Date: 2017-07-09
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Riding Amtrak home from White River Junction. It was a two and a half mile road walk along a narrow shoulder from the motel to the station. But it was sunny and breezy and a low mileage day so I didn't mind. Stopped along the way in West Lebanon at the Four Aces diner for breakfast, a busy old-fashioned railcar diner with lots of local color. A rundown of my four weeks on the trail:Rosesmountaintop viewsthe night sky (too late for me most nights though)meeting all kinds of peoplecold ice teaanimal sightingstrail angelseating anything I wantThornswet socks racing against dark to find the shelter stinky clothes humidity mosquitos mudBuds anticipating the White Mountain viewsI've now done 635 miles over 27 full days, or 30% of the trail. On average I hiked 90% of a marathon a day - over rocks, roots, mud, and mountains. Many days I walked from early morning to dusk. Only once did I start walking after 10. A treat was breaking for a whole hour. Many days my lunch or dinner was snacks eaten on the go. A slower pace would let me take in more - observe nature, meditate, take a swim, see a sight off-trail, chat, build a fire, hang out. I did some of this but not as much as you'd guess. On the other hand the rapid pace gave me more options. I could reach town in two days instead of 3 or 4. Carry less food and water. Linger somewhere knowing I could make up the difference later. I could see more, but it was more of a blur in between. And tougher on the feet.Hiking the green tunnel is often monotonous. You exert great effort and sometimes get no view at all. For the amount of time spent there are relatively few animal sightings. Plenty of fleeing chipmunks and squirrels, occasional deer and butterflies, but precious few animals you can't see in your backyard. Often the reward for the hike is the hike itself. You just walked 25 miles! You entered a new state! You climbed twelve mountains since breakfast! You danced over rocks for six miles!There is lots of time to think, but always your mind is actively scanning the trail, planning six steps ahead, looking for landmarks, assessing water and food needs, swatting bugs. Sometimes you can zone out and automate these behaviors and contemplate other things. Sometimes your focus is completely fixated on the hike, like during a steep downhill or finding a shelter near dark. If you want lots of time to think, find a bench next to a quiet lake, don't hike hundreds of miles.The long-distance scenery is usually gorgeous, what you'd see taking a scenic drive. It can be repetitive too, yet another blue ridge or green mountain. The 100 mile views are spectacular and can only be experienced in person. They will never get old. The up close view is less romantic. Tree trunks and underbrush everywhere. It's easy to get lost if you leave the trail. But people are very good about packing out trash, so the forest is almost always pristine and natural. And after hundreds of miles you recognize many different kinds of forest - pine, fir, deciduous, clay, loam, swamp, bog, rocky ridge, subalpine, alpine, and more. You become a rock connoisseur - shale, quartz, schist, granite, marble, limestone, sandstone. There's even different types of mud!Hiking is physically demanding, but not necessarily how you'd expect. After a few weeks your legs and lungs handle all but the steepest uphills without much trouble. The more demanding part is the acrobatic dance across (or down) the jumble of rocks and roots that constitutes most of the trail. Where there are few rocks the trail often erodes to leave more roots and mud. The trail also twists and turns in seemingly random ways to follow the terrain or stay within the preserved corridor. All those little-used muscles in your legs and feet that a treadmill or road run never touches come into play to maintain your balance. Trekking poles also help tremendously. It's a mental challenge as much as physical, as the acrobatics can go on for hours and come up at any time. The best cross-training for hiking is trail running because it faces the same challenge.I was rarely bothered by carrying a pack. I kept the weight around 20 pounds most of the time, lower than average. The weight fell mostly on my hips, and when they started to ache I would reposition it around my waist. It was more noticeable when I was already tired for other reasons. Carrying the enormous trail magic sleeping bag for a few days made me appreciate the benefits of a lightweight pack.The best unexpected benefit of the journey is meeting people. I've never been a naturally gregarious person but striking up conversations on the trail is very easy. Everyone has a shared experience and almost everyone is eager to talk about it and about themselves. For a suburban boy cloistered in an office most of his waking time, talking with people from all over the country (and beyond) and all walks of life is eye-opening and intriguing. One regret in maintaining a fast pace is leaving behind so many interesting folks I would like to know better. On the other hand, I meet more people by traveling up through the ranks.Experiencing the generosity of strangers is humbling. All the good folks who go out of their way to help hikers, whether with cold drinks, food, rides, beds, information, or encouragement, show you the better side of human nature. At no time did I experience real hostility or anger toward hikers. In most cases people simply have little understanding of what hikers are facing and are naturally engrossed in their own lives. This makes me wonder how little I appreciate the situations many others are in and how indifferent I have been. What kind of person do I want to be? Everyone can use a trail angel in their most difficult moments.I'll post more observations as they come up. For now I'm looking forward to seeing the family before contemplating the next phase of this adventure.