Date: 2007-12-18
To: Background for Appalachian Trail Hike
Miles today: 0.0

PERSONAL BACKGROUND: After working at Duke University with the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) in Durham, NC for the past two years, it is with a heavy heart that I will be leaving my position on Wed, April 8 to take on the challenge of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. I will be starting at Springer Mountain in Georgia on Saturday, April 11, hiking Northbound. I am very excited. APPALACHIAN TRAIL: (www.appalachiantrail.org). The Appalachian Trail is a 2,176.2 mile (3,502.25 km) footpath through the Appalachian Mountains, the oldest mountain range in North America. More commonly and affectionately known as the ¢AT¢, the trail meanders its way through 14 different states, with each state yielding very much defined geological and cultural characteristics. These states include: Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and finally Maine. The first recorded hike of the AT was accomplished by Earl Shaffer, known as ¢The Crazy One¢, who completed the old section of the trail in 1948. Since then, awareness of and interest in the thru-hike has grown tremendously. In present day, nearly 1,500 hikers attempt to thru-hike the trail each year with thousands more heading to the trail for camping and section-hikes predominately during the spring, summer, and fall seasons. DIFFICULTY AND TIMELINE FOR AT: It has been estimated that only 3 out of every 20 hikers (15%) actually complete the hike from Georgia to Maine each year. The rest drop out for a variety of reasons, with injury and sheer exhaustion being the most common. My goal is no longer to finish, but to enjoy the serenity of the hike along the way. I have found that going in with this simple expectation of enjoyment will allow for me to concentrate on getting the most out of the experience. Should I somehow make it all the way to Katahdin, barring any injuries or setbacks, the hike should take about 5 12 months. Even if I do not complete the hike, it is certain to be an incredible adventure. ISSUES BEFORE HIKE: I will be starting off with a niggling ankle injury, which has been bothersome for several months now. The recent MRI report showed various hotspots around the talus bone (due to a lack of cartilage), but I have opted for a cortisone shot on April 2 rather than going under the knife with an arthroscopy. Despite concerns over my ankle (yes, there are some), I do feel as if I have prepared myself well for the thru-hike. It¢s amazing to think that just one year ago, my pack weight was at 33 lbs. and, by way of several shakedown hikes and tons of trips to REI and research online, I was able to bring down my pack weight to 16 lbs. A lighter pack weight will certainly mitigate any problems and pressure put on my ankle. OTHER CONCERNS ABOUT HIKE: For those who have wondered (and asked) why I would leave my position at Duke in the midst of the worst recession in decades, I really do understand your concerns. I just feel that being fit, young, healthy, in good spirits, and (some might say) na ve, when will I ever have such an opportunity again? ¢Now¢ is the time to do it. My good buddy and famous Scottish poet Robert Burns couldn't have said it any better: ¢Gie me a spark o' nature's fire, that's a' the learning I desire.¢HIKING PARTNER AND PEOPLE ON THE TRAIL: My hiking partner will be my good friend Justin Cassel from Hershey, PA. Interestingly enough, we've never actually met, but we've developed a very strong friendship over the past three months, talking to one another for hours on end as we drudged through details of pack weight, logistics, food, etc. As far as meeting people while out on the trail, I am very much looking forward to the social aspect of meeting people from all different backgrounds and listening to their own individual stories of why they, too, crave the simplicity and calling of the trail. MANY PEOPLE TO THANK! I haven't even taken one step on the trail, but I do feel the need to thank some people for really helping to make the idea of the thru-hike come to fruition. KATHY: I first want to send my absolute gratitude to my Aunt Kathy for everything that she has done over the years. In regards to the AT, Kathy has provided me with an outpouring of love and support. If I have needed something, she has always been there for me. My wee cousins, Katie (12) and Alex (10), will be helping Kathy at our base camp (name to be determined) in Lancaster, PA to send me food and supplies (referred to as mail drops) to the various post offices and hostels along the trail. I'd like to thank both of them, along with the Russian 'Yertle the Turtle', for their help. Kathy and the kids will be coming down to Durham, NC on April 9th to pick up my belongings and to take them back up to PA for ¢storage¢ at our base camp. While they are in Durham, we will, of course, indulge in having a diet strictly of Locopops ¢ the best popsicles in the world! See you soon, Katie and Alex! PATTY: Many, many thanks to my supervisor at Duke, Patty, for asking each day when I would enter the office, ¢Are you ready yet?¢¢¦ ¢Are you ready yet?¢ I want her to know that her unwavering support (and there was a lot of support) to help in any way possible has been greatly appreciated. Thank you and know that you'll be in my thoughts, Patty. GENE: Big ups to my friend, Gene, who will be driving six hours to and six hours from Springer Mountain in GA on April 11th. Gene has also been very supportive of the hike and I¢m really happy that he will be accompanying me to the trailhead. It will be sad to say goodbye buddy, but I do hope to see you out there on the trail. PEOPLE WHO HELPED WITH LOGISTICS: Thanks to those who have helped with my endless questions about the trail ¢ Ryan and Elen, Jed, Keven Kirby, and the people at REI Durham and REI Cary for helping to get this started (thanks Paul!). Thanks to Jill and her husband, Zach, for picking me up close to Shenandoah National Park so that I can fly up to Dan and Kim¢s wedding in New York (originally, I was going to ¢walk to the wedding¢, but soon after discovered that this wasn¢t the best idea). DAN AND KIM: Thanks to Dan and Kim for writing me support letters, which I will keep with me out on the trail. Looking forward to that magical day on June 21, 2009! FRIENDS AND FAMILY: And lastly, I want to thank all of my friends and family who have supported this thru-hike idea from the start and even to those who have challenged me with the question: 'Why the hell would you want to hike for 5.5 months?' One of my friends even tried to persuade me not to go and doggedly insisted that sheer ¢momentum¢ in life was key, stating that only ¢crazy hippies¢ go to walk in the woods for six months. Well, I dare to be different and I dare to choose my own path. Sure, I may lose momentum in one direction, but I¢m bound to pick up momentum in an entirely new one. Being afraid to take a risk or to change direction is harmful to the development of ¢the self¢. In contrast, taking a risk and doing something new and exciting can lead to other wonderful things in life. It is important to embrace change ¢ not reject it. The reality is that I know neither what this hike will bring nor whether I will actually be able to finish. I have only my good will and my good spirit to carry me through. Put your trust in life to know that you are heading in the right direction (figuratively and literally, especially while out on the trail). In essence, you move with the flow of your ¢self¢. Whether you ¢denounce¢ or ¢embrace¢ the idea of the thru-hike, think that I am ¢na ve¢ for leaving my job or ¢bold¢ that I am defining a new path, question my motives or support them¢¦please know that EACH of you has prepared me well¢¦and I thank all of you for your thoughtful words. MESSAGE: GET OUT AND EXPLORE: Benton MacKaye, deemed the ¢Father of the AT¢, once said: "To walk, to see, and to see what you see. Get outside and explore. Life is so much more than meaningless careers, and bar-hopping, seeing how many shots of liquor one can take, and having the perfect styles of clothing. Get outside of your house, of yourself, and explore.¢ I may not like each line of this quote, but I do believe that the underlying message is somewhat simple, yet very strong: ¢Get outside, explore, and LIVE¢!!! IMPORTANT: GETTING IN TOUCH WITH ME WHILE OUT ON THE TRAIL: I will no longer have my steve.hutcheson@duke.edu email. Please send all emails to my steve.hutcheson@hotmail.com personal account. I will do my best to respond to them whenever I can. If you wish to CALL me while I am on the trail, ask me for my new cell phone number before I leave. Or, if I have already left, you will need to contact my Aunt Kathy at: kgbillig@hacc.edu. She will be my primary contact throughout the hike. There are a few of you who have expressed interest in meeting up for a section of the trail. Here¢s what you can do: Follow along the Trail Journals site to see my progress on the trail, give me a call well in advance, and use the Thru-Hikers Companion to determine where you would like to meet. You can find the Companion by clicking on this link: http://www.aldha.org/comp_pdf.htm. Also, when you would like to write me a message of support, please sign my Guest Book. I will be checking it when I get into town and it will be wonderful to hear encouraging words and positive thoughts ¢ especially from friends, family, and colleagues. In advance, thanks for writing!!! I promise that I will do my best to write with some sense of consistency while I am out on the trail. Hope you enjoy it!