An Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike!

I was enjoying the cool serenity and the green lushness that is typical of the month of May during one of the many hikes I have been doing in the Portland-area Tryon Creek Natural Area. I stopped walking when I saw the 25-foot high branch in a tree along the trail, grabbed a 50-foot neon green rope attached to a small stuff sack loaded with a small rock, strategically swung the rock/stuff sack and released the rope with precise timing to hurl the weighted end up and over the branch. Once the weighted end of the rope fell to the ground and was properly draped over the branch, I whispered “awesome!” But I was not alone. As I proudly looked at the neon green rope, now hanging conspicuously from the branch, a woman asked, “are you pruning?” Feeling a little embarrassed and self-conscious while tugging the dangling cord I honestly confessed, “I am practicing my bear hang technique for my hike of the Appalachian Trail next month! No bear will steal my food at night!”

This little story is not only the first post on this blog site in years, but also to let everyone know I am getting ready to hike the 2,193-mile Appalachian Trail. And I feel awesome about the opportunity to hike such a historic trail that was first proposed in 1921 and completed in 1937. World War II veteran, Earl Shaffer, was the first to complete a continuous “thru-hike” of the AT in 1948. Now, over 20,000 hikers claim to have hiked the entire AT.

Every training hike, like the one in Tryon Creek, is an opportunity to test my gear, trail food, strength, and endurance. And my bear bag hanging skills. As of May 24, I have logged 288 miles and 45,000 feet of elevation gain during the past two months. Virtual yoga with Imagine Yoga Studio and other strength building exercises are helping, too. Some experienced long-distance hikers have warned me how grueling the AT is even though it is shorter than the other Triple Crown trails (Pacific Crest and Continental Divide). I need to be tough and ready on June 24 when I begin the journey by ascending about 4,200 feet to reach the 5,567-foot summit of Mt. Katahdin in Maine. Katahdin is the northern terminus of the AT. For northbounders the mountain is the end of their journeys. For me, as a southbounder, it will be just the beginning. After descending from the summit to a nearby campground I will resume the southbound journey to Springer Mountain in Georgia. I expect the hike to take over five months to complete. Let’s put it this way: if my mind and body can hold up for the months and miles, I am optimistic the early December weather of northern Georgia will be fabulous! As I learned during my injury-hampered thru-hike on the Continental Divide Trail five years ago, optimism is the energy that keeps us moving forward. And when I make it to Springer Mountain, I will earn a Triple Crown award from the American Long Distance Hiking Association-West and join the few hundred hikers who have hiked the entire Pacific Crest, Continental Divide and Appalachian trails.

I will post a few more times before I leave home in Oregon and travel to Maine. Between now and then I will be busy doing progressively longer and challenging training hikes and completing many other tasks!