Hiker Introduction and a Recent Incident

Hello people! I’m David Neal, no route name yet. I recently retired and have been thinking about hiking the Appalachian Trail for years. I first learned about the AT about 50 years ago when a hiker came to our high school and told us about the trail. I thought that was the best! That desire for the trail was reawakened when we moved to the northwest corner of North Carolina five years ago. This is the year it happens.

Before we begin, I would like to give you an idea of ​​how I usually greet people. I usually say «How the hell are you?» I try not to swear, but it’s a losing battle. I dropped the “F bomb” enough to have a sign in my office that said “We put the ‘F’ in Professional”; My mouth is a little dirty.

I will begin my Appalachian hike in March 2026. This will be a Flip Flop hike; My planned route starts at the Elk Garden Trailhead (mm 495 NOBO) to Katahdin. From there, I will return to the Elk Garden Trailhead and head SOBO to Springer. I live about 10-15 miles south of Elk Garden and it’s an easy starting point for me.

I have completed a number of shorter walks over the last six months. Each of those walks has been educational and has shown me areas I needed to work on. Some of those lessons include:

• Bringing too much water—On my first hike to Grayson Highlands, I carried two liters despite MANY water sources.
• Not bringing enough water—In October I ran out of water due to lack of water sources. I could have ridden a camel and even kept water in my bladder to plan for the dry conditions.
• forgetting my spoon—Yes, I’m that guy. I now use a checklist when packing.
• not eating enough—On a walk I got hit and was running on fumes. Now I eat throughout the day and plan my daily food intake.
• Packing for my fears— I’m still working on this, but I may reduce my first aid kit, extra tent stakes, extra guy ropes, etc.
• Encounters with wild animals—An example is when I fucked myself. I left a Snickers bar on my hipbelt. Later that night, I woke up to find that my backpack had been pulled out from under my tent about twenty feet. The Snickers bar was missing and some items were scattered. I now religiously check for loose food before I go to bed at night.

My most recent change was a four-day, forty-mile hike from the Mount Rogers Visitor Center to the Elk Garden Trailhead. There were a lot of hills and for the most part I didn’t see anyone. Doing the hike I’m planning, without starting in Springer, I know I’ll be alone until people start catching up to me. This isolation was something I wanted to prepare for and experience.

Except for the first night, everything went very well.

That first night, at the Trimpi Shelter, it was very windy and cold. As I settled into the shelter and began to set up my air pad, I heard a noise coming from the ceiling. It sounded like it was some kind of “buzzing” sound. I decided to look closer and see what was making the sound. I have a swiss army knife, I thought maybe I could squeeze it and stop it. As I got within a couple feet of the noise, this beast exploded through the rafters and came straight at me.

I screamed, I screamed like a little kid who has a serial killer chasing him. I think I played notes that the dogs in the next county could hear. As I screamed, I threw my things into the air, running away from the creature in an effort to find safety. About ten feet away, I turned and saw the animal.

It was a wren. A wren that didn’t like me shining my headlamp in its face. An angry wren.

That night I slept in my tent. I think I hate birds.

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