Spring - The Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association

Transcription

The Long Distance Hiker
The Newsletter of the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association
Vol. 26, No. 1
INSIDE THIS
E-EDITION
ATC ISSUES NEW TAG
FOR HIKERS TO CARRY
In a bid to control how
many hikers start the A.T.
at the same place at the
same time, a new voluntary
registration system has
been launched. Page 6
n
ALDHA News That Fits We Print Since 1983’
Spring 2015
BE PART OF HISTORY!
1st shelter to be built by ALDHA needs your help
MOUNT KATAHDIN
FOLLOWUP & FALLOUT
n Reaction and action in
the wake of Baxter State
Park’s concerns for the future of the A.T. Pages 7-8
PERIL, PERSEVERANCE
ON MT. WASHINGTON
n Thirty years ago, a teen
and his dad, a future longdistance hiking legend,
came face to face with a
hiker’s worst fear. Page 9
“A GRIP ON THE
MANE OF LIFE”
A book
review of
the recent
biography
of Earl
Shaffer including stories and photos that haven’t
been seen before. Page 29
n
INDEX
Coordinator’s Report . . . . 2
News & Notes . . . . . . . . . 3
ALDHA Outreach . . . . . . 4
Work Trips . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Northern Ruck . . . . . 24-25
Hikers’ Muse . . . . . . . 26-27
Boots McFarland . . . . . . 32
ALDHA Almanac. . . . 32-35
New Members . . . . . . . . 34
Registration Form . . . . . 35
ALDHA Store . . . . . . . . . 36
an architectural
sketch of what the
aLDHa Shelter will
look like. It will resemble the Barclay
Run Shelter on the
tuscarora trail in
Virginia (at right).
COURTESY OF
MIKE WINGEART
By mIke wIngeaRt
“Wing-Heart”
As mentioned in the winter newsletter,
ALDHA has been asked to finance and
build a hiker shelter in Waynesboro, Va.
The city would like a shelter built near
the ALDHA Hiking Pavilion to provide
a place for hikers to stay in the city.
The ALDHA board authorized the
money for the construction of the shelter
during the Gathering and again at the
board meeting held at the Southern Ruck.
Plans for the shelter were put together
and submitted to the city and FEMA (the
site is on a flood plain). Hopefully, the
approval from FEMA will come shortly,
but until that happens we will not be able
to set firm dates for construction.
Continued on Page 16
World traveler to be Gathering speaker
By BetSy kane
Gathering Program Coordinator
Cam Honan,
aka ‘Swami’
In 2014, Backpacker Magazine proclaimed that
they “haven’t met anyone who’s logged more miles
than Cam Honan.”
Renowned Australian long distance hiker, Cam
“Swami” Honan, will be the feature speaker at the
2015 ALDHA Gathering in Shippensburg, Pa.
Over the past two decades, Cam Centers
p
has combined his passion for hiking P of photoread
ages
s
and traveling to cover approximately
1 8 -1 ,
9
54,000 hiking miles in 55 countries.
In 2011-2012 alone, he hiked more than 14,000
miles throughout North America when he took “12
long walks,” which included a Triple Crown, the
Continued on Page 17
2
Spring 2015
April 2015
Vol. 26, No. 1
editor -in-Chief
Bill O’Brien
t
The Long Distance Hiker is published four
times each year by ALDHA, the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association,
a 501(c)3 nonprofit registered in New
Hampshire at 10 Benning St., PMB 224,
West Lebanon, NH 03784.
Membership is open to all. There are no
prerequisites to join. To sign up, go online
to www.aldha.org/join.html, or fill out
the form on Page 35 and mail with check.
Write to us at [email protected] to contact
us via email, or visit our home page at
http://www.aldha.org. If you need to
contact the folks below, see Page 33.
aLDHa Coordinator
Kip Redick
assistant Coordinator
Randy Anderson
treasurer
LuAnne Anderson
membership Secretary
Robert Sylvester
Recording Secretary
Sue Spring
at-Large Board members
Ron Bungay ’15
Jim Chambers ’16
Russell Ledbetter ’16
Jim Niedbalski ’15
Peter Passalaqua ’16
Jim Sample ’15
gathering Coordinators
Betsy Kane, program
Kip Redick, facilities
Jim Sample, campsite
Russell Ledbetter, campsite
Outreach Coordinator
Jim Sample
2015 Companion editor
Robert Sylvester
webmaster
Bill O’Brien
merchandise Coordinator
Randy Anderson
a.t. museum Representatives
Noel DeCavalcante / Bill O’Brien
DeaDLIne FOR neXt ISSUe: may 15
Mail items to [email protected] or to
181 Highland Ave., Meriden, CT 06451
No copy of this newsletter may be posted online
in whole or in part without the editor’s consent.
H. DEAN CLARK “CROOKED STICKS”
Click this link to watch a video of kip Redick jamming with tom evans at the northern Ruck:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/crookedsticks/16188805359/in/set-72157648170112743
S
ALDHA hasn’t been hibernating!
PRING SEEMS to be late this year.
Though crocus and daffodils are in
bloom around my garden, the tree buds
are still in their infancy. Most years I have already set my strawberry plants and am getting
potatoes and peas into the ground. This year
the snow has just melted.
Even though it has been unusually cold,
ALDHA members have not been hibernating
this winter. We were
well represented at the
From ALDHA’s
Southern Ruck and
coordinator were able to encourage
several dreamers who
will be heading up onto the A.T. for their
2,000-mile walk. The Southern Ruck, held at
the NOC, also hosted our first winter board
meeting.
Jim Chambers has already started implementing this year’s ALDHA Care program.
Peter Passalacqua is throwing his effort into
updating the ALDHA Hostel Binders, and
Jim Sample is brainstorming about various
outreach opportunities. Sly has so many hats
and seems to wear them all at the same time.
The new A.T. Thru-Hikers Companion is out
and better than ever thanks to Sly and his
troupe of volunteers.
We also talked about the plans for building
a shelter in the town of Waynesboro, right
next to the ALDHA Pavilion that we dedicated last summer. Mike Wingeart is heading
up the building project.
The Northern Ruck happened on the heels
of our Southern meeting; for the second year
we were at Bears Den. While we talked about
the trail, an ice storm raged outside. Our
2015 Gathering Coordinator, Betsy Kane, attended and gave a presentation on her hike in
the Grand Canyon. She is already working on
the Gathering program and has signed up our
Saturday evening presenter: Cam Honan
(Swami). We are all looking forward to this
year’s Gathering. ATC was also there and
discussed strategies for reducing negative impact on the trail due to increased numbers of
hikers starting in Georgia during the spring
season. One strategy is to encourage flip-flop
and other alternative long-distance hikes.
Jim Sample attended the A.T. Kickoff and
noted that there were about 300 attendees. He
also discovered that many of the folks at the
Kickoff had not heard of ALDHA. Let’s all
spread the word about the work we are doing
up and down the A.T.
The spring board meeting will be held this
year at Bears Den on April 11. ALDHA
members are all welcome to attend. Just make
a reservation with the hostel caretakers.
Sincerely,
Kip Redick
Coordinator
Spring 2015
3
NEWS & NOTES FROM ALL AROUND ALDHA
Blurbs gleaned from emails, our
Facebook pages and elsewhere
about your Trail Family:
StanDIng BeaR HOSteL’S
CURtIS Owen HaS DIeD
Just want to pass on the sad news
that Curtis Owen at Standing Bear
Hostel passed away March 4 at his
home in Tennessee. We will miss this
trail legend. He was a good friend to
us and had a huge heart for hikers.
He was a veteran of the Marine Corps
and National Guard. He was 55.
— Randy and LuAnne Anderson
tHeRe’S neVeR a way
tO tURn BaCk
Twenty-one years ago I sat on an
outcropping at the top of Springer
Mountain in Georgia, then took a few
steps in a generally Northerly direction. Nothing has been the same
since, though at this point it’s pretty
hard to remember what things were
like before. My trail family continues
to nourish and renew me, and the
friendships made that year are eternal
and are in many cases the closest and
most durable I have ever experienced.
To all those I met along the way
and to the magnificent Appalachian
Trail herself — thank you.
— Wolf “Jester” Alterman
SPeak SOFtLy anD CaRRy
a BIg, BIg SaCk
Shane O’Donnell shared this post
with a picture on Facebook:
This is an enormous Ziploc bag,
called either an XXL or a Jumbo.
You can get them online or at Target,
and they are perfect for the disposal
or storage of bodies (or so I’ve been
told by fellow ALDHA members).
But I use one as a packliner. Why?
First, although it is slightly heavier
than a trashbag, it’s much sturdier —
it’s more like the thickness of a compactor bag. I used just one for the entire CDT and it never ripped.
Second, it has an actual Ziploc seal
at the top, which means I can close it
up tight when it’s raining instead of
relying on my amateur bag twisting
and folding skills.
Third, it says “Grands Sacs” on it,
which makes me laugh.
aS gLaCIaL tIme gOeS,
He’S JUSt a yOUngIn’
Family and friends gathered in
Yarmouth, Maine, on Feb. 27 to wish
Walter Anderson, the chief geologist
for the International Appalachian
Trail, a happy 85th birthday and announce the new Walter Anderson Endowment
Fund.
Fellow
geologists and
colleagues on
the IAT
Maine Chapter board
noted Walter’s long caIntrepid investigative reporter BIll O’Brien uncovered a plot
reer as the
to
take over aLDHa by military coup and move its gathering
IAT
Maine State
walter anderson
to warmer climes. Former aLDHa (and ex-military) officials
Geologist, as
who go by the code names JoJo, nomad and the Singing
well as his contributions to the IAT,
Horseman held their clandestine meeting disguised as
including the development of the first
tourists just 90 miles from Cuba, while much of the rest of
maps of the trail in Maine, New
the aLDHa membership was held hostage by cold and snow.
Brunswick, Quebec and Newfoundland. From his first days on the
the would-be revolutionaries, who theorized that bearded
board, Walt emphasized the imporred rebels could easily pass for thru-hikers, surrendered to
tance of geology to the story of the
O’Brien, who posed with his prisoners amid the palm trees.
trail, a story he has been fond of sharing at workshops held over the years
at ALDHA Gatherings.
Although Walt is no
named Jason Parish was fatally struck
relation to the IAT’s
by a falling tree as he was packing up
founder, Dick Anderson,
his gear at the Ed Garvey Shelter to
the two go together like
get ready to head back up the trail.
rocks and roots in Maine.
Parish, 36, and two friends had
They are almost always
spent the weekend hiking the A.T.
seen together at trail funcridgeline in Maryland and checking
tions, and Walt’s birthday
out the Weparty was no exception as
verton Cliffs.
Dick presented Walt with
They had stayed
a symbolic candle on his
the night at
piece of cake. You can see
Garvey shelter.
photos and read more
A stiff blast
about the party — and
of wind sent the
about the new endowment
tree tumbling. It
fund — at iat-sia.org.
FACEBOOK
‘that guy’ and his dad on the a.t.
had apparently
Here’s wishing Walt
been tagged
many happy returns. “May
FACEBOOK
there. Educate them on small-town
with tape for
lichen never grow on your shady
Jason Parish
life and nature. Kids today will not
future reside.”
learn all that if they sit inside all day
moval. After Parish’s death, Marytexting to their friends.”
land closed all of its A.T. shelters to
tHey’Re gettIn’ yOUngeR
—Stephanie Grey
inspect nearby trees and remove daneVeRy yeaR, LOL
gerous ones.
“You have no idea how this is
ALDHA extends its sincerest symJeff Woods posted on ALDHA’s
making me smile.” — Liss Gilbert
pathy to Parish’s family and friends.
Facebook page the news that an
“Met them in the Smokies. They’re
11-year-old boy was thru-hiking the
awesome folks. The 11-year-old has
Let tHem knOw aBOUt US
A.T. with his father. The photo,
got a great attitude.”
shown above, prompted a lot of comI would like to propose that when
— Robert Sparky Palermo
ments and interest. “The little fella’s
you are hiking and sign a shelter or
“Best experience ever with a father
trail name is ‘That Guy,’” Jeff wrote.
hostel register, you end your sign-off
and his son.” — Mike Lafferty
Among the responses:
with the notation “An ALDHA Mem“This is what I’m talking about.
ber.” It will help to let others who
SaD newS FROm tHe tRaIL read the register know who we are
Get those kids outside and away from
the computer games. Put a pack on
On Sunday morning, March 15, a
and that we also are on the trail.
them and show them what is out
Philadelphia engineer and musician
— Jim Sample, “White Sidewalls”
mILItaRy COUP UnCOVeReD
4
Spring 2015
Reaching out like never before
List of venues grows for explaining our group to new people
By JIm SamPLe
Outreach Coordinator
COURTESY OF JIM SAMPLE
Outreach coordinator Jim Sample poses in front of
the aLDHa display with a.t. thru-hiker no. 2, gene
espy, during the a.t. kickoff in north georgia.
As we begin another year of continuing growth
of the Appalachian Trail community, an ongoing
effort is being made to expand both the introduction of ALDHA to those who are not familiar with
our organization, and expand the awareness of
ALDHA’s continually growing list of programs
and activities for hikers who are familiar with us.
Following in the busy footsteps of my predecessor, Judy “Gray Jay” Young as ALDHA’s outreach coordinator, my outreach activities are
underway. This year I am planning to represent
our association in as many events up and down
the A.T. corridor as I can and also expand our
presence beyond the trail.
Whenever I meet up with those who share our
interests, whether they are presently hiking or just
curious about the Appalachian Trail, I hope they’ll
remember who we are.
Here is a list of events where those individuals
will likely gather and where I have begun to
spread the word of our organization.
april 17-19 — Trailfest in Hot Springs, N.C.
april 26-28 — Midwestern Mountaineering
Outdoor Expo in Minneapolis.
may 1-3 — ATC Hiker Flip-Flop Introduction
at the A.T. Conservancy in Harpers Ferry,
W.Va.
may 15-17 — Trail Days in Damascus, Va.
As the hiking season progresses, I expect other
events and venues will be added to the schedule.
If anyone wants to pass on other possible additions, please let me know.
If you would like to join me in representing
ALDHA at any event please send me an email
also. The address is [email protected].
The event scheduled in Minneapolis was suggested to me by one of our members who attended
the event last year to promote ALDHA.
If you become aware of other similar events beyond the A.T. corridor, please bring it to my attention. In addition, I am planning to continue my
section hiking of the trail as the opportunity presents itself.
Care packages get delivered to hostels
By JIm CHamBeRS
an aLDHa binder in use at RPH
Cabin in new york.
Hostel binders
help tell hikers
ALDHA’s tale
By PeteR PaSSaLaCqUa
ALDHA Board Member
Continuing a tradition begun by former Coordinator Mike Wingeart, I’ve
begun compiling binder notebooks for
each A.T. hostel to share information
about programs, activities and other features of our group with this year’s new
crop of long-distance hikers.
Details on the Gathering, the Companion, the newsletter, website, work
trips, the Search and Rescue Team, the
Endangered Services Campaign and
other ALDHA activities are included,
along with copies of the Gathering program from the previous year and a copy
or two of a recent newsletter.
ALDHA Care Coordinator
On Feb. 25, the ALDHA Care program was launched on the Appalachian
Trail.
Many service providers along the
A.T. struggle to survive financially
from year to year; therefore, the
ALDHA Care program was designed
to assist low-cost and donation-only
hostels so ALDHA can show its appreciation and support of these facilities in
hopes they’ll continue to serve hikers.
Eligible service providers will receive annual care packages containing
items essential in maintaining a hostel
during the peak hiking season, such as
toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning
products, soap, shampoo and laundry
detergent.
ALDHA will try to provide the help
of volunteer caretakers should any
service provider request assistance during busy periods.
The ALDHA Care program will
also conduct an annual spring cleanup
and maintenance event for one hostel
each year that demonstrates an immediate need for ALDHA assistance.
Work will include grounds maintenance, indoor cleaning and other gen-
COURTESY OF JIM CHAMBERS
kincora Hostel owner Bob Peoples, left, accepts a care package
from aLDHa Care coordinator Jim Chambers in tennessee.
eral chores.
If any ALDHA member would like
to help with the annual spring cleanup,
or has an interest in being a volunteer
caretaker, please contact Jim Chambers at [email protected].
Spring 2015
5
Yellowshoes aims
to get more paint
on trail this year
By ROn BUngay
“Yellowshoes”
BILL O’BRIEN
after the aLDHa Search and Rescue team’s mission in maine last year,
we helped Dave Field, left, of maine’s at Club look for boundary markers.
Digging in with him are tim Van nest, center, and Dennis webster. what
is not obvious is that they are working at the edge of a steep precipice.
LIVING ON THE EDGE
O
By ROn BUngay
“Yellowshoes”
NE MIGHT ASK what is involved in boundary work?
There is no simple answer to
this question. Let me begin by
pointing out that through federal legislation, land was acquired to ensure the integrity of the trail. It was then surveyed.
The responsibility for monitoring this
land ultimately became the responsibility
of the trail clubs. The surveyors did their
bit, which included on-site placement of
monuments and the painting of blazes.
Back in the office, numerous maps
were made showing each segment of land,
details of the boundary lines with monuments marked, and maps indicating the location of markers with references to locate
each monument. The ATC does have fulltime corridor stewardship coordinators
who have worked with ALDHA in the
past to guide and direct us in our boundary
work efforts.
Utilizing the above-mentioned maps,
you go out and locate part of a boundary
line. Sometimes it is like looking for a
needle in a haystack. Once located, you
take a compass bearing and follow the
line. The “scavenger hunt” begins.
Hopefully the brush isn’t too thick and
you won’t have too much difficulty finding a yellow blaze. You just might hang
some bright-colored surveyor’s tape to
help in following the line. No new blazes
are to be painted. Mind you, there is no
trail to follow. Simply put, you’re bush
whacking!
A line of sight needs to be maintained,
so get out the loppers, saw or machete to
whack your way. As you spot a blaze it
may need to be refreshed, so out comes
the brush and paint. Remember to only
paint what the surveyor painted long ago.
There is a system to the blazes that may
seem confusing at first. Some blazes indicate a tree on the boundary line, trees 1
or 3 feet off the line. Around the monument there will be reference trees, more
commonly known as witnesses. These
witnesses are not always trees; they could
be other things such as rocks. A monument reference sheet will indicate the location of the witnesses in relation to the
survey monument. This sheet will also
give you information about the monument. Sometimes it will be the typical
round A.T. monument. Or it might be a
pipe, rebar or a railroad track section
pounded into the ground. Where appropriate, hammer a nail into a tree to display
a plastic rectangular A.T. boundary sign.
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? The first time
I went out I wore shorts. My legs got all
torn up. I won’t repeat that mistake. Keep
in mind basically you’re bush whacking
without any regard to the easy way. You
could be on the side of a very steep mountain where a slip would have you tumbling
head over tea kettle!
A very important aspect of monitoring
the corridor is to identify encroachment
on A.T. lands. When encroachment is
noted, the ATC’s corridor stewardship coordinator is notified. Your work is over
for the day, now you begin the trek back
to you car. If you’re lucky, you can pick
up the A.T. If you’re not lucky, you’ll
continue bush-whacking your way out!
forgo this side trail because
Katahdin is so close or because of
the remoteness of the 100 Mile
Wilderness, who knows?
The Monday after the annual
Gathering, a third boundary expedition will be offered. Ryan Seltzer,
the ATC stewardship coordinator at
the Boiling Springs regional office,
This year we’ll be organizing not
one, not two but three boundary
work trips.
Getting out and exploring the
edge of the A.T. corridor, i.e. the
boundary, is an adventure in itself
as well as an education. Conducting boundary work is a
plus for the A.T. and the trail
clubs that are charged with
performing boundary work.
The first outing will take
place in northern Virginia.
Thanks to PATC and Chris
“Trail Boss” Brunton, we will
be afforded the convenience
of staying at the Blackburn
Trail Center.
We will gather on Wednesday, April 22, and work till
Sunday. You can participate
H. DEAN “CROOKED STICKS” CLARK
for as little as one day, hopeLast year’s boundary maintenance
fully all!
trip near Blackburn a.t. Center. a
The second boundary work
return trip is planned for this year.
trip will be held in Maine on
Aug. 26-30. When we heard
will lead us in boundary mainteof the positive experience of the
nance somewhere near our GatherSearch and Rescue trip in Maine, a
ing site in Shippensburg, Pa.
seed was planted. Mike Wingeart
Ryan is a 2013 thru-hiker, so he
suggested that Dave Field of the
should feel right at home among us.
Maine AT Club be contacted. Dave
In addition, one or two other work
welcomed the idea that ALDHA
options will be offered after the
would perform a boundary work trip
Gathering.
in his backyard.
Trail maintenance work is being
The plan is to do a section of the
boundary in the Gulf Hagas area of coordinated with the help of Pete
the 100 Mile Wilderness. The Gulf Brown of PATC. If there is a need,
a work trip to the A.T. Museum
Hagas is a spectacular gorge with
could be the third choice.
many waterfalls. Many thru-hikers
If you have questions about any
pass up the opportunity to hike the
of these work trips, email Ron Bunblue-blazed trail that takes in this
gay at [email protected].
memorable sight. Perhaps they
maRk yOUR CaLenDaR tO HeLP OUt
n april 22-26 at Blackburn Trail Center, Virginia
n aug. 26-30 at Gulf Hagas, Hundred Mile Wilderness, Maine
n Oct. 12 work trip after the Shippensburg Gathering. Trail
maintenance, boundary work or A.T. Museum work possible.
n nOte: The exact dates for the shelter-building work trips in
Waynesboro, Va., will be announced at www.aldha.org and via
an email blast from ALDHA once we get approval from FEMA.
6
RUSSELL LEDBETTER
Spring 2015
Tagging along
for a thru-hike
For the first time, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy is asking thru-hikers to
register to hike in advance and to attach tags to their packs so that the ATC can
coordinate when and how many people start from Springer and elsewhere. But
participation is voluntary; hikers are not required to register in advance; and
carrying a tag does not guarantee space in a shelter or waive the need for a permit in the national parks. So, you might be asking yourself, what’s the point?
A
T LAST FALL’S GATHERING, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy held a panel
discussion about the possible impacts from
two feature films that portray long-distance hiking, Reese Witherspoon’s “Wild” and
Robert Redford and Nick Nolte’s “A Walk in the
Woods.” The theory is that these movies will inspire
a surge in would-be A.T. thru-hikers come 2016.
Among the ideas floated by ATC officials was a
voluntary registration system that would try to spread
out the number of starting thru-hikers at Springer
Mountain in Georgia and other entry points.
Instead of waiting for 2016, however, the ATC decided to set up a registration system this year, in time
for the current northbound thru-hiking season.
Yes, it is voluntary and free. Yes, it involves signing up in advance and acquiring an ATC plastic tag
to attach to your pack (see image above). And true,
this tag does not guarantee you space in a shelter nor
is it a substitute for a permit to hike in national parks
like the Smokies.
But Laurie Potteiger of the ATC thinks the system
will help control numbers on the trail. No one knows
if it will work, but launching it this year on a trial
basis seemed like a good time to work out any kinks
before the expected flood of thru-hikers next spring,
the ATC reasoned.
Potteiger, who is the ATC’s information services
manager, went on Whiteblaze.com to explain the reasoning behind this first-ever advance registration system for thru-hiking the A.T.
“The primary purpose is to spread out thru-hikers
more evenly at the start of the trail, for the benefit of
hikers and the trail itself,” she explained.
Analyzing data from successful finishers over the
last five years, Potteiger says the two most popular
start dates — and most crowded days on Springer —
are April 1, followed by March 17, St. Patrick’s Day.
“People naturally gravitate towards certain dates
... so there tends to be larger clumps of people on
those days. Other days in between sometimes have
See the ATC’s latest data, visit http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiking/thru-hike-registration.
far fewer people, especially mid-week. If hikers who
have not made travel plans and have flexibility in their
starting date, choosing a date with fewer people can
spread out hikers more evenly at the start of the trail
in Georgia, where conditions are most crowded. Attrition will gradually reduce the number of hikers
along the trail, with approximately 1 in 4 making it
the entire way,” Potteiger said.
The voluntary registration system will also allow
ATC to:
1) Gather better data about those who start thruhikes, and when and where they are doing it.
2) Communicate with thru-hikers before their
hikes, and if they opt in, during and after their thruhikes. This will let ATC share information about closures, norovirus outbreaks, etc., and survey those who
attempt thru-hikes but don’t finish for various reasons.
3) Educate hikers about and promote alternatives
to the traditional northbound thru-hike. Starting a
thru-hike in the middle of the A.T. northbound not
only allows a hiker to avoid the early bubble of northbounders, it can offer a number of benefits for those
willing to forgo ending on Katahdin.
“If you really love the A.T. and want others to
enjoy this amazing resource that allows anyone to
spend time immersed in nature, at almost no cost, with
a minimum of regulation, please consider voluntarily
following these suggestions,” Potteiger wrote.
Quite a few hikers are taking the advice to heart
and have warmed up to the idea of advance registration. As of March 29, some 1,263 people registered
as northbound thru-hikers starting at Springer. Another 51 had signed up as southbounders, 77 had registered as northbounders starting at Harpers Ferry, and
67 had enrolled as flip-floppers starting elsewhere.
As “Carbo” wrote on Whiteblaze on Jan. 18: “You
convinced me that my 2015 thru will be a flip starting
at Harpers Ferry. Thank you for the info.”
Spring 2015
7
ATC, Baxter officials talk
By Bill o’BrieN
Editor-in-Chief
Reaction was strong to the story we ran in our winter E-edition detailing concerns from officials at Baxter State Park in Maine about the impacts from the
increasing numbers of A.T. thru-hikers descending
upon Mount Katahdin in general and the behavior of
some hikers in particular.
The suggestion by park Director Jensen Bissell that
the Appalachian Trail might someday have to halt at
Baxter’s borders raised the hackles of many online
and in conversations at hiker get-togethers over the
winter. Bissell makes the case that the A.T. was never
on Percival Baxter’s radar when he created the park,
and that the A.T. has never been guaranteed access
to Mount Katahdin, let alone Baxter Park.
In response to that, one person involved with the
A.T. noted that, when the A.T. was declared the first
national scenic trail by an
act of Congress in 1968,
You can read the
the endpoints were clearly
Bissell letter of
stated in the federal regNov. 29, 2014, at
istry as being Springer
this online link.
Mountain, Ga., and Mount
Katahdin, Maine. It would
take an act of Congress, he suggested, to change that.
Whether that’s true or not, it was Bissell’s complaints about the behavior of some bad apples that hit
home the hardest with the hot-stove hiker league over
the winter. And, in what may or may not be a surprise,
most of those observers agree with Bissell.
“My first reaction was that Baxter State Park should
require hikers to pass an IQ test for entry. It looks like
that would cut the numbers of abusers significantly,”
the “Old Grouse” commented on Whiteblaze.
IN WEB FORUMS INCLUDING Facebook the reaction seemed to be overwhelmingly in agreement
with Bissell’s assessment that a sense of entitlement
has crept into the A.T. thru-hiking culture. Most of
the letters ALDHA received on the issue also bemoaned the rise of an entitlement atmosphere (see Page 8).
And there has been popular support for Baxter Park
to go ahead and start arresting hikers who break the
rules. Citing the example of the cog railway on Mount
Washington, some believe enforcement will clear up
the problem quickly. Since at least the early 1990s,
thru-hikers took part in a grapevine campaign to
“moon” the little train as it passed by their stretch of
trail. It got so bad that engineers started hurling rocks
at hikers who “dropped trou.” In 2007, federal
rangers started arresting and fining the mooners.
Today, it’s reportedly not as bad as it used to be.
“It took eight arrests to get the word out that NPS
was enforcing the law and the behavior was no longer
acceptable,” a 2011 thru-hiker from Baltimore noted
on Whiteblaze. “It doesn’t take much, just a few
highly publicized arrests to curtail bad behavior.
Maybe BSP could look at this example instead of
threatening to keep thru-hikers out of the park.”
Although Baxter rangers would issue tickets, not
haul someone to jail, for public drinking, Bissell said
he is not inclined to start arresting hikers at this time.
1
Winter 2014-15
KATAHDIN: Somehow, ‘Springer to Nesuntabunt’
Continued from Page 1
On Nov. 19, the director of the Baxter State Park
Authority, Jensen Bissell, sent a 10-page letter to the
Appalachian Trail Conservancy laying out concerns
posed by the increasing number of thru-hikers entering
the park to finish, or in some cases start, their end-toend hikes of the Appalachian Trail. If it’s true that a
few bad apples ruin it for everyone, it is no more true
than on the Appalachian Trail and in particular on the
A.T. in Baxter Park. Bissell lays out a scenario of drug
and alcohol use in plain sight of families with children,
late-night partying, illegal camping, and deceitful use
of fake credentials to claim pet dogs as service animals,
thereby allowing them entry into a park that otherwise
bans pets.
The letter, which at times has the feeling of a legal
brief, makes clear that hosting the northern terminus
of the A.T. was never part of the park’s original mission, that federal authority over the A.T. ends at the
state park’s boundary line, and that the final 14.5 miles
of the trail are under Baxter State Park governance.
Deeds and other written instructions left by Percival
Baxter on how he wanted the park managed “provide
no direct reference to the A.T. or its accommodation
within the park,” Bissell notes in his opening paragraph. He goes on to detail how the number of thruhikers has risen over the years while the park’s
resources have been unable to keep pace. He flatly
states that the park has no intention of beefing up its
services to accommodate ever more thru-hikers and
makes it clear that some other arrangement will likely
be needed to preserve the integrity of the park’s primary mission, which unlike the A.T.’s purpose, he
said, is the preservation of wilderness, not recreation.
Bissell says alternative arrangements for
A.T. thru-hikers include park entry by permit
only, and, yes, the possible relocation of the
Appalachian Trail’s northern terminus so it is
no longer on Mount Katahdin.
One of the underlying themes of the letter dwells on
the problems posed by the very nature of thru-hiking,
a culture that fosters a somewhat cavalier disregard,
albeit temporary for most, of society’s rules. The Baxter State Park Authority by necessity must operate by
a set list of rules, Bissell notes, and this is in direct
conflict with the attitudes of many hikers. He cites as
examples the way some hikers avoid paying the
mandatory $10 fee for overnight camping at the
Birches campsite, the way some hikers stealth camp illegally inside the park, and the way some hikers flaunt
alcohol and marijuana use on the summit as part of
Winter 2014-15
1
doesn’t sound as exciting as ‘Springer to Katahdin’
SOME OF BAXTER’S BEEFS WITH THRU-HIKERS
I Modern A.T. hikers exhibit a desire to
I An increase in southbounders, many of
I The use of alcohol and recreational
I A large increase in the number of thru-
travel together in large numbers, congregating on the trail in large groups even as the
park has recently joined all other land management agencies in the Northeast in limiting hiking group size beginning in 2013. (In
the park, groups are limited to 12 or fewer.)
whom say they are avoiding the crowd
scene and overdone “trail magic” on the
south end of the trail in the spring. Many of
them are ill-prepared for the start of their
journeys despite all the information out
there, Bissell’s letter says.
hikers wishing to hike “up and over” Baxter Peak and complete their day at Roaring
Brook Campground. Coupled with this hike
is an expectation that park staff will undertake numerous radio calls to arrange for taxi
or shuttle service on the other side of the
mountain at day’s end. Some thru-hikers
have indicated they will petition to have the
white blazes extended to include Knife Edge
and trails beyond to Chimney Pond.
drugs in full view at the summit. This behavior detracts from the summit experience
for other hikers on Katahdin, including families with children. This inconsiderate behavior does not represent use the park supports
or encourages anywhere in the park, let
alone at Maine’s most popular peak.
I A surprisingly large increase in hikers
arriving with service dogs. A quick search
on the Internet turns up at least six companies on the Web offering fake service dog
credentials and accessories available for a
fee. Following their hike in the park, hikers
have been seen hiking able-bodied, without
dogs, boasting and laughing loudly in local
establishments about how they “pulled one
over on Baxter” by using fake credentials.
Two hikers were recently prosecuted, convicted and fined $260 for fake credentials.
their end-of-trail celebration, in full view of other park
visitors, despite the ban on public alcohol consumption
and all illegal drugs. (A litany of some of Bissell’s
other concerns is listed in the box above.)
THE ATC HAS BEEN QUIETLY REVIEWING its
response to the issues outlined by Bissell, who also sent
a copy of his letter to Wendy Janssen, the National
Park Service superintendent of the A.T. project. Ron
Tipton, executive director of the ATC, is hoping to set
up a meeting where he, Janssen, Bissell and other staff
members on both sides can discuss the issues and possibly come up with an action plan. Because of the
winter weather, that meeting is not expected
to occur until the spring.
“We’re just as concerned,” the ATC’s
New England
I Increasing numbers of thru-hikers ar-
riving late in the afternoon when the park’s
A.T. steward is done for the day, saying they
plan to hike 10 miles before nightfall but end
up camping illegally in the park.
I Continuing problem of friends and fam-
ily of finishing thru-hikers expecting to rent a
site on a weekend at the last minute.
— Jensen Bissell letter, Nov. 19, 2014
regional director, Hawk Metheny, said. “We want to
try to do what we can to work cooperatively with them
on all of this. Obviously we don’t condone any of that
kind of hiker behavior in the letter. We think that’s totally inappropriate for the entire trail as well.”
While the number of problems is bound to rise with
the higher number of thru-hikers, there is also a growing sense of hiker entitlement that has come into play,
and Metheny is not sure if the ATC alone can
reverse those attitudes.
“Hikers are needy people,” former ALDHA Coordinator Mike Wingeart is fond of observing, but finding a way to make hikers less demanding on others —
especially in an age of reduced government services —
is a dilemma for all trail-related groups, Metheny and
others noted. But Metheny pointed out that the problems cited by Bissell are by a minority of hikers.
“There are a few people ignoring the rules but the
majority are responsible, or some of them simply may
not know the rules,” he said, a view shared by many
on Whiteblaze.net, where Bissell’s letter created a buzz
this winter. Educating people about the rules should be
the joint goal of Baxter Park, ATC and others, he said.
BAXTER STATE PARK
OVERALL, REACTION BY THE TRAIL COMMUNITY has been muted, with many perhaps believing
that Bissell’s suggestion of losing Katahdin was just an
attention-grabber. The letter was mailed a month after
the Gathering in October, and neither the ALDHA
board nor the membership has had a chance to discuss
it so there is no official response yet from the group.
Others were quick to offer their personal views,
chief among them Warren Doyle, who has summited
Katahdin as a thru-hiker more times than anyone else
in history and who is no stranger to breaking rules inside Baxter Park. He was arrested once in an act of
civil disobedience within the park, preferring to sit in
jail rather than pay a fine for trespassing — his
Thoreau-like way of protesting
what he considers the absurdity of “closing” a
mountain.
“You can summit Katahdin legally, and without
paying anything,” Doyle said via email. “I will continue to do so regardless of what may change.”
If it ever came to losing the A.T. inside Baxter
Park, Doyle said he would prefer having the northern
terminus of the trail on Rainbow Ledges with a lowcost lodge/camping area operated by the AMC, ATC
or MATC on Hurd Pond. But for Doyle, who is
known to get emotional when he talks about the “holy
mountain,” he will always consider mile-high Baxter
Peak the ultimate goal of an A.T. thru-hike.
He added: “As I said from my Piscataquis County
jail cell several decades ago, it is a shame that a magnificent massif like Katahdin finds itself imprisoned in
a state park like Baxter.”
Larry Luxenberg, a trail historian and president of
the Appalachian Trail Museum Society, said the loss
of Katahdin would be a disaster if it were to occur. He
hopes, however, some accommodation can be made to
keep Katahdin in the trail family, as it were.
While not the original mountain that A.T. founder
Benton MacKaye had in mind for the northern terminus (he envisioned Mount Washington for the final
hurdle), the trail builders early on saw Katahdin as the
only logical conclusion for the trail they were creating,
especially after Myron H. Avery, himself a native of
Maine, took over the trail project. The final miles of
the trail were blazed in Maine, and it was Avery himself — measuring wheel in hand — who led the expedition through the Maine Wilderness that brought the
white blazes up and over Hunt Spur, all the way to
Baxter Peak, in 1933.
“No one loved Katahdin more than Myron Avery,”
Luxenberg noted. “From the beginning of his involvement with the A.T. in the 1920s, he was adamant that
Katahdin be the northern terminus of the A.T.”
It was a decision that has since made the Appalachian Trail practically synonymous with Katahdin.
“With nearly a century of experience, Avery’s insistence on ending at Katahdin has helped to make the
A.T. the best known trail in the world,” Luxenberg
said. “The loss of Katahdin would be devastating.”
FOR HIS PART, JENSEN BISSELL, the director of
Baxter State Park, hopes to find a way to alleviate the
concerns he put forth. He is especially worried over
what he perceives as a conflict between the two management models of the ATC and the park. On one
Continued on next page
“Having Katahdin at the end
of the trail is almost like it
was a plan by the creator of
the universe.”
— Irvin “Buzz” Caverly, retired
superintendent of Baxter State Park,
as quoted by Larry Luxenberg in 1994
You can read the original story in the last issue of The Long Distance Hiker at this link.
atives that join the thru-hikers.”
According to Tipton, park officials seemed pleased
that the ATC has begun a serious effort to communicate with potential thru-hikers this year to persuade
them to consider alternatives such as flip-flopping,
where hikers start somewhere other than Springer or
Katahdin. There is also a brochure in the works to
hand hikers as they enter Baxter, spelling out the possible dire consequences if things don’t change.
Tipton
ATC
Bissell
IAT
Making arrests would drain even more time from his
staff’s workday, and he is looking to lessen the load of
handling higher numbers of hikers, not increase it.
Foot traffic via trails accounts for 3 percent of the
park’s use but 15 percent of the park staff’s workload,
with no help from outside groups like the National Park
Service or ATC, he noted.
Besides, arresting hikers is not something the park
wishes to be known for, he said. “We’re hikers, too.”
TRAIL ORGANIZATIONS LIKE ATC (and even
ALDHA) know they have their work cut out for them
to try to convince Baxter officials to keep the park
open to the Appalachian Trail, said Ron Tipton, the
executive director of ATC. He reported that the two
sides have been in touch via conference call, with the
National Park Service’s Wendy Janssen, superintendent of the A.T. project, also in on the conversation.
“It was a very good and substantive discussion,”
Tipton said. “We made it very clear that we know
there are real problems managing the increasing numbers of hikers climbing Katahdin, the size of many of
the hiking groups, and the number of friends and rel-
TIPTON NOTED THAT ATC HAS BEEN pro-active in its concerns — similar to Bissell’s — about the
impact from the movie “A Walk in the Woods” with
Robert Redford and Nick Nolte that is due to hit theaters in late summer. (A firm release date will be announced soon.) In working with producers of the film
over the past year, the ATC has gotten them to agree
to include, as part of the movie’s promotional trailers,
places where potential new hikers can get information
about thru-hiking the A.T. and learn what is proper
backcountry behavior and trail etiquette.
But the biggest action taken by the ATC has been
the launch over the winter of a new online system for
thru-hikers to register to hike in advance. It’s strictly
voluntary for now, but the idea is to try to control the
numbers of thru-hikers who start in one place (see
story on Page 6) and to keep in touch with them before, during and after their hike. “More than 1,500
registered this year,” Tipton noted.
Bissell said he was happy to hear some of the work
that’s being done, but said there is more to be done.
“Our concerns remain. We’re prepared to act on
this ourselves but we’re not comfortable with that,”
he said. “We have enough to do in the park without
doing what we feel is the work of groups like the
ATC to get hikers educated and aware of what they
shouldn’t be doing when they’re hiking the trail.”
8
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
We received more mail about our story in the winter E-edition titled “Whither Katahdin?” than any
other story we’ve done. Some writers felt compelled to respond but declined to have their letter reprinted. As always, we encourage you to share your thoughts with the rest of ALDHA about anything in the newsletter, any hiking-related issue, or ALDHA in general. Email [email protected].
So MANY WAYS For US
To GiVe BACK, NoT TAKe
To AlDHA,
This is an exciting time for the about-to-start
hikers. Most have read about the trail, and several have taken the opportunity to become familiar with online websites and read trail
journals. Having been in their position only
three years ago I can comfortably say that the
pre-hike information I obtained was focused
on the gear and food I would carry, and also
information on the hiking environment. It
was not until I had several months of hiking
experience that I better understood other
facets of the experience. That understanding
grows as I continue to become more involved in A.T.-related activities.
Recently a milestone of the 15,000th
completion of the trail was reported by the
Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Surely the
A.T., as the earliest thru-hikers experienced it, was different than the A.T. we
know today. Much of that difference is
due to the efforts of the various trail clubs
and thousands of volunteer maintainers
who work diligently to make the hiking experience
both challenging and memorable. Without the ongoing
efforts of these individuals the trail may well have
evolved into an overgrown, campsite-scarred piece of
real estate that might today be impassable in places.
Trail maintenance such as erosion control, clearing of
blowdowns, erection and repair of shelters in a manner that thoughtfully maintains the spirit of the walkway are important. These dedicated individuals mostly
started off as hikers. I reminded hikers as I talked with
them at this year’s A.T. Kickoff to not only thank
those volunteers when they meet them, but more importantly, to look for opportunities to join them when
able. It’s a great way to increase one’s understanding
of why and how a trail is built and maintained.
Shelters are used all the time by some hikers, and
seldom or never by others. A shelter is intended to
provide space to sleep and some protection from wind
and rain. In order to retain the non-urban a atmosphere of the natural setting, a shelter is, but should
not be thought of or used as a visitor’s sign-in book.
Shelter registers are usually available to record hiker
comments and hike progress messages. Tagging shelters with hiker names, while trendy, goes against the
principles of Leave No Trace. Shelters do occasionally need to be repaired or new ones erected. Here
again an opportunity is provided for hikers to pay
back to the trail.
The hiker experience has also evolved and benefitted from the establishment of hiker hostels along
the trail to provide a place for a hot shower, laundry
facilities, warm meals and a comfortable bed. Some
of these hostels are commercial type operations that
charge a reasonable fee, while others are operated on
a meager budget by former individuals or by hikers
who just want to pay back something to the new
hiker’s experience. Again, a thoughtful hiker should
Spring 2015
are more likely to continue offering rides to hikers.
All of the above were discussed with me at some
point during the Kickoff. They were mentioned in
some cases to assist hikers. In other instances they
were spoken as an expression of favorable versus unfavorable practices on the trail. By far the majority of
A.T. trail users embrace the good practices because
they understand and appreciate the opportunity that
this wonderful piece of land offers. Unfortunately
there is a small minority of people who come on the
trail and view the path, services and accommodations
as entitlements and disregard the spirit of the A.T.
What we have today is here because of those who
came before us. What we offer to those who follow
us tomorrow is that which we enjoy and protect today.
JiM SAMPle
“White Sidewalls”
THere’S A GroWiNG SeNSe
oF eNTiTleMeNT BY HiKerS
make sure to thank the hostel owners for
being there. Ask any of them and they’ll tell you it is
a joyful experience meeting most hikers, but a grueling pace to maintain in hiking season. Don’t hesitate
to make a donation to the hostel operation if you notice that it might be needed, or offer to help the owner
while there. It surely will be appreciated.
On the trail one also may meet up with a ridge runner. These are people employed by ATC or the clubs
to travel along smaller segments of the trail to assist
hikers who may need help, or provide information
about their segment. They, too, deserve your appreciation. If you notice something that gives you a concern, pass it on to them. Most ridge runners will tell
you that one of the least desirable parts of their activity is carrying out trash left by hikers. Remember if
you pack it in, pack it out.
Keep in mind, too, that the trail is used by thruand section-hikers, weekend and day-hikers, as well
as others who just use its solitude for partying. Remember we all share responsibility for maintaining
the spirit of the trail experience.
Please do your share!
Occasionally a hiker needs to leave the trail for resupply or for other reasons. If the destination is not
within reasonable walking distance, hikers sometimes
resort to hitch hiking or making use of available shuttle services. Most providers of this service do so because they know hikers need the availability. Hikers
should be courteous and maintain an awareness of the
vehicle's intended usage and hikers should not abuse
the vehicle's interior with their packs or muddy boots.
Here again, the provider of the ride should be offered
a payment toward fuel, about a dollar per mile is reasonable. Often it will be refused, but it will always be
appreciated. If we treat shuttle drivers properly, they
To AlDHA,
I just read the article on Baxter State Park complaints about thru-hiker abuse…and I must AGREE
with the State Park.
When I arrived in Baxter State Park in June 1972,
it never occurred to me to NOT pay the entrance fee,
camp in the shelter I had reserved or obey park rules.
Obviously, there were VERY FEW hikers SOBO in
1972 … only one other. Shelters were never crowded,
but permits were required in many parks. The Smokies had a permit system designating each and every
shelter and the night you were to be there. I found
NONE of these rules particularly restricting to my
hike and any fees I contributed were gladly paid in
exchange for the Park maintenance and recreational
activities I received.
I have been a volunteer at many ATC, PATC,
ALDHA activities, including Trail Days as ATC photographer for four years. I’ve also met many thru-hikers on the A.T. in various sections from GA to PA.
I MUST admit that these new hikers DO IN FACT
FEEL ENTITLED to hike as they choose; skip any
inconvenient sections of the A.T. and yet still claim
a completed thru-hike; evade permits and fees; game
the motel occupancy regulations; smoke weed openly;
drink alcohol openly; walk into towns, restaurants,
shops without benefit of the simple courtesy of
bathing; they feel entitled to shelters even if they arrive late at night, they poop on the ground in the immediate vicinity of shelters and walk away without
the rudimentary sanitation awareness of a house cat;
they believe that they deserve special treatment.
They get into medical trouble because they don’t
think they should carry anything they don’t want to
and that others MUST take care of them when things
go wrong. They want any problems that arise from
their own poor judgement to be solved by a cellphone
call to a park ranger or 911. They are rude, demanding, self-centered, inexperienced, inconsiderate. Not
all, but many.
These folks need to GROW UP and assume responsibility for their OWN actions. ALDHA, ATC,
LNT shouldn’t even NEED to teach people to dig a
hole to poop into. Or to wash up and launder your
clothes before going into a restaurant. Or to say
“Please” and “May I” and “Thank You.” A 4-yearold knows better.
Dan innamorato
Spring 2015
9
Summit FEVER
a true story
By ToBy B. Woodard
“Son of Billy Goat”
H
The alpine garden just below the summit of New Hampshire’s Mount Washington, encrusted in winter snow. In the distance is Nelson Crag.
A father & son
face the worst
fear of hikers:
That they’ll
die on the trail.
At least, they’ll
die together.
uncHed over in a protective
stance, I strained my 14-year-old
frame to protect myself from the
thrashing hurricane-force winds. I
tried to fold my bulky arms in
front of my face to protect my eyes from the steady
onslaught of blinding white powder. They were the
only part of my body exposed; the eyes, the most
sensitive and valuable of all body parts. I regretted
not putting on my goggles during our last break. I
felt fat and inflexible, like the Michelin man on Tv.
The loose nylon outer shell of my storm jacket
shuddered like machine gun fire. And the winds
around me sounded off in waves like the brutal
sound of war. I opened my mouth to gift my lungs
with much-needed oxygen, and felt it freeze into an
instant slushie. My teeth hurt with cold nerve pain.
I closed my mouth and forced air through my nose.
Peering up the 45-degree slope, all I could see
that distinguished the blinding polar landscape from
anything else was an outcrop of granite barely visible just 20 more feet above me. I took one more
step, slicing the points of my crampons into the
crunchy white gravel covered with an undulating
layer of fresh powder. But with all my resolve I
could not take another; could not find another measure of that drive that mountaineers make reference
to, to carry me closer to the summit. I fantasized
about my bed back home. If I could just climb in
there now, pull the covers up all cozy like and be
lulled away from my present struggle. I contended
with the dreaminess of it all.
There’s something special about the wind; making oneself vulnerable to the wind’s grasp. I have
always loved her raw force, her purity. She makes
me feel wild deep within, cleansed, liberated. In an
odd way she causes me to feel somehow protected
in her embrace. But over the past three hours the
object of my love broke my heart and turned her
favor from me.
10
At times she would ignite a blast in excess of 100 miles per hour, lift my 95
pounds of scrawniness up from the earth, and slam me back down without
mercy, 10, 20 or more feet away from the spot at which I had stood just an instant before.
I calculated quickly that the statistical odds of being pummeled into one of
the scattered rock outcroppings were much greater than I was comfortable with.
Frightened and in a desperate effort to defend myself against another beating,
I found myself digging my mittens and kicking my boot tips into the snowy base,
crawling upward, inch by inch. I envisioned the horror on my mother’s face,
were she able to see me now.
My father, who had been so many yards ahead, had lost his footing and before he realized it, found himself sliding, rolling backward, like a lifeless doll
down the slope. even though he was not far away, I could not hear his frantic
yelling. A ball of sky blue, sliding and rolling through the center of this pure
white frameless portrait. It appeared as a foreign object, unfitting with the surrounding white blankness.
I had not the strength to rush to his aid. nothing moves fast in these conditions. Part of his body, hard as it was to tell which part, had been arrested by a
small rock outcrop. It turned out that he had made contact with his right hip and
thigh. But as painful as it was for him, it may have saved him from descending
into the great abyss of nothingness that loomed directly below us. All I could
do at the time was remain waiting, crumpled like a dirty dish rag on the slope,
watching him, awaiting his next move, his alerting me of his condition.
I found myself hoping he was injured but just enough that he would make
the decision for us to turn back around and abort the summit attempt. I felt a
strike of panic soar through my heart; it felt like guilt. What could be wrong
with me for entertaining such a thought, even for a fleeting moment? I interrogated myself. For all I know, he could be in really bad shape. We were not
using ropes to keep us locked into and connected with one another. Apparently
he thought they weren’t necessary. And I trusted him. I really did.
I had to reach him. He was not so much above or below me on the slope but
sort of across and around the contour of the mountain, perhaps 10 yards from
me. Waiting for a lull in the freight train of wind, I slowly turned my body to
get on one knee, speared my ice axe into the frozen tundra and with all my
strength strained to push myself back up into standing position. Headfirst, I
drove myself one short step at a time horizontally across. When I was halfway
there, I saw him begin to move around, righting, and orienting himself to see
where I was. He held up his arm and hand to indicate that he was alright. Phew!
Thank God. After several minutes I reached him, and he stood up close to me
so that we could communicate.
In these kinds of chaotic and deafening conditions, there is only one way to
speak to your partner, if absolutely necessary: The climber must get his mouth
right up close to the other’s head, peel back the multiple layers of protective clothing from his ear — hood, hat and balaclava — and yell maniacally. I screamed,
“MAyBe We SHould HeAd doWn. WHAT do you THInk?”
My dad, his voice sounding spent, replied, “I hate to give up the summit
when we’ve made it this far. But, yeah, maybe that would be the wise thing to
do.”
upon the welcomed resolution, I felt a measurable weight of relief depart
my body. And a modicum of energy returned with the knowledge that I no
longer had to battle against the mountain’s exhausting gravity. I was confident
at this point that we could make it back down.
Spring 2015
Mount Washington, New Hampshire, Weather observatory —
Summit Weather Conditions at 12:00 pm, Saturday, March 2, 1985
(As read the following day at Pinkham Notch Lodge)
Weather: Heavy Snowfall with Whiteout Conditions. Temperature: 15
degrees F. Wind: 88 mph. Visibility: 25 feet. Relative Humidity: 100%.
Station Pressure: 23.76 falling. Ground Conditions: 23'' Snow/Ice with
Deeper Patches.
24 Hour Statistics: Maximum Temperature: 17 Degrees F. Minimum
Temperature: 4 Degrees F. Peak Wind Gust: 106 mph. Average Wind
Speed: 72 mph. Liquid Precipitation: None. Snowfall: 13''
The weather of Mount Washington is notoriously erratic. This is partly due
to the convergence of several storm tracks, mainly from the Atlantic to the south,
the Gulf region and Pacific northwest. The vertical rise of the Presidential
range, combined with its north-south orientation, makes it a significant barrier
to westerly winds. low-pressure systems are more favorable to develop along
the coastline in the winter months due to the relative temperature differences
between the northeast and the Atlantic ocean.
With these factors combined, winds exceeding hurricane force occur an average of 110 days per year. From november to April, these strong winds are
likely to occur during two-thirds of the days. For many years Mount Washington
held the world record wind speed of 231 mph, recorded on the afternoon of
April 12, 1934. (It has since been broken by severe cyclone olivia, at 253 mph,
in Western Australia in 1996, though not reported until 2010). Mount Washington also receives very high levels of precipitation, averaging an equivalent
of around 102 inches of rain per year, with a record high of 130.14 inches in
1969. large amounts of precipitation fall in a relatively short period of time. In
october 1996, a record 11.07 inches of precipitation fell during a single 24hour period. A substantial amount of this falls as snow, with a yearly average
of around 310 inches of snow and a record of 566.4 inches during the 1968-69
snow season. The record amount of snowfall in a 24-hour period, 49.3 inches,
occurred in February 1969.
I
T WAS SATurdAy, the second day of March 1985. We had been ascending the nelson crag route on new Hampshire’s Mount Washington for the
first time, and had been climbing since 7 a.m. The lodge at Pinkham notch,
the base and launching point of our climb, ordinarily posted the day’s weather
at 8 a.m. Because of the importance of starting out as early as possible, we chose
to forfeit waiting for the weather report in order to begin at 7 a.m.
This was not our first climb. each of us could boast a few ascents under his
belt already, and therefore (I’m still not certain which one of us) brainstormed
an ambitious — and what seemed like a grand idea at the time — climbing goal
while reclining comfortably in our respective lounge chairs, in front of the warm,
glowing coal stove back in our condominium in derry, n.H. (this is called “armchair hiking”), exactly the setting for coming up with most of our hiking goals.
In short, we decided that we would climb Mount Washington in every month of
the year. Surely it was comparable to how we set in motion the objective for
summiting the hundred highest peaks in the northeast, 68 of them above 4,000
feet, a number of them without any maintained route to follow, requiring skillful
use of topographical map, compass and advanced orienteering skills. And if that
weren’t enough to satisfy our hiking itch, we had set the target of hiking every
Spring 2015
mile of the 2,150-mile Appalachian Trail between Georgia and
northern Maine. For about four years, when I was between ages 13
and 17, it was a matter of course to find ourselves during my weekends and breaks away from school and my dad’s days off and vacations from his work on the railroad, escaping to some little known
corner of northern Maine, new Hampshire or vermont to go peakbagging and eventually states to the south as we chipped away one
more chunk of the awesome length of the A.T.
We had a full-size dodge ram pickup with a cap over the truck’s
bed. underneath the cap was a bed, positioned horizontally across the
front, which was my father’s. And longways across the driver’s side
was a satisfyingly springy old army cot which I slept on. He would
typically pick me up from school on a Friday in Ashburnham, Mass.,
where I lived primarily with my Mom, and begin driving to some distant and remote trailhead he or I had chosen the previous week.
By 9 p.m. I most often found myself very sleepy. At my request
my dad would pull our rig over and let me crawl into the confined
but cozy space that we called home while indulging our obsession.
lying there in my sleeping bag as he pulled the truck back onto the
roadway and up to highway speed, I was lulled into dreamy sleep
by the hypnotic spinning of the tires against the pavement and the
whoosh of wind around the truck’s cap.
Thinking back, I suppose I should have been more worried back
there. concerned, first of all, about my old man falling asleep at the
wheel! In my mind’s eye I can see him vividly still. As he grew ever
more drowsy, his head would tilt little by little farther and farther
back and his eyes would become squinted to the point of being hardly
open at all. His mouth would drop wide open and I would stiffen in
fear, not knowing what to do. He would shake his head and take a
deep breath, then bark in my direction, “Talk to me!” but I could
only clam up with tension and nervousness. It never entered my mind
at that naive and trusting age that we could be in an automobile accident while I was sound asleep in my bed in the back.
More often than not, I would wake up in the morning and have
no idea in the world where I was. As soon as I opened my eyes, he
would sing, “Where are we now?” As I lowered the tailgate and
climbed out the back, I would look around for clues and signs of
recognition. We might be at a diner, or off on a wood’s road or at
the trailhead. It became a typical Saturday morning game for him to
quiz and for me to guess.
This lifestyle was a norm for us during my adolescent years;
what a contrast to what my friends were doing during those times!
Before long, and after trying my best and failing, I gave up entirely
on trying to make them understand. They could never really get it.
I
STArTed ouT AHeAd oF My FATHer as usual. I think
he liked to stay back behind me. In case something went wrong,
he would soon reach me, as opposed to him being ahead of me
and not knowing. We stayed relatively near to one another, placing
each step very carefully, kicking in with our crampons and sinking
our axes deep, to assure the safest descent possible. considering how
little daylight we had left, we decided the wisest move was to make
a downward and lateral descent, bearing steadily north, until we intersected the Mount Washington auto road.
All winter climbers here are familiar with the auto road. during
the fair weather season, and for a fee, one can drive or be driven in
a van along an eight-mile circuitous and treacherous course, beginning at n.H. 16, two miles north of Pinkham notch. It ascends 4,500 feet up to 6,288 feet, the highest point in the
northeastern united States.
We were both aware that the road would be a much
longer out-of-the way route, but a much safer one, at least
as far as risk management goes. After following a 4.5mile/3,500-foot vertical drop down the auto road, we would
have to turn north and follow a two-mile trail called the
Jackson road, which would lead us, finally, to Pinkham.
Pinkham notch is what many would call the base
camp for climbing Mount Washington. There’s a rustic
lodge that offers information on trails, weather and hiking, sells maps, books and clothing, snacks, etc., an outbuilding in which people rent a bunk for a night or two,
and a dining hall where three meals a day are served. I
always felt at home there.
on every occasion after laboring and grinding my
way to the summit during good weather,
I found myself taken aback by the scene just 100
yards from the top. From the east and most
popular climbing route on the mountain, in order to reach the highest pile of
rocks that marks the actual high point,
the weather observatory and the visitor’s center/snack bar, the hiker clambers up and over the thousandth
granite boulder and suddenly
enters a level and manicured parking lot. From this lot
leads a wooden set of stairs
that shows the way the
last little bit upward,
11
12
Spring 2015
perhaps one hundred yards or so. In this parking lot are people of all ages, sizes
and shapes — women in short skirts and high-heel shoes, hair glazed in hairspray. People without even so much as a jacket on or a hat. Big people. round
people. They limp slowly and stiffly across the paved lot, and upon reaching
the stairway, gasp and moan that they must climb at all. every breath complaining about how hard and steep it is. The murmur of unappreciative griping in all
tones and volumes, carried down to me by the incessant draft. The complaints
range from how the road should go all the way to the top, to how cold it is up
there, and how the sun would have to disappear just as they arrived. They hobble
slowly up the flights of stairs in front of me and into the visitor’s center to
proudly purchase their “This car climbed Mount Washington” bumper sticker.
T
HAnkFully, WInTer clIMBerS are freed from this spectacle. In
any event, the auto road is a fine backup plan for situations like my father’s and mine. even though the wind gusts just as stubbornly and as
powerfully on its blank surface, and the snow drifts can be several feet deep, it
is a relatively easy route by which to descend.
Before long, we found ourselves post-holing through feet of drifted snow. I
strained to come up with ways to describe this stuff, the object of my struggle.
A typical english thesaurus lists just three — “snow”, “snowfall” and “snow
flurry” — all of them mundane, failing to accurately describe what presently
surrounded me, what consumed me moment to moment.
over the deafening chaos I could hear the drumming of my heart, the laboring of my breath. The effort and energy required to drive our bodies through
the blasting fury and white quicksand drained not only our aching muscles but
our psyches as well. Without words, it was understood that we had to reach the
road by dark. As the deeply clouded light turned to a dark gray, I felt isolated
from the rest of the world. even though my father was trudging along not far
behind me, not being able to communicate or hear his movement through the
howling madness left a solitary and lonely feeling within.
right at the point of darkness we reached what we recognized, barely, as
the Mount Washington auto road. Banked with up to five feet of snowfall, windblown and corniced, over part of the road, it left another section of the road
with no more than a foot of snow. We stepped onto the road, faced each other
and nodded our heads with acknowledgment and in guarded celebration. My
dad put his mouth to my ear and yelled, “GreAT! We SHould Be AlrIGHT noW Son!” We sat down in the fluff and reclined our bodies into the
firmness of an old snow drift to rest. Immediately, I could feel some of the tension leave my body.
I felt tired, over-relaxed even. As I reclined there, I wished we were at the
bottom. normally, it was our goal to return by 6:30 pm. At that time, the Joe
dodge lodge at Pinkham notch puts on a four-course all-you-can-eat homemade
dinner served home-style, like at a large family Thanksgiving dinner. It begins
with the most mouth-watering fresh and warm loaves of bread onto which I
lather the real butter without measure. next comes a beautiful crisp and colorful
green salad. Then the main course, which most always includes a nice cut of
meat or fish (or a vegetarian option for someone other than me!), buttery mashed
potatoes and other sides. For those who have room left in their overstuffed bellies comes some type of cake or other rich dessert. To accompany the meal, a
variety of all-you-can-drink options are offered as well. I love milk, so I douse
my insides with many glasses of the cold, whole stuff, stretching out my belly
to bloated, aching proportions. After coming off a full day on the mountain, we
are usually near starvation, so the meal is a genuine trophy awaiting us and our
safe return.
And what makes it even more enjoyable is the company. At any one time
there can be overheard a varying plethora of excited and competing cross-conversations. Most of the guests have been out climbing or skiing, many of them
on Mount Washington itself, and, as a result, get on very well, each one biding
his time to be the next one to speak, replaying all the details of the day’s adventure. After the meal, I love to retire to the warm, rustic library and read my
book in front of the crackling fireplace until I doze off. It is one of my favorite
spots in the world.
The elusive summit, which Toby and ‘Billy Goat’ never reached.
We staggered ever downward through the heavy darkness, trying our best
to stay on the relatively narrow track. like a pinball game, when we sensed we
were near the drop-off on our left side, we weaved back to the right. When we
felt ourselves starting up onto the rugged vertical slope on our right, we edged
left. Having only one cheap disposable flashlight between us, it was our goal to
try to follow the route without the use of artificial light for as long as possible,
thereby saving any battery power for the upcoming two-mile section of trail.
As we descended, the wind lightened its grip on us and it turned cold. Bitter
cold. We were not moving fast enough to keep warm and had long used up all
our energy reserves from the little bit of pepperoni stick and sharp cheddar we
each had consumed for lunch on the ascent. I was quickly growing more tired.
light-headed and daydreaming, I wallowed along loosely, lost in an unorganized
stream of random fantasies. There was one consistent image that kept repeating
in my mind’s eye: That glorious soft warm bread that we would never get to
enjoy. My mouth watered for it.
We stopped to rest much more often than we normally would. My father
would have to prod me to get back up and keep moving, lest we freeze to death.
After more than two terribly exhausting hours of this, we had reached timberline, the point at which trees stop growing and give way to the alpine tundra
above. We stopped walking where the stunted, wind-whipped spruces were finally present, which allowed for some protection from the wind, which had
calmed considerably at this lower elevation but was still a formidable presence.
We collapsed on the snow, each of us lying on our backs, gazing not only up
but all around the horizon at what was now a vividly clear, starry night.
B
y noW, THree HourS AFTer SunSeT, the temperature had
dropped to a bone-chilling 10 degrees, not counting the wind-chill factor.
The exhaustion overwhelmed me. From the surface of my eyelids and
frozen cheeks down to my quadriceps, knees and feet, the pounding I had taken
earlier was now casting its revengeful wrath upon me. I was altogether spent
and could no longer move under my own power. My dad asked me to eat something; told me I had to eat in order to keep moving.
“I’m not hungry at all. My stomach doesn’t feel too good. Just so tired...
Wasted....” I mumbled in resistance, my voice trailing off.
“Okay son, how ’bout this: I’m going to count out seven M&Ms for you. I
want you to take your time, eat them one by one. You need the energy in them.”
He pleaded with me, pouring the colorful little candies into my double-layer
mitten-covered palm.
Spring 2015
“Okay, I’ll try, but I don’t think I can...” I sighed with resignation.
With as little energy exerted as possible, I wrapped my bulky hand around
them and lifted it to my mouth, intending to squeeze out just one. As a result,
three fell in. I began to chew them slowly, feeling the crunch of the outer shell
melt into a sweet, chocolatey goo. But even though I liked M&Ms as much as
anyone, I gagged reflexively when I tried to swallow them. I wanted to spit it
all out and wash my mouth out with snow.
“Ughhhh, YUCK! I’m trying but I don’t think I can get these down,” I recanted weakly. I wanted more than anything to abort the unpleasant exercise
and go to sleep. Finally... sleep.
My father handed me a water bottle that had just a small trickle of water left
in it. It was all the drinkable water we had left between us. The remainder had
frozen, turned into a solid mass of un-consumable hardness. With the smallest
possible sip, I squeezed my eyes shut and strained to get the three much needed
M&Ms down and into my gut. repeating this method, I got down the other four,
one at a time, over the following 10 minutes. And immediately thereafter, my
dad and I both fell asleep...
W
Ake uP! Son! WAke uP! WAke uP noW!” His hand jostled
my shoulder firmly. I found myself traveling within this bizarre,
nonsensical illusory world that comes when caught between urgently
needed slumber and confronting the reality of this uninhabited arctic wasteland.
I then experienced the panicky sensation of falling out of my body, being jerked,
instantly, back and into the biting freeze. My cheeks and ear lobes stung with
cold and my teeth chattered. My fingers throbbed with icy numbness, and my
feet, even encapsulated in expensive double plastic-shelled boots that were rated
to 100 below zero or something, felt like frozen blocks of concrete. I shivered
uncontrollably.
“Don’t go to sleep! We cannot fall asleep! If we fall asleep, that’s it; it’s over.
We’ll never wake up again, son. We’ll freeze to death.” He was particularly
spooked because he had also fallen asleep and it alerted him with panic. My father
was more keenly aware at this very moment of his responsibility to protect his
only son from harm than perhaps at any other time before then. “C’mon, let’s
get up, right now, let’s get up and start moving. We have to get moving. We’ve
got to get warmed up. We have to get off this mountain. C’mon, now.”
I moaned with reluctance. But in the logical part of my mind I knew he was
right. I did not want to die, to freeze to death on this lonely night. our bodies
were stiff and lame with coldness, and it took us quite a few minutes to get moving with any modicum of fluidity. We teetered back and forth like a pair of oneyear-old toddlers taking their very first steps. even then, neither of us ever
warmed up beyond shivering. My father peered at his watch upon starting out
and set a goal for us, encouraging me that we should, and could, make it 15
minutes before resting again. Making the 15 minutes felt like more than an hour.
At the end of each stretch, I would collapse on the ground like a lifeless rag
doll. My dad would force himself with intense discipline to remain sitting upright to assure he would not go to sleep on us. As soon as one or both of us
began to go, he would raise his voice, and bark, “WAke uP!”
This ritual went on for the next few hours. Sauntering slowly forward for
precisely a quarter of an hour at a time, letting our bodies crumple into the
frozen earth, forcing down another seven M&Ms, straining to remain awake,
shivering violently for desperate warmth, battling the force of gravity to get upright again, and repeat the process over again.
I had always felt safe so long as I was with my dad. I trusted, unreservedly,
that he would always get us back to the pickup. But, on this seemingly endless
night, I began to doubt that — silently, of course. And it frightened me somewhere deep within.
eventually we reached the Jackson road. Two level miles to home. We re-
13
moved our crampons, clipped them to our backpacks. As soon as we started out
on the tightly-packed trail we dug out our meager plastic disposable flashlight. It
would only shine a dimly lit beam and we hadn’t even gotten anywhere yet. We
had made it down the road without it, but found ourselves on a narrow, rocky,
snow-packed footpath, hidden from the night sky beneath the trees. We welcomed
the opportunity to leave the previous exposure behind; it would be warmer and
much less windy in the woods, especially at this relatively low elevation.
My father led the way to start. And I stayed very close behind, using my
wasted mind and heavy eyes to memorize the terrain while it was lighted, so
that I wouldn’t trip on a rock or a root, while placing my steps behind him where
it was not. due to the cold temps the junk flashlight completely ran out of light
within several minutes of walking. We crashed to the ground in frustration, and
he took the light and placed it under his jacket and shirt layers and against the
warmth of this belly to give it a chance to recharge enough to continue on for
another short stretch. It was then my turn to take the light in my hand and lead
the way. In just a few short minutes it was dead again.
I didn’t think I could negotiate yet another obstacle in reaching the truck. I
began to wonder if we would have to bide the long night hours of nipping darkness, battling sleep until daylight, until we could finally continue without the
use of artificial light. I kept telling myself how relatively close we were. That
we had to make it. So the routine continued. except by this point our stomachs
had turned and eating a mere seven M&Ms was far from possible. After the
flashlight charged a little, we would switch off, go on for another few minutes
and repeat — right up to the point at which the flashlight died completely.
Straining our eyes to see some kind, any kind of shape to guide the way
ahead of us, and lifting our feet high in attempts to step over the endless garden
of jagged rocks that jutted out of the dirty snow pack, we inched our way onward. I was keenly aware the very instant we were off the trail. In one short
step my leg to my upper thigh would be swallowed whole by the aged and hardened crunchy snowfall. Several instances caught me off balance and caused me
to lunge forward, now also losing my hands and arms in the frozen whiteness.
righting myself to get back up onto the track required more energy and balance
than I had in reserve. I felt I could have rolled to a position of comfort and gone
to sleep in that position forever. By this point I was sick, shaky and desperate.
J
uST WHen I HAd loST all my resolve to make it out, to carry on at
all, and right at the moment of conceding the effort once and for all by acknowledging that all hope was lost, we lifted up our doughy eyes at the
same moment to see the glimmer of the outside lights of the lodge through the
forest trees. An excited shot of adrenaline raced through my heart.
We both exclaimed simultaneously, “WoW! WoWee! We MAde IT. We
reAlly MAde IT!?”
I conceded candidly, “I’ve got to admit, I was getting pretty scared back
there. I was really starting to believe this would be the one time we didn’t make
it back to the truck.”
“no, no. I told you I’d make sure to get us back down off that mountain,”
he said, reassuringly. “We’re all right. We’re all right now, son. So, whad’ya
think? do it again next month?”
“Ha!” I chortled. “Ahhhh, well... yeah, sure. Whatever you say!”
In a few short moments we reached the back of the dodge pickup in the
Pinkham notch parking lot. We wrenched off our cumbersome boots, then
squirmed into the ice-cold nylon shells of our double-layer goose down winter
sleeping bags, drawing the hoods around our heads and faces, leaving just a
small hole to breathe out of. I wondered if I had died on the mountain and this
was my induction into heaven. Per tradition, my father hollered, “luxury!”
I grinned to myself, returned the call loudly and remember nothing more.
Editor’s note: In a bit of postscript irony, this story was edited and laid out on a snowy day at the newsletter editor’s home in Connecticut, at a window looking
out at the distant, snow-clad Hanging Hills of Meriden, the first mountains that the legendary “Billy Goat” ever ventured into as a hiker.
14
Spring 2015
COURTESY OF JEFF MILLS
Jeff Mills, at far right, leads teenagers on a 100-mile hike of the appalachian Trail every summer. Their goal is to section-hike the whole a.T.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
J
Despite chronic illness, avid hiker leads teens on A.T. section-hike
By ruSSell ledBeTTer
“The Artful Dodger”
eFF MIllS was beyond desperate.
Trotting through the Smokies with a half dozen teen
members of Boy Scout venture crew 337 in tow during
the summer of 2009, he had reached the knife’s edge on
Sawtooth ridge and remembers the moment as a defining low point.
In addition to having already faced down challenges associated
with any long-distance hike, he’d spent his entire day abruptly
rushing off-trail and then back on again, finding only momentary
relief while hiding behind a distant bush or tree.
It was near the end of what he describes as “two long years of
horrific hell” where he’d battled chronic diarrhea and a host of
other physical ailments; at times they were quite overwhelming.
Since 2007 he’d unwillingly dropped 55 pounds from his normal
195-pound base weight, and it had only left doctors further mystified.
He more resembled a drawn-out and gaunt drug addict, he
said, than the lifelong Boy Scout and venture crew leader who’d
helped guide 22 young men to becoming eagle Scouts.
Mills stood with his teen crew at the beginning of Sawtooth
ridge and his heart sank as he observed both sides of the mountain fall away, leaving some 10 miles of open-crested ridgeline.
Jeff Mills (seen here near Pearisburg, Va.) is known as ‘Monkey Boy’ on the appalachian Trail because of all his high energy and humor while hiking.
Spring 2015
15
In the midst of six days of what should have been absolute bliss at getting to be outside and hiking the
A.T., Jeff was miserable, and now he would have no
place to run and hide.
“I felt like a prairie dog,” Mills said. “I just raced
through that section. There was no place to stop at
all.”
“Andrew was hiking in front of me, and I just remember yelling, ‘come on!’ ‘We gotta go!’” Mills
recalled, referring to his son, Andrew.
Though he can laugh about it now, at the time he
said it was just awful.
Since the mid-1990s, Jeff’s health had gradually
been deteriorating. The 47-year-old Pinellas Park,
Fla., Scouting veteran had been tested for lyme disease, malaria, giardia — even cat scratch fever, he
said — and by 2009 doctors had him on a long-term
high dosage prescription of Pepto Bismol for what
they theorized might be microscopic colitis. It wasn’t, and with the medicine being worse than the cure,
he has been left with a permanent partial hearing
loss.
But by autumn 2009, a stomach biopsy, which
doctors hadn’t performed before, revealed white
“you wouldn’t believe it when you say
to a kid, ‘Here’s a backpack’ — how it
can just turn their whole world around.”
Jeff Mills
“It’s shocking, honestly, how
much energy he has while
getting through his day.”
andrew Mills
son of Scout leader Jeff Mills
blood cells at a cellular level had clogged Jeff’s stomach and colon.
“That’s why I was going like 30 times a day,” he
said.
now it all made sense: symptoms including increased joint pain, random vomiting, unquenchable
thirst, erratic sleeplessness and the embarrassment
and severity of constant gastro-intestinal issues — a
new doctor whom Jeff began to see diagnosed him
with Sjogren’s (pronounced SHoW-grins) syndrome,
a chronic autoimmune disease whose cause is unknown.
nine out of 10 Sjogren’s patients are women,
making Jeff an anomaly and helping to conceal the
true nature of his illness for a couple of years. In addition to attacking his body’s joints, the illness is also
distinguished by an overabundance of white blood
cells that can cripple the body’s moisture-producing
glands.
“not only do I lack tears,” Mills said, “but I don’t
have any snot or spit.”
Treatment for Jeff’s Sjogren’s includes low-dose
chemo pills, pre-natal drugs, malaria medication and
a steroid for his gut.
“I take chemo, but I don’t have cancer. I take a
pre-natal drug, but I’m not pregnant,” he said. “And
I take malaria medication, but I don’t have malaria.”
yet Jeff’s ability to live with — and overcome —
an assortment of near-constant physical pain has been
coupled with a burning passion for hiking and the
outdoors. on the trail, Jeff is known as “Monkey
Boy” for his high energy and good humor.
“on the days he takes chemo (in pill form on-trail)
it’s (tough) for him to get through because all he
wants to do is sleep,” Jeff’s son said. “It’s shocking,
honestly, how much energy he has while getting
despite being afflicted with Sjogren’s syndrome, Jeff Mills, at right, is active on the trail.
through his day.”
Andrew, who was hiking with his father in Great
Smoky Mountains national Park in 2007 when the
two first discovered the Appalachian Trail, is in his
final year of nursing school. except for last year, he
has hiked with his father and crew 337 on the A.T.
every summer since 2008.
So far Mills and his venture crew have covered
some 650 miles in their quest to section-hike the entire A.T. Jeff’s wife of 30 years, Sarah, along with
Jeff’s mother, have also helped by providing mobile
support vans and supplies each day. The distance to
and from the trail grows each year, with their home
base being in Florida.
In recent years Jeff has also been joined by his
daughter, 16-year-old Jaqueline, for the annual summer hikes.
“He handles it very well,” said Wendi Merritt, a
Boy Scout venture crew leader from new orleans
who has co-led teen A.T. expeditions with Mills
more than once.
“At most, after chemo treatment he might be a little tired. If he doesn’t feel well, Jeff doesn’t try and
hide it, he will tell you,” Merritt said. “But he’s very
nondescript about it. He doesn’t have a pity-party.
He handles it, and it’s done.”
Part of Mills’ 100-mile A.T. hikes each summer
with his Scout group also include helping teen crew
members from economically challenged homes get
properly outfitted for the next summer’s hike. The
high cost of getting teens equipped with the right
backpacking equipment to section-hike for more than
a week can be budget-busting for some families.
“one of the things that really inspires me about
the hiking community is that they are really cool
about helping out by donating gear and stuff to assist
a kid who might be in need,” Mills said. “I’ve gotten
more donations from hikers at the Southern ruck.
one hundred percent of it all goes to the kids.”
Mills, his son Andrew and sometimes an assortment of family or venture crew members have attended the Southern ruck for the past nine years.
Soruck attendees have generously donated items including backpacks, hiking boots and sleeping bags to
help Mills outfit his crew.
“That’s probably one of the hardest things about
getting a kid ready ready for a backpacking trip,”
Mills said, “Getting them the gear.”
“you wouldn’t believe it when you say to a kid,
‘Here’s a backpack’ — how it can just turn their
whole world around.”
With his own deep-rooted passion for hiking more
than motivating him to persevere through nearly two
decades of chronic and crippling health issues, Mills,
his son and the crew all hope to one day complete the
trail.
“That’s the plan,” Andrew said, “To hike the
whole thing section by section ’til we get all the way
up there and across katahdin.”
ALDHA members who wish to donate backpacking
or hiking equipment to Venture Crew 337 may do so
by contacting Jeff Mills via email at [email protected]
or by phone at (727) 365-6088.
16
The new aldHa
Shelter in Waynesboro, Va., will resemble the Barclay
run Shelter, at left
and below, built in
2011 on the
Tuscarora Trail in
Virginia.
Construction of
the Waynesboro
shelter hinges on
FeMa’s oK.
PHOTOS BY
MIKE WINGEART
SHELTER: ALDHA awaiting
approvals for building shelter
no firm dates were available at the time this
newsletter went to press because we’re still awaiting
approvals. check the website and emails for an announcement.
The plans are based on three shelters recently built
on the Tuscarora Trail and one currently being built
on the A.T. to replace dick’s dome. It will have a
nice sleeping area, a small deck to keep dirt away
from sleeping bags, and a nice bench to sit on. It will
have oak board and batten sides and a nice metal
roof.
There will be plenty of hooks for hanging packs
and drying equipment. It will be a very nice-looking
shelter for the city to have and for hikers to stay in.
When we get the green light, we will dig footers
for the foundation and pour cement. The pad will be
prepared for the construction, and gravel will be
brought in and spread for drainage under and around
the shelter.
Then we will build as much of the shelter as can
be done, weather permitting. If necessary we will
come back later to finish up.
We will camp on site and have lots of fun. no experience is needed and we have the tools and equip-
Spring 2015
HOW TO SIGN UP
Mike Wingeart needs your help to build
the ALDHA Shelter in Waynesboro, Va. If
interested in signing up or if you have
questions, call Mike in Maryland at 443791-9196 or email him at
[email protected].
ment to do the job. If you have your own tools or
tool belt and feel more comfortable using them then
by all means bring them.
If you decide to join us, you will need your camping equipment, food, water, work clothes, gloves,
hat, and a smile.
We will need a good-size crew to build this shelter
so please consider volunteering some of your time to
help. It will be necessary to sign up in advance so
we know who is coming and what days you can
work. It is important that we have your contact information so we can notify you of the exact work
dates, and in case the weather or something else
comes up.
HIKer-FrIeNdly
The design of the shelter that
we hope to build in Waynesboro is based on new shelters
recently built by PaTC on the
Tuscarora Trail. The front
porch is at a slightly lower elevation than the main floor of
the shelter to help keep dirt
out, and there’s a built-in
bench and table protected from
the rain by the roof’s overhang.
ALDHA has a
long track record
of pitching in on
new trail shelters
W
By BIll o’BrIeN
Editor-in-Chief
Hen IT coMeS to building shelters,
members of AldHA have been there,
done that, almost from the very beginning of our group over 30 years ago.
In the early to mid-1980s, for example, some of the
founders of AldHA were already at work building
new shelters, like the eagles nest Shelter in Pennsylvania. even though they were working as members of
their respective trail clubs, they were still pitching in
partly as members of AldHA. In the case of eagles
nest, which was beautifully documented in photos by
national Geographic in its 1988 coffee-table book,
“Mountain Adventure,” folks like Todd Gladfelter and
chuck Wood were very involved in that project as
members of both the Blue Mountain eagle climbing
club and AldHA.
In the early 1990s, members like AldHA Treasurer Al Sochard and his successor, Scott Beavers,
along with other members spent many hours helping
to build the Beaver Brook Shelter on Mount Moosilauke when it was decided to tear down an older shelter
that was too close to route 112. They were helping the
dartmouth outing club but it was an AldHA project
of sorts as well, led by the hospitable Bert Gilbert, an
honorary life member of AldHA who, as always, fed
shelter workers who stayed at his home in enfield center, n.H. Around this time, AldHA members also
helped doc build the new Hexacuba Shelter.
later in the ’90s, AldHA once again pitched in to
help doc, this time with the construction of a unique
stone shelter to replace the not-so-happy Happy Hill
Shelter in vermont. That AldHA work trip occurred
after the dartmouth Gathering in Hanover in 1997 and
attracted 27 members, many of whom stayed on after
that initial day to keep doing trail maintenance while
based at ravine lodge, a luxurious host for us hikers.
It didn’t take long for AldHA to become involved
in another shelter project after that. With the death of
ed Garvey in 1999, the PATc decided the new shelter
it was planning for the Maryland ridgeline above
Harpers Ferry would be named the ed Garvey Shelter.
Because of the love we all had for ed, we naturally
volunteered to lend a hand. Several AldHA members
drove great distances on several weekends and even
did one weeklong work trip in 2000, and then several
more were able to make it for the formal dedication.
When we haven’t been directly involved in actual
construction, AldHA has also been able to help now
and then with financial contributions to new trail facilities. Among them are the pavilion at Blackburn A.T.
center in virginia and a solar-powered pavilion at the
park in Waynesboro, the same park where we hope to
build a new shelter entirely on our own. That pavilion
by the way, built last year with a substantial donation
from us, is named the AldHA Hiker Pavilion.
Spring 2015
34th ANNUAL GATHERING v OCT. 9-11, 2015
17
SPEAKER: ‘Swami’ to share his world travels
What is the highest mileage day you have ever
done?
I don’t know exactly what my highest day would
be, but I’ve done the occasional 50 miler.
International Appalachian Trail, Florida Trail and
Great divide Trail.
cam has become a popular presenter among hiking groups and was a guest speaker at the 2013 and
2014 AldHA-West Gatherings. His website,
thehikinglife.com, offers a wide range of information
and photos, including each trail that he has hiked,
general advice about
planning and packing
The centerspread of
for a long-distance
this edition features a
hike, his gear lists,
selection of photos of
and facts about the
Swami’s world travels.
environmental impact
See Pages 18-19.
of hiking. cam attributes much of his
long-distance hiking success to keeping things simple
and choosing the right lightweight gear.
After growing up in Australia, cam moved to
Mexico and lived there for 16 years while working as
an exporter of handicrafts, a yoga instructor and
community volunteer. cam is now a trail ambassador
for the continental divide Trail coalition, an organization devoted to completing and protecting the
cdT. He recently joined a delegation of cdTc
members on a visit to Washington to promote the
group’s cause.
Between his travels, cam graciously took time to
answer some questions about himself for us, via
email.
How about your longest streak of continuous hiking
days?
About 50-60 days straight, on the A.T. and cdT
in 2012.
What is the scariest or most dangerous hiking situation you have been in?
In 1995, I was attacked by a rabid dog while hiking
on the outskirts of Siwa oasis, in the Sahara desert.
Is there anything we would be surprised to find in
your backpack?
If you happen to see me hiking out of a trail town,
chances are you would find a half dozen boiled eggs,
carrots, apples and a bag of spinach at the top of my
backpack.
Tell me about your worst hiking injury, equipment
malfunction, and weather experience?
Injury — I’ve been fortunate to avoid major injuries whilst hiking over the years. Minor maladies
have included a couple of broken toes, some torn
ankle ligaments and a dislocated shoulder.
Equipment malfunction — leaky water bottles
during a hike between St. Paul’s and St. Anthony’s
monasteries in egypt, 1995. To this day, it’s the
most dehydrated I have ever been. It was quite an
eventful trip that one (see rabid dog encounter
above). Weather experience — There have been some
dodgy moments over the years, but I never think in
negative terms when it comes to weather. Blazing
heat, freezing rain, white-out conditions; they are
all different variations on the same theme. They’re
excellent opportunities to learn and improve.
It’s not everyday that we see hikers who put in miles
like you. How did you become a long-distance hiker
of this caliber?
repetition ;-) I’ve always enjoyed spending time
out in the wilderness irrespective of the season or environment. In regards to mileage, there’s no secret
formula. I stay in good shape, carry a light pack,
don’t take too many breaks and love to be hiking at
both dawn and dusk.
Mix all those factors together and the miles tend to
take care of themselves.
do you have a favorite trail? Country to visit?
Trail food?
Growing up in australia, did you hike much?
I always enjoyed heading out into the woods, but
when I was younger I spent more time running and
playing rugby than I did hiking.
What was your first long-distance hike?
The Alpine Pass route in the mid-1990s. A fantastic hike across the Swiss Alps from Sargans to
Montreux. It came in at a little over 200 miles.
What do you believe are the biggest factors that
have allowed you to successfully hike so many
miles?
A good backcountry skill set, healthy diet, light
pack, regular stretching, knowing my body, patience
and the ability to make objective decisions in difficult
situations.
How does the appalachian Trail compare to other
trails you have hiked worldwide?
The Appalachian Trail may not have as many jawdropping vistas as say the PcT or cdT, but it has a
CAM HONAN
Cam Honan on Mount Kailash Kora in the
Himalayas of Tibet in 2006.
“Some of my favorite hiking destinations
abroad are the Karakorum Range, Tibet,
Patagonia, Alps, Tasmania, Lapland,
Copper Canyon, Iceland, Peru and
the south island of New Zealand.”
subtle beauty and a rich history that make it unique.
I enjoyed my time on the A.T. immensely.
Personally speaking, heading southbound in the
late fall/early winter of 2012, was the ideal time for
me to hike the Appalachian Trail. lots of solitude,
autumnal colors in Maine and once the leaves had
fallen, sublime sunrise and sunset views from the
ridges.
I have many favorites in these categories.
Favorite hiking destinations in the u.S. include
the High Sierra, Wind river range, colorado
Plateau, Glacier national Park and the northern Appalachians in the fall.
Some of my favorite hiking destinations abroad
are the karakorum range, Tibet, Patagonia, Alps,
Tasmania, lapland, copper canyon, Iceland, Peru
and the south island of new Zealand.
In regards to on-trail food, my dinner preferences
include dehydrated beans, lentils, pea and corn soup.
I usually mix these dishes with corn chips. during
the days, I eat a lot of dried fruit, nuts, oats (which I
soak), powdered milk, chocolate and bars (ProBAr
is my favorite).
What’s next for you? do you still have a “bucket
list” at this point?
I’ve never really had a bucket list, however, there
are a few areas around the world such as sub-Saharan
Africa, Antarctica, central Asia and Western Australia that I would like to visit and/or explore more
extensively in the future.
18
Spring 2015
Cam Honan will be the
featured speaker at the
2015 Gathering in Shippensburg, Pa. (Story on
Page 1.) Here’s a sampling of his adventures
to whet your appetite.
Clockwise from left,
camping at Barpu Glacier near Rush Phari in
Pakistan in 2008; posing
on the Cordillera Huayhuash Circuit in the
Andes of Peru; his friend
Mike hiking through the
Wave of the Southwestern Horseshoe in Arizona; and coming upon
a monastery on a hill in
Spiti Valley, India.
Pictured: Mike “The Gambler” Towne
Spring 2015
Trek around
the World
with this year’s
GATHERING
Speaker
PHOTOS COURTESY OF
Cam ‘Swami’ Honan
19
20
MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW FOR . . .
Spring 2015
THE 34th ANNUAL
GATHERING
Members of the class of 2013 pose at the 2013 Gathering at Shippensburg University. The 2015 Gathering will return there.
Oct. 9-11, 2015,
at Shippensburg
University, Pa.
You can help us out a lot by visiting the aldha website and
downloading a PdF of the aldha brochure, seen here. Please
print out a few copies and distribute them to your friends and
other hikers. We have a great program in the works, including
world traveler cam honan, aka “Swami,” as the keynote speaker
(story on Page 1). If you’re planning a future thru-hike, hear from
the experts as members of the class of 2015 field your questions.
Click image of the cover to go directly to the brochure!
h. dean clark
Spring 2015
21
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR GATHERING
Volunteers are needed to assist at the
aldha Gathering in Shippensburg, Pa.,
during columbus day weekend, October 911.
There are a variety of ways you can lend a
hand, including stuffing registration packets,
working at the check-in table, assisting with
campground set-up and breakdown, being a
judge for the annual apple or photo contest,
helping with presentations, etc. We can use
all the hands we can get!
If you’d like to volunteer, please send a message to [email protected] letting us
know of your preference for day, time and
volunteer role.
If you are interested in presenting a workshop, please complete the form below and
snail mail it to aldha, 10 Benning St. PMB
224, West lebanon, nh 03784.
Or, you can go online and fill out a digital
form that you can then send electronically to
us. The link to that form is at the bottom of
this page. You can also pre-register for the
Gathering via this online workshop form.
Please let us know by Sept. 1 if you want to
do a workshop.
Finally, speaking of pre-registering, there is
one other way you can be of great help to
The logo of Shippensburg University is seen on a wall at the college in Pennsylvania.
us, and that is by signing up at your earliest
convenience for the Gathering. It makes our
jobs so much easier to have as many people
as possible register in advance.
The last thing you want to do when you arrive in Shippensburg is stand in line waiting
to pay your registration fee! Instead, you can
breeze right through by checking your mem-
h. dean clark
bership info and picking up your registration
packet so you can get back to chatting with
your trail friends.
The success of this annual event depends
on assistance from members like you, so
please consider helping out!
— Betsy Kane
Workshop Presenter’s Form for 2015 ALDHA Gathering
v
v
v deadline for submission: SePT. 1, 2015 v
v
v
Name ________________________________ Phone ____________________ E-mail __________________________
Street Address ___________________________________ City, State, ZIP __________________________________
Title of Presentation ____________________________________________ Approximate Length ________________
Type of Presentation (workshop, slide show, panel discussion, etc.) _________________________________________
Briefly describe how your presentation should be explained in the program: ______________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
What, if any, is desired day and time of presentation? (i.e., Saturday afternoon, etc.) _________________________
Please mail this no later than Sept. 1, 2015, to: aldha, 10 Benning St., PMB 224, West lebanon, nh 03784
Or, click the following link to fill out the form online and send it in electronically. You can also register for the Gathering on this form.
http://snipurl.com/aldhaworkshop
22
Spring 2015
CATCHING UP WITH . . .
ALDHA Gatherings have had some outstanding speakers
over the past several years. Here’s a look at what some
of them have been up to since we last heard from them.
JUSTIN
LICHTER
A DVENTURER
“The hike was a
good challenge.
Overall it went really well.
It was great to see the trail
and the surroundings
in the winter.”
Justin Lichter
When Justin spoke at the Pipestem
Gathering three years ago, he shared
stories, photos and videos of a 2,500mile trek across the Himalayas in
2011. For his overwinter thru-hike of
the PCT, we asked him what the
biggest hurdles were.
“This trip was really mentally and physically challenging,” he told us. “At times
we'd be postholing and traveling at less
than a mile an hour for days at a time.
Navigationally and because of avalanche
conditions we had to pay attention at all
times. You could not let your mind wander at all and this was very mentally
draining. We also both got frost bite on
our feet in early November during a
record cold snap in northern Oregon.
Frost bite takes a really long time to heal
PhOTOS cOurTeSY OF juSTIn lIchTer
so we were dealing with it for the rest of
the trip, over three more months.”
Has anyone done this before?
“Nobody had done this before. Only one
group had attempted it before in 1983.
They made it about 200 miles before
having an unfortunate end to the trip.”
Our 2012 Gathering speaker
was in the news this past
winter, proving once again
that there are still major adventures to tackle in this
world. He and his best friend
Shawn Forry did the firstever winter thru-hike of the
Pacific Crest Trail, going
from North to South. Their
feat captured the hiking
world’s imagination during
what was an otherwise miserable winter. He tells us he
is not sure right now what his
next adventure will bring. “I’ll
have to relax a bit and save
up some money and see
what ideas come up,” he told
us shortly after returning
home. In his characteristic
fashion, what he meant by
“relax a bit” was to let a case
of painful frost bite finish
healing. He and Shawn were
both stricken in the early part
of the trip but kept on going,
for another three months.
Spring 2015
23
CHRIS GALLAWAY
F ILMMAKER
chrIS GallaWaY
“Frost,” last year’s keynote presenter,
went hiking in the Whites right after the
Gathering with his wife, “Sunshine,” and
their dog Olive, at left. He tells us he has
made the final cut of his A.T. film and is
still showing it at film festivals, mostly in
the Southeast. Once he finishes the film
festival circuit, he’ll announce when it will
be available for purchase in DVD format.
We’ll post the details at www.aldha.org.
BEN MONTGOMERY
A UTHOR
FaceBOOk
Ben gave the A.T. Museum symposium
at the 2013 Gathering on his then-forthcoming book, a biography of Grandma
Gatewood. The book came out in 2014
and we ran a review and excerpt in last
spring’s newsletter. The book is now out
in audio format, which qualified it as a
New York Times bestseller. He’s dug up
a new person to write about — a spy who
saved thousands of U.S. lives in WWII.
GREGG TREINISH
t
E XPLORER
VIMeO.cOM /67766602
Our 2008 Gathering speaker got to work
almost as soon as he finished hiking the
length of the Andes. He founded Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation, a
nonprofit that links outdoor enthusiasts
with scientific research. His story was
told in an online video that, among other
things, revealed where he lives (think
H.D. Thoreau). In 2013 he was named a
National Geographic emerging explorer.
24
The
Ruck
of the
North
T
By MIKE WINGEART
“Wing-Heart”
HE 2015 NORTHERN RUCK was held on
the weekend of Jan. 23-25, at Bears Den
Hostel in Bluemont, Va. It is now an
ALDHA-sponsored and organized event!
It was a very fun and entertaining weekend with
workshops, hikes, good food and lots of socializing.
There were six 2015 A.T. thru-hikers present and
that made for lots of interesting discussions.
The weekend started off on Friday with an
ice/sleet/rain/snow event as guests were arriving.
Many of the guests missed the newly carved bears on
the tree on the road up to the hostel. Most had to go
down the next day to see and take pictures of the
bears. (See the picture on preceding page.) That
night, dinner was provided by Chuck Izzo, aka “Action Wipes,” the owner of Appalachian Outdoor
Readiness and Essentials, a new outfitter located in
Purcellville, Va., near the hostel. It was a fine dinner
and a great start for the weekend. We then had some
really fine workshops.
Suzanne Stroh, aka “Black Sheep,” presented a
fine film on “Sticking to It.” It can currently be
found on YouTube and really has some great music
to listen to. Betsy Kane, aka “Sunflower,” and Drew
Lavin, aka “Jiffy Pop,” presented a workshop on
hiking the Grand Canyon. There were many interesting nice-to-know things discussed and someday I
hope to go there.
By the way, Betsy is the program coordinator for
this year’s Gathering at Shippensburg, and seeing
how good she was presenting this workshop, I think
we are in for a very good time on Columbus Day
weekend.
Spring 2015
h. dean clark “crOOked STIckS”
Ice, sleet, snow and rain did not keep hikers from their appointed rounds at the 2015 Northern Ruck in Virginia. Bears Den Hostel was shrouded in weather as folks arrived.
Then James Fetig, aka “Sisu,” talked about how
he “Let Go” on his thru-hike. He was volunteering
his time and abilities at ATC and now is ridge running in Georgia. The evening went late and we all retired after cleaning up.
The next morning we had blueberry pancakes,
eggs, pastries, fruit and sausage. Overnight everything had frozen and the roads and trails were covered in snow and ice. Some had slept in tents while
most stayed in the hostel. But still some went hiking.
Others stayed and talked. We did cancel the boundary work trip as it would have been hard to get out
and find the markers under the snow and ice.
FOR LUNCH WE HAD ALL KINDS OF homemade soups and salads. The ALDHA display was set
up and merchandise and Companions were sold.
Then we tuckerized the thru-hiker’s packs and had a
really fun time discussing hiking the Appalachian
Trail. Sometimes we were all talking at once and
things appeared out of hand but it all worked out and
the newbies found out that they need to “Hike Your
Own Hike” and be considerate of others.
That night we had a Ruck potluck with lots of
dishes and lots of food. One thing about this Ruck:
we really ate well.
The evening was filled with talks on the ATC Biennial given by Randy “Windtalker” Motz, the A.T.
Museum by Joe “Earth Tone” Harold, ALDHA by
Kip “Hippy Kippy” Redick, the current ALDHA coordinator, the ALDHA Search and Rescue Team by
me, and the Inside Scoop from ATC: What you need
to know about flip-flops and pregnant triangles by
Laurie “Mountain Laurel” Potteiger, ATC information services manager, and James “Sisu” Fetig. Just
that title alone should tell you how fun that talk was!
We got the inside scoop on the thru-hiker registration
ATC was starting for this year’s hikers and much
more. Again the night went late and everyone went
to bed soon after that last talk.
ON SUNDAY MORNING we had breakfast and
cleaned up. This year’s hikers are ready to hike and
hopefully they will be on stage at the Gathering this
fall getting their ALDHA certificates and patches.
Many thanks to Dana and John Baxter, our hosts
at Bears Den, and H. Dean “Crooked Sticks” Clark,
our photographer. If you would like to see all the
pictures you can do so on our Northern Ruck group
on Facebook.
Thanks to Ron “Yellow Shoes” Bungay, ALDHA
board member and ALDHA work trip coordinator,
and Ryan Seltzer, ATC corridor coordinator, for setting up the boundary work trip even though it had to
be canceled. Thanks also to Chuck “Action Wipes”
Izzo for the dinner on Friday night. Also thanks to
our many presenters, ALDHA, ATC, PATC, the
A.T. Museum, those of you who came, participated,
brought food and helped in the kitchen. Without your
help it just couldn’t be done!
Next Year’s Northern Ruck will be at Bears Den
Hostel on the weekend of Jan. 22-24, 2016. As the
hostel was almost full this year, if you want to come
you might want to reserve your space early. You can
still tent but as we found out this year it can be snowing, sleeting, raining and really cold out there!
Spring 2015
25
The Northern
Ruck, 2015
This was the first northern
ruck that was officially organized by aldha, and it
drew a good crowd of past
and future hikers, including
the six below who are likely
on the trail now hoping to
go all the way this year. at
right, a beautiful new wood
carving let everyone know
they were at Bears den.
PHOTOS BY
H. Dean Clark
“Crooked Sticks”
26
Spring 2015
HIKERS’ MUSE
The late Walkin’ Jim Stoltz coined this term when he did a
workshop at the 2009 Gathering where hikers could share
stories, poems, songs or other musings. Send your creative output, commentary, etc., to [email protected].
PhOTO aT leFT BY h. dean clark
Dennis Webster gave a testimonial at last fall’s Gathering about a trail encounter more than 20 years ago
with the late Ernst Banfield, aka ‘Raven,’ who died last year. Dennis’ tribute was followed by a rendition of Raven’s signature
song by his friend, Jeanette Russell, ‘Double Crust.’ Here’s the testimonial, and on the next page are the lyrics to the song.
I
From left,
Raven,
Woodchuck and
Walkin’ Jim
Stoltz at the
1998 Gathering at Concord College.
Sometimes, trail magic happens with just a song
got a late start from Springer in 1993, and I
reached Clingmans Dome on a sunny morning in June. The summit was crowded, so I
was sitting on a log a hundred feet downhill,
writing in my journal, when a man in street
clothes came strolling down through the woods from
the observation tower. He’d thru-hiked eight years
earlier with his wife, Sunshine, who had died not
long after their hike, and he was stopping by Clingmans on his way to the Appalachian Trail Conference biennial. We talked for a few minutes, then he
asked if I’d like to hear his song — the one he and
Sunshine had composed as they hiked north.
“Well, uh..., sure I would,” I told him, not
knowing quite what to expect. Then in a fine baritone, he belted out the first verse, the story of their
hike through Georgia. I recognized that stretch of
trail. The next verse was about North Carolina. Then
the next 12 were about the trail ahead of me, state by
state, all the way to the top of Katahdin, so far away.
A few more pleasantries, then the stranger turned
and walked back up the hill, leaving me sitting on my
log, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
It was unusual, to say the
least. But, well, maybe odd
things like this happen on
the A.T. — with only a few
hundred miles on my hiking
boots, how was I to know?
As I hiked north I often
thought of the man on
Clingmans Dome. Sometimes I even wondered if he
TESTIMONIAL
was real. But by the time I
finally finished the trail on a
DENNIS
cold day in November, I
WEBSTER
“FORWARD MARCH”
knew that those few minutes
back in June on the highest
point of the trail were the most memorable and the
most magic minutes of my hike. This was trail magic
on a far, far higher level than a Snickers bar from a
day-hiker or a cold soda found in a stream.
I came to my first Gathering in 1995. In those
days we often had a few talented hikers come up on
the stage during this opening ceremony and sing the
trail song each had written during his or her hike.
That no longer happens, and it’s a custom I miss.
Well, I was surprised and thrilled at that 1995 Gathering to see the man from Clingmans Dome walk up
on stage and sing his song. And the highlight of
every Gathering after that, for me, was Raven,
singing “Northbound A.T.”, taking me back to that
magic June day in the Smokies.
Until about 10 years ago, when he stopped coming to Gatherings. I missed him. Then I read in last
spring’s newsletter that Raven had died in January. It
was sad to lose him, but the bright side was, he was
finally, after almost 30 years without her, hiking off
to be with his beloved Sunshine again.
We haven’t heard a hiker song at this opening
ceremony in quite a few years. Fortunately, Raven
recorded his song. So tonight, in tribute to Raven,
ALDHA gets to hear him sing, once again, “Northbound A.T.,” the story of their hike. And while all
of you are hiking north through 14 states with Sunshine and Raven, I am going to be sitting on the side
of Clingmans Dome, on my log in the sun, enjoying
my own private concert.
Raven, thanks for the trail magic!
Spring 2015
27
lyrics and music by “raven” & “Sunshine” ~ appalachian Trail class of 1985
Note: Many thanks to Jeanette Russell, aka “Double Crust,” for her diligence in making sure
we had the most accurate lyrics of Raven’s song. She went through a lot to get this for us!
NORTHBOUND A.T.
Well, I’ve hiked these Georgia Mountains,
and I’ve hiked these rocky trails,
But the one thing I haven’t heard
Is a bobcat’s wail.
Seen the valleys from the high knobs
— from the peaks, the roads below,
Yes, I’ve seen a few deer,
But I haven’t seen a snow.*
I hit the carolina border
When Bly Gap did appear.
The trail was steep and rocky
and my gasping you could hear.
Topped the peak to Muskrat Shelter,
When this big man he did show.
he said, “come in and rest a spell,
They call me Bullhead joe.”
REFRAIN:
When I sing this song 20 years from now,
If I am still around,
I hope my children will have this land,
And the joys I’ve found — on the A.T.
Then the Great Smoky Mountains,
and the Tennessees,
Oh the great views they did provide
Sunshine and me.
Mama bear and her three cubs,
Oh the Skyline ridge trail, too;
Sorry bears, I’ve got to move on,
I’ve got a lotta miles to do.
I had my doubts in the beginning;
Well I almost took the flight.
The load it was ungodly
and the gale winds they did bite.
But, my boots are feeling better,
and my pack has taken a set;
If my knees will only persevere,
I’ll make katahdin yet.
REFRAIN
Then came Virginia, in damascus I arrived.
The town, it was so friendly, here I resupplied.
down laurel Street to the sub shop,
Oh the ice cream dairy, too.
When it was time to take a leave,
’Twas hard to bid adieu.
When a rainy stretch would hit me,
ah, it would get me down.
Then a morn would break bright and sunny,
and my spirits would rebound.
dried my gear and donned a T-shirt,
My bandana I did fold.
I took my pack and my hiking pole in hand,
down the trail I rolled.
(* He was referring to a snowshoe hare)
Oh the trails of Virginia — they can surprise,
like the trek up to dragons Tooth,
It opened eyes.
Thought I’d have an easy day,
When the wood trail turned to rock;
The descent steep and craggy —
Well it came as quite a shock.
Well, I’ve done the Blue ridge Parkway
Oh, the Skyline ridge trail too,
now I’ve come to West Virginia,
With its seven miles to do.
Shenandoah to harpers Ferry,
Where the white-tailed deer run free,
as I travel on through Maryland,
I’ll have these memories with me.
REFRAIN
Oh, the route through Pennsylvania
Sometimes appears to roll,
But the footway’s not that easy,
as the sharp rocks take their toll.
The state parks are a welcome,
and I’m glad when one is near;
The pine groves are refreshing,
It’s nature’s work that I revere.
(Spoken: And after a hundred miles of
the Pennsylvania rocks ...)
These jagged rocks are getting me,
They really slow my pace,
If I don’t keep my eyes down,
I’ll fall upon my face;
Twist an ankle or a knee bone,
Push my big toe to my heel —
These interesting rock formations
are causing me to reel!
delaware Gap into new jersey,
with the sun upon my brow,
Though the footway is still rocky,
I sense a changing now.
Blueberries are aplenty,
Mount Sunrise with its view,
The deer are showing rack now,
Stone walls are more than few.
The empire State’s before me,
Bear Mountain I ascend.
I bridge the hudson river,
ralph’s Peak cabin I drop in.
new York into connecticut,
I watch the winding trail unfold.
St. john’s ledges are a challenge,
The housatonic’s nice to behold.
REFRAIN
The state of Massachusetts
Gave me jug end as a start.
her ponds are so scenic,
a beauty unique to this part.
underfoot the roots are many,
and the marshes present too,
as I stand atop Mount Greylock,
There’s but a quarter left to do.
I walk the aT. in Vermont,
On part of the long Trail it lay.
The roots and marshes still prevail,
Where the boardwalks show the way.
Took the rocky climb to killington Peak,
Where the views are widespread.
and left the long Trail behind me —
new hampshire’s just ahead.
I left the dartmouth campus,
Moosilauke was my first test,
If I can scale the kinsmans,
I know I’ll do the rest.
I worked, the miles came harder,
Though I passed cascading brook
admired the beauty ’round me,
and the forms that nature took.
I neared Mount lafayette’s summit,
With its grandeur ’neath clear skies,
a feeling swelled within me,
and moisture filled my eyes.
next came the Presidentials,
Mount Washington set the tone,
Of all the mountain ranges,
The Whites they stand alone.
REFRAIN
(Spoken: And now we’re into Maine
and it’s September ...)
as the days begin to shorten,
I follow white blaze in Maine.
The moose, bogs, stands of pine,
I like this wilderness lane.
Mahoosuc notch was an adventure,
now I’ve topped the Bigelows.
as I near the kennebec,
I pray the current is slow.
There I see the mountain!
The excitement begins to grow!
now that it’s nearly over,
My thoughts begin to flow;
I’ll forever relive this experience,
and recall all the trail as a friend,
While I stand upon katahdin’s peak,
This journey will never end.
REFRAIN
28
Spring 2015
THE A.T. MUSEUM HAS OPENED FOR THE SEASON
The appalachian Trail Museum, located right on the a.T. in Pine Grove Furnace State Park
in Gardners, Pa., has reopened for the 2015 season. This marks the fifth year of operation for
the volunteer-run facility. The hours are:
March 28 to May 3, weekends only from noon to 4 p.m.
May 9 to July 19, open every day 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
July 20 to Aug 23, open every day noon to 4 p.m.
Aug. 26 to Nov 1, open Wednesday through Sunday,
noon to 4 p.m.
Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 7) noon to 4 p.m.
Columbus Day (Monday, Oct. 12) noon to 4 p.m.
Note: This year’s aldha Gathering will take place a half hour away in Shippensburg, Pa.,
over columbus day Weekend, so plan on stopping by before, during or after the Gathering!
A.T. MUSEUM FESTIVAL
The A.T. Museum Society
Plans and programs are coming together for the annual A.T. Museum Hall of Fame Festival on June 6 at Pine
Grove Furnace State Park in Gardners, Pa., home of the one-and-only A.T. Museum. Joe Harold, museum manager, could use some help, so if you’d like to volunteer, by all means give him a shout at
[email protected]. Here’s the tentative program (visit atmuseum.org for the latest, up-to-date info):
BackPacker
Help get The Place
in shape on May 14
On the Thursday before Trail Days, The
Place in Damascus, Va., will host its second annual work day to help get the building in shape.
The tasks will include painting, cleaning and
doing minor repairs.
The first 50 volunteers will be fed lunch! Donations for supplies are also needed for this selfsupporting nonprofit hostel.
Contact Roy “Bayou” Knight if you’d like to
help at [email protected] or 504-343-3734.
Annual hiker feed
will be June 27-28
ALDHA is planning to offer its third annual
hiker feed at a trailside location in Connecticut
this summer. The dates will be June 27-28 but
the exact site has yet to be deter- mined. We’ll
post the site, and a reminder, on the Web at
www.aldha.org.
Besides enjoying the company of fellow
ALDHA members, participants can meet, greet
and treat a cross-section of this year’s thru-hikers. You never know who you’ll meet — a gregarious Mainer, a desert poet, a Southern filmmaker — and as so often happens with encounters on the Appalachian Trail, you might just
meet your next friend for life.
Email Mike Cunningham if you’d like to help
at [email protected].
9 a.m. — Hike to Pole Steeple. 8 miles. Begin
and ends at Museum. Hike type: Moderate length
and difficulty. Route: Follow the AT northbound
up to Pole Steeple and will then follow other
local trails in the park and forest. Waiver will be
signed by all participants.
9 a.m. — Hike to Halfway Sign (made by WoodChuck Class of ’85) 6.6 miles. Begins and ends
at Museum. Hike type: Moderate length, easy
difficulty. Route: Follow the AT southbound to
the 2011 Halfway Sign and back. Waiver will be
signed by all participants.
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Vendor Booths: Local vendors
will offer their wares. Vendors: ALDHA, Rustic
Charm — Jellies, Butters and Shutters, and Inspired by Nature Jewelry
11 a.m. to 12 p.m. — Native American flute music
by “Windtalker” at the Rampatheater.
2006 AT thru-hiker Randy “Windtalker” Motz
brings “The Windtalker Experience” to the Appalachian Trail Museum Festival. Experience the
hauntingly beautiful sounds of Native American
flute like you have never heard them before.
Windtalker’s unique and entertaining blend of
traditional Native music, jazz, blues, and classic
rock will be a musical experience that you will
not want to miss.
11 a.m. to 12 p.m. — Drag'N Fly and Freckles.
Drag'N Fly, became the oldest female thru-hiker
when she finished the trail last fall.
12 to 1 p.m. — Hall of Fame honorees
12 to 3 p.m. — Visiting Artist: Brian “Evac” Wing
(2014 Warrior Hike) on Museum grounds.
1 to 2:30 p.m. — Live music by Morgan
“Folksinger” Evans at the Rampatheater.
HALL OF FAME BANQUET
The fifth annual induction ceremony and
banquet for the appalachian Trail hall of
Fame will take place on Friday evening,
june 5, at the allenberry resort in Boiling
Springs, Pa.
Besides all-you-can eat fare from the chefs
of this charming resort just off the a.T., you
get to hear the stories of this year’s inductees and possibly even meet some of
the honorees. (The inductees will be announced in mid-april.)
If you stay over at allenberry on Friday,
you’ll be just a short drive from the museum for Saturday’s all-day hall of Fame
Festival, so make your reservations early.
For more info, visit www.atmuseum.org.
Morgan “Folksinger” Evans has been making
music for more than 50 years. Former founder of
folk duo “Merlynn” and a 20-year veteran of former popular folk group “The Lite Side,” opened
for “The Kingston Trio” and appeared several
times at the White House.
1 to 3 p.m. — Reunion Stories. Hikers from all the
reunion years tell their stories of the trail.
1:30 o 2:30 p.m. — Kids Mini Thru Hike Race.
Grab your gear and follow the white blazes
through all 14 states of the trail, completing challenges along the way.
3 to 5 p.m. — Cookout at the Pavilion Bring a dish
and Trail memories to share. Everyone is welcome!
6 p.m. — Campfire at the Group Camp Area A.
Spring 2015
29
BOOK REVIEW
A
Earl Shaffer posed for the center photograph in 1935. At left,
he posed with his radar crew on New Caledonia in the Pacific
theater of World War II (that’s him, back row, third from the
left). And above, Earl’s ‘little black book,’ the journal he kept
while thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in 1948.
Biography of Earl Shaffer a must-read for hikers
Grip on the Mane of Life” is an intriguing title about a most intriguing
man. Earl V. Shaffer is recognized as
the first person to hike the entire Appalachian Trail in one season, a thruhike as Earl called it.
The book is co-authored by David Donaldson and
Maurice J. Forrester, both of whom were intimately
acquainted with Earl as well as his family. While
Donaldson did most of the research and interviews,
Forrester organized and wrote the book. Donaldson
first met Earl in 1998 when Earl was doing his 50th
anniversary hike at age 79
and Donaldson, a great admirer of Earl, was also
doing a thru-hike. His trail
name, chosen before he
even met Earl, was “Spirit
of 48.” They met several
times along the trail but in
New England agreed to
hike together to the trail’s
northern terminus on
REVIEW
Mount Katahdin.
Forrester, on the other
VIRGINIA
hand, first met Earl in 1972
MUSSER
A.T. 1978-89
at a trail gathering in Plymouth, N.H. Their paths
crossed numerous times over the years in trail-related
organizations. Interestingly, Forrester wrote the foreword in Earl’s “Walking With Spring,” published by
the Appalachian Trail Conference in 1983.
This new biography is a must read for a better understanding of this somewhat eccentric man. I first
met Earl at a Keystone Trails Association meeting
around 1980 and wrote him off as a recluse,
“strange” and eccentric. I heard about Earl over the
years but didn’t particularly change my opinion until
I met him at the Cove Mountain Shelter dedication in
October 2000. At that occasion I actually talked with
him and was amazed at how much of a talker he was!
I knew from reading my autographed 1983 copy
of “Walking With Spring” that Earl was deeply distressed after returning home from the South Pacific
in 1945, having spent 4½ years in the Army. The
other significant event in his life was the tragic death
of his best friend, Walter Winemiller, at Iwo Jima.
The two were childhood neighbors/friends and had
actually dreamed about hiking the A.T. before World
War II loomed on the horizon. Earl was fond of saying that he hiked the trail to “walk off the war.”
The authors do a yeoman’s job of detailing Earl’s
childhood, his family, his home, growing up poor,
his education, religious training, leisure activities as
well as lifestyle including why he never married.
More than 10 pages are devoted to his friend, Walter, and their close relationship.
A fairly significant portion of the book is devoted
to Earl’s experience in the Army. One could be envious of all the South Sea islands Earl was stationed at
during his military career. However, he had a most
unfavorable impression of the Army caused by bureaucratic ineptitude and this feeling carried through
with his discharge. Earl felt like he was “one of them
that fell through the cracks.”
Earl opted not to go to college on the GI Bill because he feared he would lose his individuality. It was
this feeling that led him to hike the trail and to his
writing, mostly poetry (over 1,300 known poems).
According to the authors Earl had a feeling that he
was never recognized for his accomplishments. He
had hoped his poems about WWII would be published as poetry about the war. He didn’t feel that the
ATC gave him proper recognition for his accomplishments although he never tired of doing trail
work and shelter building. He had difficulty getting
“Walking With Spring” published and ultimately had
it printed privately before the ATC agreed to do it.
The foreword, written by Earl’s youngest brother,
John, sums up, I think, this often misunderstood trail
icon. “He was my brother,” John wrote. “All of his
brothers and sister admired him even if we didn’t all
approve of his lifestyle.”
30
Spring 2015
JUST FOR FUN
PRICE: $200
TO
GO
WIDOW’S
WALK B&B
GRAYMOOR
MONASTERY
SUNNYBANK
INN
PRICE: $200
PRICE: $240
D
APPLE VALLEY
INN
PORT CLINTON
HOTEL
C & O CANAL
RAILROAD
z
?
z
?
?
z
?
?
z
z
?
?
z
z
?
z
?
?
X
?
T
?
z
O
HUDSON
RIVER LINE
z
?
?
z
?
H
?
z
A
z
?
?
?
?
z
z
C
THE
HOME PLACE
z
?
z
E
C
N
z
z
z
?
?
BEAR MT.
BRIDGE
TOLL
?
?
z
z
?
z
z
z
z
z
z
?
?
z
z
?
?
?
z
z
?
?
z
z
?
z
IN
N
TO
ER
LM AIL
PA J
JUST
DOYLE
HOTEL
RAINBOW
SPRINGS

PAY 10%
OR
$200
PRICE: $60
FOLLOW
INSTRUCTIONS
ON TOP CARD
PRICE: $60
GO
?
?
z
z
?
?
z
POPLAR
RIDGE
LEAN-TO
PRICE: $140
HANOVER INN
M
?
?
z
z
?
?
FALLS VILAGE
HYDRO PLANT
PRICE: $150
HIKER
BOX
$2 C
0 O
AS 0.0 LL
YO 0 S ECT
U ALA
PA R
SS Y
O
?
P
z
A
?
P
A
N
L
CHANCE
A
O
C
H
?D
IA
PO
N
BEAR
MOUNTAIN
INN
?
z
B
z
JERRY
CABIN
PRICE: $140
years old this year, and to celebrate, we decided to bring back our
version of the classic game, Appalachian Trail-style. We first showed
it at a Gathering about five years ago when we invited folks to be
creative and bring their graphics, drawings, photos and other artwork
to an art gallery of sorts. Houses become lean-tos, and hotels are
hostels. You need 4 lean-tos to buy a hostel. And we even had the
Community Chest and Chance cards adjusted to reflect trail places.
PRICE: $320
R
?
?
LY
z
R
?
?
E
z
z
HIKER
BOX
?
z
IK
?
?
DUNCANNON
RAILROAD
JIM & MOLLY
DENTON
SHELTER
PRICE: $160
Happy birthday The board game Monopoly turns 80
FOLLOW
INSTRUCTIONS
ON TOP CARD
A
z
H
?
z
z
z
z
WALASI-YI
CENTER
D
PRICE: $200
PRICE: $200
PRICE: $200
z
z
PRICE: $300
?
?
z
z
?
?
HIKER
BOX
PRICE: $180
PRICE: $100
D
PRICE: $350
?
z
z
?
z
z
FOLLOW
INSTRUCTIONS
ON TOP CARD
PRICE: $100
?
VANDEVENTER
SHELTER
PERMIT
FEES
PAY: $75
?
?
?
BIG
MEADOWS
LODGE
z
z
THE
PLACE
IL
?
?
z
z
PRICE: $180
PRICE: $120
MINERVA
HINCHEY
LEAN-TO
NOLICHUCKY
RAILROAD
TOKENS WE’D LIKE TO SEE
PRICE: $400
SHAW’S
BOARDING
HOUSE
CHANCE
SOUTH
MOUNTAIN
INN
PEDLAR DAM
WATERWORKS
PRICE: $220
RUSTY’S
HARD-TIME
HOLLOW
PRICE: $200
VISITING
SARVER
CABIN
PRICE: $300
?
PRICE: $220
F
RE
E
PRICE: $260
LE
PRICE: $260
JA
IL
PRICE: $280
SH
UT
T
CHANCE
Spring 2015
31
Georgia
vs.
Maine
THE Appalachian Trail
BASEBALL GA-ME
By “RICE O’BRIEN”
OR MOST PEOPLE, Georgia and Maine have virtually nothing in
common. As states along the Eastern Seaboard go, they almost
could not be farther apart. They were poles apart in the Civil War,
and in the pivotal battle at Gettysburg, Georgia sent 13,000 men to
Maine’s 3,700, but it was the Maine 20th that won the day. Nowadays no ordinary person would ever think of Georgia while talking about Maine,
and vice versa — that is, except for one not-so-ordinary subset of human being:
the Appalachian Trail thru-hiker.
To most long-distance hikers and to Appalachian Trail enthusiasts in particular, this unusual pairing of Northern and Southern states goes together like
alpha and omega: They form the bookends of the 2,189-mile pathway that
stretches from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Katahdin, Maine, and annually attracts thousands of wanderers at this time of year who try to follow the
white-blazed trail in one shot, a springtime ritual known as thru-hiking.
Well, for many folks, the greatest springtime ritual is the opening of baseball
season, which occurs in just a few days. So that got our mind wondering (and
wandering!): Have the college teams represented by these two great end-states
of the A.T. ever faced off against each other on a baseball diamond?
The answer is yes. And as far as anyone knows, it happened only once, 25
years ago this May. The rare matchup occurred May 25, 1990, at the National
Collegiate Athletic Association’s Northeast Regional baseball tourney, held that
year at Municipal Stadium in Waterbury, Conn. A lot was at stake for the six
teams that met there — Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, top-seed North Carolina and Rutgers. The winner would go on to storied Rosenblatt Stadium in
Omaha, Neb., to play for a week in June in the College World Series.
Both Georgia and Maine won their opening round games against Connecticut
and Iowa, respectively, setting the stage for the two unbeaten teams to face off
F
GEORGIA
maine
v The J’s of Columbia ’89
in the second round of the double-elimination tournament. The day arrived and
the Bulldogs of Georgia took the field against the Black Bears of Maine in Waterbury’s revered granite-facade stadium, a place where future pros have trotted
onto the field in some of the thousands of games that have been played there
since it was built in 1930.
On this day in 1990, you could say there was magic in the air — black magic
as some would call it, because the “No. 1 fan” of the team from Orono was
Maine’s most famous resident, not just its most rabid Black Bears booster. He
was horror writer Stephen King, who drove down for the week to root on his
second-favorite baseball club (the Red Sox being his first love).
The opening frame got off to a blazing start, with each team scoring 3 runs
in the first. But Georgia starter Mike Rebhan settled down and proceeded to dispatch the Mainers with efficiency the rest of the game, working nine full innings
and giving up only those 3 runs in the first. Georgia broke the tie in the sixth
when McKay Smith hit a run-scoring double for the Dawgs. They padded the
lead with solos by Bruce Chick in the seventh and DH Brian Jester in the ninth.
Georgia beat Maine, 6-3, and finished the tourney in dramatic fashion against
1-loss Rutgers, losing the first matchup, 4-3, then exploding in the winner-takeall nightcap, 20-9, to claim final victory in the Battle of Waterbury.
At the College World Series, the Bulldogs kept up the momentum they displayed on Rebhan’s right arm against Maine, stumbling only once before reaching the final game June 9. Rebhan, backed by future pro pitcher David Fleming
in relief, beat Oklahoma State, 2-1, for the team’s first national championship.
Looking back 25 years later, that night in May 1990 witnessed the only “Appalachian Trail” game ever played. As thru-hikers would say in register shorthand, it was “The GA-ME.”
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
3
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
6
H
E
7
2
12
1
32
Spring 2015
ALDHA ALMANAC ~ Part I
Spring Board Meeting
Membership
Directory
2015
A.T. Museum Report: Noel deCavalcante
AGENDA
Gathering 2015 Update: kip
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Bears den Hostel, Va.
Program Coordinator: Betsy
Facility Coordinator: kip
Campsite Coordinators: Russell
Ledbetter and Jim Sample
Approval of the minutes from the
SoRuck Board Meeting
Work Trip Coordinator: Ron
Treasurer’s Report: Luanne Anderson
Membership Report: Sly Sylvester
Merchandise/Outreach Report:
Randy
Report from AT kickoff: Randy
ALdHA Facebook page: Sly
Reports from SoRuck and NoRuck:
Sly and kip Redick
Final Blaze and Life Membership
Report: Bill, Noel
ALdHA Care: Jim Chambers
2015 ATC Biennial Hiker Reception: Randy
Update on ALdHA Hostel Binders:
Peter Passalacqua
Nominations for board positions at
the Gathering: all
Work Trips Report: Ron Bungay
AT App discussion: kip
Outreach Report: Jim Sample
Companion Report: Sly
directory Report: Sly
Website Report: Bill O’Brien
2015 Brochure Report: Sly
Newsletter Report: Bill
Trail days Reception: All
ALdHA SAR: Mike Wingeart
KEEP IN TOUCH
WITH ALDHA
Appalachian
Long Distance Hikers
Association
H. dEAN CLARk
You’re welcome to attend the
April 11 spring board meeting at
Bears Den Hostel in Virginia!
ALdHA Shares Report: Randy
Waynesboro Shelter: kip, Mike
EMAIL
Questions about
programs, dues,
other issues:
ATC’s first “Flip Flop kickoff” on
May 2: Laurie Potteiger
Camping area for hikers in Harpers
Ferry/Bolivar: Laurie
New Business
WEBSITE
Always in need of
your photos from
ALDHA events.
[email protected]
The annual Membership directory is late this year but it
is definitely on the way. We’ll
announce when it is in the
mail with a note on our website, www.aldha.org, so
stay tuned. The directory
contains info and hiking resumes for all of our members and is cross-referenced
by location and trail name.
Above is this year’s cover.
FACEBOOK
Post your hiking
news, photos, etc.
Search for ALDHA at facebook.com
BOOTS MCFARLAND
[email protected]
Possible contributions to the trail in
light of the release of “A Walk in
the Woods.”
Annual Directory
is well on its way
Recent updates
to the Web page
To share with everyone
what’s been going on with
our outreach efforts, a
new page was added to
the site detailing those
endeavors. It’s what inspired the story in this
newsletter (Page 4). We
have a few other changes
set for the website, so
click on www.aldha.org.
Email Bill O’Brien if you’d
like to write something at
[email protected].
A.T. Thru-Hikers’
Companion is here
GEOLYN CARVIN
Go to the ALdHA Store online at www.aldha.org/store
to order your copy of the A.T.
Companion, a guidebook
compiled by a team of past
A.T. thru-hikers. It is also
available free as a PdF with
an ALdHA membership, and
the info is also part of the AT
App, at sierraattitude.com.
Spring 2015
33
ALDHA ALMANAC ~ Part II
Where to email officers, other key people
ALDHA Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kip Redick . . . . . . . . . . “Hippy Kippy” . . . . . . . [email protected]
Assistant Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . Randy Anderson . . . . . . “Chuck Norris”. . . . . . . . . [email protected]
Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LuAnne Anderson . . . . . “Tigger” . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]
Membership Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Sylvester . . . . . . “Sly”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]
Recording Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sue Spring . . . . . . . . . . “Mama Lipton”. . . . . . . . [email protected]
gathering Program Coordinator . . . Betsy kane . . . . . . . . . . “xxx” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]
gathering Facility Coordinator . . . . . kip Redick . . . . . . . . . . “Hippy Kippy” . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]
gathering Campsite Coordinators . . Jim Sample . . . . . . . . . “White Sidewalls . . . . . . . [email protected]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Russell Ledbetter . . . . . “The Artful Dodger” . . . . . [email protected]
Companion Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Sylvester . . . . . . “Sly”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]
Newsletter Editor & Webmaster . . . . Bill O'Brien . . . . . . . . . . “Sprained Rice” . . . . . . . [email protected]
Work Trip Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . Ron Bungay . . . . . . . . . “Yellow Shoes” . . . . . . . . [email protected]
Merchandise Coordinators . . . . . . . . Randy Anderson . . . . . . “Cuck Norris”. . . . . . . [email protected]
Outreach Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Sample . . . . . . . . . “White Sidewalls” . . . . . . [email protected]
ALDHA Care Coordinator . . . . . . . . . Jim Chambers . . . . . . . “Just Jim” . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]
A.T. Museum Representative . . . . . . Noel deCavalcante . . . “Singing Horseman” . . . . [email protected]
ALDHA’s
four-fold
statement
of purpose
iPhone
I
To represent
and promote
the welfare of
the Appalachian
long distance
hiking
community.
II
To provide
service in a
cooperative
spirit with other
Appalachian
hiking
organizations.
III
To provide education on the
use and
preservation of
Appalachian
long distance
trails.
Hike In
Harmony
Android
IV
To provide
opportunities for interaction and
camaraderie within
the Appalachian
long distance
hiking community.
jOIN US AT THE
ATC BIENNIAL
july 17-24, 2015
at Shenandoah University
in Winchester, Va.
ALdHA will be well represented
at this year’s Biennial Conference of the Appalachian Trail
Conservancy. Besides our display table, we’ll put on three
workshops and host the traditional 2,000-miler reception. Visit
http://snipurl.com/atcbiennial
Hike In Harmony
Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association
Leave no trace in trail towns, not just in camp.
ALDHA’S ENDANgERED SERVICES CAMPAIgN
Follow the rules as you would the white blazes.
Help keep the Appalachian Trail a good neighbor.
The Endangered Services Campaign
Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association
THE AT HIKER APP
guthook’s guides and ALDHA have
teamed up to bring you a new way to
plan and carry out your hike along the
Appalachian Trail using an
app for either the iPhone or
Android platform. It taps into
the latest info from ALDHA’s
A.T. Thru-Hikers’ Companion
and all the technical info you
will need from actual gPS measurements of the trail by the app’s creator,
Ryan Linn, aka “guthook.” A portion of
the proceeds support ALDHA’s trail programs. Scan the QR code above or visit
www.sierraattitude.com/athikerapp/
Nearly 20 years ago, at the 1994 Gathering in Hanover, N.H., then-Coordinator Ron
keal convened a panel discussion on hiker
behavior after a spate of incidents over the
previous year and a half had threatened or
forced the closure of community gazebos and
pavilions in dalton and Sheffield, Mass., and
Ceres, Va.
Afraid other useful hiker services would
soon face a similar fate, the roundtable discussion came up with a few ideas, including
the appointment of an ad hoc committee that
would look into the matter further to see what
ALdHA could do.
Thus was born the Endangered Services
Campaign, an effort that continues to this day
in the form of the “Hike in Harmony” bumper
sticker (seen above and still available in the
ALdHA Store) as well as other offshoots. The
Yahoo support group for hostels (inset box)
and the ALdHA Cares program, whereby
YAHOO SUPPORT gROUP
The Yahoo AT Services Group was created by ALdHA around 2005 to enhance contact among Appalachian Trail
service providers such as hostels,
stores and other groups or businesses.
The list is private, invitation only, and
free. It has been used to communicate
about problem hikers, extreme weather,
trail closures, lost or overdue hikers,
and sometimes just good news! If you’re
a service provider and would like information on how to join the list, contact its
creator, past ALdHA Coordinator Mark
Hudson, at [email protected].
ALdHA members volunteer to help spell hostel owners in the busy hiker season, can also
be considered part of the campaign.
34
Spring 2015
Welcome new members & returnees
Check your mailing label to see if you owe dues. Mail the form on Page 34 with your dues
or do it online (and pay online) at http://form.jotform.com/form/10562609918 ... Better
yet, opt for a life membership and never have to worry about your annual dues again.
New members and
renewals (that had
previously expired)
as of March 15:
Sharon Adams
Robert Ahlberg
Jessica Alexander
Cynthia Allgood
Raymond Arnold
Jim Arzigian
Vikas Bagga
Richard Bailey
Earl W. Beam
Bob Bechtel
Michael Bell
Jonathan Bent
Robert Biviano
Richard Blackburn
Mike Bojko
dale Bolenbaugh
Eileen Brady
Stacey Brown
Michael Browning
Jeff Buehler
Peggy Cantrell
Clayton Carter
Woody Childress
Sam Clinard
Nathanael Cohn
Steven Coughlin
Carol Cox
John Coyne
kimberly Crisman
debbie Crowder
denis daly
Yanick di Vito
Trish d'Imperio
Richard Earley
Paul Ebert
Caleb Egolf
Monty Ellison
Richard Ellison
Matthew Eppinger
Vladimir Eramov
Laura Fegley
Robert Figulski
Laura Foley
Stephen L. Foster
Timothy Geary
Todd Gerhis
Barbara Goelz-Tamsin
Gordon Goodwill
Nancy Gorgone
Jeffrey Graham
kevin Gratz
Jane Green
Marvin Gross
Phillip Grounds
Michael Hamilton
John Harbison
Mason Harris
Tim & Jenny Hattaway
Christopher Hesley
Richard Humphries
Charles Jarvis
Patrick Jeffrey
kevin kauffman
Norman V keith Jr.
kelly kietzke
Luke kingsley
Geoffrey koglin
Ashley kovacs
Elaine LaBella
Edward & Chelsey
Lands
Larry Lapierre
Joe Leahy
Susan Levy
Peter Loskota
James Lunning
denise & Elizabeth
Lynch
Richard Mann
Jeffrey Marion
Andrew McCabe
Chris McGinnis
Robert Mckinney
Robert McNown
Judi Melanson
Michael Metcalf
Russell Miller
John Mitchell
douglas Murray
Joe Newton
Jim & kathleen Nielson
dirk Oesterle
Patrick O'Reilly
John Padilla
Charles Palmer
Jody Palmer
Scott Patten
Larry Pope
Yerby Ray
Anthony T. Reed
kent Reser
david Sachs
William Sauber
Andrew Schubauer
Matthew Scott
Harry Siegal
Aislinn Slaugenhaupt
donna Spence
Matthew Stenger
Renee & Hank Swicegood
Edward Szeman
Buzz Sztukowski
kevin Tarpey
dustan Thomas
Mendy Thomas
Robert Torbert
Michael Trimarchi
Jordan Turner
Robert Viers
Eric Von Gleich
Aaron & Jenna Waldron
Chuck Weeks
Isobel Whitaker
david Williams
Ryan Lewelling Winford
Briglio Wyatt
david Young
Joanna Young
New paid life members since the last
newsletter:
Scot Bowen
H. dean Clark
Steve Combs
Paul Corbeil
John Hollingshead
James Zumwalt
Jonathan Bent
Tax-deductible
donations since the
last newsletter:
Jacob Goertz
Brett Hessenius
Jim & Eliza Mann
Mark Wray
James Zumwalt
Larry Pope
Harry Siegal
Mike Bojko
kelly kietzke
— Many thanks!
give someone the gift of a membership in ALDHA and help our organization grow. It’s only $10, and the recipient may become a member for life.
This is to certify that
a Gift Membership in ALDHA
for
Has Been Entered for One Year
Presented by
#
ALDHA SHARES
Print out and trim this
certificate, fill in the
names and put it in a
No. 6 3⁄4 envelope as a
gift to a friend or family member who would
love to learn more
about hiking.
(Be sure to send us
the recipient’s information and pay for the
gift. See Page 35 for
the form as well as an
online option.)
Spring 2015
35
APRIL-jUNE CALENDAR
ALDHA ALMANAC ~ Part III
April 11
ALdHA’s annual spring meeting, Bears den
Hostel in Bluemont, Va. (Contact kip Redick
at [email protected] if you’re coming.)
RESPECT FOR OTHERS, IN PERSON AND ONLINE
April 22-26
ALdHA work trip for A.T. corridor monitoring,
based at Blackburn Trail Center, Va.
The board approved the following policy during the summer of 2014:
The Appalachian Long distance Hikers Association welcomes diversity in all its
forms, including views expressed by other members of the trail community, provided
those views treat other people with respect. Whether it's in the form of spoken comments at a Gathering or other ALdHA functions, or written comments on our website, in our newsletter or on other ALdHA platforms, disrespect for others shall not
be tolerated. The coordinator, in consultation with the board, may ask a person to
leave the ALdHA Gathering (or other ALdHA functions) for violating this policy; and
the editors of the ALdHA newsletter, website, Companion, online social networks
and other ALdHA media, in consultation with the coordinator, may decline or delete
comments that violate this policy.
May 1-3
ATC Hiker Flip-Flop Introduction at the A.T.
Conservancy in Harpers Ferry, W.Va.
May 15-17
Appalachian Trail days in damascus, Va.
june 5
A.T. Museum Hall of Fame Banquet,
Allenberry Resort, Boiling Springs, Pa.
june 27-28
ALdHA Hiker Feed in Connecticut,
Location TBd (check the website)
2015 Membership Renewal and gathering Registration
v The 2015 Gathering will be Columbus Day Weekend, Oct. 9-11, in Shippensburg, Pa. v
Name(s) ______________________________________________ Current Member Yes q No q
date ________ / _______ / ________
Address ______________________________________________ City, State, Zip _____________________________________________________
Telephone (with area code) _______________________________ Email address ____________________________________________________
Trail name(s) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Trails completed and years they were hiked _____________________________________________________________________________________
I would like to help ALdHA with: The Gathering q Companion Field Editor q Trail Work q Publications q Publicity q ALdHA Care q
Memberships are $10 per family per calendar year or $200 for lifetime membership. Memberships filed after Sept. 30 will also include the following year.
Number of years _______________ x $10 per year = $_______________
Lifetime membership $200 (does not include yearly Gathering registration fees.)
gathering Preregistration is $20 per person, only $50 for families of 3 or more
Children under 13 free!
= $_______________
donations to ALdHA, a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, are tax deductible.
Amount of donation: $ ______________ Total enclosed: $_______________
How would you like your ALDHA publications delivered?
Newsletter q PdF in email (with color) q Paper (B&W)
Membership
directory q PdF in email (with color) q Paper (B&W)
Go Green: PDFs reduce clutter and save money and trees.
If attending the Gathering, please mail your payment no later than Sept. 15 to ALDHA, 10 Benning St., PMB 224, West Lebanon, NH 03784
2
Who plays
katz to Robert
Redford’s Bill
Bryson in the
film version of “A Walk
in the Woods”?
3
Who is the
B&B operator
in Salisbury,
Conn., who
took in kip Redick
during his thru-hike?
4
Who are the
newest honorary life
members of
ALdHA? (We’re looking for three names.)
3. MARIA MCCABE
4. FRANk & JOJO kOBY BURLEY ANd dICk ANdERSON
5. ALdHA
Name one of
the two fragile
species that
Baxter Park is
concerned for on top
of Mount katahdin.
2. NICk NOLTE
Test your
memory of
the previous
issue of the
newsletter:
Questions? . . . Email [email protected]
5
4/15
What does
Jim Sample’s
new A.T. vanity plate from
Pennsylvania have
written on it?
1. THE kATAHdIN ARCTIC BUTTERFLY OR BIGELOW’S SEdGE
1
Or, register online at https://secure.jotform.com/form/10562609918
APPALACHIAN LONG DISTANCE HIKERS ASSOCIATION
VISIT OUR ONLINE STORE
Springtime stuff
for the hikers
heading out
Things to put in your pack
Companion, bandanas,
wicking shirts, caps, etc.
Click this link & pay online: www.aldha.org/store