Trail Name Survey Results

Graphic from Appalachian Trials.
Check out an interesting article on the
frequency of trail names - here 
by Maggie Wallace

Back at the end of January, I posted a short five question survey asking about hiker's trail names on two or three different AT Hiker Facebook Groups.  I received 223 responses to the survey before it fell down on the feeds and out of people's view and notice.

With only 223 samples of a very large group, this survey isn't really scientifically viable, but it does paint an interesting picture of a cultural part of the trail.  

Of those 223 responses 77% said they had a trail name.

Total respondents 223

One of the questions I asked was how did you receive your trail name.  Most hikers have their trail name gifted to them by other hikers at 61%.  20% give it to themselves and 18% have it gifted by non-hikers.  You see a lot of mention in the hiking world that you need to have the name gifted to you and at almost 80% doing it that way, the survey supports this.  It still is OK to name yourself, but the practice tends to lean towards receiving the name by others.  The survey didn't ask this, but I think there are quite a few hikers who start out with a self given name and switch to a gifted one that comes along during their hike.  I have no real proof of this, it is just something I have seen on my travels.  Also, there is nothing wrong with doing it this way.  It's all good.  

Yes, I have a Trail Name

Of those who don't have trail names, most, (73%) are waiting for it to be gifted to them. Another 22% just haven't found the right one yet and are still waiting to find it.  

Those still seeking their Trail Name

There was one respondent who said they don't do trail names and also a couple who stated that they don't know what trail names are.  wtf?

The last question I asked was to share your story of how you got your name and many who participated in the survey wanted to see those stories posted.

Follow this link to see all the stories that were given.  The stories are the best part of a trail name and some of these are pretty interesting.

For me, Trail Names is a fun game I like to play out on the trail.  I carry a number of trail names (they are light and take up no space in my pack).  I change them out from time to time or pick up another one as things happen on the trail.  I also like suggesting names to others who walk the trail unnamed.  My trail name grows as I add up my miles.

For now, I go by EarthTone, but my whole trail name is El Jefe Maestro Obi wan, the Earth Toned Stiller Fan.  Each part of my name has special meaning to me and came to me in all the different ways I asked about on the survey.

Remember, a trail name becomes Yours when you answer to it and introduce yourself with it.

Thanks to all who participated in the survey.  I'm sure one day we will have an exhibit on Trail Names in the AT Museum and I hope this data will be a part of it.  

Keep on Hiking,
EarthTone

AT Class of 2015 - First Hiker Hits the Trail

Day 1: "I just want to get to the damn trail." - Clifford said with a laugh

Clifford is the trail name of Sam.  Sam is the first of the Class of Thru Hikers that I will be following this year.  I met Clifford and five other perspective Thru Hikers at the Northern Ruck in January at the Bears Den Hostel.  I mentioned them and my hope to follow them in my February AT Museum Volunteer Newsletter and I am excited for each of them as they start their journey.

Each year I usually follow a number of hikers that are at least semi regular at updating their hiking status.  I put little markers on my AT strip map and watch as they travel along the trail, ultimately, hopefully reaching their desired goal of Katahdin, Springer or somewhere in between.

Hiker Tracker

When I met this group of hikers, one that struck me was that they are covering the full spectrum of different types of hikers.  We have a solo north bounder (NOBO), a NOBO who will be traveling with his dog, a couple who will also be heading NOBO, a Flip-Flopper starting in Daleville and heading north for the first part of her journey and a solo SOBO (south bounder), who will be the last to start the trip.  We have males and females and younger and older hikers.  It will be very interesting to follow each of them, learning of their trials and tribulations and cheering them on as they figure out how to keep going.

Each of these hikers have agreed to let me track them and report on them as I can.  I will be getting most of my information from the hiker's on line journals and social networking posts.  If any of them are using a delay to protect their exact location, that delay will be a part of the reports.  

This year will be interesting as I have already met each of the hikers (except the hairy missile) and I think each of them has a good chance of making it all the way.  Of course, statistics are not in favor of that happening, but I have seen many hikers finish the trail that appeared at first glance to be totally unprepared.  I have also seen very prepared hikers get off the trail for various reasons.  There is no way to know, but each will tell a story, whether it ends at Big Stamp or Neels Gap, or goes all the way to Katahdin (or Springer for Justin).  I look forward to sharing their stories here.

Introductions:  Listed in order of jump off:

Sam aka Clifford - Clifford is 18 and is the first to start their hike.  He was originally scheduled to start on February 25th, then the 28th (due to the crazy weather that has rolled through the mountains) and has finally made it to the trail yesterday, March 1st.  The comment above is from his Facebook page for his hike.  It looks like the snow is still causing problems on the forest service road and Clifford had to head back to Amicalola Falls and hike the Approach Trail.  Regardless, he is on his way.  Good luck Clifford.  Keep on hiking.  

The famous Amicalola Falls Arch

Clifford at the falls

Andrew aka Double A - Double A is hiking with his dog Aramis aka the Hairy Missile. AA is 34 and just finished the Tuscarora Trail last year.  He also is an Adirondack peak bagger.  The two are scheduled to start the trail on March 10th.  Andrew will have the help of his girlfriend Hannah, who will help with the HM during the Smoky Mountains part of the hike and I'm sure there will be other meet-ups.  AA and HM's Trail Journals page is here.  

Joel and Patti aka Scoops and Iceberg - Patti had the trail name Iceberg suggested to her at the Northern Ruck, so she is trying it on for now.  Joel and Patti hail from Wilmington, DE and plan to start the trail somewhere around the end of March or the beginning of April.  Their hike will show how a couple can tackle the trail together.  I'm not going to guess the couple's ages, but I will say they are closer to my age than Clifford's.  Scoops and Iceberg's trail journal is located here.  

Kerry aka Treehugger - Kerry is in her early 50s and is helping with the suspected large crowds down south by doing a planned Flip Flop hike, starting in Daleville, VA and heading north to Katahdin, then coming down to Daleville and heading south to Springer (I think).  Flip Flops come in many variations and are only limited on your imagination and needs to get the trail done.  I myself are leaning towards doing a flip flop when it is our turn to hit the trail. Kerry is scheduled to start her hike on April  4th and is also scheduled to talk at the Flip Flop Kick Off celebration in Harpers Ferry on May 3rd.  Treehugger's trail journal can be found here.

Justin - Last but not least (the SOBOs are always last :) )  I don't know if Justin has a trail name yet, or if he is waiting for one to be gifted to him after he starts his hike.  Justin will be the last to start his hike as is common with south bounders.  Katahdin isn't easily hikeable until late May or June, so he can't start until he can climb that mountain.  His scheduled start date is July 7th.  Justin doesn't have a trail journal account and isn't really the journaling type (as he said to me), but he does hope to provide updates on his Facebook wall from time to time.  

So there you have it.  I hope to post updates as much as possible as these hikers make their way along the trail and stack up their miles.  

Good luck to each of you.  Have the time of your lives, but this is an adventure of a lifetime.  

One final comment from Clifford's Facebook Hike page.  "Sam sent word this morning that he was at Springer for breakfast. This means that he has officially started the Appalachian Trail!"

I take each day as given...

In my current life, I don't use an alarm clock (usually), but wake when my body tells me to.  Or sometimes when my mind tells me to.  I lay there half awake and my mind starts the morning todo list.  Sometimes the listing wakes me fully and I roll out of bed and head upstairs to greet the day.  First stop is to the cookie jar, a good morning treat for the cat and dog who own us.  Next, is the coffee machine, then the computer.

I have always been an early riser, so my mornings are usually starting around sunrise, sometimes a little before, sometimes a little after.  Today, the windows were just starting to glow with a little brightness, but you could tell there were clouds up above you.  As the computer came to life and I logged on to the day, I saw that we had another winter advisory on the weather site my browser is bookmarked to.  More snow.  Yipee...

The last few winters have been fairly mild here near the bay in Maryland, but this year we were experiencing a number of named winter storms (they name winter storms now) that have traveled through our area, piling just a little more snow on the last few storms' snow.  It has all mostly fallen crisp and soft as the temperatures had stayed below freezing for a number of days in a row, but had turned to a hard crust with some near thaws and refreezes at night.  Another layer was arriving.

I worked a couple of hours on some museum task and looked outside to see more flakes falling.  Ginger came in to see if I was interested in taking her for a walk, so we headed out to our beloved nearby woods.  As I mentioned in my post about Schramm's Woods, this place has become magical for me.  I really enjoy walking on the trails in this small 11 acre plot.  It is always calming for me.

Ginger is looking for Mr Fox

We crunched through the snow along the trail and headed towards the campsite on Homeless Trail.  The flakes were ranging from small specks of snow to large clusters of flakes and was falling through a windless morning.  We continued on and did the Schramm Trail and found ourselves it the field edge where the foxes climb under the fence.  I stood still and just stared into the forest, looking for movement, but mostly listening to what I could hear.  Ginger checked for fox smell and wandered about.

There was some bird warbling in the woods.  I didn't recognize the species, but it was soothing.  Next a Blue Jay started calling from the tallest branch on the tallest tree along the fence line of the field.  He kept shouting his name over and over, waiting for another to answer and before long, one does.

Tallest branch of the tallest tree

We continue along on our walk.  Moving along the edge of the field to the top of Hill Trail. We head down the hill and start heading out of the woods.  As we exit the woods, I hear a Blue Jay (the same one? maybe another) shouting his name again and again.  I look to the tallest branch on the tallest tree in the area, but he is not there.  I try to find him in the surrounding trees, but he is elusive.

Heading up the hill

We follow the streets home that have already acquired a new coat of white and head inside, where it is warm and dry and I reflect on the walk.  I think we both enjoyed the walk, we always do.  It is March 1st and it is snowing, but that is ok.  I take each day as given and always try to find the good things that are part of every outside thing.

LLAP,
EarthTone

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.

Sometimes You Just Need to Take a Hike

I wrote this one day a few years ago, after I played hooky from work and headed to the trail for a little scout trip.  Ahhh, the joys of little supervision.

I sat at my cubicle desk in the middle of the cubicle farm and finished up a review of my tenth award board recommendation of the day. I had quite a few thrown at me the evening before and I just wanted to get them back to the board and be done with them.

The weather outside looked a bit dreary, but that didn't stop me from thinking about my latest obsession. An overnight hike and camp in the Michaux State Forest in South Central Pennsylvania. I had been thinking about it for a while. The drive wasn't too far, the area looked like a perfect place to practice some bushcrafting skills and I was in need of a get-away.

Suddenly I had a thought. My work was done for now. There would be more later of course, but I could monitor my emails with my phone and respond as needed. It was time for a quick scout trip. I decided to head out and drive up to PA from my office in Washington, DC. I quickly logged off my computer and headed to my car.

The rain was falling lightly and the traffic wasn't too bad as I headed around the Capitol Beltway and pointed my car north. Before I knew it, I had left the cityscape behind and had entered real farm country. In about 1 hour and 40 minutes I was pulling into Caladonia State Park and finding a parking place in the virtually empty lot.

There were a few fisherman trying their luck in the creek that ran through the park. I gathered my EDC pack, took out any non-essential items and headed for the trail.

The trail started out winding through the park on its way to the climb up Chinquapin Hill. The climb actually starts out as rock steps fitted into the hillside and the climb is rather steep as I wound my way back and forth a bit to the top of the hill. From there the going leveled off for a while through a mature woods. I noticed at this time how quiet the woods were. I stopped and listened and heard nothing at all. There was no nearby water running and I was far enough away from the road to not hear the cars, but what I noticed more-so was the total lack of birdsong. I continued on.

As I headed to a junction in the trail, I suddenly heard the call of a bird. Not being a bird enthusiast, he didn't recognize what it was, (experience has taught me that it was a Pileated Woodpecker) but it seemed to be the only feathered creature out there. Shortly after that I also heard the knocking of a wood pecker, so I knew that I wasn't completely alone in the woods.

When I had started his trek, it was still raining very lightly. Now the rain had stopped, but it remained cloudy and the threat of more rain was in the air. As I passed the junction of another trail that also appeared to be somewhat of a road, I spotted another hiker up ahead who was coming my way. I had a short pleasant conversation with the older man who had been out on the trail for about three days. He seemed in good spirits despite the weather and continued on his way south as I headed north.

After turning off the road, I noticed a tall boulder strewn hillside coming up on my left. This was Quarry Hill, a quite impressive sight. Also, as I headed up the trail, I noticed the unmistakable sound of rushing water. As I came within sight of the creek, I also noticed that the rhododendron was pretty ubiquitous around the trail. As I entered the gap, I noticed an old bridge going over the creek and some foundations across the stream. I thought it would be nice to explore them next time I was in the area, (and did on my first section hike in 2011) but I had another goal in mind today and that was the Quarry Gap Shelter.

The trail headed steadily north and the rhododendron formed tunnel like pathways as I walked along. Before too long, I saw a clearing up ahead and then I caught site of a very nice looking building. I had arrived at Quarry Gap Shelter; the best kept shelter on the AT. (Since then, Tumbling Run Shelter has taken over that title in my opinion)

I rested a while at the shelter, refilled my water bottle in the nearby spring and explored the area a bit. This was surly a nice looking shelter and the caretaker definitely had earned his reputation. After a while it was time to head back down the trail.

The going down was just as much of a challenge as coming up, but it wasn't too hard. Before long I was back at the park and at my vehicle. I put my gear into the the truck and hit the road.

The road home took me through Gettysburg and it looked pretty interesting. Another possible trip in the making. (have done some exploring in the area, but still have plenty to see)

It was a good get-away for me and I was very happy I had taken the time to do it and now I was ready to get back to work.  Some times you just need a break from the daily grind and heading to the trail is the perfect way to lighten the mental load.

Keep on Hiking,
EarthTone

Outsider II - Another way to look at it

Previously, I have written about being an "Outsider".  Basically spending more time in the "out of doors" than inside.  Not too many people can say they are Outsiders.

The other day, I started thinking about another way of being an "outsider" and how wearing that moniker can influence your behavior and others around you.

Back in the Coast Guard, being the smallest of the Armed Forces, there were many times when I found myself being somewhat of an outsider.  Spending a few weeks as one of only a couple of Coasties on a Navy Base going to some training would hit it home every day.  It wasn't a bad thing.  Sort of like being the underdog.  And I always find myself rooting for the underdog.  It made us feel special, but sometimes it could be a drag.

When I had risen in the ranks, I found that it really didn't matter if I was the underdog.  My Anchors and Stars made people sit up and listen to what I had to say and I saw it as an affirmation of my accomplishments and experience.  It didn't matter if I was the outsider,  my input was welcome.

Flash forward to today.  I am experiencing another bout of being a little bit of an outsider, but my position is opening doors that I can easily enter and offer my new experience and knowledge.  But first some descriptions of the different people who hike the Trail.

In the world of the Appalachian Trail, there are a number of players.  First, you have your regular Day Hiker.  Someone who has set foot on the trail for a nice little out and back or maybe moving off the white blazes to do a pleasant loop that brings them back to their car after a nice, refreshing visit to the outdoors.  With an estimated three million people setting foot on the trail each year, the Day Hiker is most likely the most numerous.  

Next, you have your Weekender.  Someone who carries enough gear to get themselves to a shelter or campsite within a days hike of their starting point, to spend the weekend in the woods.  They are usually a good source of food on Sunday, when they need to hike back to their car, have realized that they packed way too much food and want to lighten their load.  

The next player is the Section Hiker.  This hiker is usually still solidly connected to the "real" world with a job, spouse and kids.  They get to the trail when they can, for as long as they can and they count the number of unique miles they have hiked, adding them together to one day hopefully finish the trail and earn their 2000 miler patch.  The Section Hiker comes in many flavors.  A weekender can be a Section Hiker, if he is hiking new territory each weekend.  A Section Hiker can be out for a few days, a week or two or even a month or more.  I all depends on how long they can leave that "real" world and travel the trail.  The last version have also been called LASHers, which stands for Long Ass Section Hiker.  

The next subgroup of hiker is the Avid Hiker.  This person can fall into a number of categories as they hiker the trail.  They are usually a Section Hiker and are keeping track of their unique miles, but they also get on the trail wherever and whenever they can, no matter if they have hiked that portion before or not.  Sometimes, they hike the same portion of trail many times, because they might maintain that area or it is close to home and when they need some time on the trail, this section is easy and quick to get to.  I place myself in this group (for now).

Lastly, we have the Thru Hiker.  Someone who most likely started their hike down in Georgia on Springer Mountain and plan to hike all the way to Maine and Mount Katahdin.  These are called Northbounders or NOBO.  This is the most popular (read crowded) way to hike.  We also have our Southbounders or SOBOs.  They start at Katahdin, usually in late May or early June and head south to Georgia.  We also have our Flop-Floppers who, for various reasons, start one way and end up going the other way.  The most common reason is that time has gotten away from the hiker and they start to fret that they will get to Katahdin too late to climb it, so they head up that way and then head south to chase the fall.  There are many other flavors of Thru Hikers, so let's just say that to be one, your intention should be to hike the whole trail in one long journey.  Some say, one season (which technically isn't possible, if by season, you mean Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) or in one calendar year or 12 months.  The debate on the specifics can go on for the length of a Thru Hike, which is an average of six months.  

Thru Hiker Attemptees make up about one tenth of one percent (.001) of total users of the trail.  So you can say that Thrus are either very rare, or very special.  The number of successful Thru Hikers are even smaller with an estimate of about 25 to 30% of all attemptees, making it the whole way.  Because of this rarity, I have been known to refer to Thru Hikers as the Rock Stars of the Trail.  To successfully hike the whole trail is an awesome feat and that is why I one day want to make my own attempt.  

You will hear stories of "entitlement" or "Thruleetism" out on the trail and I have witnessed some snobbery from time to time, but for the most part, I have really great experiences meeting the Hikers who have made it to the Halfway point of the trail in PA where I work as the manager of the Appalachian Trail Museum.  

So, I will finally get to the point of this long post.  As the manager of the AT Museum, I get to meet a lot of movers and shakers in the AT world.  A large number of them are successful Thru Hikers.  Not being one, (yet) is what makes me feel the outsider.  I feel sometimes, while talking to these sages of the trail, that I don't quite have the "Trail Cred" that I should have to hold the position that I do.  I don't let it bother me (much) and it doesn't effect my job performance (at all), since my job means I get on the trail all the time and fill my needs of trail time, where I can get sweaty and smelly for small lengths of time, whether the miles I walk are new or ones I have hiked before, I just need to be out there.  

When it really comes down to it, we are all just Hikers.  I really don't need to put a descriptor in front of that word.  We are all brothers and sisters of the trail, doing our thing and hopefully having fun doing it.  I really doesn't matter if you are out there for three hours, three days or three months.  

For now, I'm still strongly attached to the "Real" world with family responsibilities and this job, but we are hoping (Lisa, AKA LoGear and myself) to one day head to the Trail head, wherever it may be, with our gear on our backs, and embark on an adventure of our lifetimes; to Thru Hike the AT.  Until that time comes, I will happily be an Avid Hiker, slowly adding to my miles when I can, but getting out on that trail (and others) whenever I can, to feel the dirt on my hands and the welcome soreness of a day spent hiking.   

Keep on hiking and keep having fun...

EarthTone

TL;DR: I feel I need "Trail Cred" to not be an "Outsider" in my current world.

Wild

I have been thinking of writing a little review of the book/movie Wild, so here goes.  

My wife, Lisa, bought me the book a couple years ago and I started reading it right away.  A few chapters in, I had to put it down and walk away from it for a while.  Cheryl was just kinda pissing me off with the way she was.  

So after quite a few months, I decided to pick it up again and give it a chance to see where it would go and I was satisfied with the way it went after that.  I guess I just had to get over her flaws and see how her hike went.  

A few days ago, Lisa and I went to see the movie on a rainy weekday.  Once we found the right theater, we sat down during the previews and watched.  

I actually liked the movie.  It was true enough to the book and Reece was realistic enough to me as a hiker.  

What I liked:  She carried a real heavy pack, not a pack that was made to look full, but was actually full of light padding.  (This I heard from Cheryl herself in an article, as she acted as a consultant for the movie).  

The bumps and bruises captured the reality of long distance hiking with heavy gear.  It hurts.  

A little bit of the camaraderie that comes naturally and quickly between hikers on the trail.  

What I didn't like:  The focused a little too much on the creeps of the trail (yes, they are out there and her rendition of the assholes seemed true enough), but I would have liked to see more of the relationships she developed with the hikers during her hike.  Maybe less drama, but that is always a special part of a hike.  

I was dreading the horse scenes.  They did it OK and the pain was much shorter in the movie then when I read the detailed accounting of that poor beasts demise in the book.

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So, all in all, we enjoyed ourselves.  I love watching hiker movies almost as much as I like being out on the trail myself.  It lets me escape to the woods without the soreness of a long day's hike to contend with.

The movie is entertainment.  Not a "how-to" for solo female hikers.  I'm sure all of us could have learned a few "what not to dos" and it is always prudent for everyone to keep their creep radar on standby at all times.  I encounter a lot of solo hikers out there (both male and female).  Sometimes I'm one myself.  I never fear for their safety as most develop a good sense of themselves and know when a situation can go wrong and react accordingly.  As I said, the creeps are out there (they can be found everywhere), but the good far outnumber them on the trail.   

So if you want to escape for a couple hours, go see Wild.  If you are a hiker or dream of becoming one some day, sitting down and watching this movie would be a lot of fun.