August 2011
4 posts
Results of Ridgerunning:
(A photo essay)
R.I.P., boots.
Shweet watch tan?
Trunk chaos.
Poor nutrition.
So many paperbacks.
Thru-hiker’s digitz?
Laundromat parties.
And croquet parties!
Klipspringer says MUSH!
One unofficial job of a ridgerunner is playing messenger. It is a sometimes stressful (wait… who was I supposed to tell that to again?), sometimes rewarding task.
Recall a recent encounter of the adorable variety:
One morning I pass an elderly gentleman who thru-hiked way back when and is now doing a section hike with one of his old thru-hiking buddies. We stop to chat, and I find out that...
Professional Blogging?
Okay, so it’s not exactly professional because I’m not getting paid for it. But it is the beginning of something exciting!
http://www.wendmag.com/iwend/2011/08/09/65-miles-molding-a-mindset/
My Coffee Shop Fail
Ridges and summits are beautiful spots for snacks or naps, but going into town is sometimes the best break one can take as a ridgerunner (never underestimate the powers of air-conditioning and ice cream). It is also a necessary expedition, as we are out for long periods of time and need to replenish our food supplies.
The two major trail towns in Connecticut are Kent and Salisbury, and they can...
July 2011
7 posts
From the Woods... to Those Other Woods
On my days off from hiking, I like to go hiking.
(It’s nice not having to wear my smelly ridgerunner shirt all the time)
This past week, my dad and I did a four-day backpacking trip in the White Mountains. It was awesome spending so much time hiking above tree line with a light breeze and beautiful panoramic views… until the weather shifted and we had to hike seven miles completely...
Things I am bad at...
1. Night hiking. How am I supposed to keep track of my feet and the blazes? It is very hard and I am far too clumsy for it.
2. Rationing food. Sometimes I start eating and I just can’t stop. On my last day out in the woods I am usually doing something desperate like eating peanut butter with a spoon.
3. Telling people to put their dogs on leashes. They are so much happier when they can...
Hello SOBO!
“Is there a waterfall at Sages Ravine?” one thru-hiker asked me yesterday, when motivation and Snickers bars melted in the mid-90s heat.
“Yeah, there is…but that’s about seven miles south of here,” I answered with an apologetic smile. “You must have hiked right past it.”
Wrong. I am so used to thru-hikers traveling from south to north, but this...
Meet T. Sprinkle
I’m not the only ridgerunner in my section…
Tristan Sprenkle (a.k.a. T. Sprinkle) hails from the small town of Kramer, Pennsylvania. “We have a gas station and a pizza place,” he says. “If you want anything that’s not there you have to drive to the next town. But the pizza is pretty awesome.”
This statement illustrates Sprenkle’s optimistic, if sometimes contradictory, take on life: Sprenkle is...
The Ginger Phenomenon
It’s about halfway through the season and I’m beginning to notice a pattern: the amount of red-headed male thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail… is disproportionately high.
I find freckles cute and sunburns endearing, thus in everyday life I have found myself wondering, “where are all the red-headed boys?” They’re not at the gas station or the grocery store, the library or the corner cafe.
And...
Lost & Found
As ridgerunners, one of our jobs is to pick up any trash we find along the trail. And we’ve found some interesting things, including….
1. A plastic Buddha figurine.
2. A baby blue 3-speed bicycle.
3. Half a deer (no sign of the other half).
4. A winter sled.
5. A straw sombrero, which is now the official AMC 15-passenger van driving hat.
6. …And a PUPPY!
(This is...
Back to the Woods
It’s been a lovely break in civilization (our schedule is ten days on, four days off), but I think my bed is getting a little too comfortable, refrigeration a little too convenient. Today I head back to the trail! Hopefully I can sneak in some computer time next Friday when we come out of the woods for our weekly meeting. And of course I will be brainstorming non-stop.
Until next time,...
June 2011
4 posts
And Then I Went on Steroids...
For poison ivy. Which I haven’t gotten since I was eight, but it turns out I am still extremely allergic. Last week I came out of the woods for my days off with a small rash on my wrist, which proceeded to explode all over my body overnight. I visited the doctor and he prescribed steroids, which essentially shut down your body’s immune system so it won’t react to the poison ivy...
Comparing States, Water Bottles, Etc.
On the trail, when I’m not teaching boy scouts about Leave No Trace practices or attempting to identify species of birds for day hikers, I myself am learning.
This is because I spend most of my nights at shelters hanging out with thru-hikers. By the time they’ve reached my section of trail they’ve already gone about 1,400 miles. Some are on their second packs and their third or...
65 Miles: Molding a Mindset
Many people dream of the day when they will complete a successful thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, when they will look out from the summit of Mt. Katahdin and know they have traversed essentially the entire length of the East Coast on foot.
Unfortunately, as a broke college student I currently lack the time and resources to fulfill this particular dream, as well as the audacity to put my...
And it begins again...
New country. New season. New job… NEW BLOG.
Now we move from the streets of Spain to the woods of western Massachusetts, where I will return to work for another season with the Appalachian Mountain Club. Except this summer, instead of building the trail as a crew leader, I will be hiking it as a ridgerunner.
Yes, “ridgerunner” is an invented word. Spell check keeps reminding...