April 14, 2009
It was raining, but I didn't care. Today I would finish the Appalachian Trail! Runtrails suggested that Lynn follow Forest Road 42 today which crosses the A.T. in several places. It was a great idea, so that is what we did. I was concerned, however. Our front wheel was making a grinding sound. I was worried that Lynn would get stuck way out on this remote road. Later in the day the noise stopped. When we had a mechanic check it out the next day, he said that it all looked good and that it was probably a rock that had gotten stuck and finally wore itself free. Gee, where would we have picked up a rock?
I left Gooch Gap and met two thru hikers named Koop and Mark. Koop stood for Keep On One Path.
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I hadn't seen many bridges during the past eight days, so I figured this bridge over Justis Creek would be the last I would cross on the A.T. It turns out that I would cross many bridges today. Each one I thought would be the last.
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Lynn met my at Cooper Gap. From there I headed up to Sassafras Mountain.
Coming down the other side I saw these
little cairns.
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I forget this thru hikers name, but I had met him the night before last at the Hiker Hostel.
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I climbed up from Horse Gap
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I met a thru hiker named Onestep. His dog got a trailname last night when he knocked over a woman's bottle of water. His name is now Splash.
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Lynn met me again. This time at Hightower Gap.
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My miles to go were now down to single digits with just 8.4 miles to go. I headed up to Hawk Mountain and then began my final descent on the A.T.
I thought I would be in the woods all day, so I was surprised when the trail went by this field.
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I could here the sound of the falls, so I decided to take this side trail.
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It was only a couple easy minutes on the trail, so I was glad I went.
For a video clip click here.
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I headed back to the A.T. when my sore knee started acting up again.
I met a thru hiker named Green Light.
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He took a picture of me.
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Another water crossing, this one was Chester Creek. (Still not the last bridge.)
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I couldn't believe it. Another 4.1 miles and I will have completed the entire Appalachian Trail.
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By now my knee was hurting even on the flats. Come on knee. You can rest tomorrow.
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OK, this must be the last bridge - nope.
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I had 3.5 miles to go. All uphill. With 2.5 miles to go, I stopped at Stover Creek Shelter which is a little off the trail. I met a section hiker named Ryan.
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Being just 2.5 miles into the trail for nobos, this shelter needs a lot of space.
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I rested my knee, took my rain pants off since it was finally turning into a decent day, and tightened my knee brace. My knee felt much better after this. I started off again when I crossed a bridge. And this one WAS the last bridge I would cross on the A.T.
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I met Lynn at Forest Road 42 for the third and final time today.
She would join me for the finish. Less than a mile to go!!!!
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There was a couple in the parking lot who had just gotten a nine week old puppy.
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A hiker took my picture just after my last road crossing on the A.T.
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Boofer, the last thru hiker I would meet on the A.T.
(FYI - Boofer is a kayaking term)
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After four years of section hiking, I finally found the blaze I was looking for, the last blaze. Ironically, for most hikers, it's their first blaze. I also saw the green plaque of the hiker that I've been looking for as well. I actually saw three of these, but it was the one on Springer that I was after.
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We met Gil on the summit. It was nice to have someone there when we finished. I say we because I never could have done this without Lynn.
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Gil lives in Georgia. He is out "practicing". In June, he will be starting a sobo thru hike. He will start at Katahdin and hike back to his home state.
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Gil took our picture.
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I wasn't expecting a view on Springer, so this was nice.
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Gil pointed out where the trail register was. I never would have seen it.
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The southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
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Lynn had a custom t-shirt made for me stating that I was a section hiker
who completed the trail in April 2009.
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I left my rock from Katahdin that I had been carrying for the past nine days and placed a small note under it wishing those who were starting their adventure good luck. And for kicks, I took out my GPS. I had put Katahdin in as a waypoint. I've often wondered how far Katahdin was from Springer in a straight line. One thing I knew for sure, it certainly wasn't 2175 miles. Ready for this . . . 1117 miles. There are sure a lot of twists, turns, ups, and downs on the A.T.
Despite being in Georgia in April. It was quite cold and getting colder. We hung around for a few minutes and then began the one mile descent back to our car. It was fun returning to the hostel that night. Everyone was excited about starting their adventure, and I had just finished mine. I definitely had mixed emotions. It was great to finish this amazing goal. I hope to rehike many, many miles of the A.T., but unless there is a major trail relocation, I will never again hike a "new" mile of the Appalachian Trail.
For me the journey was over, but that night at the hostel I spent a good hour talking with Matt Curtis who was starting his journey the next day. He is also from Maine. He was recently laid off from Hannaford, so he decided to hike the A.T. If you care to follow his journey click here. There will always be someone hiking the Appalachian Trail. 
Miles to go: 0
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