Boy, it was great to be back home and quickly catch up with everyone! It was a wirlwind tour of Iowa and WI...exhausting actually. Taking it easy getting back on the trail...slowing down...going to see, like Victoria said, the beauty of the trail!
Crankdaddy
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Our Train Kept Calling Us and We Came...
A few days prior to our arrival at Harper's Ferry we were headed down into another gap and, being a man of that age where you find yourself having to pee every hour, I let Fire Fly go ahead. A minute later and down the trail I heard Fire Fly yelling, "Crank, Crank!". I came running down the hill thinking that she was being attacked by a bear, only to find that she was standing on the railroad tracks pointing at our train coming our way! We quickly crossed the tracks and as it passed by gave the train engineer and knowing nod hello and walked into the woods. We finally saw our good friend in real life! Will he be there with us in PA?
Crank
It's Just a Number, Right?
Some of you may wonder how many people start and finish the trail each year. It's difficult to answer with a great deal of clarity because the registration process is all voluntary. It is my understanding that roughly 2,000 people begin the trail in Georgia with the intention of completing the full 2,181 miles up in Maine. They say that approximately 10-20% actually make it.
I did not register at Springer Mtn., but Fire Fly, being the competitive person she is (:)) found it important to do so. Her number was 184, meaning that 183 people registered before her. We figured that there is probably another 40% that do not register (like me), so she was probably more like 300 or there abouts.
At Harper's Ferry we were registered as the 127th and 128th thru-hiker for this year. If 300 is the correct estimate that would suggest that we passed a lot of people or many dropped out along the way. Actually, both happened; also, many people passed us along the way as well.
So, what's to make of it?
1. Nothing because we aren't even half the way there yet;
2. It's okay to give ourselves a pat on the back given our age bracket, but let's not dwell on it;
3. Forget about it and move on (another 100 have probably passed us since we've been off the trail)!
Moving forward....
Crank
I did not register at Springer Mtn., but Fire Fly, being the competitive person she is (:)) found it important to do so. Her number was 184, meaning that 183 people registered before her. We figured that there is probably another 40% that do not register (like me), so she was probably more like 300 or there abouts.
At Harper's Ferry we were registered as the 127th and 128th thru-hiker for this year. If 300 is the correct estimate that would suggest that we passed a lot of people or many dropped out along the way. Actually, both happened; also, many people passed us along the way as well.
So, what's to make of it?
1. Nothing because we aren't even half the way there yet;
2. It's okay to give ourselves a pat on the back given our age bracket, but let's not dwell on it;
3. Forget about it and move on (another 100 have probably passed us since we've been off the trail)!
Moving forward....
Crank
Let's Have Faith in the Younger Generation Afterall!
Okay, this will rub some people the wrong way, but prior to coming on the trail I had become just a tad disappointed in the younger generation's "entitlement mentality". This began to challenge me in my work and I found it to be a frustrating experience. I didn't know whether it was fact or fiction (my age might have something to do with it).
Regardless, I have a renewed faith in the youth coming our way due to my wonderful experiences with these fine young people on the trail. Most of these kids are college age or older and are broad and open minded, bright, sensitive and highly articulate. Yes, some have lots of piercings and tattoos but I can not get past that now these days knowing that there's a really interesting conversation to gain.
I have also seen these kids mature along the way as well. They come from all walks of life and each one of them bring something unique and wonderful to this world and it's neat to be part of their experience and watch them develop.
Sorry for the philosophizing....but these kids are great!
Regardless, I have a renewed faith in the youth coming our way due to my wonderful experiences with these fine young people on the trail. Most of these kids are college age or older and are broad and open minded, bright, sensitive and highly articulate. Yes, some have lots of piercings and tattoos but I can not get past that now these days knowing that there's a really interesting conversation to gain.
I have also seen these kids mature along the way as well. They come from all walks of life and each one of them bring something unique and wonderful to this world and it's neat to be part of their experience and watch them develop.
Sorry for the philosophizing....but these kids are great!
Remnants of the Civil War?
We also came across some very old trenches in the woods with rocks stacked on the top. It seems to me that these must be old trenches from the Civil War because the area that we were end clearly played a big role in the war. I remember growing up just north of Atlanta and finding these same deep trenches in the woods. Back then, we were convinced they were from the Civil War and used them in that manner. As a matter of fact, I have a scar on my face due to a fall in such a trench and landing on the blade of a shovel - nearly taking out my eye when I was 9 years old. My mom was none too happy about it - blood all over the place, but I believed myself to be a wounded rebel and was proud of my accomplishment.
I would love to come back to this area and do some day hikes with my son to better understand the history and attempt to see some of the remains of it all up close and personal. I suspect we will see more of this as we head into PA.
Crank
Are Shelters for the Homeless Too?
This has been a quandary for many of us along the trail. It became particularly challenging [frustrating] in the Shenandoah's because use the weather was so poor (rainy every day) and easy access due to the road being so close.
The thing is that many thru-hikers find the shelters to be much more efficient after a long day of hiking. The notion of pitching a tent in the rain and then lugging a wet tent all day long day after day has little appeal. So coming upon the shelter you sort of hope that 1) there is space at the Inn;, and 2) your bunk mates are not of suspicious character. We may get a bit narrow minded as we move up the trail, but it seems to becoming less and less appealing to be sleeping next to folks that hang out at the shelter for days, carry weird food and have strange stuff poking out of their bags (machetes, etc.).
So the idea these days seems to approach the shelter with a bit of caution; don't commit too soon and be prepared to pitch your tent in the rain. Or, maybe the better approach is to work on keeping an open mind and realize that homeless people on the trail are not so bad after all....
Crank
The thing is that many thru-hikers find the shelters to be much more efficient after a long day of hiking. The notion of pitching a tent in the rain and then lugging a wet tent all day long day after day has little appeal. So coming upon the shelter you sort of hope that 1) there is space at the Inn;, and 2) your bunk mates are not of suspicious character. We may get a bit narrow minded as we move up the trail, but it seems to becoming less and less appealing to be sleeping next to folks that hang out at the shelter for days, carry weird food and have strange stuff poking out of their bags (machetes, etc.).
So the idea these days seems to approach the shelter with a bit of caution; don't commit too soon and be prepared to pitch your tent in the rain. Or, maybe the better approach is to work on keeping an open mind and realize that homeless people on the trail are not so bad after all....
Crank
The Refined Skill of a Yogi...
You're not a true thru-hiker until you have honed your skill as a yogi. I was able to begin my apprentice work in the Shenandoah's. The Shenandoah's are a perfect place to develop this important thru-hiker skill because of the various opportunities along the way. You see, the trail intersects various picnic areas, overlooks and waysides along Skyline Drive. These intersections mean us smelly, scary looking thru-hikers end up bumping into the freshly scrubbed faces of day hikers and sightseers. Most have no idea of what they are getting into when they either approach us or we them.
So part of the process is to help them understand that we we may look dangerous and homeless, we are, in fact, very hungry thru-hikers simply looking to poach a free snack - or maybe even a meal. Once you are able to disarm the victims I have found the rest to be pretty easy. When they realize that we have just hiked from Georgia and headed to Maine they become intrigued and begin to ask questions. Of course, we invariably lead the conversation to food and the minimalist approach to eating on the trail. They quickly pickup the notion that we are all very skinny and are salivating and staring at their picnic basket. It's hard for them not too offer up some sacrificial treats just so they can get on with what they were doing.
The first REAL opportunity for me came up at Pinnacles Picnic area. We had just stuffed ourselves at the Skyland Resort at an all you can eat breakfast buffet (note that this was not trail food) and Wobegon, Fire Fly and I stopped for a quick trail food lunch at the Picnic area scoping out a pavilion with a large group of "eastern speaking people" surrounded by large trays of food. Looking starved and innocent, one woman took an interest in us and nervously approached us and asked us why we were there and what we were doing. Great opener...and after describing our desperate situation we were able to get our foot in the door by asking her what the occasion, where they were from, and generally pretending we were interested. Turns out that it was a Turkish family celebrating a young man's birthday. They own a Turkish restaurant in McLean. We noticed that the old men were smoking cigars and playing some sort of game so we asked if it would be okay to watch them play their game.
BINGO...once inside their camp, what else could they do but provide us with a huge plate of spicy herbed chicken, cabbage and beef rolls, steamed rice and a ton of wonderful Turkish homemade bread!
After this brilliant effort the three of us were anointed as exalted yogis of the Shenandoah's and we lived to tell everyone about it!
So part of the process is to help them understand that we we may look dangerous and homeless, we are, in fact, very hungry thru-hikers simply looking to poach a free snack - or maybe even a meal. Once you are able to disarm the victims I have found the rest to be pretty easy. When they realize that we have just hiked from Georgia and headed to Maine they become intrigued and begin to ask questions. Of course, we invariably lead the conversation to food and the minimalist approach to eating on the trail. They quickly pickup the notion that we are all very skinny and are salivating and staring at their picnic basket. It's hard for them not too offer up some sacrificial treats just so they can get on with what they were doing.
The first REAL opportunity for me came up at Pinnacles Picnic area. We had just stuffed ourselves at the Skyland Resort at an all you can eat breakfast buffet (note that this was not trail food) and Wobegon, Fire Fly and I stopped for a quick trail food lunch at the Picnic area scoping out a pavilion with a large group of "eastern speaking people" surrounded by large trays of food. Looking starved and innocent, one woman took an interest in us and nervously approached us and asked us why we were there and what we were doing. Great opener...and after describing our desperate situation we were able to get our foot in the door by asking her what the occasion, where they were from, and generally pretending we were interested. Turns out that it was a Turkish family celebrating a young man's birthday. They own a Turkish restaurant in McLean. We noticed that the old men were smoking cigars and playing some sort of game so we asked if it would be okay to watch them play their game.
BINGO...once inside their camp, what else could they do but provide us with a huge plate of spicy herbed chicken, cabbage and beef rolls, steamed rice and a ton of wonderful Turkish homemade bread!
After this brilliant effort the three of us were anointed as exalted yogis of the Shenandoah's and we lived to tell everyone about it!
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