White Blazes and Southern Terminus

My original intention for this post was to describe the overall route of the Appalachian Trail – the States it passes through and the various National Forests, National Parks and State Parks that host the trail. The post was going to be titled “About the A.T. – Part 2.” However, describing the A.T.’s route in a single post is simply not possible. There is so much background information that such a titling scheme would lead to Part 3, Part 4, Part 43, Part 463 and possibly ending with Part 415,975! If I followed that, I’d loose all of you before I even started talking about my gear and upcoming shakedown hike – let alone the actual thru-hike itself!

I have learned about a cool feature in WordPress (the blogging software driving this site) called “Categories.” Categories show up on the right side of the browser, at the bottom. Clicking a category link will display all posts in that category.  I have created a category called, “About the A.T.” and will assign that category to any posts that deserve it. That way, I can get on with other blog posts, that are not related to “About the A.T.” For now, on with the intended content…

Yikes! I hope I don’t see many of these!

The A.T.’s route of 2,180 miles takes it across 14 states passing through mountain summits, gaps, ridge lines and valleys. The exact mileage figure for the trail varies all the time, since sections of the trail are sometimes rerouted due to trail erosion, damage or other factors. The trail is marked by over 160,000 “white blazes” – two by six inch rectangles of white paint. The blazes are found on trees, posts and rocks.

Following these white blazes seems simple enough, but there can be complications. For one, the distance between blazes varies. In some areas, white blazes are within sighting distance of one another. In other areas, there may be as few as 4 or 5 blazes per mile! Another difficulty is weather events which may obscure the blazes. Also, some sections of the A.T. will follow along a forest road (or real road) for a short distance. Finding the location where the A.T. breaks off can sometimes be a challenge. If one “looses the trail” – then they have to backtrack, locate the last blaze, then watch with eagle eyes for the originally-missed blaze.

Southern terminus plaque and first white blaze of the A.T.

From 1937 until 1958, the southern terminus of the A.T. was on Mount Oglethorpe in Georgia. Due to developmental encroachment, the A.T.’s southern terminus was moved approximately 14 miles north – to Springer Mountain in Georgia. There is no road that leads to the southern terminus. Thru-Hikers have two options: 1. Start on the “Approach Trail” in Amicalola Falls State Park – which leads to Springer Mountain, or 2. Obtain a shuttle to the Springer Mountain Parking Area via Forest Service Road 42. The Approach Trail is a grueling 8.5 mile ascent to the summit, while starting from the parking area is a short 0.9 mile gentle ascent to the summit. Whatever the choice, a hiker arrives at the summit of Springer Mountain and observes this plaque. It states, “Appalachian Trail. Georgia to Maine. A Footpath for Those who seek Fellowship with the Wilderness.” To the left of the plaque is the first white blaze of the Appalachian Trail.

I wonder what my thoughts and feelings will be when I arrive on the summit and gaze upon this plaque and first white blaze!?! I could easily allow speculation to run rampant. But the truth is, I will not know until I am actually there. I await those thoughts and feelings with great anticipation!