Free at last

  It was a bit later in the day then I had hoped, by the time I came back down from the summit of Springer. The wind had turned very chilly and the sun was beginning to set. A steady breeze was blowing through the bare trees.

  The ladies were talking to the trail maintainer when I came back. He was giving them a little information on what I faced in the months to come. When I arrived we all said our farewells and started the trip back to the parking lot. I may have been a bit anti-social by this point (for which I should probably apologize). I needed to get on the trail and have the car go away. It was the last temptation of returning home, and going back to something that resembled stability. A brief kiss goodbye and promises of being safe, and there I was, finally on the trail.

  It was near 7 p.m. as I donned my pack and watched the Volkswagon pull away. The wind had increased and the air was cold. I walked about 200 feet away from the road and decided that putting thermals on was the best idea. The hiking pants I had on were designed to unzip so you could pull them over my boots. The legs would detach and make them shorts if necessary, however I quickly found out the thermals were not designed the same way. Not even 15 minutes into my adventure and I had my first mishap, I tore the leg of my thermal pants from ankle to knee. It was chilly and I was in a hurry so I ignored the tear thinking that I would sew them later. I wondered if it was a sign of things to come, but put it out of my mind. I was here and I was going to give it my best, one way or the other.

  The sun had dipped below tree line, and the sky was beginning to darken. The cold spring wind was in my face and I decided that I would walk until I was out of the wind and find a place to tent for the night. I came across a point in the trail where the trail split. Off to the left was a little flat spot, made from where the trail used to go that direction, but had been changed when hikers decided to go below the trunk of the tree instead of around it. I pulled out the tent and discovered that it was too small. I rolled out the sleeping pad on the ground, jumped into my sleeping bag, and covered up with a piece of plastic I had brought as a ground-cover. I was about 2 feet away from the trail, covered with some cheap plastic to keep off the dew, and very much relieved. My first night on this grand adventure and I managed to get about 1 ½ miles up the trail. My journey had begun.

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Living for something more than the almighty dollar.