The Appalachian Trail
Use to spend my summers as a child near the New River and have been camping at various locations every since I was a young man usually in the company of Heathen-like revelers who take their vacation time seriously. Mostly we make camp near a good Trout stream or highland lake. Mostly catch and release, unless of course a nice Brown or Rainbow ends up in the skillet, hopefully with some freshly picked Morels and light application of Ramps.Lalaith wrote:I wish I lived closer to them, Nenotchoo. My ancestors did (both my Caucasian ancestors and my Cherokee ancestors). I've felt a kinship with them my whole life, even being removed from them as I am in Ohio.
It is a life goal of mine to hike a significant portion of the AT.
Pomthekie
There's a fairly new State Park near Front Royal along the River's Eastern side.Voronwë_the_Faithful wrote:As much as I love the majestic larger mountains of the western U.S., I do miss the older mountains of Appalachia. Some of my fondest memories are from the Shenandoah Valley.
Too bad about the pollution and fish-kills though, there was a time when I could hook into some good-sized Smallmouth Bass, but all that remain are small and sometimes infected fish. I wouldn't eat anything out of there now. The higher reaches of the Shenandoah's feeder branches however are still clean.
Pomthekie
I've fantasized about doing the Pacific Crest, Appalachian, or Continental Divide trails. I even thought I'd turn one of those fantasies to reality when I finished grad school, but I finished at the wrong time of year. Well, okay, in theory I could have done it on skis or snowshoes, but there're limits to what I'm willing to do to myself. For reasons of mental health I was unwilling to delay my graduation until spring. For reasons both professional and financial, I wasn't willing to delay the start of my post-doc for the six+ months it would take for the hiking season to start and me to complete the trail.
One day though, I'll have a career break at the right time.
One day though, I'll have a career break at the right time.
When you can do nothing what can you do?
Ahhh the strong sturdy legs of youth. My stamina allows me to hike from one flat comfortable rock to the next and feel extremely proud just doing 5 to 7 miles on any good path.River wrote:I've fantasized about doing the Pacific Crest, Appalachian, or Continental Divide trails. I even thought I'd turn one of those fantasies to reality when I finished grad school, but I finished at the wrong time of year. Well, okay, in theory I could have done it on skis or snowshoes, but there're limits to what I'm willing to do to myself. For reasons of mental health I was unwilling to delay my graduation until spring. For reasons both professional and financial, I wasn't willing to delay the start of my post-doc for the six+ months it would take for the hiking season to start and me to complete the trail.
One day though, I'll have a career break at the right time.
Pomthekie
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N.E. Brigand
- Posts: 6930
- Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 1:41 am
- Location: Cleveland, OH, USA
Re:
That book is wonderful (as are some other Bryson books). The movie was a disappointment, especially if you've spent any time on the trail.vison wrote:Did anyone here ever read Bill Bryson's book "A Walk in the Woods"? It's about his adventures hiking the Appalachian Trail. Very, very good and very funny.
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N.E. Brigand
- Posts: 6930
- Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 1:41 am
- Location: Cleveland, OH, USA
Re: The Appalachian Trail
The first person credited with thru-hiking the entire Appalachian Trail, Earl Shaffer, was 29 when he accomplished that feat in 1948, walking from Georgia to Maine. He became the first person known to hike the AT in both directions at the age of 46 when he walked from Maine to Georgia in 1965. And he became the oldest person to hike the Trail in 1998, when he was 79. I had the good fortune to meet him two summers later near his home in south-central Pennsylvania.
And the year after that, in 2001, a fellow named Brian Robinson hiked the Appalachian Trail (2,100 miles), Pacific Crest Trail (2,500 miles), and Continental Divide Trail (3,100) all in one year. As I recall, he started on the A.T. in Georgia, got as far as Vermont before the snow was too deep to push on, flew to California to hike the entire PCT in 84 days, then went to New Mexico to hike the CDT before returning to Vermont to finish up the rest of the AT, reaching the summit of Mt. Katahdin in Maine in late October.
And the year after that, in 2001, a fellow named Brian Robinson hiked the Appalachian Trail (2,100 miles), Pacific Crest Trail (2,500 miles), and Continental Divide Trail (3,100) all in one year. As I recall, he started on the A.T. in Georgia, got as far as Vermont before the snow was too deep to push on, flew to California to hike the entire PCT in 84 days, then went to New Mexico to hike the CDT before returning to Vermont to finish up the rest of the AT, reaching the summit of Mt. Katahdin in Maine in late October.