Homelessness and the Trail

As an added layer to the uniqueness of this trip, I will technically experience homelessness for the duration. My house lease expires soon after our departure date, so everything will be going into storage before that. As we leave Massachusetts, I will be carrying all that I need on my back leaving everything else behind, not being able to return to the place I have called home for the past 2 years. My responsible side wants to make the proper arrangements to move into a new house upon returning. However, the same adventurous side that wants to walk all this way wants to remain homeless because that adds to the story. From a purely practical standpoint, being homeless is what is making this trip especially easy on the budget. No rent plus no utilities equals a few thousand dollars I never have to spend. Sure, I have lost wages for missing three months of work, but wages seem a little less important when one also has practically no bills to pay.

Speaking of work: Today, I submitted to the Board of Selectmen, Town Administrator, and Director of my service my official letter requesting a leave of absence for three months. At their next meeting, they should give me approval (or not). I think I should be fine. Four town officials have opinions that matter. Only three (the board) have votes that count. Here is the breakdown:
The town administrator does not vote, but the board respects his opinion. Opinion: yes
The chair of the board: Definite yes. (Everyone in her family hikes so she is a huge ally)
Board member 2: Possible no.
Board member 3: Swing vote.
Of course, it is too soon to call. If the results go unfavorably, I will request a recount, and I know I always have the Supreme Court as a resource...


Happy hiking,

Finishing up the year

So, now that we're home from Ireland (I'm more eager for the photos to come out than anyone... hint hint AJ) I am ready for the end of the year.

As soon as I got back I was greeted with an 10 page law paper to write in three days, which is now, thankfully, over. After that there'll be a whole lot more reading, two twenty page term papers, a couple shorter papers etc. I am so ready to go! Perhaps it's the sophomore slump. When school gets out, I'll have about three weeks to focus on getting ready for the trail and cram for the LSAT. For those who aren't experts on the Law School Admission Test, it's basically 6 35-minute sections of pure joy that seems to matter more than anything for getting into the law school(s) of my dreams. Basically (at least for the high end of scores), each question wrong subtracts one point from the perfect score of 180. Scores of 170+ are what I need, and for whatever reason, getting a 174 is vastly better than getting a 171, which seems kinda silly to me since it's only a difference of 3/125 questions. C'est la vie. I will jump through these hoops. It's not even like they're the flaming hoops or anything, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Anyhow, as soon as the LSAT extravaganza is over (well, maybe a day later) we will start the A.T. adventure. Hooray! It's kind of a weird feeling to be so excited about doing something that I think will be so hard, but I think I'd be having a hard time staying sane for the rest of the semester if I didn't have something in mind that can keep pulling me forward.

In Ireland I walked at least 50 miles in my hiking boots, and absolutely no complaints. Ever since we got back I've been wearing other shoes, which have seemed really wimpy and also really unsupportive in comparison. I'm spoiled forever. So much for my short (but sweet) phase of wearing girly shoes.

My only recent gear purchase is a sleeping pad, from Steep and Cheap, which I plan to use on the upcoming 2-Nite campout (April 3-5). Not much else to report, so I'll get back to the trying to bail out some of the homework which is threatening to sink me, at least metaphorically.

We're back and I have new gear!

We have returned from Ireland, and as soon as I find the data cable for my camera, there will be pictures posted here of our many adventures on the Emerald Isle. This was a trip primarily for learning. Of course, to learn from a culture, you have to immerse yourself. You eat what they eat; you drink what they drink; you speak like they speak. In no time, you'll have fierce craic without banjaxin' the whole lot for bein' feckin Americans. As I said - stay tuned for photos.

Now there is another matter at hand. Now that one trip is out of the way, we have something else to worry about - getting ready for this long trip we've been talking about: the very reason for this blog. [Fun fact: In Ireland, hiking is known as "hill walking." Hill walking lacks a certain je ne sais quoi]. So I went gear shopping on Monday in Northampton to buy some footwear. I have always hiked in trail runners because I like my feet to be light and able to breathe well primarily. A lot of people told me that this was ridiculous, and that I would need something more durable for our journey. Upon consulting with the salesperson, he said I should do what feels right to me - simple enough advice, I guess. He has the AT and the Long Trail under his belt and makes frequent treks to the summits of the mountains in the Presidential Range. In a compromise, I selected the child that resulted from the mating of the hiking boot and trail runner. Hannah, being able to see into the future already posted a picture of the exact footwear I would buy. She's that amazing. Yes, I went with the Montrail Hardrock Mids.

As I was walking around the store, trying my new footwear, I stumbled across the trekking poles pictured to the left. They are not the ones I had my eye on, but I liked they way they looked and how they felt, so they came home with me. They are the Black Diamond Trail Shock Compacts. They are lightweight, and Black Diamond promises that they are strong. Being compact, they are not as long as their full-size sibling. They only extend to 125cm. It seems that my perfect length is about 120cm, so I just cannot get any taller...

Also in the footwear category, I received these Black Diamond Wildland firefighting boots today. I did not know that Black Diamond was in the firefighting market. I am pretty excited to use these. I always endorse products that will keep parts of me from catching on fire. Today is the official start of the burning season, and, inevitably, the start of brush fire season. I love fighting brush fires - it's like paid hiking. The trucks only go so far so you don your 50lb pack of water, grab and ax, shovel, or rake, and then trek into the woods to fight a line of fire often several acres in size, empty your pack, and return to the truck, repeating until the fire is out - usually for several hours or maybe days. Blah, blah, blah...I like fire...whatever...now getting back on topic: actual hiking.

I got an idea to get these sandals as they came up on http://www.steepandcheap.com. This website is perfect for the impulse buyer: one deal at a time up for 20-30 minutes, or until they're gone. Sometimes things are too hard to resist. I don't really ever wear sandals, but apparently, there are a lot of people who will even wear them hiking. That got me thinking (and the steepandcheap clock was ticking - imagine the pressure) - since we will inevitably be hiking on some rainy days, I just imagined the feeling of soggy boots on my feet, so sandals just seemed like a pair of little miracles. The Keen Maupin sandals will emerge from the pack when the weather is wet keeping the boots dry in my pack (if all goes planned). It should be nice and warm, and I want the rain to feel as refreshing as possible, and trench foot is SO World War I. Oh, and speaking of packs...

This summer, all my gear will be carried inside the Gregory Baltoro 70, which weighs in at 5.14lbs and has 4600 cubic inches of storage space. The manufacturer says that one can comfortably carry 60lbs on his back with this pack. I'd rather take their word on that one. There are a lot of positive customer reviews floating around the internet about this bag. Many even venture to say that it is the perfect pack. It even became the Editors' Choice of Backpackers magazine in 2008. It has to be good! When are editors ever wrong? Of course, I own their 2006 choice as well, and I'm not a fan. Certainly, I will have some strong opinions of this bag before long.

There is more, no doubt. In the future, you can look forward to such topics as:
-Freeze dried food from NASA. It's out of this world.
-Space age underwear. Is AJ too cool?
-All firefighters are pyros at heart. The emergency guide to starting a fire anytime, anywhere.


Until next time, take care, and happy hiking.

Update Post

Nothing too exciting has been happening lately. It's just about Spring Break, and we're going to Ireland! I've never been to Europe before, and AJ's never been to Ireland, so it should be an adventure. Especially since we have literally no plans whatsoever. In the meantime, I've been doing some light gear testing and trying remain unconscious of the school work that is piled around me.

My gear testing has consisted largely of walking everywhere in either my boots of chaco sandals. Lessons learned:
1. When they say "don't wear the boots with little short girly socks" they meant it.
2. When I wear the right socks, I find my boots to be super comfortable and easy to walk all day in. Hooray!
3. The fact that I decided that March=spring=appropriate weather to wear sandals does not reduce piercing coldness of walking around semi-barefoot in the 25 degree mornings.

The other part of my gear test has been to carry stuff (books and laundry) around in my big pack. Lessons learned:
1. People stare at me when I wear the big pack in public.
2. I am (for now) weirdly fond of the feeling of wearing the pack
3. The pack holds a lot, but not more than 2-3 loads of laundry.

In other news, my trekking poles came in the mail, and they seem cool, though I have done nothing with them. I really want to buy a sleeping bag now. It's possible that the college will give me some money for hiking equipment (though, perhaps, unlikely). I'll find out in April. If they do, I am definitely getting my own sleeping bag. If they don't, I'll um, probably do it anyways.

I've never spent all my money before, and it feel kind of good to do it.

A while ago I said that I will write a post about "spiritualish things." I still intend to do that, but (if you can believe this) my thoughts are not even fully formed enough for a blog post. Now that's saying something!

Oh, and one last thing! We're going to have our first outdoorsy gear testing scenario soon! On April 3-5, we're going to go as staff members to Amherst High School's two night camp out to hike around, camp out, enjoy a bonfire, and support the cherubs on their shelter building, fire making, and orienteering. Should be a good time!

Allow me to introduce myself.

My name is AJ, and I am a hiker. I would like to take the opportunity to answer some questions you might have about me.

Q: When did you start hiking?
A: I've been hiking my whole life, but not intentionally. My dad loves to go fly fishing. Much to his chagrin, I never really got into it. However, I went with him all the time when I was younger. Getting to the best fishing holes often meant hiking some distance through the woods. When we arrived, I would explore the shores of the river, harass salamanders, play in the dirt, and do other little boy things while I waited for my dad to do his thing. Getting there is half the fun, right? I thought so.

Q: Walking in the woods really is not what I mean. When did you start hiking on proper trails with blazes, carrying a pack?
A: I guess you could say that I never considered myself a hiker until 2007. When I moved to Sunderland, I began walking around the farmlands simply because it was pretty. Since I had not been fishing with my dad in quite a while, I had not been in the woods either and I missed them. One day I decided simply to turn off the paved road. I equipped myself with a day pack and found real trails with real blazes. That awoke my sense of discovery and exploration.

Q: So it would be fair to say that spring/summer 2009 is your third season hiking?
A: Yes. That's correct.

Q: How much can one hike in one season?
A: So far I've officially hiked 287.2 miles since summer 2007. It would be fair to say I hike about 150 miles per summer.

Q: Wow! How can you be so specific?
A: Many people would consider me either a nerd or a dork, perhaps both. As such, I have a spreadsheet that catalogs every hike I've been on since 2007. This spreadsheet contains the date of the hike, mileage, location, and a brief note of anything interesting that happened along the way.

Q: Why? That sounds ridiculous.
A: You're right. It is. But then again, I can see if I improve by consistently hiking longer distances, or accurately see how long my equipment (like my trusty trail runner shoes) lasts, or recall that I saw a bear on August 20, 2008 by the second stream west of Middle Mountain in the Mt. Toby forest. (Did I mention I was a nerd and/or dork?)

Q: So you're planning a hike this summer that is more than double the distance you have ever hiked before? How does that make you feel?
A: Well, I only started counting miles in 2007, so I have hiked much more over my lifetime, but nevertheless, I am a little frightened. We are hiking a long way. Getting ready is very technical. It is not like we will just be able to run to the store anytime a need arises. I think we can do it though. It will be tough, and we will have to rely on each other to make it. I am really thrilled to be doing it though.

Q: Why are you doing this?
A: There is really no good reason. It is something that I want to do, and it is something that most people will never do. The trail has been calling, and now is the perfect time to answer.

Q: You're leaving society as you know it because a long stretch of rocks and dirt has been speaking to you? Are you crazy?
A: Probably, yeah.

Q: The trail can pose many dangers. Do you have any qualifications?
A: I work as a paramedic and a firefighter with special experience in wildland firefighting. I hope these skills never come in handy. I've read and listened to the advice of many other hikers. In upcoming posts, I hope to keep show a little of what I've done to get ready.

Well, that should do for now. Please send your questions! Happy trails.

These Boots Are Made For Walking

Earlier I alluded to the fact that I was having a lot of trouble figuring out what kind of boots to purchase for the trail. The problem stemmed from the fact that there are dozens of brands and hundreds of models of boots available online.

But, if that's not enough there are even more basic things to consider. What sort of footwear will we be using? Heavy backpacking boots? Midweight or lightweight hiking boots? Hiking shoes? Trail runners?

To complicate this, you can't stick online shoes on your feet to try them on, so instead (if you are like me) you obsessively check reviews on a handful of websites to try to get a feel for the boots. I was very confused. At first I thought that I wanted something very light, almost like a sneaker. Supposedly, every ounce on your foot feels like a pound in your pack.



Well, today, on a whim, my mom and I went to EMS and started trying on the boots. My mom and the EMS lady agreed that anything that would not prevent spraining ankles was idiotic. So I tried every boot in the store. And then, I tried on the perfect boots.



They are not nearly as heavy as they look, they feel great: way more comfortable and way more stable than anything else that I tried on. They are totally waterproof, but according to the reviews that I read after purchasing them (just to make sure that my feet agreed with everyone else's) they are still breathable. I read about a couple that wore them over the entire A.T., replacing them after 1,000 miles, and breaking in the new pair without any trouble during the hike.

If that's not enough, they are just so stylish and feminine! Actually, I kind of like the way they look. I've never had boots that look like real boots. I've only ever had girly ones like the ones I originally planned on getting.

What about when you're not hiking?

Most people bring a pair of flip flops for when they aren't hiking. We're thinking of bringing some more substantial sandals so that we can wear them crossing streams (I personally hate to walk across streams barefoot after getting a nasty puncture wound doing so as a kid) and so that we can walk over gentle terrain (if such a thing exists) wearing sandals in case we get blisters, or it gets too hot, or whatever.

Philosophical Things

This blog used to be subtitled: "A Walking Sojourn though Eight States and the Liberal Arts Curriculum." So here's a little evidence of thought for you all. I write this while re-listening to Bill Bryson's A Walk In The Woods. I have listened to it dozens of times before. But it's never been so real. He's talking about Hanta viruses. Deadly diseases aside, here are some thoughts:


Aristotle says that the the aim of all people is eudiamonia. Of course, we don't know exactly what that means, but it's often translated as happiness or well being or a flourishing life. It's kind of a tricky concept, since eudaimonia is supposed to be an activity, not a product, but leaving all that aside, I'll try to get to the the part where it seemed to relate to hiking. Aristotle said that some things are valuable in and of themselves, and part of a eudaimon life, despite the fact that they are not a means to an end.

So, just as walking to class could be valuable, since it allows education, walking for the sake of walking could also have a value.

But is there even such a thing as walking for the sake of walking?
I'm not so sure. I could say that I'm walking for the sake of walking, but I'm also walking for the sake of adventure, seeing things, testing myself, getting fit, bonding with AJ, having a great story, having something to write a law school application about, and so on ad infinitum.

But then there is a cool way to test out whether there is a value in and of itself.
Pretend that there is a drug that would give all the effects of the hike: muscles, weight loss, deeper relationship, memories of everything, etc.
Would I take the drug?
If I took it, I wouldn't know that I'd taken it, for all intensive purposes, it would be the same. The only viewpoint from which anything would be different is if someone looked in on the whole scene, from within that hike would seem just as done as if it'd been done.

I'm not sure if I would take it. I would hate knowing that I might have taken it, but in this sci fi possible world, I would have to wonder if I'd taken it even if I walked the whole trail for real.

Poles and Undies

Undies
(By popular demand!)
So, here's how life works when you carry everything you have on your back up and down mountains each and every day. Things simplify. Suddenly a distinct feeling starts that really, a lot of stuff is not necessary. Thus the hiker's wardrobe:
1 Pair Pants
1 Pair Shorts
1 Short Sleeve Shirt
1 Long Sleeve Shirt
1 Sweater
2 Pairs underwear
2 Pairs socks

If I only get two pairs of underwear, they had better be pretty great underwear. Since they were on sale, I decided to invest in three (extravagant, I know) pairs of space age underwear.
The underwear come in a package reading "17 Countries. 6 Weeks. And one pair of underwear." They are supposed to be quick drying, odor resistant, antibacterial, non-bunching, breathable and moisture-wicking. Mine are lilac, but I'm hoping the red photo will allow you to see the texture a bit. They are the weirdest underwear ever. Soo platicy and yet, so fabricy, but also really waffly. I wore them skiing, and I would not call the experience life-altering. They feel like normal grandma underwear, and I never noticed them throughout the day. I guess that's the point.

Poles

In the general theme of always needing more gear, I recently became convinced that I need trekking poles to hike 'big miles' and not have my knees fall off, and generally make my life as a hiker happier and more productive. Poles are hard to shop for, since they all look really similar, and there are lots of brands/features/price range ($20-$150!). I went for the seemingly best brand, middle of the range model ($80 marked down to $50). Walking around campus with my pack on made me think that they are going to be a good idea in the long run. And, best of all, they let hikers do cool tricks! If you can't tell, that's a fast running icy river that the lovely hiker is jumping over. Awesome.

Oh, and here's a song for the day. For some reason every time I hear this song I think of the hiking and being at peace with the outdoors. I never paid attention to the lyrics, which have nothing to do with it, but something about the sound of this song...

Things My Mother Needs to Know

As far as I can tell from her comments, my mom really needs to know how I think that I’m going to find myself though hiking. She posed a few questions in her recent comment, which I will endeavor to answer honestly. Oh, and here’s a song for the day.

Are you finding yourself through acquisition of camping gear?
No, probably not. Though it is quite fun to acquire the camping gear, and time consuming enough for it to be a decently distracting hobby.

Starvation?
Goodness, I hope not. During Survival Living I found that not eating is not as bad as I thought it would be: not nearly as bad. And there are lots of cases throughout history of supposed enlightenment through fasting. That is not my plan. Although, to be honest, I am kind of excited about the prospect of enlightenment of my body (so to speak). I anticipate losing some weight on the trail.


Severe physical fitness?
Can’t hurt, right? Well, yes, it can. I’m a little worried about shin splints because of my history of them, as well as knee problems. I’ll probably dig out my good old chopat knee straps (can you say sexy?) for the trail, and I’ve also invested in some trekking poles, to be discussed later, which should help with the strain.

Isolation? The leaving of the information overload (but how ironic to be blogging about stepping away from that particular aspect of modern life).
No, it’s not for isolation at all. I will, after all, be with AJ throughout. I don’t think I’ve ever spent so much time so intensely with a since person, so that should be pretty interesting. While we will be able to get away from each other to some degree while walking (at the moment, since we can only see each other once a week, it’s hard for me to imagine wanted to do it anytime soon), we will be sleeping in one teeny tent each night, and we’ll only have one of a lot of stuff, like one pot for food, etc. On the other hand, it is partly for a way to slow down the pace of life. I’m sick of being frantic. The idea of waking up when it’s light, walking till dusk, and then eating and sleeping without having to worry about a deadline and make intricate plans for managing every 15-minute chunk of the next day sounds highly appealing. We are thinking about not bringing watches and just relying on the sun.

Things to come:
Poles and Undies (by popular demand)
Philosophical Things
Spiritual(ish) Things
The Unending Dilemma of Boots