Balds

I’ve been hiking through the NC and southern VA sections of the Appalachians which are known for having balds.  These are mountain tops that have no trees, just high grasses.  I don’t know how they came to be this way nor why they don’t naturally re-forest, but they sure are appreciated.  Without them, the only vistas one would have would be from fire towers.  So far I have had a view from three out the five that I’ve been on (due to rainy weather). When I’m walking on a ridge however, because the trees don’t yet have leaves on them,  I often can see through the branches to the valley below.  If you are ever in western NC and are up for an outing, be sure to visit Max Patch; it’s acres of mountaintop open space providing a stunning 360 degree view on a clear day.  I passed through on a warm, sunny mid-week day and scores of folks were picnicking, strolling about and lying in the warm sun, and some hiker trash were setting up tents so they could watch both the sunset and sunrise.

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  If you look at a map to see where Max Patch is, you will notice that it is north of the Smokies- 150 miles further north than where I was when the previous post was published.  No, I didn’t suddenly have a super burst of energy that allowed me to walk that distance in a week.  Three days before I got there, Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GSMNP) had closed down due to their inability to comply with the social distancing guidelines with the high volume of visitors they were having.  Additionally, a couple of the adjacent counties that I was hiking through decided that they didn’t want any non-residents in their counties.  So I got a shuttle on the second to last day of free travel and started hiking north again from outside of the northeast boundary of GSMNP, skipping about 100 miles of the AT.  I’ll be refunded for the permit I have and if I desire, can come back later to hike the missed section.

  This jump-ahead is a little bit like the end of the Fellowship of the Ring.  The hikers that I was accustomed to seeing every few days have gone in different directions; some headed home; some are waiting in motels for a couple of weeks hoping that the GSMNP will re-open; and others have jumped ahead.  I am now in a bubble of hikers that I am meeting for the first time and am getting acquainted with them.

  My skinny little legs are still holding up fairly well.  They are often pain free and I frequently thank God for that.  I have yet to resort to taking vitamin I, a favorite on the trail (Ibuprofen).  

  I have been trying to average about 10 miles per day, but have been inconsistent.  My short day, a Nero, was six miles, while my long day was 14.5 miles, which I did to keep up with a couple of guys that I enjoy being with.  Daily mileage often depends on the terrain and the spacing of the tent sites.  I’m not sure that 14 miles per day is a sustainable pace for me at this stage of my hike. The daily temperatures this past week have ranged from a low of 36’ to a high of 82’.

  As this post is being sent to you, I am re-supplying in Hot Springs, NC, a quaint, hiker- friendly town.  For those of you that live in suburbia, this would be a great village to visit to escape the fast pace of life.

  My next update will likely come to you from Erwin, TN.

Since you are following along, I should give you some definitions so you too can learn to speak the AT language like a seasoned veteran.  Stop using deodorant and taking showers and you will be able to fool even the most discerning into thinking you have hiking creds.

Hiker midnight– around sunset when we all go to sleep. 

Hiker trash– kind of like white trash except we hike, seldom bathe, and are voluntarily homeless. 

Slackpacking- when a backpacker spends the day hiking without a pack and gear. The hiker stays in town leaving the pack behind, and uses shuttles to drop him off in the morning and pick him up at the end of day.  This makes him a slacker and also very smart.

Zero day– When a hiker doesn’t walk any miles on the trail that day.  The miles covered when walking around town going shopping, going to restaurants, and finding entertainment don’t count.

Nearo day–  a cousin to the zero.  When you hike less than a half day.

Camel up – When one arrives at a water source and drinks as much as they can so they won’t have to carry as much.

Trail name– An alias taken on by a hiker frequently bestowed by a fellow hiker.  Just as many biblical names reflect some characteristics of an individual, the same may be true of a trail name.

Thru hiker– One that hikes a long trail and completes the trek within 12 months. 

Section hiker– One that is hiking a section of the trail.

LASHer- An acronym: Long Ass Section Hiker. One that is hiking a long section of the trail. 

Day hiker– They are easily identifiable because they smell good.

Hiker box– An outfitter, hostel, or motel which caters to hikers will have a box for them to put their unwanted gear and food in.  Other hikers can look through the boxes for equipment or food that they want.

White blaze– 2×6” painted marks on trees indicating that you are on the AT.

Blue blaze– indicates trails that intersect the AT and often lead to water, a shelter, or a vista.

Pink blazing– when a guy has taken an interest in a female hiker.

Aqua blazing– Instead of hiking through Shenandoah National Park some will choose to paddle 70 mmiles on the Shenandoah River.

Yellow blazing– When one is skipping sections of the trail by hitchhiking.  This is frowned upon by the purist.

NOBO– an acronym for north bound 

SOBO– south bound 

Flip Flop– a hike that is not a linear  continuous hike. An example would be for one to start their thru hike at Harper’s Ferry going NOBO and when they get to the trail’s northern terminus, they “flip” back down to HF and head SOBO.

Yo Yo– A hike that continues after reaching the trail’s end by turning around and hiking back to your starting point.  Yes, there have been Yo-Yo thru hikes.

Katahdin– The mountain that is the northern terminus of the AT located in Maine’s Baxter state park.

Hiker TV– A campfire that you stare mindlessly into for hours.

  The first week and a half of hiking I was averaging about 8 miles per day.  I’ve been averaging about 10 miles per day for the last 3 days. This is the pace I expected to be traveling at this point of the trip.  As I get my trail legs, the distance I travel each day will be increasing.  

  I passed the 100 mile milestone this past week.  Yippee! Also this past week, I had to say goodbye to GA and hello to NC.  One of my memories of GA is stumbling up a mountain, looking for an oxygen tank, and having a young couple cruise right past me with big smiles on their faces while having a conversation.  How irritating!

  I have met folks from all over the world on the AT: Quebec, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Australia, and the UK.  Gathered around a rare (due to many rainy days) and recent evening campfire were folks from Germany, FL, NYC, and WI.

  It has been hiker tradition to avoid shaking hands and use a fist bump instead in order to avoid spreading viruses.  Now we are strongly encouraged to also avoid staying in the shelters or hostels or using the privies. With caution, living in the woods is probably the safest place to be; town re-supplies will require additional diligence.  I am reminded of when Anita was quarantined for a year after her stem cell transplant (because she had practically no immune system) and the doctor told us that being outdoors was far safer than being indoors.

In the beginning, God created….

There are five of us in the family station wagon, on our way to have a picnic at Pine Grove Furnace State Park which is a 40 minute drive from home.  Staring out the window from the back seat and watching the fields and then forests go by, I see the rustic wood sign streak past: “APPALACHIAN TRAIL Maine to Georgia.”

“Hey Dad, can Dick and I go backpacking on that trail sometime?”  “Sure” was his immediate response, which was somewhat out of character.  At that reply, my mom, seated on the passenger side of the old bench seat, slowly turned her head to look at Dad for a few moments, but never uttered a word.  I think her protective instincts were on high alert.  

After spending $40 on a JC Penny backpack, poncho, canteen, and mess kit, we hit the trail a few weeks later. Ah, the good old days: work boots, flannel shirts, blue jeans, sterno stove.  An adventure.

When I told my mom about my plans last August, her response was “There are a lot of crazy people out there.”  To that, Kaytlin replied, “Well, then he will fit right in.”

So here I am, on March 9, sitting in my hammock, trying to type with only my thumbs like my kids taught me, with a dozen other crazy people all huddled in their tents nearby.  The sun has set and the full moon is shining through the trees. The clear sky promises to bring another cold night. Instead of the sounds of nature, the army ranger training school  from Camp Merril has commenced automatic weapon fire in the nearby national forest land where they train. I hope it doesn’t continue all night.

On March 6, a couple that shuttles hikers gave me a ride from the Atlanta airport to Amicalola Falls State Park in GA, where I spent the night at a shelter with three other guys that were starting their hike the next day.  To reach the Appalachian Trail (AT), I hiked up the 8.5 mile approach trail from Amicalola Falls, the highest falls east of the Mississippi, and camped near a shelter at the base of Springer Mountain on March 7. Dinnertime found me seated at a picnic table with seven other hikers, each with a little stove, heating our pasta or rice meals, and chatting about where we’re from or what we do.  This was followed by a campfire and 8:30 bedtime, also known as hiker midnight.  

To keep warm in the evening and when sleeping, I wear my long johns, pants and shirt, rain pants, lite jacket, down jacket, hat and two pair of wool socks and snuggle beneath my down quilt.  I also sleep with my phone, battery pack, water filter, and socks so they won’t freeze.

On my second day of hiking, March 8, I occasionally stopped to shed some layers while ascending and reached Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the AT mid-morning, marking the beginning of my thru hike attempt. Later that evening I was serenaded by the army rangers.  

  March 10 was cold and rainy.  The highlight of the day was the trail magic I had at lunch.  Trail magic is an act of kindness given to hikers by folks that are not currently hiking.   It can be a random act of kindness or quite often a premeditated act.  On this occasion, a couple of former thru hikers spent a couple hundred dollars on groceries, set up some picnic awnings in a national forest parking area where the AT crossed a road, and served us chili dogs, hot drinks, fresh fruit, and snacks.  They also would collect the trash we had been carrying and had extra meals and toilet paper if needed. What a blessing this was on a cold, rainy day.

Before I continue, I need to express my gratitude to the GA Appalachian Trail  Club. This section of trail has been well graded and located.

  The highlight of March 11 was the honor I had of meeting another guy attempting to complete a thru hike who goes by the trail name of Pappy.  Pappy has completed three AT thru hikes and is currently trying to break the record that he already holds, of being the oldest to complete a thru hike.  He is 89 years old. No, that Is not a typo. I am in awe of him and he is an inspiration to many.  I spent the evening around a campfire with a guy named Eric and his two sons.  The oldest son is starting his thru hike.

Pappy and me

  All of March 14 was spent hiking inside a cloud, so visibility was only 50 yards.  A small handful of us were blessed with a little trail magic again in the form of fresh fruit.  But the most noteworthy event of the day was that I got to talk to my wonderful, beloved, AMAZING family because my campsite had cell service.

So far my creaky knees are holding up better than I feared.  I’ve met a lot of folks, many of whom I run into once or twice a day and am looking forward to getting to know them better during the coming weeks.  Stay tuned.

Amicalola Falls

The shoe tree- Hikers who call it quits toss their shoes into this tree.

It’s early January and I realize it is time to decide. My kids have been telling me I should do it; my wife says I should go for it. And I’m convinced that waiting until retirement to do a thru hike of the Appalachian trail isn’t a good idea for me.

Too many times I find myself thinking “that’s something I should do someday.” But I’m learning that “someday” may never come or I may miss its arrival. I may miss the knock of opportunity. Sometimes you have to create your opportunities. So I decide to ……defer the decision until I figure out if I can still backpack or still like it.

To give this a fair shot I’ll need to update my gear to keep the total pack weight less than 30 lbs.

That was a year ago. My wallet is now a lot lighter, my frame a little bit so. My pace is slower than Kaytlin’s, but due to many hikes and walks I’ve been able to elevate my fitness level up to the mediocre level. Mediocrity is enough to get me started on the trail. As long as I exercise restraint and not hike more than 10 miles per day for the first couple of weeks of my hike, my physical conditioning will slowly improve.

This past summer I learned that I indeed can still carry a backpack and the new ones are more comfortable than my old ones. The decision is made.

The biggest challenge I now face in preparation for the trail? Learning how to use a smart phone. Audio and e-books, music, pod casts, camera, 2 different AT guide apps with maps, blog notes, and journal are all hiding somewhere in my phone. All I have to do is figure out where they are and how use them.

“In the beginning, God created…..” I wonder how long God thought about creating mankind before he took action. Did He do it on a whim or did he think about it for a few thousand years? Was he getting bored with the angels always doing everything he asks so he decided to spice things up by creating beings that have free will? Because of his foreknowledge, do you think he ever felt apprehensive about the cost? I don’t think I would go so far as to say God had fears. But I sure do.

I’ll be leaving for my hike in 5 weeks. 5 weeks before leaving my comfort zone, the security of home and routine, my illusion of being in control. I wonder: how much of my life have I lived in fear? Fear of a parent’s disapproval (or declining polls), fear of the financial costs, fear of being judged, fear of being mocked, or perhaps the big one: fear of failure.

But it is perhaps another fear that is motivating me: the fear of regret. I can’t do anything about the past and any regrets I may have about it, so I look ahead. I could list a score of reasons why I shouldn’t do this thru hike; most of them would have their root in fear. Ok, Ok, many of these reasons would be logical and practical but still full of fear.

So, it is time; I am going to turn my back on those fears and dare to take that first step; the first of 5,000,000.