My friend CJ told me she would hike the AT with me. We talked a lot about it and even hiked on the Little Blue Trace Trail a couple of times. She has been a good friend and supporter for a long time and we began discussing this when we were both still working. I was so excited to have a partner, at the same time I was thinking that I wouldn't get the "alone" time I wanted and yes, needed during this hike. But, during a recent 6 mile hike with a full pack she broke the news.
      Now, I have to take a minute to talk about my "full pack" I have crammed all kinds of things into my backpack, but I don't have all my stuff yet. I've been trying to make it heavy and also fill it with things I need, but the bottom line is...I don't have all my stuff and I don't know how to pack a pack. I'm close and mentally, I am ready and my pack it heavy. CJ and I talked about our packs and at the end of our 6 miles while we were waiting for my husband, Lyle to pick us up, she asked me how much my pack weighed. I don't know, our scale doesn't work. We tried to figure out how I could find out but then it hit me. I don't really want to know. Nothing good could come from me knowing how much I'm carrying. I'm packing it the best way I know how with the things I think I'm going to need and I'm hiking the Appalachian Trail. Period.
     First, CJ tried to convince me that we should start hiking the Katy Trail in Clinton, Missouri. We could make reservations at the B&Bs along the way until we get to St Charles, Missouri. I kept my temper and disappointment under control and I told her that I would be happy to hike the Katy Trail with her next year but, I was going to start hiking the AT in a couple of weeks. She worked on me a little bit more, pointing out that YOU'RE NOT A HIKER. Ouch, true, but it still made me mad. Come on, she's the one that's been encouraging me. It seems like she's the only one but, I know in my heart that I have lots of people rooting for me and I'm going to do my best not to let myself down.

     It takes some preparation to get ready for the AT. Lots of gear. You need a tent. Bub wanted me to get a two man tent and I said, "Why don't we both get one man tent?" He said, "No" I don't know exactly what his reason was but I'd like to think it was so we wouldn't have to carry as much between us. Who knows, I got a two man tent, that I can put up in about nine minutes. I was putting it up in the Missouri Ozarks at our little cabin and didn't stake it the first time. The wind came up and my little tent started rolling toward the water. Note to hikers: Always, always stake your tent. Also, I feel it's kinda small for two people, but I'm trying to think only the best of my brother-in-law.
     You also need a sleeping bag for two seasons, a cook stove, water purifier, walking poles. I didn't understand THAT until we hiked in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Trying to ford a stream with just your good balance could be disastrous. Hiking boots are only good for about 500 miles, then it's time to get new ones. Clothing that will "wick away the moisture from your body" and a backpack to hold it all. I went to Bass Pro to get my back pack and told the cute young man what I wanted it for. To his credit he didn't laugh or even change his expression. He said he would have to measure me to get the right fit. He was so cute, and helpful. My pack fits perfectly. You need to buy food and a rope to hang it.  My niece, Amy told me about her husband who hung his food only to have a raccoon climb the tree and open his bag. The bugger was going through it like a dissatisfied shopper throwing down what he didn't like. Jeff was happy to get his granola bar back and some other things but he had to wait until the raccoon was finished with it's lunch to move on. You also need a little hand shovel to bury your poop. "Leave no trace" They recommend digging a hole about 18" deep, roughly 200 ft from the Trail. I figured I'd go about 1/2 mile from the trail because I don't want anyone walking up on me with my behind hanging out. So, I think I'm set, a couple of grand later, except for the small self inflatable pad that goes under your sleeping bag. Oh yeah, I definitely need one of those.

Dec. 2011
          A long time ago my sister, Theresa moved to Georgia and for some unknown reason sent me a copy of the Appalachian Trail. I thought it was interesting and filed it away, not thinking about it for a number of years. Later, about 25 years later, I started thinking about hiking. I love the outdoors, the smell of pine, the quiet and peace, hearing only the twittering of the birds. I bought a copy of Backpacker magazine and without me realizing it, there was an article about the Appalachian Trail. That's when I decided "I'm hiking the AT" My niece, Cristy said it was a sign and that I must do it or regret it forever.
          I began researching the AT. The idea was conceived by a young man named Benton MacKaye to link the ridgetops of the Appalachian Mountains to the South. It took many years and many hands but the Trail was completed in 1937. It runs from Katahdin Mountain in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia, and is 2,175 miles in length. The Trail is not complete, nor will it be complete because the Trail Associations all along the trail continue to improve it.


          Remote for detachment,
          narrow for chosen company,
          winding for leisure,
          lonely for contemplation,
          the Trail leads not merely north and south
          but upward to the body, mind and soul of man.
                  by Harold Allen


     The more I talked the about it the more people, friends and relatives became more supportive. A number of them have actually said they would hike part of the trail with me. One day during Christmas time 2009 I was talking about it with my brother-in-law Lloyd (Bub). He said he was going to retire in 2011 and he would hike the trail with me. We could start at the end of February and that would give us enough time to make it to Maine before the park closes in October. The preparations began. We day hiked the Blue Ridge Mountains in the summer of 2010 and I began collecting the equipment I would need to hike the AT.
      Well, my beloved brother-in-law passed away in October 2010 and I just didn't have the heart to begin the hike that next February. I have a stone that I carry from Bub's funeral, it's a river rock that the minister suggested we hold on to until we are through grieving. I intend to carry him with me on this hike and when I reach Katahdin I'll place it on the cairn I'll find there. So, I've spent the first year of my retirement just thinking about it and getting ready.
     We are presently in Georgia with my sister and her family. The RV is parked out front waiting for parts and then we need to head home for the Holidays and Doctor's appointments. Theresa brought home a book from the library and in it is an article about the Smoky Mountains and the 70 miles of AT that runs through it. The author of the article writes,"I didn't do it to learn who I was or what I was. Instead, I hoped to understand what it was to live simply and to complete a large challenge." That's me!
     My niece, Amy took me to Springer Mountain trail head so I actually got to hike the trail a little bit. There was a metal sign imbedded in a rock announcing your position and a sign in book for the hikers. We looked everywhere for the book and Amy found it. It's a metal box with a weighted lid slid in between the rocks below the trail head. I signed the book with my trail name "Tripper" promising I'd be back next March to start the hike.
"You start a new life on the trail, leaving your background behind." Heather Sable, author of the article.
     Theresa also brought home another book called "Ignore Everybody and 39 Other Keys to Creativity" by Hugh MacLeod.  gapingvoid.com   I know that I will be keeping a journal on my trip just in case I realized some wonderful realities or had some profound thoughts that needed to be recorded, but after reading his book I have decided to write my own book, so here goes...
   

                                   

AT conservancy

Wednesday we drove to the little town outside Harper’s Ferry to the RV camp. There was nothing but dirt so the next day we went to the Harper’s Ferry National Park, caught the trolley and went into Harper’s Ferry. It’s a really neat little town, lots of history about the Civil War. We walked all over and into the little shops, read all the history in the windows. We ate at a place that served wine and Reuben sandwiches with coleslaw instead of sauerkraut. It was really good. They also wanted to put a hash brown patty on it but I wouldn’t let them.

First I ‘hiked’ over the railway bridge over the Potomac toward Maine. Then I ‘hiked’ toward Georgia and the AT conservancy. We even saw some hikers in town. Heading south was more like the trail I miss so much. I didn’t have my hiking gear or boots so the rocks and uneven path were difficult to navigate. I passed Jefferson rock where Thomas Jefferson stood overlooking the Shenandoah River and said something significant.

My intentions were to hike to the conservancy which is a blue blaze trail and goes into a small town but Lyle was being a cry baby Sally, so we went back and caught the bus then drove to the Conservancy.  Everything you want to know about the Appalachian Trail you can find out there. I looked at the book to see if I could recognize any of the people I met in Georgia but I didn’t see anyone. I don’t think any of them wanted to take the time to stop and see it. I’ve grown to love the Appalachian Trail. It’s become a part of me and I want to become a part of it. I really like that it’s marked so ‘Tripper’ has a hard time getting lost. (I may get turned around but I’ve never been lost).  I like that it has been maintained by groups, societies and clubs for over 80 years. I want to see it all- all the shelters and wildflowers. I have a book now of the wildflowers on the AT. Not just the Smoky Mountains. I love the physical aspect of having a goal and exerting myself every day to achieve that goal, that shelter, that next town. I want to see and explore every little town along the way.

Everyone I speak to still asks if I was alone. For me, ‘alone’ is the only way to truly experience the trail. I believe in the words, “You have to hike your own hike”. If I would have had my gear and boots, I would have left my husband behind. No one can really understand unless they have hiked the trail with the attitude of seeing and experiencing all of it. It’s a part of me now. 

Tripper's pics from the AT

the Appalachian Trail goes along the ridge on right

Tripper on the bridge

The trail at Harper's Ferry

Off the trail

I’m off the trail now. I just enjoyed Richmond, VA. I mean, I knew at the most, I wouldn’t get to hike the whole Appalachian Trail, what with all the delays. First, my husband wanting me to wait until April, then my brother and his surgery in mid-April. I started way late in early May. I knew then that I wouldn’t get to do it all. But Lyle and I planned this trip until November and I always felt that if I didn’t do it this year that I wouldn’t have another opportunity to do it. I felt that way until I met Rangely. She convinced me that the AT really wasn’t meant to be hiked all the way through. To do that, you miss too much, the beauty of the forests along the way. Each and every shelter has its own uniqueness. The people are so fun and different with every walk of life and sense of humor. I would have already missed so much if I hadn’t been a ‘shelter hopper’. The woman who hiked it in 45 days and had people meeting her every night couldn’t possibly have enjoyed the sunrises or sunsets over the mountains, or the part about missing real food and flush toilets. I met a park ranger in the Smokies who said she did it in 5 ½ months. I wonder if she identified any wild flowers or enjoyed any of the little towns along the way.

I am not done with the Appalachian Trail. I haven’t seen enough or hiked enough. After Washington, DC, we’re going to Harpers Ferry, the midway point and the headquarters for the AT. I’d like to hike into and out of there, even if they are only day hikes, and then to Maine and Katahdin. No, I’m not through with the AT, not yet. What I don’t get to hike this year, I’ll be back, maybe with Rangely. At least I hope she’ll call and let me know her plans, I think she will.

Day forty

Tripper's feet

Rangely, Stonewall, JP and I all took pictures of each other and headed out of No Business shelter around 8 a.m. The boys took off and left us and I kept up with Rangely for a little while. It was only 5.7 miles to the Nobchucky River so we expected a short hike. I spotted the Temple Hill sign and took that trail until I realized it was a blue blazed trail so I followed it back up and promptly followed the AT back to the shelter. You could have heard my "NO!" reverberate through the treetops for miles. My being directionally challenged is usually funny until it's not funny anymore. Turning today into a 14 mile hike with sore feet was not funny. I was mad. Mad that I didn't read that Temple Hill sign and see that it was blue blazed. Mad that I didn't check my compass when I got back from the bottom of that trail. I allowed myself a few tears, but I was mad at myself for not being more aware. My mad got me to Uncle Johnny's hostel in 3 hours. I saw a few of the young boys that passed us yesterday and Sully, who must have laid over and took a zero day. I took my boots off and threw them away, and waited for Lyle. I'm glad I'm off the trail for a while. I need to let my feet heal, and I'm looking forward to my bed.