The "dream" of hiking the entire Appalachian Trail came to me in a deep
slumber this past summer after a night of overconsumption of my favorite
German Kostritzer. Or, as my friend Greg likes to refer to this sumptuous
black beer, "the devil's brew"! NOT!! While this sounds plausible, it
simply wasn't the case.
I guess the desire to toil up and down mountainous terrain for 2,168 miles
in every conceivable weather condition, while facing biting flies and
mosquitos, ticks, hungry bears, chafed legs, aching back, and blisters the
size of Montana came to me over an extensive period of time. It really
began as a young teen, participating in an active Boy Scout troop. We
camped somewhere every month, and living on the East Coast gave us the
opportunity to spend alot of time in the Appalachian mountains hiking and
camping.
As an adult, I've had the opportunity to spend time on the AT, again
through monthly BSA trips. Through Scouting, I've hiked virtually all of
Georgia, a significant chunk of North Carolina and SW Virginia, and a good
sized piece of Vermont where the AT and Long Trail run together.
Experiencing these adventures always left me hungry for more, wishing the
trip hadn't come to an end and we didn't have to get off the trail. My
parents played a significant role setting me up for this crazed notion of a
thru-hike. I recall them introducing me as a teenager to a book called "A
Walk Across America", which I read with great interest. It chronicles the
true story of Peter Jenkins and his dog Cooper as they journey more than
5,000 miles across America. For good reason it was on the New York Times
best seller list for months, and after reading it, a little seed was planted
that stayed with me all these years.
More recently, a chain of several events occurred that triggered a growing
desire to experience thru-hiking the AT.
First, several adult leaders in our Troop began passing around books about
people who had hiked the trail and wrote of their experiences. Some
notable books that found their way to my home after a Monday night meeting
were Jan Currin's two-book series, "The Appalachian Trail: A Journey of
Discovery" and "Onward to Katahdin", Earl Shaffer's "Walking with Spring",
Bill Irwin's "Blind Courage: Journey of Faith", and Robert Alden Rubin's
"An Appalachian Pilgrimage". Every time I snuggled up in bed with one of
these books, I would read a few pages and find myself there, on the trail,
hiking and experiencing their adventure with them. Usually I would spring
out of bed the next morning, having dreamed about the trail or a hiking
experience, wishing I was throwing my pack on my back instead of facing
certain gridlock in the morning rush hour commute to work. This became
virtually a nightly occurrence as my wife Paula is constantly glued to a
good book before sleeping and again while drying her hair before work every
morning! I finally figured out I may as well join her in her nightly
ritual instead of mindlessly surfing TV channels and missing the
opportunity to put my cold feet on her legs to watch her squirm!
Second, my boss Ron ordered a year subscription of Backpacker magazine for
me three years ago as a Christmas present. Again, my late evenings were
filled pouring over the monthly articles about the latest gear and stories
of adventure in the great outdoors. Another seed was planted. Ron started
volunteering on the AT trail crew and we began sharing stories over lunch
about our assorted outdoor adventures.
Third, for some unexplained reason, I kept meeting people who had hiked the
trail. After listening to their compelling stories I was always inspired
by their enthusiasm and zest for the AT. I got to hear Bill Irwin speak in
person a couple of years ago and was fascinated that a blind man could
actually backpack 2000 miles and survive all those rocks! Then, Ron
introduced me to "Bigfoot" who thru-hiked in '97. Bigfoot agreed to speak
to our troop about his adventure on the AT about a year ago, and I think
that was the night that put me on red alert that this AT thing was calling
my name in a big way. Soon after, I discovered that a teacher from my high
school and her husband (Tennesee and Snell) were out there doing the trail
and writing a journal to keep students and alumni informed of their
progress. It was exciting to read the daily journal and keep up with them
through their struggles and achievements.
The sum total of these experiences has brought me to this point. I want to
hike the Appalachian Trail for the adventure, for the friendships that will
surely develop with other thru-hikers sharing the experience, and for the
physical and mental challenge. But the primary drive behind the hike is to
experience more self awareness, enjoy and enhance my spiritual connection
with all of God's creation, and for self growth. As many have said before
me, success is in the experience, not the destination. Although my goal is
to finish, the journey itself will bring rewards unmeasurable, whether I
see the top of Katahdin in Maine in September or stop somewhere short of
the goal.
So, I begin my journey with anticipation and excitement, yet sadness as I
will miss home, wife, pets, friends, co-workers, and family. And the
comfort of a comfortable bed and climate controlled roof over my head at
night! And running hot water, ice cubes, refrigerators, ovens and stoves,
microwaves, toilet seats, etc. etc. etc. We take so much for granted in
21st century living with all of the creature comforts available to us. I
imagine that my perspective on the advances made by man for creature
comforts will certainly change through this experience.
Thanks to all involved for the tremendous support and words of
encouragement you've given me. A thru-hike, at least my thru-hike,
involves a lot of people behind the scenes to make it successful. I don't
believe there is such a thing as a "solo" thru-hike, as I know many friends
and family will be on the trail with me in spirit. For those who want to
stay in touch, please E-mail me through the website. I'll do my best to
respond, though communication will be slow and archaic by today's instant
message standards.
Happy trails!!
Jeff AT01
