Reflections

Now that I have spent the last year working as the manager of the Appalachian Trail Museum in Gardners, PA, I thought it would be nice to reflect back on the last few seasons and talk about my latest journey in this thing called life.

My story starts back in the Fall of 2011.  I had just started my obsession with the Appalachian Trail (AT) and was doing my first extended section hike.  This hike ended at Pine Grove Furnace State Park.  I had read a few press releases about the new AT Museum and was hoping to visit.  On this day, I would be out of luck as the museum was closed during the week in the fall, so I had to content myself with looking into the windows to see what I could see.  I vowed to return some day when the museum was open.

Trail Halfway Marker, first section hike.

My next chance came at the beginning of another section hike in 2013.  I had just retired from a nice 30 year career in the Coast Guard and my wife and I were traveling up and down the East, visiting special spots along the trail and hiking a few days at a time.  We had decided to hike in the area of the AT Museum and when we parked our car in the State Park, I popped into the museum to take a quick look around before we headed out and got to meet two very nice Docents, Georgia and Joan.  I hardly had any time to look at the exhibits, but seeing what I did, I knew I would be back in two days to take a better look.

LoGear and EarthTone at Fontana Dam

McAfee Knob

When we hiked back to the park, my wife and I went into the museum for a little longer visit, this time meeting Howard the manager of the museum.  We enjoyed reading about the history of the trail and checked out the gear used by the early hikers of the trail.  It was very interesting and rewarding to see how the trial came to be and to learn a little about the people who made the Appalachian Trail a household name.  

A rainy day north of the AT Museum

A few weeks later, I was reading one of the many AT related newsletters and I saw an advertisement for a new manager at the AT Museum.  Since I was still thinking about what I was going to do with the next stage of my life, I decided to submit a resume.  As I wrote a cover letter for the application, I recalled that I had repeated to my co-workers, that I was hiking the trail after retirement to find my next job.  It was only half in jest that I said that, because the trail had become a part of me after hiking small parts of it over the years.  Finding a job along or on the trail would be perfect for me.

Well I think it was about 20 minutes after sending the resume to the museum, that I had a reply back from the President of the Appalachian Trail Museum Society, Larry Luxenberg, asking if he could call me.  Our first conversation increased my interest in the job and I decided it was time to get involved with the museum to see what the job entailed and to volunteer my services.

I spent the next few weeks traveling up to the museum to act as a Docent and greet the visitors to the museum.  I quickly found that talking to the visitors was a very rewarding thing to do and before long, I accepted their offer to become the next AT Museum Manager.

My tenure started November 1st, 2013 and I have been serving in that capacity for a year now.  I tell everyone who will listen, that I have found my dream job and have really enjoyed working with the volunteers, the park crew and the visitors of the museum.  Talking to the hikers who pass by on their epic journey is especially fun.  

The AT Museum has changed my life for the better and I look forward to being a part of the Society for many years to come.  

So, reflecting back over the last year, I have had a great time being the manager.  I try to continuously find ways to bring in the much needed funds that we require to keep on flying and to expand the museum to the other three levels of the Old Mill.  I added some retail items that I thought our visitors would enjoy and they have not disappointed.  

Me on day two of the 2014 season.
Photograph by Robert Sutherland

The one challenge I have is the two hour drive needed to get to the museum when I have to be up there.  I can do a lot of the work of organizing the volunteers and retail from my home, but I do need to be up at the museum from time to time.  This makes me plan my visits carefully to get as much done on each visit.  Sometimes I will spend a few days at a time up in the area, working during the day and heading up onto Piney Mountain to spend the night in a nice mountain top camping area.  I will also hike out to one of the nearby shelters and spend the night there with all my gear.  It gives me a chance for some good dirt time.  I feel a sense of freedom and contentment as I build a nice campfire and relax in its glowing warmth.  My hammock is always cozy and I love the exercise a seven mile hike will give me.  Some of the volunteers have also offered the use of their cabins in the area, so I enjoy taking them up on that and seeing some really nice local cabins.  

To sum it up, I'm still having fun and as long as I can get out on the trail from time to time, I am content to see that white blaze right out the front door of the Museum.  

As Bilbo Baggins reflected on his travels, I offer his song The Road Goes Ever On as a parting bit of advice.  (with some minor changes to a word)

The Trail goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Trail has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

Friday Blog

I haven't posted in a while. I am going to try to put something up here each Friday. The topics will vary. It will be whatever is going on currently.

Lets see, well we buried my Mother just before Christmas, so that holiday was a somber affair. I really do think she is better off now. She had a long life. Much longer than her parents, but she was the first to go (aside from her brother and sister who died in childhood and infancy) in her family. No matter what a person believes, I know she isn't feeling any arthritic pain, isn't forgetful or confused and she isn't shitting out of her abdomen. This I am completely sure of.

I got to do something that I always wanted to do, but never had the opportunity. Jeremy, Kristan's boyfriend (now fiance) is a talented musician. On the day of my Mother's funeral, we all came back from the wake to the house and Jeremy had a couple guitars and a small drum set. We sat around and played a bunch of songs, just like a group. He is very good and his instruction is great. After he saw my skill level (which isn't high), he gave me some pointers and chords and I tried to keep up. It was fun. We did it again on New Year's Eve with a full drum set and I had brought my electric guitar. It was a blast, but my skill level goes way down after quite a few beers. Even Shauni's boyfriend, Alex got to play for a while. He is real good too.

My obsession with the AT and backpacking continues. I really want to get on the trail, even if it is just an overnighter. It is winter though, so I will probably have to wait for the spring. Turk wants to do something with us and we had tentatively scheduled a short trip in March, but after thinking about it for a while, we figured it would still be too cold in PA and the area. I still want to do something, maybe a few days during Shauni and Alex's spring break around March 21st.

I found a couple more Trail Journals to read. Two young girls that completed it this last summer. They started out together as a coincidence, but soon parted due to different hiking speeds. But they both made it to the end. Interesting. The more I read the more I think that long hikes are nice as long as they are about a month or so. These thru-hikers seem to be so beaten down by the time they hit Maine. Most just finish to finish. There are some that are so into it that they hate to be done, but others just want to be done.

The weather has been back and forth these last couple of weeks. A little snow here, then 60 degree temps. Today is a bit cold, but the sky is pretty clear and the sun is bright.

The semi-annual weight reduction is in full swing again. I really gained a lot of weight this holiday season. I think I was the heaviest I have been in quite a while, if not forever. I am diligently tracking my food intake and have increased my workouts, just like always. We are even having a 90 day fitness challenge at work to help keep me on track.

The new season of Wallyball started last Friday. Tonight are the first league games. Lisa won't be playing on the team this time. We have picked up Dee to replace her. The thing in her chin is a glandular odon-something cyst. It's benign, but they have to remove it and fix up her jaw bone. She will most likely lose from 4 to 8 teeth and they will be taking some bone from her leg to put in her jaw to help it heal. She goes in Feb 1st.

Well, that's it for now. I hope to be back here next Friday at the latest...