Appalachian Trail, a plus

It is nice if one decides to hike the trail and spend 6-8 month of their life in the woods, to know they are also gonna see or be close to some interesting things.

The head water spring of the Chattahoochee River, is a water source for hikers. I actually stopped the whole river with my hands for about 30 seconds. (These headwaters meant a lot to me because that is one of the poems Mrs. Grill required me read and learn in the 7th grade was Sidney Lanier’s ‘The Song of the Chattahoochee’:

Out of the hills of Habersham and thru the Valleys of Hall,

She hurries amain to reach the plain, runs the rapids and leaps the falls. …. etc.)

You cross Blood Mountain and just after that the trail actually goes thru a business breezeway. (Now, appropriately an outfitter)  Also good folk.

You walk right across Fontana Dam, the trail goes thru the Smokies (over Rocky Top)  80 miles I think. Over Clingmon’s dome and thru New Found Gap.

In Virginia the trail goes down thru Damascus. Known as the Trail’s friendliest town. Every year they host Trail Days, a festival.

The trail goes the full length of the Shenandoah's, overlooking the beautiful Valley of the same name.

You go close to Camp David, walk beside the fence that houses the sick and recovering animals from the Washington Zoo. It is strange walking in the Appalachian Mountains, in the middle of the woods, to see a Giraffe, Hippo and a Rhino.

Near Camp David you pass an FBI k-9 training camp.(All this in the woods mind you).

You cross the Originally marked Mason Dixon line. Oh yeah, you go thru Harper’s Ferry and get a chance to learn some interesting American History.

In Pennsylvania you  walk by an old abandoned Coal mine and see how rough the miners had it just getting the coal down to the road. You also get to see an Iron furnace.

You  go by a country Club on Bear MT. NY (I remember this place very well, Sherry was cold and wanted a hot cup of coffee. We went in, the bar tender with his nose up in the air, sold us an 8oz Styrofoam  cup of coffee for $5.) Yeah, true.

But the trail continues thru a neat outside zoo-museum. Then via bridge, across the Hudson River. Just after crossing the Hudson in a couple miles the trail goes thru a Catholic Monastery. There is/was a hostel here and the monks will feed the hiker.

My greatest education on the trail was learning that NY has some of the best bakeries in the world. Those folk can bake some bread and pastries.

Enough, thanks for coming this way. I hope you are gaining some insight of the Appalachian trail.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

If you want your dreams to come true, you mustn't oversleep.

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Another Hudson Hornet, 1951