Okay, you have a point. But think about it. It's only 8 miles. And if you get there the night before, you can spend your last night in a real bed, get a really nice breakfast, and feel like you have actually started FROM somewhere, instead of at the end of a bumpy forest service road that may or may not tear the muffler off the car you're in. When I do my thru, I'm starting from the approach trail. Just because. Once I've triple-crowned, when someone asks me if I did the approach, I'll just make a little Tim the Toolman Taylor grunt and give the asker a noogie.
I skipped it in 1999 when I made my thru-hike attempt. I didn't lose a minute's thought over it.
Long-distance aspirations with short-distance feet.... :jump
They should probably just white blaze it and be done with it. If I were doing a thru, I'd skip as long as it's blue. Mainly because I've already done it.
L Dog
AT 2000 Miler
The Laughing Dog Blog
https://lighterpack.com/r/38fgjt
"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness." - John Muir
Southern terminus belongs on flagg mtn in alabama, if anywhere else.
The original north terminus proposed was mt washington, with spur trail to.katahdin, and spur from n. Alabama to georgia. The katahdin spur was finished in 1940. Alabama spur was never blazed. The pihoti was started in 1970, finished 2008. Would add 300 miles to AT. People been petitioning congress for years.
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 10-19-2017 at 17:50.
If you're a SOBO and you start your hike from Springer Mountain then it's cheating
L Dog
AT 2000 Miler
The Laughing Dog Blog
https://lighterpack.com/r/38fgjt
"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness." - John Muir
I did the Approach SoBo bc I did all of Fontana - Springer SoBo. I also did the approach trail because the shuttle waws $10 cheaper then then getting picked up at base of springer lol
I also did the approach because I wanted to see the falls, the stairs, and the arch.
Trail Miles: 4,980.5
AT Map 1: Complete 2013-2021
Sheltowee Trace: Complete 2020-2023
Pinhoti Trail: Complete 2023-2024
Foothills Trail: 47.9
AT Map 2: 279.4
BMT: 52.7
CDT: 85.4
For the life of me I can't fathom why anyone would skip the Approach Trail....It's part of the A.T., in fact the first A.T. shelter is right behind the visitor's center at Amicalola.
Let's head for the roundhouse; they can't corner us there!
Ditto. I departed Amicalola the day before Spring, and stayed at Black Gap AT shelter with the intention of being the first to summit Springer, and so title myself "first hiker of the spring! An act I pulled off.
My register entry
3/20 *We Walk With Spring
Today at 1:14 the Sun was at the point on our celestial sphere where its ecliptic intersected our equator within the constellation of Pisces. Hence, today is the first day of spring. At this point in time night and day stand in balance, but the days of long nights are behind us. Our days are becoming longer, and the earth warmer. As we begin our journey north along the spine of the Appalachians, we'll bear intimate witness to the earth's renewal. And to our own.
LDog GA=>ME
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L Dog
AT 2000 Miler
The Laughing Dog Blog
https://lighterpack.com/r/38fgjt
"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness." - John Muir
https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults
A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White
It is no different in the north
Actually the AT in Maine was officially completed on August 4th 1937. . There were two previous guides to Maine but they had missing sections called out. The 1934 edition specifically refers to Katahdin as the northern terminus so it appears to have been recognized as more than a spur path prior to the completion. Of course Myron Avery wrote the guides at that time so he may have elected to treat Katahdin as the terminus so that it would be self fulfilling prophecy.
I just realized that I took a cut-off trail from a privy once in SNP so I need to redo that entire section.
I did the approach trail to Springer Mountain last, about 350 days after the start of my thru hike, when I returned to help some friends get started on their journey. IMO Amicalola is worth it. It's challenging but if you start early, take your time, and don't freak out, you'll have a great first day. This way you won't finish wishing you had done approach trail. Be sure to hydrate like a mofo before you start.