Climbing Springer Mountain 2020

On April 12, 1980 I climbed Springer Mountain to start my 146 day backpacking journey to Mount Katahdin, Maine. It's been 40 years since that journey. The pandemic of 2020 delayed my plans, but I was able to climb Springer again on June 5, 2020 with my son, Joshua Kennedy.
We left my house in McDonough, Georgia early in the morning and had to drop off some stuff at my son's workplace in Duluth, Georgia. That delayed us some, but we were determined to make the trip. About a half hour before we got to Amicalola Falls it began to rain pretty hard. By the time we arrived at the State Park there were rain showers.
We went inside the visitor's center for a little while and took some pictures, including some with the arch at the beginning of the approach trail. The Appalachian Trail actually starts on the TOP of Springer Mountain. The approach trail is about 8.5 miles from the visitor's center to the top of Springer. Back in 1980 I knew that there was a road to the top of the falls and that I could start the approach trail there. That saved me one mile of extremely steep climbing (including a very long set of stairs).
Josh and I drove to the top of the falls and parked there. It was still drizzling rain just a little bit, but we started hiking at about 11:00am. We knew that we had a 15 mile round trip hike to get up and back before nightfall. Within 15 minutes the rain showers stopped and never returned. Our earlier delay saved us from hiking for an hour in that rain storm!
The trail was very heavily traveled and is marked with blue blazes. It is a steep climb up, up, and up! Yes, there are some level sections. There are even some short downhill sections. But most of the trail is going up. Josh and I labored diligently up the trail, talking almost the whole way. We enjoy just being able to spend some father/son time together.
We found a nice spot to stop and eat lunch and rest. The sun came through the trees and it was beautiful. There were some lovely flowers along the trail. Some were white, some yellow, but the most striking were the deep blue flowers. Josh liked to see some of the old trees with bumps and crooks in them. Some were dead and in various states of decay, often with interesting mushrooms growing on them.
We finally reached the summit of Springer Mountain at 4:00pm. There is a view from the top, but it is not as stunning as the views off of other mountains. The summit has lots of trees and a large rock outcropping that bears a metal plaque showing the summit and the beginning of the Applachian Trail. This trail stretches 2,100 miles through 14 States to Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park, Maine. I looked down and saw the first white blaze marking the trail. I remembered following those blazes all the way to Katahdin. 40 years is a long time, but the memories of the Trail stay with you forever.
We stayed on the summit for an hour talking to several other hikers, signing the register, resting, and enjoying the view. At 5:00pm we started to descend. I knew that it was going to take a while to get down and was concerned that we might lose daylight and have to hike using our flashlights. I did put a brace on my right knee before we began the descent (and I'm glad I did). Going downhill can put a lot of pressure on your knees.
We made good time and only took a few rest breaks. By 8:00pm the sunlight was beginning to wane. After it set we could still see the trail in the dusk. An owl began to call out followed by the bark of a dog somewhere off the trail. Gradually the light began to fade and our steps grew faster.
Just before 9;00pm I was thinking about putting on my head lamp when I saw something through the trees. It was the parking lot! Four hours after leaving the summit, Josh and I emerged from the woods and arrived at the top of the falls parking lot. The light was now gone and we could see the twinkle of tiny lights in the valley from houses below.
We drove up to the Lodge and went inside for a little while. The view off of the observation deck is usually stunning, but the dark made it harder to see. We were hoping to get some food from the restaurant, but it was closed for the night. It was time to leave and find some food.
After a wrong turn in the dark (in the middle of nowhere) we finally regained GPS signal and found our way to civilization (before we heard any banjo music!). The yellow Waffle House sign in Cumming, Georgia was a welcome sight! We chowed down on some good food and left at 11:00pm, right when they were closing the Waffle House. Yes, you heard that right. Waffle House closed! Because of the 2020 pandemic a lot of restaurants had shorter hours, including Waffle House.
It was 12:45am before we arrived tired but safe at my house in McDonough, Georgia. The next day I was so sore I could barely move, but it was better in a couple of days.
I was glad to be able to celebrate 40 years of finishing the Appalachian Trail by climbing Springer Mountain with my son, Josh. We hope to be able to climb Katahdin sometime later this summer. Best wishes to everyone and God bless!

40 Years Ago I Started Hiking the Appalachian Trail

Today is April 12, 2020. It is 40 years since I started hiking the Appalachian Trail! I remember that first day very well. It was raining. It rained every day the first week! I started at the top if the falls at Amicalola Falls. Back then there was a road to the top of the falls, but the lodge had not yet been built. I slogged through the rain with a heavy pack (40 pounds with one week's worth of food). I reached the top and saw the marker at the top of Springer. After a brief pause, I continued on until I reached the old shelter. It already had 9 people in it and I made it 10. Of that group, only one was on a short hike. The rest were going to Maine. All of that group made it to Maine, although a few didn't finish in 1980 and had to finish later. Since I was from Georgia, people started calling me "Georgia" and that was my trail name.
The Appalachian Trail changed me for the better. I learned to trust God in ways that I could never imagine. I learned to persevere in spite of difficult circumstances. I learned about the kindness and goodness of people. I was immersed in the beauty and majesty of God's amazing Creation. His Mountains are absolutely beautiful!
I had plans to hike to the top of Springer Mountain this week in remembrance of the 40th anniversary. Unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic is still going on and everyone is on lock down until the virus passes. I still plan on making the trip as soon as possible, hopefully this Spring. And I also plan to climb Mt. Katahdin, Maine in the late Summer. Every time I think of the Trail it brings a smile to my face. It changed me, and I'm glad it did!

Celebrating 39 years since finishing the Appalachian Trail

It's amazing to me how fast the years roll by. 6 days ago I celebrated the 39th anniversary of climbing Katahdin and finishing my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Words cannot express the tremendous impact that the Trail has had on my entire life. I'm glad I hiked it as a young man. Whenever I go through difficult times in life, I am reminded that I also went through difficult times on the Trail. I was able to persevere on the Trail and that reminds me that I can also persevere in life. There are countless other life lessons that I learned from the Trail. It's not unusual for me to bring up a reference to the Trail when I am talking to others about all kinds of different situations. My children (now grown into adults) always loved to hear my "stories about the Trail".
I know that this blog was started about 8 years ago to try to capture my memories about the Trail. I also know that I have not finished all of the stories. I'm sure that I will get to it at some point. I hope to consolidate all of the stories, edit them, and perhaps self publish a small book. I doubt many would be interested in it, but I want to do that someday as a reminder to my family (and other interested people) of the impact the Trail can have on a life.
I'm planning to climb Springer Mountain in the Spring of 2020 and Mount Katahdin in the late Summer of 2020 to celebrate 40 years of wonderful memories. If you would like to hike with me on one of these day trips please let me know. God bless!

38 Years Ago..

One more pound gone!

Well it's the new year and I am gradually trying to get back into shape. At my worst last year I weighed 204 pounds (first time EVER over 200). I clawed my way back to the mid 190's and stabilized there for a few months. Thanksgiving and Christmas didn't help much with trying to get the weight off. I have been walking fairly regularly for the past 6 months. That has helped me to feel better and get stronger. Now it's time to push through and get more weight off. I weighed in this morning at 193. I'm going to watch what I eat and try to keep exercising. I'm going to the Holy Land in 4 weeks, so I'm trying to get below 190 and maybe to 185 before I go. Stay tuned for updates!

Gradual Progress

I'm encouraged that I have lost 9 pounds over the last two months! I still have a long way to go, but it is good to make progress. I am finally able to wear my wedding band. Previously my hands were too swollen for it to fit. Now I can wear it during the day (and take it off at night because my hands tend to swell some while I sleep). Hopefully I can get back to wearing it 24/7.
I have been walking (with some short spurts of jogging uphill) over the past 2 months. In August I walked 16 times, burned 5,969 calories, and climbed 2,780.6 feet in elevation (according to my handy dandy Runkeeper app on my phone). Since one pound of fat is about 3,500 calories, I burned almost 2 pounds of fat by exercise and probably trimmed the rest of it off by eating more sensibly.
Starting to exercise takes patience. I did have about 10 days where I didn't walk at all and it allowed my muscles to heal up and stop being sore. I still wear a knee brace on my right knee (and probably always will). It just needs a little bit of support, especially if I jog any.
My youngest Yorkshire Terrier, Izzi, has tons of energy. This week I started taking her on the first half of my walk to help her burn off some of her endless energy. She walked 1.73 miles today and still wanted to play later!

Making Progress

Well, I'm making progress! I've been watching what I eat (but not doing anything crazy). The biggest change is that I have started walking a lot. If I walk my entire subdivision it is 3.45 miles. So most days I have been walking all of that. Some days I walk more. today I walked 4.24 miles and burned 495 calories! A long time ago a personal trainer told me that the only way to get rid of fat is to "burn it off with cardio." That means walking, running, or other aerobic exercise. I can feel it in my legs, sometimes my ligaments are sore. I also usually wear a knee brace on my right knee because it is a little weak.
A friend of mine helped me put new tires on my bicycle and tuned it up. I haven't gone riding yet, but hope to start soon. That's another form of exercise that will hopefully be gentle on my knees. I will keep you informed of my progress.
Speaking of progress, I am down to 198 now, which is a loss of 6 pounds! I'm still shooting for a final weight of 170 and want to maintain it. Once I reach that weight I will probably start working on my one mile run. I have always wanted to run one mile in less than 5 minutes. My best time was when I was at Georgia Tech and it was 5:12 (SO close!). I'm making progress!