Date: 2007-11-09
To: Warner Robins
Miles today: 0.0

Reflections: food and other stuff.Well, I¢ve been home for almost a week now, and I¢d like to use these last few entrees to try and expand on a few final thoughts and feelings concerning the trail. Know that these are MY ramblings and are not meant to be offensive to anyone nor taken as gospel. For what it¢s worth dept. For starters, this is my ¢unique¢ version of an AT hike from Maine to Georgia. The emphasis on ¢unique version¢ is important because anything I say or any advice I offer is biased by the circumstances I experienced in each stage of the trip. For instance, this year the two big issues were ridiculous heat/humidity in NY coupled with a water shortage from VA south. Other years have different issues (I rarely hiked in rain for more than 2 days in a row, which is incredibly fortunate).   Your personal AT hike, although similar, will be your own ¢unique¢ version. When I first met Traveler in Mass (he was the first truly experienced long distance hiker I encountered, i.e., 10k miles +), I hated the idea of being a tourist and asking those silly touristy questions. However, I just had to ask one: ¢how do you keep weight on?¢ I¢m already gangly as hell and couldn¢t afford to lose more weight than I had already lost. His response: ¢I hit up towns like you wouldn¢t believe, man. You just can¢t do it eating out of the bag. Seriously, if you¢re willing to hike 25-30 miles every day, then with a few exceptions you can eat breakfast and supper in town every day.¢   Good advice ¢cause, well, I love eating. The payoff: by Harper¢s Ferry, I had actually gained weight, not much, but some. At Springer, my parents both remarked that I looked reasonably healthy. Dad has seen other hikers at the end of their thru-hike dogged and looking like they needed an ambulance to cart them off. Not so here. Eat as much and as often as you can, and, ¢¢¦ not out of the bag¢. (does that help, GG?)As philosophical as I can be, I maintain that the simple innocent physical pleasures like eating well, showering, boozing (when socially necessary), and sleeping comfortably tend to clear the mind, relax the body and purify an otherwise complicated lifestyle. This became the mantra of my hike. I¢ve done wilderness survival trips wherein I completely dissolve myself into nature, live from the land, make do with what¢s available; but I wanted this trip to be different.   To wit, I¢ve never been to PA, NH, Maine, and other points north, and I wanted to experience both the land and the people. So, I pushed myself during the day, hiking long miles, and stayed in towns very often. Almost every day I made new town friends. BTW, getting to know the locals was one of the highlights of the trail for me.The downside is, of course, it¢s an expensive way to hike. I worked hard in college to save money, and my parents have been awesome about bailing me out both figuratively and literally. I have no regrets, and if I were to do it all again I would hike even longer miles and stay in even more towns. Physically it¢s a stupidly strenuous way to hike (big mile days), but if you can do it, you¢ll have more fun than anyone out there. The S.O.B. circuit doesn¢t have the big parties, the trail magic, or the support that the N.O.B.s get. Thus SOBOs generally look out for each other more, and you are forced to look after yourself more often. In one sense I¢m just joking, however, I don¢t think for one second I could handle the crowds of a NOBO, especially in the beginning. Way too much commotion for this hiker (and recall that I¢m the one who complained about being lonely in Maine). Still, I¢ve heard stories of 25-50 people per night at some of the shelter sites in Georgia during the peak NOBO sendoff. Not for me. This is probably enough for today. The next post entry I want to talk about ¢not taking things too seriously¢, and ¢trail weirdoes¢. Til then, hope this finds you and yours well.Thanks for reading.   ~ Dr Jekyll (Obie)   ME-GA 07