All along the trail, hostels and establishments that cater to hikers usually have a photo wall of past hikers on the summit of Katahdin. Places like the Kincora, Haven's Budget Inn and The Inn at the Long Trail have quite a collection going.
Earlier this year we made postcards of our summit photo and send a bunch to family and friends that we met along the way. Maybe we're hanging up on the ceiling of the Kincora by now too.
We've never been down to the PCT Kickoff (Annual Day Zero PCT KickOff), but this year we had a great excuse. To see our friend Clearwater off for the start of his 2600 mile thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail.
Pictured here are some of the 150+ hikers attempting to hike the trail from end to end in 2008. It was a mellow festival with about 500 people gathered at Lake Morena, some who we'd met on the A.T. last summer... Matt, Honey & Bear from the cabin in Maine, Chuck Snorris & Tigger.
My highlight was hearing Eric Ryback give a slide presentations from his 1970 thrhu-hike, complete with his original Kodachromes. I was also impressed with the general mellow and friendly atmosphere, and the organization of the food, activities and speaker panels. And listening to Squatch with his improv humor made for some great times.
On Sunday, we drove the rest of the way to the Mexican border and dropped off Clearwater to start his journey.
After a few great days together and some goodbyes, and loaded with five liters of water, Clearwater headed north, unaware of the 6 pound watermelon we had stashed into his pack. I keep laughing out loud imagining him finding it after lugging it for 20 miles.
I got an email this week from our friend Redwood.
Joined by his girlfriend Jodi, they will paddle 1500 miles from the Florida Panhandle to the keys, and then walk the 1300 Florida Trail back to where they started. They'll be keeping a web journal called the Sunshine Expedition. Sounds fun.
They don't have much content up yet, but it looks like they're sewing lightweight gear like we use, to lighten up on this adventure.
If you live in Virginia, you can now get your very own Appalachian Trail license plate. Two of them have McAfee Knob and you can vote for your favorite version.
The don't have my favorite version though.
Lauren had a few songs bouncing in her head this summer too.
She made up this one in Virginia as we approached a weekend stop with her sister in Leesburg. It wasn't as much of a song as it was a rallying-chant that she used to encourage herself up steep hills, with plenty of pauses between words to catch her breath.
I... can not wait... to see... My sister,
My sister... and Jason... My sister and Jason.
I... can not wait... to see... My sister,
Amanda and Jason... Amanda and Jason,
*A *and *J!
*Fist pumping in the air
We intentionally did not bring headphones or music on the trail, so we could be present and immersed in the experience of the trail.
Sometimes when hiking, a song would pop into my head anyway. Early on in the journey it might be "Georgia on my Mind" by Ray Charles among other songs that I just don't remember.
But Johnny Cash seemed to make his way into a high percentage of my mental playlist. I think there is something about the cadence of his music, and the way he vividly describes the American landscape that links his music to the trail for me.
"Tennessee Stud," came into mind often, but after meeting Winton Porter at the Walasi-Yi, the song that I couldn't shake was:
I been thinking about the A.T. lately. It's not triggered by anything in particular. It's just where my mind goes when I want to rest.
We went to the Grand Canyon over the weekend, which was a first for me.
On Saturday, we hiked down the South Kaibab Trail to the bottom to the Colorado River, soaking in some amazing panoramas. I was blown away by how many banded layers of rock you pass, and how long they must have taken to accumulate.
At the bottom we took an hour break and ended up hanging out for lunch at Phantom Ranch.
In the afternoon we climbed up the Bright Angel Trail. I think the trip was about 5,000' elevation loss and gain over about 17 or 18 miles. It all took a little over 8 hours including breaks.
Great way to spend a 'work' day.
Well it's a free service afterall, but the signature line when posting to a blog is obscenely long...
| Ben Thompson |
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Looks like Robert Redford is going ahead with the Walk in the Woods adaptation, afterall.
I can think of plenty of reasons why this could have a negative impact on the trail. The only upside I can think of would be a heightened awareness of our natural treasures in the public consciousness. And and maybe additional funding if Redford chooses to give a little back to the A.T., unlike the book's author.
I remain skeptical.
Here's a link to my previously posted comments about the book.
On one sweltering June afternoon we emerged from the trail at a road crossing in southwest Virginia, and took a short roadwalk to a nearby convenience store.
Over a few cold drinks and junk food, we exchanged pleasant conversation with the proprietor. Then, the sawmill across the street emptied for the day and we witnessed a fascinatingly disturbing cultural phenomenon; the 4pm beer run.
The scene goes something like this. Two guys hop out of the pickup and leave the ignition running. They make a beeline for the back cooler, plunk down their hard earned cash at the register and each walk out with a six or twelve-pack in hand, presumably to finish on a Thursday evening before returning to work the next day. One car after the next.
Sounds like a tired stereotype, but unfortunately, we witnessed it first hand.
Patagonia nailed it with their nine trails shorts.
The blend of 86% polyester/14% spandex is what I would consider to be an ideal material for hiking shorts.
They're extremely soft and have a generous stretch, which perform amazingly under thru-hiking conditions. They wring out well, dry unbelievably quickly and breathe nicely in warm weather. I wore them nearly every waking hour and never got tired of them, and had absolutely zero chaffing problems.
After 5 million steps, mine are still going strong. I am considering buying another pair just to have on hand, since the best products are inevitably discontinued.
My favorite feature was the three zippered pockets, which securely handled snacks, flashlight, money and other small items that I did not want to lose.
The only complaint would be the liner they come with, but a pair of scissors easily took care of that.
7.1 oz (Men L) 3.8 oz (Women S) with undie-liner removed.
At $52, they are pricey, but I felt a worthwhile investment for a thru-hike.
On our first rainy night of the trip, Lauren and I chose a protected site, climbed into our tarp, and watched and listened in awe as a thunderstorm blasted through.
By the morning, the ferocity of the storm had passed, and we were engulfed in a thick fog that reduced visibility to about 50 feet. The pitter-patter on our tarp lulled us back to sleep and made a nice excuse for a late start.
Finally by 8am we decided it was time to face a day in the rain. We spent a little extra time putting on our rain gear and breaking camp.
Once on the trail, we realized that we had made a rookie mistake. It wasn't actually raining; instead the leaves had been collecting condensation, releasing heavy drips every so often. We quickly overheated in out unnecessary rain gear.
After a mistake like this we quickly learned to tell the difference between drops and drips.
On the trail, Lauren and I each kept a daily journal, that we wrote in before going to bed. At the time we were unaware what the other was writing about, and now post-tail we've been taking our time going through and sharing them with each other. It's quite an enlightening experience to relive the same events through the memoirs of another.
Today we went to a coffee shop and continued our journal recap, making it to mile 430 in northern Tennessee.
It is rewarding to reflect on our early trail experiences and to so clearly see our character development... to see our trail rhythm and teamwork establish, to see how Lauren's mile-driven mentality eased over time, and to remember those physical hurdles I encountered early on.
I feel so blessed to have been able to make this incredible journey in 2007. It was an investment in ourselves, our marriage, and our future. I also am so grateful that we made the commitment to document our highs and lows so faithfully.
