In three days, I will start a new phase of this journey – my first section hike of the Appalachian Trail. I had no idea when I started this blog in February, that by the end of the summer, I’d be hiking a section of the trail. There just may be something to the often cited idea that the trail provides. In order to keep this blog at the macro level of planning, I have also started a trail journal – to keep a daily record of hiking – Quiet Man’s 2019 Appalachian Trail Journal. Over the past few months, I’ve been reading dozens of these journals; I have put a few as links under Favorite Trail Journals. The journals are a great source of trail information, inspiration, and entertainment. Many of these journals are worthy of publication in magazines or even as books.
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In just over two weeks, I will do my first true Appalachian Trail section hike! A few months ago, I casually mentioned the idea of hiking the AT to my 27-year old son. Matt and I have never backpacked together. We have day-hiked a few times, including along the AT in the Shenandoah National Park, while car camping when he was a kid. He also accompanied me as teenager on several day hikes with World War II Yugoslav partisan and military veterans in the mountains of Slovenia, including a snowy hike up and back down Mount Krn on November 11th for a World War I commemoration. Since then, he has hiked and backpacked himself a bit with friends. So, when he texted me a few days after returning from our European trip to ask how I would feel about taking a 2.5-day trip on the Appalachian Trail, I was quite surprised. Of course, I immediately agreed that it’s a great idea! Although, I wasn’t sure what his mother, my wife, would think of the idea. At first, the idea seemed like pure serendipity. But was it? Maybe it’s trail karma again. I’m still not in the greatest hiking shape; even though I have been jogging a bit in order to get back into running shape. And for over a year now, I’ve been taking daily dose of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug for a case of bursitis/arthritis in my left hip. Diagnosed two years ago, the pain in my hip would not let me walk more than 10 feet without being almost unbearable and was constant. After physical therapy and starting the anti-inflammatory, the pain is now only occasional and very mild. If I am going to be walking a lot, I also have a prescription narcotic-like pain reliever to use as needed. My wife and I walked a lot in Europe around the cities and archeological sites, including the Mount Olympus day hike, and I did not need to use the pain reliever very much. So, while I know it won’t be easy, I think I can handle the short backpacking trip. I thought my wife (a nurse practitioner) would balk; saying I’m not really in shape yet and still somewhat dependent on the medications. But, again to my surprise, she only asked that the dates for the trip not conflict with potential boating days! She also said she would make sure I had the right first aid kit and meds to take along. Serendipity? Or karma? I have been apprehensive about broaching the idea of a thru-hike with my wife because I am not sure she will be even slightly on board with the idea. More so because of the lengthy time away from home than the physical aspect; she knows I won’t attempt a thru-hike until I am in sufficient physical shape as she’s seen how I trained to run marathons in the past. I even suggested that I might run another marathon to celebrate turning 60 years old and she thought that was a great idea. But a thru-hike? This section hike is going to start in Harper’s Ferry, which is only about 35 miles from my son’s house in Virginia. (It’s about 100 miles from my home on the Chesapeake Bay.) My son suggested we could even visit the Appalachian Trail Conservancy HQ. My son’s husband will drop us off in Harper’s Ferry and my wife is planning on riding along. The four of us will have dinner and then my son and I will start our hike that evening, while my wife and his husband drive home. Maybe I’ll convince her to visit ATC HQ with us. Never know; karma might happen. We are back from our vacation in Spain and Greece. I did a lot of walking in the Merrell Moab 2 Ventilator hiking shoes while visiting various sights: San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Spain and the archeological sites of Epidaurus/Esklepios, Delfi, and Dion in Greece. The hiking highlight was a July 4th hike in the Enipeas Gorge on Mount Olympus in Greece! It was a very short hike along the E4 European long distance path. Equaling over 6200 miles, this path starts in Portugal, continuing through Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece, and ends on the island of Cyprus. We only did about 1 mile (6199+ to go!) near Prionia to visit a waterfall, but a hike is a hike! You can drive up Mount Olympus (9577 feet) from the village of Litochoro, at the base of the Olympus range, up to about 3600 feet, where the Prionia taverna is located. From there, it is a short hike to a few waterfalls in the Enipeas Gorge. You can even fill your water bottles from a fountain at the trailhead fed by a spring coming off the mountain! In this area, the E4 is an easily followed well-worn hiking path. After a lunch of goat soup and bean soup, feta cheese, bread, and Vergina beer (Yes – soup in the summer!) advertised as the daily specials at the taverna, we made the short hike up to a nearby waterfall. Then continued up the mountain for a short way to validate our claim of “climbing” part of Mount Olympus! While it wasn’t a true prelude to an AT thru-hike, this short walk in the woods scratched the itch.
My second major gear purchase with the thought of the thru-hike in the back of my mind: Merrell Moab 2 Ventilator low hiking shoes. (The first was the Osprey Ozone Duplex 65 Travel Pack.) I wanted to get a shoe for walking around the streets of Madrid and the ruins of Greece during our upcoming trip to Europe. In the past, I probably would have simply gone with my usual running shoe, Asics Gel Nimbus. But since part of the adventure in Greece is hiking in the foothills around Mount Olympus, I thought I might as well get a pair of hiking shoes. And scratch the AT itch a bit. These hiking shoes certainly feel “chunky” on my feet, which are used to going barefoot, wearing sandals, boat shoes, running shoes or trail running shoes. (I wear Asics Gel Ventures as my everyday shoe for teaching; like the support and cushioning.) I am pairing the Merrell’s with Darn Tough Merino Wool Hiker 1/4 Cushion socks. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I kind of doubt the Merrell’s will become my thru-hiking shoe. (I really want to give Salomon’s a try.) This first “field” test might change my mind and I’ll probably give the Merrell’s a trail test sometime in the future. But for now, the Merrell’s will get me through Madrid and Greece. They won’t win any Euro-style points; they clearly look like a hiking shoe for the mountains. But function over form rules in the hiking world; my dream is to hike the Appalachian Trail, not the fashion catwalks of Europe. Cue Right Said Fred: “And I'm too sexy for Milan too sexy for Milan.”
School’s out for the summer. (Cue Alice Cooper.) The weather is beautiful. Well, with the exception of the wind; it makes for a nice breeze sitting on the deck with my morning coffee, but the wind also means a Small Craft Advisory is in effect for my part of the Chesapeake Bay. No fun bouncing on the waves; so, the boat still stays at the dock. This will be the latest start the boating season since we’ve owned the boat. I guess I am a fair weather boater; the boat can handle the big waves and I’ve successfully navigated in pretty bad conditions. But it’s not enjoyable. No sense in taking chances for no reason. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful morning to just reflect on this thru-hike “thing;” does this thru-hike have a reason?
The word “dream” right now somehow feels melodramatic. Considering the reality is probably years away, “strange obsession” might be more appropriate. The thought came to me the other day that if I were truly an “outdoorsman,” I wouldn’t have pretty much stopped hunting, fishing, camping, or backpacking 30+ years ago. It’s a cop-out to say life – a career, marriage, family – intervened. Case in point, a friend of mine is spending his Father’s Day today camping with his twin girls, along with several other dads for their annual Father’s Day camping trip. He is an avid outdoorsman, frequently taking his girls camping, canoeing, or just hiking. He hunts. He fishes. This is what my father also did; my relationship with the outdoors began with my father taking me fishing, hunting and camping as a kid. In the summer, we were camping as a family every weekend. Being outdoors was part of our life, not a distraction from life. Perhaps I let being outdoors slip away because I didn’t really “love” it as a part of my life. At the risk of being overemotional, the familiar phrase: “If you love something, let it go; if it comes back, it is yours forever. If it does not, it was never meant to be…” The question could be, did I let the outdoors go or did the outdoors let me go? Too philosophical; too deep. The real question might be, is this thru-hike “thing” a fleeting fantasy or a concrete goal? It may be time to awake from the “dream” and make a decision. It’s not the final decision point to hike or not, but it may be time to decide on the reasons to hike. My father passed away more than 16 years ago; nevertheless, Happy Father’s Day, Dad; thank you for giving me the gift of the outdoors. |
Quiet Man
I don't have a bucket list. At 61 years old, I have already had the adventures of a lifetime, especially after a 30-year Army career, five years of teaching high school, and a 37 year marriage still going strong. But I still have this deep desire to complete the Appalachian Trial. Archives
February 2022
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