A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

appalachian trail

Book Review: Sheltered

(Note: I am in two challenges this month, so this is running a little earlier than I normally would publish a post. My 30 minus 2 Challenge post will be published early in the afternoon.) 

In 2011, I did a series of stories about people who had hiked the Appalachian Trail. It truly is amazing to hear people speak about their experiences.

One of the people I wrote about was Emily Harper, a Pennsylvania teenager hiking more than 2,100 miles on her own. It’s pretty amazing to hear about something like this. Late in 2012, she e-mailed me and let me know she wrote a book about her experiences and was curious if I wanted to read and review it.

Of course!

Sheltered

She sent me two copies — one for me to read and review and the other to give away. So if you’re interested in winning this autographed book, see the bottom of this post for the details.

With all that in mind, this is an honest review of the book, which takes you along the Appalachian Trail through her eyes. Her details are quite strong, he writing is conversational and, the one thing I truly loved, she didn’t hold anything back. It’s a colorful tale of her time along the trail, off the trail, her experiences and the people she met and hiked with.

It’s not perfect by any means. It’s a self-published book and it has some errors throughout. I’ll touch more on those later. While it’s true that I probably gave a little leeway here because of what she accomplished at her age, I’m still a writer and reader first — and I had to put myself in each of those shoes throughout. The price seems a little on the high side at $15.50 for paperback (on Amazon) and $5.99 for the Kindle version (on Amazon). If you are an Amazon Prime member, you an borrow the Kindle version for free, which is a good thing.

Still, as somebody who claims he will eventually write a book or three, I know the dedication and time needed and understand what she went through. But there are a lot of basic things in the book that made me cringe a little, which sometimes makes it hard to continue, no matter how good the stories are.

In the end, I’m glad I got the chance to read it, especially knowing I had written about her before. This is probably a good read for younger women thinking about tackling this hike by themselves as Harper is really straight forward with things and shows you what it’s like for a woman on the trail.  Now, I’ll get a little more in-depth on my likes and dislikes.

The Good

There’s something to be said about not holding back any punches. Harper definitely doesn’t and that’s refreshing.

She’s candid about people she hiked with and met. She offers up her attitude on different things. She flaunts that hiking as a female can often be way better than being a guy. And she also shows a softer side in situations.

I liked that.

Many hiking books I’ve read don’t show that. They show you the eyes of the hike, introduce you to some people and make it sound pretty good. There’s no doubt that Harper’s hike wasn’t perfect. In fact, if you read the book, there might be times where you’ll say something out loud, wondering what she was thinking. Or that you didn’t like how she acted. I know I did. But I liked that. Because she didn’t paint herself as an angel. She also didn’t paint anyone else as being perfect.

Harper had some interesting hiking partners. From the ones she started off with and eventually was left behind by, to the ones she truly seemed to care about and wonder about what happened with them. She paints a picture in the reader’s mind of these people. She lets you develop your own thoughts. I like that.

The other thing I did like is this book is more like a journal. And, as somebody who read her online trail journal during her hike, it was nice to see that style in her book.

It’s personal, but can be impersonal at times. It’s written in a style that isn’t literary. Many people may not like this style. I don’t mind it with this book. It has to have a certain flavor for me to enjoy a style like this and I can dig it here. It’s almost like she handed me an old leather-bound book, handwritten for her long journey.

That, however, tends to lead into something that isn’t liked by most…

The Bad

Spelling. Grammar.

If one is to expect people to spend money on a book, the author needs to do everything in his or her power to make sure the book is clean in regard to spelling and grammar. I respect the self-publishing route. I’m not snobby like some who think self-publishing is a bad thing. In the modern day, some people need to go that route to get books published. And I’ve found many, many books I’ve truly enjoyed through authors who took that route.

That doesn’t, however, excuse one from doing everything in his or her power to make sure things are right.

There were a lot of mistakes in this book. I had started writing them down and finally stopped after a while. It was frustrating at times. Though I got through the book relatively quickly, there were moments I had to put the book down because I couldn’t accept the issues. I always went back, though, as the story was good.

The major errors includes punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.

A few examples including misspelling of things such as Willy Wonka, which was spelled Wanka. Or not capitalizing “Subway.” There were places where words needed hyphens, or needed to follow the right tense — one spot said “… but made my arms ached.” There was a chapter, too, where she spoke about some hiking friends and spelled the name of one person two ways.

Some people might be able to overlook issues like this, but I couldn’t. It was hard at times. A few things like this is one thing, but having it littered throughout makes one wonder if it was ever proofed or edited. If not, it could use a good edit and then maybe put out “a second edition” to update things a bit. Having two or three people — ones who aren’t afraid to tell the truth — edit a book before hitting the publish button can be worth their weight in gold.

I also would have liked a little more explanation at times, such as telling the reader what “root ball” is, besides it being a game some hikers played during their time on the trail.

Rating

Taking everything into account, I’m not going to lie that this was an extremely hard book to rate. There were so many good things, but then the issues with grammar and spelling really took the wind out of my sails.

I just didn’t know.

The reality is, I’d probably split this one down the middle. In other words, I’d give it a 2.5 or so. But that’s not based on the content. So, with that in mind, I’d bump it to a 3 out of 5 and would be more than willing to go a bit higher if a second edition came out with a bunch of edits. The 3 is worth is on content and style alone. But I couldn’t go more with knowing the issues with common things, some of which probably could have been avoided with a slow spell/grammar check in Word.

Artwork (For The Artful Readers Club)

This book is also one I’m reading for The Artful Readers Club. In this club, we read one book per month and also have to so some sort of a piece of art to go with it. For the second straight month, I went with an advertisement. I wanted to use a hiking shelter, but I couldn’t find any in my archived. I thought I had some. Instead, I just went with a trail photo.

For the Artful Readers Club.

Book Giveaway

I have a signed edition of this book that I’ll be giving away. So for the next two weeks, I’ll accept entries. Just drop a comment down below and you’re automatically entered in the drawing. Note that the book will be shipped via media mail to the winner.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Hiking away with a book (contest winner!)

With the hiking series of stories in the books, it’s time for the winner of the contest.

Though I had hoped to get many entries for this signed book of Skywalker’s trip on the Appalachian, only three people entered. Two tweeted the contest, too, so that’s five entries. Add two more who gave a Facebook page like (thanks, you two!) and we have a total of seven entries.

That’s disappointing.

Still, for those three people, the odds got that much better to win this book. First, if you haven’t read the book, it’s a fantastic story of — as Skywalker told me through Twitter — on what not to do on the Appalachian Trail. He makes fun of himself and tells about the trip in a humorous and colorful way.

I highly recommend the book to those of you who either didn’t win this contest or are just reading about it now.

Anyway, with so few entries, it didn’t take me to pop the four into Random.org’s randomizer to get a winner.

And the winner is…

Lauren!

Congrats, Lauren. Contact me with your address and I’ll get the book out to you sometime next week!

The winner via random.org.

The hiking series

I hope people enjoyed the hiking series. Though I would have liked to have had a few other hikers (I contacted several, but didn’t hear back from all of them), I am happy with how the series worked out.

There were some really cool stories and I liked getting back into that style of writing. I hope to do a few more things like this with the blog down the line. I have some ideas I’m working on, so we’ll see how it goes.

The links below are for all of the stories in the series. Go check ’em out if you haven’t already!

Series Schedule:

The future of contests at A ‘lil HooHaa

I’m not sure if I’ll be running contests much anymore. Though I like the idea, it hasn’t done what the hope is — drive some traffic to the blog so people read it. Even through social media “advertising,” I don’t get many extra hits. And many who enter the contest only enter and move on. Even though tweeting it (if one has a Twitter account) is a quick and easy way to get a second entry. Same with liking the page on Facebook.

I’ll reconsider as I go on, but it doesn’t seem like the contests do too well, so I’m going to save myself the shipping costs (most things I’ve given away, I already have or have been donated).  If I do another series or two of stories and somebody gives me something to give away, I’ll try again. But for now, I’m not going to have any standalone contests anymore. Which, to be honest, is too bad because I had some cool things (things I have gathered personally over the last year or two like t-shirts, geocoins etc.) that I was going to give away. I’ll re-visit it down the line, but for now it doesn’t seem like a feature I’ll keep doing.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

On the trail with Skywalker

Skywalker and fellow hiker going down Forrester's Pass on the PCT. (photo courtesy of Bill Walker)

Hiking long distances is hard enough.

Going through the ups and downs of a trail, fighting through weather, people and anything else that might step in your way.

There’s making sure you carry enough food to make up for all the calories you burn and hauling enough water to get you from water source to water source.

That’s for your average person.

Now, imagine what it’s like if you were nearly seven feet tall. Welcome to Bill Walker’s world.

Hiking with the trail name of Skywalker — which makes sense being that Walker hovers above most other hikers — Walker has done some major thru-hikes, including the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. That’s two-thirds of the Triple Crown in the United States, with the third part being the Continental Divide Trail.

Walker (left) on a cool morning in the Sierras on the PCT. (Photo courtesy Bill Walker)

However, for the 50-year-old Walker, who currently lives in North Carolina, the CDT and he are not a match. The problem, Walker said, is right now, there is a lot of it that is not actual trail. With the CDT still developing, some data books and guides telling you how to get to where you need to be and some of it can be finding other trails.

“As a hiker of modest ability, I like having an actual trail to follow,” he said. “It is my best friend on lonely days.”

An author of two books on his adventures on the AT and the PCT, Walker said he enjoys meeting people along the way.

“I revel in meeting a glorious cast of humanity along the way,” he said. “But on the CDT, a hiker meets very few people. A lot of times it is groups that go out together and stick together. My hat is off to those who attempt it; I may yet some day. I hear it’s gorgeous, but could it possibly be any more gorgeous than the PCT?”

In 2005, Walker took his first long-distance hike, traversing the Appalachian Trail. A few years later, he did the Pacific Crest Trail. In recent years, including this past summer, he’s hiked the El Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile jaunt in Spain. Both times have taken him 34 days to complete the hike.

But the biggest hikes he’s taken are the AT and the PCT. Each has its own merits, he said, and he wouldn’t choose which was better than the other.

“It would be like asking a parent who they like best between two kids,” he said. “You can never make a choice.”

A walker for much of his life, Walker said hiking almost comes natural. And when hiking, the hustle and bustle of the world isn’t as noticed.

“Life is much more simpler (on the trail),” he said.

For the earlier part of his adult life, Walker worked as a trader in Chicago. You know the type — the crazy, loud and boisterous fellows on Wall Street. That was Walker.

Through it all, Walker was a, well, walker.

“I had a long history as a street walker,” the 6-foot-11 Walker said. “I walked all over. Over those years, I walked miles and miles and miles. Days I didn’t do it, I was depressed.”

So, after life’s path took him to London and other places, Walker went to make things simpler in his life.

He read Bill Bryson’s book, A Walk in the Woods (or on Kindle), about the Appalachian Trail and that helped pique his interest in the trail.

“Walking, especially in the woods, is a good thing to do,” he said. “It’s a win-win. … My job was replaced by a computer. That was over with.”

For a bit, he taught English as a second language in Latin America.

Bryson’s book opened a whole new world. It showed him this community — this hiking lifestyle — where people walked long distances. With the Appalachian Trail, it was from Georgia to Maine.

A trail in the high desert on the PCT. (photo courtesy Bill Walker)

“It sounded cool to me,” Walker said. “What a great way to travel.”

As a middle-aged male (he turned 45 while he was on the trail), it seemed like an interesting and fulfilling thing to do.

“The thing about the Appalachian Trail is it allows an average person go do something that is somewhat extraordinary,” he said. “That, to me, is one of the great things about the trail.”

After training and taking a class on hiking the AT, Walker was soon pushing ahead with this trip. He was advised to pick his own name (and he notes that after seeing some of the names people got while on the trail, he’s glad he did), and said his name was quite logical.

“The height drew a lot of attention,” he said. “The reaction was predictable.”

How predictable?

Everyone thought because Walker was 6-11, this trail would be nothing. Long strides must equal a quicker hike, no?

If only it was that simple. Walker notes that many of the best hikers are shorter.

The main reason is that though he’s 6-11, that means he burns more calories when he hikes. That also means he needs to eat more to keep those calories up. The problem is, he couldn’t keep up. So he lost a lot of weight.

“You become stronger, but you require more food because you burn more calories,” he said. “The longer step requires 50 or 60 percent more calories.”

As the hike went on, it took its toll. In the first 10 states, he said he was in amazing shape and passed people often. Once he hit New England and the final four states, that changed.

The hike on the AT was worth it, however, in every aspect. And it’s a tremendous challenge, he said.

“It really focuses your mind and brings the best out of you,” he said.

Along the way, he met a colorful cast of characters. He shows them well in both of his books and he said this was some of the best parts of the hike.

“You’re not meeting couch potatoes out there,” he said. “You’re meeting colorful people with stories to tell. When you are out there thru-hiking, you feel like you know them. It’s authentic and real bonding.”

Traveling can be done faster by car, plane or train. But talk to someone who just hiked 20 miles in a day and it’s different, he said. There’s a sense of accomplishment. That feeling flows over through the hiking community.

Through all this, however, it makes you see the world a bit different and once the hike is over, sometimes it’s tough to go back to a 9-to-5 job.

“You have trouble conforming,” Walker said. “Some people choose not to go back to the corporate world. You really realize you can get along with a lot less. It makes me more secure.”

The three major hikes he has done are all different.

With the AT, there’s a lot of staying in shelters and more people to see. The PCT doesn’t have shelters, so there’s a lot more tenting and sometimes you don’t see people for a while. On the Camino de Santiago, people mainly sleep inside in places that resemble hostels. On that hike, people do 15 miles per day, carry less weight and are not really in any danger.

Walker first did the Camino de Santiago in 2010 and said he liked it so much, he went back this year.

“It’s the Appalachian Trail of Europe,” he said. “It is, in many ways, the perfect way to travel.”

That trail, he said, is a good one for hikers. It’s an older crowd for the most part and you follow a set trail. It’s not as difficult as the AT or the PCT. The terrain isn’t as difficult as the two American trails, but there are some climbs.

“It’s a great way to see Spain,” he said.

His books have gotten good reviews, for the most part, on places such as Amazon and Good Reads. The books have a humor approach and he makes fun of himself more than anyone else. It’s basically, as he says, a guide of what not to do on the AT or PCT.

Still, his descriptions of the people he met and of the situations some of them were in are well-done and tasteful. However, not everyone is in a positive light. After all, not everyone on the trail is going to be the perfect person.

“People have strong opinions about what is written about them,” Walker said. “Most portraits were positive. But humans are humans. Some people have strong reactions because they are reading about themselves. … I certainly can justify it. The person I made most fun of is me.

He said he’s had some people get upset and not want to talk to him anymore. But, he said, everything he’s written is true.

“It doesn’t mean they are a bad person,” he continued. “Humans will be humans. It’s not the Saints will be marching on.”

Advice for future hikers

So you want to hike the AT, the PCT or some other long-distance trail?

As someone who started as a novice, Walker said there are several things people should consider and work on before making a serious hike.

The first is that you really have to want to do it. You have to want to be out there.

“You should never try and convince someone to do it,” he said. “You are going to have contours and go into funks. If you don’t want to be out there, you’ll rationalize quitting.”

There’s a difference between that and a person who says they want to be out there but aren’t capable of it.

“That’s where I was in 2005,” he said. “That person has a lot to gain. Someone like me. New to the whole thing, but determined.”

Some things to keep in mind include:

  • Keeping pack weight down. “What do you need with you? Keep that weight down. Anything you can save weight on is advantageous.”
  • Get the right equipment — learn it and know it and how to use it. “The AT is easier to prepare for than the PCT. Equipment becomes important in bad weather.
  • Get in shape. “I was in the best shape of my life,” Walker said. “I trained in the gym all winter. I needed to get my weight up. The level of enjoyment is somewhat linear to your physical shape.”

Walker said he doesn’t anticipate stopping his hiking. It’s become part of who he is. Keep an eye out for him on the trails — if he’s on the same trail as you he likely won’t be hard to find.

More about Bill Walker:

Series Schedule:

***

Reminder! Contest going on! I am holding a contest this week for an autographed copy of Bill Walker’s book “Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail”. It runs from October16- to 12:01 a.m. Oct. 28. You can see all the details on the contest page. Enter for your chance to win!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

On the Appalachian Trail with Ghost

"Ghost" at the completion of his thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. (photo courtesy of Tyler Bedick)

One major hike down, two to go for West Virginia resident Tyler Bedick.

The triple crown of United States hiking is when someone hikes the tree major long-distance trails in the country — the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail.

Bedick, a 23-year-old chemist at Mylan Pharmaceuticals, conquered the Appalachian Trail this year, covering the 2,180-plus mile trail in 139 days, so about 4 1/2 months. He said he plans to eventually hike the other two to complete the triple crown.

He also seemed to personify the hiker’s edict in hiking his own hike.

In fact, that’s how he gained his trail name “Ghost.”

Bedick said when he was early in North Carolina, the name was given to him because of how he hiked.

“It was because I hiked quickly and also quietly and would often accidentally sneak up on slower hikers and scare them when asking to pass,” he said.

Hitting the trail

Bedick’s interest in the Appalachian Trail seems to have grown from backpacking experience he had during his time in the Boy Scouts. From there, he said, he began planning his own trips with friends.

Walking down the trail. (Photo courtesy Tyler Bedick)

Another inspiration came from reading Bill Bryson’s book, “A Walk in the Woods.” That, Bedick said, could have spurred the idea of hiking the AT.

“The concept of being in the woods and covering such a long distance on foot really appealed to me,” he said.

Alas, he didn’t have a lot of long-distance hiking experience.

He said the longest hiking trips he had taken were 7-10 days. Some of his trips included New Mexico, the Great Smoky Mountains and the Laurel Highlands Trail, a 70-mile jaunt in Pennsylvania.

With the interest for the bigger hikes, Bedick set out for the Appalachian Trail.

“Feeling confident in your backcountry skills and also being generally physically fit prepared me for it well,” he said. “I saw lots of people out the first week who had no idea what they were getting themselves into. Because of my experience from scouting and my trips when I was younger, I feel that I was probably more prepared than a significant number of the starters.”

The trail isn’t all cakes and candy, however. There are good things and bad things about thru-hiking, Bedick said.

On the positive side, one gets to meet some amazing people. Also, he noted, it’s a good time to think about your life, gain a better sense of self-sufficiency and see some incredible things in nature. The negatives include being away from family and friends for a long time.

He also said it can be mentally and physically draining, especially toward the end.

The Appalachian Trail Experience

Bedick’s average day was quite simple, he said.

“Wake up, eat, walk, eat, walk and stop at a shelter or wherever when its nearing dark,” he said. “Eat and go to bed. Repeat the next day.

“It can become extremely monotonous for some people,” he continued. “Others enjoy the ‘job’ of walking the trail.”

The views on the Appalachian Trail can be amazing. (Photo courtesy Tyler Bedick)

As with the trail — there are highs and lows.

One of the best moments Bedick had was hiking through the White Mountains in New Hampshire. He said it was a great trail with amazing views.

“The experience of doing work for stay at the huts was fantastic as well,” Bedick said. “The Whites were extremely challenging, but also very, very rewarding.”

As for lows?

“I cant think of any particularly horrible moments, but I found myself extremely exhausted and worn out by the time I made it to Maine,” he said. “The deer flies and horse flies were horrendous and the lack of trail maintenance was very draining.”

But as great as the White Mountains were, he said he’d love to be able to re-do that section.

“I would re-do the White Mountains because when I passed through there I had broken my camera and couldn’t take any photos,” he said. “My photos from the trail were great but I missed so many fantastic photo opportunities there.”

There were also fun times, of course. Being out in the woods for that long has to work up your sense of humor. And though some of the things were a “you had to be there” sort of moment, Bedick had his share of laughs, he said.

He was hiking in Maine with a guy with the trail name “Teddy,” as in “Teddy Bear.” The two were both mentally and physically drained.

“I think just from having hiked more than 2,000 miles for four months straight, we were possibly getting a little delusional,” he said.

As mentioned before, Bedick said the deer flies were awful and two or three were circling both of their heads for about six hours straight. That, of course, was making the duo go a bit nutty.

So where did the conversation turn? About the black flies, of course.

At this point, being a bit delusional as Bedick noted, the two started figuring the flies were their personal trainers to motivate them to continue walking and then about how they don’t have the money to afford three trainers at once.

“We were adding our own ‘insults’ that the flies were yelling at us,” he said. “We were basically trail crazy at this point and were laughing hysterically.”

Looking back

As Bedick remembers his jaunt from Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine, he said he was happy with the way he hiked.

Ghost reaches the Tennessee/Virginia border. (Photo courtesy Tyler Bedick)

“I really feel happy with the pace that I hiked and the stops that I made along the way,” he said. “I am happy with the locations I chose to pass and the locations I stopped at. I also hiked with several groups, off and on, and am happy with the friendships I made along the way.”

The look back also helped unfold the best day on the trail. He said it was either going over Mount Washington and the Presidential Range in the White Mountains on an amazingly beautiful day. Or, he said, in Virginia when he went over Dragon’s Tooth, McAffee Knob and Tinker Cliffs.

He also learned a bit about himself on this journey.

“The main thing I learned was that I don’t have to settle in to the ‘conventional’ lifestyle in whatever order,” he said.

Instead, he stopped grad school and got a decent paying job with plans to save up for future adventures such as the PCT and CDT.

“I also hope to climb some significant mountains in the future,” he said, adding that Mount Denali and some other West Coast mountains are on his radar.

As to the future hikers of the Appalachian Trail?

“Hike the trail how you want to hike it,” Bedick said. “Do not cater the way you hike it to anyone else. I saw so many people out there hiking the trail in different ways and so many ways would work. Hike whatever way works for you.”

Tidbits

Here are some quick-hitting tidbits from Nadeau’s thru-hike.

  • How many pair of shoes did you go through? He started with a pair of Salomon Quest 4D GTX boots and used those until Pearisburg, Va.; He then switched to Lafuma Trail Runners until New York and there he got a pair of Solomon trail runners, which lasted until Gorham, NH. He then switched back to his boots until the end. So one pair of boots and two trail runners.
  • What happened in days following the hike? He ate at some of his favorite food places, reunited with friends, visited some bars and found a job.
  • Best trail town? Hanover, NH. “It really felt like a clean town and there were some amazing amenities there,” he said. “Two solid outfitters; a senior center, which had an amazing shower and great laundry services for pretty cheap; lots of good places to eat and good coffee places as well. I also got to relax and watch a movie. Camping was allowed on the outskirts of the town near a soccer field for free.”
  • Worst trail town? Bland, Va., and Glasgow, Va. “I’m not sure that either of them are ‘true’ trail towns,” he said. “Bland, in particular, offered a hiker shuttle into town to resupply at a gas station that was touted as a grocery store.” The price of the shuttle? $15.
  • Would he do the Appalachian Trail again? “It’s unlikely,” he said. “I think I would only do it again if I were to hike it with a girlfriend, or wife. Or with my kids, assuming I have any.”

Series Schedule:

***

Reminder! Contest going on! I am holding a contest this week for an autographed copy of Bill Walker’s book “Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail”. It runs from October16- to 12:01 a.m. Oct. 28. You can see all the details on the contest page. Enter for your chance to win!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

On the Appalachian Trail with Blue

Chris Nadeau (Blue) at an AT blaze painted in the road. (Photo courtesy of Chris Nadeau)

The reality of the Appalachian Trail is that not everyone who attempts to thru-hike it will finish it.

In fact, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, 75 percent of the people who have tried to hike the trail have not finished. That’s a lot of people not finishing.

But, the trail isn’t easy. It covers 2,180 or so miles from Georgia to Maine. The AT climbs over rough terrain, high mountains, dense woods and narrow ledges. It’s not always for the faint of heart.

People will plan this hike for years and still not finish. Even with all the time and money vested in planning for this hike, not everyone will complete the jaunt, which could take six months or longer.

All in nature.

The goal, of course, is to finish the hike. And it would be hard to think that anyone starting out in March in Georgia would have different thoughts.

Chris Nadeau certainly did not when he began his hike earlier this year.

Alas, four states and 815 miles into the hike, Nadeau called it quits in one of the toughest decisions he said he’s ever had to make.

Tough reality

“I decided to end my hike about two weeks before I actually did,” said Nadeau, a 22-year-old business management major at East Tennessee State University.

The Portland, Maine native, who moved to Ashville, North Carolina in 2003, said he and his friend Laura has been close for about five years. And as things seemed destined to turn into a relationship, he was preparing to leave for the hike, a move he notes probably wasn’t the best for at that point.

“Leaving in March with such an important relationship on my mind was not smart,” he said. “Along with that, I wanted to finish school. In the back of my head, I knew I had one more year to go, and I wanted to be done. I spent Memorial Day Weekend with Laura at Lake Keowee in South Carolina, after being picked up. It was then I decided I would stop this hike and do a complete thru hike when I was more firm with other things in life.”

Nadeau (far right) and others at Springer Mountain, Ga., at the start of the hike. (Photo courtesy of Chris Nadeau)

That move was probably the best for Nadeau as having thoughts, worries or doubts about other things wouldn’t be a good way to hike a massive trail, such as the Appalachian Trail.

Still, when you are doing something you’ve wanted to do, it’s not easy to back away as evidenced by the two weeks it took him to actually get off the trail.

“That was the hardest decision in my life to date,” he said. “I’ve never been faced with such a hard decision. I was deciding to stop the goal I’ve wanted to achieve for the longest time.

“I shed many tears for weeks after,” he continued. “I felt lost. I felt regret. I felt let down. … I had worked so hard for what?

As much hurt and regret Nadeau had at the time is now erased. He’s more than six months into a relationship with Laura, he’s getting excellent grades in the business program at ETSU and he’ll graduate in a year with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management.

Don’t think there aren’t moments, however.

“There are still nights I cannot sleep and feel very sad, but that is completely normal,” he said, especially knowing that many of the people he hiked with were still on the trail and several of them were scheduled to summit Mount Katahdin in Maine in early October.

Fear not — from the ashes of bad come good.

“Laura plans to hike the trail with me in 2013,” Nadeau said. “We both agree that if we can make it through the trail together, we can be together for life. With that said, we’ve been best friends for the longest time, and are still best friends today. I’ve always thought how great it would be to marry my best friend, and she is that.

“The last day I was on the trail a lady told me, ‘end you hike now before you ruin your love for hiking altogether.'” he said. “That was a very true statement and I did so without any regrets.”

Memories are still there

Despite not finishing the trail this year — something Nadeau said he will eventually do — the trail was full of memories and things happening. He made it 815 miles, which is something the majority of people in this world couldn’t claim. With those miles, he went through Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. The final state has more than 550 miles of the trail.

Nadeau at the Georgia/North Carolina border (Photo courtesy of Chris Nadeau)

“There are too many good times to list,” he said.

Even the bad times seemed to turn into the good times, Nadeau said.

The first could almost be a clip from an old 70s or 80s movie. He left Silers Bald Shelter in Swain, North Carolina at 8 a.m. with about five inches of snow on the ground. His goal was to make it to Newfound Gap some 13 miles away to meet his mother.

Knowing it was 2.7 miles to Clingmans Dome, he set out on the hike. But with nobody going before him, he was on his own. Most, he said, were going to wait for the snow to stop and get a half-day of hiking in.

But, Nadeau had a plan and he was going forth.

“After starting out, I realized it was the most dangerous move I had made yet,” he said.

He arrived at the shelter before Clingmans Dome at about 11 a.m., so it took him three hours to hike about two miles. He got lost twice. Couldn’t see the AT’s famed white blazes. Worse, his water was frozen and he was out of cigarettes.

When he got to the shelter, he was greeted by some medical students from Ohio, who gave him a cup of coffee and a smoke.

Of course they wondered what Nadeau was doing hiking in that weather.

“I simply said, ‘I want a hot shower.'”

Another hiker, Blue Stick, showed up 30 minutes later and said he would have never made it if not for Nadeau’s footprints.

Nadeau then set out for Clingmans Dome, hoping to hitch a ride from the summit. Alas, the road was closed because of the snow. Not seeing any signs and having a hard time staying on the trail, Nadeau wondered why it took so long to get to the summit.

Then he saw it. A sign with an arrow pointing to Clingmans Dome — 4.6 miles away.

“I had hiked right past the summit not even knowing it,” he said. “I was practically sliding down the trail of ice, my water was frozen solid, and I was mad to say the least.”

Six hours after leaving Silers Bald, he arrived in Newfound Gap. The road had since been opened and tourists looked at him funny. He kept getting the questions about where he had come from, what the AT and wonderment about hiking in the snow.

A teacher from the University of Kentucky gave Nadeau a lift into Gatlinburg and was dropped off at a gas station, where he promptly bough a soda and two packs of smokes. He chain-smoked five and 15 minutes later, his mother arrived to pick him up and take him to Asheville, where he rested and spent time with his girlfriend.

Nadeau said some other good times included meeting up with a lot of people at the Low Gap Shelter in Georgia for their annual St. Patrick’s Day reunion. He also had a good time at Fontana Dam Village when they walked up on a Frat Spring Formal and were invited to take part.

He said, too, his hike almost ended way before it did when his leg slid between rocks and he thought he had broke it. He hiked four miles into town, which took about seven hours. After going to the emergency room near Bland, Virginia, he was told to stay away from hiking for a week or two.

Being on the trail

First things first, Nadeau hiked under the trail name “Blue.”

He was ahead of a bunch of hikers one day and arrived at the destination, which was about 1.2 miles from civilization. So he hiked that distance with an empty pack to load up on beer. He ended up with about five cases of brew and worked his way back.

On his way back, he met a fellow playing a banjo on a footbridge. He stopped to listen to him play and chatted with — trail name — Shaw. He lived near there and made small banjos and other musical instruments. They had a beer and smoke together and Shaw said “You’re my boy, Blue.” That name stuck.

As with most things, there are positives and negatives of being on the trail.

“This depends on the person,” he said. “I believe everything that comes with hiking the AT is ‘positive’ for the most part.”

But, he said, there are days that you feel negative. Nadeau said he learned more on his 815 miles than in any classroom. You learn basic skills, but you also meet people you will stay in contact with for life.

Nadeau (far left) with a whole crew of hikers in Franklin, NC (photo courtesy of Chris Nadeau)

A fellow hiker noted to Nadeau on the first day that one will always want more. Nadeau said that is 100 percent true

The negatives are about things away from the trail, such as making sure you have bills covered, loved ones are ready for the mentality of you being away and things like that.

“Positives certainly outweigh the negatives when it comes to the AT,” he said. “What bad is to come while enjoying Mother Nature at her best?”

An average day on the trail is routine, Nadeau said. Wake up with the sun, drink some water, pack gear, some more water, eat breakfast and another liter of water.

He’d then strap on the pack and start walking. The hiking between breakfast and lunch went fast as he said he thought about everything. He said he tried to stop every 2.5 miles or so for five minutes. He always checked his guide to see where he was. Despite not having a “true” schedule, Nadeau said he knew where he wanted to be by the end of the day.

A big thing he said, was to always make sure he was drinking water and to fill up whenever he had the chance.

“I ran out twice and it isn’t a fun feeling,” he said.

One he got to his destination, he set up his tent and got things ready. he’d cook, drink more water and relax, which often included a smoke or two. Some people asked why he smoked on the trail and Nadeau said it was meditating.

At night, he would reflect on the day and drank Crystal Light mixed in with his water, which he noted tasted great after nothing by water all day. When it got dark, he went to bed and always wrote in his journal before sleeping, so he had an ongoing account of everything that happened on the trail

The future

Nadeau said he will attempt is again, in 2013. This time he won’t have 58 pounds on his back. The goal, he said, will be to have his pack at about 24 points.

“I’ll know what I am getting into, how to cook my meals, what to eat and how to make sure I sleep at night,” he said. “I know absolutely nothing about long-distance hiking last time, even though I had read numerous books about the trail.”

Nadeau (left) and others taking their first steps to the AT -- heading to the approach trail. (photo courtesy of Chris Nadeau)

And he’ll have time to prepare, too.

This time around, he walked every chance he got.

“Honestly, I don’t believe you can prepare for such a hike physically,” he said. “Your body will physically adapt to hiking every day within the first month on the trail.”

Mental preparation, he said, is the biggest part.

“Make sure you are ready to endure weeks of rain, very cold nights, and days without showers,” Nadeau said. “Get used to eating trail food, make sure you can cook your food or have a plan.”

In the beginning, it took him a long time to set up his tent. Now, he said, he could practically do it with his eyes closed. It all comes with practice. Everything eventually becomes routine on the trail.

And with 815 miles under his belt, that routine shouldn’t take too long to get rolling again in 2013.

Tidbits

Here are some quick-hitting tidbits from Nadeau’s thru-hike.

  • On why he wanted to hike the AT: After summiting Mount Katahdin on Sept. 10, 2010. “I’ve always loved the outdoors. I’ve always done a lot of car camping and so on. I had never hiked more than 60 miles before starting the AT.”
  • Going in, had he done any other long-distance hiking? “Not much.” Nadeau said he spent 10 days in the Grand Canyon with his mother when he was about age 12. They did day hikes and always returned to the same campsite. Last November, he hiked about 60 miles around Buena Vista, Virginia.
  • Plans to maybe do other long-distant hikes? Nadeau said if he won the lottery, he’d do the AT next year, the Pacific Crest Trail the following year and the Continental Divide Trail the third year, thus completing the United States Triple Crown of hiking. “I do not have the time or the money, so therefore I’ll stick to the AT for now. I have much support all over the East Coast and that is nice feeling to have especially when it is really needed.”
  • Best trail town? Hot Springs, North Carolina. “It’s the closest to my house and I had an unbelievable feeling when hiking down into town.”
  • Worst trail town? Gatlinburg, Tennessee. “I’ve been there too many times to count so it was old news for me and I had a very bad day hiking into the town,” Nadeau said. “It’s a great place, unless you don’t like tourists. It is a very tourist-friendly town and there are people all over the place.”
  • Anything he wished he did on the trail? Finished and hiked New England. Being originally from Maine, he thinks about hiking New England all the time. Too, he said sometimes he pushed too hard to get miles under his belt instead of slowing down and enjoying the surroundings more.

To read more from Nadeau, check out his Trail Journal, which he updated throughout his hike.

Below is a video that Nadeau’s brother put together using photos from the 815 miles that he hiked. It’s about 45 minutes long. Enjoy!

815 Miles on the Appalachian Trial on Vimeo.

Series schedule:

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Reminder! Contest going on! I am holding a contest this week for an autographed copy of Bill Walker’s book “Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail”. It runs from October16- to 12:01 a.m. Oct. 28. You can see all the details on the contest page. Enter for your chance to win!

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