Date: 2007-01-15
To: 3 Prep. Dayhikes
Miles today: 0.0

With the 3 day MLK weekend, I decided to do three consecutive day-hikes to sort of simulate three days on the trail. On Saturday, Socks & I hiked south on the AT from Trindle Road to the Alex Kennedy Shelter, then came back, for a hike of about 16 miles. On Sunday, we hiked north from the same trailhead to Wertzville Road and back, also about 16 miles. Both were pretty uneventful hikes in unseasonably warm weather for January. Monday, we got on the AT at Sherwood Drive, hiked up Blue Mountain, then turned left onto the Tuscorora Trail. That trail is nice for the first couple of miles, but then becomes very rutted and washed out as it gets close to Shermansdale. It is not in nearly as good shape as its "sister trail" on Blue Mountain, the Darlington Trail. We turned around at Shermansdale and headed back toward the AT. After crossing the AT, We went a little ways on the Darlington Trail, and then doubled back, planning to eat lunch at the Darlington Shelter. As we approached it on a drizzly, unseasonably warm day, I saw someone in the Shelter, the first person we had seen all day. He had a huge pack and was dressed in military fatigues. For a moment I wasn't sure what was ahead, and I was secretly glad I had Socks with me. He turned out to be Long Hunter, a/k/a Col. Brad Smith.It turned out he was a lot more scared of Socks that I should have been of him. Though gentle as a lamb, Socks is a german shepherd/hound mix, and can look formidible when in protector mode. I got her calmed down, tied her outside, and came into the shelter. Long Hunter is another of the unique people I seem to meet all the time on the trail. He is a Colonel in the Army, with almost 30 years of service. Not long ago, he was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer, and given only a short time to live. Last fall, he decided to start hiking the AT to raise money for the American Patriot Scholarship Program, which gives college scholarships to children of soldiers who died on active duty. Long Hunter has started the following schedule: He hikes 4 days on the AT to a preset trailhead, where a volunteer picks him up. He then drives back to Walter Reed Army Hospital, where he undergoes chemotheraphy. He spends the next 3 days working on various Army duties while recuperating from the chemo, then goes back out for 4 more days on the AT. The first time he described this to me as we ate lunch, I was sure he was pulling my leg. But no, that is the straight scoop. One of the reasons he caries such a big pack is that he needs to carry several changes of underclothing along with various salves and pills, due to the effects of the chemo. He's a reasonably fast hiker too, doing about 2 miles an hour and averaging about 16 miles a day with a (very) full pack.Here is a link to Long Hunter's AT journal, which is maintained on the site of one of his sponsors, Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, an outfitter based in Charlottesville, VA, with 12 stores throughout the Middle Atlantic region. http://www.brmsstore.com/blogs/brad/Here is an article on Brad and his hike at the website of the Military Officers Association of America. http://www.moaa.org/about/about_scholarship/about_scholarship_appalachian_trail/index.htmAfter lunch, I led Long Hunter down Blue Mountain and through "my" section, and gave him some information about the Cumberland Valley and the history of the AT. He left me at Sherwood and continued on to the Scott Farm, where he was to be picked up.After the 3 day shakedown, I came away (1) a bit more confident of my abilities, and (2) awed and almost dumbstruck at the determination and courage of others. The enclosed picture shows Long Hunter a bit further down the trail, near the halfway mark. It's pretty dark due to operator error (me) and because it was almost dark outside. [postscript: Long Hunter will come back into this journal later.]