It's been way too long since the last update. The guys made it to Monson last Saturday where Dale went to seek medical attention for his cuts. Their plan was to spend two nights in Monson to rest up before the final week of hiking. Thank goodness, since Dale needed the extra day to make sure that the antibiotic didn't play havoc with his system. Both guys needed the time to rest in a "real" bed.
They called before they headed out on Tuesday morning for their final week. Ben said that he was trying to get his mind ready for seven more days. We talked about how difficult it must be for through hikers to keep on track when they hike for six months. They Ben was ready to get moving. Dale was doing much the same. He was more worried about the logistics, hiking the last 100 miles in seven days.
They were able to call me on Tuesday afternoon. It was about 4:30 p.m. They had hiked about 15 miles up a mountain and had about another mile before they were going to call it a day. They had another long day up another mountain on Wednesday . . . it was going to be 17 miles. The maps say that after Wednesday their hiking will be realatively flat.
I will meet them at Baxter State Park on Tuesday morning at 5:00 a.m. to hike the last eight miles. That is four miles up the mountain to 4000 feet above sea level and four miles down. I have had a very busy summer, that has not included getting in shape so I told them they were going to have to slow down and wait for me. We'll have to see how it goes. At any rate, even if they smoke me on the trail, I will get to see the joy of completion. I am very proud of them and can't wait to see them achieve their goal!!!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Visit to the Doctor...
I spoke with my mom and she said that she had talked to the guys. Some of Dad's cuts were bothering him and so they decided to go to the doctor. It turns out he got a staf infection, and the doctor gave him some antibiotics to hopefully wipe it out. They stayed overnight in a hotel after they visited with the doctor to make sure everything was starting to feel better.
Even with the minor setbacks they are still keeing their schedule pretty well. 7 days until they summit Katahdin!
Even with the minor setbacks they are still keeing their schedule pretty well. 7 days until they summit Katahdin!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Pictures from Julie
Here are some pictures from Julie. She was able to see they guys when they had one of their overnight stays in the hotels. Here are the guys in front of their room post-shower:
Here is the hotel sign:
The place they ate at. Dad's theory: if there are a lot of cars in the parking lot, chances are it is a good restaurant.
Injury count - Dad's feet:
Dad's legs:
Dad's arm:
Dad's hand:
Dad's upper leg:
Ben's feet:
Ben's legs:
Ben's neck:
Here is the hotel sign:
The place they ate at. Dad's theory: if there are a lot of cars in the parking lot, chances are it is a good restaurant. 
Injury count - Dad's feet:
Dad's legs:
Dad's arm:
Dad's hand:
Dad's upper leg:
Ben's feet:
Ben's legs:
Ben's neck:
Ben's hand/arm:
Ben loves dessert!
See!
Ben loves dessert!
See!
Dad misses it too!
These pictures were taken in the middle of June, so they are a little further along at this point.
These pictures were taken in the middle of June, so they are a little further along at this point. Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Update on the Hikers
Okay, this is my first post to the blog, so I hope this works.
Julie and I spoke with Dad and Ben on the 3rd and they seemed to be in good spirits. They were on the Horn (insert corny joke from Ben here - can you hear us, ha ha). They were five miles into their day, and there were two shelters they could shoot for one was less than five miles and one was more like ten. They said they would just have to see. The wind was blowing pretty hard, so I would guess that would be a factor.
Here is another update from Mom (Terri):
Dad & Ben are doing well. They continue to amaze me with their flexibility. They planned their trip so that they would have two nights off the trail relatively close together. I think thir off days were to be July 2nd & 5th. Both nights they planned to stay at the same hostel. The hostel provides shuttle service.
When they got to the hostel only the box for the 2nd was there. They were concerned because of the holiday. Anyway, yesterday when they arrived only one of the two boxes I sent for the 5th was at the hostel. Naturally they were a bit distressed. They did what they could, washing clothes, looking at maps & whatever else they could come up with a new plan. They decided to take a zero day today. While I was talking with them on the 6th morning box #2 arrived. They will hit the trail again on the 7th.
It looks like they are really working as a team to achieve their goal!
Julie and I spoke with Dad and Ben on the 3rd and they seemed to be in good spirits. They were on the Horn (insert corny joke from Ben here - can you hear us, ha ha). They were five miles into their day, and there were two shelters they could shoot for one was less than five miles and one was more like ten. They said they would just have to see. The wind was blowing pretty hard, so I would guess that would be a factor.
Here is another update from Mom (Terri):
Dad & Ben are doing well. They continue to amaze me with their flexibility. They planned their trip so that they would have two nights off the trail relatively close together. I think thir off days were to be July 2nd & 5th. Both nights they planned to stay at the same hostel. The hostel provides shuttle service.
When they got to the hostel only the box for the 2nd was there. They were concerned because of the holiday. Anyway, yesterday when they arrived only one of the two boxes I sent for the 5th was at the hostel. Naturally they were a bit distressed. They did what they could, washing clothes, looking at maps & whatever else they could come up with a new plan. They decided to take a zero day today. While I was talking with them on the 6th morning box #2 arrived. They will hit the trail again on the 7th.
It looks like they are really working as a team to achieve their goal!
Friday, July 2, 2010
June 2 - No more photos for now :(
Sadly, I have run out of time so I'll have to post the photos later.
Brief Update
Dale and Ben were somewhat disappointed that they could not keep up with the rigors of their planned agenda. The day that they hiked the “hardest mile” of the trial they only hiked 5 miles. I have not heard from them in several days, but they told me that they were trying to decide if they should try to hike longer days to maintain the schedule. My guess is that they have been doing just that.
The weather has been fairly good, some rain, but nothing they cannot handle. They have started to see a few more hikers so that makes the day a little more interesting. I am going to post some photos taken as they hiked. They have truly seen some beautiful stuff along the way . . . to fulfilling their dream.
The weather has been fairly good, some rain, but nothing they cannot handle. They have started to see a few more hikers so that makes the day a little more interesting. I am going to post some photos taken as they hiked. They have truly seen some beautiful stuff along the way . . . to fulfilling their dream.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Spectacular
The guys called today around 5:00 p.m. They were nearly to their designated shelter. They were in good spirits. Dale was complaining that Ben didn't laugh at his jokes.
According to Ben, Dale has a very appropirate hiking name (Turtle). Well, Ben did add a description to Dale's hiking name "Pokey Turtle" ...you guessed it, Dale's pace is definitely slower than Ben's. I asked if it was becuase Dale was having a hard time. Ben said, "No, he's just a slow hiker. That means that I get lots of time to rest."
The good news is that they are still teasing one another. All is well as long as they have something to talk about. Neither Ben nor Dale are very big talkers.
Last night when they arrived at the shleter they met another hiker. Coinsidentally, the hiker was from metro Atlanta. Not just metro Atlanta, but he graduated a year ahead of Ben from the same high school and . . . was in the same boy scout troop as Ben! What a small world it is!
Over the course of the last 23 days Dale has shared stories about falling, but Ben really hasn't said much about missed steps. I figured that either Ben had not fallen or that he didn't want to talk about it. Well it turns out that Ben won the most spactacular fall award for the year. Not only that, he won that award today!! Ben said that he was hiking along and lost his footing. He fell down, landing on his backside. As he was sliding he rolled to his side. He couldn't stop the momentum until he rolled on his back landing in a ditch. Of course this debacle happened in a blink of the eye. There he was lying there with is backpack lodged the ditch. Somehow Ben managed to get on his feet without any help. There were no broken bones! Yes! And only a few scratches (That trail talk for, I got skinned up and really don't want to talk about it.)
As Ben was telling me his story I was laughing. Then Ben said something like, yup, I'm just like ice cream . . . "Good Humor." Ugh . . . Dale is really rubbing off on Ben. Maybe Dale is going to have to start laughing at Ben's jokes. Get it? Huh? Get it? Ugh!!
According to Ben, Dale has a very appropirate hiking name (Turtle). Well, Ben did add a description to Dale's hiking name "Pokey Turtle" ...you guessed it, Dale's pace is definitely slower than Ben's. I asked if it was becuase Dale was having a hard time. Ben said, "No, he's just a slow hiker. That means that I get lots of time to rest."
The good news is that they are still teasing one another. All is well as long as they have something to talk about. Neither Ben nor Dale are very big talkers.
Last night when they arrived at the shleter they met another hiker. Coinsidentally, the hiker was from metro Atlanta. Not just metro Atlanta, but he graduated a year ahead of Ben from the same high school and . . . was in the same boy scout troop as Ben! What a small world it is!
Over the course of the last 23 days Dale has shared stories about falling, but Ben really hasn't said much about missed steps. I figured that either Ben had not fallen or that he didn't want to talk about it. Well it turns out that Ben won the most spactacular fall award for the year. Not only that, he won that award today!! Ben said that he was hiking along and lost his footing. He fell down, landing on his backside. As he was sliding he rolled to his side. He couldn't stop the momentum until he rolled on his back landing in a ditch. Of course this debacle happened in a blink of the eye. There he was lying there with is backpack lodged the ditch. Somehow Ben managed to get on his feet without any help. There were no broken bones! Yes! And only a few scratches (That trail talk for, I got skinned up and really don't want to talk about it.)
As Ben was telling me his story I was laughing. Then Ben said something like, yup, I'm just like ice cream . . . "Good Humor." Ugh . . . Dale is really rubbing off on Ben. Maybe Dale is going to have to start laughing at Ben's jokes. Get it? Huh? Get it? Ugh!!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Made it to Gorham and Beyond
The guys have made it through another week. Over the past seven days they have hiked through the White Mountains and are now heading toward another set of challenging terrain. Ben seems to be doing well. Dale appears to have been a little more acrobatic. Dale said that wood has been places over some of the more swampy parts of the trail. About mid week he walked across one of those wooden planks. The wood was so slick he thought he was on ice. From what he described he did some gymnastic moves to save himself. Thank goodness the only casualty was a trekking pole.
During one of the midweek updates Dale mentioned that his shoes were falling apart. Yup, that’s right . . . those new shoes are falling apart. Thank goodness REI was able to ship a new pair of shoes to Gorham. (OK, maybe that’s an overstatement. They shipped the shoes because we purchased them, not out of the goodness of their heart. Although, REI really does have good customer service!)
Apparently Dale was struggling a bit with his energy level last Saturday. That explains why they cut the day short. Not to worry. The next few days they pushed and made it to Gorham. Julie was able to visit them. She also served as their chauffer taking them to get the pole fixed and assorted other things. From what Dale said, Julie was less than impressed with the Motor Inn they were staying in. It had to be pretty bad for Julie to say something!
Even though the Motor Inn was not even close to four star hotel, they were grateful to be there. They managed to relax and take their first scheduled zero day. It was a good chance for them to prepare for several more weeks on the trail.
Today they called at 7:30 a.m. just before they got on the trail. They were in good spirits. I was too until they shared this little tidbit of information. If I want to walk up Katadin with them to see them finish I will have two choices. Choice #1 – be at the park when it opens at 5:00 a.m. or Choice #2 bring a tent and sleep in the campground. OK . . . Dale’s sister Ann is probably thinking what a sissy I am about now, but really it’s not about the tent camping. It’s about the smell. They will have nine (9) days of funk on them when I arrive. Even the wildlife steer clear of them when they smell that bad!!!! Yuck!
Day 22
Miles Completed: 245.70
During one of the midweek updates Dale mentioned that his shoes were falling apart. Yup, that’s right . . . those new shoes are falling apart. Thank goodness REI was able to ship a new pair of shoes to Gorham. (OK, maybe that’s an overstatement. They shipped the shoes because we purchased them, not out of the goodness of their heart. Although, REI really does have good customer service!)
Apparently Dale was struggling a bit with his energy level last Saturday. That explains why they cut the day short. Not to worry. The next few days they pushed and made it to Gorham. Julie was able to visit them. She also served as their chauffer taking them to get the pole fixed and assorted other things. From what Dale said, Julie was less than impressed with the Motor Inn they were staying in. It had to be pretty bad for Julie to say something!
Even though the Motor Inn was not even close to four star hotel, they were grateful to be there. They managed to relax and take their first scheduled zero day. It was a good chance for them to prepare for several more weeks on the trail.
Today they called at 7:30 a.m. just before they got on the trail. They were in good spirits. I was too until they shared this little tidbit of information. If I want to walk up Katadin with them to see them finish I will have two choices. Choice #1 – be at the park when it opens at 5:00 a.m. or Choice #2 bring a tent and sleep in the campground. OK . . . Dale’s sister Ann is probably thinking what a sissy I am about now, but really it’s not about the tent camping. It’s about the smell. They will have nine (9) days of funk on them when I arrive. Even the wildlife steer clear of them when they smell that bad!!!! Yuck!
Day 22
Miles Completed: 245.70
Sunday, June 20, 2010
June 19 - Text Message
"Had a short day today ended at Garfield Ridge. Plan to make up for it tomorrow." They planned to hike 13.2 miles today, but only completed 7.3 miles.
Day 15
Miles Completed: 174.9
Day 15
Miles Completed: 174.9
Friday, June 18, 2010
June 18, 2010 - Sunny Day
Once upon a time there were to men who had a dream to hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Unfortunately they did not have the freedom to pursue this in one year. Instead of one long dream the adventure turned in to a series of short dreams . . . like all things in life, moderation is good. The adventure started off with less than a week on the trail, two extremely heavy packs and many lessons learned. Some dreams were like nightmares like the dream of 2006 when over 80 percent of the dream included rain. Other years were so hot that the hikers learned the power of Desitin to soothe the heat rash that covered some of their 2000 parts. Mother Nature blessed the hikers with many beautiful days that instantly motivated them to stay the course and accomplish their goal.
This year the hikers were 13 days through their adventure when lessons learned were handy. Hikers, outdoor types that usually do not answer to the “rain delay” theory, trudged along until their goal was reached. (Less adventurous support crew members stayed at home, sent packages and blogged! ) In hiker land, a.k.a. just outside of Glencliff, NH, the rain poured all day, stopping about the time the hikers got to the shelter. Even after all that rain the hikers mulled over pushing on. Should they try to go further than the nine miles that they had on their schedule? (Commentary . . . this story was so idealistic until that word sprung up. . . “schedule” . . . like all good tales an oxymoron lies somewhere hidden beneath the surface. Hence forth we must make allowances for the hikers . . . since the time they spend as Clark Kent is permeated with planning for their next hike . . . all that planning leads to schedules, which means that underneath that woodsmen idealism outer shell they really are TYPE A PLANNERS!) Ahhhhh . . . back to the real story . . . upon arriving at the shelter they started their nightly chores, getting water purified for the next day, making dinner and such. The temperatures were a chilling 50+ degrees. At some point the hikers had an aha moment and realized that they were near hypothermia and should call it a day. They changed their clothes, snuggled in their sleeping bags and shivered for about an hour until they could warm up enough to fall asleep. (Commentary . . . exhaustion is a good thing. If nothing else it makes sleeping on a wooden plank bed in a three sided shelter seem like the Hampton Inn when you are shivering yourself to sleep.)
Today, day 14, the hikers, woke to a beautiful bright skies. The sun was shining, temperatures climbed to the 70s and the clouds dissipated. Mother Nature reminded the hikers of the glorious world they live in . . . well sort of. Turtle, a true scholar of the trail literature said, “You know how the Hikers Companion calls the Whites [mountains] challenging, their not challenging - these mountains are f_ _ _ _ _ _ demanding.” In exchange for the beautiful day, Mother Nature provided a series of rock faces and steep angles that challenged the hikers to be creative. The day started out with the trail leading up the mountain. Long legged Navigator challenged vertically challenged Turtle to step up or zig zag around to move on. Turtle responded with a mutter as his shorter legs were not able to stretch quite as far or a nimbly as Navigator coaxed. Unfortunately Turtle’s designated path forced him to leave a little skin behind. (Commentary . . . "leaving a little skin behind" is Turtle’s way of assuring the support staff that he didn’t get hurt when he fell, but he got a little skinned up.) The uphill climb was rewarded with a down hill climb over equally arduous terrain. The hikers seemed to think the downhill was easier than uphill. The hikers were in good form . . . looking forward to reaching Liberty Springs shelter by dinner time.
The day was punctuated by a “bird attack” of sorts. Navigator was strolling along, well maybe not strolling (see above), when a bird was standing dead ahead giving the old stink eye glare. Navigator slowed the pace, took a few steps forward. Stink Eye flapped her wings warding Navigator off. Hmmm thought Navigator,maybe old Stink Eye has some babies nearby. I will take my trusty trekking pole and tap it on the palm of my hand to scare this football size creature. Hmmmm thought the bird, that tall stinky creature with a lump on his back is not going to scare me with a little tap, tap. After all, I am woman and he will hear me roar. Stink Eye held her ground. Navigator decided that it might be better to make broad sweeping motions with the slightly thicker handle end of the pole just to see if the movement would frighten Stink Eye off the trail long enough, for what was now the dynamic duo, to pass. Stink Eye relented, either out of fear or frustration, so Navigator and Turtle were able to hike on.
Today had two happy endings . . . a beautiful day and a battle won.
Day 14
Miles Completed: 167.60
This year the hikers were 13 days through their adventure when lessons learned were handy. Hikers, outdoor types that usually do not answer to the “rain delay” theory, trudged along until their goal was reached. (Less adventurous support crew members stayed at home, sent packages and blogged! ) In hiker land, a.k.a. just outside of Glencliff, NH, the rain poured all day, stopping about the time the hikers got to the shelter. Even after all that rain the hikers mulled over pushing on. Should they try to go further than the nine miles that they had on their schedule? (Commentary . . . this story was so idealistic until that word sprung up. . . “schedule” . . . like all good tales an oxymoron lies somewhere hidden beneath the surface. Hence forth we must make allowances for the hikers . . . since the time they spend as Clark Kent is permeated with planning for their next hike . . . all that planning leads to schedules, which means that underneath that woodsmen idealism outer shell they really are TYPE A PLANNERS!) Ahhhhh . . . back to the real story . . . upon arriving at the shelter they started their nightly chores, getting water purified for the next day, making dinner and such. The temperatures were a chilling 50+ degrees. At some point the hikers had an aha moment and realized that they were near hypothermia and should call it a day. They changed their clothes, snuggled in their sleeping bags and shivered for about an hour until they could warm up enough to fall asleep. (Commentary . . . exhaustion is a good thing. If nothing else it makes sleeping on a wooden plank bed in a three sided shelter seem like the Hampton Inn when you are shivering yourself to sleep.)
Today, day 14, the hikers, woke to a beautiful bright skies. The sun was shining, temperatures climbed to the 70s and the clouds dissipated. Mother Nature reminded the hikers of the glorious world they live in . . . well sort of. Turtle, a true scholar of the trail literature said, “You know how the Hikers Companion calls the Whites [mountains] challenging, their not challenging - these mountains are f_ _ _ _ _ _ demanding.” In exchange for the beautiful day, Mother Nature provided a series of rock faces and steep angles that challenged the hikers to be creative. The day started out with the trail leading up the mountain. Long legged Navigator challenged vertically challenged Turtle to step up or zig zag around to move on. Turtle responded with a mutter as his shorter legs were not able to stretch quite as far or a nimbly as Navigator coaxed. Unfortunately Turtle’s designated path forced him to leave a little skin behind. (Commentary . . . "leaving a little skin behind" is Turtle’s way of assuring the support staff that he didn’t get hurt when he fell, but he got a little skinned up.) The uphill climb was rewarded with a down hill climb over equally arduous terrain. The hikers seemed to think the downhill was easier than uphill. The hikers were in good form . . . looking forward to reaching Liberty Springs shelter by dinner time.
The day was punctuated by a “bird attack” of sorts. Navigator was strolling along, well maybe not strolling (see above), when a bird was standing dead ahead giving the old stink eye glare. Navigator slowed the pace, took a few steps forward. Stink Eye flapped her wings warding Navigator off. Hmmm thought Navigator,maybe old Stink Eye has some babies nearby. I will take my trusty trekking pole and tap it on the palm of my hand to scare this football size creature. Hmmmm thought the bird, that tall stinky creature with a lump on his back is not going to scare me with a little tap, tap. After all, I am woman and he will hear me roar. Stink Eye held her ground. Navigator decided that it might be better to make broad sweeping motions with the slightly thicker handle end of the pole just to see if the movement would frighten Stink Eye off the trail long enough, for what was now the dynamic duo, to pass. Stink Eye relented, either out of fear or frustration, so Navigator and Turtle were able to hike on.
Today had two happy endings . . . a beautiful day and a battle won.
Day 14
Miles Completed: 167.60
Thursday, June 17, 2010
From Ben
Ben was able to get to a computer at Glencliff on June 15. Here's the news . . .
Hey I hope you are having a good day we spent the night last night in Glencliff at the hostel. The people that ran the hostel seemed to be really nice for the most part and the other hikers were good company. The only down sides to the hostel were that we had to sleep on bunk beds which were not especially comfortable there was a bunch of road noise and there were some hikers that decided to stay up late which made it to a little bit hard to fall asleep. Overall it was a pretty good experience and we look forward to talking to you again when we get a signal.
Hey I hope you are having a good day we spent the night last night in Glencliff at the hostel. The people that ran the hostel seemed to be really nice for the most part and the other hikers were good company. The only down sides to the hostel were that we had to sleep on bunk beds which were not especially comfortable there was a bunch of road noise and there were some hikers that decided to stay up late which made it to a little bit hard to fall asleep. Overall it was a pretty good experience and we look forward to talking to you again when we get a signal.
June 17, 2010 - Nearly 30%
It is hard to believe that Turtle and Navigator are nearly 30% finished with their journey. Today is day 13 of 45! From all reports experiences from past years have given them the fortitude to push forward with a good attitude. In past years they have dealt with weather from extreme heat and humidity to scary storms which made them take shelter under of all things a huge tree. Once again rain and the aftermath have made hiking a challenge. By day eight of the hike they had only had three non-rain days. It’s hard to say that the non-rain days were dry since the dryer days were sandwiched between the rain days. Yesterday they started hiking in the White Mounts. The Hiker’s Companion states, “Extra caution should be exercised while above the treeline, due to rapidly changing weather and the lack of protection from it.” Ahhhh . . . they guys called from Mt. Moosilauke in the early afternoon yesterday. Apparently Ben was doing the “I’m cold dance” while talking to me and Dale, who rarely complains about being cold, had to cut the call short because his hands were so cold. The temperatures in closest city were reportedly 65 degrees. Dale said it was much colder than that, he guessed in the low 40s with strong winds. It was downright frigid since they had worked up a pretty good sweat hiking mostly uphill all day.
On Saturday Ben and Dale were hiking through Hanover, NH. Home of Dartmouth College, the ivy league town New England down . . . a place that was postcard perfect. They said that the hiked from the shelter three mile, three miles through the town of Hanover and then out of town before lunch. I asked if they stopped while in Hanover to take a break and get something to eat. “Well, it was kind of early when we got there so we didn’t stop . . . plus we were wet, looked like a couple of homeless refugees and we are kinda stinky.” They said that they didn’t pass any fast food restaurants and they didn’t think they would fit in with the ivy leaguers and linen tablecloths. Maybe not, but why not . . . if I was cold and wet I think I would have stopped someplace just because!
The blog would not be complete without the FOOT REPORT. Ben seems to be fairing pretty well. He only comments are that the rain has made it difficult to keep his feet dry. When asked if his feet were pruney, he said that they were worse than that. Dale on the other hand made a major breakthrough . . . he felt a hotspot on one of his feet so he got Moleskin on it right away. Why is that a breakthrough? In past years he would forge ahead, waiting to treat the hotspots until they stopped at the end of the day. By dinner time the hotspots had typically become blisters. Anyway, Dale’s only issue is the combination of the wet feet and cool temperatures have started to create chapped skin on his feet. He promised that he would try to figure out a way to treat the feet.
The FALL SCORECARD – Dale is the apparent winner. Over the weekend Dale reported that one part of the trail was pretty steep. He started climbing then slid down on his hands and feet. He had no choice but to give it another shot. Once again, he started climbing and slid back down. Luckily the third time was a charm. Ben has not reported any falls, so does it count as a fall if nobody sees you do it? Who knows! Ben has always been pretty steady on his feet!
The guys have only crossed paths with a few through hikers and some section hikers/day hikers/weekend hikers. Unfortunately there have not been many colorful stories yet or puppy dog tales to share. Most of the through hikers that have already reach NH are fast hikers. They blow past Ben and Dale like they are strolling down a city sidewalk. The weekend hikers have a different kind of mindset. The weekend hikers are a little “wilder” not settling down using hiker’s etiquette. Yes, there is hiker’s etiquette and that means settling down at an appropriately early time so that everyone gets a good nights sleep. Thankfully there have only been a few instances when fellow hikers didn’t settle down so all is well on that front.
To sum it all up . . . they are doing well and have made it through some very arduous days, including one 20.4 day. They are in good spirits. All is well.
Days out: 13
Miles completed: 156.20
On Saturday Ben and Dale were hiking through Hanover, NH. Home of Dartmouth College, the ivy league town New England down . . . a place that was postcard perfect. They said that the hiked from the shelter three mile, three miles through the town of Hanover and then out of town before lunch. I asked if they stopped while in Hanover to take a break and get something to eat. “Well, it was kind of early when we got there so we didn’t stop . . . plus we were wet, looked like a couple of homeless refugees and we are kinda stinky.” They said that they didn’t pass any fast food restaurants and they didn’t think they would fit in with the ivy leaguers and linen tablecloths. Maybe not, but why not . . . if I was cold and wet I think I would have stopped someplace just because!
The blog would not be complete without the FOOT REPORT. Ben seems to be fairing pretty well. He only comments are that the rain has made it difficult to keep his feet dry. When asked if his feet were pruney, he said that they were worse than that. Dale on the other hand made a major breakthrough . . . he felt a hotspot on one of his feet so he got Moleskin on it right away. Why is that a breakthrough? In past years he would forge ahead, waiting to treat the hotspots until they stopped at the end of the day. By dinner time the hotspots had typically become blisters. Anyway, Dale’s only issue is the combination of the wet feet and cool temperatures have started to create chapped skin on his feet. He promised that he would try to figure out a way to treat the feet.
The FALL SCORECARD – Dale is the apparent winner. Over the weekend Dale reported that one part of the trail was pretty steep. He started climbing then slid down on his hands and feet. He had no choice but to give it another shot. Once again, he started climbing and slid back down. Luckily the third time was a charm. Ben has not reported any falls, so does it count as a fall if nobody sees you do it? Who knows! Ben has always been pretty steady on his feet!
The guys have only crossed paths with a few through hikers and some section hikers/day hikers/weekend hikers. Unfortunately there have not been many colorful stories yet or puppy dog tales to share. Most of the through hikers that have already reach NH are fast hikers. They blow past Ben and Dale like they are strolling down a city sidewalk. The weekend hikers have a different kind of mindset. The weekend hikers are a little “wilder” not settling down using hiker’s etiquette. Yes, there is hiker’s etiquette and that means settling down at an appropriately early time so that everyone gets a good nights sleep. Thankfully there have only been a few instances when fellow hikers didn’t settle down so all is well on that front.
To sum it all up . . . they are doing well and have made it through some very arduous days, including one 20.4 day. They are in good spirits. All is well.
Days out: 13
Miles completed: 156.20
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Four Days Down
The adventurers have had four days on the trail . . . gear ($$$), clothing ($$), food for six weeks ($$) . . . overall experience (PRICELESS). As far as making the grade . . . mindset (C+), sore muscles (B), weather (C), first fall (undetermined, if you fall and nobody sees you did you really fall???), food (B) and participation (A+).
Day 2 was a wet one. Ben said that it rained for most of the day with the hardest rain around lunchtime. Dale said that it rained the better part of the day with breaks in the clouds and temperatures about 70. Either way, the weather was a bit of an issue. The trail becomes an obstacle course when water puddles or runs straight through it like a river. The only way to navigate is to move from side to side stepping on rocks, hoping for solid footing. At one point a bridge set up to cross a “not too deep” riverbed was out so they traversed the water, getting their feet, socks and who knows what else wet. Let’s just say that the next day their shoes were still wet.
Day 3 was another day of sprinkles, for about an hour, combined with cooler temperatures. They were grateful for their new hiking shoes since they allow more air circulation. This year they have gone from hiking boots to shoes that resemble tennis shoes. Their goal was to find shoes that were comfortable that would allow their feet to breath a little. At this point they feel like it was a good choice. The cloud cover cleared a bit so they were able to see better views from the overlooks. This was the second day in a row that they hiked without seeing anyone.
Day 4 yielded the first “reported” fall . . . Dale is fine, but one of his trekking poles needs a doctor’s visit. Ben was pretty funny, giving his Dad a hard time about breaking another pole. Today they were greeted by a resident porcupine at the shelter. Apparently Mr. Porcupine was rustling around in the wood. Dale tossed a stone to rattle the critter enough to encourage it to leave. From the notes at the shelter it appeared that the animal took exception to sharing its space during the night and hikers had to shush it is away. Ben reported that they are also sharing the space with gnats. Sounds like they were going to have a very memorable night!
Overall the guys are slowly getting their head in the hiker mode. This is one that I’ve only read about, but I understand that the hiker’s headset isn’t always easy to achieve. Their muscles are tight and somewhat sore. From what they say it is about normal. The weather, rain and lower temperatures have been a little challenging. In the coming weeks they will certainly have more of both so they are toughing it out for now. The food has been fine with the exception of a broken squirt cheese container in the lunch bag on the very first day out. It that’s the only food issue, then they are doing OK on that front. As for participation, they are doing fine. Both guys are tired but happy! That makes this hike PRICELESS!
Days out: 4
Miles completed: 47.9
Day 2 was a wet one. Ben said that it rained for most of the day with the hardest rain around lunchtime. Dale said that it rained the better part of the day with breaks in the clouds and temperatures about 70. Either way, the weather was a bit of an issue. The trail becomes an obstacle course when water puddles or runs straight through it like a river. The only way to navigate is to move from side to side stepping on rocks, hoping for solid footing. At one point a bridge set up to cross a “not too deep” riverbed was out so they traversed the water, getting their feet, socks and who knows what else wet. Let’s just say that the next day their shoes were still wet.
Day 3 was another day of sprinkles, for about an hour, combined with cooler temperatures. They were grateful for their new hiking shoes since they allow more air circulation. This year they have gone from hiking boots to shoes that resemble tennis shoes. Their goal was to find shoes that were comfortable that would allow their feet to breath a little. At this point they feel like it was a good choice. The cloud cover cleared a bit so they were able to see better views from the overlooks. This was the second day in a row that they hiked without seeing anyone.
Day 4 yielded the first “reported” fall . . . Dale is fine, but one of his trekking poles needs a doctor’s visit. Ben was pretty funny, giving his Dad a hard time about breaking another pole. Today they were greeted by a resident porcupine at the shelter. Apparently Mr. Porcupine was rustling around in the wood. Dale tossed a stone to rattle the critter enough to encourage it to leave. From the notes at the shelter it appeared that the animal took exception to sharing its space during the night and hikers had to shush it is away. Ben reported that they are also sharing the space with gnats. Sounds like they were going to have a very memorable night!
Overall the guys are slowly getting their head in the hiker mode. This is one that I’ve only read about, but I understand that the hiker’s headset isn’t always easy to achieve. Their muscles are tight and somewhat sore. From what they say it is about normal. The weather, rain and lower temperatures have been a little challenging. In the coming weeks they will certainly have more of both so they are toughing it out for now. The food has been fine with the exception of a broken squirt cheese container in the lunch bag on the very first day out. It that’s the only food issue, then they are doing OK on that front. As for participation, they are doing fine. Both guys are tired but happy! That makes this hike PRICELESS!
Days out: 4
Miles completed: 47.9
Sunday, June 6, 2010
2010 - Day 1
June 5, 2010 started the seventh consecutive year of section hiking the Appalachian Trail for Turtle and Navigator. That’s right, LUCKY 7! At just after 9:00 a.m. they set off just outside of Manchester Center, VT. The skies were overcast and the mountain tops were covered by fog. The ground was wet from the rain the night before. Ahhhhhh . . . Mother Nature shows her stuff.
The guys reported that the first day was humid, so they got a good sweat drenching workout as they hiked their first 10.1 miles. Other than the normal aches and pains, standard for carrying over 30 pounds of backpack while climbing over rocks uphill, they were in good shape. The only thing they reported as disappointing was the overlook at Bromley Mountain (elevation 3,260 feet) was non-existent because the mountain was covered in fog. Peru Peak shelter was nice. They shared the shelter with several other hikers.
Side bar ~ after dropping the guys off I headed back to toward town to start my journey back to the airport. On my way I picked up two female hikers, sisters, who were heading to town to pick up a few things. These amazing young ladies started their through hike in Georgia on February 24th, hiking in snow and the other treacherous conditions. The sisters not only caught up to Turtle and Navigator later in the day, they passed them heading north and on their way. Wow!
The overnight rain slowed to a sprinkle by the time the guys headed out this morning. The weather changed a bit with gusty winds and temperatures dropping to the mid 50s today. Those winds were more than a little gusty since Ben nearly was blown off the rock he was standing on while talking to me on the phone.
Days out: 1
Miles completed: 10.1
The guys reported that the first day was humid, so they got a good sweat drenching workout as they hiked their first 10.1 miles. Other than the normal aches and pains, standard for carrying over 30 pounds of backpack while climbing over rocks uphill, they were in good shape. The only thing they reported as disappointing was the overlook at Bromley Mountain (elevation 3,260 feet) was non-existent because the mountain was covered in fog. Peru Peak shelter was nice. They shared the shelter with several other hikers.
Side bar ~ after dropping the guys off I headed back to toward town to start my journey back to the airport. On my way I picked up two female hikers, sisters, who were heading to town to pick up a few things. These amazing young ladies started their through hike in Georgia on February 24th, hiking in snow and the other treacherous conditions. The sisters not only caught up to Turtle and Navigator later in the day, they passed them heading north and on their way. Wow!
The overnight rain slowed to a sprinkle by the time the guys headed out this morning. The weather changed a bit with gusty winds and temperatures dropping to the mid 50s today. Those winds were more than a little gusty since Ben nearly was blown off the rock he was standing on while talking to me on the phone.
Days out: 1
Miles completed: 10.1
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Counting Down
Turtle and Navigator hit the trail in one week. Everything seems to be in good order so far. Stay tuned for updates.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Looking Forward to 2010
What does January mean? For Dale it means bidding off days for the year, signing up for vacations and planning “the hike” for the year. Can you believe that planning the hike is what drives bidding off days and vacations for the year?
Hike planning is fluid, taking on a life of its own and growing over time. It’s the equivalent of home remodeling . . . it’s just never far from your mind and there is always one more thing to do. This is serious business, in fact so serious both guys sometimes move out of their comfort zones. Here’s the proof: Ben sends Dale a text about hiking and Dale responds. Those of you who know Dale well can attest to the fact that Dale only uses his cell phone out of necessity! Texting is an extreme sport for him!
After much ado, the decision was made to go all the way. What? Yes, they are planning to hike all the way to Katahdin this year. Sputter, sputter . . . wait, after the perils of last year they think they can hike more than 500 miles over mountains to summit in six weeks?!?!?! What are they thinking? As support crew I have intimate knowledge of the toll that hiking takes on them . . . so I threw down the gauntlet. No support from home unless they: (1) got in shape, (2) planned a reasonable schedule and (3) followed the Boy Scout motto, Be Prepared.
Dale and Ben took the challenge seriously starting with planning what seems to be a reasonable schedule for six weeks. Dale started working with a trainer to get in shape. Ben is making an effort to get to the gym on his own. Last but not least they have spent considerable time searching for new equipment, boots and food.
This is going to be a monumental year. The adventure that started in 2004 is set to end in 2010! Stayed tuned for updates!
Hike planning is fluid, taking on a life of its own and growing over time. It’s the equivalent of home remodeling . . . it’s just never far from your mind and there is always one more thing to do. This is serious business, in fact so serious both guys sometimes move out of their comfort zones. Here’s the proof: Ben sends Dale a text about hiking and Dale responds. Those of you who know Dale well can attest to the fact that Dale only uses his cell phone out of necessity! Texting is an extreme sport for him!
After much ado, the decision was made to go all the way. What? Yes, they are planning to hike all the way to Katahdin this year. Sputter, sputter . . . wait, after the perils of last year they think they can hike more than 500 miles over mountains to summit in six weeks?!?!?! What are they thinking? As support crew I have intimate knowledge of the toll that hiking takes on them . . . so I threw down the gauntlet. No support from home unless they: (1) got in shape, (2) planned a reasonable schedule and (3) followed the Boy Scout motto, Be Prepared.
Dale and Ben took the challenge seriously starting with planning what seems to be a reasonable schedule for six weeks. Dale started working with a trainer to get in shape. Ben is making an effort to get to the gym on his own. Last but not least they have spent considerable time searching for new equipment, boots and food.
This is going to be a monumental year. The adventure that started in 2004 is set to end in 2010! Stayed tuned for updates!
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