Date: 2014-07-17
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: some stealth camp
Miles today: 10.0

Yesterday I spent a lot of time thinking about what it takes to completely hike the AT with a purist approach. I'm not a hardcore purist but for the most part I pass every single white blaze I can and refuse to slack pack. There has been at least several white blazes I missed due to getting a hitch hike back to the trail head and I didn't care for walking 200 feet back down the road to start back exactly where I left. And there has also been a blaze or two missed because of some weird trail mishap. Other than those instances, I generally take a purist approach but don't really care for following it to the hardcore. That just basically means no yellow blazing or aqua blazing.While hiking the trail on my birthday, the realization came to me that a few obstacles on the trail can disqualify a handful of people who would like to do a hardcore purist approach. Besides the obvious need to be able to backpack a very long distance with your own two feet, I realized you might as well toss the purist approach out the window if you're unable to climb over something with a pack on. Granted, if you're aiming for the purist approach, you'd probably do some training before starting. I would point out to any hardcore purist hopeful that they may need to consider the climbing aspect if they have a dog or are unable to climb things themselves. It's almost negligible but there have been several brief sections I've had on the trail which required you to climb up or down climb using your hands. There's no getting through using just your feet. Sometimes there isn't even an option to skip around it and miss a couple white blazes. For the most part, if you can climb up and down a beginner rated bouldering route with a full pack on, you're fine.However... That apparently is not enough.Yesterday at the "Lemon Squeezer" rock by Island Pond Mountain, Cannon, Golly Green, and I were marveling how cool this giant rock area was. We couldn't help but eye a few potential routes you can rock climb. Of course we all thought about Mocha Pot and none of us would have free climbed the routes anyway. There was something I was willing to climb though and it's part of the official trail! This one particular boulder requires some technique and you need to be able to climb at least a V2 (rock climbing difficulty rating for bouldering) with a full pack on if you wanted to take the purist approach. In fact, you'd need to competently be able to climb at least some V3's if you wanted to get up safely and minimize the risk of falling backwards and possibly breaking something. Cannon and Golly Green are both somewhat rock climbing enthusiasts. Golly seems to have the most outdoor experience and he couldn't help but point out "Oh, Affirm busting out a drop knee!" as I went up compensating for a giant pack attached to my back. Cannon soon followed but Golly Green opted for the smart/safe alternative detour. He didn't trust his hands/arms after giving the boulder a feel and recognizing how it's been ages since his last climb.Speaking of which, I couldn't help but notice that there was a lot of buzz off the trail about Mocha Pot falling off a cliff. I heard some of the talk and read a few comments myself so I guess this would be a good opportunity to shed more light on the matter or clear a few things up. He didn't fall off a cliff because he was night hiking, he wasn't a SOBO hiker, and he did not fall or roll 400ft. He and the group of through hikers he was with set up camp and went to the Pinnacle to watch some fireworks. He decided to take the opportunity to do some rock climbing in that area. Obviously he didn't have any gear or even a spotter - his group did not know he went off to mess around. It's called free climbing when you rock climb without any gear such as a harness and belay system. It goes without saying that you are taking huge and often extraordinarily unnecessary risks when you free climb things. For this particular instance, he went free climbing and he fell. No one knows why he fell; a hold could have loosened, he could have simply slipped, maybe a snake or something surprised him, we don't know. Luckily a local in the area saw him fall. I was told he could have fallen 15-25 feet and then rolled the rest of the way down. It could have been so much worse and we're all glad it wasn't.Right now I'm laying in my tent half watching the sunset. Started reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed just a few days ago when I started doing smaller mile days so I wouldn't overshoot the place where I will get picked up by my brother. Not liking the book only because I'm being extremely judgmental of the author. I do believe its a good book to read though. It's well written and I can see why a lot of people would find it inspiring. All I have to say is that she wouldn't have much of a book to write about if she was a more responsibly minded person. The hardship she's experiencing on the trail up to the point I have read could have been entirely avoided or solved, but hey everyone has to start somewhere. It's strange to read something relatable to what I'm living in at the moment. Okay relatable is an understatement.It's going to be great to see family but I already know that I'll be itching to get back to hiking. I'll compensate by doing a lot of push-ups I guess. And I already promised to make up for such a short visit to come back when I'm done.More to come. PS: I don't care. I care even less about ATC definitions. If you're hiking, you're hiking. I don't know where this assumption came from thinking I am a dedicated purist when I clearly laid out that I am not.