Hiking Chaplain Heads Out in April

Many of our national parks have chaplains each summer (I was one on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and then at Mammoth Cave) to serve the spiritual needs of staff and visitors through a group called "A Christian Ministry in the National Parks."

Now our Appalachian Trail will have one, too, but with a different sponsor. As reported on the SWVA.com web site in a story by Wayne Quesenberry titled "Wythe man is on an Appalachian Trail mission," 26-year-old Josh Lindamood has completed a chaplaincy training with the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Lindamood intends to "be a spiritual presence on the trail," and not a proselytizer. His work is the result of the work and prayers of Pastor Alan Ashworth of New Hope Union, Green Valley and Pine Grove, Bland County, Virginia.

Buzz Trexler's Hike in the Smokies

A series of entertaining, interesting stories about preparing for and then hiking though the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the Appalachian Trail. Somewhat inspired by Bill Bryson's book, Buzz Trexler -- the managing editor at The Maryville (TN) Daily Times -- tells us how he and a few buddies fared out there on a very crowded section of Trail.

I found these stories, the preliminaries and those from the actual trip itself, all good reads. You will, too. If Trexler ever writes a hiking memoir, I think it'll be very well received.

So, then, here are links to the stories:

Pre-WalkColumns:

• Every journey begins with a single step -- onto the Wii balance board Originally published: 2011-12-20 Last modified: 2012-04-19
• You need to learn which voices to listen to on the trail Originally published: 2012-01-06 Last modified: 2012-04-19
• Don’t dig a new hole when trying to fill one in your spirit Originally published: 2012-01-16 Last modified: 2012-04-19
• He ain’t heavy; he’s my hiking brother Originally published: 2012-01-19 Last modified: 2012-04-19
• Filling in ‘Missing Link’ on a fall weekend Originally published: 2012-02-23 Last modified: 2012-04-19
• Getting over the Humps not always easy Originally published: 2012-03-16 Last modified: 2012-04-19

"A Walk in the Smokies" columns:

• There was something cosmic about deciding to take ‘A Walk in the Smokies’ Originally published: 2012-04-19 Last modified: 2012-04-25
• Join The Daily Times for ‘A Walk in the Smokies’ Originally published: 2012-04-25 Last modified: 2012-05-17
• A Walk in the Smokies: Severe weather alerts don’t deter mountain hikers Originally published: 2012-04-28 Last modified: 2012-05-17
• Through-hikers filling shelters along the way Originally published: 2012-04-28 Last modified: 2012-05-17
• Photo gallery from hike

Hiker Rescued in Virginia

Lynchburg, Virginia's News and Advance newspaper's web site has a brief note today about a "Hiker rescued in Bedford County".

The Bedford Fire Department, on its website, described the incident on the Appalachian Trail near Sunset Field.

Hiker is described only as a male, and a local resident. He was helicoptered out after his 20 foot fall.

Buzz Trexler's Hike in the Smokies

Buzz Trexler, the managing editor at The Maryville (TN) Daily Times puts together a hike on the AT in the Smokies with a couple friends. The results inclue a series of articles in the paper, beginning with: "There was something cosmic about deciding to take ‘A Walk in the Smokies’." That article introduces Bill Bryson's book to the paper's readers and then lays out his idea.

The plan: Put in at Clingmans Dome and take out at Max Patch, just outside of the Park boundaries – the very place where I first set foot on the Appalachian Trail in the late 1980s when my Sunday School class was staying at Sterchi Lodge.

He hopes to be able to update readers from his iPad. This story was Originally published: 2012-04-19 14:14:32 and Last modified: 2012-04-25 16:19:34

Hiking North from the Train Station

Audubon Magazine has an interesting hiker memoir in it, published online on 2 February 2012. By Jesse Greenspan, it's titled "Two Months on the Appalachian Trail; One hiker’s experience on the northernmost section of the East’s famous footpath."

What's most interesting in this tale about a 59 day hike over the 741 miles from the Appalachian Trail train station platform north to Katahdin is the recurring mention of specific birds seen or heard. Such as after his first night on the Trail "The next morning, I wake up to a wood thrush and veery chorus." I don't know tons about birds, but I know those are two very cool birds to listen to (or is it that those are two I could identify, so I only think they're cool?). Anyway, very few of the hiker memoirs I've read includes terms like "wood thrush" or "veery."

Joe Yantachka Book Published

The Rochester, New York Democrat and Chronicle of 15 January 2012 has an article by staff writer Leo Roth that eulogizes a recent hiker Joe Yantachka under the headline "Do It: Yantachka tamed the unknown; Man's journey by canoe, foot is about much more than the scenery."

Yantachka sounds like quite a guy, and you can read his full story in the recently published book Obdurate Odyssey by freelance colleague Phil Livingston as told by Yantachka with illustrations by Bill Alden. The genesis of the story is that

After a co-worker, an exercise nut who ate all the right foods, died at age 63, Joe Yantachka could no longer ignore the voice inside his head.

That led him to hatch

a plan to build a cedar canoe, paddle it to Florida's Gulf of Mexico, then turn around and walk home via the famed Appalachian Trail, a daunting round-trip of approximately 3,000 miles.

The first leg of the trip begins in 2007 near Cooperstown, NY at the headwaters of the Susquehanna River. He paddled down it (crossing under the A.T. which spans the river on the bridge just 'north' of Duncannon, Pennsylvania) to the Chesapeake; then along the coast to Florida and the Gulf. After the 99 day trip, he rested with family for a month, and then headed to Springer to start walking north. He hiked for 6 weeks up into Virginia; got off the Trail for his son's wedding and some shoulder surgery; got back on at Harpers Ferry; and then

A month later he was back in New York and headed toward home along the Finger Lakes Trail when he slipped on a rock and badly sprained his ankle. He called home for a ride just outside Watkins Glen, about 77 miles shy of his doorstep.

The really sad coincidence is that this obviously fit and able man, motivated by the early death (at 63) of his co-worker,

died last June from complications following lung cancer treatment, leaving only this written account to tell his inspiring tale. He was 59.

Ohio Teen Honored in Grant to Hiking Club

Jon Baker, staff writer for the Times-Reporter of Dover-New Philadelphia, Ohio, wrote the article titled "Hiking club to receive $5,000 grant in teen's honor" in the 7 January 2012 issue. Great story.

Seventeen year old hiker Daniel Lash loved hiking, especially with his friends in the Garaway Hiking Club. The high school club took (or takes) a trip to the Appalachian Trail each year, Lash participating each of his high school years. Lash died of an undetected heart problem back in 2007 during his senior year.

A former counselor at the school spearheaded an effort to raise money for a fitting memorial, scoring a $5,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project, an initiative begun in 2010 by PepsiCo. Lash's parents are now going to present $3,000 worth of hiking gear and $2,000 toward bus transportation for the club's March hike on the Appalachian Trail, both of which will help some kids get on the Trail who otherwise might not be able to afford it.

Hikers Raising Funds for Clean Water

The Chillicothe (OH) Gazette ran an article titled "Couple attempts to raise clean-water awareness" on 21 January 2010. The article, by staff writer Ashley Phillips, that starts:

A former southern Ohio couple with ties to Chillicothe is preparing to part with many of their possessions and take a 2,200-mile journey on foot to raise awareness of natural resources problems in other parts of the world.

Justin Meeker, of Lucasville, and his wife, Jessica, will be departing their home in Lexington in April.

They're actually selling their home and most of their possessions in order to attempt their money-raising thru-hike.

These self-described "outdoors people" who "love to go camping" hope to raise $10,000 to help two communities in developing countries provide safe drinking water to their citizens.

Lost and Found

WFMZ-TV has a story titled "Search Ends Successfully on Blue Mountain" on its web site from 26 October 2008 that recounts the discovery of "a 42-year-old woman and her dog were [who] rescued around midnight after being lost on Blue Mountain for about 10 hours." The searchers used thermal imaging to locate her, spotting her when she flicked a lighter. [An earlier version of the story included the line: "Officials say the woman called emergency officials on her cell phone and said she and her daughter were lost on the Appalachian Trail."]

The same story appears in the Pottsville (PA) Republican & Herald newspaper on 27 October in an unsigned article headlined "Rescuers find woman who became lost hiking." It adds that the woman had phoned for help when she realized she was lost, but her phone later lost its signal. About 60 rescuers aided in the 4 hour search.

Cousins Hike PCT Over AT

A story titled "For the Pacific Crest hikers: Back to work" in the 23 October 2008 Jacksonville Florida Times-Union recounts the successful 6 month Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike by 29-year-old Matt Balanky, from Jacksonville, and his cousin 35-year-old Ben Webb. Both were dissatisfied with their post-military civilian jobs and used the hike to get direction. Balanky conjured up the idea of a long distance hike; Webb suggested the PCT over the AT. The article ends with the thought that "Both say they'll hike again, but nothing this ambitious. Balanky still wants to walk the Appalachian Trail. But this time, he said, he'll take 20 or 30 years to do it."

Bryson's Books Reviewed and Inspiring

Two recent notices of Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods have come to my attention.

First is a short review of it online at English language site of the New Straits Times from Malaysia [Malaysia!] on 17 October 2008. There Su Aziz writes under the headlines "Read: Come along for the ride!" that "It’s a humorous book that is also interspersed with informative details of the trail's history and ecology."

Second is from a web site called World Hum; Travel Dispatches from a Shrinking Planet" and their travel blog dated 17 October 2008 with the title "What We Loved This Week: Idlewild Books, the Appalachian Trail and Flowers on the Turnpike." There, contributor Joanna Kakissis writes: "I lived in North Carolina for six years and never managed to step foot on the Appalachian Trail, despite hiking vicariously through the likes of Bill Bryson, Scott Huler and Eustace Conway (via Elizabeth Gilbert)." After finally getting on the Trail while at a conference in Roanoke, VA, she got inspired. Kakissis adds, "I started planning big. Anyone want to take off three months and hike the entire Maine-to-Georgia trail with me? It’s only, uh, like 2,175 miles." [Do I need to comment that that's planning for a very fast hike.]

Plans to Hike the A.T. and Thensome

An article titled "Worldwide walk begins on NGCSU campus" by Matt Aiken in the 12 March 2008 Dahlonega Nugget describes the beginning of Daren Wendell's hike on 8 March. Wendell aims on hiking around the world. In seven years. To "raise awareness for Blood:Water Mission-a charitable organization that works to provide clean blood to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa, and to build clean water wells in the region."

But, first, the Appalachian Trail. It's how he aims on getting toward Nova Scotia. From there, he'll fly to Portugal and "hike in a northeastern direction through Europe. This will take him through China and then Russia. He's hoping to find host families along the way that will provide him with shelter."

Oh yeah, the obligatory web site link (on which he reports that he heard that "150 thru-hikers left Amacalola Falls on March 16th." Remind me not to start in the middle of March.)

Bill Walker's Book Mentioned

The Sarasota (FL) Herald Tribune has a story in its 12 March 2008 issue titled "Naughty trail stories".

It's pretty brief, mentioning "Sarasota’s Bill Walker, who wrote a hiking book: SKYWALKER: Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail." For some reason Walker, or the reporter, was compelled to talk about two stories not in the book, both of which include male hikers who were (or wanted to be) sexual predators.

Hiker Glen Summers Talks in Indiana

A brief note in the Terre Haute (IN) News of 21 February 2008 under the heading "Health briefs: Feb. 21, 2008" mentions that

"The Friends of Turkey Run and Shades State Parks member, Glen Summers, will present a slide show of his 800 mile hike on the southern half of the Appalachian Trail. ... Glen hiked the southern half of the Appalachian Trail from its southern end in Georgia to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. Come see some of Glen’s experiences along this legendary trail on Thursday, Feb. 21, at 7:00 p.m. in the Dogwood Room in the basement of Turkey Run Inn."

Doesn't say when he hiked.

Pastor Ponder Ponders Pastoring While on the Trail

The Hunstville (AL) Times of 15 February 2008 has a profile of a hiker written by Kay Campbell with the headline "Dense forest trek also provided experience to examine life's path." Campbell describes the experience of Pastor Luke Ponder on a month-long sabbatical from the First Presbyterian Church during which he took a lengthy hike on the Virginia portion of the Appalachian Trail "last fall."

Inspired by Bill Irwin's "Blind Courage" hike, Ponder saw no people for the first 10 days of his hike, but continued on thinking, reflecting, pondering, and meditating.

"The trail itself became a kind of metaphor for the church universal - a path lovingly maintained by volunteers over generations for the feet of others they'd never know.

"But the main lesson Ponder learned on the trail is that a person needs company."

He found one in an abandoned puppy that he brought home from the Trail with him. So he had a bright spot on his hike despite earlier difficulties:

"Neither of his two cell phones could pick up a signal for a conversation with his sister or other friends. The grandeur of the old-growth forest had become oppressive. The startling brightness of odd mushrooms along the way were a monotonous distraction. Trail markers showed him that his pace wouldn't have made a turtle pant."

UPDATE: Story also appears in the 23 February 2008 Winston-Salem Journal under the headline "Sabbatical on the AT shows need for others" as a Religion News Service story

Day Hike in Virginia Described

Another WSLS television channel 10 story, this time in a blog from one of their anchors, John Carlin, appears under the title "Wind, Leaves and Fire" on 11 February 2008.

Carlin describes a hike he and a friend took, planning "to leave Troutville at 9:30 and run/hike the Appalachian Trail to route 311 near Catawba. It’s a 20 mile venture with three significant climbs – Tinker Mountain, Tinker Cliffs and the backside of McAfee’s Knob."

They faced significant wind, drifts of leaves (like snow drifts) sometimes chest high, and the smoke from 3 different forest fires in the area. Sounds like a blast.

Fewer Hikers Noted

The Northwest Arkansas Times of 10 February 2008 has a column by Bobby Hill titled "WHEN NATURE CALLS : Time in the outdoors loses out to a generation of technology" that reports the recent study funded by the Nature Conservancy showing that there are fewer people outdoors, including an 18% drop in the number of people on the Appalachian Trail between 2000 and 2005.

Barry Veden Speaking Soon

Michigan City, Indiana's Public Library advertises a talk it is hosting at the Library on 10 February by

"Local Author Barry Veden, "Coming of Age on the Appalachian Trail." Veden has written a heartwarming memoir of how hiking changed his life. "Coming of Age on the Appalachian Trail" suggests that any adversity can be overcome with the right attitude and with the help of God. He will talk about his book, his experiences and for those who are interested in hiking, he'll provide tips about equipment and show off his gear."

Notice appears in the Michigan City News-Dispatch of 3 February 2008 under the title "Michigan City Public Library."

Iditarod Musher Hiked Some A.T.

According to a story by Eric Crump in the Marshall (MO) Democrat-News, titled "Think our weather's bad? Former Iditarod racer shares tales of cold adventure" on 28 January 2008, 3-time musher Karen Land was inspired to train for the sled dog race while reading Gary Paulsen's book, Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod, during a hike on the Appalachian Trail.

"Actually, it was one dog who had the most influence on her decision, Kirby, a German shepherd-Catahoula mix she took hiking with her along the Appalachian Trail. That's where she read Paulsen's book."

The BEST 'Maryland Challenge' Story Ever

Folks know about the 41 mile 'Maryland Challenge' hike, using the Appalachian Trail to cross that state in a day. And folks hear or tell stories about trying to do it in the middle of a thru-hike, or as part of a group, or whatever. Here's the best story ever about hiking that stretch of Trail in that way:

In the Weddings/Celebrations section of the New York Times dated 27 January 2008, find the names "Laura Brown and Brian Vogt". The article tells the story of their meeting: "Mutual friends from the church introduced them, but each didn’t really know much about the other until a three-day church-sponsored backpacking trip in 2005." And about their courtship. And then gets to the good part:

"He then asked her out on their most ambitious date yet: the Maryland Challenge, a 41-mile day hike on a segment of the Appalachian Trail. When she readily accepted, Mr. Vogt recalled thinking, 'If she is someone who is willing at the drop of the hat to do something crazy like that, that’s one indicator. On a deeper level, she is a person who is adaptable and very comfortable in all sorts of situations and someone who seeks purpose in their life; those are the sort of things that I really admire about her.'

"He scouted out one of the longest days of the year, and on June 9, 2007, the couple set out before dawn.

"'The whole time I’m nervous, of course,' Mr. Vogt said of his proposal plan. 'I can’t do it in the morning; what happens if one of us gets injured or if we just can’t make it?'

"But at mile 29, with blistered feet, a dozen miles to go and nightfall not far off, Mr. Vogt started fumbling in his knapsack for the ring. Once he had it in hand, he said to Ms. Brown, 'This might not be the best time, but. ...'

"Bliss carried them through the final miles, and just before midnight, they stumbled up one last hill to a historic inn in Harpers Ferry, W.Va."

The wedding was 12 January 2008. Congratulations!