Inspired by Appalachian Trail (AT) Thru-Hikers

I just got back from "town" - which is what we call Gorham, NH - the closest place we can do any shopping up here in rural Randolph, NH. Whenever I see a backpacker this time of year, I can fairly accurately determine if he or she is hiking on the Appalachian Trail - or "the A.T."

You really cannot miss a thru-hiker (which is the term used for an A.T. hiker whose intent it is to hike either from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine or vice versa). The majority of thru-hikers go from south to north, beginning in early spring so that they can reasonably expect to complete the 2,000+ mile trail before the snows fly in the fall.

Of course, there are also a number of "flip floppers" who hike from north to south. When my husband and his buddy decided to do a stretch of trail some years ago, they started at Katahdin.

Anyway, there are several things that scream "thru-hiker" when you see one. By the time these hardy souls arrive in Gorham, NH (a point close to the trail in the northern White Mountains of New Hampshire) they are usually very lean, a bit shaggy looking, have voracious appetities, and are a bit - ummm... shall we say "ripe" - after all, it's tough to wash your clothes very well on the trail.

They also typically go by "trail names." For example, one of our very good friends hikes for approximately 6 weeks every spring on the A.T., and calls himself "slo-go'en'" since he is never in a hurry. I love hearing the trail names. Of course, there's always gonna be the "Katahdin Kid" or "Blister," but I cannot help but enjoy wondering where "whykickamoocow" or "crazylegscrim" got those particular monikers.

All part of being on the trail.

Thru-hikers sometimes have a little bemused look to their faces by the time they hit Gorham as they deal with the sudden rush of population, diversions, and noise (which is actually quite tame in my view - but then again, I'm originally from suburban New Jersey - so who's to say?).

Although I have never attempted nor accomplished a long backpacking trip , I always appreciate the intense effort it takes someone to complete this type of endeavor (my longest hike was about 5 grueling days on the Long Trail in Vermont years ago when I was fit and sassy).

So, it is with respect and great regularity that whenever I see an obvious thru-hiker in town, I stop and give them a lift somewhere. To the store (the closest grocery store is a few miles out of Gorham), to their hostel or hotel, or occasionally to a restaurant where we ply the hiker with food or ice cream...

This summer, I have had the usual pleasure of meeting a few hikers - one whose trail name escapes me at the moment. I'm sure he's long since finished the trail and is hopefully relaxing safely at home and reminiscing about how simple and basic life in the woods can be.

While I was giving this particular hiker a ride into town, he told me of another thru-hiker who had fallen into some bad luck this summer. This unfortunate hiker had made it rather far north when - during some time of high water (which was most of the summer it seems), he evidently fell into a river and lost all his gear.

Pack, clothes, cooking gear, food, sleeping gear - gone. All of it.

Imagine for just a moment the feeling this guy must have had (after, of course, being thankful that he didn't drown and was able to escape his pack while in the water). This can be a difficult situation for one who is more than 20 miles from civilization. Again, he is extremely lucky to be alive - but, being cold and wet out in the middle of nowhere with nowhere to go at the moment could not have been anything but miserable.

But, true to the spirit of the participants in this culture - and it IS a culture all its own - somehow the guy was temporarily outfitted during this emergency in order to make it out of the woods safely. And once he reached civilization, I am told that he was taking a couple of weeks off while his family and friends re-outfitted him.

The thru-hiker who told me about this indicated that even after that scary experience, the guy would be finishing the trail. Of course, this came in from one of the hikers, so since it's 3rd hand, who can be sure of the whole story? I'm guessing that on one of the A.T. websites - maybe http://www.trailjournals.com/ or other hiker resource, we could probably find reference to this incident.

But, then, came today when I gave "The Phoenix" (his trail name) a ride from Wal-Mart (the closest store with food on the shelves in any quantity) back to where he was staying in town. He told me of his own experience on the trail thus far - and told it with such nonchalance, I could scarcely believe it.

Turns out that while this young and lanky lad was in a shelter down in Maryland or thereabouts, he got bitten by a raccoon. He had to leave the trail and endure rabies treatments for a while. He told me this story in the same casual tone of voice as though he had just told me he found the aisle in the store where they kept the bottled water. "Hey guys, found the water. It's over in aisle 10." "Hey guys, I just got bitten by a raccoon and need to think about getting back to civilization pretty soon so I can get shots to be sure I don't die."

Anyway, once he felt better, he headed north to Katahdin and was now hiking south to finish the trail where he had to leave it when he had his unfortunate encounter with the raccoon.

Absolutely amazing! How can ya NOT be inspired when hearing these types of stories?

Actually, I really do give these folks a lift and some trail magic just because it's fun to do so - but, hearing their stories is priceless.

As for me - although I still am not inclined to go without a shower for as long as these hardcore thru-hikers can - I AM inclined to get out from behind this keyboard tomorrow and go just a little bit further up the trail for my daily exercise.

Ok, signing off for today - and for those of you who enjoy a little bit more cushy vacations at comfy resort condos, I invite you to check out our wonderful vacation travel memberships here at Fine Resort Vacation, where we are changing the way we take vacations (and can leave for dayhikes from the comfort of our lodgings)!

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