Beans, Butt Scoots, and Ballparks – My Unique Trail Prep

As I go careening toward my AT flip-flop departure date, I’m heeding the advice to prepare physically and mentally for the adventures ahead of me. These last two weeks, that has taken the form of a bucket-list trip to the Cactus League in Arizona. 

Introducing Beancounter

I can’t properly tell this story without having you meet one of the most important cast members of this show, my best friend, better half, and husband of 30+ years, who we will affectionately call Beancounter. It isn’t a trail name, per se, but he’s been known for many years by this moniker, so it’ll serve our purposes just fine. It’s a fitting description for the role he will play in support of my hike and a few of the roles he has played since we met in 1989.

This summer, he’ll be caring for all the (financial) beans that need to be counted and moved to be sure our real world keeps running as it should. Equally important, he’ll be in charge of sending (food) beans to me, as needed. He’s also been known to count (toe) beans while reciting “This little piggy” back when our children used to giggle at such things.

None of that comes close to covering the contributions of this amazing person. I will, dear readers, run out of space if I try to do him justice. He is a huge part of the reason I’m able to take this smart advice, which was at the base of a bench in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve.

Most relevant for this post is the fact that Beancounter, to his core, is a baseball fan. So when we thought about the right type of quality time to spend in advance of my hike, it was exactly right to head west to Arizona for Spring Training, both baseball and hiking.

Fun Size Hikes AZ

Day hikes in the desert may seem like an odd way to prepare for the humid, green tunnel that makes up much of the Appalachian Trail. Stay with me; I promise to make the connection.

Anyone who has visited Arizona can confirm there is a lot of great hiking, easily reached, with Phoenix as a hub. Every day, we picked a morning hike that helped with some kind of physical conditioning. Because of my aforementioned respect for the scrambling I’ll need to do along the trail, I was especially keen to find some rocks to climb. Arizona excels at rocks. And cacti and snakes, so the wise hiker quickly learns to watch her step. For an extensive discussion of hiking, danger, beauty, and Arizona rocks, consider reading A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon, by Arizona-based Kevin Fedarko.

Of all the fantastic daily hikes we did up and down the nearby mountains, my favorite was a very popular scramble up Camelback Mountain. Beancounter joined me for the first half, then waited at the midpoint helipad, undoubtedly, preparing the dance he’d do to flag down the chopper. What he didn’t know was that I experienced just one fleeting moment of panic during my scramble up Camelback. As is often true on the trail, a kind stranger encouraged me at just the right moment. I was debating the right handhold at the steepest point of the trail, with notable drops on both sides. Thank you, random kind person, for telling me I was doing great!

The trail up Camelback started innocent-looking and tidy. Thank you, trail maintainers!!

Much like we capture our childrens’ first steps, I took a photo of the rocks that prompted my very first butt scoot. It was not elegant.

This was more like what I had in mind to practice scrambling. Bring it, NH!

Whether in Virginia or Arizona, there are some universal commonalities about all the trails and the people who frequent them.

• Hydration is no joke. 
• Hikers are kind, friendly, helpful people.
• Trail maintainers are the true stars.
• Stumbles happen at the most bizarre times; every step counts. 

How Baseball Makes Me Think of the AT

Spring Training – fueled by the mighty peanut!

When you decide to spend six months in the woods, the level of obsession with the adventure becomes all-consuming. Even 2200 miles away from the Trail, I saw reminders of it in everything, from the peanuts that fuel both types of Spring Training, to the names of the teams, to the genuine goodness of people.

Half of the major league baseball teams choose the Phoenix area for their pre-season training. They seemed perfectly arranged to remind me of the AT. When we start the trail with our shiny gear and gleaming White Sox, we know that the Reds of skinned knees and mosquito bites are to come, inevitably and painfully. Guardians at the ATC, Rangers in all the parks, Mariners (thanks for the Kennebec and Nolichucky ferries!) to guide us across the water and Angels in countless locations help us along the path. The threats from Cubs and Diamondbacks remind us to keep our awareness high, while we all become Dodgers, avoiding the many trip hazards along the way. There are highs, like the Royals of the Virginia Triple Crown and the Giants we slay with every mountain conquered. And there are lows, like the Rock(ie)s we face in Pennsylvania. Thanks to our Padres, who build our confidence from an early age so that we grow up believing we can climb mountains. On town days, we celebrate the Brewers for bringing joy to our lives. And, finally, the level of Athletics required to finish the journey makes us proud for a lifetime. 

I’m so excited to move past the training and get started next week!

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This month, in honor of their 100th birthday, the ATC has a donor who will match your gifts. Please consider doubling your impact by giving through my ATC fundraising page.