The Vista: An American Hiking Society Blog

February 28, 2008

Alone Across Alaska - An Interview with Buck Nelson

In June 2006, Bruce "Buck" Nelson set off to walk and paddle across Alaska's Brooks Range. The trip took him through some of the most remote wilderness areas in North America. Buck chronicled his adventure in a video entitled "Alone Across Alaska: 1,000 Miles of Wilderness." After watching this video, I can honestly say without reservation, that it is the best hiking video that I have ever watched. I give it 5 stars, and two thumbs up!

On Thursday February 28 I had the privilege of interviewing Buck about his Alaskan adventure. To listen to this 27 minute interview, please click on the following link. (13.2 MB)

To learn more about Buck's hike, or to order his video, please visit his website at http://bucktrack.com/.

Approximate route of Buck's journey

Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 04:55 PM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2007

Maryville, TN Hiker Survives Close Call on CDT

By Rick Laney
of The Daily Times Staff

Bert Emmerson is a serious hiker. The 59-year-old Maryville resident is chasing hiking’s “Triple Crown,” which includes the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. With more than 7,000 miles logged and two of the three trails finished, Emmerson is less than 200 miles from achieving his goal — but his plans were put on hold this week in a remote area of southwest New Mexico.
On Monday afternoon, Emmerson knocked on the door of a complete stranger in Gila, N.M., and asked for help. His lips were black, and he couldn’t feel his hands. The toes on both of his feet were frostbitten, and he was running low on food after being caught above 10,000 feet in a four-day snowstorm. Temperatures were 10- to 20-degrees below zero and, as he tried to hike, the snow was nearly to his waist.
“It started snowing on Saturday, Dec. 8, and continued for the next four days,” Emmerson said during a telephone interview from New Mexico.
“I’m 5 feet 10 inches tall, and it got to where the tips of my mittens were dragging in the snow while I was walking.
“When my toes started to get numb, I got in my tent and crawled into my sleeping bag. My socks were frozen to my toes, and I knew I was in big trouble.
“The next morning, my toes were black — so I tried to follow a route down through the Gila Wilderness Area to a road that I planned to hike out on.”

The Continental Divide

The route Emmerson was taking on the Continental Divide Trail is 2,567 miles long and stretches through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.
Emmerson started his journey at Glacier National Park on June 15 and has been hiking ever since. His plan was to reach the Mexico border and be home with his wife, Becky Emmerson, by Christmas.
The Continental Divide Trail climbs and descends the peaks of the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Mexico, traversing mountainside meadows, granite peaks and high-desert saddles. Through five states, 25 National Forests, 20 Wilderness areas, three National Parks, one National Monument and eight Bureau of Land Management Resource areas, the trail travels along the “backbone of America” through dramatic and wild backcountry.
Although he started his trek with a small group of other hikers, Emmerson had been hiking solo since he left the trail for a while at the beginning of September to attend his son’s wedding in New Hampshire.
“I had resupplied in Pie Town, N.M., on Dec. 3 and had about one week’s worth of food with me,” Emmerson said.
“I had planned to make it to a place called Doc Campbell’s in about nine days but, when it started snowing, I decided to do a road walk rather than risk getting lost on the trail.
“The road was 39 miles straight to the west — and as I walked, the snow just kept getting deeper and deeper.
“By the time I made it to the house in Gila, I had been out for two entire weeks.”
Back home in Maryville, Becky Emmerson was hours away from asking the New Mexico Police to launch a full-scale search and rescue mission.
She wasn’t sure where her husband was, but she knew it was desolate, steep and remote. The Gila Wilderness Area covers 3.3 million acres of forest and rangeland and is the sixth largest National Forest in the United States. There are six peaks in the Mogollon Mountains — where Emmerson was at the time of the snow storm — with elevations between 10,000 and 11,000 feet. He had described the area during the couple’s last phone call as being “in the middle of nowhere.”
“I hadn’t talked to him for almost two weeks and I was starting to get worried,” Becky said. “There really aren’t many good maps of that area — and the Continental Divide Trail has so many alternate routes.
“I had been talking to the police and forest service people in New Mexico. The police were helpful, but they said it was a 7,000-square-mile area and you can’t really search it.
“Then I ended up talking to another through-hiker who acted really concerned after hearing about Bert. That made me even more worried.
“When I found out that Bert hadn’t picked up one of his packages that he should have already had, I decided we were going to have to do something.”

Ghost town

Just as Becky was making plans to contact authorities in New Mexico, the phone rang and it was Bert. After hiking out of the Gila Wilderness Area, he came to the ghost town of Mogollon, N.M. — an abandoned mining town from the early 1900s that now boasts “five or six” residents.
Emmerson knocked on virtually every door in town, but most of the buildings were vacant. Finally, he reached Dan Ostler’s place.
Ostler, who said people die every year in the mountains around Mogollon, said Emmerson was a hero.
“Geronimo spent part of a winter up there,” Ostler said, “but he was in a cabin. Geronimo also had canned food — Emmerson had neither.
“Very few people walk out of there — actually only two in the last 17 years that I can recall. The first one who walked out had no snow, Emmerson had plenty of snow. I suspect two or three feet had accumulated before he got out.
“It really surprised me when he knocked on my door. There are so few people here, that you don’t really expect anyone to show up.”
Jokingly, Ostler said he expects to find a phone booth up in the mountains next spring when it warms up — because he knows Emmerson has a cape and superhero costume hidden somewhere.
“Very few human beings could survive up there in that,” Ostler said. “They find one to three bodies up there just about every year.
“Emmerson is a remarkable individual — a really good guy.”

No typical retirement

Four years ago, Emmerson retired from the Tennessee Farmers’ Co-Op in Rockford where he was a plant manager for 13 years. Originally from Kansas, he moved to East Tennessee in 1978 while working for ConAgra Foods.
During his first year of retirement, Emmerson hiked the 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. The next year, he hiked the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail. He didn’t schedule any long-distance hikes for 2006, but started planning his Continental Divide Trail trek for 2007. On average, less than two dozen hikers attempt the six-month journey on the Continental Divide Trail each year.
Emmerson said, “Last year, when Becky wanted me to stay home and act normal, I worked at Little River Trading Company in Maryville part-time. I’m planning to go back to them — it’s a great store and I recommend Little River’s products to everyone. Most of my equipment is from Little River Trading Company.”
Emmerson was examined by a doctor on Wednesday and planned to return to Maryville today. According to Emmerson, the doctor said he wouldn’t lose his toes to the frostbite if he is careful with them in coming weeks.
“I was never really worried about being lost,” Emmerson said. “I knew where I was — within a mile or so — the whole time.
“I did get a little concerned about the Mexican grey wolves that were reintroduced into the wilderness area near Snow Lake, N.M. They can be aggressive toward humans.
“I had the black bears, the mountain lions, the coyote, the Mexican grey wolves and the creatures from outer space to contend with (a reference to the UFO conspiracy theories about Area 51 in Nevada) — but I wasn’t lost.”
Emmerson plans to go back to New Mexico next year and finish the Continental Divide Trail in April or May. He stressed that he would do this “after the weather breaks.”
To learn more about Emmerson’s hiking adventures and view photos from his trek, visit his online hiking journal at www.trailjournals.com/wildcat.

Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 08:17 AM | Comments (1)

November 24, 2007

On God's trail: Mental health peer mentor meets God, good friends on life-changing Appalachian journey

Here's an inspiring story about how hiking can help provide a sense of balance. The article is from the Lacrosse Tribune.

On God's trail: Mental health peer mentor meets God, good friends on life-changing Appalachian journey
By Joe Orso, La Crosse Tribune

Nathan Billy Baney’s spiritual path leads through the woods.

On four occasions, Baney has hiked more than 1,000 miles on the Appalachian Trail. For him, the hiking is pilgrimage, and God is on the trail.
.

“I’m a little different,” Baney said this week, sitting at Jules Coffee House. “Most normal people can pick up on that, and usually when people see someone different, people don’t treat them that well.”

Baney, 46, speaks with a speech impediment caused by past medication he took for paranoid schizophrenia. He takes different medication now, which keeps him stable and which he has stayed on ever since his first go at the Appalachian Trail four years ago ended in a fiasco.

He and his girlfriend parted after that short hike, but he found something else: The Appalachian Trail meant something to him. He began reading books about the trail, which is 2,175 miles long, takes about six months to complete and runs from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine.

On March 18, 2004, Baney took a bus from Maine to Georgia to begin his hike alone.

Almost four years later, how he speaks about what he found in the woods could serve as a Sunday sermon.

“I used to think all the people were bad, that there weren’t many good ones. I was that close to being suicidal before I went on the trail. But after I got out there, after a couple weeks of hiking, I had met a hundred friends that I had never had before. And everybody except one or two were really nice, cool people. … They’re willing to be your friend as long as you’re willing to be cool right back. And I’d never experienced that anywhere before I went on the Appalachian Trail.”

Baney talked about experiencing God while sitting on a rock or walking through the woods, and also in the people he met.

“I wasn’t sure there was a God until I got out there and found out how good the world was,” he said. “Only God would have made such good people."

I met Baney while I was sitting outside of Jules a few months ago. He stepped from the door with a grin on his face and said to anyone listening, “Welcome to my nightmare."

Our eyes caught, and then his smile grew and he said with a shrug, “It’s a pretty good nightmare.”

He pulled up a chair as I finished cracking up, and after a while we were talking about the Appalachian Trail.

Baney said he likes La Crosse, but it hasn’t been like the trail.

“People are more skeptical in the cities than they are in the woods. In the woods, they trust you,” he said. “You go to a campfire and there’s 10 people out there and they’ll all talk to you for 10 years. And I don’t see that in La Crosse too much — except for in Jules Coffee Shop.“

Baney, who works as a peer mentor at RAVE, a drop-in center for people with mental health issues, spent six years of his childhood at St. Michael’s Home for Children in La Crosse. On the trail, he has run from wild pigs and heard a bear nosing around his tent. He has suffered from cellulitis, tendonitis and third-degree burns on his feet. And he has met doctors, dishwashers, lawyers, college students and a 78-year-old woman with a bag full of pills.

His trail name is Underground, given to him after people found out he had transgressed trail code and gotten rid of extra weight by burying a radio and other stuff in the woods. He says he’ll never do it again, but the name has stuck.

Baney plans to finish the whole trail someday and hopes to get out on it again this spring or the following, depending on finances.

“I think God loves the Appalachian Trail,” Baney said. “He loves the rest of the world, too. But the Appalachian Trail is a pilgrimage in a way, and I think God loves pilgrimages.”

For an extended interview with Nathan Billy Baney, click here.

Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 04:15 PM | Comments (0)

November 01, 2007

Hiking the Appalachian Trail in New England:
A podcast from WNPR

WNPR - Connecticut Pubic Radio has a great podcast posted on their site about backpacking the Appalachian Trail along the Connecticut/Massachusetts border. NPR correspondent Nancy Cohen digs out an old frame pack and heads out for an overnight on the trail. It's definitely worth a listen.

After listening, maybe you'd like to do what Nancy did and dust off your old pack or rent, borrow, or purchase one if you don't already own one. The many joys and benefits of hiking and backpacking are simply too numerous to list here.

In the meantime, please consider joining American Hiking Society. That first step will help you on your way to reconnecting with nature out on the trail.

Happy Trails!

Download the Podcast

View an excellent slideshow of photos from Nancy's trip.

Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 09:33 AM | Comments (1)

October 03, 2007

Interview with Whiteblaze.net's SGT Rock

SGT Rock

Ernest Engman is a hiker and family man from East Tennessee who is better known in the hiking community as "SGT Rock." Sarge is a career military man who just completed his second tour in Iraq. He is also one of the driving forces behind Whiteblaze.net, which is a website that focuses on the Appalachian Trail. He is also a trail maintainer along the Benton MacKaye Trail in the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness in North Carolina.

On Tuesday October 2, Sarge and I sat down for a 26-minute interview about a wide range of topics related to trails and hiking. In addition to discussing volunteerism, we discussed his upcoming thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. To follow along on Sarge's upcoming hike, you can visit his online trail journal. This hike will be unique, Because Sarge will use the 300-mile Benton MacKaye Trail between Springer Mountain, GA and Davenport Gap at the north end of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Enjoy the interview!

26-minute Interview with SGT Rock (12 MB)

SGT Rock (far right) and Family

Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 04:05 PM

September 11, 2007

Royal Highness: Tribute to a life well-lived

Approaching Half Dome - Photo by Jeffrey Hunter

The Modesto Bee has a story in today's paper written by Royal Robbins. The article is entitled, Royal Highness: Tribute to a life well-lived. The article informs the reader on how plan, prepare, and undertake a climb of Half Dome. That's something that I did last year, and I highly recommend it!

Here at American Hiking Society, we take our hats off to Royal Robbins. The life that he has led, and the adventures that he has undertaken are an inspiration to us all.

Royal Highness: Tribute to a life well-lived

On the 50th anniversary of his historic ascent of Half Dome's Northwest Face, Royal Robbins, the father of big-wall climbing, tells you to go climb a rock ... and tells you when and how

By ROYAL ROBBINS

September 11, 2007

There has been a lot of press lately on hiking to the top of Yosemite's beautiful monolith, Half Dome, much of it focused on crowded conditions on the final section using cables and on several unfortunate accidents that have taken place there.

My goal is to suggest a way of getting to the top of the celebrated peak while avoiding crowds and injury.

I have been to the top of Half Dome often, five times via new routes on the big Northwest Face. In fact, this year, my companions, Mike Sherrick and Jerry Gallwas, and I celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of the face in June of 1957. I also have climbed the Southwest Face by two routes that were there when I arrived. And I have gone up the cable stairway several times.

I mention these ascents because I want to establish that what follows is born of personal experience, not book-learning.

Let's begin at the beginning ... what we do in advance of the actual ascent.

First, let's deal with the question "Why climb Half Dome"?

The answer is that it's the most prominent peak in Yosemite. After you have climbed it, you can always look back up from the valley and say, "I was there!"

Make no mistake, climbing Half Dome by any route is a genuine accomplishment. It's a 16-mile round trip and a gain (and loss) of nearly 5,000 feet in elevation, starting at about the 4,000 foot level in Yosemite Valley and ending atop the dome at an elevation of 8,842 feet.

That's why you climb Half Dome. It's prominent. It's beautiful. And it's a grueling accomplishment for which you will be forever proud. It perfectly answers that call of the human spirit that urges us to climb mountains. A mountaintop is a symbol, a symbol of challenge we are capable of overcoming if we set our minds and hearts to the task.

PREPARATION

Let's divide this section into four parts: (1) imagining the ascent, (2) setting a date, (3) training and (4) gear.

1. Picture yourself doing it.

It's helpful to get a mental image of what you are proposing and how you are going to do it.

You start early in the morning, with a headlamp to light the way. The trail leads you up to the bridge across the cataract below Vernal Fall. You cross the bridge and climb up beside Vernal. It's steep, with more than 100 stone steps. From the top of Vernal, you follow the path back across another bridge over the Merced River and then up more stone steps to the top of Nevada Fall.

Shortly after reaching the top, the trail forks and you take the left branch to the north. This trail leads slowly up and up through the giant Sierra forest with its sugar pines, red firs and groves of incense ciders to the "shoulder" below the cable leading up the northeast flank of the dome. Here you find more stone steps and climb these, placing one foot above another until you are at the beginning of the cable.

With a hand on each cable, you ascend the final 500 feet to the top of the dome, breathless, but wide-eyed and happy. You've done it! The world lies at your feet.

2. Set a date

I recommend late summer or early fall. Anytime in September and the first half of October usually is good. Unless a storm is coming through (always a possibility), it's a period of usually fine weather. The air is crystal clear, there are no insects, and thunderstorms are less likely. Also, the walk up past Vernal Fall is drier. Spring is very beautiful, with water flowing everywhere, but the weather is more changeable and insects are abundant. The same is mostly true of summer, with the additional challenge of lots and lots of people eager to enjoy Yosemite Valley, and many eager to get to the top of Half Dome.

If you climb Half Dome in the summer, definitely do not do so on weekends; even during other times of the year, go midweek if you can. One nice thing about being close to Yosemite is that you have greater choice about when to visit. If you come from afar, as most visitors do, you are more limited in your choices. Also, it's good to remember that the cables are taken down in October to keep them from being avalanched away. They are put back up at the end of the winter season, usually in April. The dates will vary depending upon snow conditions, so check with the National Park Service Web site to make sure the cables will be there for you.

3. Training

You want to be fit. It's true that many seemingly unfit people make it to the top of the dome, but many also get sick, fall by the wayside and don't make it to the top because they are out of shape or dehydrated. Don't be among them. Better too fit than not fit enough. So, two things are particularly challenging about climbing Half Dome. One is the combination of distance and altitude gain -- it's a long, steep slog. The other is the elevation. The air is a bit thinner up there, so train at altitude. This means get out and hike.

The high country in Yosemite around Tuolumne Meadows is perfect hiking country. And the Stanislaus National Forest to the east of us and to the north of Yosemite has terrific hiking possibilities. For a perfect combination of training and vistas, I recommend that you drive up to Sonora Pass and hike south along the Pacific Crest Trail. This is very beautiful and very scenic and at an elevation that will get you shipshape for Half Dome. Hiking north from Sonora Pass also is excellent, though I personally think the best hike in the region is to follow the St. Mary's Pass Trail, which takes off to the north from Highway 108 about half a mile below Sonora Pass. This delightful path traverses the west flank of Sonora Peak past some natural springs that water abundant wildflowers, even in October, when they have disappeared everywhere else.

4. Selecting gear

First and foremost is your footwear. It's astonishing but true that some Half Dome ascensionists get to the top with strange things on their feet, such as sandals or street shoes. But why ask for trouble? After hiking 16 miles, your feet will tell you if you do not have the right shoes. I personally use Ecco hiking boots. This import from Denmark is flexible and soft -- very comfortable. I wouldn't claim they offer much support, though. If you want support, you need a stiffer shoe. Sneakers also are a good choice. My wife, Liz, often uses them to good advantage in her hiking. The main thing is, whatever shoes you choose, get out and train in them. Take long hikes to make sure your feet will be happy in them for a prolonged period.

Besides proper footwear, rugged outdoor clothing is essential. Shorts or pants that allow free movement are recommended, along with a woven, long-sleeved cotton shirt. Take along a spare sweater in case it gets cool and a poncho or waterproof jacket in case it gets wet. Don't forget a hat to shield your head from the sun, plus bug stuff depending upon the season.

You will want a day pack to put the spare gear in. That spare gear, by the way, should include lunch and two liter bottles of water. (The park service recommends a gallon of water, but half of that seems enough to me.)

Lunch might include apples, salami, cheese, Triscuits, nuts, and cookies. I suggest you take a sharp folding knife for carving this stuff, sunscreen, lip balm and a headlamp for the early-morning start and possible late descent.

THE ASCENT

You are now ready. Let's climb!

Let's say you have picked a weekday in mid-September. You live in the Modesto area, so you have a choice of leaving home in the middle of the night or camping in Yosemite Valley and leaving early next morning. That's the first hurdle: leaving early in the morning. What do I mean by "early"? I mean 3 a.m. Yes, I know it's a dreadful hour, a good hour for sleeping. But if you are camping and get up at 3 a.m., you will never be sorry. If you get up later, you might well be. If you are making a one-day round trip from Modesto (tough, but doable), you will need to leave town at about midnight. If you are driving through the mountains at night, be alert for animals on the road. They are more likely to be out at that time rather than when the sun is high.

If you are camped in Yosemite Valley, you will need to drive to the east end to find the John Muir Trail trailhead. Follow signs indicating trailhead or just showing a hiker. There is a parking lot near the trailhead, just east of Curry Village. If you can reserve a camp in the Upper Pines Campground, you will not need to drive but can simply walk from your campsite to the bridge across the Merced and thence to the trailhead.

The trail is at first a wide swath covered in asphalt that has worn away here and there. Follow it as it climbs to the south before turning east to follow the course of the plunging Merced River. You will come to a bridge; on the far side is a drinking fountain where you can fill your bottles with fresh water and thus save carrying water to this point.

From the bridge, the trail leads up along the south side of the Merced River toward Vernal Fall. You will find a rock stairway here, the ascent of which is laborious but much shorter than following the alternate trail around. Earlier in the year, this is a very wet area.

From the top of Vernal, follow the trail across another bridge to the north side of the river. (NOTE: Stay away from the water near the top of the fall. This treacherous section has claimed many lives.) Follow the trail up the left, or north, side of Nevada Fall to the top, where the Merced meanders along before its big plunge to the rocks below.

You will shortly come to a fork in the trail. Take the left branch and follow the slowly rising path as it skirts the south and east faces of Half Dome. You will be walking through a magnificent forest, with giant pines, firs and stately stands of incense ciders. If you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you will by and by come to a natural spring on the right. It usually has water, but it is best to not count on it and to take your own. After you pass the spring, you will shortly come to the beginning of the dome's shoulder. Follow the trail and steps as they lead up to the base of the dome itself, where you will find the cable stairway.

(NOTE: If cumulus clouds are building, stay off of the dome. In fact, stay away from any exposed areas. Hang out in the forests, where the trees will protect you from lightning. Also, if the weather is bad, or looks bad, call off the climb. Save it and yourself for another day.)

If you have brought canvas gloves, put them on and firmly grasp the cables on either side. Ascend the cable stairway slowly, steadily and alertly. You shouldn't have a heavy pack at this point. In fact, you can leave almost everything below. You may want to take food and water if you wish to enjoy lunch on top. Or if you just want to zip up and down, you can leave these things below, plus your headlamp and anything else you don't need above. Be careful, however, about leaving your sweater or poncho. These things are lightweight and may come in handy if it's cooler above than you think.

After reaching the top, you have earned a moment of pride. Enjoy the magnificent view and note the absence of glacier polish on the huge top of the dome. Glaciers never passed over the crown of Half Dome, though they formed a sea around it. After enjoying the summit, it is time to begin the long descent to the valley and its sybaritic charms.

The view atop Half Dome - Photo by Jeffrey Hunter

THE DESCENT

You start by going down the cables. Gloves are handy here, even more so than on the ascent. Also handy, going up and going down, are a couple of carabiners with nylon lines going to your waist. Carabiners are devices used by climbers. They are a sort of giant safety pin, but very strong. They can be clipped to the cable and will prevent you from falling far if you were to slip. When you come to one of the vertical poles, you can unclip one carabiner from the cable, pass it around the obstacle, and clip it in again, and repeat that process with the other carabiner, thus remaining always clipped in. Check with a sports shop for this gear.

When you reach the bottom of the cable stairway, all you need is caution as you retrace your route to the valley. You should arrive in midafternoon, with plenty of daylight, but if you get down later, that's OK, too -- you made it.

Congratulations! Go to Curry Village and treat yourself to pizza or an ice cream bar.

Success! Jeffrey Hunter atop Half Dome

Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 10:50 AM

September 04, 2007

Interview with American Hiking Society's Trail Information Specialist - Ed Talone

Ed Talone on the Benton MacKaye Trail

American Hiking Society is a great place to work. As an employee, I have the privilege of working with a team of professionals who are dedicated to protecting hiking trails and the natural areas that surround them.

One of the more fascinating employees at American Hiking Society is Ed Talone. Ed is the Office Manager and Trail Information Specialist at American Hiking. He is a regular contributor to American Hiker magazine (the official publication of American Hiking Society), and is the co-author of the recently published Potomac Heritage Trail - A Hikers Guide.

Ed is an extraordinarily accomplished hiker. He has hiked all 8 of America's National Scenic Trails and many thousand of miles of lesser known trails. Ed was the first person to thru-hike the North Country National Scenic Trail, when he did so with his close friend Sue Lockwood in 1994. You can read more about that epic adventure here. Ed is also a big fan of railroads, and loves hiking rail trails.

To listen to this 11 minute 23 second interview, please click here (5.4 MB) Enjoy!

Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 08:52 AM

March 20, 2007

Interview with Nimblewill Nomad and Hammock Hanger

Nimblewill Nomad, Hammock Hanger and Jeffrey Hunter in Florida

On Saturday March 17 I attended the Florida Trail Association Annual Meeting in Umatilla, Florida. During the festivities, I took some time to conduct a 17 minute 49 second interview with Ed Eberhart (aka Nimblewill Nomad) and Sue Turner (aka Hammock Hanger).

Nimblewill Nomad is a well known hiker who has hiked the Eastern Continental Trail from the Florida Keys to Cape Gaspe in Quebec. He is also the author of 10 Million Steps, which was just released in paperback by Menasha Ridge Press.

Hammock Hanger is another well known hiker who has hiked the Appalachian Trail, and many other trails. Sue will soon embark on her quest to thru-hike the Great Eastern Trail from Florida to the Finger Lakes region of New York State. If she completes her goal, and here at American Hiking Society we know that she will, Sue will become the first hiker to walk the entire route of the Great Eastern Trail. To follow along on Sue's progress, you can visit her trail journal.

The three of us sat down for an interview about Eb's past trips, and Sue's upcoming hike of the Great Eastern Trail. Please take a moment and listen to this interview. (8.25 MB)

Enjoy!

Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 05:13 PM

February 27, 2007

Leonard Adkins, hiker & writer to hike
the Appalachian Trail for the fifth time

Back in October while at the ALDHA Gathering in Athens, West Virginia, I had several people that I wanted to talk to. One of them was Leonard Adkins. At the time, I was in the early planning stages for The Great Southeastern Hiking Festival, and wanted Leonard to participate in our Writers Roundtable. You see, Leonard is the author of a number of great books about hiking and natural history, and would make a great addition to any panel of outdoor writers.

While I was walking on the campus of Concord University - where the Gathering was held - I finally ran into Leonard and his wife Laurie as we walked in between buildings on a brisk fall afternoon. Leonard had his arms filled with materials from one of his presentations which had just concluded. I introduced myself and asked him if he'd be interested to speak at The Great Southeastern Hiking Festival planned for May 3-6 in Montreat, North Carolina. It was then that he informed me that he planned to be hiking north on the Appalachian Trail, attempting yet another thru-hike. Although disappointed, as a fellow thru-hiker, I was excited for Leonard and Laurie and wished them both well.

This evening I found an article in the Charlestown Daily Mail about Leonard & Laurie's upcoming hike. Here at American Hiking Society, we wish Leonard, Laurie and their dog "MacAfee of Knob" a safe and adventure filled hike! Happy Trails!

To read the full article, please visit the link below.

Continue reading "Leonard Adkins, hiker & writer to hike
the Appalachian Trail for the fifth time"

Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 07:44 PM

February 11, 2007

Tips for taking your Teen backpacking!

Father and daughter begin a 30 mile hike on the
Appalachian Trail in North Carolina on 7/3/2005

As a parent, hiker, and employee of American Hiking Society, it was always my desire to go for an extended hiking trip with one or more of my daughters. My annual hiking trips take me to beautiful remote places, where I hike for a week or two at a time. Finally, in 2005 I persuaded my youngest daughter Martha to join me for a 60-mile backpacking trip on the Colorado Trail.

In order to prepare for this trip, we took several shorter trips. The first was an overnighter on the Appalachian Trail. We walked 14 miles in the Roan Highlands and spent the night in the Overmountain Shelter, which is an old barn transformed into a place where hikers can spend the night. The view from the shelter is incredible, and its spacious enough to hold more than 20 hikers in inclement weather, which is often the case in this remote area.

Day two on the Appalachian Trail begins in the fog

Our first trip was pretty cut and dry, and seemed to whet my daughter’s appetite for a longer hike. That came the following month when we walked 30 miles over three days on the Appalachian Trail from I-40 near Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Hot Springs, North Carolina. This trip required two overnights. One was spent in a tent, and the other in the Walnut Mountain Shelter.

Finally, the time came to travel to Colorado for our big hike on the Colorado Trail. After spending 6 days with family at about 8500' above sea level, where we took it was time to start our backpacking trip. In the 6 days before our hike, we took a couple of day hikes and did some other activities to help us acclimate to the thin air in the Rocky Mountains.

Our 60-mile hike along the Continental Divide begins at Copper Mountain

Hiking in the Colorado Rockies is an entirely different proposition than hiking on the Appalachian Trail, so our level of preparedness was different. We wore sunglasses, floppy hats and constantly applied sunscreen and lip gloss to protect ourselves from the sun's harmful rays. We also had to be very aware of the cloud cover, because of the prevalence of electrical storms that hit the Continental Divide like clockwork in the summer.

My daughter journaling on day 1 on the Colorado Trail

The trip was an amazing one, with many highlights including sleeping under the stars and waking to a herd of elk about 200 yards away. It wasn't all fun and games however. I made a mistake on day 2 by pushing us too hard, and that caused some stress for both of us.

Since then, we have hiked 50 miles on the Northville-Placid Trail in New York State's Adirondacks, and we're thinking about our trip for the summer 2007. Maine is looking like our likely destination. Here are my tips for taking your teen on a backpacking trip;

Involve your teen in planning the hike.

This means all aspects of the hike including where you'll hike, food selection, where you'll camp, and when & where you'll take breaks.

Make it fun!

If your trip isn't fun, your teen won't want to hike with you again. Bring a deck of cards. Let your teen bring a friend. And don't forget to pack your sense of humor!

Deal with sanitary issues before hand.

I bought my daughter the book "How to Shit in the Woods" before our hike. Don’t be put off by the title. This book covers a variety of important topics that everyone spending an overnight in the woods should be familiar with.

Stay within your limits!

Prepare yourselves physically for the hike, and stay within your limits. Start with short day hikes and work your way up to an overnight. Remember, the journey is the destination! If you push your teen or yourself too hard, hiking can stop being fun, and you're daughter or son won't want to hike with you any more.

Keep the pack weight down

When I take my daughter backpacking, I try and keep her pack weight down to about 17 pounds, or less. She carries all her clothes and toiletries, some of our food including all her snacks, several items of shared gear (maps), and any personal items like a book or journal.

Carry the 10 Essentials!

Download the attached PDF document containing a hike checklist. While it was created primarily for day hikes, it is a solid list that also provides additional resources for more information.

Take lots of breaks

Stop often. Take lots of pictures. Smell the flowers. Lay in a field or on a bed of pine needles in the forest. Cherish the time you spend on the trail with your teen. It will create memories that will last a lifetime for both of you.



A Marmot came into camp one morning and provided some entertainment

Reward yourselves when the hike is over


When I hike with my daughter, we usually have a reward that we treat ourselves to at the end of our trip. Whether it's a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, or a meal at a restaurant, make sure to do something fun together to bring the hike to closure.


Take turns taking the lead


One of the great aspects of taking your teen out on the trail, is that it helps them to build their self confidence. By setting goals and accomplishing them, your teen will become more self assured. As you hike with your teen, take turns leading as you hike along the trail. It's a good idea to stay within sight of one another, but allowing your teen to blaze the way will instill a level of confidence that is so important in life.


Join American Hiking Society!


Trails don't just happen. They need to be built and maintained, and the special places that they pass through need a strong group of advocates. American Hiking Society has served as the Voice for America's Hikers for more than 30 years. Please join American Hiking Society today, so that your children's children can have the same opportunities to hike as you.

If you have any stories about hiking with your teen, please share them here with us by using the comment form.

Happy Trails!

My daughter taking the lead on the beautiful Colorado Trail

Nothing but smiles after 60 miles on the Colorado Trail

Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 09:41 AM

January 11, 2007

Interview with Andy Wright -
Ranger with Cumberland Trail State Park

Andy Wright at the 3rd Southeastern Foot Trails Conference

Last week there was a report of two lost hikers in North Chickamauga Creek Gorge. Tennessee State Park Rangers were involved in the search for these two hikers. Thankfully, the hikers emerged safely from the woods after spending a chilly, unplanned night outside.

I asked Andy Wright, Park Ranger for Tennessee State Parks to join me in the office to talk about how to stay found, and what to do if you happen to find yourself lost. Andy is assigned to work on the Cumberland Trail State Park, and was involved in last weeks search & rescue. During our interview, Andy also takes some time to discuss a high profile search and rescue that he participated in - back in 2004 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To listen to this 24-minute interview, please click here. This audio file is 11.3 MB in size, so a high speed internet connection is required to open the file.

During our conversation, Andy also talked about the Alternative Spring Break program that will be taking place along the Cumberland Trail in March 2007. To see a video shot in 2004 during the "Breakaway" program, as it is commonly referred to, please click here. This video is 8.9 MB in size, do a high speed internet connection is highly recommended.

Happy Trails!

North Chickamauga Creek Gorge

Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 12:11 PM

December 25, 2006

Lebanon Mountain Trail assisted by
Georgia Appalachian Trail Club volunteer

This past summer, Georgia Appalachian Trail Club volunteer Marianne Skeen was joined by the Executive Director of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy - Dave Startzell, and Maine Appalachian Trail Club volunteer David B. Field on a trip to Lebanon to provide technical assistance to the Lebanese people. The Lebanese are building a hiking trail to connect villages to a series of nature reserves. This trail would serve as an incentive for tourism, and also provide recreational opportunities to the local people. The Lebanon Mountain Trail is based on the same concept that inspired the Appalachian Trail. This project received funding from the United States through USAID. While the volunteers were in Lebanon, hostilities broke out between Hezbollah and Israel, and Marianne, Dave and David had to be evacuated from the country.

In early November, Marianne - who has been involved with the Southern Appalachians Initiative - was interviewed by National Public Radio. To listen to this inspirational and hopeful interview, please visit the NPR website. To download a PDF copy of a story entitled Crossing Borders, which originally appeared in the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's publication AT Journeys, please click here.

Here at American Hiking Society, we take our hats off to Marianne, Dave and David, and applaud them for their efforts. Thank you for showing the Lebanese people some of the best aspects of America. The indomitable spirit of the trail volunteer!

Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 09:04 AM

December 21, 2006

2006 - The Hiking Year in Pictures

2006 was a good year on the trail. I'd like to share with you some of my favorite photos taken during the year. If you have a great photo that you'd like to share from out on the trail in 2006, please send it along and we might include it here on the Southern Appalachians Initiative blog. Be sure to tell us where the photo was taken, and who took the image so we can provide a caption and a proper photo credit. Enjoy!

On the banks of the Suwannee River just off the Florida Trail
Photo taken on May 7, 2006 near White Springs, Florida

Moccasin Bend in Chattanooga from Sunset Rock
Photo taken by Hilary Browder in June 2006

Milkweed on the Fires Creek Rim Trail in North Carolina
Photo taken by Jeffrey Hunter in November 2006

View from atop Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. Wow!

Kings Canyon National Park from the John Muir Trail. This photo has the look and feel of a painting from the Hudson River School of art.

High mountain pass switchbacks on the John Muir Trail

View from atop Mt. Whitney at 14,497' - Photo taken August 25, 2006

In April 2006, American Hiking Society helped coordinate a field trip for a group of blind and visually impaired students to visit the Tennessee River Gorge. Here, a totally blind student discovers what a box turtle feels like.

Here, another blind student enjoys a day out on the trail with her teacher

A young hiker on New York State's Northville Placid Trail
Photo taken in late July 2006

Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 03:14 PM

December 17, 2006

The Thru-Hiker and the Chickadee:
A true Appalachian Trail story

Jeffrey Hunter holding a Black Capped Chickadee
in his hand at the Andover Guest House in Maine
Photo by Angie "Sunnie" Hunt

A thru-hike of the 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail can teach you many things. The long distance hiker would be hard pressed to “walk away” from this experience without a greater understanding of the difference between “needs” and “wants”, or a deep appreciation for the human capacity for kindness. While those lessons were not lost on me, perhaps my greatest lesson was dispensed by a tiny bird.

My story starts in Gorham, New Hampshire on July 29, 2000. After nearly 4 months and 1,892 miles, I found myself at Hikers Paradise, a hostel 16.5 miles from Maine, and less than 300 miles from my final destination – Mt. Katahdin. While I had felt run down for the past few months, this evening I was feeling particularly worn out.

That night I slept fitfully, and as I packed up in the morning, something wasn’t quite right. I was exhausted. After breakfast I threw my backpack in the back of the motel pick-up truck, and climbed in for a ride to the trailhead. I was joined by two friends that I had hiked on and off with since Virginia. Brian (aka Funk n’ Wagnalls) and Chris (aka Crispy Hexagon) were both strong hikers in their early 20s. Bruce, a giant of a man who worked at Hikers Paradise drove us to the trailhead, and entertained us with bawdy jokes along the way. As we bid Bruce goodbye and started our morning hike, I immediately felt my energy drag. This continued all day. Finally, late in the day we arrived at the Maine state line, where my friends and I rejoiced and took the obligatory photos. It was a wonderful moment. We could now say that we had walked from Georgia to Maine!

That night at the Carlo Col Shelter – I was filled with dread. Some of the toughest miles of the trail lay ahead of me, and I simply wasn’t feeling up to the task. The next morning we headed out, and soon found ourselves in the Mahoosuc Notch. Reputed to be the toughest horizontal mile on the entire Appalachian Trail, this area is a narrow notch nestled between two mountains, where the hiker has to scramble over, around and under a series of house-sized boulders. While my friends were laughing and having a great time, I was not enjoying myself. I soon found out why. While perched high on a boulder, my head suddenly began to swim as a wave of nausea swept over me. I was sick.

My friends stayed with me until we emerged out the north end of Mahoosuc Notch. There, at the base of one of the toughest climbs on the entire trail – Mahoosuc Arm – I encouraged my companions to go on without me. I simply couldn’t keep up with them any longer. After an extended break, I slowly dragged myself up Mahoosuc Arm – a 1620’ elevation gain in 1.6 miles. At the top, completely exhausted and bathed in sweat, I found myself at beautiful Speck Pond. I dropped my gear and fell fast asleep in the Speck Pond Shelter. It was only 4 PM. Later that night I awoke and became violently ill.

When I awoke in the morning, I was scared. Nearly 15 miles of tough trail lay between me and the trail town of Andover, Maine. I needed to get to town to rest. I dragged myself along the trail all day, and finally, after a brutal hike which included climbing over beautiful Bald Pate - where I was buffetted by 50 MPH winds - I found myself at East B Hill Road near Andover. The first vehicle to come along on this road was a logging truck. The logger pulled over and let my friend Wendy (aka Philosophy) and me hop in. Soon, we were dropped off at the Andover Guest House. It was there that I would stay for the next five nights.

It was clear from the start that I had some sort of stomach ailment, as I was having trouble keeping any food down. By the end of my third day, I was so weak that I was having difficulty climbing a flight of stairs. I wondered how I could possibly complete the trail in my current physical state. On the morning of my fourth day in Andover, I made an important decision. I asked Peg Leg, the owner of Andover Guest House, to shuttle me out to walk a 10 mile section of the trail using only a day pack. The hike went surprisingly well, and I had the good fortune of seeing a black bear – my first since New Jersey.

The next day Peg Leg dropped me off on the trail and I walked another 13 miles using only a day pack. At the end of the day, I was feeling good, and made a decision to try and hike out the next day with a full pack.

On the morning of August 6, a full week since I first started feeling ill, I awoke filled with anticipation. Would I be able to make it the rest of the way? Was I really better, or would I once again fall sick on the trail – far from help? As I packed up my backpack upstairs in the hiker bunkhouse, I heard a small sound – THUD. I looked around, and my eyes were drawn to the sliding glass door at the back of the room. Outside on the landing lay a small bird. I walked outside and carefully picked up a Black Capped Chickadee. The bird had apparently flown into the glass door, and was stunned, but still alive.

The bird sat motionless in my hand, but I could feel the beating of its tiny heart. I carefully cradled the bird in my hands, and after about 10 minutes, placed the bird upright on the wooden railing. The bird was slowly regaining some activity, but was still stunned from the encounter with the door. I went inside, and filled a Dixie Cup with water. I went back outside, and the bird was still sitting motionless on the railing. I took the water and wet my fingers. I then splashed some droplets of water on the bird’s head. Immediately I could see the bird’s awareness heightened. Next, I took some water and carefully splashed it on the bird’s back. Finally, I placed a few drops of water on the bird’s tail.

The bird now appeared to be awake and alert, so I slowly bent over and placed my face inches away from the bird. I quietly said “fly away.” To my amazement, the bird did just that! As I stood there in amazement at what I had just witnessed, the obvious dawned upon me. If that little bird could fly away after hitting the proverbial wall, then I could do the same.

That day on the trail was one of my most memorable of the entire hike. The weather was glorious, I heard my first Loons, and the strength in my legs was returning. Two weeks later I climbed Mt. Katahdin, and my journey was over. Of all the lessons that I learned in my five and a half month walk in the woods, I'll always look back at my encounter with the Chickadee as the signature moment of the experience.

If you have learned any life lessons while hiking or backpacking, please share them with us by submitting a comment below.

Posted by Jeffrey Hunter at 09:43 AM