Hike it? I can't even spell it. March 3, 2013 5:55 PM Subscribe
Best wishes to MeFite and all-around excellent human being wearyaswater who sets off this week to fulfill a lifelong dream: through-hiking the Appalachian Trail! She'll be blogging her journey here.
I'm envious -- hiking the AT is something I've always wanted to do. Congrats to wearyaswater for going through with it! Here in her hometown, we'll do our best to keep her partner Em happy with beer and barbecue while she's off taming the wilderness. Good luck, stay safe, and take lots of pictures!
I'm envious -- hiking the AT is something I've always wanted to do. Congrats to wearyaswater for going through with it! Here in her hometown, we'll do our best to keep her partner Em happy with beer and barbecue while she's off taming the wilderness. Good luck, stay safe, and take lots of pictures!
Title reminds me of an old Smothers Brothers routine about the "Applchain Mountains"
posted by BillW at 6:02 PM on March 3, 2013
posted by BillW at 6:02 PM on March 3, 2013
Oh, nice! I have a friend that recently thru-hiked north to south. Crazy stories of caloric intake....enjoy the peanut butter!!
posted by lazaruslong at 6:08 PM on March 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by lazaruslong at 6:08 PM on March 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
Hey congrats and best of luck. When you get to the White Mountains I will be happy to lead a meetup to one of the huts or otherwise assist in some New England trail magic.
posted by bondcliff at 6:12 PM on March 3, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by bondcliff at 6:12 PM on March 3, 2013 [3 favorites]
Wow, great writing and that gear list is crazy fun to look at. Bookmarked!
posted by lazaruslong at 6:13 PM on March 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by lazaruslong at 6:13 PM on March 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
Oh, this is awesome. I've only hiked parts of it in Pennsylvania, and would love to take the whole thing one day. Enjoy your journey!
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 6:14 PM on March 3, 2013
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 6:14 PM on March 3, 2013
Awesome! This is one of my bucket list items. I'm hoping once the kids are out of the house and I'm in a nicely debt-free place that I can start doing IT consulting for a few months of the year, then taking on things like through-hiking in the downtime between positions.
I've added her blog to my reader feed, and am looking forward to a vicarious experience!
posted by bfranklin at 6:14 PM on March 3, 2013
I've added her blog to my reader feed, and am looking forward to a vicarious experience!
posted by bfranklin at 6:14 PM on March 3, 2013
So many trails, so little time.
Eat a lot of peaches, love the one you're with, ect.
(lottsa batteries for the camera, and all that)
Note from the other side: if you are inclined, then just do it! You are not getting any younger.
p.s. mail extra shoes ahead to supply drop. Not the new ones.
posted by mule98J at 6:21 PM on March 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
Eat a lot of peaches, love the one you're with, ect.
(lottsa batteries for the camera, and all that)
Note from the other side: if you are inclined, then just do it! You are not getting any younger.
p.s. mail extra shoes ahead to supply drop. Not the new ones.
posted by mule98J at 6:21 PM on March 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
That's incredible! I've done sections of the PCT but AT is the classic best and thru-hiking is brutal but awesome. Can't wait to follow this blog account of the trip.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 6:22 PM on March 3, 2013
posted by mathowie (staff) at 6:22 PM on March 3, 2013
+1 trail magic in New England.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:25 PM on March 3, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:25 PM on March 3, 2013 [4 favorites]
Yay, wearyaswater! What an awesome thing you're doing.
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:27 PM on March 3, 2013
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:27 PM on March 3, 2013
Awesome, how exciting,I've always wanted to do that, bring duct tape.
posted by Divine_Wino at 6:52 PM on March 3, 2013
posted by Divine_Wino at 6:52 PM on March 3, 2013
Seems pretty early in the season, I see that she's starting from the south but I'd worry about the weather.
posted by octothorpe at 7:14 PM on March 3, 2013
posted by octothorpe at 7:14 PM on March 3, 2013
Octo, one issue is how crowded the trail is starting April 1, I think now is the best time to start.
posted by rakish_yet_centered at 7:19 PM on March 3, 2013
posted by rakish_yet_centered at 7:19 PM on March 3, 2013
Memail me if you need anything in my section (Hampton, TN---Mt. Rogers, VA)!
posted by maggieb at 7:21 PM on March 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by maggieb at 7:21 PM on March 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
As it happens, I only have a very few questions for God when I eventually get to see Him/Her. The first question is why do cats act the way they do; the second is how come I was never physically fit enough to thru-trek the Appalachian Trail (and see all of Your beauty on it, among other things).
posted by Melismata at 7:30 PM on March 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Melismata at 7:30 PM on March 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'm in NE PA, near Palmerton, ping me if you need anything.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 7:33 PM on March 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 7:33 PM on March 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
Maybe she should set up a Twitter account specifically for assistance requests. All of us that live near the AT can subscribe and if she needs something she put out the request and whoever is close can help.
posted by COD at 7:37 PM on March 3, 2013 [10 favorites]
posted by COD at 7:37 PM on March 3, 2013 [10 favorites]
Exciting! I have always wanted to do this but can't imagine that I ever will. I will live vicariously through her blog.
posted by OolooKitty at 7:55 PM on March 3, 2013
posted by OolooKitty at 7:55 PM on March 3, 2013
Warm wishes for all the best!
People who can enjoy shitting in the woods and sleeping with bears are better people than I, and I hugely admire and respect that.
posted by peagood at 8:11 PM on March 3, 2013
People who can enjoy shitting in the woods and sleeping with bears are better people than I, and I hugely admire and respect that.
posted by peagood at 8:11 PM on March 3, 2013
In NY, from Harriman State Park to about Pawling, I am your man if you need anything or have an emergency. Email in profile.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:25 PM on March 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:25 PM on March 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'm looking forward to reading her blog. This promises to be exciting!
posted by Telpethoron at 8:30 PM on March 3, 2013
posted by Telpethoron at 8:30 PM on March 3, 2013
Best wishes and congrats for just getting organized and getting started.
posted by benito.strauss at 9:15 PM on March 3, 2013
posted by benito.strauss at 9:15 PM on March 3, 2013
Hike the frack out of that shizsens! Ping me when you get to New England, assuming you are going north.
posted by vrakatar at 10:21 PM on March 3, 2013
posted by vrakatar at 10:21 PM on March 3, 2013
I'm finishing a long-term goal this week, and it's exciting. Congratulations on the undertaking, which itself is a big deal, and good luck on your trek!
posted by cribcage at 11:43 PM on March 3, 2013
posted by cribcage at 11:43 PM on March 3, 2013
Seems pretty early in the season, I see that she's starting from the south but I'd worry about the weather.
Shit man this is so true, like, you think you've got enough time, you leave Independence in March and the next thing you know your husband has snakebite and you have to rest for two days to let him get better and then you are almost out of food because you're a farmer and the prices in Independence are ruinous so you hunt for like three weeks straight and the buffalo are plentiful but by the time you get started again your fucking husband has cholera or some shit and you have to rest some more and you wonder why you don't just leave the fucker and trade his clothing to an Indian to help guide you across the river but you soldier on and things are okay, maybe you find some wild fruit and an extra wagon tongue and you think "this isn't so bad" and you know you'll be fine for food because hey, all these buffalo just waltz up to you so don't even worry about it, you know?
And then you hit the mountains, and winter comes. You would have been fine if Bulgaroktonos hadn't kept getting sick but it's like the man has no immune system and it's been slowing you down since March. And now it's cold and you only have a few extra sets of clothing and it turns out there aren't so many buffalo up in the mountains, just these bears that don't show up as much and move a little faster and stay behind very small patches of grass you can't shoot over and you wonder why you left at all and you want to stop and rest for an entire month but you know you'd better keep moving, you'll run out of food and you can't just stay in the mountains and watch everyone DIE so you soldier on.
So yeah, the moral of the story is, when you hike the Appalachian trail, make sure you leave at the right time of year and pay close attention to the weather.
This entire story is true and happened a few weeks ago except that it was my brother who kept getting sick, not my husband, but I took some journalistic license with what is otherwise a non-fiction account. I have a screenshot as proof if you really need it. I am a Trail Guide at the top of the list. Fuck you Stephen Meek.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 3:32 AM on March 4, 2013 [17 favorites]
Shit man this is so true, like, you think you've got enough time, you leave Independence in March and the next thing you know your husband has snakebite and you have to rest for two days to let him get better and then you are almost out of food because you're a farmer and the prices in Independence are ruinous so you hunt for like three weeks straight and the buffalo are plentiful but by the time you get started again your fucking husband has cholera or some shit and you have to rest some more and you wonder why you don't just leave the fucker and trade his clothing to an Indian to help guide you across the river but you soldier on and things are okay, maybe you find some wild fruit and an extra wagon tongue and you think "this isn't so bad" and you know you'll be fine for food because hey, all these buffalo just waltz up to you so don't even worry about it, you know?
And then you hit the mountains, and winter comes. You would have been fine if Bulgaroktonos hadn't kept getting sick but it's like the man has no immune system and it's been slowing you down since March. And now it's cold and you only have a few extra sets of clothing and it turns out there aren't so many buffalo up in the mountains, just these bears that don't show up as much and move a little faster and stay behind very small patches of grass you can't shoot over and you wonder why you left at all and you want to stop and rest for an entire month but you know you'd better keep moving, you'll run out of food and you can't just stay in the mountains and watch everyone DIE so you soldier on.
So yeah, the moral of the story is, when you hike the Appalachian trail, make sure you leave at the right time of year and pay close attention to the weather.
This entire story is true and happened a few weeks ago except that it was my brother who kept getting sick, not my husband, but I took some journalistic license with what is otherwise a non-fiction account. I have a screenshot as proof if you really need it. I am a Trail Guide at the top of the list. Fuck you Stephen Meek.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 3:32 AM on March 4, 2013 [17 favorites]
So awesome. Happy trails! My childhood home and the camp where I spent my summers were both spitting distance from the trail in New Hampshire, so I've hiked a fair amount of the trail in that area myself and have met tons of thru-hikers.
South-North is absolutely the way to go, and if you're starting this early, it's not even a conversation. Katahdin is as epic as peaks get on the east coast (unless you think having a Big Mac on Washington is better.) Summiting Katahdin when I started at the base was accomplishment enough, so I can only imagine how great it'll feel at the end of the full trek.
posted by SpiffyRob at 4:51 AM on March 4, 2013
South-North is absolutely the way to go, and if you're starting this early, it's not even a conversation. Katahdin is as epic as peaks get on the east coast (unless you think having a Big Mac on Washington is better.) Summiting Katahdin when I started at the base was accomplishment enough, so I can only imagine how great it'll feel at the end of the full trek.
posted by SpiffyRob at 4:51 AM on March 4, 2013
So cool.
posted by ocherdraco at 5:35 AM on March 4, 2013
posted by ocherdraco at 5:35 AM on March 4, 2013
...so you hunt for like three weeks straight and the buffalo are plentiful...
[...]
This entire story is true...
o_O
posted by DU at 5:51 AM on March 4, 2013
[...]
This entire story is true...
o_O
posted by DU at 5:51 AM on March 4, 2013
Maybe she should set up a Twitter account specifically for assistance requests. All of us that live near the AT can subscribe and if she needs something she put out the request and whoever is close can help.
I second this and also volunteer to give assistance in the CT segment if necessary. (I am generally a good 90 minutes from the trail so no super time-sensitive emergencies please).
posted by gauche at 6:02 AM on March 4, 2013
I second this and also volunteer to give assistance in the CT segment if necessary. (I am generally a good 90 minutes from the trail so no super time-sensitive emergencies please).
posted by gauche at 6:02 AM on March 4, 2013
I misread the username. My misreading might be seen as appropriate advice for such an adventure:
Good luck, and Wear ya sweater!
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 6:40 AM on March 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
Good luck, and Wear ya sweater!
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 6:40 AM on March 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
While enjoying a Snickers in September, 1983, I snapped a pic of this thru-hiker coming to the end of the road. Don't know who he was or anything about him, but I thought you might like a glimpse of what it looked like a generation ago. Happy trails!
posted by Right On Red at 6:41 AM on March 4, 2013 [6 favorites]
posted by Right On Red at 6:41 AM on March 4, 2013 [6 favorites]
Hey, wearyaswater, good luck!
I wanted to suggest that, if you're interested at all, MeFites might be happy to meet you at points along the way and walk a while with you. In the Northeast there are a ton of AT sections with quick access on and off the trail where people can walk short stints of just a few miles (or longer) pretty easily, and it might make for a fun meetup to come walk for a day - especially if you find you're getting hungy for off-trail company. I'd be up for it if I were free when you were passing through and I have a feeling a couple others would too.
posted by Miko at 7:15 AM on March 4, 2013 [2 favorites]
I wanted to suggest that, if you're interested at all, MeFites might be happy to meet you at points along the way and walk a while with you. In the Northeast there are a ton of AT sections with quick access on and off the trail where people can walk short stints of just a few miles (or longer) pretty easily, and it might make for a fun meetup to come walk for a day - especially if you find you're getting hungy for off-trail company. I'd be up for it if I were free when you were passing through and I have a feeling a couple others would too.
posted by Miko at 7:15 AM on March 4, 2013 [2 favorites]
Also (perusing gear list) man, thru-hiking has gotten hi-tech. I never hiked end to end but I've done lots of sections of the trail - mostly in the late 80s/early 90s as a teen/college student. And then it was a way to find your inner Luddite. I love the spreadsheet with cost/weight/specs (we just stood on a bathroom scale with and without the pack). There was a lot of debate over whether carrying a Walkman was worth it/sanity-saving or too isolating from the trail experience.
posted by Miko at 7:19 AM on March 4, 2013
posted by Miko at 7:19 AM on March 4, 2013
About 1/3 of that gear will be left along the trail or shipped back home within the first 100 miles.
I bet if it were planned correctly one could arrange to slack-pack* the trail via Mefites for most of the way. There are certainly enough of us in the Eastern states.
Right on Red, I love that second picture! The joy in that hiker along with the dripping from the beer can just says so much. One of my fondest hiking memories was when we were camping at Chimney Pond below Katahdin and we got up at 3:00 AM to hike up to Pamola peak to catch the sunrise. On a crystal-clear fall morning, as soon as the sun hit the horizon we heard a loud yell of joy coming from across the Knife Edge on Baxter peak. After we crossed the Knife Edge we met the guy who had done the yelling; He was a thru-hiker who had finished that morning at sunrise. Such a perfect way to end it.
*slack packing is when you have someone drive most of your gear ahead on the trail so you can hike part of the trail without your full pack. It's also when you leave your shit behind, walk ahead, and then someone picks you up, takes you back to your gear, and then drives you back to your furthest point the next day. AT thru-hikers have been known to come to blows over whether that's really considered "pure", but anyone who walks the trail on their own two feet gets credit for hiking it, no matter what they carry.
posted by bondcliff at 7:35 AM on March 4, 2013 [2 favorites]
I bet if it were planned correctly one could arrange to slack-pack* the trail via Mefites for most of the way. There are certainly enough of us in the Eastern states.
Right on Red, I love that second picture! The joy in that hiker along with the dripping from the beer can just says so much. One of my fondest hiking memories was when we were camping at Chimney Pond below Katahdin and we got up at 3:00 AM to hike up to Pamola peak to catch the sunrise. On a crystal-clear fall morning, as soon as the sun hit the horizon we heard a loud yell of joy coming from across the Knife Edge on Baxter peak. After we crossed the Knife Edge we met the guy who had done the yelling; He was a thru-hiker who had finished that morning at sunrise. Such a perfect way to end it.
*slack packing is when you have someone drive most of your gear ahead on the trail so you can hike part of the trail without your full pack. It's also when you leave your shit behind, walk ahead, and then someone picks you up, takes you back to your gear, and then drives you back to your furthest point the next day. AT thru-hikers have been known to come to blows over whether that's really considered "pure", but anyone who walks the trail on their own two feet gets credit for hiking it, no matter what they carry.
posted by bondcliff at 7:35 AM on March 4, 2013 [2 favorites]
Have a safe and fun time. I wish I could do it someday.
(BTW, no one let her read "A Walk in the Woods" until she gets home.)
posted by wenestvedt at 8:09 AM on March 4, 2013
(BTW, no one let her read "A Walk in the Woods" until she gets home.)
posted by wenestvedt at 8:09 AM on March 4, 2013
A thru-hiker is a hiker or backpacker who has completed or is attempting to walk the entire Appalachian Trail in one uninterrupted journey.
posted by bondcliff at 8:15 AM on March 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by bondcliff at 8:15 AM on March 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
Through hikers are people who are going from end to end of long trails. The hikes are big logistical projects in addition to being physical ones.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:15 AM on March 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:15 AM on March 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
This is awesome. I'm not sure how my 'never-been-hiking-since-I've-known-him' partner got into his head that this is something he would like to do, but it has come up a lot in discussions in the last year.
Here's to vicarious living through MetaFilter!
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:39 AM on March 4, 2013
Here's to vicarious living through MetaFilter!
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:39 AM on March 4, 2013
Through hiking is a transformational experience. It requires logistical acumen and the ability to drop off the face of the known world to a larger extent than you might think when you first start to do it. Re-emerging from the back country is like rising from the depths of the sea. You sort of have to get used to the world again. Love the cheeseburgers, hate the ride home. The buzz will fade, but there will ever be a space inside you that exists in another dimension, to which you will return during those quiet times just before sleep, or while driving, or when you happen to notice your tattered boots in the back of the closet. You won't know what you forgot until the next time you put on the rucksack and walk away from the trailhead, when it will all come rushing back to you, and you can't figure why it took so long to return to the mountains.
Sectional hiking is good, and not at all to be looked at askance, but it's a different trip, akin to camping out for a week or so in the back-country.
It's all good. I'm so jealous.
posted by mule98J at 9:06 AM on March 4, 2013 [4 favorites]
Sectional hiking is good, and not at all to be looked at askance, but it's a different trip, akin to camping out for a week or so in the back-country.
It's all good. I'm so jealous.
posted by mule98J at 9:06 AM on March 4, 2013 [4 favorites]
(BTW, no one let her read "A Walk in the Woods" until she gets home.)
I like plenty of Bryson's work, but that book annoyed me in just how... cavalier he was in approaching even his rather limited endeavor. It certainly isn't a how-to guide by any stretch. More like middle-aged-guy-who-likes-to-stroll-around interaction with the AT.
posted by edgeways at 9:08 AM on March 4, 2013
I like plenty of Bryson's work, but that book annoyed me in just how... cavalier he was in approaching even his rather limited endeavor. It certainly isn't a how-to guide by any stretch. More like middle-aged-guy-who-likes-to-stroll-around interaction with the AT.
posted by edgeways at 9:08 AM on March 4, 2013
I look back at the four newbie hiking days mseld and I spent on the portion of the trail near Roan mountain with both horror and affection.
Best of luck and may you find trail magic at every turn.
Great intro to the beauty and freedom of backcountry hiking but when thru hikers took pity on us for taking a recommendation that failed to mention that it could be considered the hilliest part south of Maine we didn't doubt them.
There's one shelter there that isn't to be missed however.
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:16 AM on March 4, 2013
Best of luck and may you find trail magic at every turn.
Great intro to the beauty and freedom of backcountry hiking but when thru hikers took pity on us for taking a recommendation that failed to mention that it could be considered the hilliest part south of Maine we didn't doubt them.
There's one shelter there that isn't to be missed however.
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:16 AM on March 4, 2013
Bondcliff, why do you think that? 28lbs seems reasonable (my buddy's pack clocked in at 31, I think) and from the blog I get the sense she's very experienced and knowledgable. Curious as to your perspective.
posted by lazaruslong at 9:24 AM on March 4, 2013
posted by lazaruslong at 9:24 AM on March 4, 2013
I am so jealous! Have talked about doing that for years but probably never will, unless maybe after I retire in 15 years or so. Then there is the little matter of getting in shape, refamiliarizing myself with the nuts-and-bolts aspects of packpacking, and learning all the additional logistics required. Good luck, look forward to following the blog!
posted by TedW at 9:25 AM on March 4, 2013
posted by TedW at 9:25 AM on March 4, 2013
Best of luck, wearyaswater! I'll enjoying following along on the blog. I hiked a big chunk of the trail many years ago and still hold out hope that someday I'll be able to do the whole thing.
posted by maurice at 9:47 AM on March 4, 2013
posted by maurice at 9:47 AM on March 4, 2013
Bondcliff, why do you think that? 28lbs seems reasonable (my buddy's pack clocked in at 31, I think) and from the blog I get the sense she's very experienced and knowledgable.
I meant no criticism at all. From what I know about thru-hikers, that's what everyone does. It doesn't take long to realize what you can live without. The first couple hundred miles are littered with discarded gear. Sound like she will have less to get rid of than most, though.
Thru-hikers have been known to cut the handles off their toothbrushes and the margins off their maps. Obsession with every last fraction of an oz is part of the culture.
I can hardly go for a weekend backpack with under 28lbs!
I like plenty of Bryson's work, but that book annoyed me in just how... cavalier he was in approaching even his rather limited endeavor.
This. Funny book, and I enjoyed it, but it's pretty much a guide to now NOT to do the trail.
posted by bondcliff at 9:58 AM on March 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
I meant no criticism at all. From what I know about thru-hikers, that's what everyone does. It doesn't take long to realize what you can live without. The first couple hundred miles are littered with discarded gear. Sound like she will have less to get rid of than most, though.
Thru-hikers have been known to cut the handles off their toothbrushes and the margins off their maps. Obsession with every last fraction of an oz is part of the culture.
I can hardly go for a weekend backpack with under 28lbs!
I like plenty of Bryson's work, but that book annoyed me in just how... cavalier he was in approaching even his rather limited endeavor.
This. Funny book, and I enjoyed it, but it's pretty much a guide to now NOT to do the trail.
posted by bondcliff at 9:58 AM on March 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'd never, to my knowledge, encountered thru-hikers before my freshman year in college. I was working my work-study job in the main dining hall on campus (a portion of the AT runs through town) when I saw a couple of incredibly scruffy people loading up their trays with amazing amounts of food - fruit and salad and eggs done three different ways and bagels and juice and milk and.... I asked my supervisor what was up with them, and she kind of rolled her eyes (in an affectionate way) and told me they were hiking the Appalachian Trail and that it had probably been a while since they'd had as abundant access to that much freshly prepared fresh food. They were, and likely still are, a common sight in the early fall in my college town.
Walk well, wearyaswater! I look forward to reading as you're able to update/
posted by rtha at 10:43 AM on March 4, 2013
Walk well, wearyaswater! I look forward to reading as you're able to update/
posted by rtha at 10:43 AM on March 4, 2013
it had probably been a while since they'd had as abundant access to that much freshly prepared fresh food.
Through certain popular parts of the trail, thru hikers can also benefit from the over-packed mules that are newbie hikers (I'm sure thru-hikers have their own specific name for them... "trail whales" perhaps?). I recall being on a 3-4 day hike with a couple of teenage friends in the Presidential Range in NH. We were stopped for lunch on the trail, and wondering how were possibly going to eat or carry all the heavy food we had packed (this was the trip that we finally realized that hiking ≠ canoeing). A couple of thru-hikers came flying by but slowed to stare bewilderedly at our spread of fresh produce and canned goods. We offered them anything from our pile of "extra" food. One guy took a foot-long cucumber, examining it in disbelief. I think he took it more as a joke to show other thru-hikers. "Oh!" I said, "You like cucumbers?" When I pulled out a second large cucumber they turned and fled like our n00biness was some kind of contagious madness.
posted by Kabanos at 10:57 AM on March 4, 2013 [6 favorites]
Through certain popular parts of the trail, thru hikers can also benefit from the over-packed mules that are newbie hikers (I'm sure thru-hikers have their own specific name for them... "trail whales" perhaps?). I recall being on a 3-4 day hike with a couple of teenage friends in the Presidential Range in NH. We were stopped for lunch on the trail, and wondering how were possibly going to eat or carry all the heavy food we had packed (this was the trip that we finally realized that hiking ≠ canoeing). A couple of thru-hikers came flying by but slowed to stare bewilderedly at our spread of fresh produce and canned goods. We offered them anything from our pile of "extra" food. One guy took a foot-long cucumber, examining it in disbelief. I think he took it more as a joke to show other thru-hikers. "Oh!" I said, "You like cucumbers?" When I pulled out a second large cucumber they turned and fled like our n00biness was some kind of contagious madness.
posted by Kabanos at 10:57 AM on March 4, 2013 [6 favorites]
I'm close to the central VA / Shenandoah Nat'l Park section myself. PM if you need anything and good luck!
posted by Gronk at 11:07 AM on March 4, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Gronk at 11:07 AM on March 4, 2013 [2 favorites]
(this was the trip that we finally realized that hiking ≠ canoeing)
I learned this on the West Coast Trail when we sat down for dinner our first night and pulled out fresh peppers and cans of pasta sauce while everyone else at the campsite was boiling water for freeze-dried meals. We got some funny looks.
I still like hiking, but I appreciate canoeing trips a lot more now.
posted by no regrets, coyote at 11:16 AM on March 4, 2013
I learned this on the West Coast Trail when we sat down for dinner our first night and pulled out fresh peppers and cans of pasta sauce while everyone else at the campsite was boiling water for freeze-dried meals. We got some funny looks.
I still like hiking, but I appreciate canoeing trips a lot more now.
posted by no regrets, coyote at 11:16 AM on March 4, 2013
Best of luck, wearyaswater!
A friend of mine did the whole thing about 6 years ago...I was his contact who he would SMS me letting me know where he was/how he was and had me post it on his MySpace & Live Journal (!!) accounts. it was like magic when I would hear my phone chirp and see it was from him.
Live well my friend! and hope for trail magic to come.
posted by ShawnString at 12:51 PM on March 4, 2013
A friend of mine did the whole thing about 6 years ago...I was his contact who he would SMS me letting me know where he was/how he was and had me post it on his MySpace & Live Journal (!!) accounts. it was like magic when I would hear my phone chirp and see it was from him.
Live well my friend! and hope for trail magic to come.
posted by ShawnString at 12:51 PM on March 4, 2013
I learned this on the West Coast Trail when we sat down for dinner our first night and pulled out fresh peppers and cans of pasta sauce while everyone else at the campsite was boiling water for freeze-dried meals.
We said the same thing as newbie hikers 2 days into our 5 day AT foray.
"Why the hell did we bring so much rope*, were we planning on hanging ourselves?"
*Warning foul language and awesomeness.
posted by RolandOfEld at 1:05 PM on March 4, 2013
We said the same thing as newbie hikers 2 days into our 5 day AT foray.
"Why the hell did we bring so much rope*, were we planning on hanging ourselves?"
*Warning foul language and awesomeness.
posted by RolandOfEld at 1:05 PM on March 4, 2013
I live very near the AT in East Tennessee (Great Smoky Mountains). If you need ANYTHING let me know; I can hike in or meet you at a road crossing wherever. Good journeys!
posted by workerant at 1:11 PM on March 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by workerant at 1:11 PM on March 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
I think it doesn't take long to figure out what you need. I did a big backpacking training program in high school (about a dozen trips of varying lengths over 4 years, ending with 8-day Long Trail, Catskills, AT and Adirondacks hikes), and by the first week trip I pretty much had it down for what I would want to carry on any given 15 mile day. And that was in the days of metal external frame packs, and gear was nowhere near as light, warm, or good as it is now. My packs never made it below 35#, with the 7# tent (they were also heavier in those days). Wearyaswater just doesn't sound like a noob and the gear looks pretty much all useful, if some of it a little superfluous for the trail. I don't know how easy it is, for instance, to find regular outlets for charging along the way, since the standard site is backcountry. But again, I'm not from a tech era of hiking. Also, critiquing other people's gear is kind of a typical discussion in these circles. It becomes a bit of an obsession. Ultimately, you carry what you want to carry, and you stop carrying what you don't really want. Sometimes you don't need something except for one night of the trip - but that one night, you are super glad you have it.
I still like hiking, but I appreciate canoeing trips a lot more now.
So right! I came at it the other way around - learned to be a hiker, then worked several summers at a camp that was a lot about canoeing and canoe camping. It seemed like an incredibly luxury to take all the stuff we took - you can take a ton with you. Fresh fruit, firewood, books and sports equipment, giant group stoves and propane tanks...they're like waterborne RVs, canoes. Just make sure your shit is tied into the thwarts, otherwise, woe.
posted by Miko at 1:13 PM on March 4, 2013
I still like hiking, but I appreciate canoeing trips a lot more now.
So right! I came at it the other way around - learned to be a hiker, then worked several summers at a camp that was a lot about canoeing and canoe camping. It seemed like an incredibly luxury to take all the stuff we took - you can take a ton with you. Fresh fruit, firewood, books and sports equipment, giant group stoves and propane tanks...they're like waterborne RVs, canoes. Just make sure your shit is tied into the thwarts, otherwise, woe.
posted by Miko at 1:13 PM on March 4, 2013
Hey everybody, thanks!
As requested, I have created a twitter account here: twitter.com/hikerzag. I will try to keep it updated along the way, especially if I run into trouble.
If you would like to dayhike, and/or bring a couple stinky hikers a beer, let me know!
posted by wearyaswater at 1:13 PM on March 4, 2013 [14 favorites]
As requested, I have created a twitter account here: twitter.com/hikerzag. I will try to keep it updated along the way, especially if I run into trouble.
If you would like to dayhike, and/or bring a couple stinky hikers a beer, let me know!
posted by wearyaswater at 1:13 PM on March 4, 2013 [14 favorites]
This is the coolest! I am definitely going to be following along. Good luck -- and depending on when you're rolling through Pennsylvania, beer's on me.
I went on a 4 day backpack trip almost a decade ago; it was incredible, and I'm so glad I did it, but backpacking is just not for me. (Day-hiking and camping, on the other hand, I adore.)
posted by DoubleLune at 1:22 PM on March 4, 2013
I went on a 4 day backpack trip almost a decade ago; it was incredible, and I'm so glad I did it, but backpacking is just not for me. (Day-hiking and camping, on the other hand, I adore.)
posted by DoubleLune at 1:22 PM on March 4, 2013
Hmm...I never regretting not bringing something I wanted more than I regretted bringing something I didn't need.
Well. Socks. Anyhow, one to wear, one to wash, and one for a spare, is the general idea, but you get tired of washing socks. One extra pair of pants does good enough. You don't need it until the last day, when you walk out of the trailhead and into the cheeseburger joint.
Callahans, at the Oregon California border, is a long-time watering hole for through hikers on the PCT. They specialize in cheap spaghetti for the budget minded hiker. After dinner you go out to their lawn and assume the dying cockroach position for an hour or so while your body protests.
I am stumbling headlong down memory lane, here, folks. Thanks.
posted by mule98J at 4:42 PM on March 4, 2013 [2 favorites]
Well. Socks. Anyhow, one to wear, one to wash, and one for a spare, is the general idea, but you get tired of washing socks. One extra pair of pants does good enough. You don't need it until the last day, when you walk out of the trailhead and into the cheeseburger joint.
Callahans, at the Oregon California border, is a long-time watering hole for through hikers on the PCT. They specialize in cheap spaghetti for the budget minded hiker. After dinner you go out to their lawn and assume the dying cockroach position for an hour or so while your body protests.
I am stumbling headlong down memory lane, here, folks. Thanks.
posted by mule98J at 4:42 PM on March 4, 2013 [2 favorites]
Ooooh! Good luck! This is one of my Someday/Maybe's. I am jealous and wishing her the best!
posted by tkappleton at 11:47 AM on March 6, 2013
posted by tkappleton at 11:47 AM on March 6, 2013
When you're around the south section of Shenandoah National Park, please feel free to place your beer order (or urgent rescue request, or whatever). I'd be delighted to dayhike. (On Twitter, contact @hybridGlow.)
If you are interested, a secret sidetrail allows you to pay respects at the homestead of Houston Morris, one of many settlers evicted to create SNP, or to visit Flattop Mountain Zendo, the Myoshin-ji temple complex's tiny Appalachian grandbaby -- I daresay the Abbot would be willing to arrange lodging.
posted by feral_goldfish at 1:38 PM on March 6, 2013
If you are interested, a secret sidetrail allows you to pay respects at the homestead of Houston Morris, one of many settlers evicted to create SNP, or to visit Flattop Mountain Zendo, the Myoshin-ji temple complex's tiny Appalachian grandbaby -- I daresay the Abbot would be willing to arrange lodging.
posted by feral_goldfish at 1:38 PM on March 6, 2013
UPDATE! I met with wearyaswater and her trail buddy Laura today. They're stopped at Fontana, NC while waiting for the snowy weather to clear. I drove down there and brought them back into town (Maryville, TN) for a run to an outfitter, lunch and a stop at the grocery store. The weather won't clear until the day after tomorrow so they're stuck for one more day but they're staying in a hotel so they're comfortable (but bored.)
The partners in crime: Me, Laura and wearyaswater/HikerZag.
posted by workerant at 6:50 PM on March 25, 2013 [8 favorites]
The partners in crime: Me, Laura and wearyaswater/HikerZag.
posted by workerant at 6:50 PM on March 25, 2013 [8 favorites]
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posted by cjorgensen at 5:58 PM on March 3, 2013 [11 favorites]