Hiking in Southern Virginia in 1980 was a great experience. The weather was amazingly good. I often would sleep outside under the stars (even though I was usually near a shelter). One of the things I liked the most was the ridges. Up to this point the Appalachian Trail was a lot of up and down and up and down and up and down. In Southern Virginia I started to hike along ridge lines. Once you climb up a ridge there is minimal up and down for many, many miles. It also allowed me to start getting more miles hiked per day. The trail is 2,100 miles and I did it in 21 weeks. So on average, I hiked 100 miles per week. But at the beginning, I was slower than that. Virginia gave me an opportunity to increase my distance and increase my overall average.
One night at a shelter I got into a conversation with some other thru-hikers about how far we thought we could hike. 20 miles in a day was certainly something we could do. Then one of the guys dropped a bomb. He said, "you know, it's 50 miles from here to Pearisburg, Virgina. What if we made it there in two days?" WOW! We thought about it for a minute then said, "let's do it!"
Early the next morning we were up and starting to "crank out" the miles. By nightfall, all of us had put in our first 25 mile day. The following morning we were also up early. Our tired and aching muscles were asking "why, oh why are you doing this to me?!" But we were determined! It helped that my food supply was getting low which meant that the weight of my pack was also fairly light. The second day of the 50 mile challenge was harder, but all of us made it. We broke through the woods at the end of the day and saw the town of Pearisburg in front of us. Two days, 50 miles. It was the first (and last) time I ever did that many miles in two days.
The great thing about Pearisburg was the fact that a local church had a free hiker hostel on their property. It was an old barn that had been converted to a simple place for hikers to spend the night. As I dropped off to sleep that night in the barn I couldn't believe I had done it. But that's what hiking the Appalachian Trail was all about, setting goals and challenges then rising to meet them.
Here in 2011 I continue my goal of losing weight. Yesterday I weighed in at 179.4 pounds and this morning I weighed in at 180.0 pounds. So, yesterday was a "zero day" and today I went a little bit backwards (due to celebrating in a restaurant with my nephew and his family after his high school graduation..congratulations Hayden Boal!) I did go running some this morning, but the muscle below my right calf was (and is) still sore. I got some "Ben-Gay" ointment and I hope it will help with the healing. Progress. I'm going to meet my goal!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Limo Ladies!
Back in 1980 I met a lot of different people hiking the trail. Some were thru-hikers like me, headed to Maine. Some were section hikers who were doing a week or two. Some were what we called "weekend warriors" who were just out from Friday night through Sunday night. Even though at this point on the calendar I was in Virginia, I want to back up a couple of weeks and tell the story of some section hikers I met in Tennessee.
The trail in Tennessee is right on the border with North Carolina. I remember ending up one day at a nice shelter in the woods. There were several other hikers there, including two women from New York. They were almost finished hiking a section of the trail (I think about 100 miles). These women were probably in their early 40's, old enough to be my mom. They took an interest in me and asked a lot of questions about thru-hiking. They were trying to hike the entire Appalachian Trail one section at a time.
As light faded, someone started a campfire in front of the shelter (something that I rarely did). It was kind of nice to enjoy the flames, to sit around and talk amidst the glow of the fire. Conversation drifted to the topic all thru-hikers loved: food! The two women asked me what my "dream meal" was. At that time I said, "roast beef, green beans, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and sweet tea." They asked if I liked strawberry shortcake (as if any thru-hiker would ever turn down something that delicious), YES of course. Then they dropped the bomb.
It turns out that these two women lived very close to the trail in New York (near Bear Mountain). And they promised to cook my "dream meal" for me when I got to New York. The only catch was that I had to walk from Tennessee all the way up to New York! This was mid May, I wasn't scheduled to arrive in New York until mid July. I got their name, address & phone number (I just remembered the name Bev with a last name something like Lankenen or something kind of Scandinavian).
In the morning I was headed North, still looking for Mt. Katahdin in Maine but anticipating a feast in New York. The two ladies were headed South where they would catch a limo back to an airport for a quick ride home. It's people like the "limo ladies" that kept me going as I hiked the trail!
Here in 2011 I weighed in at 179.4 pounds this morning. YEAH! I finally am out of the 180's (and hope to stay "South" of that number forever). I had a vegetable plate at "Gritz" restaurant today with some corn bread. Hopefully I can keep trimming the weight off! I love it when I make progress.
The trail in Tennessee is right on the border with North Carolina. I remember ending up one day at a nice shelter in the woods. There were several other hikers there, including two women from New York. They were almost finished hiking a section of the trail (I think about 100 miles). These women were probably in their early 40's, old enough to be my mom. They took an interest in me and asked a lot of questions about thru-hiking. They were trying to hike the entire Appalachian Trail one section at a time.
As light faded, someone started a campfire in front of the shelter (something that I rarely did). It was kind of nice to enjoy the flames, to sit around and talk amidst the glow of the fire. Conversation drifted to the topic all thru-hikers loved: food! The two women asked me what my "dream meal" was. At that time I said, "roast beef, green beans, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and sweet tea." They asked if I liked strawberry shortcake (as if any thru-hiker would ever turn down something that delicious), YES of course. Then they dropped the bomb.
It turns out that these two women lived very close to the trail in New York (near Bear Mountain). And they promised to cook my "dream meal" for me when I got to New York. The only catch was that I had to walk from Tennessee all the way up to New York! This was mid May, I wasn't scheduled to arrive in New York until mid July. I got their name, address & phone number (I just remembered the name Bev with a last name something like Lankenen or something kind of Scandinavian).
In the morning I was headed North, still looking for Mt. Katahdin in Maine but anticipating a feast in New York. The two ladies were headed South where they would catch a limo back to an airport for a quick ride home. It's people like the "limo ladies" that kept me going as I hiked the trail!
Here in 2011 I weighed in at 179.4 pounds this morning. YEAH! I finally am out of the 180's (and hope to stay "South" of that number forever). I had a vegetable plate at "Gritz" restaurant today with some corn bread. Hopefully I can keep trimming the weight off! I love it when I make progress.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
If Cows Could Talk....
In 1980 a lot of people asked me how I was able to follow the Appalachian Trail. "Did you ever get lost?" Well, most of the time I did ok. The trail is marked with small white blazes on trees or rocks. Whenever a change of direction is coming up there is a double blaze as a warning signal. Most of the time the trail was in the woods going up and down mountains. But the trail did follow dirt roads and sometimes paved roads for short distances in order to connect through populated areas.
One day the trail came out onto a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. I knew that I was only a few miles from crossing a State highway. I followed the dirt road and tried to keep an eye out for blazes. It was late in the day and somehow I missed a blaze because the dirt road suddenly ended. I had missed the trail somewhere along the way. The thought of backtracking (and possibly missing the trail again) was frustrating when I was certain that the State highway had to be only a mile or two straight ahead.
The safe thing to do was turn around and find the trail. But I was 18 and too confident. So I began to cut through the woods due North, certain of finding the State highway. The light was beginning to fade and it was taking too long to find the State highway. I came up to a field fenced in with barbed wire. Since I grew up in the country, I had no problem crossing that fence, hoping that I would be at the highway soon.
But I finally realized that I needed to stop for the night. It would be dark soon and I was hungry. I found a flat place in the field and setup camp. The weather was clear, so I didn't put up my tarp, I often slept out in the open when the weather was good. After a good dinner I settled down into my sleeping bag and began to nod off. But wait, was that a noise? No, go to sleep.
Have you ever felt like someone was staring at you? I couldn't get to sleep. Then I opened my eyes and saw the curious face of a cow staring right at me! She wasn't alone, there were several cows who had come to investigate this strange appearance in their pasture. I got up and shooed them away, but they came right back. I made noise, I tried everything, but they kept coming back, staring, staring, staring, staring.......OK, OK, I had enough. I gathered all of my stuff up, crossed the fence and settled down to sleep. If cows could talk I'm sure they would have said a lot of things about the crazy, lost backpacker sleeping in their pasture! The next morning I was able to walk to a nearby farmhouse and got directions to the State highway. I was more off course than I thought, but I was able to get back on track by noon the next day. "Stick to the trail" I told myself. That's good advice!
This morning I weighed in at 180.2 pounds (another "zero day"). My right calf muscle is still very stiff and sore, so I'm still not able to run. My plans of gardening last night didn't happen either. But I do have a huge salad waiting for my lunch. If I get off track with my weight loss, I remember the cow pasture and remind myself to get on track.
One day the trail came out onto a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. I knew that I was only a few miles from crossing a State highway. I followed the dirt road and tried to keep an eye out for blazes. It was late in the day and somehow I missed a blaze because the dirt road suddenly ended. I had missed the trail somewhere along the way. The thought of backtracking (and possibly missing the trail again) was frustrating when I was certain that the State highway had to be only a mile or two straight ahead.
The safe thing to do was turn around and find the trail. But I was 18 and too confident. So I began to cut through the woods due North, certain of finding the State highway. The light was beginning to fade and it was taking too long to find the State highway. I came up to a field fenced in with barbed wire. Since I grew up in the country, I had no problem crossing that fence, hoping that I would be at the highway soon.
But I finally realized that I needed to stop for the night. It would be dark soon and I was hungry. I found a flat place in the field and setup camp. The weather was clear, so I didn't put up my tarp, I often slept out in the open when the weather was good. After a good dinner I settled down into my sleeping bag and began to nod off. But wait, was that a noise? No, go to sleep.
Have you ever felt like someone was staring at you? I couldn't get to sleep. Then I opened my eyes and saw the curious face of a cow staring right at me! She wasn't alone, there were several cows who had come to investigate this strange appearance in their pasture. I got up and shooed them away, but they came right back. I made noise, I tried everything, but they kept coming back, staring, staring, staring, staring.......OK, OK, I had enough. I gathered all of my stuff up, crossed the fence and settled down to sleep. If cows could talk I'm sure they would have said a lot of things about the crazy, lost backpacker sleeping in their pasture! The next morning I was able to walk to a nearby farmhouse and got directions to the State highway. I was more off course than I thought, but I was able to get back on track by noon the next day. "Stick to the trail" I told myself. That's good advice!
This morning I weighed in at 180.2 pounds (another "zero day"). My right calf muscle is still very stiff and sore, so I'm still not able to run. My plans of gardening last night didn't happen either. But I do have a huge salad waiting for my lunch. If I get off track with my weight loss, I remember the cow pasture and remind myself to get on track.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
One Full Canteen At A Time!
Hiking the Appalachian Trail in 1980 was always dependent on one essential thing: water. Your body can live for weeks without any food, but only days without water. Without water, it would be impossible to hike the trail. I carried canteens that could hold about a half a gallon of water (that's about four pounds of water). Hiking up and down mountains with a heavy backpack is hard work. I had to drink lots of water in order to stay hydrated. I carried a small tube with me for siphoning water when necessary. Imagine the small tubing used in home aquariums. When I reached a water supply I usually did not have to use the tube, but every now and then I did.
I got water primarily from springs and small streams. When rain falls on the mountains, it soaks into the ground and is filtered by the ground. It eventually comes out in springs which usually run into small streams. Most of the time I stayed in shelters built along the trail. They almost always had a spring or stream nearby (although sometimes it was a steep walk down and back up!) It was great to get a cold, refreshing drink from a mountain stream on a hot day!
Did I ever get sick from the water? No, I didn't. I have a confession to make. Hikers are supposed to either filter water or use treatment tablets. In 1980 I didn't do either one of those. I took it straight from the spring or stream and drank it. I wouldn't do that today! There are so many more hikers today that the chance of getting bad water is too big of a risk. But hey, it was 1980, I was 18 and invincible! I was sometimes low on water, but I never went without. Conversations with other hikers who were headed South usually began with information about the next water supply. One full canteen at a time, I made it all the way to the end in Maine!
Here in 2011 I weighed in at 180.2 pounds this morning. Yesterday while jogging, I started getting a stiff muscle just below my right calf. Today it was very sore and hurt to walk. I will have to let it heal up some before I can go back to jogging. That means I will do a heavy workout in the garden tonight when I get home (time to plant some more green beans & corn!) I'll be sure to drink a lot of water too, it helps when you are losing weight!
I got water primarily from springs and small streams. When rain falls on the mountains, it soaks into the ground and is filtered by the ground. It eventually comes out in springs which usually run into small streams. Most of the time I stayed in shelters built along the trail. They almost always had a spring or stream nearby (although sometimes it was a steep walk down and back up!) It was great to get a cold, refreshing drink from a mountain stream on a hot day!
Did I ever get sick from the water? No, I didn't. I have a confession to make. Hikers are supposed to either filter water or use treatment tablets. In 1980 I didn't do either one of those. I took it straight from the spring or stream and drank it. I wouldn't do that today! There are so many more hikers today that the chance of getting bad water is too big of a risk. But hey, it was 1980, I was 18 and invincible! I was sometimes low on water, but I never went without. Conversations with other hikers who were headed South usually began with information about the next water supply. One full canteen at a time, I made it all the way to the end in Maine!
Here in 2011 I weighed in at 180.2 pounds this morning. Yesterday while jogging, I started getting a stiff muscle just below my right calf. Today it was very sore and hurt to walk. I will have to let it heal up some before I can go back to jogging. That means I will do a heavy workout in the garden tonight when I get home (time to plant some more green beans & corn!) I'll be sure to drink a lot of water too, it helps when you are losing weight!
Monday, May 23, 2011
My hiking staff was a constant friend
Hikers have all kinds of different equipment. My fully loaded pack weighed about 40 pounds (including 14 pounds of food for a week and two full canteens of water). In 1980 I weighed about 135 pounds (skinny as a rail). The trail is not a smooth path. It has rocks, and roots, and downed trees, and small streams to ford, you name it! One of the most important pieces of equipment that I carried with me was my hiking staff. It is a long, sturdy stick to help me keep my balance and not fall. Believe me, I would have had all kinds of injuries if it had not been for my hiking staff!
I saw all kinds of hiking sticks that other people used. Now some people use two lightweight ski poles (but I only remember seeing one guy do that in 1980). My hiking staff was a "hoe stick". Think about a garden hoe with a long wooden handle. If the handle breaks, you can buy a replacement handle. That's what I had! On the bottom I put a rubber tip, like the ones used on crutches (I went through several of these). By the time I got to New England I noticed small cracks in the bottom of the stick, so I wrapped it in several places with first-aid tape and some clear packing tape.
The most memorable thing about my hiking staff was what I did to it. At the beginning of the trip, I carved a little flat place toward the top then put in the initials "GA" for the State of Georgia. I tried to carve the very top into the "AT" symbol (A on top with the T superimposed on bottom) but it broke off. So I just rounded out the top and left it alone. My hiking staff was a constant friend and a reminder of where I had been and what I set out to accomplish. I wanted to have a "notch" for every State on the trail. Every time I would hike into a new State, I would carve the initials of that State on my staff. "GA" was at the top, then I had a place for my hand to hold the stick. Next was "NC", then "TN", then "VA". I continued that practice in all of the 14 States and eventually carved a "K" at the end while sitting on the top of the last mountain in Maine, Katahdin!
May 23, 2011: I'm holding my old hiking staff in my hand and remembering all that happened when I hiked the Appalachian Trail. The notches have dirt in them, but it gets lighter in color as the newer States were not exposed to as much dirt and weather. The tape is still there along with an old rubber tip that is worn completely through! It's a great keepsake to remember the trail!
This morning I weighed in at 180.4 pounds! After seven weeks, I have dropped 6.4 pounds (a little under my goal of one pound per week, but still respectable!) I think part of my larger than normal weight drop in a day was due to too much salt (it makes you retain water). Also, I didn't eat a lot yesterday but I wasn't hungry either. I have been jogging this morning (that is 3 times in the last 4 days). I have a big salad for supper in the fridge. I hope to keep making progress and taking my belt down a "notch"!
I saw all kinds of hiking sticks that other people used. Now some people use two lightweight ski poles (but I only remember seeing one guy do that in 1980). My hiking staff was a "hoe stick". Think about a garden hoe with a long wooden handle. If the handle breaks, you can buy a replacement handle. That's what I had! On the bottom I put a rubber tip, like the ones used on crutches (I went through several of these). By the time I got to New England I noticed small cracks in the bottom of the stick, so I wrapped it in several places with first-aid tape and some clear packing tape.
The most memorable thing about my hiking staff was what I did to it. At the beginning of the trip, I carved a little flat place toward the top then put in the initials "GA" for the State of Georgia. I tried to carve the very top into the "AT" symbol (A on top with the T superimposed on bottom) but it broke off. So I just rounded out the top and left it alone. My hiking staff was a constant friend and a reminder of where I had been and what I set out to accomplish. I wanted to have a "notch" for every State on the trail. Every time I would hike into a new State, I would carve the initials of that State on my staff. "GA" was at the top, then I had a place for my hand to hold the stick. Next was "NC", then "TN", then "VA". I continued that practice in all of the 14 States and eventually carved a "K" at the end while sitting on the top of the last mountain in Maine, Katahdin!
May 23, 2011: I'm holding my old hiking staff in my hand and remembering all that happened when I hiked the Appalachian Trail. The notches have dirt in them, but it gets lighter in color as the newer States were not exposed to as much dirt and weather. The tape is still there along with an old rubber tip that is worn completely through! It's a great keepsake to remember the trail!
This morning I weighed in at 180.4 pounds! After seven weeks, I have dropped 6.4 pounds (a little under my goal of one pound per week, but still respectable!) I think part of my larger than normal weight drop in a day was due to too much salt (it makes you retain water). Also, I didn't eat a lot yesterday but I wasn't hungry either. I have been jogging this morning (that is 3 times in the last 4 days). I have a big salad for supper in the fridge. I hope to keep making progress and taking my belt down a "notch"!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
The Right Place & the Wrong Time!
Back in 1980 my watch was very "old school". It did not have a battery, but had to be wound up every couple of days. Sometimes I would forget to wind it. That happened when I was in Elk Park, North Carolina. When I woke up in the Fellowship Hall of the church where they let me sleep that night, I noticed that my watch had stopped. So I re-set the watch and wound it up. In order to get the correct time, I looked all around the Fellowship Hall for a clock. I did find one on the stove, so that's what I used to set my clock.
Back out on the trail I continued to hike. Something weird happened though. I noticed that the sun was coming up early in the morning. I also noticed that it was getting dark a earlier too. That seemed strange to me. This was spring, and the days were supposed to be getting longer, not shorter! It actually took me a few days to realize what had happened. While complaining to another hiker about why it was getting dark at 7:30pm, the other hiker informed me that it was actually 8:30! I had been hiking for days with my watch set to "Standard" time instead of "Daylight Savings" time! The clock on the stove was wrong!
Imagine my surprise and chagrin to realize that I hiked several days and didn't even know the correct time! I was in the right place but had the wrong time! It just goes to show you what happens when you get away from all the modern technology (and back then we didn't have home computers, cell phones, cable tv, or microwave ovens)! Time is relative. I was able to hike many miles on the trail completely oblivious to the fact that my watch was wrong. A watch is useful, but not necessary in all cases!
Here in 2011 I was recovering from the engagement party for my niece. I ate WAY too much at the party and weighed in at 182.4 pounds this morning! Note to self: yelling and screaming at a bathroom scale does not change the numbers on the dial.
Back out on the trail I continued to hike. Something weird happened though. I noticed that the sun was coming up early in the morning. I also noticed that it was getting dark a earlier too. That seemed strange to me. This was spring, and the days were supposed to be getting longer, not shorter! It actually took me a few days to realize what had happened. While complaining to another hiker about why it was getting dark at 7:30pm, the other hiker informed me that it was actually 8:30! I had been hiking for days with my watch set to "Standard" time instead of "Daylight Savings" time! The clock on the stove was wrong!
Imagine my surprise and chagrin to realize that I hiked several days and didn't even know the correct time! I was in the right place but had the wrong time! It just goes to show you what happens when you get away from all the modern technology (and back then we didn't have home computers, cell phones, cable tv, or microwave ovens)! Time is relative. I was able to hike many miles on the trail completely oblivious to the fact that my watch was wrong. A watch is useful, but not necessary in all cases!
Here in 2011 I was recovering from the engagement party for my niece. I ate WAY too much at the party and weighed in at 182.4 pounds this morning! Note to self: yelling and screaming at a bathroom scale does not change the numbers on the dial.
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