as i come around bend in rocky trail i heard it it was twenty feet ahead just out of sight behind thick clump of bushes something huge was rustling around this was exactly what i had been dreading most
for first few weeks my journey on appalachian trail had been uneventful it was hard work and very beautiful but mostly it was just walking. like nearly twenty five hundred other hikers each year i set out from springer mountain in northern Georgia. My plan was to follow the Appalachian Trail all the way to Maine. I wanted to be one of only a few hundred people who actually finish the two-thousand- mile hike. 3 Leaving in early April, I thought the weather would be perfect. It would be cool enough for comfort as I climbed the steep hills and mountains but warm enough to miss the last bad weather of winter. Well, I was wrong about that! During the first week I had to through snow and freezing rain as I made my way into the Smoky Mountains Luckily, I was prepared. I had brought special clothing designed to keep me dry and warm Unlike thick wool or cotton, these fabrics were thin and dried quickly
4 It was also nice to know that I was not trudging through these nasty conditions alone. Most people who want to hike the whole trail start in Georgia in the early spring just like I did. During the first couple of weeks, I met people from around the country. Some were even from other parts of the world. 5 Using a nickname is a tradition for hikers on the trail. For instance, Crunchy and Spiffer were a couple of hikers I met from Vermont When Crunchy found out that I didn't have a trail name, he and Spiffer helped me come up with one. They asked me many questions. They wanted to know where I was from and what I did for a living. We chose the name Schoolie because I'm a schoolteacher. 6 Sometimes the crowds would frustrate me. When it was time to unroll my pack at night and get some rest, the shelters were crowded. This made it hard for me to sleep. I was also looking forward to a quiet walk alone in the woods It was hard to enjoy nature when I ended up hiking for hours with Cosmo. He was a cook from Japan who just wouldn't stop talking!
As I walked north, however, the hikers spread out because everybody walked at his or her own pace. Soon I was walking third week, and not seeing anyone. During the the weather improved. The trees became fuller and greener. It even rained a little less I also began seeing more animals. A couple of times I came upon snakes warming themselves in patches of sunshine. I often woke to chirping and singing. This signaled that warm weather was returning. Walking through meadows and fields, I kept my eyes open for deer. Sometimes I got lucky. Once I spotted almost a dozen deer searching the ground. They were looking for the delicious green buds and sprouts of spring 9 But the animal I was most excited-and worried-about seeing was a bear. I knew that bears were not uncommon along the trail, but they mostly avoided humans. The books I read to prepare for the hike said it is best to avoid bears. If you see a bear, their advice is to stand still until it has walked away. If the bear doesn't leave, you should back away slowly and leave the area. Either way, it was time for me to make a decision about that noise in the woods
10. I was frozen waiting to see just how big this bear was, which way was it headed? The books said not to run because the bear might chase you. But standing still made me feel like bear bait! 11 Just then the rustling became intense. I almost screamed. The bear was about to enter the trail just a few feet from where I stood. I could hardly stand it. 12 At that moment a burst of tan came shooting out of the greenery. It was a deer a big one for sure, but it was a deer. It ran up the trail a bit. Then it ran back into the woods. 13 I took a big breath and my heart slow down. It sure would be nice to bave a biking buddy right about now! I thought to myself.