Nearly a month after we completed the trail, I have finally found some time to sit down and organise my photographs and videos. This will take some time time but here are is a link to the first album on 'Hikers' which shows hikers we met and the wonderful trail angels who supported us on the way.
Web Album - Hikers and Trail Angels
And if you want a laugh here is the first video
Appalachian Trail - River Crossing
Friday, October 22, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Aftermath - 2 weeks after the summit
We have been home on the farm for a week, and memories from the trail bombard me continually as I re-adjust to my life at Cape Trib.
As I wake up at 3.00am to visit the toilet, I revel in the fact that I am walking from the bedroom to the bathroom, and not crawling out of a sleeping bag, into the freezing cold and pissing behind a bush. Each night at around 3.00 am for the last 2 weeks I have given thanks for my new circumstances. Comfort is something that many people take for granted. I probably will in time too, but at the moment, I appreciate each night as it comes.
I am still wearing my trail clothes as nothing else fits me, apart from the new pair of jeans I bought in Boston - extra small size. Everything else falls off me. I no longer have a bum (or butt, as the americans would say) to hold them up and I still haven't had a chance to get to town to go shopping.
Friends in our community are asking me ' did you enjoy your time in the US?'. I still don't know how to answer this question. There was so much deprivation during our 6 month hike that 'enjoy' is not the right word. Not yet anyway. Maybe in 6 months time I will be able to say that I 'enjoyed' our time hiking for 177 days. What I answer is to describe a specific situation on the trail to them so that they can get a glimmer of understanding of what life was really like. Each time I am asked, I provide a different example of deprivation. I don't have to search for examples - they pop into my mind. Everywhere I look a stimulus provides another memory or story of our adventure where we have been pushed to the limit.
It is great to catch up with friends in the community after 6 months, and to find out the latest news. I have some idea of what I have missed through following my Facebook page on my mobile phone, with postings about the Cape Trib news. I am really enjoying linking up with the young women in the community again. Digby says it is a 'mother/daughter' relationship. They are great company and it makes me think about the young women I met on the trail, especially my 'warrior princesses', Scatters and Stucco, who by now are back in normal life too, and going by names of Kate and Carrie. They are both powerful role models and how I envy them and wish I was as confident and strong and fit when I was thirty. I laugh when Carrie tells me that they think of Digby and I as their heroes.
Walking the trail gave us time to re-examine our lifestyle to see what we wanted to keep and what to change. We decided that we did still want to live at Cape Tribulation, and to continue running our farm business, but we realised that we were not taking time to smell the roses. One resolution we made was that we would not only work, but also play and enjoy life. So we are going to be taking more time off away from the farm.
As we sort through our photos, I find myself wanting to share my experience - to stand up in front of people and speak about our experiences. Maybe I have a new career waiting to unfold as an after dinner motivational speaker!!
I promised myself that I would cook nutritious meals when I got home, after eating all that rubbish and preservatives. Looking through the recipe book tonight for a chicken recipe to make from scratch, I found Chicken Pot Pie. This was the trail name for a group of young people hiking the trail, who we met many times over the 6 months. I stopped cooking the recipe and started wondering - where are they now? What has happened to Tiny Dancer and Salty, two members Chicken Pot Pie. They were 'yellow blazers', and would walk a bit of the trail, then get a car ride to cover some of the distance and then hike a bit more. All the time Digby and I would be steadily walking, every step of the way. They would appear, disappear, then reappear. A completely different approach to the trail and to life. Just do the good bits, and skip the bits you don't want to do. And yet they were so fit, so keen, so young and good fun. What a pity that they would not be able to call themselves '2000 milers', the group that walks the 'whole trail'.
As I wake up at 3.00am to visit the toilet, I revel in the fact that I am walking from the bedroom to the bathroom, and not crawling out of a sleeping bag, into the freezing cold and pissing behind a bush. Each night at around 3.00 am for the last 2 weeks I have given thanks for my new circumstances. Comfort is something that many people take for granted. I probably will in time too, but at the moment, I appreciate each night as it comes.
I am still wearing my trail clothes as nothing else fits me, apart from the new pair of jeans I bought in Boston - extra small size. Everything else falls off me. I no longer have a bum (or butt, as the americans would say) to hold them up and I still haven't had a chance to get to town to go shopping.
Friends in our community are asking me ' did you enjoy your time in the US?'. I still don't know how to answer this question. There was so much deprivation during our 6 month hike that 'enjoy' is not the right word. Not yet anyway. Maybe in 6 months time I will be able to say that I 'enjoyed' our time hiking for 177 days. What I answer is to describe a specific situation on the trail to them so that they can get a glimmer of understanding of what life was really like. Each time I am asked, I provide a different example of deprivation. I don't have to search for examples - they pop into my mind. Everywhere I look a stimulus provides another memory or story of our adventure where we have been pushed to the limit.
It is great to catch up with friends in the community after 6 months, and to find out the latest news. I have some idea of what I have missed through following my Facebook page on my mobile phone, with postings about the Cape Trib news. I am really enjoying linking up with the young women in the community again. Digby says it is a 'mother/daughter' relationship. They are great company and it makes me think about the young women I met on the trail, especially my 'warrior princesses', Scatters and Stucco, who by now are back in normal life too, and going by names of Kate and Carrie. They are both powerful role models and how I envy them and wish I was as confident and strong and fit when I was thirty. I laugh when Carrie tells me that they think of Digby and I as their heroes.
Walking the trail gave us time to re-examine our lifestyle to see what we wanted to keep and what to change. We decided that we did still want to live at Cape Tribulation, and to continue running our farm business, but we realised that we were not taking time to smell the roses. One resolution we made was that we would not only work, but also play and enjoy life. So we are going to be taking more time off away from the farm.
As we sort through our photos, I find myself wanting to share my experience - to stand up in front of people and speak about our experiences. Maybe I have a new career waiting to unfold as an after dinner motivational speaker!!
I promised myself that I would cook nutritious meals when I got home, after eating all that rubbish and preservatives. Looking through the recipe book tonight for a chicken recipe to make from scratch, I found Chicken Pot Pie. This was the trail name for a group of young people hiking the trail, who we met many times over the 6 months. I stopped cooking the recipe and started wondering - where are they now? What has happened to Tiny Dancer and Salty, two members Chicken Pot Pie. They were 'yellow blazers', and would walk a bit of the trail, then get a car ride to cover some of the distance and then hike a bit more. All the time Digby and I would be steadily walking, every step of the way. They would appear, disappear, then reappear. A completely different approach to the trail and to life. Just do the good bits, and skip the bits you don't want to do. And yet they were so fit, so keen, so young and good fun. What a pity that they would not be able to call themselves '2000 milers', the group that walks the 'whole trail'.
Friday, September 24, 2010
At last - we have completed the journey!
Yesterday we climbed Katahdin, the climax of the whole AT experience. A towering mountain with huge plateaus above the treeline and a rock boulder climbing approach which is daunting. It was a fitting end - day 176 on the trail.
It took us 3 and 3/4 hours to get to the top at 5268 ft, and 3 and a 1/4 hours to get down. The day was sunny with wind speeds 5-10 mph. It was glorious to be up on the summit, with 15 other thru-hikers who were also completing their hike, with a view stretching for miles over the 100 miles wilderness that we had walked through the last 7 days.
How do I feel? Initially it was relief that I had made it, and that it was over. Now 24 hours later, it is disbelief that we actually achieved it, that we actually did walk the whole way - 2179 miles. This is a major achievement - and by tomorrow it may be exhilaration and pride. But at the moment I still can't believe that we have actually done it.
We have 4 days booked in Boston in a small apartment in Beacon Hill, the historical downtown area, until we fly home on the 29th - Boston - Los Angeles - Melbourne - Cairns, arriving on the 1st October.
It took us 3 and 3/4 hours to get to the top at 5268 ft, and 3 and a 1/4 hours to get down. The day was sunny with wind speeds 5-10 mph. It was glorious to be up on the summit, with 15 other thru-hikers who were also completing their hike, with a view stretching for miles over the 100 miles wilderness that we had walked through the last 7 days.
How do I feel? Initially it was relief that I had made it, and that it was over. Now 24 hours later, it is disbelief that we actually achieved it, that we actually did walk the whole way - 2179 miles. This is a major achievement - and by tomorrow it may be exhilaration and pride. But at the moment I still can't believe that we have actually done it.
We have 4 days booked in Boston in a small apartment in Beacon Hill, the historical downtown area, until we fly home on the 29th - Boston - Los Angeles - Melbourne - Cairns, arriving on the 1st October.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Southern Maine is hard work!
We breathed a sigh of relief to leave New Hampshire. At last we are in Maine, and hopefully on the home straight. Then we discover that the mountains in Maine are even worse than the Whites in NH. Over the last 4 days we have only been able to manage 10 miles a day.
Yesterday we did the Mahoosic Notch - a very deep valley which is filled with huge boulders - I mean really huge - and we have to wend our way through them, sometimes crawling through small crevasses, and having to take our backpacks off and push them through ahead of us. It took an hour and a half to travel the one mile through the notch. I emerged covered in scratches on my knees and elbows from the granite.
Yesterday we did the Mahoosic Notch - a very deep valley which is filled with huge boulders - I mean really huge - and we have to wend our way through them, sometimes crawling through small crevasses, and having to take our backpacks off and push them through ahead of us. It took an hour and a half to travel the one mile through the notch. I emerged covered in scratches on my knees and elbows from the granite.
Monday, August 30, 2010
We survived the Whites
Ten days later we emerge from the White Mountains, the toughest part of the Appalachian Trail, with very difficult terrain and weather. We have covered just over 100 miles, much of it above the treeline, in hypothermic conditions. We have learned what 'wind chill' means. And with winds over 50 miles per hour, the temperature with wind chill taken into account drops below freezing. One day was so bad that we stayed at the hut for a rest day hoping that the cold front would pass. It sure took its time!
The hut system in the mountains provides huts every 4-5 hours walk, with dinner and breakfast. These bunks are booked out months in advance. We took our chance. They offer thru-hikers 'work for stay' which means you get to sleep on the floor of the dining room after everyone has gone to bed, and eat cold leftovers, and do some chores - but it costs nothing. The paying guests pay $100 a person per night. We did work for stay in 2 huts and were paying guests in 2 huts. Conditions were so bad, that Digby had to 'rescue' a woman wearing light cotton trousers and a plastic poncho which had been shredded in the wind. She couldnt standn up when the gusts came through.
Reminded me of Tasmania and the south west wilderness a lot.
The hut system in the mountains provides huts every 4-5 hours walk, with dinner and breakfast. These bunks are booked out months in advance. We took our chance. They offer thru-hikers 'work for stay' which means you get to sleep on the floor of the dining room after everyone has gone to bed, and eat cold leftovers, and do some chores - but it costs nothing. The paying guests pay $100 a person per night. We did work for stay in 2 huts and were paying guests in 2 huts. Conditions were so bad, that Digby had to 'rescue' a woman wearing light cotton trousers and a plastic poncho which had been shredded in the wind. She couldnt standn up when the gusts came through.
Reminded me of Tasmania and the south west wilderness a lot.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Starting into New Hampshire
Just as we left to cross the Vermont border into New Hampshire, a lady in a car drove up and thrust a bag of freshly picked blueberries into our hands and asked if we would like them. Of course we said yes. Headed into the town of Dartmouth, and found ourselves a pizza restaurant. At 6pm we were picked up by Ralph and taken to Tigger's Treehouse, a homestay 6 miles out of town which hosts hikers.
The next day I bought a new pair of boots - the tread on the pair I had bought in week 4 had completely worn out, and I was nervous about taking them into the White Mountains. I bought the exact same pair of boots so that hopefully I won't have an issue with blisters. Three days of hiking and they have softened into being great boots.
We are now at the Hikers Welcome Hostel in Glencliff - having an afternoon off from the trail. Getting ready for the hardstuff which starts tomorrow climbing Mt Mouselauke with a 4500' climb. We are now through the 400 mile countdown - sitting on 398 miles to go. The next hundred miles sound very exciting.
The next day I bought a new pair of boots - the tread on the pair I had bought in week 4 had completely worn out, and I was nervous about taking them into the White Mountains. I bought the exact same pair of boots so that hopefully I won't have an issue with blisters. Three days of hiking and they have softened into being great boots.
We are now at the Hikers Welcome Hostel in Glencliff - having an afternoon off from the trail. Getting ready for the hardstuff which starts tomorrow climbing Mt Mouselauke with a 4500' climb. We are now through the 400 mile countdown - sitting on 398 miles to go. The next hundred miles sound very exciting.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Reflections on Vermont
Today - 15th August - we crossed the bridge over the Connecticut River and entered New Hampshire. With some excitement I might add, as this is the last leg of our journey with less than 450 miles to walk.
So it is time to take stock - first - how are we coping? Digby's knee is a perennial problem and he has been taking 'Ibubrophen' on a daily basis which reduces the swelling and acts as a painkiller. Despite the knee issue, we have been making good time, averaging over 100 miles a week and keeping to our schedule.
What about Vermont?
It is meant to be the muddy state, but we have had virtually no rain for the nine days that we hiked thru it. It is not as 'misty' or 'looming' as Massachussetts with its huge granite gorges and moss covered ravines. But it has a lot to offer and we enjoyed our time here. It made us think of Victoria with the climate that we had - crisp temperatures for walking of about 25C - just perfect.
The highlights
So it is time to take stock - first - how are we coping? Digby's knee is a perennial problem and he has been taking 'Ibubrophen' on a daily basis which reduces the swelling and acts as a painkiller. Despite the knee issue, we have been making good time, averaging over 100 miles a week and keeping to our schedule.
What about Vermont?
It is meant to be the muddy state, but we have had virtually no rain for the nine days that we hiked thru it. It is not as 'misty' or 'looming' as Massachussetts with its huge granite gorges and moss covered ravines. But it has a lot to offer and we enjoyed our time here. It made us think of Victoria with the climate that we had - crisp temperatures for walking of about 25C - just perfect.
The highlights
- Discovering 'moose poo' on the trail - we have yet to see a moose.
- Staying at the Bromley Sun Lodge in the Bromley Ski Resort, and watching Americans at play.
- Meeting four different work crews on the trail - one an all women team - improving the conditions of the trail.
- Walking with a 'group' - Scatters and Stucco, our warrior princesses, as well as Deetz, Powerpak, Ugly Tuna, Boss, and Miles - and enjoying the interactions over a 5 day period as we got to know them.
- My first swim in a wild river - and camping right next to the river.
- Climbing Mt Killington, at just over 4,000' the second highest peak in Vermont. A beautiful day and great views to be had.
- Staying at the Inn on the Long Trail - a hiker inn with an Irish pub attached. Guinness on tap so Digby was in seventh heaven.
- Meeting the pet pig at Mountain Meadows Lodge and giving it a good scratch behind the ears.
- Finding our first Vermont trail magic - two cold cokes left in the river for us.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Impressions from Pennsylvania
Everyone had warned us about the rocks - so we thought we were prepared. But we weren't. Finding your way through boulder fields hour after hour in temperatures above 100 degrees F gives a new dimension to hiking. I get addicted to Gatorade, as we try and keep the electrolytes up. Many of the springs listed have dried up. Some trail angels leave gallon containers by the road crossings, but these are often empty when we pass through.
I decided that nobody would actually hike through Pennsylvania for the fun of it. Then we arrive at Lehigh Gap......The climb out of Lehigh Gap - what a trail gem this is. This is a rockclimb, an exhilarating, amazing, absolutely fantastic rockclimb. Walking Sticks go into the pack. I use my hands to get up over the cliffs. On the way up we are caught by Stucco and Scatters and One Life who we follow for the rest of the day. Sourdough also walks in this group. We take an hour to complete the climb to the ridge. Then we enter a 'superfund' site - a restoration of the mountain denuded by zinc smelter air pollution, caused by corporate irresponsibility, and now being fixed with taxpayers funds. The tree growth is amazing.
I decided that nobody would actually hike through Pennsylvania for the fun of it. Then we arrive at Lehigh Gap......The climb out of Lehigh Gap - what a trail gem this is. This is a rockclimb, an exhilarating, amazing, absolutely fantastic rockclimb. Walking Sticks go into the pack. I use my hands to get up over the cliffs. On the way up we are caught by Stucco and Scatters and One Life who we follow for the rest of the day. Sourdough also walks in this group. We take an hour to complete the climb to the ridge. Then we enter a 'superfund' site - a restoration of the mountain denuded by zinc smelter air pollution, caused by corporate irresponsibility, and now being fixed with taxpayers funds. The tree growth is amazing.
Monday, July 19, 2010
The B&B from Hell
We stayed one night in a small B&B, which will be forever remembered as our US Fawlty Towers experience.
I won't go on about it but I do have to record that the owner kept us waiting one hour and 15 minutes before we could access our room, because she was too busy doing other things. We were not allowed to take our packs into our room as there were too many 'valuable antiques' that we might damage, so they had to be left on the ground floor by the back door. The antique junk in the rooms - lanterns, and jug s- covered every available surface - there was even a chamber pot on the floor. The shared bathroom down the hall from our room did not have a shower - if we wanted a shower we had to descend to the basement and shower in a corner on an old concrete slab. I made sure I kept my crocs on my feet.
And for this we paid $84 - an outrageous price. As good Australians we just shut up and paid it. The cook Herman felt sorry for us and poured us cokes from the bar, but they were flat. Four cokes later and there were still no bubbles. We just kept drinking. We had walked 18 miles in temperatures over 100 degrees F, and taken 10 hours to get there, and were very hot, tired and dehydrated. Then he brought us slices of watermelon and we devoured those while we waited, and waited.
The B&B welcome is an important part of the experience, and I won't forget this welcome for some time.
I won't go on about it but I do have to record that the owner kept us waiting one hour and 15 minutes before we could access our room, because she was too busy doing other things. We were not allowed to take our packs into our room as there were too many 'valuable antiques' that we might damage, so they had to be left on the ground floor by the back door. The antique junk in the rooms - lanterns, and jug s- covered every available surface - there was even a chamber pot on the floor. The shared bathroom down the hall from our room did not have a shower - if we wanted a shower we had to descend to the basement and shower in a corner on an old concrete slab. I made sure I kept my crocs on my feet.
And for this we paid $84 - an outrageous price. As good Australians we just shut up and paid it. The cook Herman felt sorry for us and poured us cokes from the bar, but they were flat. Four cokes later and there were still no bubbles. We just kept drinking. We had walked 18 miles in temperatures over 100 degrees F, and taken 10 hours to get there, and were very hot, tired and dehydrated. Then he brought us slices of watermelon and we devoured those while we waited, and waited.
The B&B welcome is an important part of the experience, and I won't forget this welcome for some time.
Today we leave New Jersey
Five days and we have walked through New Jersey and entered New York. Seems a bit weird that it went so quickly - less than 100 miles. What impressions do we take with us? Firstly - the bears in NJ. There are lots and they ain't scared of hikers. Eight hikers meeting at the Steakhouse in Branchville, just off the trail, all have a bear story to tell. Macguyver tells her story of making a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast, looking up to find a bear swipe the sandwich. We see one large bear which takes our tally to 11 for the trip.
The rocks are not as bad as Pennsylvania but they are still memorable, especially as we had relaxed into thinking that we had escaped the rocks, only to find the ridge from hell on the NewYork/NewJersey border.
One of the main memories will be the 'mayor's house', a place to stay for hikers in the little town of Unionsville which is only half a mile from the trail. We walked into town, and the general store gave us the directions - take the street behind the pub and then the first left and the second house on the left. It felt a bit strange to us wandering down the street hoping that we find the right house. Sure enough as we arrive at the second house, there is a white blaze on the lamp post out the front and somebody sees us and waves us in. Twenty hikers stay that night - 8 in a bunk room, and the rest camped on the back lawn. For a donation of $10, Butch and Bill cook us dinner and breakfast. Bill is 81 years old and runs the kitchen - he serves 20 hikers with a cheese omelette, fried potatoes, two chippalata sausages and a muffin, with jam. No fuss, he just keeps cooking and we keep eating.
We are now walking around 17 miles a day - sometimes up to 20 if the country is easy, and we have caught up to new hikers that we haven't met before - Sourdough, a naturalist from Alaska, Masterchief, a retired soldier, Sweet Tea, an older woman from Alabama, and Macguyver, a psychologist. A few times in the last week we have crossed paths with two awesome young women hiking the trail - I think of them as 'warrior princesses' - Stucco and Scatters. They are smart, strong, carry big packs and walk fast. We keep catching them, because they take time off to visit friends in towns along the way, while Digby and I just trundle on.
The rocks are not as bad as Pennsylvania but they are still memorable, especially as we had relaxed into thinking that we had escaped the rocks, only to find the ridge from hell on the NewYork/NewJersey border.
One of the main memories will be the 'mayor's house', a place to stay for hikers in the little town of Unionsville which is only half a mile from the trail. We walked into town, and the general store gave us the directions - take the street behind the pub and then the first left and the second house on the left. It felt a bit strange to us wandering down the street hoping that we find the right house. Sure enough as we arrive at the second house, there is a white blaze on the lamp post out the front and somebody sees us and waves us in. Twenty hikers stay that night - 8 in a bunk room, and the rest camped on the back lawn. For a donation of $10, Butch and Bill cook us dinner and breakfast. Bill is 81 years old and runs the kitchen - he serves 20 hikers with a cheese omelette, fried potatoes, two chippalata sausages and a muffin, with jam. No fuss, he just keeps cooking and we keep eating.
We are now walking around 17 miles a day - sometimes up to 20 if the country is easy, and we have caught up to new hikers that we haven't met before - Sourdough, a naturalist from Alaska, Masterchief, a retired soldier, Sweet Tea, an older woman from Alabama, and Macguyver, a psychologist. A few times in the last week we have crossed paths with two awesome young women hiking the trail - I think of them as 'warrior princesses' - Stucco and Scatters. They are smart, strong, carry big packs and walk fast. We keep catching them, because they take time off to visit friends in towns along the way, while Digby and I just trundle on.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
States fly by
Two days ago Digby and I left Virginia after walking 550 miles across that state in 5 weeks. Yesterday we walked into West Virginia. Today we entered Maryland. Tomorrow we enter Pensylvania. Fast heh? There is a race on the trail called the four state challenge which is held each year to see who can complete the four states in the best time. We are content to trundle along.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
We reach the half-way mark - Harpers Ferry
This is an emotional moment. We have clocked more than 1000 miles and walk into Harpers Ferry - the town considered to be the 'emotional' half way mark, though the actual half way mark changes each year as new zig zags are added and the distance increases a little bit.
We cross the Shenendoah River on the bridge with four lanes of cars zinging past us and climb through the narrow pathway to emerge in an old part of the town where the Appalachian Train Conservancy has their headquarters. Excitement mounts as we race two young males to be the first hikers to emerge from the forest that day.
There are some spectators cheering us on as we come down the narrow lane. Lo and behold - it is Stickbuilt, Sandy and Paradise who have actually come early to wait for us to arrive. In a strange country, with few contacts we suddenly feel like we have 'family' watching out for us. We met Stickbuilt on the trail over 2 months ago - he knows us by our trail names of Tripper and Wizard from OZ. We find it hard to adapt to call him by his real name - Dave. Paradise is a male in his forties who has walked with us in the first few weeks and then rejoins us to walk part of the Shenendoahs. His real name is Nick. Paradise and Stickbuilt have both suffered injuries to force them to pull out of the hike, in the short term - both are hoping to return and may possibly walk with us when they return.
Our welcoming committee know what thru-hikers need - they have brough an esky full of ice with cans of soft drink and beer. Before Digby does anything else he drinks a beer. I sort through the soft drinks and select a can with the most calories. We have walked for the last 10 days without a break, averaging 15 miles a day in temperatures above 90 degrees F or 35 celsius.
AT the headquarters of the ATC we are processed and have our picture taken in front of the office sign. These photos go into the official photo album - we are number 485 to come through as thru hikers heading north. We browse the photo album, looking for faces that we recognise of people who have passed us - who has made it - who has disappeared and dropped out? Thousands have dropped out before the half way mark. Others have appeared ahead of us, who we know should still be behind us - they have 'yellow blazed' which means hitched a ride on the road and jumped ahead. We are called 'purists' - we are walking every step of the way with no shortcuts. There are few purists on the trail.
Our photo shows how skinny we are. Later we weigh ourselves on Stickbuilt and Sandy's scales and discover that we are both the lightest in living memory. Digby is starting to look like a WW2 prisoner of war with ribs and ribcage very prominent. For me - I now have a real waist and my bottom has disappeared, but the fat layer is still hanging on. The previous day for lunch I had drunk two cans of soft drink and ate a pint of vanilla flavoured icecream - and walked 10 miles and climbed 4,000 ft from the sugar hit!
We cross the Shenendoah River on the bridge with four lanes of cars zinging past us and climb through the narrow pathway to emerge in an old part of the town where the Appalachian Train Conservancy has their headquarters. Excitement mounts as we race two young males to be the first hikers to emerge from the forest that day.
There are some spectators cheering us on as we come down the narrow lane. Lo and behold - it is Stickbuilt, Sandy and Paradise who have actually come early to wait for us to arrive. In a strange country, with few contacts we suddenly feel like we have 'family' watching out for us. We met Stickbuilt on the trail over 2 months ago - he knows us by our trail names of Tripper and Wizard from OZ. We find it hard to adapt to call him by his real name - Dave. Paradise is a male in his forties who has walked with us in the first few weeks and then rejoins us to walk part of the Shenendoahs. His real name is Nick. Paradise and Stickbuilt have both suffered injuries to force them to pull out of the hike, in the short term - both are hoping to return and may possibly walk with us when they return.
Our welcoming committee know what thru-hikers need - they have brough an esky full of ice with cans of soft drink and beer. Before Digby does anything else he drinks a beer. I sort through the soft drinks and select a can with the most calories. We have walked for the last 10 days without a break, averaging 15 miles a day in temperatures above 90 degrees F or 35 celsius.
AT the headquarters of the ATC we are processed and have our picture taken in front of the office sign. These photos go into the official photo album - we are number 485 to come through as thru hikers heading north. We browse the photo album, looking for faces that we recognise of people who have passed us - who has made it - who has disappeared and dropped out? Thousands have dropped out before the half way mark. Others have appeared ahead of us, who we know should still be behind us - they have 'yellow blazed' which means hitched a ride on the road and jumped ahead. We are called 'purists' - we are walking every step of the way with no shortcuts. There are few purists on the trail.
Our photo shows how skinny we are. Later we weigh ourselves on Stickbuilt and Sandy's scales and discover that we are both the lightest in living memory. Digby is starting to look like a WW2 prisoner of war with ribs and ribcage very prominent. For me - I now have a real waist and my bottom has disappeared, but the fat layer is still hanging on. The previous day for lunch I had drunk two cans of soft drink and ate a pint of vanilla flavoured icecream - and walked 10 miles and climbed 4,000 ft from the sugar hit!
US Men Do Not Wear Budgie Smugglers
Digby wears 'jocks' - male bikini knickers. He needs new ones after 3 months on the trail. In a small town at about the 850 mile mark he cannot find any replacements in the 'Dollar General' store (like Target) so he buys some ladies bikini knickers instead. He needs underpants which are low cut and do not interfere with the pack waist belt. It is not a pleasant sight - imagine a male trying to squash all his gear into a space designed for girls. He walks in ladies underwear for 150 miles and discovers it to be all right at a pinch but not really comfortable.
We arrive in Washington DC and go on a shopping spree - and three department stores later, we finally find a small rack of Calvin Klein hipster briefs. American males do not wear hipster briefs - they wear daggy high waisted and long legged boxers. Rack after rack of male underpants with short legs, long legs, and thick elastic waist bands, but none with no legs. The burning question - why don't American males wear budgie smugglers? - even Tony Abbott wears budgie smugglers so it can't be an old man conservative thing. I don't have the answer, but watch this space for further updates as I conduct my research interviews with US males walking the trail.
We arrive in Washington DC and go on a shopping spree - and three department stores later, we finally find a small rack of Calvin Klein hipster briefs. American males do not wear hipster briefs - they wear daggy high waisted and long legged boxers. Rack after rack of male underpants with short legs, long legs, and thick elastic waist bands, but none with no legs. The burning question - why don't American males wear budgie smugglers? - even Tony Abbott wears budgie smugglers so it can't be an old man conservative thing. I don't have the answer, but watch this space for further updates as I conduct my research interviews with US males walking the trail.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
ATMs in the US
Americans love their cars. So there are drive-in ATMs so they don't have to park and walk to get money. But what if you are on foot? You get in the queue with the cars! There is Digby- 3 cars in front of him, two cars behind him. While he waits he makes Brmmm Brmmm noises and turns his imaginary steering wheel from side to side. Getting money out becomes a memoarable event.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
desperation - wine and no corkscrew
digby learns the hard way that the US still uses corks in their wine when he opens a bottle with a pocket knife.
We clock over 700 miles
We have arrived at Dalesville - which is really a freeway suburb of a large city called Roanake in Virginia. we are surrounded by franchises for every food imaginable - the only decision is what restaurant to visit tonight - last night was Mexican and I drank my third US 'jumbo marguerita - 12 ounces to the glass.
We are taking a rest day here at a motel run by Indians (from India) - the best place we have stayed on the trail so far. Digby's bad knee was extremely swollen yesterday and we are both feeling exhausted having walked the last 6 days from Pearisburg climbing very mountainous terrain every day. And they said Virgina walking was easy! So far this is not so. we had to climb to the Dragons Tooth - a monolith and the descent was very steep and cliffy and rocky. At one point I lost my balance on a descent over a cliff and pitched forward over the cliff to be caught in a tree and wedged with my pack between the cliff and the tree, completely suspended and jammed. Digby seeing me disappearing over the edge made a lunge to catch my pack before I fell but he missed and then overbalanced as his pack pushed him over the edge of the cliff too. alas he had no tree to catch him and i watched him roll down past me. he was fine and extracted me from the jam, but it was a wake up call for us.
We are taking a rest day here at a motel run by Indians (from India) - the best place we have stayed on the trail so far. Digby's bad knee was extremely swollen yesterday and we are both feeling exhausted having walked the last 6 days from Pearisburg climbing very mountainous terrain every day. And they said Virgina walking was easy! So far this is not so. we had to climb to the Dragons Tooth - a monolith and the descent was very steep and cliffy and rocky. At one point I lost my balance on a descent over a cliff and pitched forward over the cliff to be caught in a tree and wedged with my pack between the cliff and the tree, completely suspended and jammed. Digby seeing me disappearing over the edge made a lunge to catch my pack before I fell but he missed and then overbalanced as his pack pushed him over the edge of the cliff too. alas he had no tree to catch him and i watched him roll down past me. he was fine and extracted me from the jam, but it was a wake up call for us.
Friday, May 28, 2010
A new record - 58 days on the trail
We have now been hiking longer than we have ever hiked before on a long distance walk. Our previous record was 56 days for the Bibbulman Track. How do we feel ?- fit, lean and hungry. A few aches and pains especially as we start to increase our daily distances to between 15-20 miles.
A typical day on the trail has us eating porridge for breakfast with a cup of tea and walking by 7.45am. We stop around 10.00am for a snack of nuts and m and ms. Then keep walking to around 1. Often we have a lunch at a shelter as it is usually a mid point, and other hikers often appear for a bit of a social lunch. We usually stop hiking around 5 then have a cup of 'cowboy' coffee - ground coffee boiled in the billy - and then some soup, rice and some tuna. usually in bed asleep by 8.00.
Does this sound boring?? There are many bits of excitement and changes to make every day different. Tonight we are staying at Woods Hole hostel near Pearisburg - a log cabin that was rediscovered in the woods by a researcher looking for elk, that had been built in the 1890s and abandoned.
A typical day on the trail has us eating porridge for breakfast with a cup of tea and walking by 7.45am. We stop around 10.00am for a snack of nuts and m and ms. Then keep walking to around 1. Often we have a lunch at a shelter as it is usually a mid point, and other hikers often appear for a bit of a social lunch. We usually stop hiking around 5 then have a cup of 'cowboy' coffee - ground coffee boiled in the billy - and then some soup, rice and some tuna. usually in bed asleep by 8.00.
Does this sound boring?? There are many bits of excitement and changes to make every day different. Tonight we are staying at Woods Hole hostel near Pearisburg - a log cabin that was rediscovered in the woods by a researcher looking for elk, that had been built in the 1890s and abandoned.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Some pioneer stories
As we are walking along the Tennessee - North Carolina border between Hot Springs and Erwin, we have come across some poignant stories and reminders of the past - remants in the hickory and hemlock forests, as the trail winds through.
The first is a grave stone - the name is forgotten but the birth and death dates stand out in my mind - a woman born april 1865, died may 1965. There are plastic flowers next to the head stone. One hundred years old and her remains are buried on a small knoll several hundred feet above Recor Laurle Rd. We climb past the grave another hundred feet and come to a small level campsite which on closer inspection shows that it is the site of an old homestead. The fireplace is tumbled into a pile of stones. The timber log cabin walls are still jointed but pushed over on to their side. There is an old slow combustion stove and a rusted water tank. I imagine the old woman living here until she was 100, bringing up her family, deep in the forest, miles from anywhere. She refuses to leave her home, and when she dies it is demolished into a pile of rubble, and the headstone is the only reminder.
The other site is marked on the map as the Shelford Graves - a site where an uncle and nephew who were in the Union army were shot dead in 1863 as they returned home to their family in confederate territory. This site is marked by artificial flowers too. It seems so long ago, but what we have learned, is that the war is still being fought in the south, and that the confederacy is alive and well. At Hot Springs, we see an advertisment for the coming civil war re-enactment weekend. They replay the battles and wear the uniforms. Even in the current newspapers you can pick up the 'them and us' as the southern states try and work out how to fight Obama's health reforms which are seen as the greatest attack on personal liberties, and local politicians are trying to rally the masses to the cause.
The first is a grave stone - the name is forgotten but the birth and death dates stand out in my mind - a woman born april 1865, died may 1965. There are plastic flowers next to the head stone. One hundred years old and her remains are buried on a small knoll several hundred feet above Recor Laurle Rd. We climb past the grave another hundred feet and come to a small level campsite which on closer inspection shows that it is the site of an old homestead. The fireplace is tumbled into a pile of stones. The timber log cabin walls are still jointed but pushed over on to their side. There is an old slow combustion stove and a rusted water tank. I imagine the old woman living here until she was 100, bringing up her family, deep in the forest, miles from anywhere. She refuses to leave her home, and when she dies it is demolished into a pile of rubble, and the headstone is the only reminder.
The other site is marked on the map as the Shelford Graves - a site where an uncle and nephew who were in the Union army were shot dead in 1863 as they returned home to their family in confederate territory. This site is marked by artificial flowers too. It seems so long ago, but what we have learned, is that the war is still being fought in the south, and that the confederacy is alive and well. At Hot Springs, we see an advertisment for the coming civil war re-enactment weekend. They replay the battles and wear the uniforms. Even in the current newspapers you can pick up the 'them and us' as the southern states try and work out how to fight Obama's health reforms which are seen as the greatest attack on personal liberties, and local politicians are trying to rally the masses to the cause.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Our first month on the trail
Today is May 1 - we have been on the trail now for 30 days. I have lost 9 lbs - which I think is about 4 kilos, and keeping up my trousers with a piece of cord. My boots have destroyed themselves - the left sole separated from the upper about 5 days ago. The boot still let me make it to Hot Springs to buy a new pair. In the Outfitters at Hot Springs I have bought new boots, new parka, new torch headlight. The rigours of the trail put our old gear under stress and it collapses. The new boots are a size bigger than the old ones - hopefully this will stop the numbness on my second toe on the left foot which has been a problem.
Food has become fuel - and when we hit town, all we can think about is what food we are going to eat. Last night a bottle of champagne (from Italy) and a large steak, served with caramelised onions, blue cheese sauce with potato mash and sweet potato as well. The restaurant actually had a wine list. I have drunk an ice-cream soda - remember the Patty Duke show on TV in the 60s, they used to drink ice cream sodas at the drug store. A long tall glass and inside is lemonade, chocolate syrup, icecream, and topped off with whipped cream, drunk with a straw. So much fat in it, and my body craves it.
We are staying at Ducket House B&B - a grand old two storey timber house, with antique furniture, and a blue heeler called Jack. Quite a few blue heelers in the US. Breakfast was an amazing experience - back to a food conversation again. Huge home-made scones which are called biscuits, a quiche from fresh eggs - anacondas are the chickents. Enjoying the luxury and our first real rest day on the trail. Hope to wander down and have a dip in the spa at the hot springs later today.
Hot Springs is a small town - and we have arrived in the middle of a music festival - Bluegrass - sort of hillbilly folk music. Unfortunately we can't buy a ticket just for the main concert and a day ticket is too expensive. The library has 10 computers for use and these are mainly used by thru hikers - sitting everywhere - floor, tables etc.
Food has become fuel - and when we hit town, all we can think about is what food we are going to eat. Last night a bottle of champagne (from Italy) and a large steak, served with caramelised onions, blue cheese sauce with potato mash and sweet potato as well. The restaurant actually had a wine list. I have drunk an ice-cream soda - remember the Patty Duke show on TV in the 60s, they used to drink ice cream sodas at the drug store. A long tall glass and inside is lemonade, chocolate syrup, icecream, and topped off with whipped cream, drunk with a straw. So much fat in it, and my body craves it.
We are staying at Ducket House B&B - a grand old two storey timber house, with antique furniture, and a blue heeler called Jack. Quite a few blue heelers in the US. Breakfast was an amazing experience - back to a food conversation again. Huge home-made scones which are called biscuits, a quiche from fresh eggs - anacondas are the chickents. Enjoying the luxury and our first real rest day on the trail. Hope to wander down and have a dip in the spa at the hot springs later today.
Hot Springs is a small town - and we have arrived in the middle of a music festival - Bluegrass - sort of hillbilly folk music. Unfortunately we can't buy a ticket just for the main concert and a day ticket is too expensive. The library has 10 computers for use and these are mainly used by thru hikers - sitting everywhere - floor, tables etc.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Smoky Mountains are behind us
We have now walked 238 miles of the AT. Only 1940 miles to go! We are now able to walk 14 mile days and still feel fit at the end of the day.
We have spent the last 7 days in the Smoky Mountains which rise to over 6000 feet and form the border between North CArolina and Tennessee. We had one day where we were walking on a ridgeline which was only one metre wide - with TE to our left and NC to our right.
Staying in the shelters - you are not allowed to camp in the smokies, you have to stay in the shelters which can sleep about 20 people. Before this we have been camping and keeping much more to ourselves. Now we are amongst the hordes and mingling much more and enjoying the company. The AT is a community which is 2100 miles long and a strip 10 miles wide, and as you move amongst the hikers you keep reconnecting with people you saw a few days ago, and will see again. Think of it like a cloud, always moving and changing shape. For 4 days we have been walking with Food Network and Pocohontas Mode, but they left the trail 3 days ago to hitch into the nearby town of Gatlinburg, so now we are ahead of them, and expecting them to reappear at any time as they walk faster than us.
Seeing our first Black Bear - 30 metres ahead on the trail looking straight at us, he decides to amble off to the left 20 metres into the bushes and watch us walking by. Very close, very big - to me anyway - and very fluffy. Nobody else in our cohort has seen a bear so we are very privileged. We met a ranger - called a ridge runner - who said the bear is a burglar not a robber. You hang your food at night high in the tree so the bear cant steal it, but he is not likely to attack you for your food.
Climbing Clingmans Dome - with great views into 6 states. At 6,643 ft it is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail.
The route between Pecks Corner and Tricorner Shelters - a wonderful sunny day and a narrow ridge walk with great views, followed by deep forest andconifers covered in moss reminded us of the forests in Lord of the Rings.
The forests of the Smokies are dying en masse. This is being caused by coal burning power stations in Tennessee. The air pollution weakens the trees and then they are attacked by insects. Apparently the authorities are now spending billions trying to clean up their act, but the forests are skeletons. Really sad when you read how a few amazing forward thinking individuals were able to prevent the logging companies from destroying the forests in the early 1900s, and to put them land into the national park.
Digby left his reading glasses behind at Tricorner shelter. We have sent out a message via the AT grapevine and we hope that they will turn up somehow - we will have to see if trail magic really works.
Digby teaches 'Food Network' the words and tune to Walzing Matilda and he plays it on his ukele. We have to explain every second word in the song - what is a swagman, what is jumbuck, what is a billabong - the americans dont speak our language.
We have discovered 'section walkers' are a great resource - hikers out for a few days or weeks or a month only. They always have spare food, and when they say, does anyone want ...... we always say yes. At one shelter Digby cooked pancakes for 10 hikers from some donated pancake mix, honey and dried strawberries. the section walkers were going home - it was too wet, so we got the food. Thru hikers never turn down food.
We have spent the last 7 days in the Smoky Mountains which rise to over 6000 feet and form the border between North CArolina and Tennessee. We had one day where we were walking on a ridgeline which was only one metre wide - with TE to our left and NC to our right.
The highlights of the Smokies
Staying in the shelters - you are not allowed to camp in the smokies, you have to stay in the shelters which can sleep about 20 people. Before this we have been camping and keeping much more to ourselves. Now we are amongst the hordes and mingling much more and enjoying the company. The AT is a community which is 2100 miles long and a strip 10 miles wide, and as you move amongst the hikers you keep reconnecting with people you saw a few days ago, and will see again. Think of it like a cloud, always moving and changing shape. For 4 days we have been walking with Food Network and Pocohontas Mode, but they left the trail 3 days ago to hitch into the nearby town of Gatlinburg, so now we are ahead of them, and expecting them to reappear at any time as they walk faster than us.
Seeing our first Black Bear - 30 metres ahead on the trail looking straight at us, he decides to amble off to the left 20 metres into the bushes and watch us walking by. Very close, very big - to me anyway - and very fluffy. Nobody else in our cohort has seen a bear so we are very privileged. We met a ranger - called a ridge runner - who said the bear is a burglar not a robber. You hang your food at night high in the tree so the bear cant steal it, but he is not likely to attack you for your food.
Climbing Clingmans Dome - with great views into 6 states. At 6,643 ft it is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail.
The route between Pecks Corner and Tricorner Shelters - a wonderful sunny day and a narrow ridge walk with great views, followed by deep forest andconifers covered in moss reminded us of the forests in Lord of the Rings.
Some other stuff
The forests of the Smokies are dying en masse. This is being caused by coal burning power stations in Tennessee. The air pollution weakens the trees and then they are attacked by insects. Apparently the authorities are now spending billions trying to clean up their act, but the forests are skeletons. Really sad when you read how a few amazing forward thinking individuals were able to prevent the logging companies from destroying the forests in the early 1900s, and to put them land into the national park.
Digby left his reading glasses behind at Tricorner shelter. We have sent out a message via the AT grapevine and we hope that they will turn up somehow - we will have to see if trail magic really works.
Digby teaches 'Food Network' the words and tune to Walzing Matilda and he plays it on his ukele. We have to explain every second word in the song - what is a swagman, what is jumbuck, what is a billabong - the americans dont speak our language.
We have discovered 'section walkers' are a great resource - hikers out for a few days or weeks or a month only. They always have spare food, and when they say, does anyone want ...... we always say yes. At one shelter Digby cooked pancakes for 10 hikers from some donated pancake mix, honey and dried strawberries. the section walkers were going home - it was too wet, so we got the food. Thru hikers never turn down food.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
People we meet on the trail
This is an attempt to describe the type of people we are meeting on the trail - apart from the boy scout groups which seem to have disappeared since the school holidays finished.
In the early days there were lots of jocks - the young college grads all trying to outboast each other about the highest mountains they had climbed etc. These have all rushed past us, and we think that the jock wave is about 200 hundred miles ahead of us, all vying to be the first thru-hiker to complete for 2010.
We have already heard along the trail grapevine about people who we met on day 1 and have already dropped out. One young man - Jeremy - from Louisiana, who stopped walking on the second day because it was the Sabbath and he wanted to respect the Sabbath while on the trail, did not make it to the next Sabbath. He was so overwhelmed by the number of people on the trail he decided to go home. We think that there were about 40 people a day coming through at that time.
Now it is about 15-20 people coming through. Everyone has trail names - ours are Wizard from Oz and Tripper. We met an old man who looked the spitting image of Father Christmas with out the red suit - about 75 we thought - he started hiking on March 15 - taking his time. His name is MAM - stands for Miles are Miracles. We have seen a few really oldies - long and wiry with varicose veins - walking at twice our speed.
We have not seen any married couples - sometimes pairs of friends or singles who team up on the trail. For a couple of days we hiked with Fast Food and Mr T - both young men who were unemployed and who thought that hiking the trail is a good way to wait for the job market to improve.
Diesel was in the military and now retired. He hiked the trail right through in 2004, and is now doing it again. He has Parkinson's Disease and watching him try and cook and pack up with the shakes is really hard. He says his trail name means that he is slow to get started, but once he is up and running there is no stopping him. An this is true. He left at 5.00am this morning to catch the 9.00 am suttle from the mountain.
Pocohontas Mode is a very fit young woman covered in serious tattoos on both her arms and legs. The back of one leg has a sentence tattooed into it but I dont know her well enough yet to ask her about it. Her trail name comes from getting into the zone when you are walking - imagining that you are back in the forest when the Indians roamed the land and the spirits were free.
Sugar Ray has a broken nose from throwing a rock over a branch to hang his bear bag of food for the night so the bear would not get it. The rock came back like a boomerang and banged him on the nose.
I could go on but this is enough to give you the idea - everyone on the trail has a story. You get to meet and then remeet people and make friends.
In the early days there were lots of jocks - the young college grads all trying to outboast each other about the highest mountains they had climbed etc. These have all rushed past us, and we think that the jock wave is about 200 hundred miles ahead of us, all vying to be the first thru-hiker to complete for 2010.
We have already heard along the trail grapevine about people who we met on day 1 and have already dropped out. One young man - Jeremy - from Louisiana, who stopped walking on the second day because it was the Sabbath and he wanted to respect the Sabbath while on the trail, did not make it to the next Sabbath. He was so overwhelmed by the number of people on the trail he decided to go home. We think that there were about 40 people a day coming through at that time.
Now it is about 15-20 people coming through. Everyone has trail names - ours are Wizard from Oz and Tripper. We met an old man who looked the spitting image of Father Christmas with out the red suit - about 75 we thought - he started hiking on March 15 - taking his time. His name is MAM - stands for Miles are Miracles. We have seen a few really oldies - long and wiry with varicose veins - walking at twice our speed.
We have not seen any married couples - sometimes pairs of friends or singles who team up on the trail. For a couple of days we hiked with Fast Food and Mr T - both young men who were unemployed and who thought that hiking the trail is a good way to wait for the job market to improve.
Diesel was in the military and now retired. He hiked the trail right through in 2004, and is now doing it again. He has Parkinson's Disease and watching him try and cook and pack up with the shakes is really hard. He says his trail name means that he is slow to get started, but once he is up and running there is no stopping him. An this is true. He left at 5.00am this morning to catch the 9.00 am suttle from the mountain.
Pocohontas Mode is a very fit young woman covered in serious tattoos on both her arms and legs. The back of one leg has a sentence tattooed into it but I dont know her well enough yet to ask her about it. Her trail name comes from getting into the zone when you are walking - imagining that you are back in the forest when the Indians roamed the land and the spirits were free.
Sugar Ray has a broken nose from throwing a rock over a branch to hang his bear bag of food for the night so the bear would not get it. The rock came back like a boomerang and banged him on the nose.
I could go on but this is enough to give you the idea - everyone on the trail has a story. You get to meet and then remeet people and make friends.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Our mobile phone saga
We decided to get a mobile phone with internet access for the trail, and took our super duper sony next G phone with us to the US. A visit to the mobile phone shops in Atlanta - and we learn that the best coverage on the trail is with Verizon - which has their OWN phone sevice with CDMA. Our phone is no good on their system. We can use AT&T service, and buy a sim card BUT you can't get reception on the trail with them most of the time. So we decide to go with Verizon. Then we have to have a plan. The easiest way to do it - is under the auspices of Mike and Theresa's account - otherwise we have to have a passport and a utility bill with an address in the US which we don't. M&T are happy to have us on their plan, so we go with it. We buy an extra super battery as well.
The next day we go to leave and have to go back to the verizon shop - the super spare battery doesn't actually fit into the phone - it needs a special cover - they dont have the cover. Verizon swap over the phone battery and give us a similar size one for free. We are on our way.
Three days later we have made 2 international calls and one tweet into facebook, and the phone dies on the screen - you can still make calls but no picture to see what you are doing.
We walk for three days and arrive at Neels Gap where we can mail the phone back to M&T so they can get us a replacement. We then walk another four days and arrive in Hiawassee. We walk into the motel, the guy looks at our name on the registration card and says, "there was a guy here yesterday looking for you to give you a mobile phone". Mike has driven a hundred miles to hand deliver a phone and he has missed us. We think where would he have left the phone - maybe the post office. We visit the post office - no they had nothing for us. The post master - called Brenda - lends us her mobile and we call Mike and Teresa and leave a message on their phone to say we are here.
Then we go off and have lunch in Daniel's Steakhouse. An hour later we emerge and find the postmaster Brenda has been driving up and down the road looking for us - she had rung the other motel, Mull's motel, and they had the phone, so once she knew where our phone was all she had to do was find us - which she finally did! We wander over to Mull's Motel to be greeted by a very old lady, wearing handmade knitted stockings to her knees, who says yes she has our phone for us!!! We tip her $2 and take the phone. Let's hope the phone saga is now finished.
We are overwhelmed with how the locals have put themselves out for us - and very appreciative.
PS We check the messages - there is one from a debt collection agency chasing a debt - whose number have we inherited??
The next day we go to leave and have to go back to the verizon shop - the super spare battery doesn't actually fit into the phone - it needs a special cover - they dont have the cover. Verizon swap over the phone battery and give us a similar size one for free. We are on our way.
Three days later we have made 2 international calls and one tweet into facebook, and the phone dies on the screen - you can still make calls but no picture to see what you are doing.
We walk for three days and arrive at Neels Gap where we can mail the phone back to M&T so they can get us a replacement. We then walk another four days and arrive in Hiawassee. We walk into the motel, the guy looks at our name on the registration card and says, "there was a guy here yesterday looking for you to give you a mobile phone". Mike has driven a hundred miles to hand deliver a phone and he has missed us. We think where would he have left the phone - maybe the post office. We visit the post office - no they had nothing for us. The post master - called Brenda - lends us her mobile and we call Mike and Teresa and leave a message on their phone to say we are here.
Then we go off and have lunch in Daniel's Steakhouse. An hour later we emerge and find the postmaster Brenda has been driving up and down the road looking for us - she had rung the other motel, Mull's motel, and they had the phone, so once she knew where our phone was all she had to do was find us - which she finally did! We wander over to Mull's Motel to be greeted by a very old lady, wearing handmade knitted stockings to her knees, who says yes she has our phone for us!!! We tip her $2 and take the phone. Let's hope the phone saga is now finished.
We are overwhelmed with how the locals have put themselves out for us - and very appreciative.
PS We check the messages - there is one from a debt collection agency chasing a debt - whose number have we inherited??
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
The moment has arrived
I knew the holiday had started when our taxi driver sang along with an Elvis CD all the way to the airport. It was the perfect ballad and the taxi driver had a great voice!
The 24 hours travelling time worked - no delays, no lost luggage. I had been nervous about our visas - but as it turned out the Homeland Security Officer was very friendly and gave us the 6 months we needed rather than the 180 days (which would have meant we were 3 days short). So we are legally in the country until the 29th September, which is the date of our Qantas flight back to Melbourne.
We staggered out of the Atlanta Terminal and stood like lost souls on the footpath waiting for Mike and Theresa to find us - they had been circling for sometime doing the loop along with another 100 cars - in minutes they found us, loaded us and we were on our way.
Our first US experience - dinner at a BarBQue - a restaurant where the meat is cooked on spits and served -we met Mike and Theresa's son Mike, his wife Emily, and son Mike. So we had Michael I, Michael II, and Michael III at the dinner table. The main impressions - the fantastic service from the waitress, and the cheap price of the food - $10 for a main course.
Mike and Theresa live about 1 hr from Atlanta in a western red cedar ranchstyle house with a lakeside frontage to Lake Lanier - a man-made lake dammed in the 1950s with many steep flooded valleys and houses built with lakeside views along all the ridges. It is a large block covered in trees which currently have no leaves. So in the morning we sat on the verandah and watched an amazing wildlife display - the squirrels run up and down 30 metre trunks, saw the hawk catch his morning meal, and loads of yellow finches, woodpeckers, bluejays and a cardinal bird which is bright red, right up next to the house feeding from the bird feeders. Once the trees get their leaves, the lake will be hidden and the birds will be harder to see.
The morning was spent in a phone shop. We have had to buy a new phone. So many phones, so many plans, so many choices. It is red, with a real keyboard, and we got an extra battery. I am hoping to Twitter remotely. Our network is Verizon, which has the best coverage in the remote areas, and the appalachian trail forums recommend this company over all the others.
A vist to the Texan Steakhouse for lunch, followed by a trip to Walmart to buy our food for the next seven days. Now we are all set.
If anyone wants to email me directly, I will be using alison.gotts@gmail.com and will check it when I get into towns. Our phone is 770 4905072 if anyone wants to send us a text.
We have packed all our food and tomorrow we start - Mike and Theresa are dropping us off at Amicalolo Falls to begin our journey. They have been real trail angels for us - it has made everything so easy - we are very appreciative and wondering how we can ever repay their generous hospitality. Let's hope they revisit the Daintree.
The 24 hours travelling time worked - no delays, no lost luggage. I had been nervous about our visas - but as it turned out the Homeland Security Officer was very friendly and gave us the 6 months we needed rather than the 180 days (which would have meant we were 3 days short). So we are legally in the country until the 29th September, which is the date of our Qantas flight back to Melbourne.
We staggered out of the Atlanta Terminal and stood like lost souls on the footpath waiting for Mike and Theresa to find us - they had been circling for sometime doing the loop along with another 100 cars - in minutes they found us, loaded us and we were on our way.
Our first US experience - dinner at a BarBQue - a restaurant where the meat is cooked on spits and served -we met Mike and Theresa's son Mike, his wife Emily, and son Mike. So we had Michael I, Michael II, and Michael III at the dinner table. The main impressions - the fantastic service from the waitress, and the cheap price of the food - $10 for a main course.
Mike and Theresa live about 1 hr from Atlanta in a western red cedar ranchstyle house with a lakeside frontage to Lake Lanier - a man-made lake dammed in the 1950s with many steep flooded valleys and houses built with lakeside views along all the ridges. It is a large block covered in trees which currently have no leaves. So in the morning we sat on the verandah and watched an amazing wildlife display - the squirrels run up and down 30 metre trunks, saw the hawk catch his morning meal, and loads of yellow finches, woodpeckers, bluejays and a cardinal bird which is bright red, right up next to the house feeding from the bird feeders. Once the trees get their leaves, the lake will be hidden and the birds will be harder to see.
The morning was spent in a phone shop. We have had to buy a new phone. So many phones, so many plans, so many choices. It is red, with a real keyboard, and we got an extra battery. I am hoping to Twitter remotely. Our network is Verizon, which has the best coverage in the remote areas, and the appalachian trail forums recommend this company over all the others.
A vist to the Texan Steakhouse for lunch, followed by a trip to Walmart to buy our food for the next seven days. Now we are all set.
If anyone wants to email me directly, I will be using alison.gotts@gmail.com and will check it when I get into towns. Our phone is 770 4905072 if anyone wants to send us a text.
We have packed all our food and tomorrow we start - Mike and Theresa are dropping us off at Amicalolo Falls to begin our journey. They have been real trail angels for us - it has made everything so easy - we are very appreciative and wondering how we can ever repay their generous hospitality. Let's hope they revisit the Daintree.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
What am I going to read?
This question has been troubling me - books are heavy. I can read a novel in a day. I can't carry a load of books with me in my pack. So I have decided to venture down a new path - I am going into poetry. i figure that one poetry book should last me for 6 months, especially if I take on the challenge of learning all the poems.
My poetic memories are very sparse. I can remember in 1965 learning 'Ode to Autumn' (by Keats I think) which started 'Seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness....' the rest is lost to the mists of time, but I do remember enjoying the experience of chanting the whole poem with 39 other 14 year olds in our English class with Mrs Hogan - it was quite a group bonding session. We learnt quite a bit of poetry that year, but Ode to Autumn is the only one that is still with me. I went to speech lessons for 12 months to try and make me talk with less strine, and I can remember 'you are old father william, the young man said, and your hair has become very white'....and then 'the highwayman came riding, riding, the highway man came riding'.....just a few snatches lodged into my subconscious.
In year 12 I quite enjoyed TS Eliot and we studied a bit of Chaucer as well. At university it was John Donne and Gerald Hopkins. Nothing much remembered there but for a phrase 'hairy diadem of gold' .... John Donne describing the pubic hair of his mistress. She must have been a blonde. Then a big effort when I was teaching English myself, to make sure that my own students enjoyed poetry - I didn't want to turn them off it, but I probably did as I had little idea how to 'teach poetry'.
My most vibrant poetic memories are with the Aboriginal kids at Epenarra, where I taught the junior class how to read using 'big books' - huge books with great pictures that we could all read at the same time together. The rhythms of the text were wonderful - 'in went the duck, wishy washy wishy washy, in went the pig, wishy washy, wishy washy. Loud, vibrant, confident we yelled our way through a whole series of texts - and took them with us when we went outside. So a visit to the river, and next minute we are enacting Mrs Wishy Washy and the words are pounded out.
By the time the children turned 8, they realised it wasn't cool to recite stuff any more, and they lost their voice. This usually happened when they moved into the big class.
So I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn some poems and be able to chant them while I am walking, to keep the mind active, and share them with whoever is on the trail as a bit of entertainment. I did a search on google for 'book of australian poetry', and up came a list with this title appealing to me - 60 Classic Australian Poems. so I have ordered it - 60 different poets - and each poem has a page of notes the author describes why he thinks the poem is a classic and unpacks the poem as well. All that symbolism stuff goes straight over my head if nobody points it out. It includes poets from present day and goes right back - I did notice that Lawson and banjo patterson each have one listed on the table of contents. All the others I had never heard of. So that is my intellectual challenge for the walk.
I just hope this is not a heavy book - they don't have the weight of the book when you are shopping!
My poetic memories are very sparse. I can remember in 1965 learning 'Ode to Autumn' (by Keats I think) which started 'Seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness....' the rest is lost to the mists of time, but I do remember enjoying the experience of chanting the whole poem with 39 other 14 year olds in our English class with Mrs Hogan - it was quite a group bonding session. We learnt quite a bit of poetry that year, but Ode to Autumn is the only one that is still with me. I went to speech lessons for 12 months to try and make me talk with less strine, and I can remember 'you are old father william, the young man said, and your hair has become very white'....and then 'the highwayman came riding, riding, the highway man came riding'.....just a few snatches lodged into my subconscious.
In year 12 I quite enjoyed TS Eliot and we studied a bit of Chaucer as well. At university it was John Donne and Gerald Hopkins. Nothing much remembered there but for a phrase 'hairy diadem of gold' .... John Donne describing the pubic hair of his mistress. She must have been a blonde. Then a big effort when I was teaching English myself, to make sure that my own students enjoyed poetry - I didn't want to turn them off it, but I probably did as I had little idea how to 'teach poetry'.
My most vibrant poetic memories are with the Aboriginal kids at Epenarra, where I taught the junior class how to read using 'big books' - huge books with great pictures that we could all read at the same time together. The rhythms of the text were wonderful - 'in went the duck, wishy washy wishy washy, in went the pig, wishy washy, wishy washy. Loud, vibrant, confident we yelled our way through a whole series of texts - and took them with us when we went outside. So a visit to the river, and next minute we are enacting Mrs Wishy Washy and the words are pounded out.
So I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn some poems and be able to chant them while I am walking, to keep the mind active, and share them with whoever is on the trail as a bit of entertainment. I did a search on google for 'book of australian poetry', and up came a list with this title appealing to me - 60 Classic Australian Poems. so I have ordered it - 60 different poets - and each poem has a page of notes the author describes why he thinks the poem is a classic and unpacks the poem as well. All that symbolism stuff goes straight over my head if nobody points it out. It includes poets from present day and goes right back - I did notice that Lawson and banjo patterson each have one listed on the table of contents. All the others I had never heard of. So that is my intellectual challenge for the walk.
I just hope this is not a heavy book - they don't have the weight of the book when you are shopping!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
An update on weather conditions
Appalachian Trail Conservancy Advice to spring break hikers: Winter conditions currently prevail everywhere on the AT from GA to ME. Wear gaiters, footwear for snow & ice, avoid cotton,and have plenty of lightweight, warm layers of clothing. Snow-&-ice traction devices may come in handy (crampons are usu. overkill in the South). Snow is inches high in GA but feet high in tallest mtns of NC, TN, and VA. Plan on lower mileage & carry more food.Just our luck. This means that lots of walkers will put off the start of the walk until the end of March and start with us - it will be really crowded - a bit like the start of the sydney to surf run. Oh well - we are pretty slow so I guess we will get left behind soon enough.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
It's snowing in them thar hills
It's 4 weeks until Digby and I start walking.
I am reading through the internet trail journals of those who have just started on the trail battling the snow and the rain in Georgia. The heaviest snowfalls in Georgia ever. Hikers are freezing in the sub zero sleeping bags, bailing out to stay in towns and wait for the snowstorms to pass. Down jackets are sold out in the towns near the trail. One group orders snow shoes with cleats to be shipped to Franklin, the town they are holed up in, waiting for the weather to improve. They can't hitch a ride back to the trail because the highway crossing the trail is closed. They plan to get a ride as far as they can, then clip on the snowshoes and start walking.
Meanwhile, we sit in tropical Queensland, sweating in high temperatures and high humidity and read about the hiker who has worn all the clothes he has to sleep in, and is still cold. Counting down the days, wondering what extra gear we should be taking - down jackets had not been on the agenda.
How much can the weather improve in 4 weeks? I am glued to the journals and read the latest updates each night. Getting mentally prepared to freeze my bum off.
I am reading through the internet trail journals of those who have just started on the trail battling the snow and the rain in Georgia. The heaviest snowfalls in Georgia ever. Hikers are freezing in the sub zero sleeping bags, bailing out to stay in towns and wait for the snowstorms to pass. Down jackets are sold out in the towns near the trail. One group orders snow shoes with cleats to be shipped to Franklin, the town they are holed up in, waiting for the weather to improve. They can't hitch a ride back to the trail because the highway crossing the trail is closed. They plan to get a ride as far as they can, then clip on the snowshoes and start walking.
Meanwhile, we sit in tropical Queensland, sweating in high temperatures and high humidity and read about the hiker who has worn all the clothes he has to sleep in, and is still cold. Counting down the days, wondering what extra gear we should be taking - down jackets had not been on the agenda.
How much can the weather improve in 4 weeks? I am glued to the journals and read the latest updates each night. Getting mentally prepared to freeze my bum off.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Pouring over the maps and the guide books
The more I read in the walking guides to the trail, the more I realise how amazing this journey is going to be. Here are some of the things that have stuck in my mind.
When we are walking the trail in New York State, you can actually see the skyscrapers of Manhatten in the distance. There is a railway station ON the trail - the train only stops on weekends and public holidays at this station - and you can catch a train right into the heart of New York at Grand Central Station. We could go in and catch a Broadway Show!
Mobile phones are able to work on a lot of the trail. One of the services available is Dial a Pizza. When the trail crosses a highway near a town, it is possible to ring up and have a pizza delivered. You can also ring hostels and motels who have special hiking packages where they will pick you up from the trail, take you back to the town, dirve you to the supermarket, the bushwalking outfitter, the laundromat, etc - you stay the night and they take you back to the trail the following morning. Great customer service.
In South West Virginia, a researcher studying deer in the forest in the early 1980s, stumbled across an old log cabin, abandoned in the forest, close to the Appalachian Trail. He was able to buy the cabin, and established a hostel for Appalachian hikers. He died in 1987 and then his wife continued to run it after his death until her death in the early 2000s, when their children took it over and now run it. I want to stay there, but Digby says according to our schedule we arrive there at 11.00am in the morning and can't waste the afternoon by not walking. We'll see......
The philanthropy is amazing, with many families donating large parcels of land to the national park organisations to enable the forest to be maintained. The ribbon of land which the trail follows becomes wider and wider with more acquisitions. In the 1930s south west Virginia mountains were completely denuded from logging, and the state bought the land and replanted forest using depression labour. These forests are now 80 years old and extend for miles and miles on both sides of the trail. The locals still hunt bear and deer in this forest and during the hunting season (Oct-Nov) hikers have to wear bright yellow safety jackets so they won't be mistaken as prey!
In the Shenandoah National Park, they estimate that the black bear population is now 1-2 bears per square mile. In the 1930s the bears were completely shot out of the area. Gradually since that time they have migrated back to the area from mountains in the west. We really might meet a bear.
When we are walking the trail in New York State, you can actually see the skyscrapers of Manhatten in the distance. There is a railway station ON the trail - the train only stops on weekends and public holidays at this station - and you can catch a train right into the heart of New York at Grand Central Station. We could go in and catch a Broadway Show!
Mobile phones are able to work on a lot of the trail. One of the services available is Dial a Pizza. When the trail crosses a highway near a town, it is possible to ring up and have a pizza delivered. You can also ring hostels and motels who have special hiking packages where they will pick you up from the trail, take you back to the town, dirve you to the supermarket, the bushwalking outfitter, the laundromat, etc - you stay the night and they take you back to the trail the following morning. Great customer service.
In South West Virginia, a researcher studying deer in the forest in the early 1980s, stumbled across an old log cabin, abandoned in the forest, close to the Appalachian Trail. He was able to buy the cabin, and established a hostel for Appalachian hikers. He died in 1987 and then his wife continued to run it after his death until her death in the early 2000s, when their children took it over and now run it. I want to stay there, but Digby says according to our schedule we arrive there at 11.00am in the morning and can't waste the afternoon by not walking. We'll see......
The philanthropy is amazing, with many families donating large parcels of land to the national park organisations to enable the forest to be maintained. The ribbon of land which the trail follows becomes wider and wider with more acquisitions. In the 1930s south west Virginia mountains were completely denuded from logging, and the state bought the land and replanted forest using depression labour. These forests are now 80 years old and extend for miles and miles on both sides of the trail. The locals still hunt bear and deer in this forest and during the hunting season (Oct-Nov) hikers have to wear bright yellow safety jackets so they won't be mistaken as prey!
In the Shenandoah National Park, they estimate that the black bear population is now 1-2 bears per square mile. In the 1930s the bears were completely shot out of the area. Gradually since that time they have migrated back to the area from mountains in the west. We really might meet a bear.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Going for broke - fitting 2175 miles into 180 days
I have always been competitive and like to finish what projects I start - the thought of going to the US and walking 95% of the Appalachian trail and then flying home without finishing it, is not something that makes me happy. So initially we are going for it - it means longer average days and less rest days. Digby is working on a new schedule that has us reaching Mt Katahdin within our allotted time.
But who knows what will happen - six months is a long time.
But who knows what will happen - six months is a long time.
Monday, February 1, 2010
The US Embassy gives us a 6 month visa
Any traveller from Australia to the US receives a 90 day entry visa on arrival, and to extend this visa you must leave the continent. We decided to apply for a longer stay visitor visa so that we could complete the walk without having to exit the continent and return.
The process is quite complicated - fill out a 20 page application on line, insert photo into online application, pay an application fee of $152 per person to the local post office and receive a receipt, book your appointment online for a face to face interview at the embassy. The choice was Sydney or Melbourne - we chose Melbourne so we could visit Mum and Dad at the same time and have a 'family gathering' - our last until our return.
The interview process took an hour and a half - think sheepyards and cattle dip. It was very streamlined - the body search, the luggage stored, the escort to the 6th floor, the checking of our passport, and then released into the holding pen with a number. Numbers were being called over the microphone and up on the electronic screen - a little like waiting in the delicatessen for your number to be called.
We got called up twice - the first time to collect our paperwork and make sure that everything was in order, and to take our fingerprints - I guessed that was why we had to have a face to face interview - fingerprints are a bit hard to verify when sent through the post. The second call was the actual interview - it lasted about 4 minutes. Do you own your own house? What do you do to earn a living? You are walking the Appalachian Trail? I can give you a 6 month visa, but no more for a B1B2 visitor visa.
So we have a problem - how do we squash a 7 month walk into a 6 month time frame? Just walk faster??? We are considering our options.
As I write this the postman has arrived in the driveway with our passports stamped with our visas. Our journey moves closer to kick off.
The process is quite complicated - fill out a 20 page application on line, insert photo into online application, pay an application fee of $152 per person to the local post office and receive a receipt, book your appointment online for a face to face interview at the embassy. The choice was Sydney or Melbourne - we chose Melbourne so we could visit Mum and Dad at the same time and have a 'family gathering' - our last until our return.
The interview process took an hour and a half - think sheepyards and cattle dip. It was very streamlined - the body search, the luggage stored, the escort to the 6th floor, the checking of our passport, and then released into the holding pen with a number. Numbers were being called over the microphone and up on the electronic screen - a little like waiting in the delicatessen for your number to be called.
We got called up twice - the first time to collect our paperwork and make sure that everything was in order, and to take our fingerprints - I guessed that was why we had to have a face to face interview - fingerprints are a bit hard to verify when sent through the post. The second call was the actual interview - it lasted about 4 minutes. Do you own your own house? What do you do to earn a living? You are walking the Appalachian Trail? I can give you a 6 month visa, but no more for a B1B2 visitor visa.
So we have a problem - how do we squash a 7 month walk into a 6 month time frame? Just walk faster??? We are considering our options.
As I write this the postman has arrived in the driveway with our passports stamped with our visas. Our journey moves closer to kick off.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Book Review - Just Passin' Thru
Have just read a book written by Winton Porter based on the Appalachian trail and the characters who walk it. Porter runs a hostel/shop which is located right on the trail about 4 days north of the start of the walk in Georgia. He describes some of the people and the events which take place at Mountain Crossings at Walasi-Yi - an old stone building constructed in 1937. I have learned a lot from reading it and it has certainly helped prepare me for what to expect.
Some of my thoughts
- The large numbers of hikers - a couple of hundred people will start in the same week.
- Many are badly prepared with poor gear, overweight packs.
- The temperatures are really cold and snow can fall right through May.
- Everyone has a trail name which they earn along the trail - what will mine be i wonder?
- Lots of retirees doing the through hike - good to have a common age group.
- Not really wilderness - mobiles work, most of the walk. Dial a pizza.
- There really are bears and I better be quite clear on how to behave.
- Quite a few 'characters' who seem to live on the trail and walk forever.
- Lessons on American culture will be very frequent - mostly americans walking.
- What are pop tarts?
- Lots of intrastructure - easy to get transport to towns.
- The mail service - sending yourself parcels and packing out what you dont want.
- The history of the landscape - the native indian and the settler - Blood Mountain
- Learning the history of another nation and comparing it to our own, with a lot of time walking to think about it.
- People carry guns on the trail.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Getting into the head space
We have been planning to walk the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine in the USA for a long time. The hardest part of the planning was working out what we would do about running our business and the farm. Ro and Kieran - two old friends offered to come and step into our shoes, so we leapt at the chance.
The next issue is our visas for the US. If you want to stay more than 90 days you need a face to face interview to apply for a visa. We have our appointment next Friday in Melbourne - we can visit mum and dad at the same time.If we dont get a 7 month visa then we will have to interrupt the walk to fly to Europe for a short stay. You have to leave the continent.
Our daily schedule is now being worked out - we have to finish by October 15th - that is the day that they close Mt Katahdin in Maine for the season. The aim is to walk 12 to 15 miles a day and have one rest day every 7 days. Its been hard getting used to miles rather than kilometres.
The next issue is our visas for the US. If you want to stay more than 90 days you need a face to face interview to apply for a visa. We have our appointment next Friday in Melbourne - we can visit mum and dad at the same time.If we dont get a 7 month visa then we will have to interrupt the walk to fly to Europe for a short stay. You have to leave the continent.
Our daily schedule is now being worked out - we have to finish by October 15th - that is the day that they close Mt Katahdin in Maine for the season. The aim is to walk 12 to 15 miles a day and have one rest day every 7 days. Its been hard getting used to miles rather than kilometres.
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