AT Water Fountain #1

AT Water Fountain #2

19 Hikes - 205 Miles

This goal has really motivated me! Today, I took a day off work to enjoy the great outdoors and share the Appalachian Trail with those who also share my passion. The thru hikers who started in early April @ Springer Mountain are now hitting the NC/Tennessee border. I hiked from Sam's Gap to Big Bald and back. With an early start (trail-head @ 8AM) I didn't see anyone on my way north. When I got to Big Bald, I saw a couple who were packing up their gear and preparing to move on. I decided to try to enjoy the day and actually spent 1/2 hour at the mountaintop. I had my Blackberry & noticed that I had service. Well, why not take a picture & share it with the coworkers @ the office! I couldn't resist! On the way back down, I passed 15 hikers heading north. I met a young couple who had left Springer Mountain on April 9th and were hiking to Damascus. That sounds like a very "doable" goal - might be something to consider in the future. Not a full thru hike, but still............ I also met about 5 hikers traveling as a group - maybe Sierra Club. 2 from western NY & 3 from Columbia SC. I felt really lucky to be hiking within 50 miles of home! I also came across about 1/2 dozen hikers that looked like they were attempting an AT thru hike. At this point, they are still enthusiastic and consider the hike "fun." Within another 500 miles they will move from fun to working to "fulfill a major life goal!" One hiker in camo hiking at a real brisk pace looked like a marine - maybe back from overseas and ready to transition from a military life to civilian life. If you look at the first "AT Water Fountain" you may see that it is an Orange Crush soda bottle wedged into the rock to bring out the "fresh water." Question - do you filer or just roll the dice and take a drink??? Or as Clint Eastwood said, "do you feel lucky today?"