The Journey Begins
Picture album is here: http://www.soundsofthedesert.org/gatome2007gh.htm
The Green Hornet. What can I say about him.... Words elude me right now. I've just gotten home from a trip to GA to drop him off at Springer Mountain where he begins a journey, 2,175 miles north, to Mount Katahdin in Maine. We've become great friends in the last year and seeing him off and seeing him at the end of this dream is an amazing thing.
We've been talking about this for the last couple of months. Mostly joking. But in the back of both of our minds, there was the gnawing feeling that it was going to happen eventually, for both of us. As circumstance would have it, time became available to him and he decided to go for it. When he first let me know, my initial feeling was elation for him. Then it turned to sadness, because I knew I'd be losing my favorite hiking partner for the next 5 months or so. Then I started worrying if he'd be able to pull it together in time. Then it would go back to sadness because I knew I'd miss him so much. Then it went to trail envy. I'd love nothing more than to be the one standing on that trail for the next 5 or 6 months. I've been struggling with these emotions since he told me on March 13th.
I was ecstatic when I offered to deliver him to Springer Mountain and he accepted (I will also be seeing him in PA and them picking him up from Katahdin). Things have been such a whirlwind for him these last few weeks that I was wondering if I'd even get to see him before he left.
Which leads me up to Sunday night. I left Columbus at around 6pm and got to Dayton at 7:30'ish. When I got there, "Boy" (Michael, Ben's son) had some stuff that had to be taken over to his Mom's, so we took care of that and Ben said good bye to Michael for the next 5 months (after Michael showed us a couple of tricks on his skateboard. What a great kid!).
So, we head back to the Hornet's place, grabbed his pack and loose ends and headed out. We hit the road at around 8:45pm. I figured we'd get down the road a few hours and grab a hotel room for the night. That we did. I don't even remember where we stopped, just that it was a Holiday Inn Express. I think at that point I was on autopilot. I was living in a surreal "otherworld". I would be like this for the next couple of days. We got up into the room and Hornet did a next to final shakedown of his gear. He sent home some stuff he decided he really didn't need. His pack was at 45 lbs when he left Dayton. I suspect it's at 43 lbs now, maybe. lol Some trailgaritas (okay, lots) were consumed off trail and a drunk Hornet and Ms Doolittle drifted off to sleep.
We ended up sleeping in the next morning since he didn't want to do the 9 mile approach trail and we had gotten such a late start on Sunday night. We got back on the road at about 10:30am with another 5 hours of road ahead of us. It was a scenic drive. Southern KY and TN had red buds blooming like crazy. The splash of color added a lot to the long drive. We finally exited I-75 in Southern TN, just before hitting Chattanooga. Little did we know that the mapquest directions would take us such a scenic route! The directions completely escape me, but we landed ourselves in the heart of the Cherokee NF and drove along the road that follows the Ocoee River. This was the site of the 1996 Summer Olympics for Whitewater competitions. When the section of river is ready to be used, they open the dams and let the water flow. It looks like it would be pretty intense, but all we saw were boulders and gentle mountain stream. http://www.tva.gov/river/recreation/ocoee.htm
As the road winded its way through the mountains, we started to hit the little mountain towns. I kept saying to Ben that I was a basket case. My nerves were really doing a number on me. All those feelings that I had mentioned kept running through me this entire trip. We finally hit the final leg of the trip and I was a little nervous about the ascent up to the Springer Mountain parking lot. The last 7'ish miles were on forest service road that lead up the mountain. Thankfully, it hadn't rained in a good long time. It seemed like we were on this road for hours and I was beginning to wonder if we had somehow missed the parking lot. Sure enough, we went a little further and finally found the parking lot.
We got out of the car and started unloading gear. Mountain Squid from Whiteblaze.net was there to greet us. He was hanging out for the next couple of weeks recording the thru-hikers that were starting their trips. Nice guy, if I were more with it, I would have talked to him a little more. Ugh....
Once everything was together, we headed across the road and started making the .9 mile ascent to the top. It was a lot easier than I expected. I thought for sure it would be a steep ascent. Not the case at all. It went up at a slow incline and was extremely manageable. The skies were pretty overcast, but we could see views of the nearby mountains on the way up. We got to the top in about a half hour. I snapped token pictures of the "before" Green Hornet with each of the AT Southern Terminus Plaques. Once we finished taking in the view, we headed over toward the shelter and camping area. We found a place to pitch the tent and went about our camp duties. Mainly, we just hung out and fought off the black flies that were out in full force.
We consumed more trailgaritas as I was trying to keep my spirits up. The camping area was very quiet and somber, I don't think that helped much. There were quite a few thru-hikers starting and sharing campsites this night. I wanted so badly to be one of them.
Did I mention that more trailgarita was consumed? Lots tonight. So much so that we hit the tent at about 9pm and Hornet passed out. I got out of the tent and walked over to a nearby log and sat down and cried. Thankfully, the wind was picking up and my sobs couldn't be heard throughout the area. 
Tequila and sad hiker girl don't mix very well, I've found out. lol
The next day we awoke to rain drops plopping on the tent. Wasn't a normal rain, by any means. Turns out that a cloud had descended upon us at some point during the night. Everything was soaked, but the fog left an eerie feeling to the surrounding woods. The Hornet always was a big fan of the Blare Witch. Hey Hornet, you reading this! 
I decided to not eat breakfast or filter water this morning since I just had to go down to my car and see Ben off. I tore down my tent and stuffed everything in. I didn't know what my plans would be after getting off the mountain, I just knew I wasn't ready to see the Hornet leave or to go back to Ohio.
I was pretty quiet on our hike down. I feel bad because I don't think he knew why I was so quiet. As many know, I'm not usually quiet unless something is bothering me.
We got to my car, I took my pack off and stuffed it in the trunk. We said our goodbyes and made a promise to see each other again in PA and for him to keep in touch to let me know how trail life is treating him. Yesterday (3/27), he embarked on a trip of a lifetime. Most only dream about it. It's now a reality for him. I'm going to miss him something terrible, but I know how much this means to him. I'm excited to hear his stories along the way.
Watching him head north from the parking lot was one of the harder things I've ever done; Knowing that I wouldn't be able to talk to him anytime I wanted and knowing that he'll be out there having a trip of a lifetime. I am so excited for him and know that he'll have an amazing adventure.
We've been talking about this for the last couple of months. Mostly joking. But in the back of both of our minds, there was the gnawing feeling that it was going to happen eventually, for both of us. As circumstance would have it, time became available to him and he decided to go for it. When he first let me know, my initial feeling was elation for him. Then it turned to sadness, because I knew I'd be losing my favorite hiking partner for the next 5 months or so. Then I started worrying if he'd be able to pull it together in time. Then it would go back to sadness because I knew I'd miss him so much. Then it went to trail envy. I'd love nothing more than to be the one standing on that trail for the next 5 or 6 months. I've been struggling with these emotions since he told me on March 13th.
I was ecstatic when I offered to deliver him to Springer Mountain and he accepted (I will also be seeing him in PA and them picking him up from Katahdin). Things have been such a whirlwind for him these last few weeks that I was wondering if I'd even get to see him before he left.
Which leads me up to Sunday night. I left Columbus at around 6pm and got to Dayton at 7:30'ish. When I got there, "Boy" (Michael, Ben's son) had some stuff that had to be taken over to his Mom's, so we took care of that and Ben said good bye to Michael for the next 5 months (after Michael showed us a couple of tricks on his skateboard. What a great kid!).
So, we head back to the Hornet's place, grabbed his pack and loose ends and headed out. We hit the road at around 8:45pm. I figured we'd get down the road a few hours and grab a hotel room for the night. That we did. I don't even remember where we stopped, just that it was a Holiday Inn Express. I think at that point I was on autopilot. I was living in a surreal "otherworld". I would be like this for the next couple of days. We got up into the room and Hornet did a next to final shakedown of his gear. He sent home some stuff he decided he really didn't need. His pack was at 45 lbs when he left Dayton. I suspect it's at 43 lbs now, maybe. lol Some trailgaritas (okay, lots) were consumed off trail and a drunk Hornet and Ms Doolittle drifted off to sleep.We ended up sleeping in the next morning since he didn't want to do the 9 mile approach trail and we had gotten such a late start on Sunday night. We got back on the road at about 10:30am with another 5 hours of road ahead of us. It was a scenic drive. Southern KY and TN had red buds blooming like crazy. The splash of color added a lot to the long drive. We finally exited I-75 in Southern TN, just before hitting Chattanooga. Little did we know that the mapquest directions would take us such a scenic route! The directions completely escape me, but we landed ourselves in the heart of the Cherokee NF and drove along the road that follows the Ocoee River. This was the site of the 1996 Summer Olympics for Whitewater competitions. When the section of river is ready to be used, they open the dams and let the water flow. It looks like it would be pretty intense, but all we saw were boulders and gentle mountain stream. http://www.tva.gov/river/recreation/ocoee.htm
As the road winded its way through the mountains, we started to hit the little mountain towns. I kept saying to Ben that I was a basket case. My nerves were really doing a number on me. All those feelings that I had mentioned kept running through me this entire trip. We finally hit the final leg of the trip and I was a little nervous about the ascent up to the Springer Mountain parking lot. The last 7'ish miles were on forest service road that lead up the mountain. Thankfully, it hadn't rained in a good long time. It seemed like we were on this road for hours and I was beginning to wonder if we had somehow missed the parking lot. Sure enough, we went a little further and finally found the parking lot.
We got out of the car and started unloading gear. Mountain Squid from Whiteblaze.net was there to greet us. He was hanging out for the next couple of weeks recording the thru-hikers that were starting their trips. Nice guy, if I were more with it, I would have talked to him a little more. Ugh....
Once everything was together, we headed across the road and started making the .9 mile ascent to the top. It was a lot easier than I expected. I thought for sure it would be a steep ascent. Not the case at all. It went up at a slow incline and was extremely manageable. The skies were pretty overcast, but we could see views of the nearby mountains on the way up. We got to the top in about a half hour. I snapped token pictures of the "before" Green Hornet with each of the AT Southern Terminus Plaques. Once we finished taking in the view, we headed over toward the shelter and camping area. We found a place to pitch the tent and went about our camp duties. Mainly, we just hung out and fought off the black flies that were out in full force.
We consumed more trailgaritas as I was trying to keep my spirits up. The camping area was very quiet and somber, I don't think that helped much. There were quite a few thru-hikers starting and sharing campsites this night. I wanted so badly to be one of them.
Did I mention that more trailgarita was consumed? Lots tonight. So much so that we hit the tent at about 9pm and Hornet passed out. I got out of the tent and walked over to a nearby log and sat down and cried. Thankfully, the wind was picking up and my sobs couldn't be heard throughout the area. Tequila and sad hiker girl don't mix very well, I've found out. lolThe next day we awoke to rain drops plopping on the tent. Wasn't a normal rain, by any means. Turns out that a cloud had descended upon us at some point during the night. Everything was soaked, but the fog left an eerie feeling to the surrounding woods. The Hornet always was a big fan of the Blare Witch. Hey Hornet, you reading this! I decided to not eat breakfast or filter water this morning since I just had to go down to my car and see Ben off. I tore down my tent and stuffed everything in. I didn't know what my plans would be after getting off the mountain, I just knew I wasn't ready to see the Hornet leave or to go back to Ohio.
I was pretty quiet on our hike down. I feel bad because I don't think he knew why I was so quiet. As many know, I'm not usually quiet unless something is bothering me.
We got to my car, I took my pack off and stuffed it in the trunk. We said our goodbyes and made a promise to see each other again in PA and for him to keep in touch to let me know how trail life is treating him. Yesterday (3/27), he embarked on a trip of a lifetime. Most only dream about it. It's now a reality for him. I'm going to miss him something terrible, but I know how much this means to him. I'm excited to hear his stories along the way.
Watching him head north from the parking lot was one of the harder things I've ever done; Knowing that I wouldn't be able to talk to him anytime I wanted and knowing that he'll be out there having a trip of a lifetime. I am so excited for him and know that he'll have an amazing adventure.
On the way home I decided to make a spontaneous detour for the Cades Cove in the Smokey Mountains. That was secondary to everything else. The pictures are in the album.
Hornet, if you get to read this at a hostel, I hope you're having a great time. I can't wait to see you again. 