The plaque and blaze marking the beginning (or end) of the Appalachian Trail at Springer Mountain, Georgia.
On March 6, 1994, I had the privilege to be able to stand on the above spot and gaze out on the beautiful Georgia hills rolling away in the distance. The hike from the top of Amicalola Falls had taken about four and a half hours, and the weather was clear and crisp. It was a beautiful way to start a thru hike on the Appalachian Trail. The photos I've placed here hopefully capture some of the interesting and scenic sights seen in the early days of my hike.
The view southwest from
Springer Moutain about four pm. Mount Oglethorpe, the original
terminus of the Appalachian Trail until 1958, may be one of the
"hills" seen in the far left of the picture, about twenty miles
away. A better view may be obtained by clicking on the photo if
desired.
"Remote for detachment, narrow for chosen company, winding
for leisure, lonely for contemplation, the Trail leads not merely
north and south, but upward to the body, mind and soul of
man."
Harold Allen, early 1930's, who was involved in the
creation of Shenandoah National Park.
A closer
view of the plaque made by the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club
(GATC). There are two other plaques located at Neels Gap and Unicoi
Gap. This plaque was made by a member of GATC in 1933, and the
hiker on the plaque is based on another GATC member. It was placed
here in 1959 after the Trail terminus was moved from Mount
Oglethorpe.
A plaque directly behind
the GATC plaque that was placed by the U.S. Forest Service in 1993.
Underneath this plaque is a drawer built in the rock where a trail
register is kept.
Me, on March
15, 1994, nine days and 75.4 tiring and strenuous miles later, at
the Georgia/North Carolina border. It's only 31.4 miles to
Franklin, NC, my first mail drop!
The view southwest from
Courthouse Bald, about two miles from the GA/NC border. It's a
tough little climb to this point, but the view makes it worth the
sweat.
One of the
more common sights a thru hiker sees at road crossings. This is
just outside Wesser, NC, about 134 miles from Springer.
Sunset on Cheoah Bald,
looking towards Wesser. The Trail goes down to the Nantahala River
across one of the ridge tops seen in this picture.
Sunset over
the Smokies, about twenty-five miles northwest from Cheoah Bald. As
one hikes, you begin to develop a sense of what the weather will be
several days later.clouds seen in this picture were the forerunner
of a bad thunderstorm I hiked through on the top of Yellow Creek
Mountain two days later.
I'd like to thank Kathy Bilton for all the time and effort she has put into making the Appalachian Trail home page as wonderful as it is. Also, thanks go to Lionel Cares for his help in graphic development. I hope to have additional photos of my hike available for viewing in the near future. I also have some information available relating to my experiences with lightning while hiking if you are interested. If you have any questions about my hike, or are interested in hiking the Appalachian Trail, you can send e-mail to me at: mdb@radix.net
Marshall DeBerry
"Tarkus"
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