Craig and Suzy's 2006 Appalachian Trail Journal

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Day	Date	Start	Finish	Miles	Journal	Photo
1	3/18	Amicalola Falls, GA	Springer Mountain, GA	.2	Day:1 Date: 3-18-06 Start: Amicalola Falls State Park, GA Finish: Springer Mountain Shelter, GA Approach Trail Mileage: 8.8 A.T. Mileage: .2 Weather: beautiful, mild during the day, very chilly at night Branch: Today was an odd day. I've been dreaming about starting a thru-hike since the 7th grade. I've lived this day out in my mind thousands of times, each time imagining the emotions that I would feel on the first day of my thru-hike. I thought that I would be extremely nervous, excited, full energy to get started. However, when today finally came, I felt none of those emotions. I've dreamed of this for so long, and lived it in part so often, starting this thru-hike felt as natural and calm as coming home. I feel a peace that can only come from being in the perfect will of the One true God. We woke up early and went to breakfast with our families and then went to Amicalola Falls where a bunch of friends came to send us off. We weighed our packs (Clay's pack weighed 33 pounds and mine weighed 30 pounds with 4 days of food), signed in as thru-hikers at the Visitor's Center and, after about 50 hugs and 20 pictures, we took the first steps of our six-month journey. It was so nice to see how loved we are and how much support we have. We will definitely miss our family and friends. Clay: As we hiked the infamous Approach Trail to Springer Mountain (i.e. the Southern Terminus of the A.T.), I realized hiking the Approach was more than just trail, it seemed like a right of passage. It was as if we were earning the right to hike the trail. Over the past few years, we have been preparing for this thru-hike and now it is finally here. Unfortunately, it feels like another day at the office. Maybe because this is our current job! Setting aside our administrative duties has been very difficult. The hiking terrain was not terribly difficult today compared to our 2005 Long Trail preparation hike. However, it was mentally tiring. Today, we started the trail carrying the weight of hundreds of peoples expectations of us. However, with each step my mental stress became less heavy. As I began to enjoy the hike, God gently began to remind me that He is the only reason we are out here and that His expectations are the only ones that we need to strive to meet. We finally arrived at Springer Mountain at about 4:30 in the afternoon. We sat on a rock with a plaque delcaring it as the Southern Terminous of the A.T., we took turns signing the register, and then we prayed together thanking God for bringing us here. Three highlights today were sharing with our friend named "Easy" about how to be empowered by God's Spirit, having a fantastic send-off with family and friends, and meeting our goal of making it to Springer. (see Proverbs 4.26-27)
2	3/19	Springer Mountain Shelter	Hawk Mountian Shelter	7.6	Day: 2 Date: 3/19/06 Miles: 7.4 A.T. Total: 7.6 Start: Springer Mountain Shelter, GA Finish: Hawk Mountian Shelter, GA Clay: Today was a great day. We went to bed at 8 PM last night and we woke up and moved around around 6:30 AM. We tented near the shelter last night so we could get some rest and it paid off. Today we had what seemed to be 5 downhill miles and 2 uphill miles. Within the first few miles we were hanging out with Crusty, Shoto (Japanese for "pine"), and Bugler (named after his brand of tobacco). They are some really nice and funny fellows. A highlight for me today was seeing Subman ('03). We talked, we laughed, and we edified each other. Another big highlight was having Branch's parents surprise us. Branch will talk about that. There are about 50 people around the shelter tonight--probably 12-15, including us, in the shelter. Shoto is hilarious! The only muscle in my body that hurts is my jaw from laughter. Like me, he used to be a wrestler and he suffered the Long Trail ('00). I hope to see him and his buddy, Crusty, later. Using Vapor's (AT'05) "boil water on the coals" technique coupled with Hunter's (AT class of many years) "eat out of the Lipton package" technique saved us both fuel and cleaning. Thanks guys! Branch: This morning, as planned,we met up with my parents on Springer, they walked down with us, and continued walking with us past the parking lot for about a mile. We said our good-byes and they turned around and went back. Clay and I went on, thinking that we would see them next at Neel's Gap. After about two miles, we came to Three Forks Gap and there were my parents sporting cold Cokes and Little Debbies--our first Trail Angels! Not only did they feed us, but they fed our new hiking bud's as well. The Coke tasted great, but the surprise of seeing my parents again was even better. We pulled into Hawk Mountain Shelter at about 1:30 with 2 people already claiming space. We claimed 2 more ourselves and before long the shelter filled up. I'm sitting here now, amidst about 15 thru-hikers enjoying a great fire and even better company. Its been so neat meeting and hiking with other people who are planning to thru-hike. I love this community that we now find ourselves becoming a part of. This is the first day on the trail for most, so its fun to watch everyone's excitement as they cook their first meal, build their first fire, and prepare for their first night on the A.T..
3	3/20	Hawk Mountain Shelter	Gooch Mountain Shelter	7.3	Day: 3 Date: 3-20-06 Start: Hawk Mountain Shelter, GA Finish: Gooch Mountain Shelter, GA Mileage: 7.3 A.T. Total: 14.9 Weather: Overcast, cold, then major rain Branch: According to all of the great weather experts on the radio, we were supposed to be dumped on with rain last night and today. However, as we walked today, thankfully we were only blessed with only few sprinkles. We are from Georgia and it is so weird hiking long distance on a trail that I have so many fond memories of. Every where Clay and I walked today, we were reminiscing of hikes past. In fact, I remembered today as being incredibly difficult. I was pleasantly surprised, though to find the hike more invigorating than exhausting. Before I knew it we were at the shelter. In rainy days like today, the name of the game is the love thy neighbor principle. Clay: We were one of the first few persons at the shelter. Oddly enough, the persons at the shelter said that there was no shelter space. To the contrary, there was *plenty* of space--enough for 5 extra people on the first level of the shelter. So, we laid down our sleeping pads and claimed our stake. Within two hours of getting to the shelter, the rain started and there were a whopping 27 people in the shelter that is rated to hold 14 people! Many of these people were trying to escape the rain. When our buddies, Crusty and Shoto, showed up to the shelter, I found out that they were not carrying a tent! Suzy and I offered to give them our shelter space and, instead, we would sleep in our tent. However, these guys refused our offer. They will try to find space in the shelter. There is room for one more person if we squeeze together but the person next to us is adament to not give space to our tentless friends. As a matter of fact, when we moved to make room, this said, "there is no room" and then took our space! It is very sad. On the trail, like the real world, there are people who do not "love their neighbor like they themselves" (Matthew 12:31). They practice an ethical system called "egoism" or "conventionalism". On this view, even those who are very selfish now, will find themsleves needing to "love thy neighbor" in order for society to work. Depravity is alive and well on the trail. Conversely, we have also met some very fine people on the trail. A highlight of this rainy day was talking with Aaron last night was fun. He gave me quite a bit of insight about a certain school I have been considering attending. Another highlight was going over Sassafrass, Justus, and Phyllis Spur mountains with no problem.
4	3/21	Gooch Mountain Shelter	Neel's Gap / Branch's parent's home	15.6	Day: 4 Date: 3/21/06 Start: Gooch Mountain Shelter End: Neel's Gap/Branch's parent's home Miles: 15.6 A.T. Total: 30.5 Clay: Today we decided to walk slow and steady. We decided that it would be worth it to pass the first shelter, traverse Blood Mountain, and go to Branch's parents home just south of Neel's Gap. Following Ray Jardine's advice, we decided to leave camp and eat breakfast during our first break. Branch left camp at 7 AM. I had to stand in line at the privy. I enjoyed talking with Bear while we waited for our turn. This is his third attempt to thru-hike. I hope he makes it. I left camp at 7:15 AM and I took time to hike with Crusty and Shoto. We hiked for a while until we got to Gooch Gap. There Branch was getting our no-cook breakfast ready. We said goodbye to our friends at this point. Since they have no tent, they needed to push on to the shelter just in case the weather turned fowl. Unfortunately, they were caught in "the shelter races". What are the shelter races? These are when hikers try to beat each other in an unofficial, unspoken hiking race to gain a space in the shelter. Unlike most people, these guys really needed the shelter. After we said our goodbyes, we hiked on. This section of trail was bloated with fond memories from hikes in our past. For fun, we used to hike to Ram Rock just for a bit of exercise and a good view. Today, as we stood on top of Ram Rock, we were literally above an ocean of clouds. Below the clouds, in the valley, is "R" Ranch. Branch and I were married there 3.25 years ago and the A.T. on Black Mountain is in our background of our wedding pictures. Branch: After looking out over the ocean-esque clouds we headed down Ramrock and I felt as if I were home. I have probably done this section at least a hundred times. Every rock, every turn held some kind of memory and some story. I talked about the time that my 2 sisters, my brother, and I had a makeshift picnic on the rocks of a tricking waterfall. I talked about the time my mom and I camped and I had blisters under many of my toenails. I talked about the numerous times that my family and I made the short jaunt up to "Preaching Rock". All along the way, Clay proudly kept telling other hikers about how he proposed to me on "Preaching Rock". When we got to Preaching Rock, we sank down onto the rock, prayed, and renewed our vows. It was obvious to me and to others how proud he was and how much he loves me. I don't think that I've felt that special in a very long time. The second coolest part of the day came later in the afternoon. We had been walking in the fog since yesterday morning and we had not seen the sun at all. This afternoon, as we climbed out of Henry Gap, I looked up and noticed a small patch of blue sky. Then, without warning, the sun began to peek through the fog. For a brief moment, both sunlight and fog coexisted in the landscape and made for the most beautiful, eerie, and fascinating sight. As the wind blew the fog around and as the sun began to melt it away, there was a battle of sorts over which would occupy the territory we were walking through. One minute we'd be sweating under the brightest of sunshines, the next we were freezing under the chill of the dense fog. The result was some of the most beautiful weather I have ever seen. Clay and I whispered praises to Jesus, the Almighty Creator for the awesome beauty that we were priviledged to witness.   Clay: Two other highlights from this day came at the days end. We had been leap-frogging with "Coffee Break" and his hiking partner for a number of miles. Coffee Break has long hair and looks like a hippie. To my surprise, he is an intellectual Christian guy that will be pursuing a masters degree later this year. We hope to run into him again. Another highlight was completing over 15 miles, walking from the trail to Branch's parents' car, eating a home-cooked meal, and sleeping in an area where a stranger is not snoring or "snuggling" you.
5	3/22	Neels Gap/Branch's Parent's Home	Neels Gap/Branch's Parent's Home		Clay: Today we took a much-needed day of rest at Branch's parent's home. I slept in, I took a long shower, I caught up on e-mail, and I continued my reading in the Bible of the minor prophets. These guys are amazing. They would see a problem (viz. sometimes a social problem like the poor being taken by the rich or just general sin), they would state the problem, they would cite God's (sometimes conditional) judgment. The most interesting thing to me is that the minor prophets consistently talk about "the remnant" of believers. Romans 11 also talks about the remnant as well. What this says to me is that not everyone that goes to church or claims to be a follower of Christ is a believer. This is no deep insight however. We've all met these people. Sometimes they are in leadership positions. Conversely, some of the most rough-looking, "weak" people you meet are the finest Christians. When we run into "the remnant", we are edified. Branch: Today was nice because I got to hang out with my family. I love spending time with my sisters, hearing my brother play his guitar, being near both my parents, and watching life go on as normal. I am so proud at how each of my siblings is growing up. They never cease to amaze me.
6	3/23	Neel's Gap, GA	Hogpen Gap/Friend's Home	6.4	Day: 6 Date: 3/23/06 Start: Neel's Gap, GA Finish: Hogpen Gap/Friend's home, GA Weather: Cold, windy, cloudy Mileage: 6.4 A.T. Total: 36.9 Branch: This morning we woke up, said our last goodbyes to my family, and headed to Neel's Gap. My dad rearranged his work schedule today so that he could drop us off (thanks dad!). When we pulled into the parking lot, I was excited to see many of the same people from the crowd that we were with before still hanging around. We were especially excited to see Crusty and Shoto. We milled around for a while getting reacquainted with people and hanging out with my dad. Finally, around 9:30, we signed in as thru-hikers, took a picture, and began today's hike. We are hikers 328 and 329. We enjoyed spending the time between Neel's Gap and Tesnatee Gap hanging out with hikers and sharing the views from the ridge with them. We even met a few other thru-hikers that we'd not seen before. Three of them were women. It was great meeting Harley Hogpit, Spaghettio, and Daphne. I hope that we get to hang out with them more. Clay: At Tesnatee Gap, our buddies Kneebee and Medicine Woman were waiting with a bunch of goodies for hikers. What a nice thing to do! All of our hiking gang were happy to eat the goodies. We all laughed and had a good time. I have known Kneebee for 24 years. We are best buddies. He and his wife, Medicine Woman, told us that it was going to snow tonight. So, we asked them whether we could spend the night at their home in order to avoid the snow. Of course, they said 'yes'. So, while they dropped Spaghettio and Harley Hogpit at Neel's (they too wanted to avoid the snow), we hiked Little Wildcat Mountain--our favorite mountain in Georgia. When they got back, we headed to their home. Tonight we had a cozy fire, tortilini, salad, and fun conversation. Thank you, Kneebee and Medicine Woman. We had a great time. We are going to miss you.
7	3/24	Hogpen Gap, GA	Blue Mountain Shelter, GA	11.4	Day: 7 Date: 3/24/06 Weather: Snow, cold Bear Sightings: 1 Start: Hogpen Gap, GA Finish: Blue Mountain Shelter, GA Miles: 11.4 A.T. Total: 48.3 Clay: It snowed last night on the trail. By God's grace we were at our friend's home last night--Kneebee and Medicine Woman. We woke up today with new vigor. They drove us back to Hogpen Gap and they surprised us. Our hosts, trail angels, and friends wanted the four of us to hike to Low Gap shelter together! Of course! As we walked we were amazed by the wonderland of snow and ice around us. Ice crystals formed sideways from the blowing winds on the white-covered landscape. We hiked slow and steady contantly saying, "Ooooo" and "Ahhh". What a perfect time we had with our friends. The remainder of the day we hiked with "WisconsKen". It was great hanging out with this musician. both he and Branch were having knee problems. So, we thought it would be helpful if he hung out. That is, we thought that conversation may help him to think less about his knee. It was fun talking to him as we walked through the snow. We even talked about the meaning of life. We had originally planned to do big miles and stay in Helen in order to stay out of snow and cold. However, God had different plans. Crusty and Shoto wanted to stay at Blue Mountain Shelter. We love these guys! How could we say no? Hot shower and a bed versus hanging out in the snow--no problem. So, after a little consideration and paradigm shifting, we stayed with our friends. It was worth it. We talked about cosmology, grace, intelligent design, infinity, and a host of other fun topics. As I was getting our water for the night, I looked up and there was a bear cub about 15 feet from me! The cub was cute but I did not want to see it's mama. Bears need to experince negative reinforcement near humans and near camp. Otherwise, they could associate food and people. That could be dangerous. So, I began clanging my cooking pot and asking little bear cub to leave. It was like walking a cute dog. Unfortunately, the bear cub went into camp. Branch: At the time of Craig's bear sighting, I was in our tent reassessing our food needs and doing a few other small chores. All of the sudden, I heard some shout, "If you want to see the bear, there it is!" Simultaneously, I heard a loud, constant clanging noise, as if someone were clanging their pot to get the bear away. Knowing that Clay was in the general direction the hiker had pointed, I knew that he had to be involved in some way. At the sound of the shout, people began running at the poor cub with camera in hand. Soon, the misguided cub was darting between tents quickly followed by camera flashing hikers. As if posing for us, the frightened cub leapt up onto a tree for a pose! As if waking from a dream, everyone seemed to realize that where a baby is, a mama must be nearby. So, everyone began to shout at the bear in order to chase it away. After a few moments, the bear ran away and the excitement was over. Afterwards, there was never a more "Leave No Trace" conscious group of hikers. We definitely did not want a visit from mama or papa bear in the middle of the night. As the sun went down and the temperature dropped, everyone gathered around the hottest, most wonderful campfire I've ever seen. As we huddled around the fire, I was so glad that we had stayed. It was obvious that God had lead us to spend time here, with our fellow hikers. Conversations were sprinkled with laughter and peppered with deep thought. It was so difficult to peel myself away from the safety and heat of the blazing fire tonight. To me, it was a wonderful reminder of how God is. His radiating heat and light draw me close to Him. He is life-giving and purifying. Leaving the fire for the coldness of the dark night was no fun. As I crawled into my sleepng bag, I thanked God for the great reminder.

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