Date: 2018-08-09
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Miles today: 0.0

The past few days have been full of adjustments back to normal life. Cleaning gear and shaving off 54 days of scruff has been replaced with buying textbooks and texting my roommate. Scabs on my shins are the last vestiges of evidence on my body that I even went on a trip this summer. Though my hiking is finished until the next journey, I wanted to write up a conclusion post to tie up some loose ends and do some reflecting.At the beginning, I listed a few reasons for choosing the Appalachian Trail and Delaware Water Gap as my starting location. I'm extremely happy with how these choices turned out. I loved the culture of the Appalachian Trail and loved being a part of the experience with so many other amazing hikers that I met. Starting right after Pennsylvania turned out to be a great way to adjust to the trail, and I still got to experience many of the arguably most difficult and most beautiful sections of the trail, and reached my goal of Maine. In the future I'm looking forward to summiting Katahdin one day when the time is right. Looking back, I legitimately wouldn't change anything about my itinerary for fear of missing out on many of the amazing events that I now have stories of.Gear - I definitely had time to refine my kit during the hundreds of miles of use. Some notable comments:Boots - I am beyond done with these. They served me well, and worked perfectly for the first few hundred miles, particularly over rocky sections. But as I gained trail legs and the ability to hike faster, I realized just how much they weighed down my feet. Additionally, slogging through the rain-soaked trails in the Whites where it was simply impossible to keep water from going above the ankle line made me realize that my current clothing/foot system was a recipe for chafing and blisters and that I would much rather have quickdrying, non-waterproof trailrunners (as well as body glide in addition to just gold bond).I really only need one set of hiking clothes, one set of sleeping clothes, and layering options for a long journey. I was able to stay warm on top of Mount Washington with what I have, so I definitely don't need to bring anything more on 3-season trips.When you can find it, denatured alcohol is a more efficient fuel to burn than Heet, which serves as a more available backup.The loft system I developed for my stove worked great, and meant that I didn't have to worry about the pot spilling my dinner as much or setting any picnic tables or shelters on fire.My Nemo tent has issues in the rain. Any nights it rained with considerable strength, I woke up with puddles in (yes, inside!) the downhill end of my tent. Not sure if I should have applied extra DWR treatment before I left, but the portion of the tent with a high bathtub floor that serves as singlewall in order to save weight really doesn't work in my opinion. That being said, Nemo customer service is fantastic. They were able to send me an extra tent stake bag, which I lost early on in the trip, and an extra pole bag after the trip as I ripped mine up while scooting down rock slabs with the poles lashed to the bottom of my pack.I loved the Osprey Exos pack, and saw many others on the trail using it as well. I like having a LOT of stuff easily accessible so I can do a lot without having to stop walking, so having both shoulder strap and hipbelt pockets was fantastic. I ended up sending home the "brain" portion to save weight and missed it less than I thought I would.We thankfully didn't have any tick issues on the trip, so I think the permethrin clothing treatment worked.I ended up sending the guidebook home and just using Guthook's on my phone. A bit of a risk considering technology is infinitely more finicky than paper, but I trusted myself to keep the phone dry and protected and it worked out. My phone also performed marvelously for pictures and journaling (especially once I installed an app to bulk-upload photos for trailjournals, Aurigma Up). I used Google Camera for particularly beautiful (or high dynamic range) scenes that warranted the extra time and storage space, and the default camera for everything else.Restocking via trips to town worked great and I liked not having to worry about picking up packages from a post office. I didn't have to hitch at all, but wished that I had at least once since it seems to be a dying part of "old America".By the end of the trip I was choosing more calorie-dense food options so as not to lose weight. I tried to eat a jar of peanut butter between each restock. Two tips I discovered: peanut butter with honey flavoring is much easier to eat in large amounts, and fruit snacks are a great source of quick energy on a tough climb, and they even include a full day's dose of Vitamin C!On future trips I think I'll try to find (or package) smaller-size bottles of all my consumables to save weight and reduce waste.I ended up sending home the water purification pills - it wasn't worth the logistic trouble of having to wait 30 minutes just for the extra protection against viruses (as the filter takes care of almost everything else). My Katadyn Befree had issues, including that a hole developed in the 1L bag, the rubber o-ring delaminated, and the filter speed slowed down dramatically afterwards from its usually amazing pace. I borrowed another Befree from the Camerons for the last two weeks of the trip, and this one worked much faster and without issue. I'm still awaiting a response from Katadyn to see what they think about the o-ring issue. I might try a Sawyer Squeeze to see how it compares.I learned a lot about life and myself. Some trail wisdom I wish to share:Goodbyes almost never go as planned (especially on the trail, where you don't know if you'll see someone again in 5 minutes during a break or if you'll never see them again). If you want to tell someone something before they leave, just tell them! Don't wait for a chance, make one!The universe works in mysterious ways that we'll probably never fully know, and coincidences are a wonderful thing.The most important part of being successful on the trail in my opinion is to "Know Thyself", as advocated by Socrates. There is much to know about one's self: knowing how much lack of comfort you're able to put up with, knowing how far/fast you can push yourself, knowing when you need to get moving and when you need to relax, knowing how much you need to plan, knowing what kind of people you like to hang out with, knowing whether you want to meet people or be solitary, knowing whether you want to enjoy some luxuries or save money, knowing whether you can sleep in shelters or you need more privacy, knowing what bothers you and what makes you smile, knowing what motivates you to keep going when you're feeling down, and knowing what made you come to the trail in the first place and what you hope to gain from it. The trail is a great chance to experiment with different methods or philosophies of living.Be radically ok with yourself as an individual. Don't always rely on other people to make decisions or provide the entertainment and fun. Be ok with splitting off to achieve things that are meaningful to you. It's your own life, be your own wonderful person!And of course, this adventure would not have occurred without an incredible support crew. In no particular order, here's a list of people I wish to give my deepest thanks:Wilbur, Bear Bait, Andrew "Rice Busch/Ice Stick", and Mr. "Recliner" Cameron, for taking time out of their schedules and being crazy enough to join me for some miles.Bear Bait and my Mom, for the countless sacrifices they've made to support me on this trip and others.My amazing girlfriend, for putting up with a crazy guy who spends almost his entire summer 500 miles away from everyone he knows and loves.The trail family, including those hiking and those providing help along the trail, for the sacrifices they make to be a part of the amazing greater experience that is the trail.Mr. Fanelli, for being a great source of wisdom and guidance in many adventures leading up to this, for being a source of advice for the Appalachian Trail, as well as providing an awesome memento to spur me on to Maine.Various other scout leaders who have facilitated my love of the outdoors and adventure.Countless unnamed others who have touched my life in order to make me the person I am today.I left on this trip hoping to give myself some time to relax and think things out during this transition period in my life. I found what I was looking for and think that my time this summer was well spent, perhaps the best of any summer. I can't imagine someone having experiences like I did on trail and not coming off psyched for life.One final quote to share (which I now realize I mis-attributed on my birch bark end marker):"Don¢t Cry Because It¢s Over; Smile Because It Happened"        -adapted from a quote by Ludwig JacobowskiWhile I embrace raw sensory experiences and think that to avoid emotion is to avoid what life has to offer, this quote reminds me that just because something is gone does not mean that we cannot still rejoice in the memories of it.Well, I guess that's about it. Now that you've read about my adventures, go out and have your own.Thanks for reading,Orville of The Wright Brothers