And coming in even further behind Matt's post are my final thoughts. It's a little different for me because I'm not finished yet. I would like to finish up the trail doing sections, and since Matt is planning on coming with me he'll end up hiking most of the trail again :-)
Despite the fact that I'm marginally better than Matt at being introspective, I find myself at a bit of a loss. I enjoyed hiking 400 plus miles more than I ever thought I would. A lot of things I was worried about turned out to be no big deal, but I think my biggest problem was the heat. Once it started to heat up I was done. I did not want to be out there anymore. Of course on the flip side I also learned the hard way that a 15 degree bag will not keep me warm in 35 degree weather, so I guess I don't do well at either end of that spectrum.
I put a huge amount of time and effort into researching gear, food, and logistics. I think I read almost every book out there (some of which I do NOT recommend), and spent hours on whiteblaze which is kinda funny considering I didn't finish. And to be honest I wasn't nearly as motivated as Matt, in fact I was pretty much only out there for him. As much as I love him, that's not nearly a good enough reason to hike for 6 months! But all the effort was worth it, because it allowed Matt to achieve his dream. I went further than I ever thought I could and I learned to really enjoy hiking. My favorite part was when we (finally!) got to the top of a mountain and we turned and looked back over the mountains we had gone over and I realized that I did that. I climbed up and over all those mountains. It was the most amazing feeling, and one I think I'll keep chasing in the years to come.
~Princess/Sabrina
I have climbed highest mountains, I have run through the fields, only to be with you...
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Lightning Crashes
Wow...has it somehow been two and a half months since I hit the top of Katahdin? Amazing how quickly that time goes by back in the real world. It was a pretty short transition back into work and refereeing and I had meant to write this post for quite a while now. The plan is to try to pull out some of the tips and tricks that both Sabrina and I learned along the way...lets see how this goes.
1) Tiny ziplock bags are the best piece of equipment we had for the trip. Used them for medicine, protein powder, parmesan cheese and various gear repair items. Look for them from a jewelry supply or beading store.
2) On the topic of protein powder...getting the extra protein that I did during the trip really felt like it made a difference especially in relation to some of the other people I saw on the trail. I was definitely less sore in the morning and was able to do several long or difficult days in a row. And it tastes like Tang, so tough to go wrong there.
3) Also important for food are treats sent from home. I especially enjoy brownies and Princess found a great way to make and ship them so they don't turn into a crumbled mess in your pack. Cook them in a square pan then cut the batch into 9 squares. Wrap each brownie individually (tightly) in plastic wrap, then package them into one or two quart size ziplock bags. They survived life inside my food bag that way and more impressively, the USPS deliveries.
4) A lightweight pack is only good if you are carrying a lightweight load. It was worth the extra weight I carried as my pack to ensure that it rode comfortably at total loads from 20 to 45 pounds. Princess' initial lightweight pack was too "floppy" and didn't transfer the weight well to her hips, making for some uncomfortable hiking.
5) Dehydrated ground beef works much better than dehydrated ground chicken. It rehydrates much better and is not as chewy as the chicken turned out. Both are just as easy to make at home (presuming you have a meat grinder of some form) but the beef is much tastier.
6) Previous backpacking experience is over-rated. I hadn't done any real backpacking since Boy Scouts and Princess had 1 (yup...just one) total night of backpacking experience prior to starting and made if 413 miles, stopping because of a foot injury. She wasn't the only one out there with minimal experience and many of those people made it all the way.
7) It WILL NOT BE FUN all the time. If your plan is to stop hiking when it isn't fun anymore you will probably not make it all the way as a thru-hiker. The length of time you are out there makes it almost inevitable that at some point, you will not be having fun. There is nothing wrong with taking multiple years or decades to finish the trip, but the choices are either to trek on through or head for a section hike.
8) Take care of your gear. We had very few (might be zero) gear that had to be replaced due to getting "roughed up" along the way. Sure, some items wear out from the intense use that it goes through along the trip, but a little bit of care makes the rest of your gear last a lot longer.
9) Be organized. I saw a lot of lost items along the trail and I saw people along the way that I had no idea how they managed to keep all of their stuff together. I might be a little bit OCD about this (but hey...I am an engineer, I can't help it), but one really good way to do this is to use stuff sacks or other bags inside your pack to keep things organized in there.
10) That leads me into my next point, when at a shelter or crowded campsite, keep your gear contained and organized (again). Lots of people ended up losing things at shelters that they got back a few days later when they ran into the person who's pack it ended up in.
11) Have a routine. This works for a morning routine to get out of camp, an evening routine to get into camp and get fed and for something relatively mundane like packing your pack. There is no easier way to make sure you have all your stuff when you leave a campsite than to follow a loading routine. If the pack doesn't pack the same way as yesterday...you forgot something.
12) Food is gear (yes I borrowed that from Mary Holmes...but it is true), so putting as much planning into your food as you would into your pack and tent will go just as far for making the trip a success. Even if you don't want to do a lot of maildrops, when you go into a town to resupply, know what you want to get and have a reason for getting everything. I saw a lot of people walk out of towns with a lot of food they either didn't want or didn't need and not necessarily with food that would help them maintain the level of energy and performance required for the amount of work they were doing. Protein and fat are two important things to make sure you have in your meals, unfortunately they are heavy, but only eating really carb-heavy items will end up burning you out in the end.
13) Take a journal or some other way to keep some notes about what you did, who you met, the cool things you saw, and the great towns you pass through. At some point into the trip, a lot of the events begin to blur together and sometimes the only way to have those memories are to have a written record that you did shortly after it happened.
14) Take notes about what the pictures you take are of or where they were taken from. The scenery views can be epic but a lot of times they look just like the view from "that other mountain" and tough to figure it out later.
15) Eat the wolf burger in Stratton. Just get it, it is phenomenal.
16) Take gloves with you into the Smokies, trust me it isn't warm enough yet, even if it is 90 degrees as you cross the dam.
17) You can make a lot of the gear you need for the trip, much more than you think you can. We had made our hats, gloves, some cooking gear and other miscellaneous items. I saw homemade packs, tents, sleeping bags/quilts and a whole host of other things.
18) Be on your own schedule. If you get hiking with a group of people, don't feel bad about moving on ahead of them if that's what you need or about taking an extra zero day somewhere if you need the recovery. You'll catch up eventually.
19) Go to Palmerton, PA. Nicest/friendliest town on the trail in my opinion.
20) A lot of people say that the trip makes them want to hike other long distance trails. For me, I don't see many other multi-month trips in my future, but it has definitely re-invigorated my enthusiasm for getting more into backpacking again. Probably some 2-4 week trips, but I think that is about where my line is drawn now. Very happy I did this trip, but it got to be a very long time away at the end.
21) If you say "I want to hike the AT"...just do it. I hear SOOOO many people who, when they hear about my trip, say "I've always wanted to do that" or "That's on my bucket list". If it is that much of a goal for you, make it happen. There is always a way to get out there and do it, even if it means doing a week at a time for the next many years. Most of these people who say this will probably never get out and give it a shot, which is too bad, since it is was definitely a trip of a lifetime.
I've never been good at being introspective or coming up with big philosophical thoughts or talking about my feelings (despite the efforts of Princess to drag this out of me), and that still hasn't really changed, even with days and weeks of alone time. What I do know is that I owe a huge THANK YOU to Princess, my family, her family and everyone else who sent emails and messages encouraging us along. Also a big thanks to all of the random nice people along the trail who gave me rides, left food for us hungry hikers or who ran establishments in the towns that catered to the stinky, dirty group that we were. All of that made the trip the experience that it was. After living in larger cities for the last many years, it was also nice to see that there are so many kind and helpful people in the world, not bound up in the hustle and bustle of a big city, who can take the time to pick up a hiker needing a 15-mile ride into town to get more food, or calling their friends from the car to find the closest WalMart so I could replace my camera. Their help was a huge part of the success of everyone who finished the trail or made progress on a section hike. Most people I never got their names, but they deserve a big thank you also.
All my feelings comin' back again, like a rollin' thunder chasin' the wind, forces pullin' from the center of the earth again, I can feel it...
- Snowfox
1) Tiny ziplock bags are the best piece of equipment we had for the trip. Used them for medicine, protein powder, parmesan cheese and various gear repair items. Look for them from a jewelry supply or beading store.
2) On the topic of protein powder...getting the extra protein that I did during the trip really felt like it made a difference especially in relation to some of the other people I saw on the trail. I was definitely less sore in the morning and was able to do several long or difficult days in a row. And it tastes like Tang, so tough to go wrong there.
3) Also important for food are treats sent from home. I especially enjoy brownies and Princess found a great way to make and ship them so they don't turn into a crumbled mess in your pack. Cook them in a square pan then cut the batch into 9 squares. Wrap each brownie individually (tightly) in plastic wrap, then package them into one or two quart size ziplock bags. They survived life inside my food bag that way and more impressively, the USPS deliveries.
4) A lightweight pack is only good if you are carrying a lightweight load. It was worth the extra weight I carried as my pack to ensure that it rode comfortably at total loads from 20 to 45 pounds. Princess' initial lightweight pack was too "floppy" and didn't transfer the weight well to her hips, making for some uncomfortable hiking.
5) Dehydrated ground beef works much better than dehydrated ground chicken. It rehydrates much better and is not as chewy as the chicken turned out. Both are just as easy to make at home (presuming you have a meat grinder of some form) but the beef is much tastier.
6) Previous backpacking experience is over-rated. I hadn't done any real backpacking since Boy Scouts and Princess had 1 (yup...just one) total night of backpacking experience prior to starting and made if 413 miles, stopping because of a foot injury. She wasn't the only one out there with minimal experience and many of those people made it all the way.
7) It WILL NOT BE FUN all the time. If your plan is to stop hiking when it isn't fun anymore you will probably not make it all the way as a thru-hiker. The length of time you are out there makes it almost inevitable that at some point, you will not be having fun. There is nothing wrong with taking multiple years or decades to finish the trip, but the choices are either to trek on through or head for a section hike.
8) Take care of your gear. We had very few (might be zero) gear that had to be replaced due to getting "roughed up" along the way. Sure, some items wear out from the intense use that it goes through along the trip, but a little bit of care makes the rest of your gear last a lot longer.
9) Be organized. I saw a lot of lost items along the trail and I saw people along the way that I had no idea how they managed to keep all of their stuff together. I might be a little bit OCD about this (but hey...I am an engineer, I can't help it), but one really good way to do this is to use stuff sacks or other bags inside your pack to keep things organized in there.
10) That leads me into my next point, when at a shelter or crowded campsite, keep your gear contained and organized (again). Lots of people ended up losing things at shelters that they got back a few days later when they ran into the person who's pack it ended up in.
11) Have a routine. This works for a morning routine to get out of camp, an evening routine to get into camp and get fed and for something relatively mundane like packing your pack. There is no easier way to make sure you have all your stuff when you leave a campsite than to follow a loading routine. If the pack doesn't pack the same way as yesterday...you forgot something.
12) Food is gear (yes I borrowed that from Mary Holmes...but it is true), so putting as much planning into your food as you would into your pack and tent will go just as far for making the trip a success. Even if you don't want to do a lot of maildrops, when you go into a town to resupply, know what you want to get and have a reason for getting everything. I saw a lot of people walk out of towns with a lot of food they either didn't want or didn't need and not necessarily with food that would help them maintain the level of energy and performance required for the amount of work they were doing. Protein and fat are two important things to make sure you have in your meals, unfortunately they are heavy, but only eating really carb-heavy items will end up burning you out in the end.
13) Take a journal or some other way to keep some notes about what you did, who you met, the cool things you saw, and the great towns you pass through. At some point into the trip, a lot of the events begin to blur together and sometimes the only way to have those memories are to have a written record that you did shortly after it happened.
14) Take notes about what the pictures you take are of or where they were taken from. The scenery views can be epic but a lot of times they look just like the view from "that other mountain" and tough to figure it out later.
15) Eat the wolf burger in Stratton. Just get it, it is phenomenal.
16) Take gloves with you into the Smokies, trust me it isn't warm enough yet, even if it is 90 degrees as you cross the dam.
17) You can make a lot of the gear you need for the trip, much more than you think you can. We had made our hats, gloves, some cooking gear and other miscellaneous items. I saw homemade packs, tents, sleeping bags/quilts and a whole host of other things.
18) Be on your own schedule. If you get hiking with a group of people, don't feel bad about moving on ahead of them if that's what you need or about taking an extra zero day somewhere if you need the recovery. You'll catch up eventually.
19) Go to Palmerton, PA. Nicest/friendliest town on the trail in my opinion.
20) A lot of people say that the trip makes them want to hike other long distance trails. For me, I don't see many other multi-month trips in my future, but it has definitely re-invigorated my enthusiasm for getting more into backpacking again. Probably some 2-4 week trips, but I think that is about where my line is drawn now. Very happy I did this trip, but it got to be a very long time away at the end.
21) If you say "I want to hike the AT"...just do it. I hear SOOOO many people who, when they hear about my trip, say "I've always wanted to do that" or "That's on my bucket list". If it is that much of a goal for you, make it happen. There is always a way to get out there and do it, even if it means doing a week at a time for the next many years. Most of these people who say this will probably never get out and give it a shot, which is too bad, since it is was definitely a trip of a lifetime.
I've never been good at being introspective or coming up with big philosophical thoughts or talking about my feelings (despite the efforts of Princess to drag this out of me), and that still hasn't really changed, even with days and weeks of alone time. What I do know is that I owe a huge THANK YOU to Princess, my family, her family and everyone else who sent emails and messages encouraging us along. Also a big thanks to all of the random nice people along the trail who gave me rides, left food for us hungry hikers or who ran establishments in the towns that catered to the stinky, dirty group that we were. All of that made the trip the experience that it was. After living in larger cities for the last many years, it was also nice to see that there are so many kind and helpful people in the world, not bound up in the hustle and bustle of a big city, who can take the time to pick up a hiker needing a 15-mile ride into town to get more food, or calling their friends from the car to find the closest WalMart so I could replace my camera. Their help was a huge part of the success of everyone who finished the trail or made progress on a section hike. Most people I never got their names, but they deserve a big thank you also.
All my feelings comin' back again, like a rollin' thunder chasin' the wind, forces pullin' from the center of the earth again, I can feel it...
- Snowfox
Friday, September 10, 2010
The last installment...
All the rest of the pictures from the trip are now up at the picture link above...enjoy! Check out my beard removal stages.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Day 140 (9/7) - The Day That Never Comes
Day 140 - 5.2 mi/2180.0 mi tot/0.0 mi to go
The Birches Campsite to Baxter Peak, Mt Katahdin
The Birches Campsite to Baxter Peak, Mt Katahdin
What can I say about today...I MADE IT! After 140 days, 2180 trail miles, countless non-trail miles, a lot of tuna and some incredible support from friends and family I summitted Mt Katahdin. In a perfect world I would have waited for a better weather day but that isn't going to happen for 4 more days (maybe) so I took what I got and hit the summit. The climb up was tough with a long section of hefty rock scrambles on damp rocks in high wind gusts. Visibility was very low (less than 50 feet) so it was definitely not the spectacular ending I was hoping for, but a very satisfying one anyway.
Not much more to say other than a big thank you to everyone who helped Sabrina and I throughout the journey and to all those who followed along on this blog and on facebook tracking our progress. Keep on the lookout here over the next few days for a specific list of thank yous as well as other post-hike info.
I picked this song as my last day song since for a long time it definitely seemed like it would never get here and now that it did, "the sunshine never came".
Waiting for the one, the day that never comes, when you stand up and feel the warmth, but the sunshine never comes, no the sunshine never comes.
- Snowfox
Sent on the go from my Peek
Day 139 (9/6) - Push It
Day 139 - 33.0 mi/2174.8 mi tot/5.2 mi to go
Wadleigh Stream Lean To to The Birches Campsite
Wadleigh Stream Lean To to The Birches Campsite
So this morning required some serious decision making due to the upcoming rain in the forecast for Katahdin. Here were the choices that are possible:
1) Continue as planned, summit Big K on Wednesday, likely in the rain
2) Continue slowly and try to wait out any rain before summiting on Thursday
3) Continue faster and summit tomorrow, Tuesday
The implications of this decision will impact the possibility of a good day on the summit or a possibly miserable one. Those who know me well would have seen which choice I would make even without checking the mileage for today. I figured that a really long day today would give me the best possible chance for a decent day on the summit. The forecast for tomorrow is 50% rain, which I am reading as 50% sunny...always the optimist.
I hiked the crap out of the trail today. I covered 19.5 miles in 6 hours then did the last 13.5 in 4.5 hours with a 30 minute lunch in between. I felt good for almost the whole day until about the last 5 miles where the exertion caught up. Good thing it was a nice cool day or this would not have been possible. I finished the day around 6 pm, checking in with the ranger at Katahdin Streams Campground and moving onto the important part of the day...recovery. In a sentimental gesture, I made spaghetti with meat sauce, same as the first dinner on the AT way back in April, and drabk 3 protein drinks to help my muscles get ready for tomorrow. A few Advil and a good night's sleep and whammo! Katahdin tomorrow. Probably be on the summit around 10 am and could be in town in the mid afternoon.
It is sureal to be tented here at the base of this massive mountain that has been a focus of our lives for the past 5 years and I would not be here without the great support from Sabrina and both of our families. My climb tomorrow is dedicated to all those who have been so helpful along the way (many more than I will list right now, but a list will get posted soon) and those who will continue to help as I make my way home over the next few days.
Push it...push it real good!
- Snowfox
Sent on the go from my Peek
Monday, September 6, 2010
Day 138 (9/5) - Cheeseburger In Paradise
Day 138 - 21.5 mi/2141.8 mi tot/38.2 mi to go
Cooper Brook Falls Lean To to Wadleigh Stream Lean To
Cooper Brook Falls Lean To to Wadleigh Stream Lean To
Other than some interesting stream crossings today the trail was mostly flat allowing for fast miles. The day had 2 major highlights:
1) A great view of Katahdin from Pemadumcook Lake
2) A 1 lb deluxe cheeseburger at White House Landing
The burger was great and a nice change from lunches of tuna packets on tortillas. To get to White House Landing you have to hike 1.2 miles off the AT to a boat dock where an air horn sits to summon the boat for the ferry ride across the lake. The hostel (?) was nice, albeit expensive, so I just stayed for lunch the took my boat ride back across the lake to continue my hiking day.
The downside to the day was finding out that Wednesday is supposed to be the only bad weather day this whole week...the day I planned to summit. I will reserve my decision on whether to wait a day until Tuesday sometime when I get to Abol Bridge. I hope the forecasts are wrong and it is a nice day and I can continue as planned. To be continued later...onto Hurd Brook tomorrow.
(darn...yet another song I don't know lyrics to but it sure seems to fit, apologies to all the Parrotheads out there)
- Snowfox
Sent on the go from my Peek
Day 137 (9/4) - Goodbye Earl
Day 137 - 18.9 mi/2120.3 mi tot/59.7 mi to go
Newhall Lean To to Cooper Brook Falls Lean To
Newhall Lean To to Cooper Brook Falls Lean To
Lets get the important things out of the way first...HAPPY 5TH ANNIVERSARY SABRINA! We got to chat on the phone for a while today and plans are set to meet up in Boston in less than a week. I am definitely a lucky man to have such a wonderful wife.
Well even a hurricane can't keep me from my schedule or my planned miles. I took a very late start today to let the rest of the downpour finish before going over Whitecap Mtn, my last time above 2000 feet until summiting Katahdin. There was plenty of water on the trail from the rain but at least no more was coming down. Just over the top of the mountain, I ran into Utah, a guy I had hiked with on and off for the first 500 miles of the trip. He decided to flip flop and was heading south bac to Salisbury CT where he got off. It was great to see him and get a little bit of news from behind me on the trail.
After that, the sun made an appearance and it turned into a great day with cool temperatures, nice trail and just good hiking. I caught back up with Tabasco at the East Branch of the Pleasat River where he and two other hikers had been pondering how to ford the rain-swollen river for 2 hours. We spent another hour there and finally found a path that was feasible and more or less safe. We all made it across with nothing more than wet feet. The shelter we ended up at might have the best location of any shelter on the trail. It is right next to a really good waterfall which is running especially fast after all that rain. I am tented not far from the falls and after squeezing 7 people into a tight 6 person shelter last night, the extra space is a welcome change.
Tomorrow should be a great 21 mile day with my elvation staying between 700 ft and 1000 ft all day. A nice easy walk to a shelter on the shore of Nahmakanta Lake. Summiting is still planned for Wednesday.
And turns out he was a missing person who no one missed at all.
- Snowfox
Sent on the go from my Peek
Day 136 (9/3) - Rock You Like A Hurricane
Day 136 - 20.8 mi/2101.4 mi tot/78.6 mi to go
Long Pond Stream Lean To to Carl Newhall Lean To
Long Pond Stream Lean To to Carl Newhall Lean To
Planning for today included getting to the end of day target before the rains from Hurricane Earl show up. This was a semi-tough task given the fact that the Barren-Chairback Range was in the way. I hiked the whole day with Tabasco and we did great time all day and did well with the elevation gains and drops we hit all day. There were some good views along the way and even cell phone reception to call home to get a weather update. We made it to the shelter just in time to grab the last two spots and not lose them out to the group frm Colby College that was in the area. The highlight of the day was the trail magic of homemade whoopie pies and soda we ran into near the Pleasant River. Looks like the rain is about to start so time to get bunkered down to stay dry for the night.
Heading over our last big mountain before Katahdin tomorrow, Whitecap Mountain, and hopefully the rocks are not too slippery and the ascent/descent are not too miserable. 4 more days to get to the base of Katahdin.
More days to come, new places to go, I've got to leave its time for a show.
- Snowfox
Sent on the go from my Peek
Day 135 (9/2) - Where the Wild Things Are
Day 135 - 15.1 mi/2080.6 mi tot/99.4 mi to go
ME 15 (Monson ME) to Long Pond Stream Lean To
ME 15 (Monson ME) to Long Pond Stream Lean To
The town of Monson is not short on options for food for a small town. Lunch at the Lakeside Pub yesterday was great, the community dinner was a real treat and the breakfast at Shaws today was a hiker nirvana (and the gas station supposedly makes great calzones and the BBQ place is also supposed to be worth a visit, although I didn't have a chance to visit either of those places). Breakfast at Shaws is an "order by number" system with three choices: 1, 2, or 3. The number indicates how many pancakes, eggs, bacon slices and sausage links you want (all served with home fries too). It is all you can eat as long as you finish your plate so I went for the 3-3-1 meal today. My goal was 3-3-2 but the pancakes make it tough. I also, for the first time on the trail, skipped lunch since I was so full from breakfast. I think I made up for that with dinner though. Also many thanks to Dawn, Sue and the other staff at Shaws for a great stay, an awesome place to spend my time in Monson.
Hiking today was tough with 8 days of food in my pack an temps in the high 80s and 90s for my start into the 100 mile wilderness. No big climbs yet, but plenty of little ones to keep me working. I get some good cimbs tomorrow going up and over Chairback Mtn and the other peaks on that ridge. A nice night at the shelter with several thru-hikers from previous years, making for good conversation and funny stories. Also passed the 100 mile to go mark today...into double digits now.
You're where the wild things are - toy soldiers off to war.
- Snowfox
Sent on the go from my Peek
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