3 weeks to go!

My mom spoke with Ben today and had this to say, "Ben and Nicholas are staying at Mountain Meadow Lodge which enables them to get their clothes washed, a shower and a tent platform. They were hoping for a hot meal but you can only get so much for $8.00. It has been raining on them so much and their shoes are constantly wet and very uncomfortable. The hiking is pretty boring so they are looking forward to the White Mountains. They should be in Hanover, NH, home of Dartmouth College, by Thursday.

They only have 484 miles to go! They will try to summit in mid June. That's the plan right now. Of course, that can change."

Going from Wilderness to City Life

     We are moving along and have made it into our 11th state of 14 states that we will enter on the trip.  A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks so I will try to sum up the events in a nutshell. 
     First I should mention that I have been hiking with a guy named Renaissance for the past 3ish weeks.  He is actually from Marietta, Georgia and graduated from my high school just 5 years before I did.  He has been a really awesome addition to our group hiking and we've had a lot of great times since we all started hiking together.    
    When we reached New Jersey a little over a week ago, 3 Stoves' aunt and uncle took us in for a night, gave us a bed to sleep in and great food to eat.  As if this wasn't generous enough, they let us borrow their car to take into NY city for the day.  Once again I am amazed by how giving people can be to thru hikers.  Though I was excited to head to the Big Apple, the traffic to get there was quite terrifying.  I'm used to Atlanta traffic back home so I know that part of my anxiety was due to the lack of exposure to city life.  After reaching the city and finding a parking spot we decided to do what we do best; we hiked to the south of Manhattan.  We stopped by ground zero and I was amazed to see the construction occuring to make both a memorial to the twin towers and in making a new world trade center building.  Nearby was a small museum recounting the events of 9/11.  It gave me goosebumps to imagine the craziness of that day and I was moved by the stories I read of acts of bravery people carried out to save others.  The visit to ground zero definitely gave me a greater appreciation for our country.  From there, we walked down to Battery Park and saw the Statue of Liberty, watched a street performance, took the subway to times square and walked around there, went up the Empire State Building, and finally found a really cool brick oven pizza place before heading back to New Jersey for the night.  It was a very eventful day off the trail and we were all more tired after being in the busy environment of NY City than we are after hiking a 25 mile day on the trail.
     When we got back on the trail, 3 Stoves had arranged plans that he wanted us to try to make it to.  He is raising money for research for diabetes found in kids so he was going to meet some diabetic kids and family members to walk a 1 mile section of the trail.  In order to make it to this walk with the kids, we had to hike 25 miles a day for the next week to get to Massachusetts where the walk would start.  And so we pushed heavy miles for a week straight and were so excited to make it to the arranged walk except not even one of the diabetic kids showed up.  Of course we gave 3 Stoves a hard time for this but we were happy to get to hike with his family members and friends for a few miles in Massachusetts.
     3 Stoves goes to MIT in Boston so once again we headed to the city to see what there is to see.  Again I was quite anxious on the car ride there but it was much less stressful than our trip to NY City.  Boston was very cool and I loved how historic the buildings were.  We enjoyed walking around the city and got to go to an REI for the first time since the start of the trail.  After touring the city we said goodbye to Renaissance as he had to catch a flight home for a wedding he was attending.  It was sad to see him go after hiking almost a month on the trail with him but he's from Georgia so we will get to hang out after the trip luckily.  We headed back to western Mass. where 3 Stoves' house is.  Once again we had quite a eventful zero day and it is supposed to be raining tomorrow so we decided that we should take another zero day tomorrow lol.
     With a little over a quarter of the trail left I am begininng to realise that this trip isn't too far from its end.  A thing I've learned from the trips to the cities over the past week and a half: adjusting to the busyness of normal life after the trail will take some getting used to.

Ben arrived in New Jersey

Ben arrived in New Jersey sometime yesterday. On Friday, he and the crew are making a trip into New York City via train.

A Mom's Perspective

You've heard a brother's and a father's perspective, naturally, here is a mother's perspective:

A Mom's Perspective

I knew when Ben started talking about taking time off from school to hike the Appalachian Trail that he was serious. He had planned out how much money it would take, how long it would take him, and the equipment he would need for this hike. Jim and I talked about it and agreed that the time was right for him to go. It quickly became fascinating to me and closely watched and listened to Ben as he planned. As the time grew closer the weather was unusually warm for the end of February and I had this feeling he would be leaving soon. And he did. February 26 Jim and I drove him to Amicalola Falls where I took lots of pictures of his beginning hike. While Ben was registering as an official thru-hiker I walked outside to the beginning of the trail to take more pictures and as I looked at the sign that read Spring Mtn. to Katahdin, Maine 2,188 miles tears came to my eyes as I realized it would be a long time before I would see him and that he would probably be greatly affected by this journey. As I hugged him goodbye I wanted to cry but held it back. I was truly happy and excited for him. I was very happy that Matthew would be hiking the first few days with him and that he would not be alone.

All I could think of every day was Ben on the trail. Where was he, what was he seeing, what was he eating, how did he feel and who was he meeting. He didn’t have great cell phone service so I was thrilled when we did get a call from him. I was telling Ben that God would be so glad when he finished this hike because he was sick of the constant prayers he was getting from me and lots of others. lol. That was all I knew to do - pray. I looked at maps and the trail guide book which became new reading material for me every day. Jim was also consumed with these thoughts as well. Every night we tried to figure out where he might be. A friend of mine, whose husband had hiked the A.T., told me it would be this way but that it would get easier as time went along. She was right. It did get easier but the prayers continued and reading the material too. I’ve started reading books by people who have hiked the A.T. and can’t get enough about it.

I was so happy when he met up with some guys just before the Smoky Mountains. They hike about the same pace and get along very well. The Smokies were quite difficult and the weather was bad so I’m very thankful he had companions. They are still hiking together and have reached Pennsylvania now. His hiking buddies were going off trail to meet up with family for Easter and Jim was meeting Ben to hike with him for four days and celebrate Easter together. I’m so thankful he was able to do this. Jim left the trail and Ben hooked up with the guys the next day so they’re back on schedule. Of course, when Jim got home I quizzed him about how Ben. Is he thin? Did he look tired? Was he happy and still enjoying his adventure? Of course, I could tell by the tone is Ben’s voice that we was having the time of his life. I know Ben and he doesn’t want me to worry so he probably isn’t telling me everything like that he has seen rattlesnakes but that’s o.k. because that’s the kind of loving and caring son he is. He sent me a mother’s day card back by Jim. I can’t wait to open it next Sunday. I am so blessed to have my wonderful sons and husband. I love them very much.

Photo update

Ben getting ready for the 4 state challenge. 47 miles later, he finishes.

The official halfway point!

A hostel

Boiling Springs to Memorial Lake State Park

My dad recently joined Ben to hike from Boiling Springs, PA to Memorial Lake State Park. The following is his account of his epic hike with Ben:

The Adventures of White Fang and Jim Dawg

Greetings to all from Ben’s Dad:

I just returned from a 4-day “walk in the woods” with Ben in Southern Pennsylvania. We hiked from Boiling Springs to Memorial Lake State Park and covered almost 60 miles beginning on Easter Day. This was a perfect time for Ben (White Fang), as his hiking partners (Renaissance, Bundy, and Three Stoves) had pulled off of the trail for a couple of days to spend time with family and friends. So his partners would catch up with him by covering the same mileage we covered between Easter Day and Wednesday in a couple of days. Ah-the vigor of youth!

I left home on Friday afternoon, April 22. I drove through the night, passing very close to where Ben was spending the night on the trail, and arrived early Saturday AM in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I fell asleep at about the same time that I had set my alarm for on the day before, a work day. After a few hours sleep, my priority was to determine where roads crossed the Appalachian Trail so that I could provide a little “trail magic”. Trail magic consists of unexpected surprises that hikers find along the way. I determined a couple of points, and rushed out to leave some drinks on the trail at one crossing, and some yogurt at another point. I left a couple of cold soft drinks at point 1, but Ben had already passed that point. About 15 minutes after I left the yogurt at point 2 with a note for White Fang, I got a cell phone call from Ben, and we confirmed our meeting time and place in Boiling Springs.

At around 3:20PM on Saturday, I arrived at the parking lot of our meeting point at exactly the same time that Ben walked up. First impressions were that he had not lost a tremendous amount of weight on the trail, had more facial hair than I thought possible, appeared moderately sane, and smelled very bad.

Back to the weight loss concerns, a hiker moving at the pace of Ben’s group can burn off between 5,000-10,000 calories per day. To put that in perspective, if Ben had two light to moderate days (6,000 calories per day), and “only” consumed 4,200 calories each of those days, he has lost one pound! Ben’s hiking partners had lost 10-15 pounds, but Ben has lost approximately 5 pounds. For those of you that know Ben well, I am sure it is no surprise to you that Ben is treating caloric intake as a priority. It is virtually impossible for a hiker to carry enough food on the trail to hold his weight, so off trail “binges” are critical to maintaining weight. As an example, Three Stoves’ father met the group the day before I met Ben. He brought each of them 4 double cheese burgers, a large fries, and an apple pie. There were no leftovers!

Now that we have covered the “intake”, here are a few comments about the “output”. Having a crazy and sometimes unpredictable GI system, this was a concern of mine. I conducted thorough research and discovered the following. Performing this act in a natural setting can be a challenge. It requires creativity, a fair amount of athleticism, good balance, and careful planning and calculations. The various methods I learned about were the grab and face the tree, back against the tree, over the log, between the rocks, unaided dead squat, half squat, etc. Other variables include pants off, hung over one knee, around the ankles, etc. You can see how poor planning, miscalculations, or a loss of balance or focus could lead to a hiker having to deal with a load other than their back pack. Fortunately my stomach behaved and I was able to confine my sessions to privies and rest rooms.

On a serious note, can you imagine having a GI issue on the trail? One of Ben’s hiking partners, Three Stoves, had to take some time off of the trail after contracting Giardia, a parasite sometimes found in untreated or poorly treated water. According to the CDC, it is tolerant even to routine chlorine disinfection Ben is rigorous about always treating his drinking water with the aquamira system, which hopefully providers better protection.

I had spent months of preparation for this trip. However you need to understand that substantially over 99% of this preparation was mental. My “training hike” consisted of a 3.6 mile hike in southern Alabama. A primary purpose was to test out my boots, and see if my feet remained blister free. I was concerned about the 3 ticks who caught a ride on my body during this hike. By my calculations, that would equate to providing transportation and full meal service for 49 ticks on the hike with Ben. Apparently an Alabama “tick magnet” is not always a Pennsylvania “tick magnet”, so these were not an issue during our 4-day hike. I wish I could say the same about the blisters.

Our shuttle driver dropped us off at Boiling Springs at around noon on Easter Sunday in Boiling Springs. Half way through that day, I managed to tweak a calf/hamstring muscle. It was minor, and I am sure with a little ice and rest, it would have quickly improved, but I had over 50 miles remaining. Obviously ice and rest were not an option, and it did not improve. I did find that massive doses of Alleve gave some relief. In addition I used my trekking poles like crutches at times during the remainder of our hike.

We ended up the last part of the day in the rain, on a pretty good climb through the rocks. We finally arrived at Darlington Shelter after 14.3 miles, where we spent the night. There we met Iron Sergeant, a 71 year old who had retired from the Italian Army. We shared the shelter that evening with him. We would see Iron Sergeant a couple of more times. He had a pack that appeared to approximate his age in pounds-a lot for even a young man to carry.

Early afternoon on our second day, we entered Duncannon in search of the Doyle Hotel. At the Doyle, it became apparent that if you do not give yourself a trail name, you are christened with one. This is usually based on an embarrassing moment in your life or an unusual personality trait. I have experienced more than a few embarrassing episodes. And according to some, I have some unusual personality traits. So just to be safe, and not to end up with names like Puddles or Bubble Toes, I took the initiative to name myself. I am now and forever Jim Dawg (as in Go Dawgs).

Bubble Toes, White Fang (Ben), and I were sharing some beverages and stories on the balcony at the Doyle Hotel. I asked Bubble Toes about the origin of his trail name, and he rolled back the duct tape and mole skin (staples in every back pack) to show off the most horrific foot blisters I had ever seen. Little did I know that by the end of the next day, I would see a similar grotesque situation on my own feet!

We stayed at the Doyle Hotel because of the experience. We had read about it, and received a recommendation from Challenger, a hiker we passed going south bound. He said, “It has clean sheets, no bugs, great food, and the owners, Pat and Vicky are great.” Between those comments and the fact that it was $25 for a room, and $7.50 for each additional person, you have probably figured out that the Doyle would not make “Pennsylvania Living” magazine, based on the quality of the rooms. However, Challenger was dead on with his recommendation about the food and the owners.

Within a few minutes of arriving at the Doyle, Pat gave us a ride to the grocery store, where Ben and I were on a mission to purchase either knee high hose or trouser socks for blister prevention (too little too late for me!). The ladies that assisted us apparently had limited experience with cross dressing hikers, and were still chuckling about our interaction when Pat paid for his groceries.

Challenger, the hiker that recommended the Doyle, was a 53-year old retired Air Force veteran from San Diego. He is divorced and his kids are grown. He sold his car, his motorcycles, quit his job, and hit the trail. With no house and virtually no belongings, he can get off of the trail anywhere. He is more into the journey than the destination.

Tuesday AM, we left Duncannon. This would be our longest hike-17.5 miles. To put that in perspective, Ben and his group average 20-25 miles per day. But with a big uphill climb out of Duncannon, a strained hamstring/calf, and blisters percolating beneath mole skin, duct tape, and my sheer, taupe, knee high hose, 17.5 miles was quite enough challenge for me.

This day was our “nature day”. Before this day, Ben’s big three animal sightings included a wild pony in southern Virginia, a bob cat, and numerous deer. Before this day was out, Ben could add two rattle snakes, a porcupine, and two coyotes to the list. The Pennsylvania portion of the trail is known as “Rocksylvania” and is home to numerous timber rattlers. One of the snakes was approximately 4 ½ feet long while the other was somewhat shorter. Ben probably passed within 6-12 inches of the shorter one. I spotted it coiled up underneath a rock, just after Ben had walked past that rock.

This was my only night of tent camping. We had quite a thunder storm that evening, and our tents held up quite well.

Wednesday was our last day together. With the end in sight, I pushed through my various discomforts. We covered about 15.5 miles through some beautiful wilderness, some of which reminded Ben and me of the Jacks River Falls area in the Cohutta Wilderness in North Georgia. Unusual sightings that day included coal, some of which was on the trail, and some salamanders that were almost florescent orange with small spots on their back. In addition, we paralleled a beautiful stream, with multiple waterfalls cascading into it, early that afternoon.

At the end of the day, we come to a point where there was a white blaze on one side of a creek and a white blaze on the other side. A creek crossing- 200 yards from my car! I suspect the trail Gods are still laughing about that one.

We ended up the day in the parking lot at the state park, recapping our time together. A pleasant surprise was meeting Angel, the park ranger at Memorial Lake State Park. I had spoken with her on the phone, letting her know of our plans, and asked her to please watch my car. She dropped by Wednesday afternoon, in hopes of meeting Ben and me, and we had a nice conversation. At around 4:50, I left Ben. He still had 8.7 miles to walk to reach William Penn Shelter, and there was a tornado watch in the area. I had 740 miles to drive home.

My time on the trail provided a time for reflection, and taught or reinforced some key lessons. It reinforced that we all have LOTS of “wants” and most of us have bought or obtained many of those. But in actuality, we have very few needs. And our truest and deepest needs are not things you can buy.

“For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens.

They neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them.

Of how much more value are you than the birds!” Luke 12: 24

Other lessons learned or reinforced:

· Trekking poles make good crutches.

· Wear trouser socks or knee high hose on day 1.

· “Brand” yourself or you will end up with a trail name you do not want.

· Alleve works.

· Do not judge a man (or laugh) at a man until you have walked a mile in their blisters.

· Duct tape and mole skin-don’t leave home without it.

Ben now has a little less than 1000 remaining on his trip to Katahdin, Maine. He will likely average 20-25 miles a day during the rest of his hike. As a comparator, the 59.6 miles we covered together during our 4 days represent less than 2.5% of the Appalachian Trail and we averaged approximately 15 miles per day. And I left the trail exhausted! So my hat’s off to all hikers, especially the through hikers, for their resilience, focus, and sheer determination.

Here’s to Iron Sergeant, Miss Universe & friends, Tabasco, Challenger, Puddles, Bubble Toes, Three Stoves, Bundy, Renaissance, and to the five ladies we met on our third day, all of whom started hiking after their 50^th birthdays. In addition, here’s to all of the hikers I have not met or will never meet.

And here’s to White Fang for being the same person on the trail or off the trail, with friends or with strangers, at UGA or at work. Thanks for the invitation to take a walk in the woods with you, Ben. See you in Maine.

Post script:

Apparently Ben’s colleagues, Three Stoves, Renaissance, and Bundy met him at the 501 Shelter on the evening of Thursday, April 28. Back together, they hiked 23.4 miles on the 29^th and ended up in Port Clinton.