Here’s the Thing….

An interesting experience is happening to me on the Appalachian Trail, I am adapting. I won’t go into detail about the hair on my big toes, nevertheless, I find its surprise appearance fascinating! I’ve noticed a few ways my body has changed over the past 5 months while living in the wilderness. My leg muscles are more defined, my nails grow faster, my hair has grown several inches and I have hair on my big toes!

Evolutionary Origin

I was curious to find out how the changes to my body relate to our ancestors and evolution. I have done some research but have only been able to determine that hair growth on toes is the result of good circulation. The purpose of the hair could be thermoregulation, protection, camouflage and sexual attraction! Well, I haven’t had any suitors in the forest yet so it’s probably not the latter!

Unremarkably Extraordinary

My adaption to life on the Appalachian Trail runs deeper than the physical. Despite that I have started to view the happenings of each day as unremarkable, I have had some extraordinary experiences. I don’t use the term “unremarkable” negatively, I simply mean that trail life has become my ONLY way of life. Thus, my daily routine, and all that happens in between, seem quite ordinary. This is why I haven’t kept a daily blog. Even so, one hot summer day in PA back in July, I dictated a note into my phone with the intention of recording my day. As it turns out, this specific day unfolded into the pre cursor for a major turning point for me on trail, and in life….

July 14, 2024

I get to camp at 6:03 pm and there’s no one else around. This will be the first time I am sleeping alone. I text my friend who’s a previous AT Thru Hiker and mention that I’m alone at camp and he replies with “it’s early yet”. Now I have a glimmer of hope that I will be joined by someone else. I’m not sure I’m ready to sleep alone. Only moments later, Brad, a section hiker I met earlier that day, walks into the site. I feel a sense of calm knowing I’m not alone until a thought pops into my head. Who is this Brad anyway!? Maybe he’s a killer trolling the AT for his next victim. About an hour or so later, two thru hikers stroll in as well. I’m relieved that I’m not alone with Brad and I’ll live to hike another day (sorry Brad, I’m sure you’re a great guy!).

Life

I’m in my tent watching the movie “Life” on Netflix. It’s plot is about an alien that attacks people’s bodies and kills them from the inside out. Probably not a good choice for a movie while sleeping in the dark woods, but my choices are limited since I don’t have service. I downloaded a few flicks in town and unwittingly chose “Life” because Ryan Reynolds was starring in this unfortunate theatrical defeat.

As I watch the movie, I’m distracted and keep checking my texts. I want to leap frog up the trail to NY. I’m worried I won’t finish in time, I’m not hiking near a bubble and the heat wave is taking a toll on me. I heard a fellow through hiker, Zach (Lost and Found), would be heading to NY. Earlier that day I sent him a text asking if I could hitch a ride. I only have one bar of service and I’m hoping it’s enough to get a response. Although in the back of my mind, I have adapted and feel like no matter what the outcome is, it will be fine and I’m right where I need to be.

Mr. Sandman, You Out There?

I try to put the phone down to sleep, but sleep evades me. I pick it back up and I start to work on my blog which I haven’t done in a long time. Now I’m wide awake and sleep is still elusive.

I have to tinkle but I hate getting out of my tent in the middle of the night. It’s one of the worst things. I don’t want to let bugs in the tent, I’m tired and I don’t know what is lurking out there in the dark. I finally choose to get up and go and as usual, my night time piddle is uneventful.

Finally, I fall asleep but tossing and turning wakes me up at 1 AM. My hips are starting to hurt even on the air mattress. Not sure what that’s about. I know that I’m sleeping in tomorrow so I’m not too worried about falling asleep. I wake around 8 AM which is quite late for a thru hiker.

Not Just Stepping in It

Everyone is gone and I’m OK with that. Although it starts to bring back the feeling of loneliness and an insecurity that I’m a straggler. I’m behind the bubble and everyone else is up further and enjoying the trail. I think again about whether my friend will text me today when I get service.

I begin my morning routine by heading to the privy, which unfortunately, is steeped with black flies. I decide to ditch the privy idea and dig a cat hole instead. As I’m finishing up and wiping, my knuckle dips into my own feces!! I’m disgusted!!! And by the way, this is not the first time this has happened lol! I saturate my hand with hand sanitizer like I’m buttering a Thanksgiving turkey, and head back to my tent.

Back at the tent, I use Dr. Bronner’s soap and water to madly wash and scrub my hands. Now it’s time to get back in the tent and put away my stuff. I begin by rolling up my mat, putting away my inflatable pillow, sleeping bag and liner. I stuff my sleep clothes back in the nylaflume bag and start eating my breakfast. I munch on a chocolate chip Cliff bar while I do my tasks. I had given up Cliff bars a few weeks ago, but they’re back in the rotation now. I tend to get sick of foods and feel I’ll never eat them again. Eventually, I end up adding them back into my food bag for lack of other options.

Wake Up Call

Finishing my bar, I exit my tent and start breaking it down to get ready to filter water. I’m in “go mode” right now. Just focusing on one action after the other, not really even being present. I’m just going through the motions.

I head to the nearby stream for water looking for the best flowing spot. I step onto a wet rounded rock with my right foot but there’s no where else to put my left foot. I spot a thin strip of mud that I think I can safely rest my left foot upon. I take that step and, oops, the mud is deeper than I thought. I’m balancing on the rock and as my left foot sinks into the mud, my other foot slides off the rock and now both feet are ankle deep in mucky mud.

The only thing I can do at this point is let out a hysterical laugh. Sometimes when I get stuck in my head, stuck going through the motions, I need something like this to happen to snap me back into the present. This time, getting stuck in the mud made me unstuck in my head.

Half Gallon Challenge

I walk back to the tent to filter the water and as I’m walking, I see two familiar thru hikers approaching the campsite. I’m glad that they’re here because I feel less alone. I start a brief conversation with them as I filter my water. We’re going to the same place and I’m happy about that because I was afraid I’d spend the half gallon challenge by myself and that would be no fun. This challenge requires a thru hiker to eat an entire half gallon of ice cream to be awarded a wooden spoon and an honorary polaroid on their wall. Be that as it may, I’m not planning to partake in the half gallon ice cream challenge. I like to choose challenges that take me out of my comfort zone to help me grow and learn something. I don’t choose loose motion challenges that result in the skitters!

Halfway?

I finish cleaning up and filtering. I go back to the river to clean the mud off of my shoes, and then I begin to walk. I say goodbye to my fellow thru hikers assured that I will see them later at the park. I start walking and I pass the tall wooden sign marking the halfway point. It’s not this year’s halfway point, since the Appalachian Trail is rerouted each year, but it’s the fancy sign that was created years ago. I wonder why they put so much work into making a midway point structure that isn’t actually accurate? But I’m grateful for it anyway so I put my phone on a post across from the official unofficial halfway mark and set the timer to snap a picture.

The first picture is a no go because my muffin top is showing. I’ve gained weight in my belly on this trail and I’m not sure why. Could it be that when I started, my resupply and town stops were robust with pop tarts, pizza, candy and soda? I’m no expert, although I am a nutrition coach and personal trainer, but I suspect this is why I know the muffin man who lives on Drury Lane.

I have since adjusted my diet and those things are limited. I don’t really care about my muffin top, but these tasty snacks weren’t fueling me properly. If you’d like to see a list of what’s in my food bag, scroll down to the bottom and I will share it with you!

OMG, WTF Heat

Back to the story….so I take my picture at the unofficial official halfway sign and I’m feeling grateful. It’s about 88° and it’s 8 AM in the morning. Sorry, 9 AM. We’re hives deep in the middle of a heat wave but I’ve been adapting. I have a new routine of trying to stay cool and it’s kind of working. First, I soak my OR shirt in filtered water from my CNOC then put it on. I take the remaining H2O and dump it over my head FTW. I now feel like the GOAT. This helps transform my red faced, teary, tongue out emoji back into a blushing smile.

I’m walking and it’s extremely hot but I’m excited. I only have 3 1/2 miles to the Pine Grove Furnace museum. This is the actual halfway point! I plan to spend my day at Pine Grove Furnace state park, enjoying a black bean burger, ice cream and a swim in the lake. Then, I will hike another 8 miles in the evening when it has cooled. I use the word “cooled” lightly because it never seems to cool out here on a hot day. The sun is just a little less aggressive in the evening.

I plan to walk a total of 10 miles today to land in Boiling Springs, PA where I will either take a zero or meet up with Lost and Found, if I am choosing to skip up to New York.

Best Laid Plans

As we know and have seen, plans on the Appalachian Trail are like of Mice and Men. Always subject to change at a moments notice. I am OK with that because change has consistently resulted in something better than I imagined. I’ve adapted. I’m hoping I can take this back into my other world when I get home and recognize that change isn’t always negative. There’s a great epitaph by Alan Watts reminding us that we will never know whether the processes of nature are good or bad because we never know what the consequences of misfortune or fortune will be.

The text that proceeds was recorded on my phone in a note on the day I was hiking. Here’s the last sentence that I ended it with….

At my destination, waiting for the next adventure to unravel itself…

The Unraveling

About two minutes later after finishing my recording, the next adventure aptly and abruptly unraveled. I put my phone away and then carelessly tripped over a rock and fell on my face. The rock ripped the skin wide open on my shin and I knew at first glance that it was bad. I tied my dirty bandana around it while I hobbled down the trail trying to figure out how to get care. I found a car idling in the nearby gravel parking lot and they drove me 30 minutes to the urgent care. The kind couple  wouldn’t accept any money for the ride.

I ended up with 5 stitches. I never made it to Pine Grove Furnace that day for the half gallon challenge, black bean burger or swimming. Instead, I responded to a timely and generous offer made on FB messenger from a section hiker I had met earlier in my hike. He was offering trail magic when I got to the area. Coincidentally, I was in the area and needed trail magic in a big way.

Angels to the Rescue

Man, did the trail provide some of the best trail angels who saved my hike. Travis (Bones) and Sarah hosted me at their house while I healed. They all helped me slack pack so I could get miles. Lost and Found hitched me to NY and I continued my hike from there.

Truly Remarkable

So while the daily happenings of my day seem unremarkable, the potential for what can arise  on trail is truly remarkable. I started my day with shit on my hand, feet in the mud and blood on my leg and went to sleep with gratitude in my heart, a strong faith in the nature of human kindness and a deeper love for the Appalachian Trail and all who tend to its magic.

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Where I am Now:

I’m currently 30 miles from the NH/ME border. I have ups and downs, high highs and loooow lows. But I intend to finish and I hope to do it by the end of September. One step, one day and one moment at at time 

check out the latest video of my hike: https://youtu.be/tf-MS039LC4?si=vDRe_tzEmK2fw3B_

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What’s in my food bag?

• Plain oatmeal
• Protein powder
• Dried Fruit
• Dried milk
• GF bagels or wraps
• Cabot sharp cheddar or laughing cow cheese
• Snap peas
• Rice crackers
• Cap Cod plain chips
• Nature Valley Granola bars
• Luna Bars
• Bobo bars
• Uncle Ben’s Cooked Rice
• Annies Organic Frozen Dinner
• Liquid IV