Date: 2008-03-09
To: 16 Days Until the AMTRAK...
Miles today: 0.0

Just a little over two weeks until the Doc will release me for, "Trail Duty..."That means it's time for the next verse of the Appalachian Trail Song I wrote just for you:VERSE:I have my pack, I have my tent,        Care packages will soon be sent,No bills to pay, no grass to cut;        Soon ¢ ¢Freedom¢ from this awful rut¢¦REFRAIN:A North-Bound hike is painless        It brings on many changesAnd I can take what comes for six more monthsOf course, having read several preparatory journal entries of my Trail Compatriots, many are still debating which 'this,' and 'that' to actually carry on their treks. I can simpathize, believe me...NOTE: Lest you read these ramblings and somehow believe that I think everybody else has it, 'wrong,' and that my way is the only correct way -- please take these suggestions for what they are -- THAT WHICH WORKS FOR ME(most of the time, anyway)...Here are a few general rules of thumb that I have determined best fit my needs on the Trail (yes, based upon many section hikes, some longer than others):- CARRY THE SMALLER PACK. It's better to have a snug fit for things than to have too much room, and to be thereby tempted to take the extra gear. That is not to say that gear should be hanging from the sides of one's pack, however, and I understand how frustrating it is to try to stuff wet and 'used' gear back into the backpack to leave the shelter in the morning...- PLAN FOR WINTER WEATHER and carry the stuff, at least past Mount Rogers, Virginia. If one HAS the stuff, it can always be taken off. The Appalachian Mountains can be rather unforgiving and the weather variable.- GO 'LIGHT,' BUT NOT TO THE EXTREME. I mean, really -- don't you think the little tags were placed on your teabags for a good reason? Oh, and map edges help to keep the printed details from fraying (and make a good place to write notes and to post changes). Sorry, Ray Jardine... Buy and carry the lightest gear you can afford(the stuff that will also do the job for you out there).- CARRY ENOUGH FOOD to give energy and enjoyment on the journey. Does this mean to ship one MRE for the first meal out of the re-supply box? Perhaps. Might it be a good idea to buy a Subway Sub with all of the trimmings to carry up the hill and out of the Trail Town for lunch? I think so. Would the odd potato and wrapper for the campfire coals the first night out be a sin? It's also not a good idea to carry the bare amount on the trail only to binge-eat in every Trail Town...- CARRY EXTRA SOCKS and change them at least once during the day. Feet are a very important part of this equation. Also, I have found that a mandatory sock-changing event pretty well guarantees at least one rest break along the way. Oh, and the Corollary to this one -- CARRY MOLESKIN OR MOLEFOAM and use it for hot spots before they become blisters.- REPLACE BOOTS WHEN THEY BEGIN TO GIVE YOU TROUBLE. Boots have a life-cycle. One can certainly get a few more miles out of a worn-out pair of boots with Shoe Goo and Duct Tape, but perhaps pay for this false economy with shin splints; sore knees and hips; or worse.- APPLY THE LAYERING SYSTEM TO ONE'S SLEEP SYSTEM as well as to one's body, generally. Yes, it's pretty typical for my fellow trekkers to carry a Winter Bag for the Early Trail and a Summer Bag for the rest of the Trail. The only problem that I've found with that is that nobody can control what the Appalachian Trail will do next. It's possible to enjoy 60 degree nights during the early spring [no, that's not the norm], but it's just as possible to find sub-freezing nights well into summer [thankfully, also not the norm]. For further thoughts on this, please see my 'Appalachian Trail Modular Sleep System' in the Gear Section of my Journal.- TAKE THE TIME TO SAY 'HELLO' TO EVERYBODY YOU MEET along your journey. The key here is to get involved and to actually become a member of this elite community. Your Trail Stories (similar to war stories and sea stories...) will be better for it. People will be able to say where they saw you last... Who knows? You might just find a friend for life out there. I also try to write down every Trail Name, and if time and mental abilities permit, to also write a few details about the person. Yes, this is difficult in the middle of the Early Spring Rush, but it has to be done...- CARRY MORE WATER THAN YOU EXPECT TO USE. I'm probably on the conservative end of this debate. I don't like to be thirsty. I also don't like to trek another mile [downhill and back up again] for water once at the shelter or in camp for the evening.- SPEND AS LITTLE TIME IN TOWN AS POSSIBLE. They suck you in. They offer shuttles, and favors, and the Internet... Every minute one spends in town might cost up to $1.00 or more. It's a rule.- TRY TO DO SOMETHING NICE FOR AT LEAST ONE PERSON EVERY DAY. Not that one should do this in anticipation of future rewards, but if Karma doesn't exist, then a principle that functions very much like it does...- THANK THOSE WHO HELP YOU WITH THIS PERHAPS ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME JOURNEY.Duck Walk, my friend. You think that I've forgotten the time you realized that I had left the Pot Support Section of my BushBuddy Stove behind in the dark at Tray Mountain Shelter. You chased me for a couple of hours -- yes, I was really moving that morning, wasn't I? I remember hearing you call ahead to me over the last big hill, 'Colonel!' You, Sir, are my hero. You saved me both the loss of a critical piece of gear and a lot of frustration and backtracking that day (at best). Thanks again, and happy fishing. For those who don't know him, Duck Walk was an Alaskan Fisherman who, with very little gear and almost no winter clothing, trekked the trail -- mostly in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt when others of us were standing around with everything we owned... I'm certain your blood was far thicker than mine.NOTE: Look for a picture of Duck Walk in a group photo in the photo section. He's the one who looks a lot like Glen Campbell... and his name is 'Glen' just like mine... *lol*Applachian Trail Corollaries to Murphy's Law (continued):- Apalachian Trail road crossings in Northern Virginia are only reached by trekkers during rush hour.- One should practice race-trekking and swinging one trekking pole over one¢s head before attempting to cross the Shenandoah Bridge into Harpers Ferry at dusk¢¦ No amount of DEET will help, believe me!- It only sleets sideways in the Smokies when one attempts to cross them with an Ultra-Lite sleeping bag¢¦- Boy Scouts and other rowdy groups only congregate at your selected shelter.- The Bear you find along the Trail never read the book on the subject of Bear Behavior¢¦...and the Preparation Phase continues...