everyone is excited and laughing so hard. We are happy to be finished. We make our way across the road, set our packs down, and immediately go in for a Powerade and ice cream sandwich. (Dad, age 36)

It was a great trip. We met a lot of interesting people along the trail. Most of them congratulated the boys on being able to hike such demanding terrain. One man even told them that they were inspirational. Sharing this hike with the boys made it more challenging but more meaningful as well. We'll keep going. There are already rough plans for the next trip and then we'll see what might come next. Over the years I can only hope to have the girls and Mom come along and keep their own journals. Right now they're not too excited about the idea of big climbs and big miles. But they have plenty of time. The mountains aren't going anywhere.