Thursday, April 8, 2021

Appalachian Our first START

 Memorable Automobiles from The Past:

 We have known people who needed to be rescued from the Trail. This is not what was used to haul them out!

For today:

After deciding to TRY Backpacking, we left Standing Indian Camp Ground and headed for our home base in Belmont. WE laughed and read the Best Seller, “A Walk In The Woods”. We read and planned. We knew very little about the AT other than it existed. So we quickly learned some facts:

Over 2000 hikers start each year, less than a 1/4th finish because it is a tough hike.


(I believe this family was from Sweden.

It goes thru a few towns, an Ivy League College and a monastery.

Over/Under a few Interstates and railroads.

Many hikers eat a ½ gallon of ice cream at Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Pennsylvania. That is the ½ way point of the trail.

There are ‘shelters’ spaced along the trail, but most hikers still carry a tent.

The hiker will traverse the entire Smoky Mountains National Park going over ‘Rocky Top’ and Cling man’s Dome the highest point on the AT.

The trail goes thru the Shenandoah’s where many miles you look down on that beautiful Shenandoah Valley.

People travel from all over the world to Thru Hike the trail. We have met people from South Africa, Germany, Sweden, Canada and Arkansas.

I believe these were newly weds.

Many Students (HS & College Grads) use the time between schools or school and jobs to hike the trail. Many Nurses hike the trail.

This young Grandma was a solo hiker.

Many young girls hike alone, church groups together, Doctors, Pastors and laborers. WE actually met one lady who was hiking with NO SUPPLIES, trusting God to supply them. We told her we had left some food at the last shelter, she smiled and said ‘God is Good.’

You are safer on the trail than 99% of the cities in the USA.

If you hike with a dog it cannot go with the owner thru the Great Smoky Mts, unless the owner is blind.

 Nite Shipslog

 

9 comments:

Chatty Crone said...

I just loved that - very interesting!

Unknown said...

Very interesting. That woman was very brave to hike that trail alone. I know God watched out for her though. Nice that you left food for others.

Lisa said...

Heres a little fun fact you may already know. Do you know why hikers wear tan clothing?? Its a mosquito repellant.

Nite
Lisa

Mevely317 said...

How interesting! I'm sure there's a reason, but I'm sad about that dog rule.

Mevely317 said...

PS - Do you know if it anyone has made a video of the AT's entirety ... for those of us spectators?

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

I think it would hace to take a lot of courage to hike with no supplies, but you were a blessing to leave some food behind. I know it would be more to haul along with taking enough food for the whole hike. Good thing it goes through places where you can restock. It would also be nice to stop and get a rest in a real bed and get s shower too. Love hearing about your hike and all the interesting people you've met.

betty said...

Wow about the dog rule but I can see that. I think it would get a little crowded with animals and people both on the trail at the same time and can you imagine carrying the supplies a dog would need like extra water, food, etc? Then there would be those that wouldn't clean up after their dogs lol.

That girl hiking with no supplies had tremendous faith and I bet she was never for want.

The lady I mentioned before who would be hiking the trail for 3 weeks with a friend did mention she wondered how shelters would be now in the midst of the pandemic.

I will send Sherry and you the link to my new blog tonight.

Betty

Dar said...

Jack, this was so informative besides motivational...' if ' I were still a youngster, like the grandma hiker, I'd certainly have given it a go. I also cannot forget to applaud you and Sherry for your fortitude. Were you and Sherry still in your 20somethings when you first started walking. God bless you and your strength. So sweet of you to leave food for others.
loven'hugs from up north. It's sprinkling again.

Victor S E Moubarak said...

I was once lost on Mount Snowdon in Wales when mountaineering. It was getting rather dark and it started to rain. I thought at the time that this was the end of me. After hours of shivering in the cold rain and nearing death I heard voices shouting, “Victor … Victor … are you out there? It’s the Red Cross!” I had to shout back at the top of my voice so they could hear me, “I’ve already donated at the office!” Honestly, why do these people come out to collect money on mountains in such bad weather instead of rescuing lost people like myself?

God bless.