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.