Nervousness, Anticipation, Fear, Excitement

For the past couple of years, Richard Judy has been heading up to Springer Mountain in GA, where one of the terminus of the Appalachian Trail are located and asking the perennial question from his novel THRU: An Appalachian Trail Love Story, "What have you gotten yourself into?"

Well, LoGear and I have been working through that question every day for the last several weeks.  Are we ready?  Are we really going to head out to the trail and spend FIVE or SIX months out there?  Are we fucking crazy?  The only answer we can say for now, is yes to all of them.

Each day, we go through a mental checklist.  We fiddle with our gear.  We empty and repack our food bag or clothes bag or little bag of tricks.  I suffer a small panic attack every time I think that in X number of days (today it is 13), we will start walking down in Georgia.  Heading in a northerly direction, towards Maine and Katahdin where Pamola lives.

The things I'm worried about won't fit in this post, but some of them are: Can I get in shape before I injure myself?  Can I avoid injury in general?  Will I be able to walk through the pain that I KNOW will be flowing through my body, Every. Freaking. Day?  How bad will my blisters be?  Will I lose those several extra Kilos that I'm carrying on my body?  Can we do this?  Do we really WANT to do this?  My mind.  A terrible place to be sometimes. 

There are plenty of things I'm not afraid of.  Bears, snakes, ticks (to a point) and bad water.  We have enough experience to deal with all of that.  All we need is a bit of common sense and situational awareness.  I have been studying our Guidebooks for several years now and I have a really good idea on how to do logistics for the first couple hundred miles and after that, I'm familiar enough to have a general idea of how to do it.  I am intent on staying as flexible as I can be.  We have learned to be that way over the years, doing our adventure races and hiking the trails.  I need to constantly be aware of the things that are out there, but I don't fear them.  

My reasons for hitting the trail are purely selfish.  I'm not hiking for a cause, or to raise money for some non-profit.  I'm not hiking to bring awareness to some disease or disorder.  I don't need to walk off the war or preach any faith.  I'm doing it for me.  I'm doing it to practice patience and have an adventure.  I'm doing it to become an Outsider for a time.

I rarely refer to this Hike as a Thru Hike.  Yes, I do hope that it has that achievement as a footnote to the experience, but I usually refer to it as an Adventure or as The Quest for Pamola.  If you have been reading my stuff for any time, you may have noticed that I have developed a disdain for the term Thru Hiker.  Too many people have too many differing opinions and rules and guidelines about that term that for me, it has lost a lot of its power.  I'm happy to be a Long Distance Hiker, who is having an Adventure and is on a Quest.  

We are also funding this trip ourselves.  No GoFundMe or promise to film a "Documentary".  We will be extremely grateful for any care packages that are sent to us though, but we are using our own money to do this hike.  It sure doesn't hurt that I have my 30 year military pension to help, but we need to keep the home front going and do our hike with that money.  Both of us are leaving jobs to do the hike.  

We are also feeling a smidge of guilt.  They say that there is never a perfect time to hike the trail, but you have to take the time to do it.  Ginger (Mama Bear) is going to be really pissed when we fill up our packs and head out without her.  Hopefully she will forgive us when we show up in a couple of months and all will be well again.  Leaving our youngest daughter (Brandi aka Home Base) to take care of the house and pets is also something I have fretted about, but I know she will be up to the task and it will be some great character building with some adulting and responsibility thrown in.  It seems that leaving all the bills and chores behind and heading out on the trail to walk over 2000 miles is irresponsible, but I know that it will be an epic part of my life, no matter how long we stay out there.  (reference back to my selfish comment above)

Soon the days until we hike will be in the single digits.  Each day I'm sure I'll feel more nervous and excited as I tremble in fear and anticipation.  The day is coming soon.  I'm pretty sure that on day one or two, I will be sweaty or wet; feeling the pain in my feet and legs as it reminds me of all the extra weight (both in body and pack) that I am carrying and I will ask myself, "What Have I Gotten Myself Into?"  The answer (hopefully) will be, Having the Best Damn Adventure of My Lifetime! 

Wish us luck.

Peace,
EarthTone and LoGear

Long Distance Hiking 101

In my continuing obsession with everything hiking, the A.T. and gear, I came across an actual class that you can take called Thru-Hiking 101 by Liz Thomas.  I saw the syllabus and I copied it for some future need.   It's really just an outline, but as I looked at it today, I decided that I could work my way through the topics and write posts dealing with most of them.  And that is just what I'm going to do.  


This won't be a Course per se, but will be a continuing series that will keep me busy as I wait for our time to hit the trail.  It will be a welcome retreat from my constant gear shaving, gear envy and hike planning. (but in its own way, is just that, hike planning)  

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert, but I do have some experience.  All information stated here is my opinion, based on my knowledge, skills, experience and pompous attitude.  Your mileage may vary.  Hike your own hike, etc, etc, etc...

I reserve the right to make shit up if I don't know all the facts.  

If you want to take the actual course and have $200 burning a hole in your pack, you can do so here.  

These articles will have no connection to her class other than the names of the topics that I will write about. 

This is the edited outline of what I think I might write about.  Most likely in the order shown, but prone to flexibility like everything else.

LD-01: Refining the Dream
What is long distance hiking?
Choosing the right trek
Finding the time and money
Understanding your "why"
Rallying your team

LD-02: Making It Real
The importance of planning
Physical fitness
Calculate your budget
Set the home front to autopilot

LD-03: Route Planning
Think about permits
Decide when you'll start
Plan your hard-stop end date
Decide where you'll start
Getting to and from the trailhead
Roughing out your itinerary

LD-04: Resupplies
The role of food on an LD-hike
Food rules for Long Distance Hikers
Decide on a resupply strategy
Grocery store resupplies
Mail drops
Bounce boxes
Using friends and family
The hybrid resupply spectrum

LD-05: Gear
Letting go of perfection
Joe's rules of gear
What's in my pack?
You don't need everything all the time
Start with the Big 4
Other key decisions
Fancy isn't always better. But sometimes it is.
Do your research

LD-06: Life on the Trail
What's it really like out there?
Eating and drinking
Making camp
Tricks for the long haul
Trail etiquette
Safety basics
Safety for women
Special concerns for older hikers


LD-07: More Life on the Trail
Staying smart around sex, drugs, and rock and roll
Common thru-hiker medical issues
Staying motivated
Making friends on the trail
Keeping in touch with loved ones

LD-08: Hike Your Own Hike
What "hike your own hike" means
Further resources

Peace,
EarthTone and LoGear

LD-01 - LD-02 - LD-03 - LD-04 - LD-05 - LD-06 - LD-07 - LD-08

In Which I Become a Gram Weenie

Although I always vow to never let any purist tendencies creep into my Hiking, my recent troubles with my back have made me take yet another look at my pack contents and their weight.  So I have entered the realm of the Gram Weenie.

I have been constantly conscious of my pack weight, usually accepting what the scale said as my destiny, but I would make a gear change here and there to not only use something more functional, but also hopefully lighter.  Since my back went out, (and is pretty much healed), I have started to once again take a hard look at what I have in my pack and trying to finds ways to make the overall pack lighter.  They say, cut the ounces and the pounds take care of themselves.

So I have cut out what I can (or should).  Asking myself again and again: Do I really need this?  Will I be just fine without it?  Is it an emergency item, or are your fears filling your pack?  

They say that you carry your fears in your pack.  The more you fear, the more your pack weighs.  That is why my pack's name is Phobos.  

I think I'm at a point where I'm carrying just what I need.  There are probably still one or two things that I can drop, one that comes to mind are my small camera tripod, stick pic and clamp for my phone.  That's about 3.6 ounces.  But I do have a very small pack umbrella that I would like to bring, which weighs about 6 ounces if I remember correctly.

I go back and forth and play with this and that.  I have been weighing my stuff for quite a few years though and up to this point I was halfheartedly recording it on a website called GearGrams.  It works well, but I have never fully committed with a detailed rendering of all my gear and its true weight.  A couple of weeks ago I saw a new site that does the same thing, but with a cool graph and some better features and since the reality of our Thru Hike is now sinking in, I need something to do to pass the time until we can hit the trail.  Yesterday I started playing with the new site and about three hours later, I had everything listed and most of it freshly weighed.  What I saw as my base weight didn't satisfy me.

After making my first list and then refining that with the latest gear drops, I came up with a base weight of about 24 pounds.  That is still a little too high for my liking, so I started fiddling with some what ifs.  

Want...

I'm at the point that any further gear exchanges that cut weight are not going to be cheap.  For a while now, I have been wanting an underquilt for my hammock setup.  I do have a DIY underquilt made from a military poncho liner (commonly referred to as a Woovie) that does work, but weighs in at 1.6 pounds.  I also would like to replace my Big Agnes sleeping bag with a top quilt and the Blackbird Warbonnet hammock is on my "want" list.  If I could afford all three of these, it would only cost a mere $680 for a 2.2 pound reduction in pack weight.  If Lisa wants to upgrade too, that makes it $1,360.  

So, a full upgrade probably won't happen just yet.  But, If I can pick one, it would be the top quilt, which would shave off 1.5 pounds.  That's a start.

As I continue to tweak.  I play with the Lighterpack.com website and try different ideas.  My old pack weighs less than my Osprey.  Should I go back to that?  I always did like it, but had always wanted an Osprey and when we found a great deal at EMS, we bought two. 

To cut some of the 4 lbs that this comfortable pack weighs, I have removed the "brain" part of the pack (6 oz) and now use a Sea to Summit Dry bag as my "removable brain".  It will always sit at the top of the pack for easy access, just like the old brain did, so that helps cut the weight a little. 

The other day, I cut off part of the head strap on my headlamp saving an amazing 0.7 of an ounce.  Every gram counts, dammit.  I have become a weenie extraordinaire. 

Every gram counts, dammit.

Next, I went into my Osprey and cut out the small flap that sits near the bottom between the sleeping bag space and the upper compartment.  Since I load everything from the top and don't use the divider, I don't need it.  This reduces the pack's weight by another 1 oz. (Actually 30 grams sounds even better).

Another easy and cost effective change out would be my blue 24 oz nalgene.  I have had that since around 2003 and I really like its wide mouth which makes it very easy to gather water in challenging places.  That is the main reason I have continued to carry it, despite its 5.5 oz weight.  If I can find something from GatorAde or some other product that has a wide mouth, I could save a few more ounces.   
So, as the days slowly trickle by, moving towards our Hike Date at glacial speed, I will continue to tinker, and emit strong hints for some specific birthday gifts, and tinker some more.  It will never be perfect.  I turn my favorite earthtone of green everytime I see someone else's base weigh figure sitting at a (to me) unbelievable number that is disgustingly low, like ten or twelve.  I know I will never get there, but I will always strive to get close.  

For now, I would be happy with a big four (pack, shelter, sleeping bag and pad) of under 10 lbs and a base weight (everything but consumables, food and water) of 20ish.  I'm getting close, but I'm not quite there yet.

Here is a link to one of my lists.  I will continue to update it as I tinker some more, but for now, this is "What's In My Pack".

Peace,
EarthTone

The Quest of Pamola

If I haven't already pulled the trigger of announcing a long distance hike, making it official, I am pretty much locked and loaded.  Lisa and I have discussed the possible plan of heading down to Georgia and getting back to Springer, to then hike North, towards the place where Pamola resides.  

In my current line of work, I get the question all time of "have you hiked the whole trail?" from a lot of our visitors.  I immediately point out that I have done a decent portion of the trail, but next year, my bride and I will set our sites north on an adventure in walking.  Each time I say it, it feels more real to me.  It builds my excitement, my need, to get on the trail, become an outsider and hike north into the mists.  

Being immersed in the Trail Culture and hiking whenever I can squeeze in the time, I have a decent idea of what to expect.  I also expect to experience a lot of things I haven't yet and might not have thought of.  That's what adventures are.  A voyage into the unknown.  

So, as the idea becomes more real, things resembling obstacles keep throwing themselves in front of us.  We deal with each challenge as it comes and think that this might jeopardize our plan, but we fight on, taking care of the problem and for now, continuing on.

First, there is the "wedding".  Daughter number one is tying the knot in October.  Once that financial ruining, er, glorious event happens, we can set our sights towards Georgia, and Springer and "The Hike".  

Another recent situation was my back going out more than it ever has before.  With a months long recovery that signals to me that my body isn't getting any younger.  I got to see what I have left in the tank.  I have to get out there before my back says "unuh,  you done."  

Some more recent perceived barriers (omens) are some equipment failure issues at the house.  Not long ago the washer gave up the ghost.  Last week, the dryer decided it was its turn.  Yesterday, the computer's power supply started giving off a very smokey smell and won't power up the unit anymore.  It seems as if Pamola is already challenging me.  Already scoffing at my audacity of assuming I would be allowed to start this Quest.  The Quest of Pamola.  

But attempt the Quest we will.

Brandi, (daughter number two), will be our home base support team leader.  Her team of one will tend to the house and its furry occupants.  Ensuring the lights stay on and the trains run on time.  She is predicting we will be home in a month at most.  She may be right, but who knows.

I'm not obsessed with the job title of Thru Hiker.  If we go all the way, great, but I really don't care if we make it all the way in that calendar year.  I have already realized that I will be hiking the trial until I can no longer walk.  If I do go and finish the trail in one season, I still won't be done.  I won't be finished hiking. 

So, if I find myself pulled back to the "other" world during the hike, that's ok.  I will do what I have to do and get back to the trail when I can.  I'm a hiker until the end.

You might be wondering about this Quest of Pamola.  What is this "Pamola"?  

Pamola is an indigenous god, (sometimes labeled a demon), who can control the weather.  Actually a storm god.  He has the head of a moose, the feet and wings of an eagle and the body of a man.  He resides in Katahdin.  You must appease him if you think you can summit that greatest mountain.  The ones who feared/worshiped him, thought it taboo to enter his domain.  The mountain...

To appease Pamola you must sacrifice "fat and oil".  I plan on making that sacrifice using bacon and olive oil.  Seems like that will work.  Add a little to the fire.  Say a few words and you might found worthy.

If we make it to Pamola's domain, and if we are found worthy, we will summit in glory and celebrate the event.  But it will only be an event.  Not the first, not the last, just one point in time, where we were found worthy.  

Woods, Trails and Maps

Back when we were kids, my brother and I used to spend a good deal of time up our cousins' house.  My Mother's brother had moved away from the city in the late 60s and bought four acres of land on the county line between Lawrence and Beaver.  One of the things we liked to do, when visiting, was walk the trails on the top of their property in a woodsy area.  We would draw maps of the network of trails with pencils and I still remembering labeling the Creek as "Crick".  That's just how we said it so that was how I wrote it.  

Each time I make a trip home, I usually find myself up on the third floor, passing through the closet door into the craw space of the attic.  I look through the boxes up there as if I am looking for buried treasure.  Some times I find good things, sometimes it is just part of the stuff that a family gathers as it goes through time and life.  I hope to one day find one of my hand drawn maps.  Tucked away in a box somewhere in that magical attic.   Until then, I will have to draw a map of the trails near our house in Schramm's Woods.  I have been spending lots of time in those woods these days, walking Ginger and enjoying this little bit of woods.  It feeds my soul to walk in the woods.

At  almost every place we have lived since I left PA and those childhood trails, we have found a copse of nearby woods, that usually have a trail or three, where we have walked our dogs and ourselves through the years.  When duty meant it was time to pull up roots and pack up the house and move to wherever they were sending us.  We would find a place to walk.  Sometimes it would be the urban streets of Staten Island and the little getaway island off the tip of Manhattan named GI, other times it would be the grassy balds in the Marin hillsides of California.  In the three different places we have lived here in Maryland, there has been a nearby woods with trails, that we walked on.

Schramm's Woods is the name of the woods near this latest of houses.  The Schramm's came here I think in the later 1800's and bought the land where I sit now and some couple hundred acres surrounding me.  They grew prize cantaloupes and gladiolas and eventually they raised a whole bunch of smelly turkeys.  When we moved to this current house in 2005, the once huge farm had been mostly converted to a housing development named Farmington Village.  The farmers, had a nice house and barn built on the northern corner of their property and planted some orchards.  They had a few fields still and they would sell their goods at a little market just outside their house.  They would only do it until about 2007 and then they let the field go fallow and closed the market.  I guess they got too old and all their kids had moved on.

So shortly after we moved here, we found the entrance to the woods at the end of one of the numbered streets of our neighborhood.  The woods were about an 11 acre copse of woods with a field on the western side of the woods.  This piece of land now belonged to the county school district.  I guess there was once a plan to build a school there, but it never happened.  There was a paved path that ran from our neighborhood over to the Farmington neighborhood that was used by kids walking to the nearby middle school that sat to the north of us.  That path skirted the edge of the woods, the rest of the network ran north and west towards Mountain Road.  Some of the trails were there when we discovered the place, others we would develop ourselves, as we expanded our exploration of the place.  Most would be "improved" by young overzealous quad riders, who needed to widen the trail for their four wheelers.  So the network grew and developed over the next ten years.  I have grown very close to the woods myself.

My drawing of my latest favorite woods

When we first started walking the woods, it was a rough rectangle of four trails.  In the middle of that small network was a kid build shack.  It was pretty big, and we never really checked it out until it was destroyed.  I don't remember the details.  One day it just went from shack to pile of rubble, to scattered rubble to now, just dirt, some stumps and a few boards.  Nature took back the land.

As I walked the trails with Lisa and Ginger (twice a day at least, the dog insists), I started to give each distinct trail a name.  I picked the names for various reasons, but each name is meaningful.  At least to me they are.  

There is Entry Trail.  The way in, where you break away from the paved path.  Entry leads you to the Traffic Circle.  Where three trails come together.  The quads like to do small circles here and hence the name was born.

I always turn left here.  I started walking that way when I was carrying urbanite to my campsite and in my head it was the shortest route until I could drop the rocks.  Eventually, it became the way to start our walk.  So that trail is named Pine Tree, because it leads to... wait for it... a pine tree.  There are many pine in this forest, most of them are tall skinny branch-less trunks with the needles up near the top, where the sun still shines.  This tree is like a big Christmas tree that is full top to bottom and about 20 feet tall.  

To the left of the tree leads Farmington Trail.  That is where the Boys (playmates of Ginger) come from.  Ginger always checks this trail first for signs of the Boys.  She likes to play with them.  To the right is Field trail, which runs along the field which used to grow pumpkins, but now just grows locust, sumac and broom sedge.  Halfway along this trail the old dilapidated fence opens to the field.  Sometimes we go into the field where the dogs play tag with each other.  From time to time the local hooligans would bring furniture to the field to make their hanging out more comfortable.  It is quite a sight.  The broom sedge also makes it easy for the field to periodically blaze up from someones deliberate act or carelessness.  I think it has burned two or three times since we have lived here.  Luckily it has been extinguished fairly quickly, but the first time the fire entered the woods for about 100 feet.  

Also at this opening is where Paintball Trail heads across the forest to the east.  At the end of Field Trail you come to another junction.  Hill trail heads down the slight incline that gives it its name and straight ahead is Pink Lady Slipper Trail.  Just as you start this trail, Homeless Trail forks off to the left and winds towards my little campsite.  The campsite is where a homeless man had pitched his old leaky tent when he lived there for a few weeks one summer.  When he abandoned the place, leaving all his stuff, I took the site over and disposed of the old tent and blankets.  I have built a few primitive shelters here and have made a fire from time to time in the urbanite fire ring I made when I crave the flame.  

Home less leads back to Pink Lady Slipper Trail.  This trail has a couple dozen of those pretty flowers come up each spring and Ginger likes to smell them.  PLS Trail circles around, where Schramm's Trail heads north to their old road and the house and barn, and comes to a well established trail that has some bike jumps dug out of the soil.  There are also a number of large Hickory trees, so this trail is named Hickory Trail.  Hickory leads back toward the bottom of Hill Trail and this trail now becomes Oak Trail.  We also see the other side of Paintball Trail here.  This trail's name is evident by the log barricades and fox holes you see as you traverse the path in the middle of the woods.  The kids have had their battles here.  

Oak Trail leads back to the Traffic Circle and from there you can retrace your steps down Entry Trail back to civilization.  I really enjoy our times in these cool woods.  I look forward to each days visit.

PenMar to AT Museum - Section Hike

It has been over a month since Turk and I hit the trail again, so I better get this written up.

It was time for EarthTone and Kangaroo Joe to hit the trail again. 

This time we hiked on the AT.  I have hiked this section before, some of it multiple times, but it was still a good hike and we met some cool hikers and did some good miles.

Turk (aka KJ) came to the Park and met me at the museum on the Sunday after the Fourth.  We stayed at Junker's place that night.  Junker is the local Ridge Runner and a volunteer at the museum.  He has also offered to shuttle us down to PenMar park to start our hike.  

His place is pretty cool.  He has a part of his land all set up for hikers.  There is a little cabin at the edge of his property with a couple of beds, kitchen and a place to hang out. There is a nice fire ring, privy nearby and he has a shower up by his house that we could use.  

Bear bench at Junker's place

We had headed over there in the early evening and had a little fire into the dark.  The plan was to head out sometime around 8 or 9 in the morning.

Monday, July 7th, 2014

We were up and ready nice and early after a good nights rest.  We arrived at the park and started hiking at 8:45.  Our goal was Tumbling Run Shelter, 8.3 miles down the trail.  This shelter is one of the best. Two structures with a covered table in between.  Also, clotheslines and nice clean firepits.  The shelter maintainers are pretty dedicated. 

KJ at the PenMar Park sign. Ready to start.

The hike that day was pretty easy.  PenMar itself is in Maryland, so within a few minutes of starting our hike, we passed the Mason Dixon Line sign and were back in PA again.  This wooden sign tends to disappear every once and a while, probably stolen by some rebel who is still fighting the Civil War.  Junker had told us that there was a plan to make the sign a little more permanent.  Kind of like when rural people get sick of the rednecks baseball batting their mail boxes and make a box of stone.  At least that is what the plans reminded me of.  From what I hear, it was erected a few days after we hiked by.

Back into the "North"

After the sign we hiked down into the Falls Creek hollow where I had camped on my first section hike.  There was a sign on the bridge over the creek warning you not to even let the water touch you as there was a sewage plant upstream and recent storms had caused escapes of untreated water.  Yuk.

We hiked on and had to detour around a large dead fall.  We made note of the location to report to Junker, so he could come cut it up with his trusty chainsaw.  

The days hike took me past a place where I remembered doing some trail maintenance.  It seems someone likes to dump their used tires over the hillside and the trail happens to be below the road where they dump.  I remember the fun of hauling numerous old tires back up the hill to a truck so they could be properly disposed of.

I helped build these "steps"

Water was plentiful and we passed two shelters before arriving at Tumbling Run at 1:20pm.  It was a beautiful day and the hike was completed early.  There was no reason to continue on, so we stuck with the plan and found a place for our tent and hammock.  This place also has some nice tenting areas and we found a nice place away from the shelter.  

First night's camp

We ate lunch, made camp and started gathering wood.  Tumbling Run the stream was nearby and looked pretty refreshing.  The spring was also nearby, across the creek and it tasted very nice.  We had had a nice first day's hike.

Trail Art

From time to time hikers would come in and hang out for a while and then continue on.  A couple of them stayed for the night and we hung out with them at the table and the camp fire and talked about their hikes.  One was a younger guy, with a spanish trail name that of course escapes me now.  I thought it was the word for sheep, but when I google that, it doesn't look familiar.  (my memory is slow, but it works sometimes.  It was Borrego, lamb, not sheep) Also, I remember that he mentioned that he had to get off trail for a while after a alcohol stove accident and the word Fuego had been added to his name. Fuego Borrego.  He was pretty cool and was a hammock hanger.  He was up and out the next morning before we even got up.

Such a peaceful, easy feeling

Another guy who hung out with us had a name that related to where he was from (Edit: It was Ski, from Colorado I think. Thanks Turk).  Geeze, now I can't even remember trail names.  I need to take better notes, but had forgotten to take my notebook with me.  He was cool, but talked a big talk about sleeping in really late, but still getting his 20 miles in...  We wouldn't see him again until the General Store in Pine Grove Furnace.  He came in behind us.  20 mile days, yeah, ok...

You lookin at me?

In the late afternoon, George and his wife, the shelter maintainers, came by with some trail magic.  Some apples and cokes.  They are very nice people and take pride in their shelter.  We gushed about how great the shelter was and they glowed in accomplishment.  

After sitting around the fire for a while and sipping on some vodka, it was time for bed for me and I headed to my hammock.  As usual, I slept off and on throughout the night.  My usual for the first night out, until I get used to the hammock or my fatigue build up.

My nightly domicile

Tuesday, July 8th, 2014

The next morning was a little cloudy, but it didn't seem that rain was imminent.  We packed up and were on the trail at 7:45am.  Today's planned miles was 12.2, the Quarry Gap Shelter, just up from Caledonia State Park.  I left a little before Kangaroo Joe.  The beginning of the day had us climbing up almost 900 feet to Chimney Rocks, a view.  I thought I would see KJ after coming down from the view, but it was not until later that we would meet up again.  After that climb we headed up Rocky Mountain and ran that ridge all the way to Route 30.  Its name is well earned.  At one point the trail had moved down from the rocky ridge top, but then it took a sharp right and headed back up to scramble amongst the boulders again.  Maybe fun with a day pack, but with 30 plus pounds, not so much.  

Chimney Rocks View

But that is the name of the game and there is no such thing as a Pointless Up and Down (PUD) if it gets you further down the trail.  So we continued on.

Around lunch time we arrived at Caledonia State Park and the snack bar was open.  There were a couple hikers hanging out at the table and we ordered some lunch to go eat in the shade.  We had to wait a while as there was only one girl inside working and the pool people had formed a long line on the other side of the building.  But she did make her way over to us and we placed our order and had some lunch.  

After lunch we made the steep climb (about 500 feet this time) to the Quarry Gap Shelter.  George of Tumbling Run and Jim, the maintainer of this shelter like to have a friendly competition of which shelter is the better and I'm sorry but this one doesn't even come close.  Main evidence is I took no pictures.  I have been here before and it is nice, somewhat.  There are hanging plants and the spring is 10 feet in front of the shelter, but the niceness ends there.  The tent pads are wooden and the group area is down a rocky trail about 50 yards or so.  We arrived at 2:55pm and hung out for a while as this was our planned stop, but KJ had an idea to check out an area about .3 miles down the trail.  

As we hung out, another hiker came by.  Her name was Cherry Blossom (CB) and she was pretty cool.  I think she had gotten off trail for a while too and was just back for as long as she could be, hiking north.  She offered us some berries she had picked and KJ offered her some of his excellent vodka.  A fair exchange.  

She headed out and I took a little nap while KJ went for a walk to scout the other site.  He came back and said it looks nice, so we donned our packs once again and made the day a 12.5 mile day.  The campsite was nice.  Right next to the creek with plenty of flat space for Turk's tent and trees for my hammock.  We set up, cleaned up and I started making my dinner as the wind decided to pick up with the promise of a summer storm coming in. 

Day two camp

Just as I put my food in its cozy to finish cooking the rain started.  I just climbed under my tarp/hammock and sat the rain out.  I should have checked my pack a little better as the downpour let a bit of water into my pack and there was a nice puddle within the cover and some of my clothes got a little wet.  It wasn't too bad and is just part of being out on the trail.  You learn, and re-learn lessons all the time until avoiding them becomes habit.

Wet camp after rain

The rain eventually stopped, but all of our wood was wet, so no fire tonight.  At times like this, I just like to retire to my hammock and read.  KJ hung out for a while around the cold fire ring and had his own adventures.  Night came, and then sleep and then the morning dawned again.

Wednesday, July 9th, 2014

We were up and packed and on the trail at 7:25am.  Today was our biggest planned day of 16.9 miles with a possible stop at Tom's Run if we felt like it.  Today's hike would become very familiar for me as I have hiked the last 8.5 miles numerous times with the Road Scholars.  KJ had even hiked a few of these miles when we stayed at the Milesburn Cabin and hiked to Birch Run Shelter last fall.

In the morning I realized I must have left my AT Guide pages at Quarry Gap.  Oh well, I didn't really need them and KJ had a copy.  I just had to recreate the sparse notes I had taken on them into my phone.  

As we talked to the day's hikers, it became evident that moving on was a good idea.  Quarry Gap Shelter had filled up to capacity and event the group area had hikers.  Don't need the crowds.  

Off we went on easy trail after the usual morning climb.  I stopped at the cabin to wait for Turk and we hung out there for a while talking about our fall stay.  When we were there last fall we rebuilt the fire ring, incorporating a nice grill as a keyhole cooking area, but someone had fucked it all up as usual.  They just pile rocks and keep adding ash until it looks like a pile of rocky ash.  Oh well. 

This year's portable halfway marker.  Hikers are helping me maintain it with their duct tape

The day was beautiful and before long we were at Tom's Run Shelter for another break.  We only had 3.8 miles left and I was ready to get them walked.  I headed out and made my way to the end of the hike.  It seemed, that someone had snuck in and added trail when I wasn't looking.  I would be walking along and would think, I don't remember this part of the trail even though I have hiked it about ten times now.  I think that when I am with the group, I go on autopilot as I talk to them and don't remember all of the trail.  At one point, yesterday's storm had knocked over a Very large tree and it was a challenge to get over it.  There were two hikers right behind me when we got to it and I made my over it using my ass as best I could and they found their own way around.  We all made it over eventually.  When I asked Turk about it later, he said he had fallen off it, but then saw an easy way around it using the nearby road.  

Before too long I was walking into Pine Grove Furnace State Park and the end of our hike.  

A lot of the hikers that we had seen over the last three days were there eating their ice cream and it felt good that we had pretty much kept pace with most of them.  I had a cone and waited for Turk to finish his hike.  

We put our gear into the truck, went and got some pizza at Sheetz and then headed back to Junkers for another night in the cabin.  

In the morning, I headed home and Turk headed to State College to continue his hike.

It was a good 37.7 miles hiked in three days. 

That List of Failure

A lot of this year's class of AT hikers have read the book "Appalachian Trials", by Zach Davis which is geared to help you learn about the psychological and emotional stuff to prepare for while hiking the trail.

From what I have read of it (and the blog), it has some good information on preparation and one of the things it asks you do to is make three lists.  The first list is why your are hiking the trail.  The second asks you to list the feelings you would have if you made your goal (i.e. hiking Springer to Katahdin).  The last list was for what you would feel if you had to leave the trail before your goal has been achieved.

All of those Third Lists that I have read have made me a little depressed.  They always seem sooooooo negative.  They seem to totally dismiss the things you did accomplish during your hike, and concentrate on those things you couldn't do (for whatever reason).

I thought it was just me, but yesterday, I saw someone comment in the same manner to someone's number three list and that has led me to write down these little tidbits.

Call me an optimist, but here is my list for the "What if" of going out hiking and having to leave the trail.

If I don't complete the whole trail, I will...

1. ...most likely try again.

2. ...know that the trail will always be there... waiting for me... to come back.

3. ...realize that being ON the trail is the place to be.  Why rush the journey?

4. ...believe that a goal not yet achieved, is still a challenge to be taken.

5. ...still have a bucket list item to strive for.

6. ...still love the trail with yearning.  Wanting to be hiking on it, experiencing the world of the AT, always.

7. ...not be afraid to adjust my goals and work my way towards them at a life enjoying pace.

8. ...not think of myself as a failure.

9. ...learn a lot about myself that I didn't know.

10. ...know that I did so much more than those who never leave their front door.

Peace,
EarthTone

Tracking the Trail

After yesterday's work at the Museum, I did a short trip up to Pole Steeple and back through the park to get some new GPS tracks and some pictures of the areas of interest.

It was a cold day with freezing rain and sleet coming down.  It made for an interesting hike.  Especially near the rocks of Pole Steeple.  All were coated in ice.  I stayed well away from the edge.  I don't think I would have been able to cross any of the rocks anyway, they were so slick.  It was fun coming back down the stone steps.  I had to bypass the trail a lot to stay on leaves.

Any day is a good day to be in the woods.

Here is a visual rending of the hike.

Pole Steeple to Rt 233

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Pine Grove Furnace State Park

Patapsco Park Hike

This Friday, we headed to Patapsco Park to do a little hike. Along with me was Lisa, Shauni and Ginger. It was a beautiful day with the temperature around 66 degrees. We parked on Landing Road and headed down the yellow trail. We took that to the blue and ended up at the Cascade Falls before heading back the way we had came. It was a good hike and Ginger had a good time meeting some new friends. All in all the hike was about 4 miles on fairly easy terrain. A good hike.

Camelback Mountian Trek

After a great night at the Wagner's, I decided to take Johns suggestion and made plans to head to Camelback Mountain to do the climb. Camelback is a very popular place and once I had carved out some time in the day and headed over the parking lot was a full as I feared. The car in front of me was waiting at the beginning of the circle right next to the sign that says you are not allowed to do that. I sat for a while and after a few minutes a car came out and he had his space. I came up and sat for a bit and two girls coming down pointed to their left. I figured they were pointing to an empty spot and as luck would have it, there was. I quickly parked grabbed my pack and headed up the trail.

The trail starts up as steps leading up the hill and very quickly turns into steep rock strewn climbing. This first picture is from a few hundred yards up the trail looking down to the full parking lot.

It was just about noon as I headed up and it was quite hot. There were lots of people heading up and down. Some kids that looked like they were having no problems at all and some teens that would just buzz right past me as the jogged/trekked up the trail. I would try to keep a steady pace, stopping to rest every once and a while and constantly drinking water as the sweat poured out of me. I had to take this picture to get the cactus in the frame. The views were already spectacular and kept getting better as I got higher.

At one point I stopped to rest and drink and I looked down and saw this little guy looking up at me, so I took his picture. After that I saw quite a few lizards and on the way down saw a huge iguana. Some of the trail was so steep there was a hand rail that you could use to help you get up and down. It was quite a trek. Just when you thought you had reached a summit, you would see another climb that was hidden a short time ago and the climb would continue.


I got to one point that was about 3/4 up to the top and had to sit for a bit and rest. I took this self portrait as a memento. I was pretty tired at this point, but determined to get to the top. By now, even though I was constantly sipping water, I was feeling the effects of losing so much sweat. The climb up was exhausting as you were constantly using your legs and hands to get a little higher, seeking good places to put your feet; sometimes fairly easy rises, sometimes large ones that took some good leg work.

I could see the summit by now and was more determined than ever to get to it. The last leg was just as hard as the rest, but before long, I was at the top. There was a nice breeze and I sat for a bit, drank the rest of the water I had in my first bottle and then started the trek down.


Going down wasn't as fatiguing as coming up, but it was a constant set of squats as I would bend to get low and not slip, then I would lower my legs using my hands to support and then move to the next drop. After a while I knew why I had seen some of the hikers wearing gloves. The rock of the mountain is a rather rough granite that would start to wear on your hands for a while.

I was able to get down 15 minutes faster than coming up, but the whole hike was a good 1:45 with a distance covered of about 2.4 miles or so. The elevation gain was 1,264 feet.

It really felt good to do this hike and even though I was shivering with dehydration, I felt good after the hike.

All night long my legs complained about what I had done to them and in the morning my quads, calves and even my heels were very sore. It was quite a good workout.

I thank John and Candy for recommending this hike. It was certainly better than sitting in a conference that covered stuff that I had not interest or involvement in. I would love to be able to do something like this on a weekly basis. It would be such a good workout.

Pittsburgh New Years

I made my annual trek to Pittsburgh to ring in the New Year with my family. This year I was completely alone as everyone else had plans and couldn't come along. I left Baltimore just before noon and arrived in Bellevue after an uneventful trip.

I went over an old school friend's house and drank some beers that night and the next morning I took a walk down to the river. I started out going down River Rd which really isn't a road anymore. It is all torn up and they are dumping a lot of clean fill at the beginning of the road. I made my way down to the tracks and started walking south along the tracks as I carved a wooden spoon I am making. I got to the next road that comes to the tracks and started up that road. I noticed a few turkey tracks and as I got up the road, four of them crossed the road and headed up the hillside. It looked like 3 males and a female. It was a nice walk and when I measured it, it came out at about 2.4 miles.

After a great New Years Party, Tom and I headed back down to the river. This time we decided to head down Carson Ave, which is really just a path that heads under the main road and down to the tracks. Our first obstacle was a gully that had been cut by a broken sewer pipe. We had to drop down about 7 feet or so and it was a little scary. Next, we had to work through a wall of poison ivy branches that were empty, but still potentially poisonous. The path is basically gone after the bridge and I had some problems sliding down the hillside and got a lot of burrs on my jacket, but eventually we got to the tracks and started walking North this time.

We found a little place in the woods next to the river and made a fire. It had been raining all morning and everything was wet. We found some dry locust bark and I used a cotton ball to get something going. I had found some milkweed pods and used that as a tinder and it really flashes up cool like. You really need to mix grass and bark into the milkweed seeds to get a proper fire going. The cotton ball did the trick to have enough flame to get the fire going. It burnt slow and we had to dry out most of the sticks before they would burn, but we had a nice fire.

I had brought along my reusable space blanket, a 55 gal drum liner and some paracord and I set up the blanket as a cover to keep the rain off us. It was a good camp and we hung out for a while then walked up the old road near where we were and it was in just as bad shape as the road near the house. We got back to civilization and walked through the streets back to the house.

Of course I forgot my camera again, so I didn't get any pictures.

Some good bush practice and always a fun time to sit by a fire.