I started out from the Upper Falls pkg. lot near the Lodge, which saved me about 3/4 mi. and 500' of elevation (I wasn't looking for any extra work here). Hit the Approach Tr. about 7:30am. The hike up to Springer wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, mainly because between the ups and downs there are these 1/4-1/2 mile sections of FLAT trail walking. This is mostly unheard of in New Hampshire where I'm from! And after the switchback section it seemed I was on the summit in no time. Not many people out today except near the summit. I did run into a guy who's through hiked twice and wrote a book about it. After resting at Springer summit a bit (signing the register and getting pics), I continued on to the Springer Shelter to check that out. Then returned back down to Amicalola Falls at 4:45pm. This was by far the most ambitious hike I've done in a long time - 15.3 miles.