My first backpacking trip was with Boy Scout Troop 44 out of Blacksburg, VA. It was the first backpacking trip for a lot of us, actually; Troop 44 was known not for hiking but for cooking. Under the tutelage of the great Arthur "Torchy" Walrath, who literally wrote the book on camp cooking (check out Camp Cookery for Small Groups at Amazon.com), Troop 44 became the Bobby Flay of the Blue Ridge Mountain District.
The hike was part of an attempt at the BSA's 50 Miler Award: if you travel 50 miles by foot or by float (or a combination of both), spend a certain number of nights out in the woods, and do a service project, then you too can get the BSA's 50 Miler Award and sew the patch onto your pack. Wear it with pride.
Our 50 miler was a combination float/foot attempt. We went about 25 miles down the New River in canoes, and would do the rest on first by hiking on the AT. On the second day of the trip we hopped out of our canoes near Pearisburg and hoofed it towards one of the mountains towering over the town, Angel's Rest.
The first day of walking was difficult. We had canoed 13 miles into the wind, had to wait for quite sometime for our packs to arrive, and then had to walk through Pearisburg to the base of Angel's Rest. By the time we got there it had started to rain (naturally). This filled me with fear, becuase the prevailing wisdom on Angel's Rest, as shared by the older scouts, was that it was akin to scaling the Matterhorn, the trail so steep in places that you could reach out and touch it. They were all exagerating of course, but Angel's Rest still does present a challenge. With all the rain coming down, how on earth would we ever make it to the top?
We were just about to start up when the trail was filled by a giant, towering over us in green rain gear with a HUGE pack. He was an older gentleman (50?) one his way into Pearisburg and he stopped for a spell to talk with us. We asked him where he was going and he told us.
Georgia.
He explained that he was thru-hiking the Appalachain Trail and that it ran from Maine to Georgia. It was the first I had ever heard of this. You may be surprised to know that, but remember I was 12, and when you are 12 there are a lot of things you don't know. Amazingly enough, I did meet some people during my hike who didn't realize the trail they were walking on extended for hundreds and hundreds of miles in both directions.
Anyway, the idea that one would chose to walk that far was mind blowing. I am not saying I vowed that day and there to hike the AT, but I thought that it must make for a great adventure. A seed definetly was planted.
I remember a lot about the first trip. The troop mothers had given every other person a stick of summer sausage, and it played havoc with our digestion and was a greasy burden. I am amazed that we were not attacked by bears. Everytime we stopped for a breather my Dad would go around with what remained of his summer sausage and knife and ask people if they wanted some, and cut you off a piece whether you wanted one or not.
My Dad also betrayed a skill for forecasting the weather, which I have learned in subsequent years is something he pays a fair amount of attention to, as do I. He became a kind of oracle. We would ask him if we should set up tents or if it would be okay to sleep under the stars, and he'd give us a judgement based on the clouds and the way the wind was blowing (or maybe he had spirited a radio along with him, I don't know). He was never wrong.
The hike wasn't easy. We didn't have the best equipment, we didn't have the most weight efficient food, we didn't know that we didn't need a good deal of what we had brought with us. One guy "got it". He was a cross country runner, a really good cross country runner, and obviously understood that in a game of distances lighter is better. You could pick up his pack with one finger. Even on my best days on the AT, I could never make such a boast.
In spite of the difficulties and many aches and pains, we were successful. To get the patch we had to camp out one additional night, and so we camped out at one of the Scoutmaster's houses. In an obvious lapse of judgement (a rare thing), they decided to show us "Deliverance", becuase one of the guys who we met while canoeing sort of looked like some guy playing the banjo on a bridge in the film. My glasses broke, and my Dad and I spent the entire movie trying to fix them. We couldn't find any screws so we had to track down some wire and tape; I think my Dad may have stalled on purpose so I couldn't watch the movie. For this I am grateful. It would have been too much. He's a good man.
So that was the first trip. There were more, and eventually there was a small group of scouts and leaders who had things pretty well figured out. When I started hiking the AT for keeps, I considered myself an avid hiker.
But as it turned out, I still had much to learn.
How is that for a cliffhanger! Stay tuned for more.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Some Basic Questions Answered
Before I start jibba-jabbering about the trail, its probably good to get some FAQs out of the way.
#1. Where is the trail, and how long is it?
The trail runs from Mount Kathadin, Maine, to Springer Mountain, Georgia. It runs through (let me see...) Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia (just barely), Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia.
Total distance actually varies from year to year based on measuring equipment and changes to the trail, but when I hiked it was about 2,170 miles.
#2. How long did it take?
About five and a half months. Started July 1, 2005, finished December 10, 2005.
#3. How many miles a day did you go?
I think if you actually take the length of the trail and divide it by the number of days I was out, it comes out to like 13 miles a day, but that includes a lot of zero days in towns and a lot of "nero" days (days where you don't go very far; for me, a nero became anything less than 7 miles. Why 7? I don't really know). I usually shot for 16 miles a day once I was in shape, and I could easily do over 20. My longest day was reckoned at 27.
#4. North or South?
Most people hike going North, starting in Georgia and heading up to Maine. Because I started the hike well after college graduation, in July, I started in Maine and went South. If you do start that late, the weather is much more favorable going south than north; Mount Kathadin usually closes in October due to snowfall.
#5. How much did your pack weigh?
I started out with probably 70 lbs fully loaded (includes food and water), which was way too much. By the time I was in Vermont I had it down to 45 fully loaded. At that point I no longer kept track. I think it inched up a bit when it got cold, but I changed out some of my gear for some lighter options and got it back down again some.
#6. Where did you poop?
In the woods with the bears.
Actually, on the trail there are shelters on the way. They are not much; typically a three sided structure with a roof. It will keep the rain off of you, as long as it isn't windy. Most of these shelters are fairly close to water sources AND they usually also have privies or outhouses.
They come in many different types. You got your classic outhouses, your octagons, your mouldering privies, your two-seaters. My favorite is the mouldering types, because they are typically open air and as long as people "flush" by tossing some duff into the privies when they are down they are less smelly. I will let you puzzle over what duff is. It may or may not be Homer Simpson's favorite beer.
#7. What did you eat?
For the most part, I ate anything that could be cooked by adding hot water. Freeze dried meals, Ramen noodles, some pastas, things like that. In addition, I usually had trail mix, a jar of peanut butter, grape kool-aid, cocoa, and many, many many energy bars. Snickers bars, actually, provide the most energy on the dollar.
In town I ate what ever I could get my hands on.
#8. Down or synthetic?
I started off using a synthetic sleeping bag, but I am definitely a fan of goose down now. I met people on the trail who ended up going in the other direction.
#9. Nude Hiking Day?
I think nude hiking day is in June, and it is usually something the northbounders (i.e. people hiking from Georgia to Maine) do to break up the monotony of hiking. So I missed it. Didn't stop me from trying one day anyway. Didn't catch on for me.
#10. Wow, really? Did you run into anyone, that would be embarrassing
No shit. I've actually read that if you are going to hike nude, its best to do it in a small group of people, mixed gender if possible. Otherwise you just look like someone who really, really loves nature. Thankfully, I picked a day and a place where I didn't expect to meet anyone, and I was right.
I did, however, definetly got caught once skinny dipping...not really skinny dipping, but rather just having a wash in a stream. That is a story in and of itself.
#11. Did you hike alone?
Sort of. I didn't have a dedicated hiking partner. In the beginning, there was plenty of northbounders coming up the trail so I usually had company at night. Sometimes I would hike with some southbounders for a few days, and finally towards the end I hiked with a couple whose hiking style matched mine fairly well (Bad Cheese, Stalecrackers, if you are out there give me a shout!)
There was a large portion of the trail where I did hike very much alone, from Pennsylvania well into Virginia. It was not fun.
#12. Dude, I got more questions, but the idea of you hiking nude...it's like burned this image into my brain. Somethings are better left unsaid, you know?
Hey, I didn't ask the question.
#13. You should have lied.
Fair enough. We'll pick this up at a later time. It's late anyway, and I have to be getting to bed.
#14. I'll bet you are going to tell me you sleep in the nude too.
Har har.
#1. Where is the trail, and how long is it?
The trail runs from Mount Kathadin, Maine, to Springer Mountain, Georgia. It runs through (let me see...) Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia (just barely), Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia.
Total distance actually varies from year to year based on measuring equipment and changes to the trail, but when I hiked it was about 2,170 miles.
#2. How long did it take?
About five and a half months. Started July 1, 2005, finished December 10, 2005.
#3. How many miles a day did you go?
I think if you actually take the length of the trail and divide it by the number of days I was out, it comes out to like 13 miles a day, but that includes a lot of zero days in towns and a lot of "nero" days (days where you don't go very far; for me, a nero became anything less than 7 miles. Why 7? I don't really know). I usually shot for 16 miles a day once I was in shape, and I could easily do over 20. My longest day was reckoned at 27.
#4. North or South?
Most people hike going North, starting in Georgia and heading up to Maine. Because I started the hike well after college graduation, in July, I started in Maine and went South. If you do start that late, the weather is much more favorable going south than north; Mount Kathadin usually closes in October due to snowfall.
#5. How much did your pack weigh?
I started out with probably 70 lbs fully loaded (includes food and water), which was way too much. By the time I was in Vermont I had it down to 45 fully loaded. At that point I no longer kept track. I think it inched up a bit when it got cold, but I changed out some of my gear for some lighter options and got it back down again some.
#6. Where did you poop?
In the woods with the bears.
Actually, on the trail there are shelters on the way. They are not much; typically a three sided structure with a roof. It will keep the rain off of you, as long as it isn't windy. Most of these shelters are fairly close to water sources AND they usually also have privies or outhouses.
They come in many different types. You got your classic outhouses, your octagons, your mouldering privies, your two-seaters. My favorite is the mouldering types, because they are typically open air and as long as people "flush" by tossing some duff into the privies when they are down they are less smelly. I will let you puzzle over what duff is. It may or may not be Homer Simpson's favorite beer.
#7. What did you eat?
For the most part, I ate anything that could be cooked by adding hot water. Freeze dried meals, Ramen noodles, some pastas, things like that. In addition, I usually had trail mix, a jar of peanut butter, grape kool-aid, cocoa, and many, many many energy bars. Snickers bars, actually, provide the most energy on the dollar.
In town I ate what ever I could get my hands on.
#8. Down or synthetic?
I started off using a synthetic sleeping bag, but I am definitely a fan of goose down now. I met people on the trail who ended up going in the other direction.
#9. Nude Hiking Day?
I think nude hiking day is in June, and it is usually something the northbounders (i.e. people hiking from Georgia to Maine) do to break up the monotony of hiking. So I missed it. Didn't stop me from trying one day anyway. Didn't catch on for me.
#10. Wow, really? Did you run into anyone, that would be embarrassing
No shit. I've actually read that if you are going to hike nude, its best to do it in a small group of people, mixed gender if possible. Otherwise you just look like someone who really, really loves nature. Thankfully, I picked a day and a place where I didn't expect to meet anyone, and I was right.
I did, however, definetly got caught once skinny dipping...not really skinny dipping, but rather just having a wash in a stream. That is a story in and of itself.
#11. Did you hike alone?
Sort of. I didn't have a dedicated hiking partner. In the beginning, there was plenty of northbounders coming up the trail so I usually had company at night. Sometimes I would hike with some southbounders for a few days, and finally towards the end I hiked with a couple whose hiking style matched mine fairly well (Bad Cheese, Stalecrackers, if you are out there give me a shout!)
There was a large portion of the trail where I did hike very much alone, from Pennsylvania well into Virginia. It was not fun.
#12. Dude, I got more questions, but the idea of you hiking nude...it's like burned this image into my brain. Somethings are better left unsaid, you know?
Hey, I didn't ask the question.
#13. You should have lied.
Fair enough. We'll pick this up at a later time. It's late anyway, and I have to be getting to bed.
#14. I'll bet you are going to tell me you sleep in the nude too.
Har har.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
New Years Resolution
Woah woah woah. I know what you are thinking. I mean, here I am, I've got this holiday blog series going and I haven't updated it since around thanksgiving, and I skipped Christmas entirely and now its time for New Year's Day? What gives?
I guess "what gives" is that the holiday posts turned out to be, for me at least, a bit of a disappointment. I mean, I got to talk about Neil Diamond and gripe about Christmas, but it seems that for about a month that is all that everyone DOES. Christmas is either too long or too short, its too secular, its too religious, its too commercial, its not turning out to be the boon our economy expected, etc. etc. All my series did was add to that, and in the end I didn't really want to.
For what its worth, I did have a good Christmas. For me, the really festive part of Christmas runs from Festivus Day (23rd) to Boxing Day (the 26th -- usually a downer, but saved because in Britain they play lots of soccer on Boxing Day and its fun to watch). Chruch on Christmas Eve was great (maybe the best Christmas Eve service I have ever seen), my family managed to come over in spite of the snow and I got to see my Brother for the first time in probably a year, I got to watch my daughter discover the joy that is ripping into holiday wrapping paper, and my wife made the best turkey I have ever had. Ever.
But now that the 27th is looming, its time to think about wrapping up the year. That means its time for New Years Resolutions! I have three:
1. Get more sleep. Right now on a typical night I am getting about 5 to 5.5 hours. Not enough. While everyone recommends 7-8 I unfortunately don't think I have enough time, so I am aiming for 6-6.5 hours everynight.
2. Turn it off. I am going to try to get by this year without CNN or any other 24 hour news network. That also means no more CNN.com. It's a protest against the 24 hour news cycle. I'm going to try to read the paper more and the economist, and I will still listen to NPR. Caveat: if North Korea invades South Korea, CNN is coming on.
3. Lose some weight. Yeah, I hear you laughing. But I really do need to get serious about getting to a healthy weight. I hope to lose a stone this year (that'd be 12 pounds (I think)), and if that goes well maybe another stone next year. I even plan to get a gym membership. Still laughing? Yeah, I thought so.
And that's it, but that's plenty. I don't intend to keep you guys up to date on how any of these resolutions is going (unless something awesome happens in relation to them), but I felt like sharing. It seems like a fitting way to end the holiday series, the first (and last?) that I have ever attempted.
Happy New Year!
I guess "what gives" is that the holiday posts turned out to be, for me at least, a bit of a disappointment. I mean, I got to talk about Neil Diamond and gripe about Christmas, but it seems that for about a month that is all that everyone DOES. Christmas is either too long or too short, its too secular, its too religious, its too commercial, its not turning out to be the boon our economy expected, etc. etc. All my series did was add to that, and in the end I didn't really want to.
For what its worth, I did have a good Christmas. For me, the really festive part of Christmas runs from Festivus Day (23rd) to Boxing Day (the 26th -- usually a downer, but saved because in Britain they play lots of soccer on Boxing Day and its fun to watch). Chruch on Christmas Eve was great (maybe the best Christmas Eve service I have ever seen), my family managed to come over in spite of the snow and I got to see my Brother for the first time in probably a year, I got to watch my daughter discover the joy that is ripping into holiday wrapping paper, and my wife made the best turkey I have ever had. Ever.
But now that the 27th is looming, its time to think about wrapping up the year. That means its time for New Years Resolutions! I have three:
1. Get more sleep. Right now on a typical night I am getting about 5 to 5.5 hours. Not enough. While everyone recommends 7-8 I unfortunately don't think I have enough time, so I am aiming for 6-6.5 hours everynight.
2. Turn it off. I am going to try to get by this year without CNN or any other 24 hour news network. That also means no more CNN.com. It's a protest against the 24 hour news cycle. I'm going to try to read the paper more and the economist, and I will still listen to NPR. Caveat: if North Korea invades South Korea, CNN is coming on.
3. Lose some weight. Yeah, I hear you laughing. But I really do need to get serious about getting to a healthy weight. I hope to lose a stone this year (that'd be 12 pounds (I think)), and if that goes well maybe another stone next year. I even plan to get a gym membership. Still laughing? Yeah, I thought so.
And that's it, but that's plenty. I don't intend to keep you guys up to date on how any of these resolutions is going (unless something awesome happens in relation to them), but I felt like sharing. It seems like a fitting way to end the holiday series, the first (and last?) that I have ever attempted.
Happy New Year!
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