Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Wayne "Coach" Bailey Does the Trail

The Florence (AL) Times Daily 28 January 2008 story by Gregg Dewalt titled "Journey of a lifetime; For more than six months in 2007, retired teacher Wayne Bailey tackled the Appalachian Trail - and he lived to tell about it" records the accomplished thru-hike by Bailey.

Bailey summited Katahdin on 5 October 2007. His trail name was "Coach" because of his background in the schools. Carrying harmonicas and a backpacking guitar, he met up with some other music lovers with whom he hiked to Maine.
"Bailey’s group, dubbed the Magical Mystery Tour because of their musical talents, averaged about 100 miles per week after their Fourth of July break. They took one day off per week to rest and recuperate."
An interesting comment is that "Bailey said nearly everyone carried a cell phone and digital camera. Others carried weather radios." I'd have guessed fewer phones.

Overall a nice perspective on the experience, though.

And, call me silly, but I think a metaphor would have been better than these similes used by writer Dewalt: "The Appalachian Trail is like the Holy Grail of North American hiking trails. Finish it in its entirety and it’s like having a badge of honor."

No comments: