On The AT in MD & PA
MARCH 16th - 19th, 2011
My biggest section yet! Defeating my record by 2.9 miles! Ha! In total, I hiked 41.4 miles in 4 days. I tackled the northern half of the Maryland section and a few miles into PA, therefore, the MD section of the AT is now done--one and a half times over (because I had to double back).
I headed out on my second day, crossing under a powerline clearing and a bald early on. Easy hiking and pretty scenery.. but it turns out this would be a long day. Recent rains have swelled the creeks the trail crosses and so I'm forced to rock-hop and at one point, walk across a downed tree. After I recover from a slip on the tree, I ascend to Raven's Rock and then motor the 6 miles to Pen Mar County Park, which is just before the PA border. This is where my knee started hurting.. It was still about 5 miles to the next shelter and I was hungry. So I tried my hand at hitchhiking--hoping I could get into Waynesboro, PA and chow down on some pizza. After walking a ways on the road all downhill and with my thumb out, it appeared I wasn't going to score a ride and decided the long uphill out of town wouldn't be worth it. Back on the trail I come to Falls Creek. I'm in need of water but there's a sign on the footbridge advising hikers to not obtain water from this creek. Ugh. I march onward. Dusk is near. I stop to give my knee a rest and to consult my guidebook. 3 more miles to the next shelter. I know my limitations and I know I will not make it. I have obtained water from another source I've found and therefore decide to turn back to a campsite I spotted near Falls Creek. I hurriedly set up camp and try to cook dinner. But I'm frustrated my lighter won't light. It's soaked in alcohol from my stove leaking. Probably risking a flame ball on my hand, I click away until it dries out and lights and I eventually eat my spaghetti.
Day three I have my hopes high of pizza for a late breakfast. In my guidebook, it lists several places that will deliver to Pen Mar Park. I break camp and start my doubling back to my starting point (I-70). I try calling Brotha's Pizza multiple times but I guess they don't operate on a hiker's schedule.. So I unwillingly eat my poptars and peanut butter while I admire the view West from the look out pavilion at the park. I hike on.. my knee is now fully bothering me and I can feel my 'good' knee over-compensating and also now becoming sore. I try not to think about the 800 foot boulder scramble up to High Rock. Amazingly, I make it up to the scenic outlook. There is a road crossing here. There are also 20 bikers and every rock of the High Rock is graffiti-ed over. Not feeling the ambiance, I limp on to Raven Rock shelter. A magnificently nice 'two story' shelter. I break here for my lunch, a bagel and peanut butter. I have seen no other hikers today. My day is long. I come to rest on top of a bald over looking the opposite side of the valley below. I down spoonfuls of peanut butter to keep my sugar and energy up until I can make it into camp. I set my tent up and dinner is a rice, cheese, and broccoli dish.
Day four consists of me now fully operating in a hiker routine. I cook my oatmeal while I break camp. I leave without acknowledging the boyscout troop that kept me awake part of the night. The trail climbed from the road, as it always does, to the top of the ridge where a rock garden awaited me. It is very slow going on these anyway, even more so if you have two sore knees. I pass some day hikers early in the day and wonder where they could have come from. With no equipment, it's almost impossible to see them at this point on the trail. I ponder possibilities to keep my mind off of my knee pains. My trekking pole gets caught up in shrub. Causing me to tug at it and the shrub whacks my knee. I lost it. I pummeled it into submission. Limping on towards the famously touristy yet very scenic Annapolis Rocks (also the most ecologically damaged site on the entire AT), I come across numerous day hikers and boy scout troops. One troop leader even says to me "looking good" as a power up an incline while all his scouts are on the side of the trail taking a breather. All I can think about is getting to the truck and driving to Burger King. 41+ miles is a long way to go without 'real' food! The last 2 miles of my trek were downhill. My knees can't take much more. So, what do I do? Walk backwards! Once in the parking lot, I'm hindered by people that can't even figure out how to get on the trail and they decide to ask me. I guess I look like I know what I'm doing. Ha!
On The AT in VA (SNP)
My biggest section yet! I hiked approximately 38.5 miles! I got first hand experience in eating only bagels, pasta dinners, and granola bars. Yummy.
This time I started in Linden, VA. First night I hiked the short 1 mile from the truck to the Jim C Molly Denton shelter (just enough time since it was getting dark). I had the shelter site completely to myself! For some reason, I thought it would still be a good idea to tent out...bad idea. It poured all night long.. basically I was sleeping in a puddle. The next morning was kinda foggy, damp, and cool. I packed everything up and it started raining again.. so I put on my rain gear. I'm pretty sure I would have gotten just as wet if I didn't wear it because I was soaking in my own sweat. I made the 8 miles to the next shelter (Tom Floyd), which only took around 4 hours but I was exhausted because of the weather conditions. There was only one other person there. His name was Stuart and he was an ex-marine who just putzes along the AT but has no desire to thru-hike.
I set up the tent just to dry it out but dared not sleep in it again.. lesson learned there. If I don't need to use the tent, I will not.
Next morning I got an early start. I hiked about 1 mile up some short rock scramble to Possum Overlook. Stunning fall foliage because the morning sun was shining on the leaves, making them more prominent. The SNP boundary was right there too. Technically you're supposed to fill out a form but I didn't because I was going to hike in and out in one day. I hiked around 7 miles to the second Skyline Drive crossing and then started doubling back. Compton Peak was amazingly beautiful--yellow and orange leaves were in abundance in the valley below. On the way back I met Grateful Greenpeace (Mike)--he runs the Terrapin hostel when it's thru-hiker season. We chatted about the AT for quite some time and he told me to come stay when I do my thru-hike! Ooo I'm getting excited now!!
Back at the Tom Floyd shelter for a second night, I had it to myself this time. It got cold and windy! Into the 30s. That time I should have used the tent because the shelter floor was elevated and the cold air could be felt coming up. The next day I hike the 9 miles back to the truck but it was only 12:30 so I pushed onto Interstate 66 and about a mile after that. I kept running into this cute young couple who were hiking to Harper's Ferry. Such nice folks on the trail!
Until next time, AT..
On The AT in NJ (DWG)
This weekend I did a small (13.7 mile) section on the AT in NJ some miles past the DWG. It was the most challenging section I've ever done. I only did around 10 miles because the trail was VERY rocky and my feet were getting the snot beat out of them.. That aside though, it was very beautiful. Being on top of those balds and looking for miles on end was stunning--even more so in the morning with the low hanging fog in the valleys!
Spent the night at Brink Road Shelter with a NJ ridge-runner (Moccasin), a late starter NOBO (Sketch), and this couple just out for an overnight hike. Moccasin was wicked awesome; a 2008 thru-hiker that gave me some pointers and was just very chill to talk to. Could I get his job?! Get paid to hike around in the woods, talk to people, and do some trail maintenance? Sketch was also cool. When he stops for a big break, such as lunch, he sketches his rest spot on his sketch pad. So cool! Better than pictures! We passed the evening by playing rummy with the couples' cards.
In the morning I finished hiking along the ridge and then descended to Culver's Gap, but not before snagging stunning views of Culver's Lake.
The AT Is Calling...
TUESDAY, AUGUST 3rd, 2010 And so it's begun. My relentless obsession with the Appalachian Trail (AT). Not a day goes by that I don't think about attempting a thru hike of the AT. Stunning scenery, a physical and mental challenge, an awesome way to met some uber-chill people, and a dream of mine acquired not all that long ago.. Of course you hear less about the aching knees, hurting back, and stench radiating off of you... But things like that come with such an epic undertaking--the rewards will be well worth it.
2,178 miles of trail. To attempt this in a successful manner, I've begun to talk to past tru hikers, learn as much as I can about the trail, what gear to take, and consider logistics, time, etc.
To me, there isn't a better time than the close future to attempt a thru hike of the AT. I have my health, time, money, etc.
It appears that just planning for a 2,000+ mile hike is as difficult as actually hiking.. However, I have plenty of time to research and learn, gather gear, talk to more past thru hikers, and do 'shakedown' hikes as much as possible. By the time March 2011 rolls around, we shall see how prepared I am for my late March/early April departure from Springer Mountain in north Georgia. :-)
A Transformation & The AT
MONDAY, AUGUST 2nd, 2010 I've become sort of a "Lone Dove" lately.. I did a road trip of 1,700+ miles by myself in June. I traversed DE, MD, VA, TN, NC, and WV. I hiked to the top of the Grandfather Mountain peaks in North Carolina, Chimney Rock, and Seneca Rocks in WV. A few weeks later I was out hiking in the mountains of PA by myself too.
Most recently I did a 21.5 mile 2-day backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail (AT) from the I-70 footbridge in MD to Harper's Ferry, WV. The trail wasn't really difficult at all. A few steep and rocky sections though. Spent the night at Ed Garvey Shelter with a bunch of loud and rowdy boy scouts and also these 4 really cool guys all from MD. They even offered me food! All in all it was one of the most awesome and fulfilling experiences of my life. Just being out in the woods, walking, by myself...very humbling. Some of the cool people along the way that made my experience that much more enjoyable.
"The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."---Christopher McCandless
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