Flying Solo

Posted on August 4th, 2010

Written By: Emily “Lightning” Ginger

After journeying for so long with the Traveling Circus, the time has come for me to peel away from the group and finish the hike by myself. I am finally “hiking my own hike,” and moving forward on my own. I look forward to what the next 10 days have in store for me. It feels good to be independent again! Mt. Khatadin here I come… Mom and Dad, I’m making my way towards Baxter and I’ll see you there!

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Posted in Emily Ginger

The Lists

Posted on August 2nd, 2010

Written by: Brandon “Monkey” Imp

We are less than two weeks away from Katahdin, and our negative-NH mentality has been completely flipped upside down. We are happy, healthy, and looking forward to re-entering society. While hiking, I got to thinking about the best way to prepare myself for society. What do I do in society that I do not do on the Appalachian Trail? Well, a lot. A whole lot. But to keep it simple, lists. I love lists. I love being organized, whether the organization is in my head, on a bookshelf, or written on a piece of paper.

The first list I made in my head was based on my surroundings – easy and convenient. What has the Maine terrain offered that we have seen infrequently on the trail?

1. Wind. Above treeline in Maine, we are practically blown over! I was filmed being held up by the wind while wearing my pack – that’s how strong the wind is up there.

2. The bouldering of Mahoosuc Notch. This notch (aka a valley) is one mile long on the AT and filled with boulders and ice caves. We have climbed over rocks before, but this was straight-up bouldering with a full pack. The one mile stretch took us two hours to get through – tough but fun!

 3. Lakes and ponds. They are everywhere and I love it! Mountain-top views are no longer shrouded by other mountains – you can see bodies of water for miles around. I thought the Finger Lakes were pretty neat, but Maine has one-upped upstate New York.

 
I began making more and more lists. Most of them were trivial (favorite actors, best musical numbers, listing the 50 states) but some were constructive. One of them is the Katahdin 5 – the five things I want to do on the summit. Crying on top of, punching, and hugging the sign were givens, so they are not included.
 
THE KATAHDIN 5
1. Champagne.
2. Photo shoot the 8 rasa.
3. Recite “Oh The Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss.
4. Shave a new mohawk.
5. ????
 
Number 5 has not been established yet, so I am open to suggestions. I was considering “Watch other thru-hikers reach the summit,” but 1. we might be the last of the day and 2. that is creepy.
 
The other four have to be worked on, but they are solidified.
1. Champagne – is it legal to have alcohol in Baxter State Park? I must look into this.
2. The photo shoot – Adbuhta, Sringara, Bhayanaka, Bibhatsa, Vira, Hasya, Karuna, Raudra – eight Sanskrit words that I learned in a theatre technique called RasaBoxes. They are kind of the “flavor” of emotions, so I plan on having a photo taken of each one on Katahdin. Later in life, no matter the mood I feel, I will have a photo to suit me.
3. Dr. Seuss – I began memorizing it in VA and haven’t done much since. Must finish it and recite it!
4. Mohawk – because I love it.
 
Lists lists lists! Society, I’m coming back!
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Posted in Brandon Imp

Maine

Posted on August 2nd, 2010

Written by: Katherine ‘Ringleader’ Imp

Our journey to Maine has been anything but perfect. There have been extreme highs and extreme lows, some moments I wish I could relive, and others I wish I could forget. But I’m not sure I would’ve done it any other way. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: people have all different reasons for doing a thru-hike. For me, it was not about ‘leaving’ society, or finding myself, or being alone, or accomplishing a physical challenge. I love society, I know who I am and what I want to do with my life, I like being around people, and I’ve never really had a passion for proving myself athletically. I came out here because I wanted to be shocked. I wanted something different. I wanted an experience that would help me see the world, and myself, in a new and totallydifferent way.

The first 2 months of this trip were probably some of the worst moments of my life. My body hated me and I hated my body. I was looking for external satisfaction from the thru-hiker community, from Emily and Brandon, from the trail — and I wasn’t finding it. I wanted to leave and work at a B&B in the Greek Islands.

But I stayed.

I stayed because I wanted to understand why so many people rave about thru-hiking. And I knew that I would never understand the power of a thru-hike unless I stuck it out to the end.

Maine. We are in Maine. We are 15 miles from the 2,000-mile marker. We are 10 days away from summiting Mt. Katahdin. I am 13 days away from moving to my favorite city in the world. I am 14 days away from starting my career as a lawyer. I am 25-yrs-old.

These days the trip is purely introspective for me. I don’t need trail magic or music or social interaction or motels or ice cream to keep me going. I don’t even need a mountaintop view. I just feel high on life all the time. I feel accomplished. I feel satisfied. I am at peace.

I now understand the power of a thru-hike.

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Posted in Katherine Imp

The Whites

Posted on July 28th, 2010

Written By: Emily “Lightning” Ginger

I felt like I was tapping into a family treasure as I crossed Franconia Ridge in the White Mountains of New Hampshire (my father’s family has a long history of visiting this area, starting back in the 1970′s). The views from on top of the ridge were astounding and when I reached the very top of Lafayette (one of the mountain peaks along the ridge line) I stood there frozen in awe and with my eyes tearing up I said outloud to myself “I am happy to have walked 1800 miles just to see these views.” I really understand now why my grandparents and extended family hold the Appalachian Trail in such high regard.

The terrain in the White Mountains is hard because you walk straight up and straight down steep mountains (our hiking speed was cut in half!), but the pristine land was some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. If there is one place on the trail that I will definitely return to, it’s the White Mountains. I just hope that when I return I can do long day hikes and not have to carry 35 lbs on my back. Hiking without all the weight on my back makes hiking more enjoyable.

I can’t believe that we have already passed through the White Mountains- I have been looking forward to them for four months and it all passed by too quickly. We are currently hiking in the last state that the AT crosses- Maine. I have been to Maine once in my life, when I was 9 years old and I remember it as my favorite family camping trip. I can’t believe that we are finally here!!! Unfortunately, Maine marks the end of our trip and it’s hard for me to imagine what it will be like to be sitting in a lecture hall three weeks from now, surrounded by a concrete jungle. As much as I want to complete this adventure (and not have to fill a mileage quota everyday) I don’t want it to end. Perhaps I need to find a different place to live than Chicago, somewhere that I have better access to nature and hiking. I hope my transition back home goes well and that I’m able to recall these beautiful views in my mind when I’m missing them.

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Posted in Emily Ginger

Update

Posted on July 28th, 2010

In regards to our video blog post which included footage of food caching, we would like all our readers and viewers to know that these Appalachian Trail thru-hikers in no way condone the caching of food along the AT.

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Posted in ATHike2010

The Whites

Posted on July 28th, 2010
Written by: Brandon “Monkey” Imp
 
This entry is about my experience in the White Mountains.
 
When people ask which section of the AT has been my favorite, I say…the Grayson Highlands of Virginia. It is geographically small but has unique terrain for the east coast – sections of barren rock like that found in Arizona. Also, there are wild ponies to play with!
 
 
The Whites came close to being my favorite. Visually, they are stunning. Every mountain has a view and most have a few on the way up and down. Hiking in the Alpine Zone above treeline is so rewarding! The sweat and bruises endured on the way up are paid out by wonderful views found infrequently on the east coast.
 
But, the Whites have not been my favorite. The Whites brought about emotional turmoil and inconsiderate people.
 
Imagine a swing. It goes up and down and stabilizes in the middle. The middle is where I have been for most of the trip – stabilized. (This is not to say that I have not had super highs and super lows, they were just spread apart and controllable.) The Whites have been pushing me up and down; I swing so fast that the expressed emotions are either euphoric or horrifying. I couldn’t control them and they, on top of people I have met in the park, have wrecked this part of the trip.
 
I will go into detail of two of these huge swings after explaining the people of the park (as they are part of the swings). Many of the people I have met in the Whites have been unkind and disappointing. Unfortunately for my case, only the excellent people will be reading this blog (the teenage crew from the huts, the couple from Garfield camp, the 2011 thru-hikers…). The disrespect I received from hut croo members and other vacationers stems from their lack of understanding of the AT, the path it takes, and the labor involved to get from GA to NH. Sure, the trail and huts may be a place for them to vacation with the family, but they are my home. I live there. I wouldn’t walk into your house, throw a chair over, and stick out my tongue. Why? Common courtesy!
 
Deep breath. Calm down. I am getting flustered just thinking about it all.
 
Case 1: Franconia Ridge and Garfield
 
 
The morning started off perfect. I woke up on a bunk in a hostel, finished my Ben and Jerry’s from the night before, and the sky was clear. Two Virginia friends we made on the trail, Christine and Adam (www.virginiatrailguide.com), were vacationing in the area, so we all went out for a filling pancake breakfast. Full of positive energy and good food, we hiked a few thousand feet up to get to Franconia Ridge. My expectations were high because EVERYBODY says this stretch is the best on the AT. We start along the ridge trail and there were…trees. And more trees. We took a side path to an overgrown view. HOW was this so great? I got pretty sad. Then, the trees cleared out, the wind picked up, and there were 360 degree views. For a ridge that takes 1.5 hours to get over, we spent 4. We took it all in, filmed it, and enjoyed it. The joy I was feeling was…inexpressible! For months we saw few views! We would climb mountains and there would be nothing at the top! But NOW THERE WAS. We had a perfect day for the ridge and even met some enthusiastic day hikers. The joy was contagious! Even the panting people were filled with glee!
 
Then we descended Lafayette, the terminus of the range. At the bottom I notice a croc was missing. End euphoria. Cue lingering disappointment. The climb was tough so I chose not to go back for it – it may have blown away anyway. Then we climbed and descended Garfield. Why. Why. Why. The descent was so vertical, so slick, so dangerous! The pace dropped to below one mile per hour. Disappointment escalated into hatred, shame, despair, and anger. My blood was boiling and I wanted to quit the Appalachian Trail. By the time Emily and I got to Garfield campsite, it was 2.7 more miles to our night’s destination and it was 7 pm. Now, although we have never paid for a campsite along the entire AT, and even though the trail is maintained by volunteers, and even though all of the huts and shelters are owned by the non-profit AMC, there is a charge to camp at the site. $8 per person = $24 = .5 hotel room. The caretaker at the site, bless his heart, was doing his job. He told us we would not make it to the hut by dark and they only allow 2 hikers there per night. There is no stealth camping (camp on an unofficial site) between here and there, and his campsite was full.
 
However! We could go down into the woods off the site and camp! We went down in the woods, and then further, then I ran into a tree, then I fell down a drop, and finally arrive at a tiny clearing. Now I was scraped and bruised. Remember how fifteen minutes prior I was ready to quit? Well I was still off my rocker. I was emotionally distraught. I was exhausted! We went up to an overlook to cook dinner, hoping the nice view would cool us all down. A couple joined us on the rock. After talking and learning of their hiking background (she thru-hiked), we learned of the latest thru-hiker gossip – Pop Pop quit. Pop Pop! This man is elderly and determined. He made it 1800 miles, broke a trekking pole, had a few bad days, and quit while descending Garfield. The trail was getting too dangerous for him and he was satisfied with making it this far. Re-enter Brandon’s slump. There are too few of us left! These mountains are not safe! Something is not right! We returned to our campsite and was soon followed by the caretaker – we owe $24. $24 for being nowhere near anybody and for not using the resources of the campsite. We tried to get out of the charge, but the caretaker favored his job over human compassion. Enter my dislike of the White Mountain people! I go to sleep angry.
 
Case 2: The Presidential Range and Lakes of the Clouds Hut
 
Again, a perfect morning. We were taken in out of the rain by strangers (thanks Seth and co.) and so I woke up in a bed. Our clothes were dry and we got out of the house by 7:30 a.m. We planned on a short 11 mile day to arrive early at Lakes of the Clouds hut, guaranteeing us spots for the night. The day was beautiful – weather and scenery. The hiking did not hurt as much as usual. I saw Mt. Washington looming in the distance all day and was excited to climb the landmark the next morning. Besides a hard fall Kate endured, we were good when we arrived at the hut in the early afternoon. Euphoric, actually.
 
We entered the hut and saw chaos. Everybody seemed to be screaming and stressed, yet this was “normal.” Have I been in the woods that long? The first croo member we met, bless his heart, was doing his job – AMC says no thru-hikers could stay that night. HI NO. Sorry. This is our only hut experience. We are staying. The hutmaster gives the OK and we are sent to the dungeon. The dungeon is an emergency room kept open year-round. It holds six rotting bunks, smells of feces, and the walls ooze the blood of those who have died in the room. HELL NO. I have standards. This is below those standards. We did not want to risk being expelled from the hut (a storm was coming) so we stayed quiet about our discontent (complaining only to other hikers who came in, and some sympathetic guests.)
 
 
With a storm outside, all 115+ guests were in the dining hall, and we were asked to remain separate from the paying guests. I felt like a second class citizen. I was holding out though – our work for stay would be giving a talk on the AT and we would get a big meal afterwards. We sat around for the next few hours, unable to escape from the noise or relax. We watched as the guests gorged on hot food for over an hour. Finally, the Traveling Circus would talk. Excited to finally interact, we sat and gave a panel talk. Out of the 40 that decided to listen, about seven were engaged (yeah teenagers!) The blank faces, droopy eyes, and silence after jokes were disheartening. Then came dinner! We sat in the kitchen. For us, there was a slice of break, cold lasagna and veggies, soup, and chocolate cake. I ate as much soup and cake as I could, disappointed my promises of fresh, warm food was unfulfilled. While disappointment followed disappointment, the dungeon loomed in my thoughts. Little Brown, a thru-hiker we have known since Georgia, used his kind persona and 6′+ stature to persuade the hutmaster to let the Traveling Circus escape the dungeon and sleep in the dining room with the 25 teenage girls having a “slumber party.” Whatever, screaming girls beats out the prisoners of war room.
 
Finally settling my nerves, I prepared for bed and checked my phone for reception. What luck! After 2 weeks of nothing, I had a single bar! First text was Mom: Call…Sunny. No. No! NO! Not good! Sunny is the family dog, is over 13, and knows my deepest secrets. When I am down, he pulls me up. Whispering in the back corner of the dining room, I talk with my dad. Sunny is dying. They are about to put him down. Choking back tears, I say goodbye to my dog. I tell him I love him. (My lord I am tearing up now!) Mom says he heard me and picked up his head. That a boy! Good puppy! Then I run out of the hut bawling. I cry and cry and cry. Others are outside laughing, and I am miserable. On an island of despair. Three more weeks and I could have hugged him goodbye. Instead, nada. I go to bed crying. Things haven’t been the same since.
 
My emotions have swung this way and that so suddenly in these mountains. Please let this stop! I need three more weeks of strength! Get me out of this mess, legs!
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Posted in Brandon Imp

The Whites

Posted on July 25th, 2010
Written by: Katherine ‘Ringleader’ Imp
 
Four months. We have been living in the woods for four months. What does this do to your mind? Your body? Your soul?

The only way for me to explain this transformation is to describe our time in the Whites…

DAY 1: Mount Moosilauke

Morning – begin to make our way to the first white mountain of New Hampshire.

All: We made it to the Whites! Woohoo! We’ve come so far! Together! How exciting!
 
Lunch – break at shelter before beginning 2500-foot climb

Emily: Kate, what are you doing?

Kate: I’m closing my eyes until Bran gets back from the privy.

– 30 seconds later –

Kate: *snoring*

Emily: If she’s taking a nap, I’m going to sleep too.

– 2 minutes later –

Kate & Emily: *snoring*

Bran returns: I guess I’ll take a nap.

– 2 hours later –

Emily: Why am I so tired?

Bran: It’s raining.

Kate: Because you hiked 1700 miles.

Bran: I hate hiking in the rain.

Kate: We should go.

Top of Moosilauke – freezing, rain/hail, insane wind

All: This is awesome! I feel so alive!

Bottom of Moosilauke – ends with 1.5 miles straight down on wet rocks; follows waterfall

Kate: I wish I could just sit next to the waterfall rather than walk past it.

Bran: I hate rocks.

Emily: That took forever. I miss my 4 mile/hr pace.
 
Moosilauke parking lot – people offer us a ride to a hostel in town

All: Yay! Luck strikes the traveling circus again! So happy!

DAY 3: Franconia Ridge

Morning – hike up to ridge, below tree line

Kate: This is supposedly the most beautiful part of the Appalachian Trail! Exciting!

Bran: Damnit! My shoe is soaking wet and covered in mud!

Emily: I feel like I have nothing to look forward to anymore.

Kate: You two are ridiculous.

Bran & Em: Why are you criticizing us?

Afternoon – get to ridge, beautiful day, clear skies

Bran: This is awesome!

Emily: How beautiful!

Kate: There’s no where else I’d rather be.

DAY 5: Lakes of the Clouds Hut, The Presidentials

Morning – Kate slips on wood plank. Slams shin. Falls in puddle of mud. Can’t get up.

Emily: Kate! Are you okay?

Kate: *crying* Fuck the world!

Emily: Kate, you have to get up. You are lying in a puddle of mud.

Kate: My shin hurts so bad. I’m tired of feeling like shit all the time!

Bran rolls up: What happened?

Emily: Kate took a bad fall and has been lying in a pile of mud for 10 minutes.

Bran: You want me to film you?
 
Afternoon – get to Lakes of the Clouds Hut, treated like 2nd class citizens

Kate: Why are they segregating us from the other hikers?

Emily: Because we aren’t paying to stay here and we smell.

Kate: I hiked 1800 miles to get here. They should be bowing down and feeding me with a spoon.

Bran: I’m not sleeping in that rat-infested Dungeon.

Night – the Traveling Circus entertains 120 Hut guests with a panel discussion about thru-hiking

Hut worker: You three can sleep in the dining hall if you’d like. Thanks for entertaining.

All: Only the traveling circus….

Day 7: hike into Gorham, NH

Mood – changes every 5 minutes
 
Injury count – not good

Emily: legs look like they went through a garbage disposal

Kate: bruised shins, bad knees, broken toe

Bran: stabbed foot with trekking pole

Transition stress – clearly has begun

All: So ready to go home, but also don’t ever want to leave….
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Posted in Katherine Imp

The Appalachian Trail : Unknown Territory Video Blog – part 10

Posted on July 15th, 2010

The tenth installment of the Unknown Territory Video Blog

Check back every Wednesday for a new installment and follow along with the adventures of a lawyer, an Ivy grad, and a city chick.

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Posted in ATHike2010

Fantasies of Showers and Clean Clothes

Posted on July 14th, 2010

Written By: Emily “Lightning” Ginger

We haven’t had a campfire for at least a month. I believe this is due to a number of factors: we are too tired at the end of the day, it was more exciting in the beginning, the days are longer, and the weather has warmed up quite a bit. I know that I personally don’t like sweating the smell of campfire from my pores all day when I am hiking. Really, we just haven’t needed a fire. However, for the past week, as soon as we get to camp we all go to work at getting a fire started. The bugs have come out in brutally full force (smoke helps keep them away)! The bugs are everywhere and there’s just no way around them. While hiking at a pace of 3-miles/ hour we have flies swarming our heads and biting us all over. When we stop walking we get eaten alive by these incessant flies and the mosquitoes jump on board too. Kate and I spray ourselves with insect repellent but they find the spots that didn’t get sprayed and go to town on those few square inches. Once Brandon’s tent is set up, he jumps in and rarely comes back out (sometimes to eat dinner) so that he can avoid the bugs. All daylong we are just swatting at our bodies- I’m sure it would look quite comical to an outsider.

 
We have also been experiencing excruciatingly hot and humid weather, on and off, for about a month (mostly on). As soon as we start hiking early in the morning, I have beads of sweat all over my face and arms. After an hour of hiking the beads of sweat have turned into streams running down my face, arms, and legs. By midday my hair and clothes are so saturated that I look like I just jumped into a lake. We only shower and do laundry about once every 5-7 days, so as you can imagine we smell RANK- I don’t know how it happens but our clothes end up smelling like a combination of bleach chemicals and mildew- it’s so awful that sometimes I can’t stand to walk down wind from Kate or Bran. From four months of not wearing deodorant the stench has really set in our skin and clothes (showers and laundry can only do so much for us at this point). I think that since I am restricted to one set of really smelly hiking clothes, recently during the day my mind has been drifting towards thoughts of my wardrobe, lotions, and perfumes; I fantasize about the option to shower daily, as well as the different salves and garments I can wear again when I return home.
 
Home! My goodness! That’s less than a month away! What a shock it is to be sitting in the state of New Hampshire right now. I never thought I would actually make it out of the state of Virginia, but here I am, having walked here from Georgia, with only two states left to traverse. WOW! With so little time remaining, I think we’ve had a wake up call- this is going to end, and soon. I feel the pressure to soak up every last bit of this backwoods experience that I can… so I guess I should get off this computer!
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Posted in Emily Ginger

The Foreshadowing

Posted on July 14th, 2010

Written by: Katherine ‘Ringleader’ Imp

“I find myself hanging out at REI.”

Yianni Stoner. Talk about blast from the past. 19-yr-old Yianni is the only thru-hiker we’ve met that refused to adopt a trail name. We met him during the first half of our thru-hike and got to know him quite well. He got off the trail in the Shenandoahs because the “green tunnel” wasn’t quenching his thirst for outdoor adventure. Instead, he planned a new trip — hike the John Muir trail in California. Prophet, another fellow thru-hiker who has been hiking with us for awhile, decided to go with Yianni to California. Thus, the Traveling Circus got to meet up with Yianni a few days ago when he came to pick up Prophet from the trail.

When we asked Yianni about his return to civilization, he responded with the sentence above: I find myself hanging out at REI.

On the one hand, picturing Yianni lurking around REI is priceless. Talking about gear, food, and the trail with customers. Haha. I’m sure they all thought he worked there.

On the other hand, what does this say about our return? Have we become so accustomed to this lifestyle that we will have trouble assimilating back to our previous lives? Will I have to get a part-time job at REI to satisfy my craving to talk about gear, food, and miles?

Emily, Brandon, and I rarely think about our transition back to society. But Yianni gave us a huge wake-up call.

 
I remember telling people about this trip before we began. I got it down to a few sentences, kind of like an elevator pitch: I’m graduating law school early so I can hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine with my friend Emily and my brother Brandon.
 
It was easy to form an elevator pitch before the trip, but what will I say to people when they ask: How was your trip?
 
Can I really answer this question with an elevator pitch? Will anyone really understand what I’m talking about? Am I going to feel ostracized from the life I left behind?
 
I have no idea what to expect upon my return to civilization. Thru-hiking is a lifestyle. And while most believe that the adventure ends on Katahdin, my guess is that the transition home will be just as daunting as some of the insane climbs we’ve done on the Appalachian Trail. Nevertheless, I look forward to cherishing 5 months of memories and sharing those memories with whoever chooses to listen…
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Posted in Katherine Imp