IAT Books and Documentary Coming Soon

The 23 January 2012 issue of the Western Star, western Newfoundland's only daily newspaper, has a brief article featuring upcoming film and book coverage for the area's section of the International Appalachian Trail. The headline is "International trail to get international exposure."

Family Aims to Thru-Hike This Year

The web site of WLFI.com channel 18 in West Lafayette, Indiana has a news story about another family intent on hiking the Trail. It was published on 22 January 2012 and updated on 24 January. The headline is simply "Family to hike Appalachian Trail."

The Rainwaters will begin hiking on March 13, and plan to finish the trail on September 26. That also happens to be Dean and Lisa's 15th wedding anniversary.

The family includes

The Rainwater's fifteen-year-old son, Forest, [who] is working hard to finish his homeschooling before the family sets out on their adventure. Their youngest son, River, will have to find time in the long days of hiking to study. The family said hitting the books on the trail will be worth it in the end.

Someone in my household just suggested to me that the boys might get trail names like "Fred" or "Donald" while they're out hiking.

The family has, of course, a web site: http://rainwater2012.com/

Cold Weather Lesson

Harry Dietz writes in the Reading Eagle, Reading, PA on 22 January 2012 under the headline "Let's not turn cold shoulder on needy". He's pleading for compassion for the homeless, especially during cold winter nights, and uses an A.T. experience as his opener:

The two coldest nights of my life were spent in a tent.

The coldest one was in a camping area just off the Appalachian Trail. It was late fall, and I was unprepared for the temperatures, which dropped below freezing. I slept on a thin pad in a thin sleeping bag. Actually I didn't sleep much because I was so cold. I learned a lot that night about being prepared.

Of course the point is that hikers either sooner or eventually get to go home and warm up, while the truly homeless don't. Remember that next time you're out on the Trail griping about the weather: you're out there voluntarily.

Huge Power Line Towers Proposed for Water Gap

OK, thanks to David Pierce of the Pocono Record writing under headline "Power companies offer to trade with park service for power line" on 21 January 2012, here are some specifics on the plan to run power lines through the Delaware Water Gap:

The line would cross federal lands in an existing utility right of way predating the park, though current 95-foot-high transmission towers would expand to 195 feet. The right of way might be widened from 100 feet to 300 feet. Lines supplying 500 kilovolts of power would be added to the existing 230-kilovolt line.

Opponents fear the taller towers will mar the scenic view, detracting from the park experience, and result in herbicide use that would pollute the environment.

The "National Park Service has the final say on whether the line can cross the park and the Appalachian Trail" and (according to a power company spokesperson) the land deal is "actually contingent on the park service choosing the route we proposed" so they say specifying what land they might buy for the Park Service is therefore "premature."

Oh, yeah, the power company

concedes the power project route will impact the park, but says additional land purchases present new opportunities to enjoy the natural environment.

How can towers some 10 stories higher and a right of way 3 times as wide NOT affect the Trail? Three hundred feet wide is a football field's length, for crying out loud.

What IS Thru-Hiking Really Like?

The Coloradoan.com, a Gannett News site, carries the 21 January 2012 column by Tim Nielsen titled "Appalachian Trail takes hiking to extremes." In it, Nielsen lists or describes pretty much all the stresses of thru-hiking, including the weather, the ups and downs, the long green tunnel, the smell, the insects, the cost ("$1.50 to $2.50 a mile") and the tedium

It also is said that life is different on the trail. Really? With an itinerary consisting of wake up, cook breakfast, break camp, walk 15 miles, stop, make camp, eat dinner, sleep, repeat 150 times, this sounds pretty routine to me.

But I can't make up my mind whether he's writing tongue in cheek, trying to keep the amateurs off the Trail, or is serious. his closign pragraph reads: "I do wish people well who attempt and complete this journey. I am just not sold on the idea, yet."

What do you think? Serious?

Hike Hallie Christian Noted

A profile of a recent 2,000 miler -- the Rev. Hallie Christian -- appears in the Sun Post-Herald out of Cleveland, Ohio. Published on 20 January 2012, the article is titled "Sun Post-Herald Person of the Week: Rev. Hallie Christian".

Here's the scoop:

Christian recently fulfilled her lifetime dream of walking the Appalachian Trail. Although she walked on the beginning portion of the trail in Georgia and the end of the trail in Maine, she hadn’t had the opportunity to set foot on the middle of the trail.

With the support of her family, Christian traveled to Chicago and Nashville to walk on four different areas of the trail. She describes the trail as “breathtaking.”

While the article refrains from specifying her age, it does picture her and say that she lives in a "continuing care retirement community." (And I'm not exactly sure why she would have to go through Chicago to get to the Trail if she was coming from Cleveland.)

Thru-Hiker is Film Festival Coordinator

Fence Viewer, "the community news and information website for hancock county, maine" has an article written by Letitia Baldwin and posted on 20 January 2012 that's titled "Adventurers Converge for Banff Festival Party."

So, it's a preview of the film festival that features documentaries about the outdoors and adventure activities. After the November festival out in Alberta, the films tour both Canada and the U.S. And for 18 years, the tour has been stopping in Maine. One of the Maine organizers is Mike Staggs. "Originally from Reading, Pa., Staggs wound up in Maine after hiking the 2,181-mile Appalachian Trail at age 17. His trail name is “Eco Warrior.”"

October Hiking in North Carolina

The Citizen-Times of Asheville, NC mentions our A.T. in an article about their school calendar titled "Asheville school officials learn more about non-traditional calendar" that was written by Julie Ball on 20 January 2012.

She writes:

For some Macon County students, a weeklong break in October was a chance to get some extra help with their studies.

For others, it was a chance to take a trip with other students to the Appalachian Trail or a local museum, or it was simply a good time for a vacation.

Let's hope lots took the time to go hiking. And, if they did, that the school officials keep the calendar that affords this break.

Trail Ambassador Program

This is sort of meta-informational, but a web site called Examiner.com is commenting on the fact that "The Appalachian Trail now has “ambassadors”" in a Merlyn Seeley post dated 20 January 2012. He zeroes in on Mary Bennett being named the Trail Ambassador in Franklin, NC, and explains a little about the program.

Power Lines Through The Water Gap?

The NJSpotlight website carries a potentially troubling article about power company proposals to run power lines through the Delaware Water Gap, if they get "fast track" approval from the National Park Service.

The article or post is called "Utilities Offer to Swap Open Land for Power Project OK; Proposal comes as new hearings begin on environmental impact of high-voltage power lines through Delaware Water Gap and Highlands" and is written by Tom Johnson on 20 January 2012.

As I understand it, the utilities -- Public Service Electric & Gas, PPL Electric Utilities -- want to be able to run their new high voltage power line through the area and think they can "mitigate" the damage by purchasing land elsewhere and donating that land to the Park Service to make up for it.

The utilities claim that "the acquisitions would protect scenic vista for hikers on the Appalachian Trail and significantly expand National Park Service land holdings in and around the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area".

There isn't a map with this article to point out just where the line will run, but it does say that "The 145-mile proposal mostly follows the path of an existing 85-year-old power line, but has generated enormous opposition because a portion of its 45-mile route in New Jersey crosses the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, the Middle Delaware Natural Scenic and Recreational Area, and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail."

On the one hand, this deal "could potentially bridge gaps between existing federal and state lands in the area. It would create a half-million-acre swath of contiguous publicly owned or preserved natural lands for recreation and wildlife preservation", but "it has been strongly backed by business interests because it is expected to ease congestion on the power grid in New Jersey, which greatly inflates electric bills. PSE&G estimates the project will save consumers more than $200 million per year in a state burdened with some of the highest electricity rates in the country."

Strong backing by business, and the fact that the utilities are projecting huge savings for customers make me suspicious. Very suspicious. Especially when lots of environmental groups are protesting. When has something like that ever turned out good?

Damascus Still Cool

"Damascus: Coolest Town In America? Damascus Is Finalist For The Title Of Coolest Small Town" is the title of Drew Hinesley's piece on the WCBY.COM News 5 web site, posted on 19 January 2012 and updated on 20 January.

Either through editing or, well, something else, the item does not explain whence the "coolest small town" contest. Nor does it make clear (to me, at least) whether the 'Bill Leonard, owner of Adventure Damascus' quoted in the opening paragraph is the same person as the 'Detroit transplant Serial' quoted in the third paragraph.

Still, Damascus is a pretty cool town for hikers and others passing through.

Snow on the Trail

Milt Gross writes in the 19 January 2012 Waldo Village Soup, from Waldo, Maine about ice. Snow and ice. Cold weather hiking. And did I mention the ice?

The article is titled "Down the Road a Piece" and begins so:

I’ve trudged through snow so deep on the Appalachian Trail above Grafton Notch that the snow covered the eye-level white blazes that hikers in other seasons follow from Georgia to Katahdin.

Yeah. That's a lot of snow.

Sanford Still Not Hiking

The News & Observer Publishing Company based in the South somewhere (again, these web sites news organizations have seem often to hide basic information about themselves) has a piece by Daryl Lease, an editorial writer for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, VA, in which his lead reads:

I do hope our dear friends in South Carolina have FEMA on speed dial. The 2012 presidential campaign, now roughly 1,175 days old, is upon them. No less a personage than former Gov. Mark Sanford, who has returned from not walking on the Appalachian Trail, is worried about the wreckage that will be left behind by Saturday's Republican primary.

Ah, well, that phrase probably will always pop up whenever Sanford is mentioned. The article is titled "In South Carolina, politics is a calling". It's dated 19 January 2012.

Federal Money for Maine Conservation

Valerie Tucker, writing in the Sun Journal from Lewiston, Maine, on 19 January 2012 shares conservation news under the headline "Maine gets $8.7M for 17,600-acre forest conservation project in Franklin County".

The opening sentence carries the surprising (in these tight economic times) part: "Federal awards totaling $8.73 million will protect two Western Maine forest properties from development." Federal money? For conservation??

Here are some of the details on what's being done.

Most of the funding — $7 million — which comes from the U.S. Forest Legacy Program, will go toward preserving 11,800 acres of Plum Creek's working forest on and around Crocker Mountain in Carrabassett Valley, according to the Maine Department of Conservation. [on which mountain logging, or "timber harvesting," will continue] ...

The land buffers 10 miles of the Appalachian Trail and will add 3 miles to snowmobile Route 115 of Maine's Interconnected Trail System, along with 4 miles of the ATV trail system. Protecting the property from development will guarantee access for other types of recreation, including hunting, hiking, mountain biking and cross-county skiing. ...

The second High Peaks Conservation Project is Orbeton Stream in Madrid Township, for which the state will receive $1.73 million for the purchase of a conservation easement over 5,808 acres of family-owned timberland. ...

The Orbeton property provides views of the Appalachian Trail and includes a 6.4-mile section of snowmobile Route 84 of Maine's ITS system, which will be made available for public use. ...

Snowmobile and ATV clubs will have new access to western Maine trails that previously been off limits.

I'm not personally a big fan of snowmobiles or ATVs, but there you go. These kinds of arrangements are always complicated. In this case, involving US Senators and several local groups: "Chris Beach, a member of the Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust and the High Peaks Alliance, said the funding acknowledges the tireless work of several local conservation and recreation groups."

SEE ALSO: Maine Public Broadcasting Network's web site for a story reported by Keith Shortall titled "Federal Funds to Help Preserve Land in Maine's Franklin County" on 19 January 2012.

AND the same information in MainBiz.com on 20 January.

Another Trail Ambassador Named

A short note in the Smoky Mountain News from Waynesville, NC under the headline "Franklin now has AT “ambassador”" and dated 18 January 2012 brings the welcome news that "Mary Bennett has been chosen to serve as the volunteer ambassador for the designated Appalachian Trail Community of Franklin."

Bennett "is an educator, horticulturalist and hiker; she has section hiked much of the A.T.". Her job is to be a face in the place, to personalize the Trail at the local level.

Walmart Protection Money

Asheville, NC's Mountain Xpress dated 18 January 2012 has a post by Margaret Williams titled "Blue Ridge Forever receives $500,000 grant to protect 12,000 acres in WNC and eastern Tennessee" that spells out details of a grant from Walmart reported here earlier.

The specific mention of the A.T. comes in this paragraph:

At nearly 10,000 acres, Rocky Fork, located just over the border in Tennessee, is the most prominent of six tracts in the project. The Conservation Fund, Cherokee National Forest, and the State of Tennessee acquired it in 2008 in cooperation with Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Rocky Fork was one of the largest unprotected high-elevation parcels remaining in the Southern Appalachians and is home to an array of rare and endangered species. The grant money will assist in the protection of the final section of Rocky Fork later this year, conserving a haven for wildlife, safeguarding water quality and supporting economic opportunities for neighboring communities.

There are a lot of trout streams in these tracts, hence the leadership role for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Community Ambassador in Southwest Virginia

"Bland County's Appalachian Trail ambassador" is the headline on the article by Jeffrey Simmons of the SWVA Today staff out of someplace in Southwest Virginia (Bristol maybe? ... it's hard to tell from these web sites). The 17 January 2012 article highlights

Smyth County resident, Bland County beef cattle farm owner, horseback rider and general lover of the outdoors Diana Billips [who] has been named a community ambassador for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

Billips leads hikes throughout the year for Piedmont Appalachian Trial Hikers and maybe other clubs. She and her dog are pictured.

Roger Tetreault to Talk His Hike

The Patriot Ledger of Quincy, Massachusetts has a story in its 17 January 2012 online edition titled "Milton Public Library hosts talk about hiking Appalachian Trail" which seems to come from the GateHouse News Service.

The gist of the story is that

On Sunday, Feb. 5 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., in the Keys Community room of the Milton Public Library, Roger Tetreault, of Boxborough, will talk about his 2,176-mile hike of the Appalachian Trail.

Doesn't say just when Roger hiked Sounds like fun, though.

NOTE: similar announcement in the 25 January 2012 issue

Cooperation Renovating Shelters in Smokies

The Mountain Xpress of Asheville North Carolina carries the story about the reconstruction of the trail shelters in the Smokies under the title "Partners work to protect backpackers and bears in the Smokies" on 17 January 2012.

The online National Parks Traveler blogs the Danny Bernstein story "Mark Wenger Named Appalachian Trail Conservancy Executive Director" on 17 January 2012.

Indiana Hiker Becomes Musher

The 17 January 2012 Crawfordsville, Indiana Journal-Review online version carries a story by Andy Barrand titled "Dashin’ Through the Snow: Former musher gives presentation at CDPL" in which he describes a presentation at the public library about dog-sledding the Iditarod by 3-time musher Karen Land.

After college Land was looking for an adventure, so she hiked the Appalachian Trail with Kirby [her dog] by her side. While on that hike she picked up the book “Winter Dance” at a library along the way. The book was about Gary Paulsen’s rookie run at the Iditarod.

So a thru-hiker from the 1990s, I'm guessing, becomes a musher. Wonder which of the kids listening to her talk got inspired to do what.

Snowy Shenandoah Hike Pictures

The Scholars and Rogues blog follows up on its own post with some winter hiking pictures on 16 January 2012 from the A.T. in the Shenandoah National Park (can't mistake that cement/concrete post!). The blog post is titled "Scenes from the Appalachian Trail, just for us."

As freakishly warm as so much of this winter has been, it's good to see a little ice and snow, even if just in online pictures.

Cool Damascus Virginia

The Tri-Cities.com site carries the 16 January 2012 story titled "Damascus among 10 coolest towns in America". The top ten list is being put together by online voting sponsored by Budget Travel Magazine, with final results not to be published until the September/October issue.

The Damascus -- A.T. connection is highlighted:

Damascus is a one-time logging town on the Virginia-Tennessee border, nestled between swaths of national forest and reborn in the last decade as a home to Appalachian Trail through-hikers and Virginia Creeper Trail bicyclists.

With the Appalachian Trail running through the middle of town, Damascus plays host every year to the Trail Days festival, huge weekend gathering focused on hikers.

Very interestingly, too, one resident is quoted as saying that "We don’t want to be too discovered" and lose their small town appeal.

Hikers Connect Thru Facebook

"Facebook Plays Role In Appalachian Trail Hike: Friends Reconnect On Social Networking Site" is the title of the WMTW.COM ABC News 8 web site story about the two women, Sue Twombley and Denise Scales, who hooked up over Facebook after being in school together years ago. They are training for a thru-hike.

The 16 January 2012 post says that they are beginning to carry "fully loaded packs" starting today. And that they intend to start their hike on 29 February.

Bryson's Book Reviewed

It's been a while, but here's a new review of Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, done by Chris Mackowski in the website or blog "Scholars and Rogues" on 16 January 2012. Under the title "Bill Bryson's Pleasant 'walk'," Mackowski begins his favorable review with these words:

I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s read Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods and had a burning urge to go hike the Appalachian Trail. Of course, that might also have something to do with the fact that my girlfriend is heading there today to hike part of it. But whatever.

He recounts some of his encounters with pieces of the Trail including "my favorite stretch of the AT heads into the woods at the northern border of Gapland State Park" [make that Gathland].

So once again Bryson gets people out into the woods, or at least just more aware of them.

Frontier Soups Trades on Trail Name

SF Gate, online home on the San Francisco Chronicle, carried a press release on 15 January 2012 from the Frontier Soups company advertising their Super Bowl package.

The specially-priced Super Bowl Party Pack contains four all natural chili mixes and a free Appalachian Trail Cornbread Mix for $24.95, said Trisha Anderson, founder of Frontier Soups.

I don't know. I looked at their website, and the "Appalachian Trail" cornbread sounds like plain old run-of-the-mill cornbread to me. It could actually be really good, though. I haven't had any. The company is based in Waukegan, IL.

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.

Sandstone on the Trail (or ... the Trail on Sandstone?) in Virginia

Virginia Tech assistant professor of geoscience writes in a 13 January 2012 Wired web post about an A.T. photo under the headline "Friday Field Photo #165: Sandstone Along the Appalachian Trail".

He has a nice photo of "the Tuscarora Formation on display along the Appalachian Trail near Roanoke, Virginia." Most of us walk these rocks and don't know much about them (except how sharp the ones in Pennsylvania seem).

Eastern Tree Cover Thanks to the A.T.

There's an article on 13 January 2012 in the MailOnline published by Britain's Daily Mail with the headline "Land of the tree: Nasa maps America's forests for first time to reveal how canopy covers a THIRD of the U.S." What interested me most were the remarks by author Louise Boyle about the green eastern United States.

Almost a third of the U.S. is covered in forest. The darkest patches are along the east and west coasts of the U.S where forestry is the most dense. The region surrounding the Appalachian Mountains which runs down the east coast is one of the country's most heavily wooded. Since 1937, the Appalachian Trail has been in place - a 2,181-mile long public footpath that runs from Maine's Mount Katahdin to Georgia's Springer Mountain taking in some of the most breathtaking scenery.

Good for us! Nice map, too.

Call to Re-Open Smokies Shelters

The Mountain Press has published a letter to the editor from Morgan Briggs of Pigeon Forge questioning the Park Service's logic in closing -- and then refusing ever to re-open -- backwoods shelters in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Under the title "Park service uses poor logic with regard to closed shelters" Briggs focuses particularly on the recent work done at the oft-crowded Icewater Spring shelter. He says some of the crowding could be alleviated were to Park Service to re-open a nearby shelter.

False Gap is a nice, stone shelter, with a fireplace, spring and an excellent location. In the mid-’60s, the park service, in their infinite wisdom, decided to close False Gap. If this shelter was reopened it would be a tremendous asset for the park. It would take a lot of pressure off Icewater.

I guess maybe the NPS logic is that more available shelters will increase the total number of users, rather than spread out the current number, and that would be a bad thing.

Thru-Hikers Logan Sampson and Adrian Jaques

Steve Cartwright profiles A.T. Thru-hiker Logan Sampson under the headline "Play music, hike, live with passion" in the 12 January 2012 Waldo Village Soup out of Waldo, Maine.

Logan is about to set off on a two-month winter hike of the 273-mile Long Trail in Vermont, with a friend. And that’s just a couple of months after hiking the entire Appalachian Trail with a different friend, all 2,181 miles of it, from the summit of Mount Katahdin to Springer Mountain, Georgia.

Only days after graduating from Camden Hills Regional High School, Sampson and classmate Adrian Jaques, of Hope, set off from Katahdin on June 15, 2011. They reached Springer on 11 November. How long will it be before he heads to the PCT with another friend?

Alabama Hiking Trail Society to Meet

Alabama trail news includes the following from the Shelby County Reporter of 12 January 2012 with the headline "4-H Center to host statewide Alabama Hiking Trail Society conference".

One of the speakers at the Alabama Hiking Society meeting 9-11 March 2012 will be keynoter "Michael Leonard, founder of the Alabama Trails Association and the man who led efforts to connect Alabama’s Pinhoti Trail to the Appalachian Trail in Georgia."

Another speaker will be

Tom Cosby with the Alabama Appalachian Trail Initiative [who] will speak about efforts to bring the southern trailhead of the Appalachian Trail to Alabama.

“That has been a source of a lot of talk amongst hikers and it literally takes an act of Congress to be done,” Cuhaj said.

I guess I've had my head in my boots, because I can't recall hearing anything about this effort to extend the southern end of the Trail to Alabama. AL-ME? ME-AL?

Walmart Protecting the Trail

On January 12, 2012 the Sacramento Bee published an unedited press release from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. telling about Walmart's 2012 Acres for America program.

The release is headlined "Walmart Helps Conserve an Additional 49,000 Acres of Critical Wildlife Habitat" The pertinent content is at the end:

Appalachian Trail Habitat Protection Project: North Carolina and Tennessee

Partners: The Conservation Fund, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Blue Ridge Forever and Conservation Trust for North Carolina

This group of seven key parcels collectively protects nearly 13,000 acres of forest and 40 miles of freshwater streams along the Appalachian Trail Corridor, which are home to the imperiled southern Appalachian brook trout, 1,000 species of plants, at least 300 species of birds and 20 species of rare and declining salamanders.

The Acres for America program is a 10-year, $35 million commitment that began in 2005 between Walmart and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to purchase and preserve one acre of wildlife habitat in the U.S. for every acre of land developed by the company through 2015.

And Getting Up and Doing It Again

Paul Bowers writes about running the Charleston (SC) Half Marathon in an article in the online Charleston City Paper of 11 January 2012. The article is titled "Trying to avoid rookie mistakes at the Charleston Half Marathon; Run Your Own Race" and begins with an interesting note:

Often when people ask about my long-distance running habit, I am reminded of the first time I met someone who had hiked the entire Appalachian Trail. I asked him how he did it, and he shrugged.

"There wasn't much to it, really," he said. "It was basically just walking, sleeping, and eating for five months."

His nonchalant answer might have been false modesty, but a part of me took him at his word.

Well, yeah, there you go.

Decommissioned Fire Tower Near AT

Elizabethton, Tennessee's "Elizabethton Star" has a 9 January 2012 article by Robert Sorrell titled "Decommissioned fire tower great for winter hike, views".

"The steel fire tower at Holston High Knob, the mountain’s third highest point, was last staffed in 1991. It stands at 4,136 feet above sea level in the Cherokee National Forest [or about 150 feet lower than the FAA beacon]." While access to the tower is blocked by the Forest Service, and reportedly quite dangerous, people are said to climb it.

"The fire tower on Holston Mountain has been listed in the National Historic Lookout Register." (I've never heard of such a register. See what you can learn reading the newspapers?)

"Visitors may also access the tower from the Appalachian Trail. Take the Appalachian Trail from Cross Mountain to the Double Springs Shelter, where it intersects the Holston Mountain Trail. It is a fairly lengthy hike, about 12 miles long, but is popular among area hikers."

Enjoy!

Mark Sanford Again

There's a post in the Huffington Post by Christopher Lamb on 9 January 2012 titled "South Carolina: The State Of Irony." He points out the comedic reputation of South Carolina's politics (deserved or not). Okay, here's the relevant stuff:

Comedy comes so naturally to South Carolina politicians that they're often at their funniest when they aren't trying to be, such as when former Gov. Mark Sanford put the "whoopee" in whoopee cushion.

In June 2009, Sanford went AWOL without telling anyone, including, presumably, his staff. When asked about the governor's whereabouts, his befuddled spokesman told reporters that Sanford was "hiking the Appalachian Trail." In reality, Sanford, who had run for office on his strong family values, was visiting his paramour in Argentina. Sanford's greatest contribution in office may have been his addition of the phrase, "hiking the Appalachian Trail" to the American lexicon.

Okay, on to other things.

Maine Women Planning a Thru-hike

Don Perkins wrote an article in the 10 January 2012 Portland Press Herald under the headline "Don Perkins: Reconnecting to thru-hike A.T."

The gist of the story is that when Sue Twombley, of Gorham, ME decided to thru-hike this coming season, she hooked up with a friend from middle school, Denise Scales of Scarborough, through Facebook. Okay, maybe not too newsworthy to a lot of people reading this blog, but what if I add that both women have grandchildren and middle school was 35 years ago?

The pair has been training for 6 months, and plans to leave for Georgia in 6 weeks. (Remember when thru-hikes didn't start until Spring?) Their sendoff party is at the Stockhouse Restaurant in Westbrook on 4 February.

Another Mount Washington Death

An article in the 10 January 2012 Lewiston Sun Journal carries the sad news of another death on Mount Washington. Under the headline "Massachusetts hiker dies after 800-foot plunge on Mount Washington" we read

A Massachusetts man who solo hiked up Mount Washington for a day trip on Monday, died during the descent that night, Colleen Mainville, White Mountain National Forest spokeswoman, said on Tuesday.

Patrick Scott Powers, 46, of Mansfield, slipped and fell 800 feet down snow- and ice-covered slopes into Tuckerman's Ravine, she said.

He died of injuries from the fall, Mainville said.

He was hiking solo, and fell sometime between 7 and 8 at night. Crews from several rescue units responded and worked through the night at the site.

Baxter State Park Reservations

The Lewiston Sun Journal of 9 January 2012 has an Associated Press piece titled "Park announces camping reservations date" which "park" is, of course, Baxter State Park. So in case your family wants to walk the final mile up Katahdin with you at the end of your thru-hike this summer ... and you can tell now just exactly what day you're going to summit ...

Park officials say people who show up at the park's Millinocket headquarters on Jan. 17 can make up to two reservations for any time from May 15 to Oct. 15.

The park will also begin its rolling reservation system on the same date allowing campers to use the park's website to reserve lean-tos, tent sites and cabins up to 120 days in advance.

Greg Treinish, AT Hiker

It's just a mention from out there in Bozeman, Montana, but Rachel Hergett, staff writer on the Bozeman Daily Chronicle gives the Appalachian Trail a shout out in her 9 January 2012 "What's Up With That? Making the Cut" piece. It is an alert that this month the Christian Science Monitor is profiling 30 people under 30, and of the 30 people she could have highlighted, she picked Gregg Treinish from Bozeman, mentioning that

He has hiked the Appalachian Trail, was one of the first people to ever trek the Andes Mountains and was named Adventurer of the Year by the National Geographic Society

Andy Falender Retiring at AMC

The Boston Globe Magazine for 8 January 2012 has an brief interview by Doug Most with the retiring head of the Appalachian Mountain Club headlined "Andy Falender steps down from Appalachian Mountain Club: After 23 years, he reflects on his proudest achievements, biggest regrets, and favorite hikes and huts."

One Q & A:

Have you ever hiked the entire Appalachian Trail? No. This is what happens when you grow up in Indiana; you don’t have the chance to check off these parcels. I’ve done lots of sections of it. I don’t think I saw a mountain till I was 18.

Yeah. I was in Indiana for a couple years. No mountains where I was.

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.

9/11 Survivor Plans Thru-Hike

The Gannett newspaper chain's lohud.com website (as in "lower Hudson") carries an article headlined "Grand View woman to walk Appalachian Trail to inspire kindness" that's dated 8 January 2012.

The lead does a good job of setting up the story:

Christine Baker plans to walk the entire Appalachian Trail next summer, and part of the reason why is because she overslept by 15 minutes on Sept. 11, 2001, and thus missed being in the World Trade Center at the time it was attacked.

Instead of buying her coffee at the base of a tower on her way to her public relations job, Baker stood at the ferry terminal in Weehawken, N.J., and watched as the first tower burned.

Then the story goes on to explain that Baker is planning a southbound hike with her dog beginning in June. Furthermore,

She is asking that people dedicate a mile in honor of those who inspire them on the organization’s website, www.walk4good.org. There is no charge to do so, but the person is asked to commit a random act of kindness for someone else.

(Hint: turn the volume down on your speakers before clicking on the website link)

Pinhoti Trail Shelters in Alabama

Alabama will be using a federal grant to, among other things,

construct overnight shelters along the Pinhoti Trail, which begins near Talladega and stretches north for 240 miles to where it joins the Appalachian Trail in Georgia.

This is reported in a 7 January 2012 editorial titled "Money for trails: Alabama putting federal grants to much-needed use" in The Anniston Star.

Water Trails on Lake Michigan

The article "Should Michigan follow other states by investing in Lake Michigan water trails?" by Howard Meyerson of the Grand Rapids Press, is really about establishing trails for canoes in Michigan, a worthy goal.

But the 6 January 2012 article contains not one, but two, comparisons between water trails and the Appalachian Trail. Here they are.

Wisconsin announced just before the holidays it is well on its way to making its 425-mile shoreline a working part of the trail. The water trail is expected to be designated by Congress as a National Recreation Trail. It will be to paddling what the Appalachian and North Country national scenic trails are to hiking: Epic.

and

Lemberg is nothing if not enthusiastic. The prospect of combining a kayak tour up the Michigan shoreline with a bike tour along U.S. Route 35, the proposed bike route up the Lake Michigan shoreline, makes him giddy. He said the tourism opportunities are astounding when the various modes of travel are combined.

“We should be a world destination on the level of the Appalachian Trail,” Lemberg said. “But we (the state) haven’t been marketing things that way.”

So there you have it: kayaking or canoeing in Lake Michigan in either state is sort of like hiking the Appalachian Trail.

New ATC Executive Director

Web site AlpineZone.Com carries the press release about Mark J. Wenger being appointed to succeed David N. Startzell as ATC Executive Director in a post dated 6 January 2012 and titled "New Executive Director Selected for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy."

Also in the Knoxville News-Sentinel of 8 January 2012 under title "Appalachian Trail Conservancy names new leader."

Hike the AT By Kayaking the Shenandoah

Jill Moon, writing in the Alton, Illinois Telegraph of 6 January 2012, chronicles the thru-hike by Alton native John Weaver. He started on 6 April and summited Katahdin on on 12 October.

The article, headlined "Journey to self along the Appalachian Trail," also notes how the hike changed his life, by prompting him into a career change. One note of especial interest to me about his hike is that

Weaver simultaneously hiked the trail with his college roommate, Mitch Boeh, 25, of Kansas City, Mo., but they split up for about a month. In that time, Weaver figured out a way to kayak the trail and ended up kayaking about 160 miles of the trail on the Shenandoah River with five other people.

Because Weaver started hiking the trail with no vessel in which to float the river, he and the others stood by a road with a sign asking to borrow a kayak or canoe. Someone actually loaned him a kayak, and he paid for someone else’s gas to pick up the kayak when he finished using it.

Which really puts a whole new spin on the concept of "blue blazing".

Something else to look into is that

A good friend of Weaver’s, Greg Snyder, aka "Feather," a trail "handle," who he met on the trail and with whom he hiked a majority of the trail, is making a HD movie about the journey. The trailer can be seen on YouTube by searching "Walking to Katahdin."

Pochuck Boardwalk Invitation

The North Jersey Media Group's web site NorthJersey.com brings us a couple pictures to entice us out onto the Trail this weekend. Published on 5 January 2012 under the headline "A winter hike along the Appalachian Trail in Vernon," you get to see some of the boardwalk through the Pochuck Creek wetland.

Hall of Fame Nominations Requested

The Mountain Times in Boone, NC published a submitted story on 5 January 2012 under the headline "App Trail Hall of Fame accepting nominations." And that's the gist of it:

Deadline for nominations is Wednesday, Feb. 29. Inductees will be announced on Friday, June 8, at the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame Banquet in Boiling Springs, Pa. The inductees will be enshrined on an Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame Wall of Honor to be located in the Appalachian Trail Museum in Gardners, Pa.

The article gives more specifics about qualifications and how to make nominations, of course. Or you can just zip over to the Museum website for more information.

The press release was also used by Yvonne Mazzulo in an online publication sort of thing called Examiner.com under headline "2012 Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame nominations open" on 7 January 2012.

Hiking Likened to a Honda, Maybe

I'm not sure what this means, but the press release aggregator www.prweb.com posted an online press release from (I think) GOAutoPlus.com on 6 January 2012 that quotes ads from Honda about their sport utility vehicle. Titled GOAutoPlus.com Makes a Leap List With the All-New 2012 Honda CR-V, the line that caught my eye is in this paragraph:

'The all-new 2012 CR-V is here, and it’s designed to help you get to that list of things you always said you’d do before taking life’s next big leap. Like hiking the Appalachian Trail. Or learning the drums. Or shooting a short film. So if marriage is right around the corner, make a Leap List today. And get going on it in the completely-redesigned 2012 CR-V,' says Honda.

So the car will help you get to hiking the Trail. Or something.

Smoky Mountain Shelter Rehab

The Washington Post caught up with the Associated Press release about the Smoky Mountains shelters under the headline 15th and final backcountry shelter renovated in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on 5 January 2012. (See earlier posts on this blog for details)

Jennifer Pharr Davis Recognized

Spokane, Washington's Spokesman-Review newspaper published a list of people having made marks in the hiking/climbing/outdoors realms during 2011. They call it "2011: Outstanding in their field".

Among those noted (and pictured) is:

Jennifer Pharr Davis, 28, set a record of supported speed hiking on the Appalachian Trail, trekking the 2,180-mile route in 46 days, 11 hours, 20 minutes.

She's also written an article about her hike in the November-December "AT Journeys" (pages 38-41).

AT Museum Awards

An online news site called PublicOpinion.com (related, it seems, to the Chambersburg, Pennsylvania newspaper of the same name) has a local news article recognizing the naming of several people for their contributions to the Appalachian Trail Museum.

Those mentioned are: Jim Foster, 2007 thru-hiker from Mechanicsburg, PA, the 2011 Appalachian Trail Museum Volunteer of the Year; Nancy Robinson of Seven Valleys, PA; Bill and Sharon Van Horn of Franklin, NC; and Joanne Paine of Long Beach, CA.

If you weren't among the 20,000 to visit the Museum in its first two seasons, then go this year.

Tired of Old Mountains? Try the New Ones!

CBS News has put an Associated Press story on its web site on 4 January 2012 that it is headlining "Like walking? Try the Himalayan range, all of it."

It describes a developing tourism and hiking opportunity: "the Great Himalaya Trail, is being touted as an epic, untapped alternative to the bucket-list trek to base camp on the world's highest mountain."

The comparison point is that "Granted, the Great Himalaya Trail lacks the history and utility of the Silk Road, the ancient trade network that linked Asia to Europe, or the cohesion and accessibility of the Appalachian Trail for hikers in the United States."

That's us: cohesive and accessible!

More on the Smoky Mountain Shelters

An article titled "Smokies’ partners renovate their final trail shelter in park" in the 4 January 2012 Smoky Mountain News describes the shelter upgrade project as a real team effort. Among the changes effected were the removal of the chain link fences, which I guess had not been in place long enough to be considered 'historic.'

"Old trail shelters used to have chain link fences around them to keep bears out of backpackers’ food. The renovations have removed the unattractive fencing from all the shelters, and instead installed bear cables, which are actually more effective at keeping bears out of food by hoisting it out of reach."

Post Offices Not Closing . . . Yet

The Smoky Mountain News, Waynesville, NC has Quintin Ellison's 4 January 2012 article titled "Fontana Dam gets a temporary reprieve from post office closure".

The Postal Service had earlier included Fontana Dam on its list of post offices likely to be closed in budget cutting efforts. Now the Congress wants to slow things down (big surprise there, eh?) and consider other options to pull the USPS out of the red.

As readers of this blog probably know, "reliant on the post office in Fontana Dam are the legions of Appalachian Trail thru-hikers who stop to pickup supplies as they traverse the famous footpath, which spans from Georgia to Maine. Many AT hikers, before leaving on their treks, mail themselves food and camping items to various drop points along the trail. Fontana Dam is the last re-supply point before hikers hit a tough stretch of the Smokies."

It could yet happen that the post office (and others along the Trail, like Caratunk, if I remember correctly) will close anyway. Pay attention if you use mail drops. The decision and closings aren't due until after 15 May, which means northern post offices could disappear after you leave on your thru-hike this year.

Waywayanda Map Updates Coming

David M. Zimmer, a staff writer at NorthJersey.com posted a 4 January 2012 article on their web site titled "Wawayanda State Park due for trails map update"

The gist of it is that the New Jersey Geological Survey is going to update the park's trail map under a grant from New Jersey's Green Acres program. The park "is 34,350 acres of mountainous terrain that harbors a 19.6-mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail as well as more than 40 miles of additional trails in its own trail network that provide a veritable playground for area hikers."

Long, Long, Long Distance Hiker Bart Smith

Colin McDonald's article "A long walk through history: Man hiking 550 miles on 300-year-old trail passes through S.A." appearing in the San Antonio News-Express on 5 January 2012 tells us about the current hike of Bart Smith there in Texas. Pretty far from the Appalachian Trail, right? Well there's this:

His dedication to walking has made him a bit of a celebrity in the small community of long-distance hikers. He is the only person to have hiked the nation's 11 Scenic Trails, which include the 2,184 miles of the Appalachian Trail and 2,650 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. It took him 16 years to walk them all, more than 17,000 miles.

That resulted in four coffee-table books of Smith's photos.

Now, at 52, he is working on walking all 19 of the country's Historic Trails. His goal is to complete them by 2018 to mark the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System Act, which President Lyndon B. Johnson signed in 1968.

His wife, Bridgie Graham-Smith, is singled out as the person who often shuttles him, as well as supports him financially through her nursing profession. Bart quit his construction job in 2005 to focus on photography and hiking.

Talk about your long distance hikers!

(Smith's Appalachian Trail photos illustrate The Appalachian Trail: Calling Me Back to the Hills which includes poetry by Earl Shaffer. ISBN:0979565901)

Virginia AT App Funded

I found two paragraphs especially of interest in the 5 January 2012 NVDaily.com (the Northern Virginia Daily, Strasburg, VA) story by Kim Walter headlined "Town growth a priority".

They are:

Another grant of $5,000 was given to Front Royal, Waynesboro and Abingdon for the Virginia Appalachian Trail Smart Phone application. Once the app is fully developed, hikers on the trail will be able to find out which town is closest to them, and what shopping, dining, recreational and lodging options are available.

Additionally, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy has awarded a $1,000 grant to the town towards a ceremony to designate the area as an Appalachian Trail Community. The ceremony is planned to take place on April 21, Earth Day, and will also coincide with the 100th Anniversary Celebration of Girl Scouts.

Pretty cool.

And get those Girl Scouts out on the Trail, too.

Scouts Hiking in Connecticut

Clinton, Connecticut's "Clinton Patch" posts a story on 4 January 2012 titled "Clinton Boy Scouts On An Appalachian Trail Quest" in which we read about 5 Scouts from Troop 7 in Clinton who have begun section hiking the 53 miles of Appalachian Trail in the nutmeg state.

There's a patch involved, presumably from the Scouts ... or maybe a local Trail club ... or maybe the people at the Clinton Patch ... it isn't clear to me who will award it when they complete the hike. Or whether we'll be reading these boys' names on a list of thru-hikers in the future.

Wesser Bald Protection Assured

The staff at the Smoky Mountain News, Waynesville, North Carolina, published a short piece on 4 January 2012 entitled "AT Bald Trail permanently protected" in which they describe the protection of Wesser Bald by means of the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy transferring 35 acres to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service. The land was purchased by the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy back in 2007, and the funds needed to transfer it to ATC and USFS hands were only recently put together.

Cooperation Renovating Shelters in Smokies

The Seymour Herald from Seymour, Tennessee has a recent (3 January 2012) article titled "Smokies Partners Renovate Shelter."

It gives some wonderful details about the recently-completed project of renovating the 15 backcountry shelters in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Including:

"Joint efforts of labor and funding from Friends of the Smokies, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club improved cooking and sleeping quarters for campers, while also reducing potential problems with black bears."

"Architect Philip Royer of Knoxville, also a member of the Appalachian Trail Maintainers Committee, drew the basic blueprint for every shelter rehab project, incorporating improved natural lighting, a cooking area to separate food odors from the sleeping space, improved bunk access, new roofs and masonry repair, the removal of chain-link fences, and drainage improvements."

Will hikers of the future have any idea of just what "the removal of chain-link fences" means?

Mark J. Wenger to the ATC

The 4 January 2012 Virginia Gazette from Williamsburg, Virginia brings the news that "Mark J. Wenger, who for more than 30 years has worked for Colonial Williamsburg, is leaving the foundation to become executive director of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy."

Wenger is a life member of both the Tidewater Appalachian Trail and Old Dominion Appalachian Trail clubs, and has served in various offices of the Tidewater Club. Even more to his credit, Wenger is a 2,000 miler, having finished an 8 year, 3 month section hike last August.

Wenger replaces long-time ATC executive director David Startzell in February.

One other thing: Wenger is a licensed architect ... so maybe all the shelters are going to get upgrades under his watchful eye.

The article is not by-lined but is titled "CW exec takes over Appalachian Trail Conservancy."

Smoky Mountains Shelters

There's an editorial in today's 3 January 2012 "Mountain Press" out of Sevierville, TN that's titled "Happy trails to you: Many thanks to those who fixed up the backcountry trails in the Smokies."

A couple key sentences: "hikers on the Appalachian Trail can enjoy the renovation of all 15 backcountry shelters in Great Smoky Mountains National Park" and "Work at Laurel Gap, the 15th and final shelter project, began in September, but weather prevented delivery of roofing materials by helicopter. The volunteer crew returned the first week of December to finish roofing the shelter under the threat of winter snows."

Ward “Chip” Leonard and the Record Books

An article by Kimberley A. Hooper in the 2 January 2012 Metro West Daily News (from Framingham, Mass.) titled "Concord man takes a hike into record books" tells us that Ward “Chip” Leonard a "52-year-old backpacker, who has lived in Concord for more than nine years, is known by hikers around the country as the first person to ever backpack the Appalachian Trail 10 times." Well, not known by me until now.

He did his 10th hike in 1992 and "said he holds the unofficial record for backpacking the Appalachian Trail solo in 60.5 days in 1990. He said it usually takes the average hiker about six months to complete the entire trail.

"During that 1990 hike, Leonard said he also set the speed record for the Appalachian Trail’s fastest hike (60.5 days) — although someone surpassed that mark a year later."

The comments from the ATC in the article are interesting, particularly in light of the article on speed hiking in the November-December 2011 AT Journeys According to the ATC spokesman Brian King, there are only records for 5 thru-hikes by Leonard (he's sending in paperwork on the other 5) and "As for the solo, unsupported backpacking record that Leonard said he still holds, King said the conservancy doesn’t have an official record of it, but he added that the conservancy doesn’t have a reason to doubt Leonard’s information."

In any event, Leonard says his thru-hiking days are behind him.

"On the Trail Again"

Yep. It's been two years since I posted here. I blame it on a lack of high speed internet connection in the neighborhood where we lived the last couple years. Now, in a new house, in a new year, we're connected to the digital universe again. And I made a New Year's resolution to try to post AT news here as I come across it.

There have been a few reader comments from time to time, so I know that once in a while someone has stumbled across this blog. The comments I've gotten have been positive, and that makes me think that it's worth continuing. So the same ground rules apply: I find AT-related news stories; I post a link that's working when I post it, but may go 'bad' before you try to click on it; I try to give the gist of the story; I include a quote or two; and I often make some comments and remarks about the story. That's 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.

A.T. Inspired English Trail

According to Shelton A. Gunaratne writing "On touring nothern [sic] England" in the 22 January 2010 Sri Lanka Guardian, England's Pennine Way "national trail was the brainchild of journalist Tom Stephenson, who was inspired by his experience with the Appalachian Trail in the United States." Stephenson wrote about his dream for an English trail in 1935.

Just Like the A.T.

The Bluefield (WV) Daily Telegraph for 22 January 2010 carries an article by Greg Jordan titled "Great Eastern Trail needs volunteers to build Mercer section".

In it, Jordan quotes Steve Clark, an extension agent with West Virginia State University in Pineville. The 1,800 mile trail from Alabama to New York

is like the Appalachian Trail, he said.

"It's the newest, greatest addition to the national trail system. We're excited to have it run through this area," Clark said. "It will have economic and health and recreation benefits."

So pitch in and help build the West Virginia section. Okay?

Trail Talk on Sunday in Cleveland Area

The 22 January 2010 News-Herald from Cleveland lists the following Appalachian Trail event: on Sunday 24 January 2010, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at The West Woods, 9465 Kinsman Road, Russell Township, Joe Cluts will present a talk on the early years of hiking the trail from Kent, CT to the northern terminus at Mt. Katadhin, ME. He's calling it "The Good Old Days on the Appalachian Trail." For more information, call the Geauga Park District at 440-286-9516.

How to Hike

The Pittsburgh (PA) Post-Gazette of 2 November 2008 carries an article by Cristina Rouvalis titled "Checklist for long-haulers on the Appalachian Trail."

The article gives a couple really quick and basic pointers about how to prepare. It also mentions that Peter Greninger, outreach specialist at REI in South Side Works, will be giving "a talk on backpacking essentials at 10 a.m. Nov. 15 at Jennings Environmental Education Center at Slippery Rock University." Also quoted is John Fletcher, information assistant for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

Rocky Run Shelter Restoration

Susan Guynn writes in the Frederick (MD) News-Post under the headline "Trail 'magic' at Rocky Run; New and restored shelters await hikers on Appalachian Trail" on 2 November 2008. She describes the reaction of some of the first hikers to use the newly restored Rocky Run Shelter.

The bulk of the article, though, gives a nice history of the shelter and the site. Very interesting.

Tennessee A.T. License Plate Progress

The Maryville (TN) Daily News of 2 November 2008 tells us that there are "Applicants needed for Appalachian Trail license plate." Joel Davis reports the need to have 1,000 applicants for the plates before any can be distributed. There are only about 300 names on the list now, most from east Tennessee.

Derek Andrews Finishes Thru-Hike in October

"Hampton Bays hiker conquers Appalachian Trail" is the headline over the article by Vera Chinese in the 31 October 2008 Southampton (NY) News. The article records the completed thru-hike this summer by University of Vermont student Derek Andrews. He summited on 10 October.

His father, Stuart Andrews, thru-hiked in 2006.

"After soliciting the advice of his father, Mr. Andrews said he made only minimal preparations prior to the start of his journey. ... Protein shakes and bars, freeze-dried foods, ramen noodles and Pop-Tarts were the staples of his diet. 'I went extremely minimalist,' he said. ... In terms of expense, Mr. Andrews said that some people can spend thousands of dollars hiking the trail while others can do it for virtually nothing. He estimated that he spent about $5,000 on equipment, lodging, food and—his largest expense of all—local bars. 'That's the big expense,' he said, smiling. 'You go to town and you just want to relax.'"

Thru-Hiker Karen Lund on Her Feet

Runner, and thru-hiker, Karen Lund writes under the headline "Footloose and Fancy Free" in the 31 October 2008 Kansas City (MO) Tribune about her feet. As a runner, she says, she obsesses about her feet. And looking back to her thru-hiking days,

"Yeah, I know, it’s hard to imagine a 37-year old woman’s feet could still be growing, but in the world of long distance hiking and running, this phenomenon isn’t uncommon.

"Before I hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1997, veteran hikers warned me that I could end up needing a new pair of boots a few months into my journey - not because they were worn out, but because of my feet spreading in every direction from day-after-day, continuous pounding. And they were right, I had to buy new hikers mid-trip because my feet expanded one size. It might seem wild, but it’s true."

Yup!

Hot Springs, NC and Trail Mentioned

There's a passing mention of the Appalachian Trail in a 31 October 2008 piece by Stacy Smith Segovia's "Four-day whirlwind exhausting and exhilarating" on the web site of the Clarksville (TN) Leaf Chronicle. She meets family at Hot Springs, NC for a family wedding, and says this of the famous trail town:

"I'll tell you about some other attractions of the tiny mountain town, ones you can check out yourself. We had heard that Hot Springs was on the Appalachian Trail, and that is more true than we suspected. Stylized "A" symbols are stamped on the sidewalk running through the town's thoroughfare, Bridge Street. And that IS the Appalachian trail.

"A cool al fresco bar sits on the street, serving a wide selection of specialty beers to appeal to through-hikers' granola sensibilities. Across the street is an adventure gear shop. Walk a mile and a half along the trail and you can scramble up a hillside to scenic Lovers' Leap."

Let's hear it for them 'granola sensibilities'!

Rails to Trails to the Appalachian Trail

Christopher Baxter of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call reports that Pennsylvania's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has granted $200,000 to Palmer Township in order to convert about 1 mile of railroad to trail. This adds to "a very extensive bike path system" in the township. Eventually, "local officials plan to extend the path in the future to connect to the Appalachian Trail." The article's 31 October 2008 headline is "Palmer gets $200,000 to extend rail-to-trail bicycle path; State grant will pay for a one-mile addition to system."

The same news appeared in the Allentown Morning Call on 30 October under the headline "Bushkill Creek bike path will be finished."

The report on this appearing on something called the SYS-CON web site reports "from the wires" under the headline "Pennsylvania DCNR Awards $283,000 for Outdoor Recreation, Open Space in Northampton County" in more detail. For example, there we read that the Keystone Fund grant is to

"Palmer Township, $200,000, to include the construction and installation of a paved trail, new decking on three bridges, signage and landscaping. This a part of a much larger system of greenways trails planned in Northampton County stretching from the Appalachian Trail to the Delaware River Trail".

Paved?

A related editorial in the 30 October 2008Reading (PA) Eagle opines that trails are good, but have to be done right. And they offer an example of one that apparently was done poorly. Under the headline "Critical connection is people, not trails" they say

"The recent case of the ill-fated Hay Creek Trail shows what can happen even to a laudable idea when poorly executed. The proposed 9.7-mile trail would have wound southward from the Thun Trail near Birdsboro, through Union, Robeson and Caernarvon townships and New Morgan, following an abandoned railroad bed. It would have connected to the 140-mile Horseshoe Trail, which runs from Valley Forge to the Appalachian Trail in Dauphin County."

BUT the planning process took so long that when the work was finally to start "it had likely slipped the minds of the property owners." And pretty much died.

Maryland A.T. Shelter Work

Erin Cunningham's article in the 27 October 2008 issue of the Hagerstown (MD) Morning Herald-Mail describes the restoration of the Appalachian Trail's Rocky Run Shelter "about one mile off Reno Monument Road in the Boonsboro area." The article is titled "Rocky Run Shelter on Appalachian Trail restored." Maryland Park Service Ranger Tammy McCorkle is quoted several times explaining the historic nature of the 6 person shelter.

Potomac Appalachian Trail Club volunteers did that work as well as building a 16-person shelter nearby "from a 'log kit'."

Maintainer Dave Jordahl Profiled

Trail maintainer Dave Jordahl from the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club is profiled in the 27 October 2008 article "Volunteer keeps trails clear and footworthy" by Stephanie Miot in the Frederick (MD) News-Post.

The article describes his work clearing blow-downs, building water bars, and all the rest. While he usually has 2 or 3 volunteers with him, the day of the reporter's visit, he was working alone.

Good story!

Maintainers / Volunteers Repair Bridge

Heather Stauffer reports in the 27 October 2008 Carlisle (PA) Sentinel that "Mt. Holly bridge project shows Appalachian spirit." That is, she describes the volunteer crew effort to replace a bridge in Mt. Holly Springs, PA.

ATC staffer Ted Martello is quoted extensively through the article. He explains that the team used two gypsy moth infested white oak trees to form the base of the bridge. They used 27 foot sections that were about 15 inches in diameter. The planking was hauled in form the road. Thanks, folks!

(This story is also reported, with different quotes and details shared, under the headline "Group replaces Appalachian Trail bridge in Mt. Holly," also in the Carlisle Sentinel, also by Holly Stauffer, also on 27 October. Go figure.)

Hike the Trail - See the Colors

A portion of the Appalachian Trail's Pennsylvania footpath and its vistas are highlighted in the 25 October 2008 issue of the Reading (PA) Eagle. See the "Peak performance for fall foliage in Berks County" article by Elizabeth Giorgi.

Martyann Gutierrez, president of the Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club, specifically recommends the A.T. in Berks County, PA, along about "Pulpit Rock and the Pinnacle located just off the trail" for views of fine fall colors.

Trees in New Orleans Tied to Trail

The Associated Press is reporting on WXVT-TV Delta News - on 28 October 2008 - under the headline "Group to hit tree planting goal in N.O." that

"Hike for KaTREEna is the not-for-profit started by Monique Pilie. After Katrina, she hiked the Appalachian Trail and pledged to plant one tree in the city for each of the 2,175 miles she hiked.

"That last tree is set to be planted Thursday afternoon."

We reported on this earlier on, back when Pilie was hiking.

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.

Trails Connecting to the Trail

Parsippany, New Jersey's Daily Record of 26 October 2008 has an article titled "Effort to link Mount Olive trails beyond N.J. borders set to begin; New network's starting point: Turkey Brook Park" by Meghan Van Dyk that mentions the Appalachian Trail.

Township officials are starting work on a local trail system that will mean

"Hikers one day may be able to start a trek to explore the sites along the ridges of the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia or the peaks of Mount Katahdin in Maine right from their backyards in the township's Turkey Brook Park."

That's always something that gives me pause when I stop to think that I could keep on walking this or that trail I'm on and eventually connect up with the A.T. and then make my way to Springer or Katahdin -- given enough time, of course.

SO-BO "Long John" and "Casey Jones" Near Completion

Greeneville, Tennessee resident John Stone graduated from high school this spring and made the decision to hike the Appalachian Trail southbound. He started on 6 June. As of 25 October 2008 - the date of the "Local Hiker Treks 1,700 Miles Along The Appalachian Trail" article by Nelson Morais in the Greeneville Sun -- he had made it as far south as Roan Mountain.

Stone was taking a week or so off to refuel at home (with hiking buddy Nathan Karcz from Virginia). The pair was heading back to the Trail, aiming to finish at Springer about 14 November.

Stone "said he budgeted $4,000 for the trip, but so far, for food, lodging and equipment replacement costs, he said he has spent close to $6,000."

Ed "Raccoon" Benton Summits in September

The Anniston (AL) Star for 25 October 2008 has a photo and report of the successful thru-hike by Golden Springs, AL resident Ed Benton. It's under the headline "Hiking the Appalachian Trail."

Benton hiked from 22 March--25 September. He "was recognized recently by members of his church, Greenbrier Church of Christ, who presented Benton with an engraved rustic plaque with his trail name, Raccoon." Benton's wife Cathy joined him from time to time and was given the trailname "Lipstick."

Was Hiker, Now Gardener

The Northern Virginia Daily, out of Strasburg, Virginia, has a 24 October 2008 article about a local couple's wildlife habitat gardening. It's by Sally Voth, and titled "Collective habitat: Couple turn their yard into a home for wildlife."

Kimberley and Andrew Fisher are their names. And, "The Fishers, who met 10 years ago when the Englishman was hiking the Appalachian Trail and she picked him up and drove him into town, strive to make their 3 acres as wildlife friendly as possible. ...The couple, both avid gardeners who married on the Appalachian Trail about 4 1/2 years ago, have only been in their home about a year."

International A.T. Talk Given

"Paul Wylezol, chair of the International Appalachian Trail Newfoundland and Labrador, and Arne Helgeland, chair of the Bay of Islands section, spoke to members of the Corner Brook Rotary Club" on 23 October. All that according to the article titled "Rotarians get a visual update on Appalachian trail work" by Cory Hurley in the 24 October 2008 issue of the Western Star newspaper out of Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Loduska Patel Completes Thru-Hike

The Eufala (AL) Tribune from 22 October 2008 carries a brief note by Anastasia Harbuck titled "Owner, dog team completes Appalachian Trail."

The team members were Loduska Patel and her dog Luna. At the top of the note is a picture of the pair exchanging a high five on top of Katahdin, at the sign.

The teaser promises more in a longer article in the weekend edition.

The Homeplace, Catawba, Virginia

Remember eating at 'The Homeplace' in Virginia? There's a very favorable review of the Catawba, VA restaurant in the 22 October 2008 Collegiate Times under the headline "The Homeplace dishes out classic Southern cookin'." (Collegiate Times is owned by the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA.)

Most of the review sounds like a "regular" restaurant review, and then we read:

"Speaking of location, The Homeplace is a popular stop for hikers on the Appalachian Trail.

"'If you're in our parking lot and you look back south at the mountain behind the restaurant, the trail runs from the top of the mountain,' [owner] Wingate said. 'Hikers have said The Homeplace is the best restaurant on the Appalachian Trail, which is over 2,000 miles. It's hard for me to imagine, but we don't mind taking the credit -- it's quite interesting.'"

Read the whole review to get some history of the place, a quick profile of the owners, and either a recollection or a preview of the great food.

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."

AMC's A.T. Day in Connecticut

The Greenwich (CT) Time of 23 October 2008 carries an article by special correspondent Scott Gargan titled "Hike the Appalachian Trail - in Connecticut." It highlights the upcoming AMC Appalachian Trail Day on Saturday 25 October.

Gargan provides some description of various sections of the A.T. in Connecticut. He quotes a few of the Appalachian Mountain Club's guides, who will be leading hikes on AMC Appalachian Trail Day, which is itself described as

"not only a celebration of the 71-year-old national landmark, but a salute to the hundreds of volunteers from dozens of organizations that have worked to preserve it."

For a complete list of events, visit the AMC web site's page about it.

A.T. License Plate for Tennessee?

If you and 999 of your friends sign up to get an Appalachian Trail license plate in Tennessee, then the promise of such a plate will become a reality. That's the thrust of an article by Anne Paine in the 22 October 2008 issue of the Tennesseean and its website ("Middle Tennessee's primary online source for local news" owned by the Gannett newspaper folks who also bring you the Tennessean newspaper there in Nashville). The article is titled "Motorists could help Appalachian Trail" and outlines the steps Tennessee drivers need to take to get the fundraiser for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy rolling.

The license plates will cost $35 in addition to the regular vehicle registration fee. ATC will receive $15.56 for each plate purchased or renewed.

If I lived there....

While $15.56 doesn't sound like much, keep in mind that the 3-year-old North Carolina A.T. license plate has, according to the article, raised over $200,000 for the Trail.

You Want Fries with your Trail Towns?

Now several miles off the Appalachian Trail, Fries, Virginia is hoping for a revitalization, according to the Rex Bowman article "Will Fries' ship come in? A Grayson mill town sets its sights on the lure of the New River" that appeared in the 20 October 2008 issue of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

The town is on the banks of the New River, and Bowman points out that "the Iron Mountain Trail, once a part of the Appalachian Trail, runs along nearby ridges. With a river, mountains and trails, the town could try to seduce outdoor enthusiasts."

Could be that this will become a thriving new "trail town" near Grayson Highlands. It's worth keeping your eyes on it anyway.

Damascus, VA and the Virginia Creeper Trail

The 19 October 2008 article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Jack Horan, titled "Virginia mountain town a biking haven; Rail bed converted to natural bike path that can be coasted down," only mentions the Appalachian Trail in passing. But it's a worthy read for hikers because it adds to one's knowledge of the area around the friendliest town on the Trail. Besides, when you get near Damascus and find yourself on a gravel footpath with bicycles zipping past you, well, now you'll know why they're there and where they're going.

Peak-Bagging New Hampshire Family

The 19 October 2008 Boston Globe has an article titled "A family's peak portfolio" by Allan Fen that refers to the Appalachian Trail. Fen recounts his family's quest to climb all 48 of New Hampshire's 4,000-foot mountains over several years. And certain of those peaks are on the A.T. The story also quite naturally refers to the AMC huts, and to A.T. thru-hikers. Nice read. Great family activity!

Back from Blogging Break

The weather's finally turned fall-like here where I live -- and while the hiking s still fine, it's almost time for the hunters to be out after the whitetail deer in force -- so it's surely time to get back to noting the news about the Appalachian Trail. I'll try to do some back-filling, too, of news stories that I have missed since going on hiatus.

ATC as Map Source

An article proclaiming the joys of bushwhacking -- "Fill in the blanks on hiking maps; Off trail, plenty of adventure" by Tim Jones in the Concord (NH) Monitor of 17 October 2008 -- mentions the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the Appalachian Mountain Club as possible sources for "recreation maps" that one could use to locate "blank spaces" that could stand a little off-trail exploring.

Iowan Thru-Hiker Still Getting Around

Molly Nicholas, a staff writer for the Valley News Today out of Shenandoah [sic!], Iowa, writes about Robert Birkby in a 17 October 2008 article titled "Sidney native shares adventures in Siberia, elsewhere."

Birkby is a native of Sidney, Iowa and left a teaching job at the University of Missouri to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. The article doesn't mention what year he hiked, but it does say that "He carried with him only what he needed to survive and spent five months on the trail."

He went from the Trail to Seattle pretty much on a whim. But that led him to round-the-world expeditions with Scott Fischer's 'Mountain Madness' adventure tour company. Fischer and a group climbing with him in 1996 were most notably remembered in Jon Krakauer's book "Into Thin Air." Birkby then turned to "Student Conservation Association (SCA), which is a non-profit organization that offers conservation internships to high school students." And he has more recently focused on writing a number of books.

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.]