My Trails

On Thursday and Friday I hiked the AT for 18 miles. I had almost forgotten how hard it is to walk uphill all day with a full pack. When I hiked with Daryl, Donna, and Dick, we could share some of the gear, combine uses for items like a water filter, stove, first-aid kit, GPS, and tent. Hiking alone requires you carry it all.

Hikers passed me all day. By the time they get to Damascus, thru-hikers have walked almost 500 miles; they are becoming hiking machines. If they make it to the end, most men will be in the best condition of their lives and typically lose 30-40 pounds.

I spent the night in my tent, near a clearing at a place called Saunders Shelter. There were nine of us there: three guys about my age, two young men, two girls and a dog. We sat around the campfire that night and I listened to them talk about their hikes. Some of their names were Rainbow, Raisin, Swamp Dog, Guinness, and the older group that called themselves Team Indecision.

One of the young men was up early the next morning, packed up quickly, and on the trail before I had my tent down. I learned later that he was doing 30 mile days, trying to catch a girl he was smitten with, some two days up ahead on the trail. I hiked out before the rest of the crowd, and only saw a couple of hikers the rest of the day. You tend to meet up with people at shelters, but a lot of the time will be spent walking alone.

The trail crosses Rt. 58 near an entry point for the Virginia Creeper Bike Trail. Two days before, I had strategically hidden my bike behind some Rhododendron bushes, about a half-mile from my exit point. I was a little apprehensive that someone had found it and taken it away, or even worse, that one of the tires would be flat, but everything was ok.

Although the ride down the bike trail only took two hours, I was sore and tired from the weight of my pack, constantly pressing my arms into the handlebars, and jarring my back at every rut. It was quite a relief when I arrived at my van.

I had a good time. I wish it would have been a little warmer – I got cold in the night. There was a light rain on the second day, but nothing that spoiled the hike. I didn’t take enough food. I always have trouble figuring out what kind of an appetite I will have. When I pack, I’m reluctant  to pad my food supply on the grounds that I will have to carry more weight, and it wouldn’t hurt me to drop a couple of pounds anyway. Did I just say I was cold, wet, and hungry?

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 7th, 2011 at 5:01 pm and is filed under The Great Outdoors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.