New Year, New Goal

 

AT Segment #1---Here I Come!

I've been toying with the idea of hiking along the AT (Appalachian Trail) for a while now. Nearly a year ago, I lost my mom after a protracted illness; I felt sort of lost for a while, not sure what could fill the void other than just working and living through the grief. 

One day, I came across the book "Into the Wild," by John Krakauer. If you're not familiar with the book, it's the (true) story of a young man named Chris McCandless from the DC suburbs who, after graduating from college, went on an extended "life experience" as it were for about two years, traveling around the Desert Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, South Dakota, and finally, Alaska. While in Alaska, he hiked out into the wilderness in the spring, crossing a frozen river, and setting up camp in an abandoned bus. The bus had been towed there as temporary shelter in the outback for construction workers who were building a road for a (later abandoned) mining project. Apparently, when McCandless attempted to get back to the closest town in August, he was unable to cross the river, and eventually died in the bus from either starvation or, as some speculate, a type of poisoning from some food he had foraged. 

NOT an affiliate link--> https://www.amazon.com/Into-Wild-Jon-Krakauer/dp/0385486804/ref=sr_1_1?crid=30XGUNK9YO6MG&keywords=into+the+wild+book&qid=1643071506&sprefix=into+th+wild%2Caps%2C112&sr=8-1

In any event, what intrigued me about the book was the story of how woefully unprepared McCandless was for life far away from civilization. He did have a gun to shoot some game (how much ammunition? I have no idea) and a ten-pound bag of rice, but pretty much nothing else. He had abandoned all worldly goods to pursue this adventure. 

The idea of my hiking the AT began to take shape more seriously from this point (I also watched the movie by director Sean Penn). Then I read the story of Geraldine Largay, a senior hiking the AT alone (she had started with a buddy who had to leave) who left the trail to go to the bathroom and then vanished; a group of filmmakers for the TV show North Woods Law found her campsite and her skeleton two years later. She was about a half-mile from the trail. 

Now, you're probably asking this question right about now: OK, if all you've read so far are bad things about people disappearing while hiking, why in the world would you want to do that? Well in pragmatic terms, these are anomalies. Many, many people hike the AT every year (either in part of in full) without incident. I suppose no-one can ever be 100% prepared, but being cognizant of pitfalls can't be a bad thing. 

Now, I'm not hiking the whole trail at once. This summer, I am planning to do only 1 segment, stretching from the Maryland/Pennsylvania border to Harpers Ferry. I may actually modify that plan and complete this segment about 25 miles further south. The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club offers a weekend hiking course in April which I want to attend, then an overnight trip in May. I've been watching dozens of YouTube videos by more experienced hikers to learn as much as I can about what I should to do be prepared (gear, etc.). People who hike the AT (through-hikers) from the southern terminus in Georgia to the northern terminus in Maine often start in April and travel through September or October. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to do that (job and all), but I can do segments at a time. The section I want to start with is barely 50 miles from my home, and, from what I have read, one of the easiest parts of the trail to traverse. The section in Maryland to Harpers Ferry, WV is about 41 miles. 

I have a GoPro camera that I want to use to document my trip (and I love video editing). As I plan and train for this journey, I'll update with video and blog posts about the gear I'm acquiring, plans, etc. I hope you join me as I take on this new adventure.