On the Appalachian Trail

Yes, it was raining, and a stiff mountain wind was blowing across Neels Gap.

"You really want to do this - walk the Appalachian Trail in weather like this?" I asked myself.

The early morning mist still shrouded the mountains and the ground was soaked but I was here, the trail was here, and if bad weather is the only weather you've got, what do you do?

A sensible person would have skipped it, come back later when it was drier, but I was not feeling very sensible this day.

I had come to hike the Appalachian Trail - or at least a part of it - and rain or shine, I was going to do just that.

I was not sure I was on the trail at first.

I was walking along this narrow path, only a foot wide in places, strewn with rocks, with moist laurel and fern fanning my legs as I moved forward, meaning I was getting wetter and wetter.

Then a sign I found confirmed that THIS WAS the Appalachian Trail - the famous skyline trail that runs from Georgia to Maine.

I was not expecting a four-lane highway, mind you, but maybe a kind of woodland sidewalk? Yes.

But not so.

The Appalachian Trail is what it is: a path that leads you through the shimmering forest, where, after the rain, the leaves of the oak, poplar and hickory trees shimmer and shine.

I hiked four miles in, four miles out - a feat for me, though not much of an achievement for an experienced hiker. However, what I saw was life renewing.

If you ever have a chance to walk in the rain moistened forest, I suggest
you do so. I will go back and soon.

The Appalachian Trail is not just an experience, it is a feeling.


Jerry Gunn is a reporter for WDUN NEWS TALK 550, AM 1240 WGGA, and MAJIC 1029 and www.accessnorthga.com.