CAN I HIKE THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL? WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?

Amicalola Falls, Georgia

Usually the first question that comes to mind when faced with making the decision to do any long distance hike is, "Can I do it?"  I know that feeling well.  Trust me.  Living here in Florida since 1997, pretty much all that's out there for me in the way of hiking is flat ground...flat...flat...and more flat.  I've even traveled to the northern part of the state in search of the terrain I'd heard rumor was good for training for a mountain-based hike like the A.T. presents.  Let me say this now.  My response to that rumor is, "WRONG!!!"  There really isn't anything here in my home state that can prepare me for traversing those endless mountains.  Don't get me wrong.  Going to the gym and putting the treadmill on a 15% incline and walking until I feel like I can't take another step helps.  I did notice a huge difference in the way my legs felt.  It took a few minutes longer this last time for every muscle fiber in my legs to feel like they were on fire than it has taken in my previous hike.  I was also able to get a breathing pattern set more easily and recovery didn't seem to take as long.  So, by all means, use whatever resources you have available to you to help prepare you to take that first step on the A.T.  Just go in knowing that it doesn't take long for the mountain to show you who is boss.

No time for the gym?  Should you let that stop you from taking on the A.T.?  Nope.  Most definitely not.  I've headed out totally out of shape, having led a fairly sedentary life up until the moment my feet touched the dirt on the trail.  My pack felt like it weighed more like 100 pounds rather than the 35 pounds it actually weighed.  I've felt my pulse pounding in my face.  I've had to stop time after time after only a few steps.  My goal at times has been to simply make it to the next switchback before stopping again.  But I did it.  The mountain kicked my Florida backside all over the place but at the end of the day, when I finally headed into camp for the night, I felt like I'd beaten the odds...like I could do anything if I could actually get through a day of hiking in the mountains with all my belongings in tow on my back.  It's a feeling like no other for me.  Nothing else that I've done over the years has even come close to giving me the sense of accomplishment that completing a multi-day section hike gives me.  I emerge at the other end feeling calm, relaxed and happy....proud of myself for sticking with it when giving up would definitely have been the easier route to take.  And the thought did occur to me...more than once, if I'm being honest.  There were times when I just didn't think I could do it...that I couldn't take one more step, let alone walk another 3 miles.  I've been exhausted.  I've been cold.  I've been scared more than ever before.  But at the same time, I've felt the total joy of standing on the summit, knowing that it was by my own fortitude and strength that I reached such a place.  So don't let being out of shape stop you from even trying such a hike.  By day 3 you'll marvel at how much stronger you feel than you did on day one.  Yes...you'll probably be tired and your muscles might ache but you'll know in your heart that you can go on...that you can do it!

What was I afraid of?  Things that bump in the night...and the woods is a very noisy place at night.  Once that sun slips behind the horizon, it's almost as if your sense of hearing is magnified.  You'll hear every little sound...and every little sound will sound very big!  My first night out was spent atop Springer Mountain in Georgia.

Our campsite up at the Springer Mountain Shelter area

  
 Not once did I really think about large animals such a bears.  I don't know why I didn't but I didn't.  It was so dark that night that I wasn't able to see my hand right in front of my face nor the person I was sharing the tent with.  The sounds of the frogs was deafening and then right as the sun started to rise, they seemed to hit the off switch and the woods went quiet.  We'd survived our first night in the woods.  It wasn't until we returned to the Amicalola Falls visitors center that we learned of a large, male black bear that had been reported as being very active right up there at the Springer Shelter area.  The moment we set off on our second hike a year later, I was dreading the nightfall and those creatures that roam the woods at night.  Perhaps the scariest night I've ever spent was at Justis Creek campsites.  We had the place to ourselves and the entire area just reeked of "creepy."


 

Our campsite a Justis Creek

Still, we did our chores and climbed into bed, exhausted.  At about 10pm, we all heard a large "Crack" coming from up the hill from our tents.  I had the tent alone and can honestly say I don't think I took a breath until the next morning once I heard that sound.  We laid in silence, listening to our visitor as he lumbered down the hill and right behind our tents.  He passed on through without bothering anything but it left a lasting impression on all of us and I still think of it each time I'm on the trail and nightfall arrives.  Still....each time the fear is less and less.  I'm slowly conquering that fear and won't let it stop me from doing what I love to do...hike on the A.T.  My long-winded point is to not let fear stop you.  Fear of the unknown is always the worst but I promise you...if you'll just stick it out, I bet you're going to be very glad you did.  The bears honestly don't want anything to do with you and are almost as afraid of you as you are them.  I'll give you some pointers in a future blog on how to handle bear encounters.  We never thought we'd use such tips but we did actually come around the corner and face-to-face with a black bear.  Thank goodness we kept our wits about us and remembered what we had been taught.  Don't let fear stop you.  Just don't.

So....if you need your own cheering squad to get you out on the A.T. then here I am:  "GO YOU!!!  YOU CAN DO IT!!!"  Just always remember that the mountains don't judge you.  They have no expectations of you.  You can be who you are and they're okay with that.  Just do your best and that's all they ask of you.  The rewards are many.  It's a feeling I can't really put into words.  It can't be explained.  You've got to live it to understand it.  What's stopping you?  You know you want to!

Go for it!  Springer Mountain awaits!