Date: 2010-09-14
To: Frost's Bellingham Herald Newspaper story
Miles today: 0.0

Bellingham man hikes entire 2,179-mile length of Appalachian TrailKIE RELYEA - THE BELLINGHAM HERALDWhat led Alan Fox to the trail, to the sound of his lone footsteps in the snow on some days, to the community of hikers who went by names like Bloodhound and Cowboy on other nights, was a book.The one about the Appalachian Trail that his mother gave to him when he was an island-bound 16-year-old growing up in Hawaii, where he would become a man enamored with the idea of walking a country road for mile after mile."I've always loved to walk. In Hawaii you're so limited. You can walk around the island a hundred times, I guess. Just having something like a country road that you can walk on for 25 miles or something like that, it doesn't exist really," said Fox, now 52 and living in Bellingham.APPALACHIAN TRAIL HIKERYears after receiving that book, Fox hiked the entire 2,179-mile length of the Appalachian Trail, known as the AT, from Georgia to Maine - with some days spent walking 25 miles. Never mind that, at the start, he didn't know if he could finish the trail, which touches 14 states."It's an exciting feeling," Fox recalled of facing the unknown.He started his adventure Feb. 21 in Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia. He completed the hike Aug. 8 on the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine, becoming one of the trail's thru-hikers."I felt exuberant. But it was a funny feeling. I was also sad to be finished," Fox said as he looked back on his adventures from the comfort of his Bellingham home. "All of a sudden to have a house again, to be in a house."Along the way, Fox wore out three pairs of Brooks trail running shoes as he walked through winter (and snowdrifts), spring and summer (with its heat and humidity); picked at least 18 ticks off himself; and lost more than 22 pounds."There was a lot of snow I had to deal with. That was probably the most difficult part. When I think back on it, it was also the most enjoyable part because I remember hiking alone and just looking around and there's nobody out there," Fox said.The frigid temperatures at the start also were a concern for his wife, Ina Sue Fox, back in Bellingham."It was awful for me in the beginning," she said. "That first part through the winter snowstorms that hit the East Coast, I struggled with that. I had some sleepless nights."He hiked through heartbreak, too, as his father and older brother both died in March, soon after he started his hike.An estimated 2 million to 3 million visitors hike a portion of the trail each year, with most of them doing so during day hikes or short backpacking trips, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.Of those who start out intending to hike the entire trail at once, Fox is among the small number to make it; about 25 percent of those who begin in Georgia go all the way to Maine, according to the conservancy.Fox joined those ranks after he and Ina Sue sold their macadamia orchard on Hawaii and moved to Bellingham eight years ago. Embarking on the hike was part of what he called a "mid-life opportunity."Here's a snapshot of his life on the AT, and some thoughts he had along the way:? On the trail, Fox called himself Frost. It's common for hikers to go by trail names."Almost everybody has a trail name. You can either give yourself a trail name or somebody will give you one," Fox said. "It makes it so much easier to remember people's names. I'm Frost, that's it."Others he met on the trail included Death March, Sugar Bush, Roughing It, Litter Box, Apple Seed and Branch.? What he enjoyed was the freedom to set up camp just about anywhere on the trail, of having his life be contained in a 19-pound backpack. "That freedom was one of the neatest things."? He was grateful for the community of people he met along the way, from other hikers to what are known as "Trail Angels," who were so giving. The latter group included people who would pick up the tab of a hiker making a rest stop at a restaurant, to those who opened hostels and provided a hot meal, a place to stay off the trail and do laundry, then a ride back to the trail - charging a minimal fee of $10 or $15."It's amazing, time after time, it's just an unselfish kindness that you experience all along the way from people," Fox said.READ HIS JOURNALBellingham resident Alan Fox kept a journal of his thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Find it online at trailjournals.com/frost.Frost was Fox's trail name.He also took photos along the way. See them at picasaweb.google.com.Learn more about the trail online at:¢¢ appalachiantrail.org, Appalachian Trail Conservancy.¢¢ whiteblaze.net, a forum for Appalachian Trail enthusiasts. Fox said he received trip advice here.¢¢ inasuefox@gmail.com is the e-mail for Fox, who's willing to be a resource for others considering a hike of the Appalachian Trail.Read more: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/09/14/1617440/bellingham-man-hikes-entire-2179.html#ixzz0zYz5s7Al