Road to Road AT Section Hiking

In the thirteen (13) years that I section hiked the AT, 66% of my total AT (1477.5 out of 2193.1) miles were either road to road, access trail to road, road to access trail or access trail to road. I've used David Miller's AT Guide since 2013 and I've purchased a new AT Guide every year. The AT Guide also know as AWOL's AT Guide comes in a printed version for either NoBo (Northbound) or SoBo (Southbound) along with a pdf version. https://www.theatguide.com/ The AT Guide shows nearly ever mile, most road crossing and many with GPS coordinates, near-by towns and the services and facilities, Hostels or other forms of lodging,shuttle services along with other information. Over the past thirteen (13) years I've found the vast majority of Thru Hikers and Section Hikers use the AT Guide. Between the AT Guide, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) State terrain maps, FarOut phone app, Google maps, and http://appalachiantrail.rohland.org/ (not secure) I've been able to use these sources to plan my AT Section Hiking. In late July 2010, my first hiking partner, Ron Filbert and I backpacked from Pen Mar (near the PA/MD line) southbound to Harpers Ferry over four (4) days. We were supposde to spend our first night at Devils Racecourse Shelter (torn down and replaced by Raven Rock Shelter in 2010), but we missed the turn-off and instead of having a 4.4 mile first day, we had a 9.5 first day. I don't think GutHook (now FarOut) was available for the AT until 2013. In May 2011, Ron Filbert and I backpacked from Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the AT northbound to Neel Gap over four (4) days. We stayed in shelters for two nights, but choose to tent on the third night because of two hikers who smoked constantly (even while we were trying to eat dinner) and their snoring could wake the dead. Nope I didn't use earplugs at that time. Ron and I also backpacked in July 2011 and we planned to hike again in 2012 but his skin cancer came back later in 2011 and he passed away in 2012. I wanted to continue section hiking with others and I again did another posting for seniors in the ATC Magazine in the fall issue. The result of this posting was that I was introduced to Randy, from Virginia and Lee from Tennessee. They had hiked with each other before and they wanted to hike the seventy-two plus AT miles in New Jersey. Their plan was to hike the New Jersey AT as a series of road to road day hikes. Lee determined that Swartswood State Park and Campground would be an ideal place to tent and spend our nights after each day hike. Lee did most of the planning and this would be my first lesson on how to plan seven consecutive days of day-hiking. The term "slack packing" in my opinion can also mean day-hiking. We averaged about eight-point-five (8.5) miles per day. New Jersey was now the third AT State I had completed. Maryland was my first in 2010 and West Virginia my second also in 2010. I learned several lessons from Lee and Randy (Randy went on to complete his AT Journey several years later). The first lesson for me was to make sure our first day of hiking was shorter than our average day. The second lesson that was reinforced by Fred (he had Thru Hiked the AT when he was in his fifties, then Section Hiked the AT again when he was in his sixties. He Section Hiked with me for several years and completed Georgia through Massachusetts for the third time when he was in his seventies), was to hike the steeper part earlier in the day and have a more gradual descent at the end of the day. This meant some days we'd hike NoBo and other days SoBo. Another lesson which became more important as I aged was the need for "Zero" or "no hike" day. The more difficult the terrain the more need for more frequent Zero Days. There is also a "Nero Day" which is a day when we'd hike only a few miles, maybe two or three. The two car system which I used most of the time was placing a car at our end point either the afternoon before or the morning of our hike. There have been some incidents of vehicle vandelism but this depends on how exposed the parking area is to traffic. I and my hiking partners over the past thirteen years (2009-2021) I Section Hiked never had an incident. Over the years I have preferred to have my Subaru the car placed where we'd end for the day. I've always made sure I had plenty of Gatorade in the covered back. In recent years, I've left an older pair of trail shoes and clean socks to change into once we've finished for the day. Its wonderful to take off my Asolo Boots and Darn Tough socks and change into clean and dry socks and lighter weight trail shoes. I also carry at least three or four old bath towels in case we get caught in the rain and we use to place on to dry us off and put on the car seats. Greg Peters another younger senior would create an Excel Spreadsheet and he actually calculate the times to drive from a Hostel, Motel/Hotel, to our end point where we'd leave my Subaru but also include the time and distance to get to our starting point. I continued to use his system throughout my AT Section Hiking. I began to add terrain information in the Excel Spreadsheets I created so my hiking partners could review my plans and make suggestions. I've forgotten the number of times, I changed directions because of something Fred or someone else saw or changed the order of what we hiked on what day. I prefer to day hike ten or less miles per day, but there are AT Sections where the roads shown in the AT Guide are twenty or more miles. Here's where FarOut, Rohland and Google maps come in hardy. The 2021 AT Guide, page 1450-1451 - NoBo Mile 1205.8 Game Commission Rd to NoBo Mile 1219.6 Schuylkill trail doesn't show at driveable roads in-between. Rohland showed a possible access trail to the AT called the AT Connector, near NoBo Mile 1213.0. Prior to one of my Section Hiking trips to Pennsylvania with Chris, I used Google maps and found the roads mentioned in Rohland. After one of my day-hiking trips with Chris in early 2021, I drove the location, off Interstate 78 and then using both my FarOut and Garmin inReach determined that I'd be about two miles from the AT. This allowed Chris and I to hike SoBo from this point in May towards Port Clinton and then hike to this same location SoBo with Phil in September from the Game Commission Road. We had two day-hikes versus one nearly nineteen mile backpack with an overnight stay at Eagles Nest Shelter. To put it another way, a twelve-pound day pack for two days versus a nineteen or twenty-pound backpack for two days. Occassionally we'd use an access road to the AT that didn't have parking nearby. In these cases, we'd contact a local shuttle drive and arrange to be met at our end point where I'd leave my Subaru and be driven to our starting point. This meant we'd hike to our car and not to wait for a pickup after a long day of hiking. Having a car at our end point was critical in Virginia and New York and we had heavy rain both times just as we ended our hike. "Always hike to your car" is my Rule 22! We've always paid shuttle drivers in cash and always given them extra! In Virgina, near Pearisbury we used a side trail to access the AT and our driver walked with us after a blown-down tree blocked the road to make sure we were headed in the correct direction. GrandPa Walking, AT 2000 Miler (2009-2021)

AT Section Hiking Training and Preparation

For those of us who chose not to Thru Hike and Section Hike the AT, we had to train each year prior to hiking. For those who live near mountains training is much easier than those of us who live where there is little elevation change. Living in the eastern part of Maryland, the most elevation I can hike is about 300 feet in some of our local State Parks. Prior to Covid-19, I used a local gym that had treadmills that elevated between +30 to -5 degrees along with a Versa Climber (think of a ladder where the steps and hand holds move). These were great for cardio, but the AT footpath is not flat and there is nothing like actual training in the woods. Depending on your age and physical condition, its always best to start out slow and with some weight in a day pack. For me its been 1.5 liters of water in a Platypus along with snacks or a light lunch and of course a rain jacket and toliet paper and aluminum tent stake (for digging a cat hole). I prefer not to train when the temperature is below 50 degrees and never train in the rain. I've got a couple of hiking trails that are also mountain bike trails to hike within 15 minutes of my home and if I want to drive 30 minutes or more, I've got a couple of State Parks to train in. If I want to train in town I'll use a 4 story parking garage and hike that for between 30 to 45 minutes for 3 days then take a day off and repeat. Over a period of weeks, I will add weight to my day pack until I am around 15 to 16 pounds. I will train on both parking garage stairs and local parks and increase my miles up to about 5 to 6 miles per day. I have a watch that monitors my heart rate and I try to keep in under 130 (I was 80 when I completed my last AT miles). Once I'm comfortable with my pace and training, I will switch to my ULA P-2 backpack (now called Catalyst) and load it with 1.5 liters of water in my Platypus, a 12 ounce Gatorade, my Big Agnes down sleeping pad and insulated air core mattress, my SteriPen, rain jacket along with snacks or a light lunch. I always bring my Black Diamond cork snap-lock trekking poles. Once I start training with my backpack, I will start wearing my soft-sided ACE ankle braces (over my Darn Tough hiking socks) and may or maynot wear my lighter Tommy Copper knee braces. I will stay at 6 or 7 miles per day and again, take a break every 4th day. Over time I will increase my miles per day to 9 or 10 miles as I hardly ever hike more than 10 miles on any AT Section Hike. I've done a 16+ mile day twice, once in the Smokies and once in TN. I've done a number of 11 or 12 miles days and maybe a 14 mile day. Since these are the 1% exception, I train for the days I am most likely to hike. This way my body becomes use to doing 10 mile days. When I section hiked in April, normally in Virginia or PA I would start my training in late January. I would try to allow myself two months to get back into shape as once I hit 75, I found I needed more time to get back into shape. For me the most important thing was to listen to my body. Sometimes when I hiked I would develope pain in my feet or ankles. I would shorten my hike and take 4 ipuprofen after I got back to my car. If the pain or discomfort was gone the next day, I continue my training, but if the pain continued I'd take another day off. On occasion I trip or stumble. It could be from a bit of a root sticking up on the tip of a buried rock. I would just stop and find a place to sit down for 5 or more minutes before continuing on. Sometimes I would just head back to my car. During training you can stop anytime you want and hike back to your car. I've hiked with pain a number of times. On our journey through Mahoosuc Notch, I injured my left Achilles either in the Notch or during the climb up the Arm. The ibuprofen helped that night, but the next day the pain was worse. We bailed and hiked back to Success Pond Road and my Subaru. The next day I went to the ER in Berlin NH and the doctor confirmed my Achilles injury. That ended that Maine hike. Another time backpacking NoBo in the Bigelows (Maine), I stretched my Achilles on day 2 of what was supposed to be a 4 day 3 night backpack. The place we planned to tent had water issues so we hiked on to the next tent site that had better water. I was in pain most of that 2nd day and even the ibuprofen didn't help much. The last day, now day 3 was better as the terrain was a lot less severe and the ibuprofen I took that morning helped. I normally only take my ibuprofen at night and rarely during the day. We took 2 Zero Days then day hiked between East Flagstaff Road and Caratunk Maine for 3 days. Took another Zero and day hiked and backpacked for several more days. The ibuprofen helped with the pain and we completed our planned Maine section and on our way home, we day hiked easy miles in VT. I've said this before, but your body will tell you when to slow down or take a break. Injuries for seniors can have much more of an affect than those who are in the 30's, 40's 50's and 60's! Then tend to bonce-back quicker!

AT Section Hiking - Getting Started

In September 2021 I hiked my last AT miles with another younger senior, Phil Tymon from California. I first met Phil On Wednesday August 24th in the 100 Mile Wilderness just north of Cooper Brook Lean-to (most shelters in Maine are called Lean-to's). He was hobbling north with the aid of a broom as he has slipped and twisted his ankle a few days earlier while getting water. He had arranged with the AT Lodge in Millinocket for a pick up at Jo-Mary Road, about 3.7 miles further north. I told Phil once I got to my Subaru at Jo-Mary Road I'd wait for him and take him to the ER in Millinocket. It turned out he had broken his ankle. We remained Facebook friends ever since that day. He came east to hike my last AT miles in VT and PA as I was completing my 13 year AT journey. I learned a lot in the two year after my failed attempt at climbing Katahdin to Baxter Peak in Baxter State Park, near Millinocket Maine. As I wrote in my book "Maine's Appalachian Trail How Seniors Made Section Hiking Easier" I climbed Katahdin off the couch and didn't have the AT Data Book or AWOL's AT Guide or even a terrain map of the trails in Baxter State Park. For me, footwear is the most important item for anyone who is planning to hike the AT or just hike in general. I started with Merrill trail shoes and they worked initially. Initially I purchased the REI brand of hiking socks and they also worked for me for several years. In 2012, I was introduced to Body Glide, my another younger senior, Randy Ruble and began to use it every day on my feet in the morning and again during breaks, especially if it was a hot day. I've probably avoided blisters because of Body Glide. I can't remember the number of pairs of trail shoes I've purchased over the years, but as I aged, I found I needed more ankle support and I puchased my 1st pair of Asolo Boots in 2015. Around the same time I started to where ACE soft-sided ankle supports and found they worked best on the outside of my hiking socks. Between the boots, ankle supports and Black Diamond snap-lock trekking poles I felt secure. Since footwear is so critical, I've always shopped late in the day after I've been on my foot for most of the day. Initially, I'd use of socks that REI had for try-on's but started to bring my own hiking socks. I'm not sure who told me this or if I got it from an older Yahoo hiking light discussion group, but your feet will swell the more you are on them. Add a day pack of backpack and they could swell even more. I've purchase all my hiking footwear at REI as they have a great refund or exchange policy and I've been an REI member since 2005. Once you've settle on footwear and socks, the next critical item is your backpack. I started out with a Madden Mountaineering backpack in 2003, but at six pounds empty it was just too heavy. At the time, I was following a "backpacking lite" group on Yahoo and looking at backpack suggestions in Backpacker Magazine. REI had lots of choices but they were all in the four to five pound range and I felt being 5'8"and 160 pounds that was too much weight. ULA out of Utah kept coming up as an excellent choice, but no one in the Greater Maryland, DC and northern Virginia carried ULA. In the spring of 2004 I drove from my home in Baltimore County to Damascus Virginia as Mt Rogers Outfitters carried the ULA P2 pack and they had several in stock. It was a 7 hour drive and I spent the night in a motel near Damascus. Around 10am I arrived at Mt Rogers Outfitter and asked to be fitted for a ULA P2 backpack. The young man who took care of me, spent a lot of time measuring to make sure I had the right size and he loaded the pack with a number of 5 pound sandbags so I could feel what it would be like to carry 20 pounds. One of the great thing about the ULA P2 was the hip belts came in different sizes and I ended up ordering a small from ULA in Utah as the medium hip belt was just too large. My ULA P2 is 4900 cubic inches and weighs 47 ounces. I used it in July 2021 on a 3 day, 1 shelter night and 1 Hut night backpack on my last AT section in the White Mountains of NH. I've thought that maybe REI should have sleeping bags, pads, tents, cooking gear available to use to load up a pack during the sales process as this would be a much better way to judge how a backpack fits with "actual" gear versus 5 pound beanbags. OK, you've got your hiking footwear, your backpack, now its time to consider your sleep system. I've always used a sleeping bag and a 2.5 or 3 inch insulated air core pad. If I was in my 60's and starting my AT section hiking adventure, I'd consider a hammock. Back in 2009 when I started, I recall hammock systems were very heavy and a 2+ pound tent was a much better option. After trying several other sleeping bags over a couple of years, I choose the Big Agnes Zirkel 20 degree down bag weighing 2 pounds, 2 ounces. I also choose the Big Agnes 2.5 inch insulated air core that fits into the sleeve in my Big Agnes down bag. In 2014 my valve on my Big Agnes insultated air core failed during my last night at Fahnstock State Park in New York and Big Agnes replaced my air core at no cost. I am a restless sleeper, but with the air core in the sleeve of my Big Agnes down bag I never end up on bare ground or the hard work floor of a shelter. As I mentioned above, I would have considered a hammock system, but back in early 2000's I choose to tent. I started out with Eureka 2-person tent at 4 pounds but switched the following year to a Henry Shire Tarptent at 2 pounds, 2 ounces. Since 66% of my AT miles were road to road using the 2-car system, and I and the other seniors I hiked with preferred shelters or Lean-to's, my Tarptent didn't get much use. In 2019, I bought my friend Fred's 1 pound tent. It uses a trekkin pole for support, but it reduced my backpack weight by another pound. It's small and just enough room to sleep and my backpack stays outside Now, we have the Big 4, footwear, backpack, sleep system, and shelter. This means my base weight without clothing, medical, cook system, food and water comes in at between 8-pounds, 8-ounces or 7-pounds, 6-ounces. Now that we have the basics and I will discuss the others in another Blog, let's discuss testing out your gear. I choose to do an in and out hike to Devil's Race Course Shelter (this was torn down and replaced by Raven Rock Shelter in 2010) on Friday August 15th 2003 and hike back to my car on Saturday August 16th. This would be my first AT hike and my first overnight in a tent in decades. It would be a good test of my gear. I had purchased an AT terrain map for this section and I had my older compass. I parked my car just outside Pen Mar Park in a large parking area and under some very old trees. I used the park's bathroom before heading south. The path was flat and groomed. Somehow I missed the double blaze on a tree indicating the AT went off to my left and I ended up near someone's home. What I should have done, but didn't was to backtrack until I found the AT. Instead I took off my pack, laid out the terrain map and compass and made a determination that I could "buchwack" to the AT by following a bearing my my compass to a stream that the AT crossed. This worked as Maryland here is pretty flat and I intersected the AT and continued south. If I had had more knowledge I would have never done this and this was the last time I ever did this. There was some elevation change and since this was the first time I carried a full pack I had to make sure I was learning a bit forward when I hiked. I caught myself a few times and almost fell backwards once or twice. Between Pen Mar Park and High Rock the elevation increased about 350 feet over 2.8 miles. Except for some rock type steps I hardly noticed the climb. I did a pack off break at High Rock, took a photo or two and ate some snacks and drank some water. By the time I got to the turn off to Devil's Race Course Shelter I was tired and didn't feel I wanted to hike down the side trail to the shelter. I took off my pack and began to set up my Eureka tent. Somehow I had forgotten to put the poles for the Eureka tent in my backpack. I did bring some light line and between my trekking poles and the trees near-by I got my tent to be partially open. I can't remember if I was in a designated tent spot either, probably not. Again this is something I would remember not to do again. I boiled water and poured it into one of those freeze dried trail meals. It was ok, but it had way too much sodium for my taste, but I ate it anyway. I slept badly as I could hear dogs barking much of the night and the sound of cars. On Saturday August 16th I packed up and hiked back to my car. I had hiked nine-point-four-miles (9.4) and learned several lessons.

AT Section Hiking - Training and Preparation For Each Hiking Year

Recently I read several Facebook posting about AT Thru Hiking and AT Section Hiking and one of the issues I have to deal with each year is how to get in shape for the AT Sections I will hike in the coming year.

In late April and early May of 2016, I hiked my remaining AT Sections in North Carolina and Georgia with Greg and Fred.  Fred has Thru Hiked the AT in his 50's, hiked it again in his 60's and now is Slacking and Backpacking for the 3rd time in his 70's.  Fred hiked our missing North Carolina AT Sections as he had already completed Georgia for the third time.

After hiking in New Hampshire in 2015 and again this year I realize its extremely difficult to train to New Hampshire and for the most part Maine too as these two AT states are so much more difficult than anything else I've encountered in the other 13 States I've hiked.

My training is for the most part year round, except during the colder months of January and sometimes February.  I also prefer not to train in the rain, especially if I can choose when to hike or not.  I've used Golds Gym in the past and mainly use their treadmills.  If possible I prefer the ones that can elevated more than 20 degrees.  Many of their treadmills also have a negative 5 degree setting.  Other than working on a treadmill and varying the elevation, I

really like the Versa Climber. This device allows me to work both my arms and legs as if I was climbing a ridge or cliff, like Webster Cliff in the White Mountains.  I carry my day pack when I use this device.  It's the only piece of equipment that I've used that I feel gets me somewhat ready for New Hampshire and Maine.

Most of my training in Maryland is at several of the local State Parks.  Patapsco Valley State Park and Rosaryville State Park are my two favorites and both are within 40 minutes of my home.  PVSP provides some degree of elevation and some of the trails are rocky too.  Rosaryville State Park is an 11 mile loop and trail is mostly for mountain bikes and horses.  Both parks have their advantage and being close make them ideal to work on getting my legs, knees, and hips back in shape each year.   Yes, I am basically re-training my body each year I hike, but I've found that in the past 2 years muscle memory in my legs and lungs come back much sooner.

My routine is as much outside and on trails as much as possible with Golds Gym being a fallback for rainy or real cold weather.  I always begin my training with my Osprey day pack and always start out carrying 1 1/2 liters to 2 liters of water.  I always have my rain jacket, wool gloves and wool hat just in case and of course snacks.

Day 1 is always a 2 to 3 mile walk in my local park in Crofton.  My our Town-home I can walk to the park on the side streets and then its a short walk through the woods to the asphalt trail the runs around the entire park.  If the grass isn't too wet I will walk around one of the football fields and angle walk up and down the small hill behind the field.  Yes, I carry my Black Diamond snap trekking poles but only use them going up or down and not when its level.
Day 2 is the same as Day 1 but I may add another 1/2 mile.
Day 3 I head to PVSP and start a climb off the asphalt road near the dam.  The climb is only 300 feet and it normally takes me 5 to 7 minutes.  Most of the time I take 1 short stop to catch my breath but lately I've been able to make this short climb without stopping.  We'll see if this is true in 2017.  I try to hike at least 4 miles and I generally take a short sit down break after the 1st hour.
Day 4 I head to Rosaryville State Park, trying to avoid weekends as there is a lot of mountain bike traffic on weekends.  There isn't much elevation in the park and the path is pretty much rock free.  This gives me a chance to pick up my pace and I try to hike at least 6 miles, hiking in about 3 miles and then turning around and hiking out.
My 5th day is my do nothing day and sometimes early in my hiking conditioning I will also take off day 6 too.

On day 7 I am back in PVSP and I am hiking 6 to 8 miles.
Day 8 I hike in Rosaryville again and also try for 7 to 8 miles.
My routine with these two parks continue for 2 to 3 weeks and I will use the Versa Climber as part of my routine a month before I head to NH or ME as I want my legs ready for the tough terrain up there.

Last year I wanted to do some conditioning around Harpers Ferry, but never seem to find the time.  It's about 2 to 2 1/2 hours drive to Harpers Ferry and there are two areas I feel would be good training for NH and ME.  The first one is hiking the AT from the parking lot near US 340 heading south across the bridge and up to Loudoun Heights and the MD/WV border.  Its only 2+ miles but I get to climb 700 feet over those 2 miles.

The other is from the parking area on Weverton Road, hiking north and up Weverton Cliff to the Ed Garvey Shelter.  Its only 3 miles with a 600 foot climb.  I could hike Loudoun Heights on the first day, spend a night at a Hostel and then hike Weverton Cliff on day 2 and head home.  I will consider this before my NH hiking in July of 2017.

Part of my training is to cut down on the size of the portions I eat and to make sure I have plenty of fluids in my body before I hike each day.  I've discovered that when I drink between 12 to 20oz of water or Gatorade before I hike I don't get as tired during the day.  On training days when I've not hydrated I am more tired at the end of my hike.  This is especially true on the backpacking hikes in the morning before we start.  I now always carry Gatorade power with me.

Taking a day or two off every 5 days works for me as at 75 and about to be 76 next April I need more time to recover and rest.  This training routine works for me as I never want to push myself too fast to get ready for Section Hiking each year.  The more time I allow my body to get in shape the better I tend to do when I hike.

In conclusion, find a training method that works for you and your age and then modify it as needed.  If you are younger than me you will not need as much time to get your body ready to hike each year and always listen to what you body tells you.  Last year after about 2 hours of hiking my left ankle felt sore and I had to stop and check it out.  After several hikes I decided to use my "flexible" ankle braces and I wear them on the outside of my hiking socks.  I ankles feel better and its all because they have more support when I hike.  I wore them everyday hiking in the Whites of NH and in ME and they provided me the additional stability I needed.  I remove the braces as soon as my hike is completed.

2013 AT Slack Packing and Backpacking - The 228 AT Mile Year

My success with Slack Packing most of New Jersey in 2012, I decided to do my own posting in the Appalachian Trail Magazine in the Fall of 2012 and I got over 25 replies.  Many of the replies just wanted to backpack but a handful wanted to Slack Pack with me beginning in late April of 2013.  Virginia has the most AT miles and I thought it would be a good idea to start hacking into those 541 miles with seven (7) days of Slack Packing from Damascus Virginia northbound to USFS 86 Glade Mt Road.

Tom and Carl from New Jersey joined me on the first day, April 29th, and then Harold from Virginia joined us at the end of our second day.  Harold hikes about the same pace as I do, but Carl and Tom were much faster hikers and finished most days at least 30 minutes or an hour ahead of us.  Some days we'd hike south and some days we'd hike north depending on the terrain.  I prefer to climb in the mornings and come down in the afternoon.  In April 2013 I was still using David AWOL Millers 2009 AT Northbound and some of the GPS coordinates were wrong.  Yes, I bought his 2013 AT Northbound after this hike.

We spent two nights in Damascus in a new B&B, but without breakfast, then we moved north to stay at Troutdale Church Hostel, and then Randy, whom I hiked NJ with in 2012, arranged for us to stay at Retreat House in Rural Retreat (no longer a place to stay as of the end of 2013).  Rain was forecast on our last day, May 6th, and Randy, who is very familiar with this part of the AT, advised us the terrain we'd be hiking from USFS 86 could be difficult in the rain.  Harold and I decided not to hike, but Tom and Carl decided to hike anyway.  I shuttle them from their end point where Tom left his Jeep and then back to their start point. We said Goodby and I headed back to Maryland.  I had another 68 AT miles under my feet.

One of the most important lessons I learned hiking this section is to read all the signs at each road intersection and when if possible drive and verify a GPS location.  While this is not always possible it does prevent  a lot of "issues" and cuts down on the amount of time trying to find the correct location.  Another lesson I learned that if you get good solid advice about an area and the terrain follow your "gut". 

Richard from New Jersey and Fred from West Virginia joined me on my second hike between May 24th and May 29th. The plan was to hike south from Bears Den Hostel (where I ended my overnight from Harpers Ferry in July 2011) and to hike to US 211 at Thornton Gap.  Richard, who was a former British Naval Officer and F4 driver, hiked with me for only 2 days before his hip issues caused him to end his hike. Fred joined me for our last three days and David, who lived near the AT Sections we were hiking hiked with me for a couple of days.  He offered Richard and me, then Fred and me bedrooms in his large home and his wife made us a wonderful breakfast before our Sunday hike.  I completed this section and added another 62 AT miles.  I learned another lesson on this hike about "closely" checking the signposts in SNP.  Maybe I was tired that day, but I missed the turnoff the AT to where we had parked Fred's car and ended up having to walk and hitch a ridge back to his car.  It made for a very long day and extra miles on our already tired feet.

In June, Joan from Virginia, and I were able to knock out my remaining missing 10 miles of the NJ AT from Mohican Outdoor Center south to Delaware Water Gap.  It was a hot day and I was glad I had brought extra water.  We did water up at the park just before crossing the I-81 Interstate bridge into Pennsylvania and I'm glad we got the extra water.  Crossing the I-81 bridge on the New Jersey Pennsylvania border was an experience.  The huge semi-trucks passed with a few feet of us and we walked as close to the railings of the bridge as possible.  Not sure I want to cross that bridge again.

In July, Harold, and David from ME, and I attempted to hike the 100 Mile Wilderness starting in Monson and hiking north.  Between the heat and humidity and one especially hard fall on my back on a large slate rock, I decided to bail out on the second day.  It had taken us nearly 11 hours to hike these first 10 miles which included two stream crossings.  I must have drunk three or more liters of water and still I didn't pee much until the end of that day.  After we got to the Lean-to and I had set up my air mattress and sleeping bag, just lying down hurt.  I had some pain medication with me and that seemed to help somewhat.  I got a good cell signal and called Shaw's and asked about options for a pick up the next day.  They agreed to pick the three of us up where Pond Tote Road meets a gravel road.

We were all up just as the sun came up and after breakfast hiked north for about four (4) miles to Pond Tote Road.  We had one small stream crossing on the AT, but we had another stream to cross on Pond Tote Road.  I still had some pain and decided not to take off my boots and crossed the steam.  This stream was deeper and I got water in my boots.  I emptied my boots and continued down the road with wet boots and socks.  This road was an old logging road and it seemed that it hadn't been used in years.  The road was flooded in parts and I just waded through.  At one point the water was nearly up to my thighs and I considered bushwhacking, but then the water receded.  The folks at Shaw's said it was about a "mile" to the gravel road and it was nearly two (2) miles.  I learned that when folks in Maine say "about a mile" it could be several.  Harold and David who had stopped to take off their boots and socks arrived at the gravel road only 15 minutes behind me.  We waited about 30 minutes for the shuttle to take us all back to Shaw's.  By the time we were back at Shaw's my back felt a lot better and I saw only bruises on my back and shoulder.  I really didn't want to take any chances so Harold and I spent the night before driving back to Maryland and David left that afternoon and drove back to his camp.  Apparently David had forgotten to lock his car and most of the hiking food he had left in his car was gone.

In late August, I would begin hiking with Greg, (formerly from CT, now from FL) over the next three years.  He wanted to hike the southern half of Smokey Mountain National Park, take a Zero Day, and then backpack the northern half of the Park.  On August 26th, we Slacked from Clingmans Dome northbound to Newfound Gap.  We drove both of our cars to Fontana Dam and I left my Subaru.  We drove in Greg's car to The Hike Inn for our overnight.  The next day the owner shuttled us to Clingmans Dome and we began our three day backpack to Newfound Gap.  This was my first backpack since I had hiked with Ron in Georgia in 2011 and our first day was long and hard, taking us nearly 8 hours to hike nearly 10 miles.  My ULA backpack worked great, but I was not used to carrying that much weight.  We didn't have much sunshine and it was foggy and overcast the next morning so we got a late start.  It was so foggy this first morning that Greg and I got to within 10 feet of a deer in the middle of the AT before it saw us and ran off.  These next 12 miles took us nearly 9 hours and my ULA pack felt better.  I seemed to be getting use to the additional weight on my back and hips.  Our third day was again overcast and cloudy and the temperature seemed ideal for backpacking.  The last 3 miles were hard on both our knees as the AT drops nearly 1600 feet over the last three miles.  At the time I thought this was tough terrain, but now after hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in 2015 and 2016, this wasn't that difficult.  Of course I am now three years older and have a lot more miles on these 75 year old knees.

Greg got an email later that third day stating that one of the shelter we had planned to use on our northern half of the Great Smokey Mountain National Park hike was closed due to aggressive bear activity.  After our three hard days, we agreed that we probably couldn't hike a nearly 15 mile day.  Greg cancelled this part of our hike and he suggested we take a Zero Day at Mountain Harbour B&B and Hostel on US 19E. which at the time was the best Hostel I had been too.  The Hostel was great and the buffet breakfast was out of this world.  I still think its the best breakfast on the entire AT. Mountain Harbour B&B and Hostel was the second Hostel I stayed at and in 2013 I thought it was the best.  We hiked from Carvers Gap in Tennessee and North Carolina north to Overmountain Shelter on our first day.  There was a good water source just off the blue blaze trail to the Shelter.  Overmountain Shelter is a two story old red barn and the sleeping platform on the first floor has a wonderful view of the valley below and the surrounding hills.  We arrived around 1:30pm about 40 minutes  before a huge down pour.  A very wet Scout Troop came in a bit later.  The sky cleared and the rest of the day was great.  This was the first 360 degree view privy I've seen on the AT.  Yup, just a toilet bowl, seat and cover and a complete 360 degree view.  We had prime sleeping spots and those who came later had to sleep on the upper level which was hot and didn't have much air flow.  The next day we climbed out of the valley and stopped several times to look at the Shelter below us.  The AT was mostly a narrow and deep footpath that was overgrown in a lot of places.  We either hiked very slowly as we could see where our feet were landing or walking alongside the "trench".  This part of the AT is a series of three balds and every time we topped a bald there was another ahead of us.  The temperature was pleasant with some wind and I am so glad we didn't hike this in June, July or early August as there is no cover.

I understand that the AT has been rerouted and the footpath is a lot better now.  The last several miles we hiked mostly down over wet rocks, which required us to slow down and make sure we didn't slip or fall.  Once we got to US 19E it was a short road walk to Mountain Harbour and our cars.  They allowed us to take a shower and change into clean clothes and then Greg and I had lunch before heading home.  A good portion of the AT runs along the Tennessee and North Carolina border so at times you are never sure if you are in North Carolina or Tennessee.   I added another 55 AT miles with this hike.

My final hike of 2013 was in October when I drove to Carlisle to see a new Appalachian Trail movie.  The following day, Ron from PA, shuttle me to Scott Farm and I hiked the 10+ miles south to Boiling Springs.  I was supposed to make this hike in June of 2012 but the heat and humidity were excessive and these 10+ miles were all open with almost no tree cover.  I finished 2013 with another 228 AT miles which were more miles than in all my previous years.  Having hiked 451 AT miles I really began to believe that I could complete all 2189 miles before I turn 80.

Slacking Packing New Jersey September 2012

The passing of my hiking partner and friend resulted in trying to find other older hikers to hike the AT.  I responded to a posting in the AT Magazine and exchanged emails with Lee from TN and Randy from VA and agreed to join them to hike across New Jersey on September 1st through the 7th.  Lee was making all the arrangements and he found a NJ State Pa, Swartswood, that was nearly in the middle of the State.  Lee and Randy had hiked before but this was going to be my first time to day hike and tent for seven (7) days and sleep in my Coleman Tent for six (6) nights.  Their plan was to meet at Swartswood State Park in the early afternoon of September 1st and then do a short 3+ mile hike.  I got a lot of ideas from their planning and have used all of it on my future Slack Packing hikes.  Our routine each day would be to get up early, around sunrise and drive to McDonald's for breakfast and coffee.  Position our end car and drive to our start point and hike either north or south depending on the terrain.  They preferred to hike from the lower elevation to the higher elevation at the beginning of the day and head down at the end of the day.  We'd have lunch on the trail each day and after we got back to the State Park, shower and change clothes and got into town for dinner.  I really liked this plan and have used it most of the time I've Slack Packed.

A couple of days our hikers were in the 8.5 miles range, we had two hikes in the 9 to 9.5 miles range and one hike of nearly 14 miles and another just over 15 miles.  I've never hiked more than 10 miles a day so several of these hikes pushed my limit.  My feet always get hot and I was concerned about blisters.  On one of our hikes I saw Randy applying something to his feet during our lunch break and he told me he'd been using "Body Glide" on his feet in the morning and again during the day to prevent blisters.  He shared his Body Glide with me and my feet felt cooler.  Since September of 2012 I always use Body Glide in the morning before I start hiking and on some days apply it again mid-day especially if the temperatures are really hot.

Overall New Jersey was a great experience with some ridge walking and a few short climbs and descents.  For a new hiker this was an ideal experience.  In 2012 I only hiked for 10 days and only hiked 107 AT miles.  Between 2005 and 2011 I had only hiked 10 days and only 33 AT miles.

 

2005 Through 2011 Backpacking

My second and third solo overnight backpacking hikes didn't happen until 2005 and then again in 2010.  In the summer of 2005 I planned for a 40 mile backpack from Pen Mar north to Caledonia State Park in Pennsylvania and return to Pen Mar.  Using the AT Data Book (I stopped using this in 2009 when I realized how much more comprehensive and details were in  David AWOL Miller's AT Guide) I knew there was a shelter 10 miles north of Pen Mar and that I could camp in Caledonia State Park.  My plan was to hike 10 miles to Tumbling Run Shelters (1 for snoring and 1 for non-snoring) on my first night then hike north to Caledonia State Park and overnight my second night.  I would retrace my hike south and end up back at my Subaru in Pen Mar.

After crossing the RR tracks and the Mason-Dixon Line sign I had an initial climb that was pretty easy.  By this time I was using my new ULA P2 backpack and my pack weight was down considerably.  I was hiking in my LL Bean hiking boots and my feet became hot and I had to stop several times to take off my boots and air out my feet.  By the time I had gotten to Tumbling Run Shelters I had a blister on one heel and an almost blister on the other heel.  I had gone from a hot spot to a blister so quickly that I hadn't noticed it.  I tried to use the blister patches I had but my feet were so full of moisture they didn't stick.  I even tried to soak my feet in the stream near the shelter but that only worked for awhile.  The next day I hiked back to my car in Pen Mar stopping every 30 or so minutes to check my heels.  This would be the last time I hiked with these LL Bean Boots and they just built up too much heat and I had to find something else to use for hiking.  It was at this time that I began to use Merrill trail shoes.    

In September of 2009 I attempted to summit Katahdin in Baxter State Park and got to within two miles of the summit and had to turn back.  Yes, this was an "off the couch" attempt to hike the Hunt Trail.  I considered myself to be in good shape for a 69 year old, but it had taken me nearly 6 hours to reach the two mile arrow on the rocks and I was low on water and tired.  At the time I had no idea I had climbed and scrambled up the hardest part of the Hunt Trail.  Had I'd done more research and talked to more hikers I would have realized that the last 2 miles were a lot less difficult.  My other concern was climbing down what I came up in the dark.  I decided not to take the risk and quit and returned to my tent site at Katahdin Stream Campground.  I ran out of water about a 1 1/2 miles from the Campground and reduced my pace as I knew this part of the Hunt Trail was pretty easy and flat and had a great slopped downgrade.  I knew I was dehydrated and took a lot of time to cover these last miles as I didn't want to risk an injury at this point.  I had met a Thru Hiker on his way up and again on his way down and I told him I'd take him into Millinocket after I finished.  As a side note here to anyone hiking Katahdin is that unless you have arranged for a pick up after submitting Baxter you are 20 miles from Millinocket and hitching a ride back to town could be an issue.  Charlie helped me back up my gear and I drove him into Millinocket where we had a large Shrimp Pizza to celebrate his completion of the AT.  We've remained friends since 2009. 

In May of 2010 I had made contact with another younger senior, Ron, age 65, who also liked hiking and we had arranged to hike across Maryland, but he developed a medical issue so I decided to use a "shuttle service" and hike from Harpers Ferry to Bears Den.
I met my "shuttle" driver at the parking area at Bears Den and he drove me into Harpers Ferry so I could hike south.  At this time I was tenting as I had heard many stories about various issues about sleeping in shelters.  I tented at the David Lesser Memorial Shelter and had the entire shelter and tenting area to myself.  The next day I crossed into Virginia and encountered my first "road hazard".  I had to cross VA 7 at Snickers Gap which is a 4 lane highway with a median.  The AT crosses this busy highway and I had to run across 2 lanes as there is no sign on the highway that the AT crosses here.  Apparently the County doesn't want folks to know the AT is in there County.  My AT terrain map ends at VA 7 and I didn't pack the terrain map for this next section, big mistake.  I saw the white blaze and I also saw a blue blaze too.  Not having the terrain map I wasn't sure which trail to take to get to Bears Den.  I stopped to ask two women which trail went to Bears Den and they told me the blue blaze trail.  I took the blue blase trail and ended up in the AT parking area.  I had to retrace my steps and make a 200+ foot climb up to the blue blaze turnoff to Bears Den.  I passed these ladies again and I held my tongue.  I was almost out of water and I am glad I had some Lemon-lime Jelly Belly energy beans to eat.  Making sure I had the proper terrain maps is another important lesson learned on this hike.

At the end of July 2010 Ron and I finally got to backpack across Maryland.  This would be my longest backpack, but Ron had backpacked a lot more than I had and I expected to learn a lot from these next four days.  Yes, I had my Maryland terrain maps but I can't remember if I had made copies of the Maryland pages from my 2009 AWOL AT Guide.

We left my Subaru in Harpers Ferry where I had to complete a form that I would be leaving my car for the next four days and then Ron drove us in his Honda to Pen Mar.  We decided to have an early lunch as today was going to be an easy five mile day to Devils Racecourse Shelter (Raven Rocks Shelter replaced it), so we thought.  Somehow we missed the turnoff to Devils Racecourse and by the time we got to Raven Rock Rd, MD 491 we decided to push on to Ensign Cowall Shelter, but we decided to water up as we didn't know the water situation at the next shelter.  I had eaten some snacks, but I guess I was just hot and tired and on a slight incline after the creek I fell forward rolling like a ball.  Ron came back to check on me and I was fine except for a scratch on my right leg.  I decided to eat another protein bar before continuing on.  At one point after crossing Foxville Road, MD 77 I looked at the big wide open field we were hiking through and asked Ron if we could just stop, pitch our tents and go to sleep.  He laughed saying we only had a mile to go.  It was nearly 8pm when we reached the shelter and I pitched my tent, crawled into my sleeping bag and went to sleep as I was too tired to eat.  Lesson learned today was pay attention to trail signs and signs for shelters.

The next several days were pretty easy, but my ankles were sore.  I was hiking in Merrill's and they didn't provide a lot of ankle support.  The last day the hardest part of this day was coming Weverton Cliffs and I had to stop several times to rest my sore ankles.  The C&O Towpath is nearly flat but does have some dips.  Again, fatigue was a factor as I hit one of these dips and it through me to my right and towards the green muck of the old canal.  Ron grabbed my pack strap and saved me from a wet and slimy end.  As tired as I was I watched my footing.  We had finished the 40+ miles of the Maryland AT in 3 1/2 days and enjoyed our tacos and beer.

In May 2011, Ron and I made plans to hike from Springer Mountain Georgia to Neels Gap, about 31 miles.  We also decided to use a "shuttle" to pick us up at Neels Gap and take us to US Forest Service Road 42, which would put us 9/10th of a mile south of Springer Mountain.  We both agreed that we didn't want to hike the nearly 9 miles from Amicalola Falls State Park to Springer Mountain as we had heard this would be hard miles.  Although Ron and I were carrying tents, we decided to sleep in the shelters if we encountered rain.  Our "shuttle" driver Dixie said it was going to rain today around 4pm.  We got to Hawk Mountain Shelter around 3pm and by 5pm the sky darken and it poured.  We had hail stones part of the time too.  The shelter was packed and I got dripped on by those on the upper level.  Ron set up his tent after it stopped raining but I stayed in the shelter.  Gooch Mountain Shelter was our next nights stop and I stayed in the shelter in spite of two guys who constantly smoked.  Their snoring was so loud I missed not having earplugs.  We had planned to use the Woods Hole Shelter but I wanted to avoid the "smokers" so we tented at the campsite off Slaughter Creek Trail and I had a peaceful and quiet night.

The climb up the rest of Blood Mountain wasn't difficult as I had become a good climber.  We had lunch at near the old stone Blood Mountain Shelter and took a lot of photo's before heading down the trail.  This trail was one of worst maintained trails I had been on and I took my time coming down.  Ron took the side trail to where we had left his Honda and I continued down to Neels Gap.  There was a long line for the showers but we were happy we'd completed these 31.7 miles in 3 1/2 days.  I also enjoyed my 2 hot dogs and Pepsi too.


In July 2011 Ron and I drove to Maine to hike Katahdin to Baxter Peak.  Ron had already hiked the Hunt Trail and we decided to hike to Baxter Peak via Chimney Pond Campsite.
We left my Subaru at Roaring Brook Campgrounds and hiked the 3.3 miles to the Bunkhouse at Chimney where we'd be for the next 2 days and 2 nights.  On Sunday July 11th we got up early, left most of our gear in the Bunkhouse and carrying daypacks with extra clothing, water,  our lunch and lots of snacks started up 2.2 miles of the Saddle Trail to Baxter Peak.  Except for the last 1/10th of a mile the Saddle Trail is pretty easy with a number of large rocks to crawl up and over.  This last 1/10th of a mile is loose shale rock and it becomes a scramble on all fours.  We could tell that it was a lot colder so we put on extra layers and I put on my Patagonia Wind-shirt.  It was cloudy and overcast and Ron almost took a turn to our left that would have put us on the Cathedral Trail that ends up back at Chimney Pond.  I called out to him to stop and he did. 

The summit was fogged in when we arrived, but within 15 minutes the winds blew off the fog and we had a wonderful and grand 360 degree view.  We took lots of photo's at the Katahdin sign and then headed down the Hunt Trail 1 mile to Thoreau Spring.  At this point I was 1 mile from the place I had quit in September of 2009 and Ron and I hiked this mile down to the 2 mile arrow on the rocks turned around and headed back up the Hunt Trail to Thoreau Spring.  We turned left and took the Baxter Cutoff trail to the Saddle Trail turned left and continued to the spot where the Saddle Trail drops off and becomes shale.  Ron just walked or sort of skiied down and I just sat on my butt and slide down.  I was very tired and decided I needed to eat and drink before hiking down.  It was also great to just sit in the warm sun and relax after what had been thus far a hard day.  Ron got back to the Bunkhouse about 45 minutes before I did and again I was so exhausted I had trouble walking.  I did manage to go down to Chimney Pond and filter and refilled my water containers.  I still wasn't hungry but Ron offered me a packet of cheese and crackers and I ate them and drank some water lased with Gatorade.  As tired as I was I slept badly and woke up several times.

On Monday July 12th after eating a good breakfast of oatmeal and peanut butter and having a Starbucks VIVA coffee with three sugars I was ready to hike out.  I didn't notice it at first but Ron was wearing his full face bug mask and when I asked him about it he said he was fine.  I think he said the gnats were bothering him.  When we finally got down to Roaring Brook Campground and he took off his bug mask I was shocked to see his swollen face.  He looked like Rocky at the end of the first Rocky movie.  He said he was having a reaction to the gnat bites and I asked him if he had anything he could take and he said he had forgotten to bring an Epipen.  We encountered some hikers and they offered him some Benedryl and he took several pills.  I decided to take him to the Hospital in Millinocket as I recalled there was one near the downtown area.  The doctor told him that a number of people who come to Maine have this allergic reaction to gnat bites in Maine.  The doctor gave him some medicine and we decided to cancel the rest of our hiking plans and head back to Maryland.
We stopped that night in Massachusetts and by Tuesday morning he was a lot less swollen but he didn't look great.  By the time I drove him to his home on the Eastern shore we was a lot better, but his wife screamed when she saw him.  So glad she hadn't seen him on Monday.  I had done all the driving and I was really tired so I asked Ron if I could sleep for a few hours before heading back to my home near Annapolis.

This would be the last time Ron and I would be able to hike together as he developed skin cancer and it would take his life in 2012.   

Learned lots during these years, including hydration and eating often.  Not pushing for more miles than you are comfortable with and most of all, proper footwear and replacing it before it wears out.  I always carry more water than I plan to use, just in case and I have a habit of carrying more food too.  Because I'm not 75 I wear my ACE flexible ankle braces (2013) almost every time I hike the AT and I now wear my Asolo Boots (2015) which provide better ankle support but have a thicker sole so I don't feel the rocks as much.  The Merrill soles were just too thin and I could star to feel the rocks within months