Why am I hiking the AT?

Today I was asked why I was hiking the AT, and I realized that I have not addressed this in “typing” thus far, so here goes:

Over the summer a moth infestation erupted in my closet due to a stocking filled with cashews from last Christmas. I opened the door to two dozen luminescent bodies shimmering in the light of my closet. I am a proponent of “catch and release” so I took the time to collect the fluttering adults in a jar and returned them to their natural environment (Job done, or so I thought). At closer look I discovered an up and coming generation: larva, their tubular wriggling bodies following invisible trails on my ceiling. So I collected and tossed outside where they belong. Then, much to my despair, I noticed a third generation of these ballsy beasts Velcroed to my clothes by a sticky cocoon of silk-like threads.

I did not realize how many clothes I had until I had to clean them all including 6 sweatshirts, 20 shirts, 12 pairs of pants, 11 dresses, etc.  And I’m not talking ball them up, toss in washer, add detergent and press button. Oh no, I’m talking prior to laundering I had to inspect every square inch of material including pockets, folds, pleats, insides, outsides, back sides and front sides for the pupae housed in fuzzy white burs. I experienced cold sweats and nausea as I reached my hand blindly into a pocket or pant leg to turn inside out wondering if I was going to contact a tubular body; or worse, reaching my arm inside a pant leg, turning it inside out and discovering some pupae that my skin had just brushed across. The Buddhists believe that our possessions are our enemy because they create worry. I now know what is meant by this.

Sure I will be living with bugs on the trail, however, come June I will be the moths infestation. It seems that tables will have turned. Ha ha! But I am just joking, I am not hiking the AT to get back at the flitting fluts that took up vacancy in my closet. Long story short, my life is filled with extras, excess, clutter, and waste and I have a desire to experience living off of necessity for a while; The events that unfolded this summer amplified this want.

So, I responded that living out of a backpack for six months is appealing because I would be getting back to basics. “That is not typical for a girl,” she said. I like not being typical. 

Adult pantry moth

Larva

Pupa

Taking a Pole or Two

Mike on the AT

This morning I gave my hiking poles a second try, through less treacherous terrain and I began to appreciate the multiple uses they provide:

Weapon, cobweb wand, snake and bear signaler, catapult, extra set of legs, weight support, arm toner and depth stick. It is also a great accoutrement in a hiker photo.  

I did a bit of research and found that poles reduce impact on knee joins and leg muscles, tone muscles which support and relieve leg muscles and improve circulation; ones' hands no longer swell up when it is hot because the arms move so the blood doesn't pool in the hands. "A study published by Dr. G. Neureuther in 1981 proved that use of "ski poles" while walking reduces the pressure strain on the opposite leg by approximately 20%" (http://www.slackpacker.com/trekking-poles.html).

My hiking buddy, poles and feet.

When I was about 10 years old I watched the movie “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.” The credits rolled to the Proclaimers belting “I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more.” I thought, why would anyone willingly walk that far? In June my hiking poles and I will walk this distance times four. 

The forest floor this morning

Huntington Ravine

It was windy and our faces were frozen on top of Mt. Washinton. 

This weekend I got a little taste of backpacking. A couple of my friends and I hiked up Tuckerman’s Ravine, stayed in a lean to overnight, hooked up with Huntington Ravine (A.K.A the hardest hike in the White Mountains) in the morning, enjoyed the luxurious lodge at the summit of Washington and made our way down Lions Head, and back to our car and civilization.

Huntington Ravine Hiking Buddies

Here I thought I was “hard core” considering alternatives to tents and sleeping bags, such as ponchos and emergency space blankets respectively, however, I was surprised to hear of an alternative to toilet paper. My friend explained that all you need to do it find a smooth and flat stone and you’re golden, or russet. I guess you can’t chuck it until you try it, consider the perks: you can deduct a few ounces from you pack and get “stoned” instead of doing “paper work”.  I did not try this; I opted for the potent compost toilet located on the other side of the trail across from the lean to. My other hiking buddy asked about toilet paper:

Going up Huntington 

“What are you going to use for toilet paper?”

“Biodegradable sheets, of course.”

“Isn’t all toilet paper biodegradable?”

“…Good question.”

All toilet paper is made of the same material, it is whether or not the cellulose fibers are woven or felted (http://en.allexperts.com/q/Environmental-Science-1471/Toilet-paper-biodegradabilty.htm ) And, yes biodegradable sheets are thinner, however, you end up using more sheets in the end so that you don’t get a “brown thumb”.  My friend also informed me that the most eco-friendly way to poop is to do so on a rock and smear it so that the sun can dry it up and allow it to flake off. I did not believe him and so I looked it up and this is what I found:

 

How to Poop in the Wilderness when Camping

Above the treeline...you'll be doing something that backpackers call "Smearing":


1. Find a flat, eastern or western facing rock. Poop on this rock.
2. Find a different, smaller rock that you are able to hold.
3. "Smear" your poop across the bigger, flatter rock. 


As gross as it is, this is the best way to make sure that you don't damage other hikers or the environment. The poop will dry in the sun, and flake off when wind comes up. It's the best option for getting rid of your waste when you can't bury it (http://www.wikihow.com/Poop-in-the-Wilderness-when-Camping)

Therefore it was both an awesome and shitty weekend.

Nelson Craige Trail

Huntington Peak Cairn

70 mile/hr winds were forcing us to hunch on our hump to the summit. 

A few things I need and could do without. Gators are a must, I did not have them and the bottoms of my pants were getting both ripped and soaked. Hiking poles are a nice idea, however, I felt uncoordinated and awkward. Huntington Ravine was probably not the best place to get acquainted with them. I realized that my stove is inefficient. With the strike of my match came the clink of my friend’s spork against an empty pot from inside the lean to. By the time I had my stove lit, everyone else’s bellies were full. The alcohol well is small and needs to be refilled until the alcohol in the stove starts boiling and flames shoot out the sides, however, the alcohol burns off quickly and needs to be filled 4-5 times. It is unsafe to pour alcohol onto an open flame and it is a waste to use 4-5 matches to light the stove each time it burns out, therefore, I plan on making a more efficient stove. If it wasn’t for a wind guard my stove would not have stayed lit, so that is also a must. That night I feasted on ramen with cheddar cheese and pepperoni along with Oreos for dessert. I need warmer gloves. The huge cairn at the peak of Huntington reminded me of a Christmas tree inviting us as we crossed from fall foliage into winter snow and ice covered rocks. The Signs needed to be scraped in order to be deciphered. Nelson Craig trail took us 0.8 miles to the auto road through 25 degrees and 70 mile/hr winds.

Foot Circle on Huntington. My friends and a few Canadians took part in a feetoshoot. 

It was so good to see the summit. 

Woohoo! We shouted as the fog cleared for a few seconds and unveiled the sturdy summit lodge against a bright blue backdrop. Once inside while drinking up the heat and clam chowder for $I don’t care how much because I need something hot, several people came to our table and asked us questions: “Did you hike up the mountain said the two overweight women with their high heels and car keys”, “do you know how to work a digital camera?” asked a older man who couldn’t remember how the memory card worked and the best was a concerned, bug-eyed woman who asked if we left a couple of dogs outside.  I thought, nope, but they are probably a couple of chili dogs now.


When we got down to the lodge at Pinkham Notch, we weighed our packs and mine was 29lbs.  

It was steep.