A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

hiking series

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:

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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!

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 Amish

Amish on the Appalachian Trail. (Photo courtesy of Emily Harper)

Imagine setting out on a life-changing event basically alone. Sure you’ve made contact with a few people who are also doing the event and there are many more you’ll meet along the journey…

… but you are basically going solo.

Then add to this that you are a young female — 19 years old — and are hiking a nature trail from Georgia to Maine. You’ll be backpacking, camping, meeting all sorts of people and having to fend for yourself.

How many young females do you know who would spend a summer doing all of that? Many might be preparing for college. Working. Or doing whatever else.

Not Emily Harper.

Harper, a groundsman for a tree company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, had no thru-hiking experience. She said the goal was to lose weight.

So what the heck, let’s hike some 2,180 miles.

Harper also got the chance to live a care-free summer. She met people. Lived independently. But it wasn’t all cookies and cake for Harper, who noted the trail is long and can be quite boring.

Again, however, it wasn’t easy.

Harper took 5 1/2 months to complete the trail. She started March 5 and finished August 18.

That’s a long time to be out wandering a trail.

As for doing future long-distance hikes?

“Not anytime soon,” Harper said.

Who can blame her?

But the future of hiking for Harper, known in the hiking circles by her trail name “Amish,” isn’t something that she needs to worry about now. The reality is she did something that many people won’t ever even try, let along complete. Along the way, she met many people, had a ton of new experiences and found out all about hiking and herself.

She didn’t give in. She took the time needed to complete the hike and she finished. That alone is something to be able to be incredibly proud of. But along the way, she made memories that won’t ever leave her. And that, too, is something that makes a trip like this worthwhile.

Being female on the trail

It’s a good bet that if someone quickly thought about hiking a 2,180-plus, they would be a male. That’s because the bulk of the hiking people appear to be male.

Females are out there, too. And the number of female long-distance hikers appears to be growing. Harper is one of those female hikers. Though she started with a group of people, she eventually separated and began hiking solo.

“Hiking alone can be boring,” she said. “Solo can still be hiking with others, just not a solid commitment, which makes it more fun. People always ask ‘are you traveling alone? Isn’t that scary?’ It’s not that bad. Guys are friendly. If there’s a sketchy character, the other hikers are there to help.”

But fear not for the female hiker. Harper said it’s better to be a female on the trail.

After all, if hundreds of guys are hiking the trail and see one another for many miles. Having a female to talk to and get the different perspective is a good thing, usually.

Amish (right) with a fellow hiker. (Photo courtesy of Emily Harper)

“On the trail, it is a whole lot better to be a female,” Harper said. “People are more friendly to females.”

And how?

Well, Harper said, females are more likely to be given rides into town quicker (hitching), get food or be invited into people’s homes.

“It’s a real treat,” she said. “I’ve met guys who would have to wait hours to hitch a ride. I’d take 10 minutes. Because there are so few females on the trail, I was rare, and felt more special.”

She noted that many guys complain, however, about how females look on the trail and that the females like going into towns. Yet, she said, guys don’t seem to have a problem heading into town as well and beer and meat are two of the things they like to delve into when hitting towns. So, it would appear both males and females could have something to complain about with one another.

Hiking her hike

The original goal, she said, was to lose weight. Seems simple enough. But to hike through sometimes rugged terrain, by yourself, on a 2,180-plus mile trail?

It turns out that this trip became more than losing weight.

For starters, she learned a lot about herself.

“I get lonely and very attached to people,” Harper said. “More so than some. I don’t like hiking by myself and I love staying at other people’s homes.

“I am persistent,” she continued. “Don’t judge people. Everyone has something to offer.”

Persistence goes a long way for Harper, who did things here own way it seems. From hiking with different groups to hiking at night, she did her own thing.

But, even those things could give her the chills a little.

“My first time night hiking was kind of scary,” she said. “I was alone by choice. I was trying to catch up to some other hikers but even so, there were other hikers planning to leave an hour or two after me. I was to anxious to go and I couldn’t sleep.

“I jumped when I heard things rustling and freaked out when I saw eyes staring at me,” she continued. “Which, once I got close enough, I saw it was just a deer. A whole herd of deer.”

Those weren’t the only things that could get to Harper’s spirit.

“It can also be a bit nerve-racking when you start to run out of food,” she said. “And it’s plain annoying when you run out of toilet paper.”

Looking back

Harper said she had her highs and lows on the trail. Though mostly a positive experience, some things weren’t perfect.

“I wish I took my time,” she said. “Being that I started out with a group that had 20-mile days normally, it was hard for me to justify being slow. I felt like I could enjoy myself sitting all day in a shelter. Or stopping to talk to people. I did though. I tried.”

She said some of her best times were hiking at night and being able to watch the night turn into day. As for the bad, she said there were times when she would push herself too hard and everything hurt, which made her break down and cry.

There were regrets, too.

One included when she was hiking through the White Mountains in New Hampshire. She said the only places for hikers to stay are huts where hikers can work to stay (instead of paying). Hikers would work and get cold food, having to wait until about 7 p.m. to get fed.

The last hut she stayed at was called Madison Hut. Thru-hikers were given a small room instead of the cafeteria floor. The hut people made sure the hikers were fed well.

“It was, by far, the best treatment of all the huts I stayed at,” Harper said.

But, Harper said she did a lousy job of helping. She ended up leaving and said later other hikers were disappointed in her because of her actions.

Funny times also happened for Harper.

Take a day she had a long day and got to a shelter. There were two guys in there and Harper said she knew right away they weren’t thru-hikers. At that point, they were digging for worms to go fishing.

After not finding any worms, Harper said she suggested slugs as they were everywhere.

Turns out the two guys also didn’t have a hook.

“They seemed undaunted,” Harper said. “The one carved out a hook from wood.”

The two replaced that wood hook with a safety pin that Harper gave them. And, being she was looking for some really good food, she even offered to help the two.

“I can just imagine the fish sizzling,” she said. “So I tell them that I’ll make the fire.”

The two fellas had fishing line and tied it to a hiking pole. They kept losing the slugs as bait and then tried leeches, which didn’t work well. In the end? No fish.

But, better than the food was that this was pure entertainment. Other thru-hikers were entertained and the two guys gave Harper their extra food.

“Which I took, most happily,” she said.

Harper said some of her best days included ones with views — such as being able to see wild ponies on the trails. Some of the worst days included one where she was swarmed by mosquitoes all night as she attempted to sleep and it was too hot to be inside her sleeping bag.

Helping others

Now a veteran of the trail, some people might as Harper for thoughts if they wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail.

Her advice?

Research. Put money toward a backpack, sleeping bag and tent. Don’t have mail drops.

“Be friendly to everyone,” she said. “You don’t know when you might see them again. Be friendly to day hikers. They might give you food and take your trash.”

And now that she’s done the hike, it might be a little easier to prepare for the long commitment it takes to complete it.

“It’s all mental,” she said. “Make sure you have the support of your friends because you’re going to need it.”

Small things that are important include getting pack weight done and knowing why you want to carry each piece of gear.

“You’d don’t want to spend money on things you don’t need and you don’t want to carry something you never use,” she said. “I had a luxury deck of cards, but even that I didn’t hold onto the whole trip.”

Tidbits

Here are some quick-hitting tidbits from Harpers thru-hike.

  • On what she did in the days following her hike: Organized things, met with friends and started cooking, other than boiling water.
  • How many sets of shoes she went through on the trail: Two pairs of trail runners and got a third pair in Hanover, New Hampshire, though she said she did that unwillingly. Her old shoes had no grip and would slip all the time. “It was nice to be sure-footed once more,” she said.
  • Best trail town? Damascus, Virginia. “I hiked my highest mileage (33 miles) into it. I took two days at “the place.” It was such a milestone (that) I was at this town. I knew I had a chance of completing the trail.”
  • Worst trail town?: “Any place I couldn’t find a free place to stay.”
  • Her trail name, “Amish,” comes from being from Lancaster, Pennsylvania where there is a large Amish population. Whenever she told people where she was from, they asked her if she was Amish, so the name was born from that.
  • Would she do the AT again? “Perhaps. I’d want to go with someone nice.”

To read more from Amish, check out her Trail Journal, which she updated throughout her hike.

From her journal, she also had a brief video on YouTube to show her first few months on the trail. This seems like a great way to really be able to keep track of a hike like this. Document it all! Have a look:

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!