April 21st, 2012 - WHY AM I DOING THIS??
(63 days 'til the trail)
“If you're lucky enough to be in the woods, then you're luck enough.” - A sign on the A.T.
I think many people in my generation are yearning to do something big, get off the beaten path and go on some grand adventure. I sometimes feel, growing up in a middle class family in a time without an Army draft, or a great depression, or civil revolution, that I was never really challenged. I got good grades in school, graduated college, got my masters and yet none of these milestones felt like accomplishments. They felt like they were simply the next thing you had to do…and you did it. I want to see what I am really made of, see if I can accomplish something bigger than myself, something fewer than 13,000 people have ever done, and push the envelope of run-on sentences.
Now that Heather and I are letting our family and friends know what we’ll be doing this summer, we’ve been getting incredulous looks, furrowed brows, projectile vommit (well, not yet at least) and two questions:
---So why on EARTH would you want to do something like this???
This is a complicated answer but I’ll try. There is something addictingly satisfying about hiking over these mountains and through the passes. Its life shrunk down to its simplest and purest form. You either summited that tall peak or you didn't. There are no shortcuts to success as there can be in the "civilized" world. Each night, as the sky grows dim and you get ready for bed there is such a feeling of accomplishment. I also look forward to the instant friendships you make with fellow hikers. The generosity experienced by trail town families inviting you into their home for a shower and a meal (perhaps the former offered to bear your presence for the latter). To walk for hours in deep thought and find yourself - who you really are. Socrates said to “Know thyself.” Can’t argue with an old man in a toga! I suppose just not knowing where you’ll end up each day, who you’ll meet and what adventures you’ll experience next are reason enough.
---Aren’t you going to get BORED walking each day the whole summer???
Yes, at points I’m sure I will. I’m sure I’ll get frustrated with the trail. If we get a week of rain I have to trudge through, Heather should probably hide my camp knife from me. But I look forward to the challenge. I hope that each day I will be able to see the good and stay positive. The only thing I fear is finishing the trail just so I can say I did it despite being miserable. If I feel that way I think it will be time to leave the trail.
Over the last few weeks, as this trip draws closer and my mind is switching into hiker mode, the excitement is growing in me. It’s time for the adventure of a lifetime. It’s now or never!
~ Brian (Daddy Long Legs)
Apr 21, 2012
APR 9th, 2012 - PREP HIKE 1
(75 days 'til the trail)
“Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared." -Eddie Rickenbacker
As one of our “prep-hikes” to test our equipment and minimize our pack-weight, Heather and I headed off to Lehigh Gap, PA to do a two day 21.2 mile trek (16.7 miles on the first day and 4.5 miles the next morning). We had both read and saw pictures of the steep climbs and beautiful views there and were eager to try it. Because most thru-hikers pass this section under the intense June Sun, many have understandably nicknamed this climb “Dante’s Inferno.” With a temperature of about 55 degrees though, we should have nothing to worry about.
Then why does Heather look so worried? Recently, Heather has gotten a little , how shall I put this, obsessed, with the possibility of seeing a venomous snake. On the A.T. there is the possibility of encountering Copperheads or Timber Rattlers and while I wouldn’t say she is scared, I’d definitely say she doesn’t want to walk past one. Needless to say, I walked in front today…
We got on the trail about 9:45am. The trail almost immediately headed straight up. The wooded climb quickly yielded to a steep field of boulders. Completely exposed now, the wind whipped at a constant 30mph with gusts over 40mph. Leave it to us to pick the windiest day of the month to do this climb. Footing proved difficult in the strong gusts. Whenever you extended your leg toward the next boulder, the wind seemed to kick up, pushing you back a bit, not allowing you to place your foot down. Stuck there balancing with one leg hanging upwards towards the wind, you felt like Karate Kid. Huyahh! Some hand over hand climbing came next and when I popped my head over the ridge I was blasted with what felt like hurricane force winds. Not a good day to do this hike at all! But I doubt we’ll get 70 days of perfect weather this summer so we’ll have to roll with the punches, and hopefully not down this hill!
We hugged each other at the top and breathed a sigh of relief. In the Summer it may be called “Dante’s Inferno” but we certainly agreed that in early April it will henceforth be known as “Frosty’s Freezer!” In true A.T. style, never knowing what you will encounter next, we were greeted by a sign indicating a trail re-route due to a Superfund site (abandoned hazardous waste site). Few things grew on the barren rock and desolate soil. A casualty of careless mining and few environmental regulations. Remind me not to refill my water bladder in any nearby streams!
After a couple of miles on nice, soft dirt paths, the trail turned to rocks. Not the nice big boulders that you hop from one to the next but medium to small rocks. The sharp edges of the medium rocks stung through your boot soles while the small rocks wobbled, straining your knees and ankles. 13 more miles of this! Yikes! Eager to get to camp we took only a couple of short breaks. I was never happier to see a 40 year old three walled shelter with the occasional mouse droppings on the floor. Home sweet Home! Its amazing how hiking for just one day can help you to appreciate what you have.
I built a fire while heather got food ready. Nobody else was at the shelter so rather than throwing our sleeping pads and bags on the floor of the shelter, I began to set up our tent in the shelter. As I unrolled it I realized I had packed my single person tent rather than our double. Heather had a good laugh about it but later that night, squeezed together between the nylon tent walls, we couldn’t help feeling like a sausage. Hope Bears don't like Bratwurst!
I woke up to rain…not outside but inside the tent. Because it was a single person tent there are fewer air flow vents so the water vapor from our breath condensed on the walls of the tent and the occasional “rain drop” would land on my forehead, telling me it was time to wake. I’d rather wake up to “Drip…Drip…Drip” than “whaaa…whaaa…whaaa” any day!
After a quick breakfast of candy bars and raisins, we jumped back on the trail. The second day was quick and uneventful. After a few miles we saw another hiker on the trail and realized we hadn’t seen a single soul in over 24 hours (besides each other). Finally we arrived at the car, exhausted! We were pleased with our pack weights and plan on making just a few adjustments for our next prep hike.
~ Brian (Daddy Long Legs)
(75 days 'til the trail)
“Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared." -Eddie Rickenbacker
As one of our “prep-hikes” to test our equipment and minimize our pack-weight, Heather and I headed off to Lehigh Gap, PA to do a two day 21.2 mile trek (16.7 miles on the first day and 4.5 miles the next morning). We had both read and saw pictures of the steep climbs and beautiful views there and were eager to try it. Because most thru-hikers pass this section under the intense June Sun, many have understandably nicknamed this climb “Dante’s Inferno.” With a temperature of about 55 degrees though, we should have nothing to worry about.
Then why does Heather look so worried? Recently, Heather has gotten a little , how shall I put this, obsessed, with the possibility of seeing a venomous snake. On the A.T. there is the possibility of encountering Copperheads or Timber Rattlers and while I wouldn’t say she is scared, I’d definitely say she doesn’t want to walk past one. Needless to say, I walked in front today…
We got on the trail about 9:45am. The trail almost immediately headed straight up. The wooded climb quickly yielded to a steep field of boulders. Completely exposed now, the wind whipped at a constant 30mph with gusts over 40mph. Leave it to us to pick the windiest day of the month to do this climb. Footing proved difficult in the strong gusts. Whenever you extended your leg toward the next boulder, the wind seemed to kick up, pushing you back a bit, not allowing you to place your foot down. Stuck there balancing with one leg hanging upwards towards the wind, you felt like Karate Kid. Huyahh! Some hand over hand climbing came next and when I popped my head over the ridge I was blasted with what felt like hurricane force winds. Not a good day to do this hike at all! But I doubt we’ll get 70 days of perfect weather this summer so we’ll have to roll with the punches, and hopefully not down this hill!
We hugged each other at the top and breathed a sigh of relief. In the Summer it may be called “Dante’s Inferno” but we certainly agreed that in early April it will henceforth be known as “Frosty’s Freezer!” In true A.T. style, never knowing what you will encounter next, we were greeted by a sign indicating a trail re-route due to a Superfund site (abandoned hazardous waste site). Few things grew on the barren rock and desolate soil. A casualty of careless mining and few environmental regulations. Remind me not to refill my water bladder in any nearby streams!
After a couple of miles on nice, soft dirt paths, the trail turned to rocks. Not the nice big boulders that you hop from one to the next but medium to small rocks. The sharp edges of the medium rocks stung through your boot soles while the small rocks wobbled, straining your knees and ankles. 13 more miles of this! Yikes! Eager to get to camp we took only a couple of short breaks. I was never happier to see a 40 year old three walled shelter with the occasional mouse droppings on the floor. Home sweet Home! Its amazing how hiking for just one day can help you to appreciate what you have.
I built a fire while heather got food ready. Nobody else was at the shelter so rather than throwing our sleeping pads and bags on the floor of the shelter, I began to set up our tent in the shelter. As I unrolled it I realized I had packed my single person tent rather than our double. Heather had a good laugh about it but later that night, squeezed together between the nylon tent walls, we couldn’t help feeling like a sausage. Hope Bears don't like Bratwurst!
I woke up to rain…not outside but inside the tent. Because it was a single person tent there are fewer air flow vents so the water vapor from our breath condensed on the walls of the tent and the occasional “rain drop” would land on my forehead, telling me it was time to wake. I’d rather wake up to “Drip…Drip…Drip” than “whaaa…whaaa…whaaa” any day!
After a quick breakfast of candy bars and raisins, we jumped back on the trail. The second day was quick and uneventful. After a few miles we saw another hiker on the trail and realized we hadn’t seen a single soul in over 24 hours (besides each other). Finally we arrived at the car, exhausted! We were pleased with our pack weights and plan on making just a few adjustments for our next prep hike.
~ Brian (Daddy Long Legs)
APR 2nd, 2012 - BRIAN'S THOUGHTS (Don't worry, there isn't much)
(82 days 'til the trail)
"Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground." -Teddy Roosevelt
In the Heart of every Man and Woman are dreams and accomplishments they aspire to. Some of which you think will happen some day. Maybe when you have kids. Maybe when you retire. Certainly, you tell yourself, when you have the time. You have every intention of completing these lofty goals but just not yet. For about 10 years now, one of my dreams is hiking the Appalachian Trail - a path through the woods and mountains traveling 2184.2 miles (as of 2012 - changes yearly due to re-routings).
One day, not anticipating my wife would want to commit to months of camp food, uncertain showers, blisters, thunderstorms, and of course the threat of rabid foxes, bobcats and bears (oh, my!), I told her about my dream. Little did I know that she would go off and start buying the gear she needed, making this distant goal seem much more immediate. Did I have the guts to put my boots where my mouth was? I’m don’t know. Hiking boots are pretty big and I don’t think, physiologically, they can fit in my mouth.
Anyhow, Heather and I are lucky enough to have two months off each summer because we work in schools (Heather is a School Psychologist and I’m a Science Teacher). So rather than taking time off from work to hike all 5-6 months at once, we thought it would be best to complete the trail not as “thru-hikers” but as “section-hikers,” completing chunks of the trail over 2 or 3 summers (depending on our pace). We want to go fast enough to complete this journey before kids (YIKES!) but slow enough to enjoy the views, the crunch of gravel below our boots, the slow paced days that remind you of those endless summers of your youth - when you almost felt lost in a sea of time. You could do anything.
~Brian (Daddy Long Legs)
(82 days 'til the trail)
"Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground." -Teddy Roosevelt
In the Heart of every Man and Woman are dreams and accomplishments they aspire to. Some of which you think will happen some day. Maybe when you have kids. Maybe when you retire. Certainly, you tell yourself, when you have the time. You have every intention of completing these lofty goals but just not yet. For about 10 years now, one of my dreams is hiking the Appalachian Trail - a path through the woods and mountains traveling 2184.2 miles (as of 2012 - changes yearly due to re-routings).
One day, not anticipating my wife would want to commit to months of camp food, uncertain showers, blisters, thunderstorms, and of course the threat of rabid foxes, bobcats and bears (oh, my!), I told her about my dream. Little did I know that she would go off and start buying the gear she needed, making this distant goal seem much more immediate. Did I have the guts to put my boots where my mouth was? I’m don’t know. Hiking boots are pretty big and I don’t think, physiologically, they can fit in my mouth.
Anyhow, Heather and I are lucky enough to have two months off each summer because we work in schools (Heather is a School Psychologist and I’m a Science Teacher). So rather than taking time off from work to hike all 5-6 months at once, we thought it would be best to complete the trail not as “thru-hikers” but as “section-hikers,” completing chunks of the trail over 2 or 3 summers (depending on our pace). We want to go fast enough to complete this journey before kids (YIKES!) but slow enough to enjoy the views, the crunch of gravel below our boots, the slow paced days that remind you of those endless summers of your youth - when you almost felt lost in a sea of time. You could do anything.
~Brian (Daddy Long Legs)
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