Contacted Bill Bryson

I wanted to share with you the correspondence I had with Bill Bryson, author of “A Walk in the Woods,” via email:

Mon, Sep 27, 2010 at 5:17 PM

Dear Mr. Bryson,

A thru-hiker once told me that not many people accomplish even one of their dreams. Your story, “A Walk in the Woods,” inspired me to turn my dream of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail into a reality. I plan on heading out in June upon graduating. Your passages had me both laughing and crying. I loved that you and Katz had bonded to a point where he was willing to trek four miles back to get your walking stick.

I have started a blog: www.trackingjill.blogspot.com to keep a record my own experience. I have begun interviewing thru-hikers so that I can better prepare myself for the trail. Mike, A.K.A, Michael J. Fox, a thru-hiker named after his celebrity lookalike, finished the trail a week ago and filled me in on hygiene, food and women. I was familiar with terms such as blue and yellow blazing but never “pink blazing” –a label given to a guy who slows his pace to hike with the girl he is interested in. This lasts as long as she pulls her hair into a ponytail and exposes her unkempt armpits.

Ever since I read your account I have been itching to learn more about your trek. Would you consider a walk “thru” your experience with me over a cup of tea? It would be an honor.


Regards,

Jillian M. Toomey

Mon, Nov 15, 2010 at 10:35 AM

Dear Jillian,

Many thanks for your message and apologies for the delay in responding, but I get a lot mail here and am always hopelessly behind.  I am afraid I am not able to meet, but I do wish you every success with your hike and hope you have a wonderful experience.

Thanks again and best wishes.

Yours sincerely,
Bill Bryson


I was so excited when I received the email from Mr. Bryson, because he is famous and I love his words and now I have his good sentiments.

That's my Bag Baby

 Today I purchased a 2 lb, 3 season synthetic mummy bag!!!

Walking-our most primitive form of transportation

Right now I am supposed to be finishing up Christmas shopping but the events that just went down at work have made it impossible to do anything but type. Today a naysayer, upon learning of my future endeavor, asked what I was doing to train for the trail. I explained that I hike when I can. As I said this he was shaking his head. “How far do you walk every day?” he asked. I joked and told him from home to work which is all but 0.1miles. He was not amused. I reiterated that I hike occasionally. Again, the head shake. “How would you prepare for the trail,” I asked. According to him I should walk two miles everyday for one month and double it every month till June. A novel idea, however with a semester left and a thru hike to fund I will be spending most of my time studying and working and hiking when I can. According to Naysayer, I need to practice walking everyday for six months in order to build the muscle I needed to carry my bodyweight for the six months I’ll be on the trail. Were we not designed to carry our own body weight? I thought. Yes, I will have a pack, which will be no more than 30lbs, however, we were designed to walk. Since when did walking, our most primitive form of transportation, become exercise? The other thing he told me was that I should walk coming down on the balls of my feet, otherwise, coming down on your heels you experience the shock up through your spine. Now there is another innovative thought…not. He said, quite confidently, “What’s gonna happen, is your feet will be hurting so bad and you’ll have so many blisters that by the time you get to Massachusetts, you’ll get off the trail.”  I assured him that I was hiking the trail in its entirety. To which he responded rather dryly, “Time will tell.” He even so boldly handed me his card and told me to call him when I get to Georgia. I know one thing, I’m going to accomplish my dream whether or not someone thinks I can do it. I’ll thank Naysayer for one thing…a post. 

The ABCs of Packing Your Pack

Yesterday I had the luxury of getting a backpacking tutorial, from one of my friend’s sisters who went to school for adventure-based environmental education. She regularly leads expeditions and had lots of great tips for packing your pack.

Khalila explains that packing your pack is like brick laying. You want to utilize all of the available space. The items in stuff sacks are your bricks while clothes are the mortar. Line your pack with a 3mm trash compactor bag which will keep everything in your pack dry.

The ABCs of Packing Your Pack

Accessibility- Pack the things you need readily on top: snacks, hat, gloves, and rain shell. Your tent and sleeping bag should be placed at the bottom of your pack, since they required only at the end of the day.

Balance- The heaviest items should be packed in the middle of your pack opposite the middle of your back. This allows you to have a better center of gravity while with pack.

Compression- “I’m not into the bag-lady look,” says Khalila, referring to items clipped to the outside of a pack. Loosen all straps and pack your pack using all the space available, then compress your pack by tightening the straps.

“Make your backpack your home; get organized,” she says.

Bottom Layer- “Your sleeping bag is like your baby…do not let this baby get wet…ever!” Line the compression sack with a 3mm trash compactor bag.

Your sleeping bag is the first brick. It goes in a compression sack and is placed at the bottom of your pack. Your clothes act as the mortar and are used to fill the cracks.

Middle Layer- Your heaviest items should fall in the middle of your back. These items consist of your kitchen setup, food and tent. These items fit into stuff sacks are another two or three bricks.

Top Layer-

Stuff you will need to access easily, e.g. first aid, snacks, rain shell, hat and gloves should be placed at the top.

It is vital that you get enough Vitamin C on the trail. Khalila suggested the commercial product, Emergen-C, however, a good friend once told me that the Indians used to chew on the pine needles of white pine (which are rich in vitamin C) to fight scurvy’s (a vitamin C deficiency). I have tried the needles and I think they are comparable to the combination of a mild orange peel and a white grape which is not what you would expect, but it’s enjoyable. So go try it for yourself. White pine is everywhere; it’s needles are about 3” long and in groups of five.  

Sometimes it Doesn't Go as Planned

I got stumped. 

My friend invited me out to western mass to hike the 7 Sisters of the Holyoke range. It sounded like an awesome idea, and by the time we set out the sun was going down. He was not sure how long it would take or how long the trail was but we had our headlamps and a full container of Oreos so we were set. Since it is a range we parked a car at each end. We parked my car at the end point and his car at the starting point. When we were about 20 minutes from the summit house (where my car was parked), he turned and asked, "you brought your keys, right?" That would have been the smart thing to do. My thoughts rewound to getting out of his car at the trail head, me putting on my pack and sliding my keys underneath his back seat. I believe I even patted them twice. So after a moments pause, I relayed the unfortunate news. "I don't believe you" he said with a tight laugh, "you're such a jokester." So, I was completely calm and suggested that we try hitchhiking, since it would be practice for the trail. On the way down the auto road to my car, I thought of an idea. What if we rolled my car down the hill and got it into gear (Plan B). This shows how much I know about mechanics because, my dad informed me later this morning that the key is needed to ignite the engine and rolling it down the hill would not do anything. Anyways, we put my car in neutral and pushed it as far as we could and the wheel locked. "Why does it do that?" I asked. "So that someone can't steel your car," said he. Place C, we walked to the road and attempted to  thumb a ride. Luckily his friend was able to give us a lift to the trail head where my friend's car was parked. Having a plan is good, but having a plan that doesn't work out is a great opportunity to get creative. I thought it was a pretty awesome night!

Hike This Morning; Two Poles Down

I took my pooch out for a stroll this morning and while I was taking in the serene beauty of the ice-coated beaver pond, I looked down and spotted a beer can. So I pierced it with the tip of my hiking pole and turned to head back home when I saw an appalling dumb heap like the Grinch’s soul. I poked what I could with my poles and stuffed 6 flattened cans and two plastic plates into my pack. So, poles are not only great for improving circulation, supporting your weight, and warding off bears, they can also be used for collecting trash.  On my way home I spotted another litter spot— torn envelops, scratch tickets and more cans.

 At the rate we are going a trash bag will be listed as one of the top 10 hiking essentials.

My hike was litter-ally ruined. Remember to pick up after yourself and the babies who rely on others to clean up after their dumps, so that we can keep our trails pristine.

Section Hiker, Red

Andrew aka, Red, sectioned hiked the trail in 2007 and 2009, completing about 1000 miles. During his adolescence, Red sat in front of a large map of the AT on a daily basis while he did his business. His mom had put it up on the wall opposite the toilet. The map as well as Bryson’s, “A Walk in the Woods” enticed him to check out the trail. In fact he has read the book five times!” and believes it to be great for hikers and non-hikers alike, I concur.

In 2007, Red set out with no plan definite plans other than to test out his custom-made pack, which did not break or require any repairs throughout his journey. In fact he brought a needle and thread and repaired other hiker’s gear. He went from Erwin, Tennessee to Parisburg, Pennsylvania which is one of the top ten most beautiful places to hike in New England according to backpacker magazine. In 2009 he hiked from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Virginia.

Apparently hitch-hiking is completely safe if you are with somebody. If alone and in need of a hitch to town, choose a pickup, “It would be much harder for them to abduct you if you’re in the bed of the truck,” he jokes. Once he and his friend were looking pretty burly and trying to thumb a ride, which brought them deeper into despair with each passing car. A female thru-hiker wanted to help them out, stood beside them and on her first attempt flagged down a ride. While Red and his buddy hopped in, she bid her farewell and continued on her way. I guess the driver was pretty dissapointed. So, there are moments when a woman absolutely needs to rescue a man.

There are lots of trail angels down south who are Baptists and try to convert you. They will give you a hot dog in exchange for a mini bible. I suppose the extra weight is worth the extra calories even if it is a weighted topic.

When Red hiked he played a game where, when the leaves would build up of the end of his hiking poles he would try to get them off with his feet without breaking stride, “it’s the goofy stuff like that, that get you through the day,” he laughs.

Bears are more of a problem down south, however, “mice are the biggest culprit of food theft.” “I ate Ramen every day for two months and I still love it!” I was exited to hear this because I love Ramen as well and believe that I could down it every day from June to November. Ramen is great because it is light, caloric, and very cheap. Depending on the cheese, some can last for a couple of weeks on the trail. “Snickers are a hiker staple, almost like currency.”

Advice-

• “Don’t bring a compass, unless you’re dumber than a bag of rocks, you’ll find your way no problem.”
• The trail is well marked, there is no need to buy the expensive maps. If you can, hike with a friend that carries maps.
• Get the “Thru-Hiker’s Handbook” by thru-hiker, Wingfoot.
• Get used to experiencing pain every day, once something feels better, something else starts hurting.
• Get thin nylon cord for hanging up food at night (there are bear cable systems in the south, but they are spotty in the north, so bring your own cord).
• Use a microfiber pack cloth to remove condensation from tent each morning so that you stay dry when you dress.
• Depending on the tent, you can use a hiking pole in place of tent poles.
• Ramen is easy to clean, oatmeal sticks to the pot so eat a cold breakfast and a hot dinner.
• The yellow bottle of HEET- gas line antifreeze— is a good substitute for Isopropyl alcohol when it is unavailable (never use white gas!!!)
• Have a small pocket knife, not for warding off beasts and crazies, but for cutting cheese (not to be confused with cutting the cheese which is sharper than a knife J ).
• Seam seal your own tent.
• Get a sleeping bag liner (wash the liner without having to wash bag).
• Use Tyek as a ground cloth.
• Aluminum gutter nails can be purchased at the hardware store and can be used as stakes.
• Bring a pair of Crocks which are nice to slip into at the end of the day; all the hikers have them.
• Bring short gators, not to keep dry, but to keep muck out of your shoes.
• When it comes to dealing with bugs, keep moving, and at the end of the day stay in your tent until bugs retire for the night.
• Aqua Mirror Chlorine tablets are better than iodine tablets, which taste really bad.
• Bring at least three bandanas, one for blowing your nose, another for dabbing sweat, a third for cleaning pots, “just don’t get them confused,” he chuckles.

The first thing Red did upon his return to civilization was set up his custom-made tepee in the back yard of his house, to slowly acclimate himself over the next month. The trail made him realize that his hike was just one step in his ladder of life. He is now the ranger at a boyscouts camp where he me maintains the grounds. “I have no regrets, I got what I wanted out of the trail,” he says with a smile. 

Karate Lesson from Anonymous

The first thing people ask me after they find out I’m hiking the trail is if I am going with somebody. When I say that it depends, six months is a long time and plans can change, they tell me to watch out for the “crazies” on the trail and it would be stupid not to go with someone. I have decided that fear is debilitating. It is easy for people to not do something because they are afraid. What is interesting to note is that every thru-hiker I have interviewed hiked the trail alone.

My job is to prevent sketchy situations and learn how to protect myself.

The other day I was hanging out with my friend and I told him that I wanted to learn self defense. And this is how it went down:

A- “I know karate, I can help!” he said rather confidently.

Me- “Oh, yea…were you a black belt?”

A-“No, I can’t remember.”

Me-“So can you crush cinderblocks with the chop of your hand?”

A-“No I did more like routines…series of movements”

(I thrust my arm towards his chest faking a “crazy” with a knife)

A-“What are you doing?”

Me-“Pretending to stab you.”

A-“I need to be standing up.”

Me-“Oh…ok”

(Now we are standing. I fake like a crazy with a knife I move towards his left shoulder and quickly jab my fist into his right thigh)

A-“What was that?”

Me-“I faked to the left and went to the right.”

A-“You can’t change direction”

I was unaware there were rules to an assault.

I’m sure we will have better luck next time.

On a serious note, I know that there is some level of risk involved whenever a woman decides to go out on her own, however, I am confident that by being aware of my surroundings, keeping my location known to friends every day, and keeping my lucky coin, I will be safe. 

Moss on How to Hike Cheap

Below are Moss' tips for hiking cheap:  

·        Spend less time in towns

·        Eat food you find in hiker boxes

·        Buy cheap stuff when grocery store is resupplying

·        Figure out all your gear choices beforehand and buy on sale

·        Hike with people who get huge mail drops of food - they will almost always have too much and will share with you!  

·        If you are going to mail yourself food anywhere, make sure it is only to places that do not have grocery stores, or only mail yourself food you can't buy there - it's pointless to pay shipping on stuff like oreos when you can buy them right down the street from the PO!