Appalachian Trail Journal -- Introduction
In the last entry of Ramble Quest I had the following to say about my upcoming AT thru-hike:
Several times in the journals I talked about hiking trails that I'd always dreamed about and finally got around to: Annapurna, Routeburn, Kepler, Overland, Kinabalu, Berner Oberland, West Highland, Dingle, etc. Well, there's one more that's been festering for a longer time than any of them: the Appalachian Trail. As a youngster I scooted up Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park, Maine and first noticed those white blazes that run all the way down to Georgia.
The venerable AT is one that lots of hikers put on their list, but very few ever get around to do it. Even fewer are those, like myself, who know that most of that dream is just a fantasy and the AT isn't nearly so nice in reality. It certainly won't be as beautifully scenic as all the great trails I've done on this trip. And yet, I still want to do it! A big part of the pull is the challenge of hiking 2200 miles. Because it's so arduous, so painful and draining, takes so much time and often seemingly useless effort, it really seems like some big accomplishment to those who complete it.
I view AT thru-hikers in much the same way as I view religious self flagation. Looked at objectively, it's a crazy stupid thing to do. Yet, it's hard not to be impressed by results! I already know that you can gain a lot of spiritual wisdom by being cold, hungry, and worn-out in the woods. I've never done it for five months straight though, so the possibilities are intriguing.
Mainly, I'm looking forward to two things on the AT: getting into a daily hiking and observing routine and finding some trail magic. The AT may not have the best scenery in the world, but it can still be awfully nice. By assiduous observation over such a long period of time, I intend to appreciate all I can. Trail magic is just another term for the helping and being helped by strangers along the way. My HEN term "yogi" embraces the same idea. You help people when you can and you accept help when you need it. It is a magic concept.
There's almost always a sense of comraderie among hikers. I still keep in touch with some of the people I met on the trails I did on RambleQuest. We're kindred spirits to some degree. I know the AT will have more of that as well.
I'm not sure yet if I'm going to keep an Appalachian Trail Journal. There's certainly plenty of them already on the web and I think most of them are boring: walk so many endless miles; meet X, Y, and Z (all with goofy trail names); sleep with many animals trying to get your precious food; pig-out at trail towns along the way; weigh in on the pros and cons of gear and technique; make commonplace comments about weather and scenery; and then finish (or not) and go home. There, I've just written the journal ahead of time.
I know there's a lot more to it though, and I think they are hard things to relate. I probably will write some sort of AT Journal, most likely after I finish. I'll try to relay a mix of practical tips and trailside tails. We'll see what happens.
Now that I'm finished with my hike, I'm impressed with how close I was in anticipating the experience. I did find plenty of trail magic, time for quiet contemplation, and interesting people. I ate like crazy in the trail towns and still lost about as much weight as anticipated. The scenery was much as I'd thought, and quite enjoyable. The trail names were goofy and some of the hikers were just as boring as their journals are. There was a lot more to the entire experience and I'm still contemplating what it meant to me.
Despite finishing in 4 months and 1 week, rather than 5 months, I found the trail to be every bit as grueling as I thought it would be. In fact, I often hiked fastest during the toughest times of bad weather, or lack of food or water. The miles definitely did seem endless at times. My feet are a lot more damaged than I'd ever imagined.
I'll try to cover some topics related to AT thru-hiking in these pages. If you have a question about something, I'd be happy to try to help. Many people were very kind to me on the trail, so I have to return some of the yogi. If you're just interested in the armchair vicarious experience, then I salute you for your rational decision.