[at-l] The Holiest Springer Approach

[saunterer@jimbullard.org (saunterer@jimbullard.org)]

At 03:48 PM 5/1/02 -0400, RoksnRoots@aol.com wrote:
>***   Don't want to nitpick, but I met Jumpstart on my hike. I believe
>he told me that he jumped into the tiny field by the parking lot which is a
>pretty impressive doing considering the mountain's height and small degree of
>error permitted. The plaque area would probably involve some nasty scrapes or
>broken bones. We won't go into what some Trail purists would have thought
>about the spectacle part...

Quote of the day from Jump Start's journal:
" March 9
         I made and unstable exit from the plane at 8000 feet.  I pulled 
the ripcord at 6500 feet, and once under canopy I turned into the wind to 
check my drift.  The rock- and scrub-filled clearing on Springer Mountain 
was a small target, and the wind was pushing me backward at 22 mile an 
hour.  On the ground my daughter and son-in-law popped a red smoke 
grenade.  I watched it over my shoulder, backing in and holding against the 
wind.  I would have landed right on target at the Southern extremity of the 
Appalachian Trail, except that my final turn brought me into dead air space 
where the ridge lift rolled after crossing the top of the mountain.  I went 
straight down into the trees.  My canopy caught on two trees and left me 
dangling between them like a grasshopper in a spider web."

What a way to start!

sAunTerer