My (Planned) AT Journey

As a new blogger, I thought it would be helpful to introduce myself and answer those two big questions: why I am undertaking an AT backpacking trip, and why have I chosen to blog for The Trek. 

My Background and Bio

I’m a 64-year-old Pennsylvanian (he/him), and a recent retiree from government legal services.  I previously retired from the Coast Guard Reserve.  I had to get some health issues resolved after retiring in December 2023, which had the added benefit of aligning my AT dates with a similar goal of my good buddy Steve.  Woohoo!   I love it when things come together.

Why Hike the AT?

I get asked by friends and acquaintances, “Why are you hiking the Appalachian Trail?”  I think that is the wrong question.  The one I would ask is “Why wouldn’t someone hike the AT??”  I’m serious; I can’t see why someone wouldn’t jump at the chance.  There is so much I am looking forward to experiencing on my jaunt.  The AT is going to push a person physically.  It will make me more focused on my basic requirements (you know, the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs stuff, bottom rungs).  A person must be more deliberate, and a backpacker will soon be in great shape.  In addition, there will be opportunities to ponder things.  I love mowing lawns and doing yard work because of the time it gives me to think.  This journey will provide similar experiences, but on steroids!  And there will be great opportunities to meet fellow AT hikers.  Yes, it will be like a Monty Python skit, with oatmeal, oatmeal, raisins, and oatmeal in place of “spam, spam, eggs, and spam.”  And there will be days of rain, lightning, and inconvenience.  But this is all good stuff.

I have long wanted to hike the AT.  This is the event I used to daydream about when working on my sixth draft of a legal brief.  The AT sustained me – it was the future brass ring.  I backpacked enough to keep it real, accompanying Boy Scouts on 50-mile backpacking treks on the AT, or doing two-night section hikes with friends.  It kept the flame burning, even if heavily dampened.

Why Blog?

I like to write.  True, my published articles have been a bit esoteric (has anyone read my exciting law review article on agricultural zoning in Pennsylvania?).  But I understand what motivates hikers, and I made a pledge to myself – no footnotes.  So, I’ll make you a deal: you read my blogs, and I will keep it focused.

I like to observe, too.  That informs us.  In a previous life I was a military intelligence officer (note: insert joke here).  Really.  In the words of Yogi Berra, “you can observe a lot just by watching.”  I plan to share a lot of those good observations.

Our Double Flip-Flop Hike

Steve and I have planned a double flip-flop hike.  No, a double flip-flop is not a DC politico trying to avoid discussing policy challenges, nor a high dive in a 1980s Rodney Dangerfield comedy.  It is a trek starting in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia and heading south, followed by getting off the trail two months later along the North Carolina / Tennessee border for a week break for appointments, and then proceeding to Springer Mountain in Georgia, and heading north to the same point on the border.  Then, we bounce up to Duncannon, Pennsylvania, and head north, with a two-week respite in August for appointments, family vacations, and a few other obligations.  After our break in August we finish the trail, with the direction and starting point based on whether we will make it to Katahdin before the mountain trail is closed.  If not, we will start at Katahdin and head south.  Like Dwight Eisenhower said, “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” 

Some of you may have noticed a gap of 124 miles between Duncannon and Harpers Ferry in the above plan.  We will have taken care of that with 11 days of slack-packing on the front end to get our legs and bodies ready for the trail.  As they say, hike your own hike.

All of this will start in the next month.  The irony is that the heaviest backpacks (laden with cold weather gear) will be carried when our bodies are the least fit.  Yes, the fun meter will be pegged.

Trail Names, and Odds and Ends

I didn’t have a trail name.  I deputized my children and nuclear family members to come up with a trail name for me.  They have all hiked on portions of the AT, so they were my surrogate shelter mates and campfire buds.  I gave them a list of 15 names and asked them to use one, or any other name they came up with for my trail name.  I intend to use this ersatz trail name for my AT adventure, or until I am given a better one.

So, what is my trail name?  Hogmaw.  What is that?  It is a fascinating Pennsylvania Dutch dish consisting of a cleaned pig stomach stuffed with diced potatoes, onions, cabbage, and pork sausage, and then baked for many hours until the stomach becomes dark.  It is delicious.  Really.  I make a good one. 

And some may ask “What is Pennsylvania Dutch?”  Having cultural and genetic roots in that soil, I forget it may not be common knowledge.  Pennsylvania Dutch is synonymous with Pennsylvania Germans and describes the people and culture of German ancestry that settled in Pennsylvania in the 17^th, 18^th, and 19^th centuries.  Why “Dutch” instead of German?  There are a bunch of theories, including that it is an anglicization of “Deitsch,” which is the name in the Pennsylvania German language for Germans or people of this culture.  There’s been a lot of ink expended on this question – good luck running it to ground. 

One of my older brothers said I should use Dutch as my trail name.  It is an old-time nickname among Pennsylvania Germans (note: see above).  Unfortunately, my younger brother claimed it about 10 years ago, saying that was what he wanted to be called in retirement.  He retired last year.  I don’t want to be Dutch Prime, or Double Dutch, or some other odd variant.   So, enjoy your nickname, bro. 

Hogmaw out.