Springer Mountain and the Official Start of the AT

Hi Folks,

Judy just dropped me off in the parking lot which is about a mile below the peak of Springer Mountain. The plan now is to walk up to the peak and the beginning of the trail. Once I get to the peak I’ll then begin to walk North on the Appalachian Trail.

I made it!!!

The top of Springer has a Shelter, an approach trail from Amicalola Falls, this great plaque on the rock, a very helpful “Forestry Ranger” who took this picture and helped adjust the shoulder straps on my backpack, and at this particular moment in time, there is also this extremely good-looking fellow standing along side the plaque.

Now it was time to begin the walk, so I began to retrace the same path that had lead me to the top of Springer Mountain.

A good friend of mine who is familiar with these mountains, had told me before I left Ohio, “The downhill part is the worst.”

In my case, the readjustment of my pack on the summit which pitched my body forward, the rocky path, and the great panorama of mountains to my left that had taken my mind off the trail, led to me stumbling over something in the path.

I fell forward, sprained my right knee, banged up my left knee along with my right elbow, dented my nose, the forty pound backpack had slid up and forward, and was holding my head down in the crevice of a couple of rocks, and worse, My Hat Was Bent!!!

See the dent???

There was nobody around so after laying there for a few moments, and deciding that I was not dead, I wiggled out of my backpack, stood up slowly, put my pack back on and continued on down the path.

I was a bit distraught, upset, and perturbed, but then I looked around,

      

And Things Got Better!!!

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