Hiking Dude Blog

Oops - here's the pic.

Check out my current location on the map. Here's a nice view for lunch! I'm at Bears Den rock and hope to go 10 more miles this afternoon.

I walked 20769 steps on the trail today.
I traveled about 9 miles today.
Check out my current location on the map. I crossed the shenandoah river right outside Harpers Ferry and then headed uphill for the only real climb of the day. After that, it was a fairly flat ridge walk top the shelter where I'm spending the night with a dad and son from GA walking home. They got here just before the downpour - I didn't. :-) The humidity makes drying stuff difficult. First day was great and I'm looking forward to sleep after only getting a little on the train. Hike On

I've arrived in Harpers Ferry after 26 hours on Amtrak. Warm, humid, and very noisy with insects chirping everywhere in the trees. Time to start hiking.

After about 1500 miles, my inexpensive hiking poles are battered and bruised. The carbide tips have worn out, the plastic around the bottom is gone, and the aluminimum poles are now wearing away. It's time to get new poles, but I've really liked these and only the tips are done for, and I'm sure there's still more miles in them. I know, I should have tried to replace the tips when they first wore down, but I was in the middle of an 800-mile hike at the time so it was not an option.

Rather than buying replacement tips, since the pole shafts are now worn and irregular, I came up with a free solution that's working great.

1. I filed the soft aluminum tip of the pole so it is flat.
2. Scrounging through my 'junk jar', I found two hex head screws that fit into the hollow shafts. (these have the most head material so I figure they'll last longer and be easier to remove later)
3. I screwed the screws in and they bit into the soft aluminum, nice and tight.
4. Ta-Dah! Now, I have steel tips that are easy and free to replace when they wear down.

Hike On

I've been told that hitching a ride into trail towns is a common thing on the Appalachian Trail, but it's new to me. I hitch hiked once about 30 years ago in Normandy, France while trekking through Europe. So far, my long hikes have had trail towns right on the trail or I've walked to them. I've gotten a couple rides, but not by standing by the road asking for one.
Looking at the A.T. maps, and reading what others have done, it sounds like hitching into towns works pretty well and often can save hours of off-trail walking. So, I expect I'll try it and see what happens.
To improve my odds of catching a ride, I printed this sign and slipped it into a plastic sleeve, then taped it shut. I'm pretty sure it's waterproof, and I hope an 8.5x11 sign is big enough to get someone's attention while adding only .75oz to my pack.

I'll hang it on my pack while I'm walking or hold it while standing and practicing my pathetic sad puppy eyes. I suppose some dreary rain or scorching heat might help me as well.

Feel free to click the pic and print out the PDF file for your own sign. Would love to hear if you use it successfully!

Hike On

Who doesn't love stickers? My son's water bottle is plastered with layers of stickers!

The official "Hiking Dude" stickers are starting to show up in some rugged places!
Here's some that have been posted already:

I have a bunch of these to hand them out to people I meet on my long trails. I'll have some on the southern AT starting next week for those lucky hikers that track me down.
If you'd like your own, and don't expect to run into me on the trail, I'd love to send you one. The problem is that it costs $.50 for the stamp, $.33 for PayPal fees, and $.10 for an envelope to get the sticker to you. To cover all that, I have to ask for $1.00 for a sticker. But, since the shipping is no more, I'll send you 2 stickers - all you have to do is ask.
Just click this Buy Sticker link.

I'd love to get a Selfie of you and your sticker to add to my collection.

Hike On

I'm off on my next hike in a week.
The plan is to hike from Harper's Ferry, WV south on the Appalachian Trail to the terminus on Springer Mountain, GA.

After checking out buses, planes, trains, and automobiles, I've decided to go by rail across the country. Bus was $90, plane was $100, and train was $150. So, why did I choose train?

First off, I will only ride a bus if it's the very last possible option. My Greyhound experience last year was enough to last a loooong time.
Even though the plane was less money, it got me to Washington, DC so I would need to take a commuter train to the trail, and it landed at night so I'd need to pay for a place to stay.
The train takes a bit more than a day and costs more than flying, but I step off the train right onto the trail, I can pack all my food and gear at home, it arrives at mid-day, and I stay on the ground. Plus, I've not been on a long train ride in many years so it will be more of an adventure.

I've looked over the AT Guidebook, set up resupply spots, figured out how far I'll hike each day and where I'll spend each night. Of course, as soon as I set foot on the trail, the plan goes out the window but it's a good exercise to get a general idea of what to expect. You can check out my rough hiking schedule if you're interested. If it all works out, I'll reach the end by Oct. 15, but I can take as long as I need.

If you know someone along the trail that would like to visit with a hiker, send me an email. I'd always prefer a home over a tent or shelter any night on the trail. And, I'm hoping some Scouts might be able to join me hiking for a couple hours or days.

Check out my current location on the map. Did a short hike around Ft.Snelling and pike island yesterday and found this elusive wood nymph along the trail. It was only about 4 miles but today I did my hill climbing and a little bike ride. I'll mow the yard and that will be enough exercise for today.

Since January, I've been preparing for my half-hike of the Appalachian Trail. I leave in 2 weeks, and I'm just about physically ready for the trek. I'd like to share how I went about ramping up for the hike - not that it's the best way for everyone, but it's what I planned and completed.

Starting in January, I started walking 3 days a week. I started with 2 miles the first two times out, just to make sure my legs weren't atrophied after being pretty sedentary since Thanksgiving. It was very cold, for me as well as the animals along the trail. I moved up to 4 miles per day and walked that distance until February.

During February, March, and April, I just walked 5 miles most mornings on the trail. The goal was to just keep muscles moving and being outdoors. I believe walking year round is certainly a good thing to do, but I don't think pounding out 10 or 20 mile days months before starting a long hike helps prepare for that hike. So, I just made sure I was active for at least 1 hour each day. My long-term goal was to cover 1000 miles before starting on my 1000-mile long hike - not an important number, just something to shoot for.

With the spring, came thawing trails, new leafs, and migrating birds. Reducing the layers I had to wear, I increased my daily hike distance to 6 miles and spent about 90 minutes each morning on the trail. May was nice, and we were fortunate to have a cool, dry June, so the walks were beautiful. The trail got more busy with bike riders, runners, and dog walkers.

One thing I've done poorly is weight training and upper body exercising. Many long distance hikers see upper body weight as just extra weight to move up the trail. That's true, but I think keeping the entire body toned makes all the muscles work better together, and that's something I need to work on before my next long hike.

With a couple weeks lost to vacation and family visits, I've spent July doing longer walks. Anywhere from 8 to 12 miles, at least twice a week, with 6 miles other days. To help get ready for the strenuous, rough, steep nature of the Appalachian Trail, I've added hill climbing. I walk 3 miles to the closest steep hill of only about 120 feet, walk up and down as many times as I can, and then walk home. I'm now up to walking it 10 times in 1 hour which is my goal. I'll do that a few more times before leaving for the A.T. but I know I'll still be woefully under-prepared for the climbs on that trail. :-)

Fortunately, the A.T. doesn't have high elevations so oxygen will be available in the air. My challenge will be getting it into my body for my legs to use. Forcing myself to take it easy for the first week or two will also be a challenge since I tend to push myself each day to cover more miles.

If you have any hints, tips, tricks, or secrets to help prepare for long hikes, please feel free to comment about them. One thing I've not done before, but just started for this hike, is drinking chocolate-flavored whey protein right after my daily walk. I don't know if it's helping, but I like the taste and the expectation is that it will help recover and strengthen the leg muscles that have been fatigued.

Hike On