Pawling, NY - 7/30

Talked to Ryan on Friday.  He's been hiking by himself since leaving New York City.  He said it was a nice change of pace but expects to reconnect with the group some time after Pawling. He had just made it to Pawling, NY where he had a drop package at the Post Office.  He said the trail has smoothed out nicely through  NY.  The weather has cooled down and was in the low 80's Friday afternoon.   The rockiness of PA and NJ has given way to much larger boulder fields making for new scenery and a smoother trail.  He commented that he's been very surprised just how wild the woods have been through NJ and NY.  Wildlife has been abundant and he's run into very few other hikers.

He said much of the real hot weather has moved out of the area. He plans to walk 6 days per week and may end up taking a down day near Pawling depending on how nice campsites are aroud Pawling.  He said his pace has quickened to the point where he's often coverd 20 mile by just after lunch.  The tendancy is to push forward but time on the trail has taught him to set realistic goals and stick with them.  Saving his feet and not risking injury has beome the priority.  He's averaged over 20 miles for the past four days.   He should be in Connecticut by Sunday evening.   He bought his fourth pair of shoes in NY.  The rough trails in PA and NJ went through a pair of shoes in a little over 300 miles. 

He sent a picture disk home from Pawling.  These should be on the blog by mid week. 

Back on the Trail - 7/26

Ryan took a train out of New York early this morning and is back on the trail today.  Monday morning he was interviewed by a reporter from the Clermont Sun.  I emailed her some pictures this afternoon for an article that will be in this Thursday's Clermont Sun Newpaper.  I talked to Ryan a couple of times while he was in New York and he was anxious to get back on the trail.
He is now officially in New England.  He has a little under 800 miles to Mount Katahdin.  This will be the most challenging part of the trail.  He will enter the longest stretches of wilderness, the highest mountains, the most significant change in scenery, and hike for the first time above tree line.  He was really pumped up about it.  His plan is to be at Baxter State Park in Maine by the end of September.

Journal Entry, Spork - 7/20

Almost 1,400 miles behind me. 1,400 miles, that doesn’t even seem possible.  It feels like I’m talking about someone else. I get these frequent rushes of just how much I enjoy this.  I learn something new every day about myself. I’ve gained a different perspective of who I am, why I am, and what life is about. The woods tend to take on an alien feel at times but less and less every day.  The woods are where I sleep.  They are where I eat, spend my day, and think. I appreciate a soft spot of ground to set up a tent. I appreciate the natural placement of a stump for sitting.  I appreciate the convenient scattering of dead wood for a fire.  It’s the little things out here and it’s the appreciation of the little things that makes the woods home.

All my days are basically the same and totally different at the same time. I normally wake up around seven or eight, stumble out of my tent and find out what new part of my body is sore. Food is the first thing on my mind. Food is always on my mind. I grab my food bag and take out a couple 430 calorie honey buns. I’ve fallen from the engineered hiking food tree right into the junk food aisle at the gas station.  I’ve come to realize that food is just fuel.  It’s like gasoline.  There are several grades but all propel the vehicle.  I try my best to eat as much protein as possible but calories are the gasoline that makes you go.  I am averaging around 10,000 per day and still having a hard time maintaining my weight.  6 months ago you couldn’t pay me to eat a honey bun.  This week, it’s my treat du jour.  Next week it will be something else.  I take them down in four bites. 860 calories in... Check.  The sweat starts to bead while I take my tent down and mentally prepare myself for the day.  Before I know it my pack is full and my campsite is empty. Some days I start to hike and feel great right away and others it takes 15 minutes to get my stride, but then, it’s on. I turn into a machine.

 I walk, I smile (sometimes breaking out into fits of laughter at a chipmunk that gets startled), I live. I have found myself cackling like a hyena at the antics of a four inch mammal. Around 12 or 1 I grab a seat on the "perfect" rock or log.  Sometimes it takes a while to find. I have walked an extra two or three miles in search of a sweet spot for grazing. Bacon, string cheese, and tortillas, maybe some Snyder’s pretzel nibblers if it’s a very good day. What do I do now? Walk.  By this point I’ve seen 30 chipmunks and squirrels, maybe a snake, a bear on a good day, birds, birds and more birds, and maybe one or two other hikers. Savages, how dare they intrude upon my home.     

Long distance hiking is a funny thing.  It takes a portion of your mind to keep you going but once the switch clicks the zone-out take over. My mind is all over the place. Random thoughts invade my head.  I think about what was going on 200 years ago where I’m walking, what the frog that just looked at me is thinking, how anyone could ever order a good steak well done.  I haven’t seen a snake in a while and every root morphs into one.   I make up new lyrics to old songs.  I make up new songs to old lyrics.   Sometimes I’ve walked 10 or 12 miles deep in thought before I have to stop and check where I am. I  quit long ago looking for white trail blazes.  My subconscious sees them and directs my movements.   You could solve the world’s problems on a long distance hike. 

Every day is a constant search for water.  Your world revolves entirely around water.  My day is like the spread of civilization.  People always settle near water.  I now know exactly why.  Where you have lunch, dinner, and camp must have access to water.  Thirst is a powerful motivator.

My world has recently turned into a friggin’ sauna, all day, every day. Water is tough to come by.  Many of the springs marked on the maps are dry.  Often potable water sources are mis-marked. The heat this week has averaged well into the upper 90s. The humidity is beyond description. The air is thick and soupy.  The vistas are smoky blue.  Planning your distances on the report that water exists at some point in the distance requires a lot of work. Being out of water is a crisis in this heat but it happens sometimes.  I used to flip out about these things but little rattles me these days. I feel much more in control.   When things go wrong the trail has a way of fixing it with something awesome that you didn’t expect. Maybe a cooler filled with water and Cokes, maybe an unexpected stream, or a fellow hiker that will hook you up with a liter of water. Trail magic is more than folk lore.  It is an almost expected and certainly anticipated part of the experience.  It’s really the last link to society.  It’s also a wonderful statement about the same. 

The pack always feels a bit heavier at the end of the day. Once you find the campsite, the pack comes off and the tent goes up. Now it’s time to eat.  I believe that I will remember every camp site I stayed at on the trail.  I think back over them now and they all seem clear. I have never slept so soundly.

I continue to surprise myself.  My latest surprise is the ability to walk 20 miles in temperatures over 100 degrees.  I’ve done it, several times.  Yet another challenge behind me.  I suppose you could say that you can do anything if you have to.  But the truth is it’s not what I have to do, it’s what I want to do. 

Pictures Harpers to NJ 6/30 - 7/17

There are new pictures in the right column.  These are the balance of pictures from Harper's Ferry and the trip throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania and into New Jersey.  There are several rattlesnake and bear encounters.  Ryan shot a movie of a bear and her cubs and we're working to get this on the blog ASAP.  He saw 5 bears, 5 rattlesnakes, and a copperhead on this leg.  

There are pictures of the ice cream challenge at Pine Grove and lots of rock scrambles.  It hard to fully understand the rock scrambles until you see the pictures.  Note in many of the rocky pictures that the white trail blazes go right up over the rocks.

Ryan also sent some journal entries and these will go on in the next couple of days.  He is currently in Brooklyn visiting Matt Oliver for a couple of days.  When I talked to him on Sunday he was web surfing pictures of the trail in New England.  He said he's really enjoying a day of street clothes and AC but is anxious to get back out on the trail.  He's meeting back up with his buddies on Tuesday morning to take a train out to the trail head.

9th State, 1,357 Miles - 7/21

Ryan called Tuesday night (6/19).  He was in New Jersey.  He describes New Jersey as having a lot of rolling hills and small mountains in the southern section.  Over the past week he has seen more wildlife than anywhere yet on the trial.  He has seen 4 rattlesnakes, 5 bears, and the usually small mammals, turtles, snakes, and deer.  He promises pictures of all.  He said his bear count is at 16. This week he has seen much of the same weather we have been experiencing in Southern Ohio. It has been consistently in the mid 90’s with high humidity.  (As of this writing he has crossed over the New York State border and is camped at Greenwood Lake.  The temperature there today was 103.  At this point Ryan has crossed into his 9^th state and has covered 1,357 miles of the AT.)   

The trail remained rocky through the last of Pennsylvania and all of  New Jersey. He has walked another pair of trial shoes off his feet.  He will be looking for new shoes as soon as he comes to a decent outfitter.  He said the soles of his hikers are smooth.  He is now in a full size larger shoe than when starting the trail.

 He describes the week as brutal. The mosquitoes and black flies have been relentless. Bug spray only seems to incite them.  In spite of the heat and bugs he has averaged well of 20 miles per day.  He had one stretch heading into Lehigh Gap where he covered 42 miles in 24 hours.   Much of this was night hiking. Much of this was hand over hand climbing.  Lehigh Gap has some of the more challenging rock scrambles south of the White Mountains. 

The biggest single challenge has been consuming enough water to avoid dehydration.  He’s been taking every opportunity to bathe in creeks and wherever he can find running water to stay cool and to rinse the salt that builds up with that amount of sweating. He described Tuesday night as a particularly challenging day and night.  The group he is hiking with often breaks up for a day or two and Ryan was catching back up with the group after a drop package pickup in town.   He hiked the day and late into the evening alone and got caught in an all night downpour complete with hail and lightning.  Bear activity in the area was extremely high and he was forced to camp off the trial, away from a shelter, and alone.  For the first time he decided to hang all of his food on a bear rope just in case. 

He caught back up to Kipper and Chimp on Wednesday around noon.  They are all hiking together again and all plan 2 off days this coming weekend in New York City.  Kipper has a sister that lives in NYC and a close friend of Ryan’s lives in Brooklyn.  They hope to be at Bear Mountain by Saturday and catch a train into the city until Monday.  They’ll take the same train back out to Bear Mountain and, as always, pick the trail up at the exact spot they left it.  Ryan has maintained his purist approach to the trail and has walked every mile since leaving Georgia.  He has done no blue blazing or walk-rounds.    

The past two weeks have been difficult with the heat and rocky trail.  Ryan said they are all pretty beat up.  He has a lot of blisters and a few days with dry clothes and feet will do them all good.  He’s hoping the weather will break a little cooler after the weekend. His spirits seem to be holding up better than his feet, but, he’s confident both will carry him to Maine. He will need to average 12.5 miles per day to make it to Baxter State Park by the end of September.  His response was “no sweat”.  He’s looking forward to New England and fall. 

I should have a new film disk and pictures posted by the weeked. 

Not heard from Ryan this week.  He did get a refill on his Doxycyclene in the event of another tick attack.  He also received a pair of boots he’d sent home in June.  He’s giving up on the low top hiking shoes until he gets up the coast a bit and away from the rocky trail in this part of the country. Looking at his GPS location, he is just about through Pennsylvania and should be getting into New Jersey sometime this weekend.  This map shows his progress through Pennsylvania. 

Duncannon, PA - 7/7

Ryan checked in last evening from Duncannon, PA to let us know he was feeling much better.  The antibiotics apparently did their job and his fever and flu symptoms were 75% gone.  In spite of feeling a little weak, he covered 24 miles yesterday.  He reports eastern Pennsylvania to be exactly as predicted – rocky.  The past two days have gone from open country to rocky outcrops.  Most of the trail is washed clean by rain exposing fist sized rocks.  He said it was very tiring to constantly shift position and weight to find good foot placement.  You have to watch every step.  
  
Trail magic has abounded so far in Pennsylvania.  He commented that the people in rural PA are very welcoming to hikers.  Wednesday night the trail passed through a small town and they were invited to set up their tents in a local’s field.  They made pizza’s for the hikers and they all stayed up till 1:00 in the morning answering question and talking about the hike and trail.   The next morning the people drove sandwiches and breakfast out to the hikers at 7:00 a.m.  

He felt he was finally 100% on equipment.  He got the right pack delivered in Duncannon and the package from home included another cycle of tick antibiotics, the ankle brace he wanted, and some clothing he’d asked for.

Since leaving Harper’s he has covered 125 miles in 6 days.  Pennsylvania has about 260 mile of the AT within its border.  New Jersey will be the next state he enters.  He should be in NJ before next weekend. Ryan’s efforts to reduce his pack weight have paid off in a 10-15 pound reduction.  He has taken on a minimalist attitude about necessities.  The only real luxury he’s carrying is a book. In these more populated areas he can resupply more frequently and carry less between resupplies. He also said that the water sources have been much better than in Virginia.  He’s had to do very little water filtering since leaving Harper’s.  All of these benefits help to add mile per day. He feels his stride had increased considerably.  He said after walking this far you get a real good feel for the miles and the time it takes to cover them.  Earlier on he felt was walking at about a 2 mph pace.  He thinks he is consistently walking at about 3 mph now.  

Talking to Ryan 2 months ago he was just walking.  Now, he is a walking technician.  Stride, foot placement, use of poles, pack position, shoe style, and trail surface all add or detract to forward progress.  Now, it’s all about the miles.  For the first time he talked, not about how many miles he has walked, but how many miles he has yet to walk.  Tomorrow he should be under 1,000 miles left.  Tomorrow he has been on the trail for 3 months. 

There is not an ounce of “quit” in anything he’s said or done since being dropped off on the trial head that cool day in April.  He is determined – and hairy.  I offered him a cash reward to shave that badger off his face – nothing doing.  He posesses the fastest growing beard on the planet.  Didn’t that guy used to play a bass in ZZ Top?

Pictures, Pine Grove and Ice Cream 7/5

We received a SD card in the mail yesterday. New pictures are listed in the right column. These are through much of Virginia ending in Harpers Ferry. The last pictures are Ryan’s entry in the Appalachian Trail Conservancy register of thru hikers. Ryan was number 650 for the year that’s made it approximately ½ way as either a northbound or southbound hiker.

Yesterday he reached the actual ½ way point at 1090 miles.

Ryan called late yesterday asking that we renew his prescription of doxycycline. He feels that he has Lyme disease and has started a cycle of antibiotic. Approximately 20% of the thru hikers are reporting it this year as a result of deer ticks bites. Lyme disease is a very serious condition if not treated promptly. Ryan is fortunate in that he received a prescription from his Dr in the event. Finding an attached tick and developing a bullseye ring around the bite is a pretty good indication. He said they are averaging 5 ticks a day. They are sometimes nearly impossible because to see they are much smaller than the ticks he’s used to seeing in Ohio. Symptoms are rash, joint pain, flu-like symptom, fever, and headache. He reported all. He started feeling bad yesterday and that the last 7 miles were the most difficult of his entire hike thus far. He started the doxycycline in the afternoon was feeling better today.

He must have felt better because he took on the ice cream challenge at Pine Grove, PA.

“For the past three decades, long-distance hikers arriving at the midway point of the 2,180-mile Georgia-to-Maine footpath have made it a tradition to stop at Pine Grove Furnace State Park in south-central Pennsylvania and eat an entire brick of ice cream. The reward: bragging rights, a small commemorative wooden spoon stamped in red letters with "Member of Half Gal. Club," About 350 thru-hikers each year successfully complete the gastronomic feat.”

Ryan said it was a breeze and still had the appetite to eat some more.

He said the trail in Pennsylvania so far has been rocky and relatively hilly. There has been many rock scrambles. Over the past 3 days they have averaged 20 miles/day. He’s still hiking with Kipper, Chimp and Achilles. Monday they encountered their first rattlesnake. He’s looking forward to getting into Duncannon later this week to get his mail package and pack replacement. The replacement pack he was sent in Harper’s ended up being too small and was causing some rubbing issues. The manufacturer is sending the next size up to Duncannon.

Other than the Lyme he still sounds strong. He promised to report in on how he’s feeling in a few days.

Pennsylvania - 7/3

spork Noun /spôrk/
sporks - plural

• A spoon-shaped eating utensil with short tines at the tip
• An Ohio based Appalachian Trail Thru Hiker known to carry an eating utensile behind his ear

Ryan called again before leaving Harper’s Ferry.  They got into Harpers late Wednesday and spent the night with friends of one of his hiking companions.  They got cleaned up and got to sleep in a real bed.  He said all 4 of them slept until 11:30 Thursday.  They then took Thursday off in Harpers and did some sightseeing and resupply.  They were back on the trail Friday morning.

Ryan asked that I send a specific shout out and thanks to Chimp’s friend’s parents, Fred and Melanie, for the hospitality and willingness to take a bunch of stinky hikers in.  He said it put more pep in his step than he’s had in a while. Ryan lost his ankle brace and Melanie drove up and hung one on a tree for him to find.  He said this experience has really given him a new perspective on how good and kind people can be.  He felt it would forever change the way in which he interacts with others.    

THANKS !! Spork

They’re currently back on the trail and camped last night just inside the Pennsylvania border.  Since Wednesday they have been in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Ryan was pretty talkative on Thursday and we discussed a lot about the trail and Harper’s Ferry.  He said Harper’s was the most interesting towns they had gone through to date. The town still had cobblestone and brick paved roads with old original architecture.  He said it was definitely a place he would visit again.  The area was rich in Civil War history.  Over the past week he passed through several battlefield areas both in parks and in the wilderness.  Several times they came upon foundations, dug trenches and rock walls where you could see the gun placements and trench layout.   He did some research in Harper’s about the areas.  He spoke fluently on the battles and history of the area. He said it was amazing how many Civil War battlefields were just out in open wilderness as opposed to protected park areas. The house he stayed in on Wednesday dated back to the Battle of Antietam. 

The bear activity is much higher in this area than the Smokies. He’s seen about a dozen bears, seen one fall out of a tree, and sees bear droppings on the trail daily.  One of the other hikers experienced a false charge from a mother protecting her cubs.  He said that for every bear he has seen he has heard several more.  He explained the sound of a bear running in the woods to be unmistakable.  You never know if they are running toward or away from you.    If they are just lumbering around they appear clumsy and almost clownish.  On a dead run they exhibit speed and a lot of noise. 

The bears are drawn in to the valleys by the berries.  Ryan said they eat black berries, blueberries, raspberries, and wine berries daily all along the trial.  Unfortunately, bears are after the same treat. Early last week he met and hiked with an older couple who were trail and wilderness experts.  Their names were Free Thinker and Firehawk.  He was excited about the time he spent with them because they taught the group a lot about wild edibles and plants in the forest.  When you spend that much time in the woods you get to the point where you notice every plant, nut, mushroom, and berry.  It was great to meet someone who could identify and apply names to the flora.  Ryan said they were some of the coolest people he has met. 

At this point on the trial minds are turning toward New England and the change in scenery and trail. There is a lot of hiking to be done through Pennsylvania and New York.  Pennsylvania is reported to be full of rock scrambles and rocky trails.  It is a part of the trail where a lot of injuries occurs from falls to sprained ankles.

He said they spend a ridiculous amount of time fantasizing about food.  The cravings are endless and very specific.  They rarely go 20 minutes without food coming up. His current favorite meal and resupply items are flour tortillas, real Bacon Bits, String Cheese, and peanut M&M’s.  He said they’ve had great success over the past week with Trial Magic and Yogi’ing (Yogi Bear).  That’s where you stop at a picnic area and look hungry and tired in hopes that a picnicking family will send some fried chicken your way.  He said it’s amazing how well it works.   One of their best hook-ups was a Mennonite family that invited them over for an incredible meal and discussions of beard length.  Ryan said the elder asked him how long he’d been growing his beard.  He seemed disappointed to hear that Ryan’s was only 3 months old.  He’d been growing his for 20 years and it wasn’t much longer than Ryan’s.

Ryan said it’s amazing how well know the AT is in this area and how people go out of their way to help or offers food and water.  A few days ago the trail crossed an interstate highway and they noticed as they walked along the overpass that cars were honking their horns.  They stopped and noticed that the people in the cars were all waving and giving thumbs up.  They spent 30 minutes on the bridge waving back and feeling like Rock Stars.

Ryan is doing well physically, although his ankle still bothers him at times.  He’s lost a total of 12 lbs since Georgia.  He said his calves look like wire ropes.    They’ve heard of several hikers getting Lyme disease and keeping an eye out for ticks is a constant battle.  Ryan has asked that I forward his other dose of Lyme disease antibiotic just in case. 

We’re getting a drop box together for next week.  One luxury item he has asked for is a can of Skyline.  They are hoping to get up on a mountain somewhere to get a view of some fireworks on the fourth.  As I’ve said before we only hear from Ryan when he hits civilization.  Almost all of the time between contacts is in the woods.  He said that thruhikers are down to a very few at this point and they often go days without seeing another hiker or a paved road.  In his words it bears, birds, and pooping in the woods.


Hope to have some new pictures posted mid week.

 He sounds great!