Several of you have been requesting where my next mail drop might be so you can send me probably a belt made of bricks! I know all of you and your sick sense of humor!
Anyhow, I will be heading to Duncannon, PA for my next drop. If you do want to send a postcard or something equally light...you would address it as such:
Patty Weber
General Delivery
Duncannon, PA
17020
please hold for thru-hiker
I will probably be there in at least a week....so mail it out quick (Jess). If you can't or want to wait for the next, just email my wonderful assistant/support crew/best hiking buddy EVER, Backtrack (Sam) here on the blog.
Whelp...see ya later,
-Tumbleweed
Friday, June 29, 2007
It's tough out here
Let me tell you...it is pretty rough out here on the AT as you can all imagine. I've had to rough it thru the greyhound station of Washington D.C., New York, New York, and finally Boston only to hang out here on the beautiful beaches of Massachusetts with my friend Christy while staying with the nicest family on the planet!
Okay, so I had a little detour. I thought that after making it to Harper's Ferry, WV (the half-way point, well...mentally speaking) and the fact that the wonderful "family" I've been hiking with (you'll learn about them in another blog...I was told to keep these short) has all split and gone there separate ways, I thought this would be a great time to work on a tan! Except that I sit here now in excruciating pain because I don't tan...I get third degree burn! Anyhow, it has been a blast and I will be flying back down to D.C. where I'll be meeting up with my pops. We will then go back to Harper's Ferry, where I left the trail, and hike north from there. He'll be hiking with me for three full days! After spending that much time with me he very well could start hiking south!
I hope to meet back up with the guys I've been hiking with, we'll see.
So that's what's going on. I apologize for the lack of entries, the ridiculously long entries, and all the type-Os's (dad, thanks for pointing that out;)
Happy, healthy, and hiking north,
-Tumbleweed
Okay, so I had a little detour. I thought that after making it to Harper's Ferry, WV (the half-way point, well...mentally speaking) and the fact that the wonderful "family" I've been hiking with (you'll learn about them in another blog...I was told to keep these short) has all split and gone there separate ways, I thought this would be a great time to work on a tan! Except that I sit here now in excruciating pain because I don't tan...I get third degree burn! Anyhow, it has been a blast and I will be flying back down to D.C. where I'll be meeting up with my pops. We will then go back to Harper's Ferry, where I left the trail, and hike north from there. He'll be hiking with me for three full days! After spending that much time with me he very well could start hiking south!
I hope to meet back up with the guys I've been hiking with, we'll see.
So that's what's going on. I apologize for the lack of entries, the ridiculously long entries, and all the type-Os's (dad, thanks for pointing that out;)
Happy, healthy, and hiking north,
-Tumbleweed
Monday, June 18, 2007
Something to be said about Trail Angles
There are a lot (and by a lot I really only mean a handful of people) who set out on the A.T. to set records or do something off-beat to become sort of a legend, I suppose, out here on the trail. There's the guy who ran the entire trail; I'm sure he had some great pics of his trek. The guy who has done the trail like 15 times; I'm not sure if he realizes that there are other trails here in the US that are worth hiking or if he is just so accustomed to following the "white blaze" that he feels lost without it and now in fact CAN'T get off the trail. There are the sisters who supposedly are out here right now who are attempting to hike the entire trail barefoot. Little do they know that there was a guy last year who did this and yet another guy, who I met, who is doing the same thing. Sorry ladies, not impressed. Then there are the people who simply become legends on the trail without ever trying or most the time ever knowing. Usually these people are just missing a nut or two and really are not legends at all, just really weird people who stick out in the minds and stories of a lot of hikers.
Maybe a lot of people are a legend in their own mind. All I know is there are the small percentage of hikers who help these so called legends really believe they are. I am not one of them. I think I am usually easily impressed and very easily amused, not so much out here. I think maybe part of it may be that I am out here too and although not attempting to hike from Georgia to Maine barefoot still have to go through the same pains and trials these "legends" go through. Basically what I am trying to say is there are no legends out here on the trail. There are plenty of really neat people and definitely plenty of "interesting" people out here, but no real legends.
There are, however, legends along the trail. These people, or legends if you will, are willing and wanting to do anything they can for a hiker. They will cook for you, let you shower in their home, shuttle you around town while you are wearing a bathrobe because they are also doing your laundry for you. These people will bend over backwards for you and give you the clothes off their own back to help a hiker out. They are called Trail Angels.
Backtrack and I had our fair share of trail angels while we were hiking together. There was Pablo in Georgia, mine and Backtracks very first hitch into a town off the trail. We had just enough time to cross the road and put our thumbs out for about a nano second when he pulled up! Of course, Pablo was driving what very well could have been the smallest possible car to hitch in with two smelly hikers, our ridiculously over sized packs, my trekking poles (Lucy and Ethel) and of course Bob, the beloved walking stick Backtrack adopted while out here. Yep....Pablo was driving a suped-up, sweet silver mustang! We were a little uncomfortable, very thankful, and riding into Hiawassee, GA in style. Another angel there in Hiawassee was Josh. This young guy who would not tell me his age, only that he was anywhere between 19 and 28 drove a suped-up F150 with leather seats so polished up that I slid clear across them as he zipped out of the hardware store parking lot.
NOTE: There in Hiawassee, GA apparently because there are no bowling allies, movie theatres, billiards, or even a wal-mart to hang out at, the hang out is the local hardware store parking lot. Not really sure why, all it is is a parking lot known by the locals as "the hardware." This is where we (Backtrack, Dave AT and myself) found Josh after gourging at the Daniel's All You Can Eat Buffet there in town. He gave us a ride up a long 11 mile up-hill back to the hostel. Backtrack and Dave AT sat in the bed of the truck while I rode shotgun and chatted him up. Turns out our friend Josh has plans to be a firefighter soon...go Josh!
Backtrack and I randomly came across a cute older couple in North Carolina sitting along an old logging road. They had coolers set up with all kinds of water, Gatorade, and soda and there were two huge storage units with snacks galore! They also had some extra chairs set up so that the hikers could take a load off and sit on something other then a log or a rock! What a luxury. They told us about their Baptist Church and some ministry work they have done in the past. They had some great stories. Backtrack you'll have to help me with names here...I can't remember:/
Great surprise they were....yummy snacks, cold Gatorade and fun conversation go a long way out here on the trail!
Franklin, NC is swarming with trail angles! Starting with the two guys who picked us up after we had been hitching for 20 minutes in the wrong direction. All we really needed was a ride into town which was 15 miles away, but they insisted on giving us a tour. They took us to all the hotels to compare prices and showed us where all the good food was to be found. Later on we were out in front of the post office sorting through the mail drops Christy sent out to us trying to decide what to take and what to leave behind (I now know never to leave any food behind, just mail ahead in your bump-box). Everyone....and I mean all 26 people of Franklin stopped to talk. "Ya'll out on the trail?", "How long ya'll been out hikin'?", "Seen any bears, have ya?", "You two plan on eatin all that food?"- All kinds of questions! The people of Franklin were really interested in our adventure. When we told people that we had plans to hike all the way to Maine their eyes widened and their jaw dropped as they would say something along the lines of "Ya'll better get movin' or yer gonna be hikin' in the snow!" or people, not just in Franklin loved to tell us that we were at the "end of the pack." Most everyone was genuinely nice and interested in our story. Backtrack offered one of our 50 bazillion snickers to a cute little old lady with big hair; she hesitated for a moment as she drooled over the thought, then said sure as she started to get money out of her purse to pay us for it! We told her that she was doing us a favor by cutting down our pack weight!
We met an awesome soccer mom-not really sure if she has kids and if so if they play soccer- but she had the suburban and the "look." Her name is Kim and she offered the two of us a ride back to the trail, but we were moving slow that day (shocker) and still had a lot of sorting we had to do. Kim then said she had to take care of some stuff and that she would be back in 20 minutes but for us not to feel rushed. Who does that? Who goes out of their way to take anyone anywhere, much less come back for them?! So we finished sorting and Kim picks us up. We told Kim that we too had some stuff we had to take care of like the laundry, the library, kmart, and pizza. Kim shows us where everything was that we needed and drops us off at the "Happy Family" laundry mat. Both of our hands were full and Kim shoves a $20 bill in Backtracks hand and says "lunch on me!" We try to tell her we couldn't accept it and give it back, but she insisted, hopped into her SUV and drove off while wishing us good luck as she drove off.
Later that day when we finally finished everything and headed back to the mat to get out packs (we made that our home base while in town) we were sitting there trying to decide how we were going to get back into town, it was already late and we didn't feel like hiking. Pretty sure that was our first 'zero day'. This woman Shawna was in there with her mom Kathy and her three sons with about 500 baskets full of clothes. We chit-chatted a bit and she had to take a call so she passes her 1 yr old to me to hold! It hit me....I was standing there in Franklin, NC in a laundry mat holding someones baby that I just met not 20 minutes ago! This my friends, is trail life! The best thing about Shawna and Kathy was that they offered to take us where we needed to go on one condition....we helped them fold the 500 baskets worth of clothes! Done deal!!
This brings us to the Ron Haven part of Franklin. Not only is he an ex pro wrestler, the unspoken owner on Franklin (he owns pretty much every hotel and apartment complex in Franklin), but also one of the coolest and most popular trail angels. Franklin is the "Gem of the Smokies". Apparently the worlds largest ruby was found there in Franklin and is now in some museum there. We happened to be in Franklin the weekend of the 'Gem Show.' As a result, every single room was taken in the booming town of Franklin seeing as how the Gem Show was...well, "kind of a big deal." The town of Franklin was buzzing with vans (creepy vans) transporting these gems to the show. People from all over were there. India, Russia, Korea...you name it and there was a gem to be shown and sold there. Good old Ron Haven put Backtrack, three other hikers and myself up for the night in one of his empty apartments hostel style, not before he drove us anywhere any of us needed to go. Great guy!
And of course there is Falgman...one of the many people outside of the Post Office. He is a thru-hiker of 2001 and offered us a ride to Damascus, VA for trail days. We of course agreed to that!
There really are so many great people out here who just want to do anything they can to help out the hikers. They're not doing it to break any records or impress anyone....they don't even get a patch for what they do! These people do it because they want to and because it's fun. They have the opportunity to meet people from all over and they hear so many different stories. It's funny because they are not out here on the trail, but they know who is out here, who's been hiking on a hurt foot, or who has seen a bear, or even who had their tent T-P'ed while they were getting water! They know all of the funny, sometimes not so funny stories of so many hikers and most the time never officially meet them. I really think a lot of these people live vicariously through the hikers. It's a win-win situation and it's awesome. I haven't even begun to mention all the trail angels I have come across, but I just wanted it to be known that they do exist and they are the real legends out here!
-Tumbleweed
Maybe a lot of people are a legend in their own mind. All I know is there are the small percentage of hikers who help these so called legends really believe they are. I am not one of them. I think I am usually easily impressed and very easily amused, not so much out here. I think maybe part of it may be that I am out here too and although not attempting to hike from Georgia to Maine barefoot still have to go through the same pains and trials these "legends" go through. Basically what I am trying to say is there are no legends out here on the trail. There are plenty of really neat people and definitely plenty of "interesting" people out here, but no real legends.
There are, however, legends along the trail. These people, or legends if you will, are willing and wanting to do anything they can for a hiker. They will cook for you, let you shower in their home, shuttle you around town while you are wearing a bathrobe because they are also doing your laundry for you. These people will bend over backwards for you and give you the clothes off their own back to help a hiker out. They are called Trail Angels.
Backtrack and I had our fair share of trail angels while we were hiking together. There was Pablo in Georgia, mine and Backtracks very first hitch into a town off the trail. We had just enough time to cross the road and put our thumbs out for about a nano second when he pulled up! Of course, Pablo was driving what very well could have been the smallest possible car to hitch in with two smelly hikers, our ridiculously over sized packs, my trekking poles (Lucy and Ethel) and of course Bob, the beloved walking stick Backtrack adopted while out here. Yep....Pablo was driving a suped-up, sweet silver mustang! We were a little uncomfortable, very thankful, and riding into Hiawassee, GA in style. Another angel there in Hiawassee was Josh. This young guy who would not tell me his age, only that he was anywhere between 19 and 28 drove a suped-up F150 with leather seats so polished up that I slid clear across them as he zipped out of the hardware store parking lot.
NOTE: There in Hiawassee, GA apparently because there are no bowling allies, movie theatres, billiards, or even a wal-mart to hang out at, the hang out is the local hardware store parking lot. Not really sure why, all it is is a parking lot known by the locals as "the hardware." This is where we (Backtrack, Dave AT and myself) found Josh after gourging at the Daniel's All You Can Eat Buffet there in town. He gave us a ride up a long 11 mile up-hill back to the hostel. Backtrack and Dave AT sat in the bed of the truck while I rode shotgun and chatted him up. Turns out our friend Josh has plans to be a firefighter soon...go Josh!
Backtrack and I randomly came across a cute older couple in North Carolina sitting along an old logging road. They had coolers set up with all kinds of water, Gatorade, and soda and there were two huge storage units with snacks galore! They also had some extra chairs set up so that the hikers could take a load off and sit on something other then a log or a rock! What a luxury. They told us about their Baptist Church and some ministry work they have done in the past. They had some great stories. Backtrack you'll have to help me with names here...I can't remember:/
Great surprise they were....yummy snacks, cold Gatorade and fun conversation go a long way out here on the trail!
Franklin, NC is swarming with trail angles! Starting with the two guys who picked us up after we had been hitching for 20 minutes in the wrong direction. All we really needed was a ride into town which was 15 miles away, but they insisted on giving us a tour. They took us to all the hotels to compare prices and showed us where all the good food was to be found. Later on we were out in front of the post office sorting through the mail drops Christy sent out to us trying to decide what to take and what to leave behind (I now know never to leave any food behind, just mail ahead in your bump-box). Everyone....and I mean all 26 people of Franklin stopped to talk. "Ya'll out on the trail?", "How long ya'll been out hikin'?", "Seen any bears, have ya?", "You two plan on eatin all that food?"- All kinds of questions! The people of Franklin were really interested in our adventure. When we told people that we had plans to hike all the way to Maine their eyes widened and their jaw dropped as they would say something along the lines of "Ya'll better get movin' or yer gonna be hikin' in the snow!" or people, not just in Franklin loved to tell us that we were at the "end of the pack." Most everyone was genuinely nice and interested in our story. Backtrack offered one of our 50 bazillion snickers to a cute little old lady with big hair; she hesitated for a moment as she drooled over the thought, then said sure as she started to get money out of her purse to pay us for it! We told her that she was doing us a favor by cutting down our pack weight!
We met an awesome soccer mom-not really sure if she has kids and if so if they play soccer- but she had the suburban and the "look." Her name is Kim and she offered the two of us a ride back to the trail, but we were moving slow that day (shocker) and still had a lot of sorting we had to do. Kim then said she had to take care of some stuff and that she would be back in 20 minutes but for us not to feel rushed. Who does that? Who goes out of their way to take anyone anywhere, much less come back for them?! So we finished sorting and Kim picks us up. We told Kim that we too had some stuff we had to take care of like the laundry, the library, kmart, and pizza. Kim shows us where everything was that we needed and drops us off at the "Happy Family" laundry mat. Both of our hands were full and Kim shoves a $20 bill in Backtracks hand and says "lunch on me!" We try to tell her we couldn't accept it and give it back, but she insisted, hopped into her SUV and drove off while wishing us good luck as she drove off.
Later that day when we finally finished everything and headed back to the mat to get out packs (we made that our home base while in town) we were sitting there trying to decide how we were going to get back into town, it was already late and we didn't feel like hiking. Pretty sure that was our first 'zero day'. This woman Shawna was in there with her mom Kathy and her three sons with about 500 baskets full of clothes. We chit-chatted a bit and she had to take a call so she passes her 1 yr old to me to hold! It hit me....I was standing there in Franklin, NC in a laundry mat holding someones baby that I just met not 20 minutes ago! This my friends, is trail life! The best thing about Shawna and Kathy was that they offered to take us where we needed to go on one condition....we helped them fold the 500 baskets worth of clothes! Done deal!!
This brings us to the Ron Haven part of Franklin. Not only is he an ex pro wrestler, the unspoken owner on Franklin (he owns pretty much every hotel and apartment complex in Franklin), but also one of the coolest and most popular trail angels. Franklin is the "Gem of the Smokies". Apparently the worlds largest ruby was found there in Franklin and is now in some museum there. We happened to be in Franklin the weekend of the 'Gem Show.' As a result, every single room was taken in the booming town of Franklin seeing as how the Gem Show was...well, "kind of a big deal." The town of Franklin was buzzing with vans (creepy vans) transporting these gems to the show. People from all over were there. India, Russia, Korea...you name it and there was a gem to be shown and sold there. Good old Ron Haven put Backtrack, three other hikers and myself up for the night in one of his empty apartments hostel style, not before he drove us anywhere any of us needed to go. Great guy!
And of course there is Falgman...one of the many people outside of the Post Office. He is a thru-hiker of 2001 and offered us a ride to Damascus, VA for trail days. We of course agreed to that!
There really are so many great people out here who just want to do anything they can to help out the hikers. They're not doing it to break any records or impress anyone....they don't even get a patch for what they do! These people do it because they want to and because it's fun. They have the opportunity to meet people from all over and they hear so many different stories. It's funny because they are not out here on the trail, but they know who is out here, who's been hiking on a hurt foot, or who has seen a bear, or even who had their tent T-P'ed while they were getting water! They know all of the funny, sometimes not so funny stories of so many hikers and most the time never officially meet them. I really think a lot of these people live vicariously through the hikers. It's a win-win situation and it's awesome. I haven't even begun to mention all the trail angels I have come across, but I just wanted it to be known that they do exist and they are the real legends out here!
-Tumbleweed
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
All Business
So here's a quick update on our friend Tumbleweed: just the facts.
Patty will receive her next resupply box in Cloverdale, VA; she should be there within the next few days.
She's hiking with an adventure racer who goes by DOT ("Director of Trail"; yes, he is that cool), and at last check was pulling 22+ mile days. Dang!
Patty recently bought new hiking boots, again. (The first replacement pair was purchased at Neil's gap on our 4th day out, in response to an inappropriate number of blisters on her toes.) Apparently her feet are growing and expanding enough that the old new boots are now too small. I'm predicting she'll wear a men's size 12 by the time she gets back.
It must be warm in Virginia, because she's sent back all of her warm underlayers.
She doesn't currently have her phone, but does check her voicemail, so if you're reading this, feel free to call and leave a message sometime in the next few months
That's it for today. Take care all, and happy June!
Patty will receive her next resupply box in Cloverdale, VA; she should be there within the next few days.
She's hiking with an adventure racer who goes by DOT ("Director of Trail"; yes, he is that cool), and at last check was pulling 22+ mile days. Dang!
Patty recently bought new hiking boots, again. (The first replacement pair was purchased at Neil's gap on our 4th day out, in response to an inappropriate number of blisters on her toes.) Apparently her feet are growing and expanding enough that the old new boots are now too small. I'm predicting she'll wear a men's size 12 by the time she gets back.
It must be warm in Virginia, because she's sent back all of her warm underlayers.
She doesn't currently have her phone, but does check her voicemail, so if you're reading this, feel free to call and leave a message sometime in the next few months
That's it for today. Take care all, and happy June!
Sunday, June 3, 2007
The Beginning
Even the longest journey must start with a single step, and we began our steps on April 30, around 11 AM. Thanks to the wonderful, generous, and conveniently Georgia-dwelling Spencer Smith, we had a ride from the Atlanta airport to the trail head at Springer Mountain. Also thanks to Spencer Smith, we actually got on the correct trail and made it up Springer Mountain, rather than spending our whole first day wandering along the Benton McKaye Trail (BMT in hiker lingo), which is where we (quite mistakenly) began walking on that warm, sunny Georgia morning. I think I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, so let's Backtrack (get it?) for a moment.
Denver
I suppose you could say that Denver is where our trip was slated to begin. Our flight to Atlanta left about 11:30 on April 28, and from that point on we were pretty much committed to this whole hiking thing. Patty had gone back home to the STL for a few days and I was still hanging out in Winter Park, so we agred to meet up in Denver the night before we flew out. The idea was that we'd get to hang out with the Hathaways for a bit, have a fun night out, and then have only a quick drive to the aiport in the morning. It would be a fun and relaxing way to begin our adventure, right? Well it would have been, if not for a minor detail. See, I had loaded my pack and some clothes for the plane into my car and driven to Patty's house, where I was meeting Caleb, who would drive me to Denver (it really was a good plan). We met up, I tossed my stuff from Ruggers (my Subaru) into Caleb's van, and we hit the road. It wasn't until my stuff had been brought in from the car, in Denver, that I realized something was missing.
Me: Did you guys bring in a big black trash bag?
Patty: I don't think so, but we grabbed all of the stuff that Caleb said was yours.
Me: (a bit concerned) Caleb, can I borrow the keys to go check in the car?
Caleb: Sure, I'll go with you.
Surprise: the bag wasn't there. Now here's the best part: except for my camera (which actually turned out to be somewhere else entirely), I couldn't remember what was even in the bag. I knew I had been tossing in random extra things as I was leaving the house earlier in the day, but didn't know if I was missing anything really important. I did a mental inventory: Gum (easily replaced), Crocs (Dang!, but I could pick up a pair of flip flops for camp shoes)... That was as far as I got, but the thought that I was forgetting something pretty important kept nagging at me as we went out for dinner, and all during the walk back. Back at Christy's we debated just driving back up to get the stupid bag, in order to put my mind at rest. (The drive from Denver to WP, by the way, is about an hour and a half in decent weather.) Caleb had to be back to work in the morning anyway (at this point it was definitely after midnight), and was willing to go early to take us. I knew we could get another ride back down, but I figured that since I couldn't rememer having forgotten anything important, I could count my losses when I figured out what they were. After all, I had my pack and all the important stuff inside. I was set, right?
Wrong. I realized it as we were doing a final once-over before bed: I was indeed missing something important. It was not only gum and blue foam clogs that I'd left back in my car. No, I had succeeded in forgetting my hiking boots as well. My freaking boots! How is that even possible? Well, with my talent for always having to go back (to pretty much wherever I'm leaving) for something, and without a solid double check after transfering my stuff to Caleb's car, it was pretty ease.
So at 5:30am the morning of our flight, we drove back up to get my boots (and the Crocs and gum, while we were at it). Brian Tripp was kind enough to drive us back down to Denver and the airport, so we tossed our stuff into his car (remembering the trash bag and boots this time, but forgetting my poles: ski poles rescued from the dumpster at work, that I had decided only the day before to take as trekking assistants) and were off once again.
We made it to the airport with time to spare, and that night in Atlanta had one of the funnest (yes, it's a word) evenings out that I've had in awhile. Rather than go straight to Springer the next day we spend an afternoon and night at Spencer Smith's (ok, his family's) lake house, where we set up our tents, waterproof-sprayed everything we could think of, and were treated to a fantastic home cooked meal. It was also at the lake house that I got in some last minute "trail training": marching up and down the stairs twenty times, wearing my loaded (and really freaking heavy) pack while Spencer counted my laps and laughed at me. Yes, it was a fantastic final evening in civilization.
And now we're back to where we started: April 30th, 2007. Patty and I are dropped at the trail, say our thanks and goodbyes to Spencer, and start walking. Two minutes later we hear yelling and a horn honking, and look back to see that Spencer's not just waving goodbye, but is urgently beckoning us back the way we've come. Ok, I'm thinking, we're never going to get to Maine if we have to keep turning around like this. As it turns out, we also never would have gotten to Maine walking the direction we were, because (as I mentioned earlier) we had set out on the wrong trail, and were 50 yards into exploring the (rather extensive and probably beautiful but unintended) BMT. So to add to the list of things for which we will eternally be grateful to Spencer Smith (a ride from the airport, accommodation in the ATL, driving us to WalMart, the lake house, dinner, a ride to the trail head, basically being amazing): getting us onto the AT. Without him, we'd probably still be wandering around northern Georgia, wondering why we couldn't seem to find the Hawk Mountain shelter.
So we set off, in the right direction (which was actually South, since we wanted to get an official start at Springer Mountain, but the nearest road access was nearly a mile up the trail), and we walked. Next time I'll write some more about the actually hiking part of the adventure, but for now I'm through. After all, if you're reading this now, you'll probably want to read as long as Patty's out on the trail. And she'll be out there for a few months yet, while I've only got three weeks of adventure to log. I figure there's no rush to get my story out. And check back soon for a promised post from Patty herself. I imagine it will go something like this: "Day 32- Still walking, and all I can think about is how much I miss Backtrack, and wish she was still out here hiking with me and making my coffee and dinner every day. The trail-- life, actually-- just isn't the same without her." I know, Patty, I miss you too.
Denver
I suppose you could say that Denver is where our trip was slated to begin. Our flight to Atlanta left about 11:30 on April 28, and from that point on we were pretty much committed to this whole hiking thing. Patty had gone back home to the STL for a few days and I was still hanging out in Winter Park, so we agred to meet up in Denver the night before we flew out. The idea was that we'd get to hang out with the Hathaways for a bit, have a fun night out, and then have only a quick drive to the aiport in the morning. It would be a fun and relaxing way to begin our adventure, right? Well it would have been, if not for a minor detail. See, I had loaded my pack and some clothes for the plane into my car and driven to Patty's house, where I was meeting Caleb, who would drive me to Denver (it really was a good plan). We met up, I tossed my stuff from Ruggers (my Subaru) into Caleb's van, and we hit the road. It wasn't until my stuff had been brought in from the car, in Denver, that I realized something was missing.
Me: Did you guys bring in a big black trash bag?
Patty: I don't think so, but we grabbed all of the stuff that Caleb said was yours.
Me: (a bit concerned) Caleb, can I borrow the keys to go check in the car?
Caleb: Sure, I'll go with you.
Surprise: the bag wasn't there. Now here's the best part: except for my camera (which actually turned out to be somewhere else entirely), I couldn't remember what was even in the bag. I knew I had been tossing in random extra things as I was leaving the house earlier in the day, but didn't know if I was missing anything really important. I did a mental inventory: Gum (easily replaced), Crocs (Dang!, but I could pick up a pair of flip flops for camp shoes)... That was as far as I got, but the thought that I was forgetting something pretty important kept nagging at me as we went out for dinner, and all during the walk back. Back at Christy's we debated just driving back up to get the stupid bag, in order to put my mind at rest. (The drive from Denver to WP, by the way, is about an hour and a half in decent weather.) Caleb had to be back to work in the morning anyway (at this point it was definitely after midnight), and was willing to go early to take us. I knew we could get another ride back down, but I figured that since I couldn't rememer having forgotten anything important, I could count my losses when I figured out what they were. After all, I had my pack and all the important stuff inside. I was set, right?
Wrong. I realized it as we were doing a final once-over before bed: I was indeed missing something important. It was not only gum and blue foam clogs that I'd left back in my car. No, I had succeeded in forgetting my hiking boots as well. My freaking boots! How is that even possible? Well, with my talent for always having to go back (to pretty much wherever I'm leaving) for something, and without a solid double check after transfering my stuff to Caleb's car, it was pretty ease.
So at 5:30am the morning of our flight, we drove back up to get my boots (and the Crocs and gum, while we were at it). Brian Tripp was kind enough to drive us back down to Denver and the airport, so we tossed our stuff into his car (remembering the trash bag and boots this time, but forgetting my poles: ski poles rescued from the dumpster at work, that I had decided only the day before to take as trekking assistants) and were off once again.
We made it to the airport with time to spare, and that night in Atlanta had one of the funnest (yes, it's a word) evenings out that I've had in awhile. Rather than go straight to Springer the next day we spend an afternoon and night at Spencer Smith's (ok, his family's) lake house, where we set up our tents, waterproof-sprayed everything we could think of, and were treated to a fantastic home cooked meal. It was also at the lake house that I got in some last minute "trail training": marching up and down the stairs twenty times, wearing my loaded (and really freaking heavy) pack while Spencer counted my laps and laughed at me. Yes, it was a fantastic final evening in civilization.
And now we're back to where we started: April 30th, 2007. Patty and I are dropped at the trail, say our thanks and goodbyes to Spencer, and start walking. Two minutes later we hear yelling and a horn honking, and look back to see that Spencer's not just waving goodbye, but is urgently beckoning us back the way we've come. Ok, I'm thinking, we're never going to get to Maine if we have to keep turning around like this. As it turns out, we also never would have gotten to Maine walking the direction we were, because (as I mentioned earlier) we had set out on the wrong trail, and were 50 yards into exploring the (rather extensive and probably beautiful but unintended) BMT. So to add to the list of things for which we will eternally be grateful to Spencer Smith (a ride from the airport, accommodation in the ATL, driving us to WalMart, the lake house, dinner, a ride to the trail head, basically being amazing): getting us onto the AT. Without him, we'd probably still be wandering around northern Georgia, wondering why we couldn't seem to find the Hawk Mountain shelter.
So we set off, in the right direction (which was actually South, since we wanted to get an official start at Springer Mountain, but the nearest road access was nearly a mile up the trail), and we walked. Next time I'll write some more about the actually hiking part of the adventure, but for now I'm through. After all, if you're reading this now, you'll probably want to read as long as Patty's out on the trail. And she'll be out there for a few months yet, while I've only got three weeks of adventure to log. I figure there's no rush to get my story out. And check back soon for a promised post from Patty herself. I imagine it will go something like this: "Day 32- Still walking, and all I can think about is how much I miss Backtrack, and wish she was still out here hiking with me and making my coffee and dinner every day. The trail-- life, actually-- just isn't the same without her." I know, Patty, I miss you too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
