For all Hikers, Backpackers, and Campers—by Ray Anderson

The Triple Crown Hiking Trails

June 18, 2013
Cover of "Hiking the Triple Crown : Appal...

Cover via Amazon

Hiking the Appalachian TrailBackpacking and hiking the Pacific Crest TrailHiking the Continental Divide Trail

Long-distance hikers commonly refer to America’s triple crown hiking trails. The pictures, top to bottom, follow the order below.

Appalachian Trail (AT)  This is the grand daddy. It runs through 14 states from Georgia to Maine and is 2178 miles long. Many aspiring thru-hikers start with this trail. Most begin in Georgia, in Spring,  hoping to follow seasonal weather as they plod north. You should allow six months to hike the AT. By general consent, the toughest parts are the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Mahoosucs in Maine. It is still the  most popular long-distance hiking trail in America–maybe the world.

Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)  Incredibly scenic and gaining in popularity, the PCT runs from the Mexican border into British Columbia, Canada. It is 2650 miles long, longer than the AT, but most thru-hikers finish it in less than six months. This may be due to the long, wide, scenic traverses along the “crests” of mountain chains, which make for easier hiking. Where much of the AT is dense, the PCT is more open. The PCT includes part of the Mojave Desert, Yosemite, and the Cascade Mountains.

Continental Divide Trail (CDT)  Still a work in progress (almost complete) this rigorous but rewarding trail also extends from the Mexican border to Canada. It is about 3100 miles long and has a spectacular run through the Rocky Mountains. Navigation skills–map and compass–are needed to thru-hike this trail. Many sections are not well marked and one needs to constantly focus on bearing to avoid getting lost–lest you end up like the bones above, which I hiked by in southern New Mexico.

For a thorough description of these three trails, I suggest the book Hiking the Triple Crown, by Karen Berger.

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Pets on Trails

June 11, 2013

Backpacking and camping in the Jim Bridger Wilderness with a dogHiking dogs on trails

Hikers with dogs are common, but some parklands don’t allow dogs on established trails. If you are thru-hiking the AT, for example, you are not supposed to bring your pet when you hike through Smoky Mountains National Park. It is wise to check beforehand and make proper arrangements.

Dogs on an extended hike with their master usually carry their own food and supplies. The dog in the picture on the left carries her own collapsible bowl, food, and a mat. The dog in the other picture, Danny, loves to run through brooks and streams, so he is equipped with a waterproof food bag.

On rocky terrain, claws and paws can get beat up pretty bad. To avoid this, on the rugged John Muir Trail, I saw dogs with “paw boots,” little leather booties velcroed around their paws. You can buy them at hiking stores.

Dogs give warnings of other animals and possible problems. Most of all, they are great company for a lone hiker. Who else would listen to your sermonizing?

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Shelter or Tent?

June 4, 2013
The Tricorner Knob Shelter, just below the sum...

The Tricorner Knob Shelter, just below the summit of Tricorner Knob (el. 6,120 feet/1,865 meters) in the Great Smoky Mountains. The shelter is one of the most remote structures in the state of Tennessee, being a 9 mile hike from the nearest parking lot. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

hantavirus

Appalachian Trail shelters and tents

In January 2012, I posted about whether it’s better to shelter or tent. I’ve reproduced the discussion below. But now there may be a big disadvantage to sleeping in a shelter versus choosing a tent. Hantavirus! This nasty affliction is spread by rodents, especially mice. Mice habituate shelters, and hikers tolerate them.

In the picture above, hikers can hang their food, but they are lying ducks for mice scurrying around during the night. Hantavirus is a severe illness. 
http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Case-of-hantavirus-in-Adirondacks-confirmed-3973769.php

Most hiking trails don’t provide shelters. The Appalachian Trail and The Long Trail (Vermont) have many shelters.Hiking and tenting on long-distance trails

They are convenient, but a tent, especially for sleeping, has advantages.

Privacy - You aren’t a stuffed sardine when it gets crowded.

Warmth - A tent with a rainfly is warmer than an open shelter.

Better Sleep - You are not poked, or kicked, or outsnored.

No Mice - Those critters can drive you nuts!

So why choose a shelter to sleep in?

Convenience – Less hassle. No need to unpack and set up a tent; no need to dismantle and re-pack the tent in the morning, possibly in the rain.

Clothesline - Many shelters have them already. Easy to rig up, or simply hang garments from nails and hooks provided. Clothes are protected from outside weather.

Ease – Can sit and lean against a wall to read, journal, contemplate (I’m sore, I’m tired, I wish I had a pizza and beer.)

Camaraderie!

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In Memory of Stephen Longley

May 28, 2013
English: Squirrel Point Lighthouse, Kennebec R...

English: Squirrel Point Lighthouse, Kennebec River, Maine USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Stephen Longley

For over twenty years, Steve Longley ferried hikers across Maine’s Kennebec River in his canoe. He probably met 20,000 A.T. hikers–most of them thru-hikers. He died this past March.

Steve accepted the job from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) after a female thru-hiker drowned while attempting to ford the Kennebec in 1986. Although others sometimes relieved him, Steve was usually the one who paddled hikers across the river.

The Kennebec can be a dangerous river, especially when a dam is sometimes opened upstream. The river swells quickly in that case, and old-timers will tell you of hikers who really had to scramble to make it across before being carried downstream. Click on Steve’s name at the beginning of this post and you can read the full story of Steve and his commitment to all hikers.

Thank you, Steve, for your devotion in protecting all of us.

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Hiking Tip–How to avoid blisters

May 21, 2013
Pacific Crest Trail logo

Pacific Crest Trail logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Blister on foot three days after trea...

English: Blister on foot three days after treatment with tincture of benzoin. It does not and never did hurt (with a bandage, this person walked miles (0 km) that day). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hiking without blisters

Most long-distance hikers, at some point, will get blisters on their feet. The usual precautions are: break in new footwear, start slowly and build up to bigger mileage, wear a liner sock, or don’t wear a liner sock, keep band-aids and bandages handy. All well and good; do whatever works. But if you really want to head off blister problems, practice the tip below.

Tip: Air out your feet. Yep, that’s the best advice I was ever given on avoiding blisters, and I learned it at a seminar in New Hampshire that prepared AT thru-hikers. The advice has served me well. In the photo above, I’m at Kearsarge Pass in the Sierras on the Pacific Crest Trail. My boots and socks are airing out; my feet are absorbing air and sunlight. After break, I will put what was my left sock on my right foot and reverse the process during my next break. I will also wear my socks inside out after the first break and reverse this several times a day.

This may seem like overkill, but I’ve never gotten a raw blister on my feet. Bacteria thrive in moist, stinky, air-deprived spots. And these are the spots that chafe and turn into blisters. The trick is to air out your feet, and keep your socks dry. I probably carry too many socks, but I change out of wet socks, hang the wet ones on my pack straps, and put on new socks. Like you, I hate blisters.

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Hiking-Shelter Logs

May 14, 2013
The Tricorner Knob Shelter, just below the sum...

Image via Wikipedia

English: The Mollies Ridge Shelter in the west...

English: The Mollies Ridge Shelter in the western Great Smoky Mountains National Park of the southeastern United States. This shelter is situated along the Appalachian Trail at 4,570 ft/1,390m, just below the summit of Devils Tater Patch. Mollies Ridge is the third-most remote shelter in the park (behind Pecks Corner and Tricorner Knob), requiring an 8.4-mile hike from Cades Cove or a 10-mile hike from Fontana. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Logs or Registers placed in trail shelters are notebooks in which hikers leave messages or document their day. Ideally, if a hiker is missing and loved ones have no idea what happened to the hiker, the authorities would be able to find out where he/she was last and learn other information from the shelter log.

But shelter logs are mostly used by hikers to leave messages for friends behind them, or to describe their feelings, or to tell about their progress.

I just found out that one industrious Appalachian Trail hiker, Tim Messerich, took on the task of scanning shelter logs of the thru-hike season. He has scanned logs from 1984 through 2009. And he’s still at it! This is a huge undertaking, and I thank him for making this trip down memory lane available to any and all.

Looking through these registers brought back memories of my ’03 thru-hike. As I read what I wrote back then, the feelings of adventure and camaraderie came back as well as the memories of being wet, cold, tired, and hungry. I read the entries of my friends and of other hikers I didn’t know. Many of the comments and phrases were universal, “Can’t wait to get in town;” “I never liked walking in the rain, and now I do it every day;” “Are we there yet?”

Some of the hikers were artistic and drew clever pictures. A few creatively signed their trail names, like “Two Paws” who drew two bear tracks above his signature. Now and then you read a poem, or lines from a song. Early on, my entries ended with “So far, so good.” Occasionally I would leave (what I thought were) words of wisdom. Although I didn’t see it, I remember once signing off with, “I don’t know any strangers, only friends I haven’t yet met.” That’s the way it was.

If you want a good feel for hikers on a thru-hike, check out these logs. (They will take a minute or so to load.)

a.t.shelter

Appalachian Trail Shelter

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Trail Angels and Trail Magic

May 7, 2013
Trail Magic on the Pacific Crest Trail

Water Cache–Pacific Crest Trail

Hats off to all Trail Angels and to any other good souls who make Trail Magic.

As defined by Michele Ray in her book, How to Hike the A.T., a trail angel is a person who does kind things for hikers, such as offering them shelter, food, or water. Trail magic is comprised of the serendipitous, silent acts of kindness performed by trail angels.

Trail angels while thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail

Trail Angels–Appalachian Trail

Trail Magic can be an exhilarating experience. Imagine yourself tired, cranky, and beat up from the trail. Most of all you are thirsty. You’re low on water and what water you have is warm. All of a sudden, you see a piece of cardboard fastened to a tree. ICE COLD DRINKS STRAIGHT AHEAD ON RIGHT! it says. Really? Can this be true? Sure enough, there’s a cooler stashed beneath a pine just off the trail. You swing up the lid and packed in ice are Mountain Dews, Cokes, Gatorades—bottled ice water!

Yes, there are such grand and considerate people in our land. On the Pacific Crest Trail, trail angels regularly stock caches of bottled water in gallons along the desert boundary. These people are so dependable that their water caches are listed in the trail guides. They may be volunteers from hiking clubs, who take turns, but whoever you are, please know that we hikers appreciate it.

At an Appalachian Trail junction near the town of Andover, Maine, an old man sat on a stump with a basket of fruit beside him. An apple never tasted so good. This trail angel told me he came to the same spot several times a week during thru-hiker season. He had peaches, pears, and plums, besides apples.

Talk about trail angels. The picnic photo is from the top of Beauty Spot, a bald in North Carolina, right on the A.T. The three ladies on the left are trail angels. They drove a van, piled with food, to the top and shared with thru-hikers all day. The occasion? Easter Sunday, 2003! Need I say more.

What trail angel or trail magic experience can you share?

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The A.T. and Civil War Buffs

April 30, 2013
A.T. Thru-hike civil war

Heading north on the Appalachian Trail

For those of you gearing up for a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, or if you are hiking it now, you may want to re-familiarize yourself with the American Civil War. And for all Civil War buffs out there, you may want to consider hiking parts of the A.T.

For starters, Harpers Ferry is the Appalachian Trail Headquarters, and Harpers Ferry was of strategic importance during the Civil War. John Brown’s raid occurred there. Thru-hikers passing through Harpers Ferry normally take extra time to tour the first-class civil war museums in town. I stayed an extra day to see everything and learned a lot about my country.

As you hike through Virginia into West Virginia and Maryland, you walk by Civil War battlefields and, from time-to-time, come upon markers, signs, and story boards. The larger pictures you see here, I took on my A.T. thru-hike in ’03. Note how the A.T., with blaze, is next to one of the story boards. I took the picture standing on the trail! The smaller picture is of Harpers Ferry as seen from the Maryland side of the Potomac river.

I’m not well versed in this war and had only a layman’s interest, so I didn’t take that many pictures; I could have taken many more as I trekked north. The only picture here that’s off-trail is Stonewall Jackson’s Hdqs., which I discovered in town.

I remember having some solemn feelings as I hiked through battle areas and toured Harpers Ferry. I drove back with my wife a couple of years ago to see the area again. If you thru-hike the A.T., plan to stay an extra day or two in Harpers Ferry.

Harper's Ferry seen from Maryland side of Poto...

Image via Wikipedia

hiking and the Civil War

History on the A.T.

the a.t. and the civil war

Near the Appalachian Trail

A.T. and civil war

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The Ultimate Hiking Tragedy

April 23, 2013
Map of Appalachian Trail

Appalachian Trail–Image via Wikipedia

The Pocosin cabin along the trail in Shenandoa...

The Pocosin cabin along the trail in Shenandoah National Park (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Two years ago, I wrote the post Stay Alert. Be Smart.  Hoping not to be controversial, I need to expand on this.

Fact: Since 1974, there have been nine documented murders on the Appalachian Trail. That’s just the A.T. And I haven’t researched hiking or camping murders off-trail.

Here is one account that details an A.T. murder, in this case two women slain in Virginia in 1996. The A.T. also averages one rape every three years.

With over three million hikers visiting various sections of the Appalachian Trail per year, the A.T. is relatively safe. But you need to stay alert and act smart. Hike with friends, and if something doesn’t feel right at a campsite, move on. Many of the attacks took place at or near shelters. I don’t think it is wise to overnight in a shelter alone; wait for other hikers to show up.

In some of these documented cases, attacks were made on two people hiking together and both were murdered. I can’t find an incident where three or more hikers were attacked. So, hike with friends. In the wilds, there is safety in numbers.

Appalachian Trail shelter

A.T. Shelter

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Hammocks for Hiking

April 16, 2013
Hiking with a hammock

Hammock on the Appalachian Trail

Union Web Hammock (c. 1881)

Union Web Hammock (c. 1881) (Photo credit: f2point8)

I’ve never overnighted in a hammock, but some of my hiking friends swear by them. Once you try it, they say you will become a convert. Most often used in fair weather, hammocks are becoming more popular. Hikers using them bring up some good points:

1) You sleep or rest off the ground, which may be soaked, damp, and cold.

2) You are away from creepers and crawlies.

3) Animals will get into tents, not hammocks.

4) A more comfortable and better way to sleep  I emphasize this last point because it’s what I hear most often from hammock lovers. They claim it is a better way to experience deep sleep on any hike.

What about if it rains? Got ya covered. Take a look at this hammock, which sports a tarp and mosquito netting. I like the idea of keeping gnats and mosquitos out, but letting air in, all under a protective rain-fly. Here’s another model designed for tall people. Seems like you will find a hammock for even the fussy among us.

This website, Hammock Forums, surprised me. It is the first and last word on hammocks. One article details how hammocks are used in winter conditions! I won’t be testing one anytime soon, but I’d be interested in hearing from anyone who uses a hammock regularly on an extended hike.

Hiking the A.T.

Hammock in Sunrise on the Appalachian Trail

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