ATN May-June 2002 - Appalachian Trail Conservancy

2
MAY–JUNE 2002

MAY–JUNE 2002
ATN
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS
ON THE COVER
Spence Field in the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park (photo by Laurie Potteiger).
Inside: Fog at Bearwallow Gap along the Blue
Ridge Parkway in central Virginia (photo by
Merlin Detardos).
VIEWPOINTS
SHELTER REGISTER ♦ LETTERS 4
OVERLOOK ♦ BRIAN T. FITZGERALD
AND DAVE STARTZELL 5
REFLECTIONS: FLIP-FLOPPING 22
BOOKS 28
MINISTRY OF FUNNY WALKS
♦ FELIX J. MCGILICUDDY 31
WHITE BLAZES
PAPER TRAIL ♦ NEWS FROM HARPERS FERRY 8
SIDEHILL ♦ NEWS FROM CLUBS AND
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES 10
TREELINE ♦ NEWS FROM ALONG
THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL 11
BLUE BLAZES
HEAD AND HEART ♦ THE THRU-HIKING
PAPERS, PART 1 ♦ JIM OWEN 18
TREADWAY
MEMORIAL GIFTS 24
TRAIL GIVING 25
NOTABLE GIFTS 29
PUBLIC NOTICES 30
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 3

4
Appalachian Trailway
News
VOLUME 63, NUMBER 2 • MAY–JUNE 2002
Appalachian Trailway News is published by the Appalachian
Trail Conference, a nonprofit educational organization representing
the citizen interest in the Appalachian Trail and dedicated to
the preservation, maintenance, and enjoyment of the Appalachian
trailway. Since 1925, the Appalachian Trail Conference and its
member clubs have conceived, built, and maintained the Appalachian
Trail in cooperation with federal and state agencies. The
Conference also publishes guidebooks and other educational literature
about the Trail, the trailway, and its facilities. Annual individual
membership in the Appalachian Trail Conference is $30;
life membership, $600; corporate membership, $500 minimum
annual contribution.
Volunteer and freelance contributions are welcome. Please include
a stamped, self-addressed envelope with your submission.
Observations, conclusions, opinions, and product endorsements
expressed in Appalachian Trailway News are those of the authors
and do not necessarily reflect those of members of the board or
staff of the Appalachian Trail Conference.
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Brian B. King
EDITOR
Robert A. Rubin
BOARD OF MANAGERS
Chair
Brian T. Fitzgerald
Vice Chairs
Carl C. Demrow Thyra C. Sperry
Marianne J. Skeen
Treasurer
Kennard R. Honick
Secretary
Parthena M. Martin
Assistant Secretary
Arthur P. Foley
New England Region
Pamela Ahlen Stephen L. Crowe
Thomas O. Lewis Andrew L. Petersen
Dennis Regan Ann H. Sherwood
Mid-Atlantic Region
Walter E. Daniels Charles A. Graf
Sandra Marra Eric C. Olson
Glenn Scherer William Steinmetz
Southern Region
Bob Almand Phyllis Henry
Robert P. Kyle
William S. Rogers James M. Whitney, Jr.
Steven A. Wilson
Members at Large
Paul Burkholder Al Sochard
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
David N. Startzell
World Wide Web: www.appalachiantrail.org
Appalachian Trailway News (ISSN 0003-6641) is published
bimonthly, except for January/February, for $15 a year by
the Appalachian Trail Conference, 799 Washington Street,
Harpers Ferry, WV 25425, (304) 535-6331. Bulk-rate postage
paid at Harpers Ferry, WV, and other offices. Postmaster: Send
change-of-address Form 3597 to Appalachian Trailway News,
P.O. Box 807, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425.
Copyright © 2002, The Appalachian Trail Conference. All
rights reserved.
H ow
SHELTER REGISTER
Tilting at windmills
ironic that, in the very same issue
of Appalachian Trailway News, we
find one article bewailing the effects of
global warming and another voicing
nearly unanimous ATC opposition to a
wind-farm project in Maine.
As one of those parched 1999 hikers
who “walked in hundred-degree heat
from dry well to dry spring to dry stream,”
I would agree with the article that global
warming is a major threat. And, in my
opinion, the biggest eyesore on the A.T.
is those miles upon miles of forests devastated
by the effects of acid rain. Yet here
we have wind power, a technology that
has the potential to alleviate both problems
(and many others), but, instead of
backing it enthusiastically, as it should,
ATC has come out against it.
You cannot have it both ways. You
cannot in good conscience be in favor of
a technology in the abstract but oppose
it as soon as it materializes as a slight
inconvenience to yourself. The fact that
some Board members expressed “mixed
feelings” and others abstained excuses
nothing. This kind of wooly-minded,
“not-in-my-backyard” thinking makes
those who profess a concern for the environment
futile and ludicrous in the eyes
of the fossil-fuel people. No wonder we’re
not taken seriously.
Christopher Heap (“Frodo” of ’99)
Gloucester, Ontario
◆
It is a sad day for the green when the
ATC favors burning coal in lieu of
some of the best sources of nonpolluting
power we have. Several rambles in
the U.K. and U.S.A. have taken me up
close to these wonderful machines,
slowly, quietly turning out clean power.
Give it a break: Maine might not buy the
power, but, if it is made elsewhere with
coal, Maine is downwind. It is a bad time
for Balkan thinking.
George Haus
Lenox, Massachusetts
Letters from our readers
◆
It seems there are two competing interests:
the desire to protect the A.T.
viewshed versus the desire to develop
renewable sources of energy. ATC has
been fighting suburban sprawl and
other encroachments for years, and I
have contributed to various campaigns
by the ATC and the NY–NJ Trail Conference
to accomplish that. Those
projects would have benefited a few at
the expense of many. But, alternative
energy sources are something that benefits
us all. We need to be thinking
from a global perspective. Wind energy
reduces our dependence on fossil fuels,
thus reducing air pollution. How much
would air pollution from a coal-fired
power plant located fifty to a hundred
miles to the west affect the viewshed
of the A.T.?
I find it startling to read in the same
issue that the ATC Board needed to reduce
the 2002 operating budget by
$500,000 because of reduced revenue and
that, by opposing the wind farm, the ATC
“could be looking at fairly significant
outlays—not only in terms of time, but
in dollars, too.” I believe that ATC’s Board
of Managers acted with a “NIMBY”
mindset in its 18-1 vote to oppose the
wind farm. Who was the lone dissenter?
He or she showed great courage.
Paul Campbell
New York, New York
Letters
Appalachian Trailway News
welcomes your comments. Letters
will be edited for clarity and length.
Please send them to:
Letters to the Editor
Appalachian Trailway News
P.O. Box 807
Harpers Ferry, WV 25425-0807
E-Mail:
MAY–JUNE 2002

◆
I
read with dismay of the Board of Managers’
18-1 decision to oppose the development
of a wind farm near the Trail
in Maine. My dismay turned into stunned
disbelief and outrage when I read Glenn
Scherer’s article on global warming seven
pages farther on. How can you dare to
preach to us about buying compact fluorescent
bulbs when you are trying to
block a project that could prevent the
emissions of hundreds of tons of greenhouse
gasses? What difference does it
make if the electricity generated is “of
no benefit to Maine?” Do you think that
the smog from fossil-fuel power plants
will stop at Maine’s borders?
The ATC’s opposition to this project
is short-sighted and hypocritical. I hope
that Glenn Scherer was the Board member
who cast the one dissenting vote in
this decision. If not, he needs to get down
off his soapbox.
Timothy Edwards
Lexington, Kentucky
◆
Far from spoiling a view, wind towers
could provide exciting visual evidence
that people are finding ways to produce
energy with minimal environmental
damage. Insofar as the Trail gives an image
of pristine wilderness, untouched by
human intervention, it’s a mirage, weaving,
as the real Trail does, through one of
the most densely populated corridors of
the country. Haze and the effects of acid
rain give telling evidence of the perils of
current methods of energy production.
Better there should be towers giving evidence
of clean alternatives. I don’t understand
how an organization that speaks of
supporting wilderness for future generations
can take a selfish “not in my playground”
approach to a development that
supports those goals.
Mary Morris Heiberger
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Overlook
Brian T. Fitzgerald and Dave Startzell
Two recent and unrelated discussions among Trail managers have highlighted
a basic conundrum for Appalachian Trail managers: How do we
meet the expectations of increasing numbers of hikers without altering
the Trail’s fundamental character?
First, some background. In 1981, the National Park Service and USDA
Forest Service approved the “Appalachian Trail Comprehensive Plan.” The plan
(required by Congress) provides a framework for Trail management that includes
the following statement of philosophy: “Hikers along the Appalachian Trail must
be responsible for their own safety and comfort.”
The plan goes on to say, “Trail design, construction, and maintenance should
reflect a concern for safety without detracting from the opportunity for hikers to
experience the wild and scenic lands by their own unaided efforts and without
sacrificing aspects of the Trail that may challenge their skill and stamina. Attempts
to provide for the unprepared lead to a progressive diminution of the experience
available to others.”
The first discussion came up in November, when, following a year of considering
the impact of long-standing agency regulations that prohibit advertising in
the Trail corridor, the Board of Managers adopted a policy that supports the regulations.
When this policy is implemented at the local level, information on businesses
that provide hiker services outside
of the Trail corridor will be provided
Unaided efforts? through publications and Web sites and
passed from hiker to hiker in shelter registers
and by word-of-mouth. The debate on this question focused on the conflicting
goals of keeping the corridor as free as possible from commercialism while
providing as much information as possible to hikers.
The second discussion came up more recently, when ATC, Trail-maintaining
clubs, and agency partners started planning for what is predicted to be an extremely
dry summer. We are already advising hikers that water sources could dry
up and that it may be necessary to carry extra water. Plans for special Trailhead
signs addressing water shortages and fire danger are in the works.
Both of those issues touch on the question of how much the Conference and
the Trail-maintaining clubs should do to assist hikers. Or, more to the point, at
what point do we change the experience of hiking the A.T. by providing information
or services to hikers? Would signs at Trailheads that point to hostels and
restaurants in nearby towns be helpful to some but remind others of rest areas
along interstate highways? Should hikers expect Trail clubs to monitor water
sources during a drought and post information on their condition at Trailheads?
Should Trail managers maintain water tanks at road crossings to ensure that hikers
have drinking water during a drought?
In general, ATC has followed the dictates of the comprehensive plan and tried
to maintain the primitive character of the Trail while giving hikers the opportunity
to be self-reliant. To be sure, though, we work with the clubs to clear and
blaze the Trail, post signs, build and maintain shelters, and provide hikers with a
wide array of information. All of these actions diminish, to some extent, the opportunity
for hikers to experience the Trail “by their own unaided efforts.” So,
the conundrum remains—the challenge for Trail managers is to know where to
draw the line. We welcome your thoughts on where that line should be.
Brian T. Fitzgerald is chair of ATC; Dave Startzell is executive director.
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 5

Shelter
6
◆
I live in Montana and have been fortunate
to have hiked approximately 750
miles of your wonderful A.T. Many places
in the West (and I hope a lot more), you
see wind farms. They are situated at the
passes, ridgelines, and summits (above
treeline), and, yes, they are visible. They
do not bother me, as I’d rather see them
supplying cheap, renewable, and nonpolluting
power than the coal-fired, nuclear,
and other polluting sources of power. It
is our choice. Let us make the right one.
Tom Hanou
Lolo, Montana
◆
Iam a life member of the ATC, and I
disagree with the ATC’s decision to oppose
the Endless Energy Co. wind-farm
proposal.
I walked up logging roads and through
clearcuts while climbing Redington and
its neighbors, and I would guess that the
view you published was from the shoulder
of Sugarloaf, which is already graced
with a ski area. If I recall correctly, that
is one of the few places between Saddleback
(with its own ski area) and the
Bigelows (which overlook Flagstaff Lake,
a hydropower reservoir) where Redington
and Black Nubble are actually visible
from the A.T.
After years of watching hiking enthusiasts
drive inefficient vehicles unnecessary
miles while complaining about deteriorating
visibility and acid-rain damage,
this is the last straw. I intend to withhold
all donations to the ATC as long as
there is any chance they will be applied
toward opposing the project.
James Van Bokkelen
South Hampton, New Hampshire
◆
The energy debate that is going on in
the U.S. Senate right now gives testament
to the importance of projects like
this one in our own backyard. How can
one oppose relatively benign energy production
in Maine and at the same time
oppose oil exploration in a national wildlife
refuge in Alaska? If we cannot aug-
ment our power supply with renewable
energies, we will be forced to exploit our
most precious areas for resources using
methods that can devastate them.
Joseph P. Derrick
Wakefield, Rhode Island
◆
Iwould much rather see windmills than
billowing smokestacks, which is what
you will get if you deny environmentally
friendly wind power. It is especially ironic
that in this same ATN issue there is a
concern expressed on the adverse effects
of global warning. By begrudging windmills,
the alternative substitute energy
sources will surely hasten global warming!
Does the left hand know what the
right hand is doing?
Dennis R. Morgan
Morristown, New Jersey
EDITOR’S NOTE: ATC opposes the Redington
wind tower project just as it has
opposed telecommunications towers,
power transmission lines, pipelines, quarries,
and other major industrial facilities
that threaten the Trail’s scenic values.
Preserving those values is part of our
charter, even where it puts us in conflict
with other worthy causes. Although, for
the most part, wind energy benefits the
environment and, by extension, the Trail,
this particular project comes at too high
a cost. The more we learn about it, the
worse it sounds.
• The towers are hardly cute little pinwheels
in someone’s yard. They are major
industrial fixtures that will loom in
plain view of the Trail for many miles
and remain visible for an average of four
days of hiking. Instead of largely unspoiled
mountain scenery, hikers will
look out on a complex of about twelve
miles of new or improved roads and
about ten miles of new power lines.
Building the towers requires pouring concrete
foundations and clear-cutting
ridgetops—all this in fragile habitats at
elevations up to 4,000 feet. Worst of all,
the towers themselves are massive—
equivalent in height to a forty-story
building; at 400 feet from base to tip,
each is half as tall as Boston’s John
Hancock Tower. They will be among the
tallest structures in the state of Maine,
and there will be nineteen of them. During
the daytime, the landscape will seem
to crawl as they turn. At night, their powerful
white strobe lights will flash like
lightning along the ridges, outshining any
star and banishing the sense of remoteness
for hikers who seek it.
• The Northern Forest Alliance considers
this area one of the most promising
in the state for additional land-conservation
efforts to protect remote mountainous
habitats and primitive recreation
opportunities. ATC has been at the heart
of this project, by buying nearby Mt.
Abraham for the state. The Redington
wind farm would put an industrial power
plant right in the middle of the area targeted
for conservation.
• The energy from the towers will not
replace that from “dirty” power generation
plants—in fact, it won’t displace a
single midwestern coal-fired plant. Coalfired
plants are cheap to run and thus are
the last to be shut down. Any energy that
the wind farm’s small output replaces
would be from more costly plants that
burn natural gas, biomass, and other
sources of relatively clean energy.
• Finally, it’s a far-reaching precedent.
If we were to support the Redington and
Black Nubble project, we would be setting
the bar very low for future development
along ridgelines near the Trail.
Agreeing not to oppose this would tie our
hands in the future if we wanted to oppose
development on any ridgeline
within five miles of the A.T.
I n
No Tears for Tuvalu
Glen Scherer’s article in the March–
April 2002 Appalachian Trailway New,
he reports that 11,000 Tuvaluans have
fled their homeland forever as their nine
coral atolls drowned. Are we utilizing
baldfaced lies now to get people excited
about global warming?
I did a little checking, and my World
Book 2002 Yearbook still lists Tuvalu as
a country of 11,000 people on nine islands.
The TV station there is still broad-
MAY–JUNE 2002

casting Internet information. Jane’s site
on Oceania talks about some inundation
of some trees on the island but does not
mention any departure from the islands.
Weather information for the country is
still available, and I can call there for
thirty-seven cents a minute.
I bet, if I check, I will find that half
the ice in the Arctic has not melted, either.
Van Irvin
Fountain, North Carolina
◆
As one who follows global climatechange
developments closely, I was
surprised to learn that global warming
had caused the waters of the Pacific
Ocean to rise, making Tuvalu’s 11,000
people flee their homelands forever. Fortunately,
that statement in the March–
April ATN is incorrect. Tuvalu is still
above water, and its 11,000 inhabitants
still have their homes.
What has happened is that, on March
6, Reuters reported that the prime minister
of Tuvalu, in response to forecasts
of sea-level rise for the next 100 years,
threatened to sue Australia and the
United States in the International Court
of Justice for not ratifying the Kyoto Protocol.
His claim is that global warming
would make his island nation uninhabitable,
but this may not be justified.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) projects that, unless
greenhouse gas emissions are controlled,
sea level will rise between 9 and 88 centimeters
(4–35 inches) from 1990 to 2100.
By comparison, sea levels rose between
10 and 20 centimeters (4–8 inches) during
the 20th century. The higher end of
this range would be a serious threat to
Tuvalu and other low-lying parts of the
world, but the lower end would not. The
IPCC states that it cannot say whether
the higher or lower end of the range is
more probable.
Global climate change is a serious concern,
but environmentally conscious publications
like ATN do their readers no
service by publishing unfounded scare
stories. They risk crying wolf one time
too many and losing credibility. I hope
your future articles on climate change
will be more careful about the facts.
Lenny Bernstein
Asheville, North Carolina
◆
Glenn Scherer makes some good points
in his article about the impact of climate
change on the Appalachian Trail,
but he propagates two serious errors that
undercut his message.
Inhabitants of the south Pacific island
of Tuvalu have not abandoned their
home. Nor, as Scherer implies, is it unusual
that “those trekking to the North
Pole last summer needed a boat, not a
dogsled.” His statement comes from an
August 19, 2000, article in the New York
Times, claiming that open water had been
spotted at the North Pole for the first time
in perhaps 50 million years. But, the
author’s claim that the pole’s open water
was unusual was erroneous, based only
on casual observations, and was retracted
soon after. Nonetheless, the claim has unfortunately
made it into the public consciousness.
Scherer should not have reproduced
it.
These are not minor points. Opponents
of actions that would mitigate climate
change are ready to seize on any
opportunity to discredit the environmental
cause. Journalistic claims not based
on accuracy and science serve only to
strengthen their case and to effectively
drown out the serious concerns that are
posed by climate change.
David Appell
Gilford, New Hampshire
EDITOR’S NOTE: As pointed out in the letters
above, Glenn Scherer’s article was
factually incorrect regarding the status
of Tuvalu. The assertion was based on
widely reported but inaccurate news stories.
The report of open water at the
North Pole was correct, but, as Mr. Appell
notes above, prompts disagreement
among scientists as to its connection
with global warming, and is not unprecedented.
Mr. Scherer is a longtime contributor
to ATN, and his previous articles
have been factual. This one should have
been checked more closely. We regret our
error.
Too hard?
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 7
A s
a long-time A.T. hiker, and more recently
a maintainer, I feel I have to respond
to Chris (Smokey) Lazzari’s letter
in the March/April issue. While I appreciate
his thanks for our work and his dedication
to white-blazing, I take issue with
his premise that the Trail makes an “honest”
hike too hard for thru-hikers. The
A.T. was created primarily for local usage,
be that from the nearest city or on a
regional basis. In the ’20s and ’30s, the
thought of walking all of it at in one season
was probably foreign to most of the
A.T. pioneers. It is fine the way it is. Local
people can do a day-hike and get a real
workout, in addition to the forest experience.
When you are on a local hike, those
“unscenic” knobs are often appreciated,
even if just for exercise or memories.
Those who are able to complete the Trail
in one season have made a significant
accomplishment (in large part because
the A.T. is not horizontal), but we should
not change its contours just to reduce the
number of blue-blazers.
Jim Hamblen
Gainesville, Georgia
◆
I
, too, was a “purist” on my 1992 thruhike.
I am not a maintainer, but I highly
respect the work that they do. The
thought that these volunteers would purposely
throw obstacles in a hiker’s path
by choosing a more difficult route is ridiculous.
My out-of-shape body was
transformed into a hiking machine by
each and every challenge I faced. The payoff
at the top of a lung-busting ascent was
merely the satisfaction of the accomplishment
and not whether I could see anything
from the summit. I have been surprised
and somewhat saddened to see that
some believe that the actual number of
completed A.T. hikes is much lower due
to dishonesty in reporting completed
Continued on page 26

Three years after the Appalachian
Trail Conference
(ATC) began its “Western
Maine High Mountains Project”
to conserve unspoiled
mountain lands adjacent to
the Trail near Saddleback
Mountain, ATC has turned
over to the state the first major
parcel of land for protection.
In April, the Conference
donated 4,033 acres of land on
Mount Abraham (known lo-
8
PAPER TRAIL
News from Harpers Ferry
ATC transfers Mt. Abraham property to Maine
Corridor Countdown
cally as “Mount Abram”) near
Kingfield to the Maine Department
of Conservation to be
permanently preserved as an
ecological reserve. The land
donation, valued at more than
$1.3 million, is part of the largest
land-acquisition project
ever undertaken by ATC.
ATC acquired 3,000 acres
of property on Mount Abraham
in 1999 when the land
became available and worked
in subsequent years to acquire
It was the hope of Congress, the federal administration,
and the Trail community that the Appalachian Trail
could be pronounced “fully protected” by the end of
the century on December 31, 2000. Now, it appears that
the National Park Service portion of the protection program
could be completed in 2002 or 2003, with the Forest
Service finishing its portion in 2004. Footpath tracts are
completely acquired in four of the fourteen A.T. states, but
many acres of protective corridor remain privately held.
Here is where the federal and state agencies stood as of
March 2002 in terms of footpath miles (0.7 of one percent)
and adjoining acreage (4.1 percent) left to acquire:
States Map Miles Acres
Maine 1.4 242
New Hampshire 0.1 4
Vermont 0.0 42
Massachusetts 0.1 346
Connecticut 0.7 143
New York 0.1 279
New Jersey 0.0 112
Pennsylvania 2.8 207
Maryland 3.0 625
Virginia 4.5 2,360
West Virginia/Va. 0.0 0
N.C./Tennessee 3.0 2,935
Georgia 0.0 513
Total 15.7 7,808
additional parcels. The A.T.
does not actually cross the
summit of Mt. Abraham but
runs close by as it traverses
surrounding peaks, including
Saddleback and Spaulding
mountains. Robert Williams,
director of ATC’s land trust
program, called Mount Abraham
“an absolute gem that
deserves the highest level of
protection possible.”
With a summit elevation
of 4,049 feet, Mt. Abraham is
one of only thirteen peaks in
Maine higher than 4,000 feet,
ten of which are already in
public ownership. The mountain
includes more than four
miles of above-treeline ridgeline
that encompasses an alpine
plant community surpassed
in size only by that of
Katahdin, in Baxter State Park
farther north. The lands donated
by ATC comprise the
eastern and southern portions
of the mountain and abut the
Appalachian Trail corridor.
The property includes most of
the Firewarden’s Trail, a popular
hiking path leading up the
eastern side of the mountain,
crossing the summit and connecting
a side trail off the Appalachian
Trail.
Before transferring the
land, ATC conveyed a conservation
easement on the property
to The Nature Conservancy.
The legal document
ensures that the land will forever
be managed as an ecological
reserve and includes restrictions
that prohibit future
development and timber harvesting.
“Key sites across the fivestate
Northern Forest can be
preserved as unmanaged sanctuaries
within our vast working
forest,” said Kent Wommack,
executive director of
The Nature Conservancy in
Maine. “Holding this easement
and contributing funds
to this important acquisition
are part of our goal of balancing
ecological and economic
values across this region.”
Tom Morrison, director of
the Maine Bureau of Parks and
Lands (BPL), hailed the donation
as “a spectacular addition
to the state’s ecological reserve
system and an outstanding
recreational property.” In
1999, the Maine Legislature
established an ecologicalreserve
program to preserve
representative examples of
Maine’s natural communities
as habitat for native plants
and animals and to provide opportunities
for ecological research.
In 2000, the bureau designated
69,994 acres of public
lands as ecological reserves.
The Mount Abraham acquisition
is the first ecological reserve
to be donated to the
state. Morrison commented
that the donated lands will be
managed by the bureau for
backcountry recreation, including
the maintenance of
existing campsites and trails.
The donated lands are part
of a larger conservation effort
on Mount Abraham. Last fall,
BPL acquired 1,026 acres on
Continued on page 24
MAY–JUNE 2002

Paper Trail
Drought leaves Trail lands parched, tinder-dry
Alingering fall and winter
drought in the eastern
United States, followed
by below-average spring rains,
has left the A.T. corridor unusually
dry in 2002. Hikers
may experience water shortages
and increased fire danger,
Trail officials said.
According to the April 2
National Drought Summary
for the eastern United States,
conditions along the Trail
ranged from abnormally dry
and moderate drought in north
Georgia, to near normal conditions
in North Carolina and
Tennessee, to severe and extreme
drought from Virginia
north to Maine. The mid-Atlantic
states, in particular, face
below-normal rainfall for the
middle and late summer, ac-
cording to forecasts the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
(NOAA).
Tinder-dry conditions
along the Trail contributed to
two fires in late winter and
early spring:
In southwest Virginia, a
February leaf fire in the backyard
of a house near the A.T.
in Damascus went out of control
in dry and windy weather,
burning several acres of brush
and severely damaging the
trestle that carries the A.T.
and the Virginia Creeper Trail
into town. The Trail was rerouted
along city streets while
volunteers and federal land
managers assess the damage.
In New Jersey, the newly
constructed boardwalk across
Fire aftermath (left)
along Pochuck
boardwalk (photo:
Larry Wheelock).
Fire damage (below)
in Damascus (USFS
photo). Drought
areas (right); map
adapted from NOAA.
the Pochuck Swamp, scheduled
to be opened to A.T. users
later this year, sustained
minor damage when a grass
fire swept through the swamp
in early April. The cause of the
fire is unknown, and it was extinguished
using helicopter
airdrops before it could destroy
the wooden boardwalk
or nearby homes.
The U.S. Seasonal Drought
Outlook released March 12 by
NOAA’s Climate Prediction
Center indicates moderate to
severe drought extending from
Georgia to Maine; its extended
forecast through June 2002
predicts “slow improvement
likely” for the East Coast, but
drought conditions will persist.
Below-normal precipitation
is expected from central
Virginia to Maine between
August and November.
ATC announced that hikers
should be aware that some
natural water sources noted
in guides and on maps may
be unreliable until underlying
groundwater conditions
improve—even historically
strong springs have been reported
dry in the mid-Atlantic
region. Hikers going out for
an overnight trip or longer
should be prepared to carry
more than one day’s worth of
water.
Volunteer Trail maintainers
in some areas may informally
attempt to provide water
at certain Trailheads and
road crossings, and post information
at Trailhead billboards,
where possible.
Trail area
Drought in
mid-April
Abnormal
Moderate
Severe
Extreme
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 9

10
SIDEHILL
News from clubs and government agencies
New Georgia shelter employs experimental techniques
Anew shelter in Georgia
will test out some new
theories about campsite
construction and location
meant to prevent damage to
the natural area immediately
surrounding Trail shelters.
The new Gooch Mountain
Shelter, dedicated last October
13 by the Georgia Appalachian
Trail Club (GATC), was built
after two years of planning and
a year of work in the field that
saw volunteers contribute
about 5,000 hours of work and
build more than a mile of
new trail. The shelter project
was a cooperative effort of
the Conference, GATC, the
U.S. Forest Service, and private
citizens.
The new shelter is located
near one of the most venerable
shelters on the Trail, the old
Gooch Gap Shelter, which it
replaces. But, instead of being
built on the same level hilltop
site that the old shelter occupied,
the new shelter was
planned on steeper ground,
several thousand yards farther
south on Gooch Mountain.
The site was chosen according
to the recommendations
of Virginia Tech recreation
ecologist Jeffrey Marion,
who has worked with ATC to
develop new lower-impact
ways of building shelters. Instead
of being located in a flat
area, as A.T. shelters traditionally
are, the site is sloped to
discourage random tent camping
around it. For tenters, six
level “tent pads” were dug
into the nearby hillside to
provide desirable sites. Except
2002 long-distance hikers at newly-constructed Gooch Mountain Shelter. Photo: Joel Rash
for the designated spots and
the shelter, the area is too
steep for comfortable tenting,
thus minimizing trampling
and damage to nearby vegetation.
Another experimental feature
at the site is a “moldering
privy”—a new design that
employs bark shavings,
worms, microbes, and other
organisms to compost human
waste. With traditional pit
privies, waste is treated with
lime and buried. If the new
privy works properly, maintainers
will be able to recycle
the compost and won’t have to
dig new “privy holes.”
Food-hoist cables also were
installed at the site to make it
easier for hikers to hang their
food and keep it away from
bears and other animals,
which have been a nuisance in
along the Trail in parts of
Georgia. GATC is in the pro-
cess of placing the cable system
at all its shelters.
Another problem that typically
plagues shelters is
muddy, eroded trails to and
from the A.T. and to and from
nearby water sources and
sanitary facilities. At Gooch
Mountain, the existing A.T.
followed old roadbeds and the
fall line of the ridge, resulting
in a route that required continual
maintenance to prevent
erosion. For the new shelter,
the A.T. itself was rerouted
near the shelter using “sidehill”
construction technique,
a design that puts the path on
the side of the hill so that water
can drain off it more easily.
The new portion is designed
with frequent dips that
facilitate water runoff and
minimize erosion. A Trail
crossing at Blackwell Creek
was accomplished with rocks
rather than a bridge.
The project began early in
1999 when members of the
von Seggern family of Dawsonville,
Georgia, contacted
ATC to explore the possibility
of donating funding for a
shelter in memory of Kurt von
Seggern, an avid hiker who
had died a few days earlier.
Work began on the new
trail in the rain during December
2000 and continued during
the snow in January 2001.
More than fifty club volunteers
participated in the early
stages. The treadway was extended
farther in March by
two groups of college students—ten
from the University
of New Hampshire and
twelve from the University of
Missouri—who spent their
spring vacations helping with
this project. Together, they
completed an additional 1,700
Continued on page 27
MAY–JUNE 2002

TREELINE
News from along the Appalachian Trail
“Hate crime” indictment in Shenandoah murder case
Federal authorities in
Charlottesville, Virginia,
announced April 10 that
they have charged a Maryland
man with capital murder in
the highly publicized killings
of two women in Shenandoah
National Park near the Appalachian
Trail in 1996. The case
had been widely (and erroneously)
reported as murders on
the A.T.
The suspect, 34-year-old
Darrell David Rice of Columbia,
Maryland, was already
serving prison time for trying
to abduct a woman in the park
in 1997, a year after the murders
of Julianne M. Williams
and Laura S. “Lollie” Winans,
the Associated Press reported.
Charges against him were
announced by U.S. Attorney
General John Ashcroft, after a
four-count federal grand jury
indictment was unsealed on
April 9.
(A “sealed indictment”
means that a grand jury has
been secretly investigating
charges against a suspect on
its own, rather than as a result
of formal charges filed by
police. It is often used to keep
suspects from realizing that
they are under investigation.
In “unsealing” the indictment
April 9, the grand jury made a
formal charge.)
The indictment accuses
Rice of killing Williams, 24,
and Winans, 26, by cutting
their throats and charges that
he selected them because of
their “actual or perceived gender
or sexual orientation.” The
U.S. attorney for the western
district of Virginia announced
that Rice would be the first
person to be prosecuted under
enhanced sentencing guidelines
for “hate crimes” that
permit the government to
seek the death penalty in such
cases.
According to news reports,
the murder victims were a
lesbian couple who had just
moved to a new home in
Burlington, Vt. In May 1996,
they had been hiking on popular
side trails in the central
section of the Virginia park,
and camping just east of both
Skyline Drive and the Skyland
resort complex. They had not
been on the Appalachian Trail
(west of the roadway) except
to walk from their vehicle just
after they arrived to the next
side-trail junction, investigators
surmised. They were last
seen alive on May 24 of that
year.
Their bodies were not
found for almost a week,
and the precise date of their
deaths has not been determined.
In the indictment, Rice
is charged with killing them
between May 24, when they
were last seen, and June 1,
when the bodies were discovered.
Although no indications
were given by investigators
of a Trail connection at the
time, Appalachian Trail Conference
staff members and
ridgerunners were heavily involved
in interviewing hikers
north and south of the site and
helping to assemble leads. The
FBI also seized numerous shelter
registers—notebooks left
by hikers in overnight
shelters as a
means of communication.
Robert Gray, chief
ranger for the Appalachian
National Scenic
Trail, said that,
after A.T. officials
helped with the initial
investigation
along the Trail, park
investigators let him
know that there did not appear
to be a connection to the A.T.
“The incident was initially reported
as an A.T. event, which
it was not,” Gray said. The
Park Service’s A.T. office has
not be “in the loop” of the investigation
since that early determination,
he said.
Rice was in federal prison
in Petersburg, Va., serving an
eleven-year sentence after
pleading guilty in 1998 to the
attempted abduction in the
park, according to U.S. Attorney
John Brownlee. In that
Deaths
1996 poster announcing a reward for
information about the deaths.
case, he tried to force a woman
cycling in the park into his vehicle.
She was able to fight
him off, using her bicycle as a
shield, and he was arrested by
park rangers just before driving
out of the park. News reports
said that hand and foot
restraints were found in Rice’s
vehicle.
Authorities made the connection
to the murder of Williams
and Winans while Rice
was in prison, when he reportedly
said things relevant to the
case.
Edwin R. Page
Edwin R. Page, former president of the Natural Bridge
A.T. Club and a former member of the Appalachian Trail
Conference Board of Managers, died March 4, 2002, at
Lynchburg General Hospital in Virginia. He was 85.
Mr. Page was president of the Natural Bridge club
from 1981 to 1983. In addition to his work with the
club and the Conference, Mr. Page, an engineer with
General Electric, was an longtime advocate for hiking
and biking trails in the Lynchburg area and an active
conservationist.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Cathleen Page,
and a daughter, Patricia Page Franklin of Lynchburg.
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 11

Treeline
2,000-milers for 2002
The Appalachian Trail Conference has
received 654 reports of complete
hikes of the Trail—either by thruhikes
or in sections over a number of
years—since a similar list was published
in last May’s ATN. The reports from persons
listed below are grouped by the year
in which the hike was completed. Hikes
reported after 1973 were accepted for inclusion
in the registry but not verified by
ATC. Those names marked with an asterisk
(*) reported completing both section-
and thru-hikes during the year.
1975 Robert L. Elsener (Hammurabi), Cincinnati,
Ohio; Kim W. Welch (Knaps), Cincinnati,
Ohio.
1977 Richard A. Boyer (Kid Climb), Muncy,
Pa.
1989 Paul G. Moore, Scotch Plains, N.J.; Scott
W. Talley, Portland, Ore.
1990 Bubba Sandford (Bubba), Mesa, Ark.
1992 Arthur L. Altman (Retread), South
Charleston, W.Va.
1994 Gordon S. Bergmann (Highlander), Winter
Park, Colo.; Christopher Rumbelow (Optimistic
Chris), Madison, Wis.
1996 Earley G. Wilder (Wilder), Zebulon, N.C.
1997 Beverly L. Dilworth (Winter Printer),
Rainbow City, Ala.; Kevin J. Edgar, Kingsport,
Tenn.; Richard C. Fisher (The Griz), Fremont,
Calif.; Robert L. Frost (Frosty), Forest Hill, Md.;
James C.E. Gilbert (Moose-Man), Wilmette,
Ill.; Linda Ramus (One Step), Fremont, Calif.
1998 Tim A. Bowman (Goober), Zanesville,
Ohio; Marsha Canada (Raincheck), Bedford,
Ind.; Nathan Canada (Wildhair), Bedford, Ind.;
Michael C. Carey (Coop), Bridgewater, Mass.;
Jacob Jurado (Mickey Knox), Daytona Beach,
Fla.
1999 Rob L. Brown (Cooter), Lookout Mountain,
Ga.; Henry S. Cowell III (Hawkeye),
Burke, Va.; Isaac K. Harris (Black Bear), Avon,
Colo.; James J. Hedderman, Williamson, Ga.;
Scott T. Kissman (Slackjaw McGraw),
12
Alpharetta, Ga.; Eric R.
Manbeck (Sundown), Boalsburg,
Pa.; David A. Martin
(Lob), Baltimore, Md.; L.A.
“Jack” Tarlin (Baltimore Jack),
Hanover, N.H.; Cinda Y.
Williamson (Timmy), Banner
Elk, N.C.
2000 Richard Alexander (Amtrak),
Boise, Idaho; Nathan J.
Baker (Shakedown), Newaygo,
Mich.; Dwain O. Barnes
(Philly Boyz), Hamilton, N.J.;
James R. Bennett (Han Solo),
East Lansing, Mich.; Chris E.
Cattau (Pilot), Germantown,
Tenn.; Peter M. Cibor (Snapshot),
Timonium, Md.; James
W. Clinchard (Jimbo), Orlando,
Fla.; Alex J. Coughlin
(Cracker!), Harrisonburg, Va.;
Elinor de Sosa (Elderberry), Los
Angeles, Calif.; Steven J.
Deckert (Boy Scout), Newton,
N.J.; Brian J. Distelberg (Shaman),
Grand Rapids, Mich.; Charles H. Easom
(The Colonel), Walnut Grove, Miss.; Mark A.
Fantin (Funky), Belleville, Mich.; Garth E.
Fisher (Rockdance-2000), Janesville, Wis.; Sarah
R. Garlick (Looking Glass), Chapel Hill,
N.C.; Danielle L. Genter (Lethal Weapon), Bar
Harbor, Maine; David J. George (Cheesehead),
Milwaukee, Wis.; Adam L. Graham (Sir Casey),
St. John, New Brunswick, Canada; James M.
Guerdan (Orren), Plattsburgh, N.Y.; Travis J.
Hall (Sheperd), Knoxville, Tenn.; Matthew S.
Hamel (Pine Tree), Amissville, Va.; Ellen S.
Heatwole (Pushma), Annandale, Va.; Mark E.
Heatwole (Pullya), Annandale, Va.; Jeremy E.
Hickey (Hollywood), Hollywood, Calif.; Daniel
T. Huser (Sundance & Lemonjello), Germantown,
Tenn.; Matthew G. Jager (Matt), Rising
Fawn, Ga.; Thomas C. Kneavel (Funkee
Munkee), Hockessin, Del.; Scott Kothe (Batteries
Included), Huntley, Ill.; Gregory S.
Lansingh (Granite), Orchard Lake, Mich.; Mark
E. McKnight (Minstrel), Needham, Mass.; Rick
A. Melzer (Superfly), Hershey, Pa.; David J.
Molineaux (Soul Trek), Santiago, Chile; James
L. Nelson (Big Guy), Madison, Va.; Franklin
D. Oliver (Gaited 2 legged mule), Kennesaw,
Ga.; Judy A. Oneal (Coldfoot), Sandy Point,
Maine; Leah E. Petty (Boose), Greenville, S.C.;
Joe C. Pusey (The Dude), Charlotte, N.C.;
Glenn W. Reynolds (Gizmo), Mobile, Ala.; Alex
M. Rose (Wasabi), Nashville, Tenn.; John A.
Left to right: Darryl Bunch (“Dream Catcher”) and Trail
companions “Tuna,” “Chef,” and “Kermy.”
Russo (Lone Ranger), Crumpler, N.C.; Tanya
S. Sandberg-Diment (Tinkerbell), Hampton,
Conn.; Paul M. Schmitz (Genesis), Asheville,
N.C.; Bradley Skinner (Bedbug), Petts Wood,
Kent, England; Scott Southworth (Dog), New
Boston, N.H.; Kurt B. Swanson (Eventually),
Richmond, Va.; L.A. “Jack” Tarlin (Baltimore
Jack), Hanover, N.H.; Joshua J. Thompson
(Honey Bear), Winston-Salem, N.C.; Dale A.
Tuckerman (Chipper), Haddam, Conn.; Bill
Wagner (Zoom), Chapel Hill, N.C.; Katrina S.
Wardrip (Chickadee), Racine, Wis.; Peter S.
Wardrip (Peaches), Racine, Wis.; Brian J. Wood
(Man in the Moon), Barrington, R.I.; Scott G.W.
Wood (Apollo), Barrington, R.I.
2001 Penelope L. Adams (Kamba), Middleton,
Wis.; Jason L. Alexander (Yoda), Conway, Ark.;
Bettysue Allen (Blister Sister), Cheyenne,
Wyo.; Dan H. Allen (Old Swampy), New London,
N.H.; Joseph Anastasia (Vermont Joe),
Lyndon, Vt.; Judith Anastasia (White Rock),
Lyndon, Vt.; Charles H. Anderson (Onward!),
Warren, Ohio; Roman K. Anderson (Famino!),
Eugene, Ore.; Antonio C. Antiochia (Zorro),
Ann Arbor, Mich.; Stephanie Apostolides (‘Lil
Engine), Manchester, N.H.; Benjamin Y.
Arcand (Grit), Chassell, Mich.; Paul J.
Armstrong (Will Scarlet), Nottingham, Notts,
England; William L. Arnett, Jr. (Woodsy),
Johnson City, Tenn.; Emily B. Augustine
MAY–JUNE 2002

(Pokey-hantas), New York, N.Y.; Nestor
Isagani P. Aviñante (Parypinoy), Alfonso,
Cavite, Philippines; Chris Bagby (Spur), Atlanta,
Ga.; Adam L. Bagerski (Panda), Raleigh,
N.C.; Tricia Baker (Bloody Stump), Manchester,
N.H.; John R. Ball (Chesapeake), Havre De
Grace, Md.; Michael A. Bard (Early),
Shirleysburg, Pa.; Karen J. Bareford (Deep Sea!),
Indianapolis, Ind.; Carol D. Barnes
(Rambunny), Indianapolis, Ind.; Eva A. Barnhill
(Crunch), Odenton, Md.; Walker Bass (Jiffy
Pop), Austin, Texas; Richard D. Batiste, Jr. (Odd
Bear), Reva, Va.; Paul W. Baud (Swiss Mountain
Man), White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.;
David D. Beares (Militant Bastard), Cockeysville,
Md.; John P. Beaudet (Bodacious), Austin,
Texas; Sylvia A. Beck (NC Polecats),
Greensboro, N.C.; Shannon M. Belt (Red Pepper),
Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Julie A. Bender
(Pinball), Stoneham, Mass.; Michael C. Bender
(Grimace), Stoneham, Mass.; Jason Anthony
Berry (Pinky), Boone, N.C.; DeAnn R. Birdsong
(Patches), Jonesboro, Ga.; Leonard W. Birdsong
(Sticks), Jonesboro, Ga.; Amanda Bissette (Mtn
Goat), Rocky Mount, N.C.; Chad C. Black
(Everyman), Knoxville, Tenn.; William T. Blair,
Lancaster, Mass.; Ryan P. Blaisdell
(Ghostrider), Eagan, Minn.; Kathleen E. Blaney
(Minx), Toms River, N.J.; Steven R. Blattner
(Dreadnought), Pompano Beach, Fla.; Tim G.
Bleech (Black Sheep), Warren, Pa.; John O.
Blount (Buttah), Montgomery, Ala.; Jake N.
Bolen (Wise Owl), Huntington, W.Va.; Juliet
A. Bonnell (Granny Gear), Ridgefield, N.J.;
Geoffrey Borggaard (Bam Bam), Somerville,
Mass.; Adrian Borner (Matterhorn), Wuerenlingen,
Switzerland; Andrew P.E. Brady
(Swagman), Brisbane, Australia; Joel A. Brandt
(Wicked Waal), Endicott, N.Y.; Fred S. Brann
(Walkie Talkie), Durham, Maine; Karen J.
Bresslin (Numbrrs), Weare, N.H.; George H.
Brewster (Survivor), Weston, Mass.; Lash B.
Briggs (Lash), Arden, N.C.; Stacy L. Britton
(Soar AKA Ralph), Franklin, Ohio; Charles J.
Brown (Chef), Cambridge, Mass.; Erin M.
Brown (Teatree), St. Peters, Mo.; Kay S. Bruce
(Opto), Indian Harbor Beach, Fla.; Benjamin C.
Bruder (Bander), Northampton, Mass.; Brent D.
Brumagin (Wolverine Beam), Hagerstown, Md.;
Mark Bucciarelli (Stoker), Southbury, Conn.;
Bryan G. Buckley (Blazenheart), East Walpole,
Mass.; Richard C. Budden (Morphine),
Amesbury, Wilts, England; Teresa A. Bufano
(Phoenix), Pittsfield, N.Y.; Jeffrey S. Bulas
(Heatmizer), Waterford, Mich.; Mike Bunger
(Gator), Palm Harbor, Fla.; Roger A. Burley
(Roger B.), Spring Lake, Mich.; Coy R. Burnett
(Illinois Coy), Jacksonville, Ill.; Brian J.
Burnham (Strider), Chapel Hill, N.C.; Pat
Burns (Crosby), North Lima, Ohio; Larry Butler
(Marathon Man), Standish, Maine; John N.
Calhoun (Mother Nature’s Son), Leeds, Ala.;
Scott W. Canna (Shamus), Arlington, Va.; Tho-
Trail’s end
“The Gathering” after 20 years
By Cindy Ross
“2001!”
Henry Edwards shouts it out, and the crowd in the auditorium
breaks into a cheer as those hikers who have completed the Appalachian
Trail during the current year stand up. It’s a big moment for them. Some
are fresh off Katahdin—they are the most proud. Welcome, the crowd says. Welcome
to the fold.
There is always a big crowd of current 2,000-milers at the annual “Gathering”
of the Appalachian Trail Long Distance Hikers Association (ALDHA).
They’re reluctant to plug back into former lives and want to let Trail magic
linger a little longer. The celebration comes with two important messages:
1. There truly is life after the Trail.
2. There are always more trails out there to hike.
On this Columbus Day weekend in Hanover, New Hampshire, Cook Auditorium
in Dartmouth College is nearly filled. Some folks have bandannas tied
around their heads, many sport beards, and, if you could see their feet, you’d
notice that most have boots on, even though they haven’t come to hike.
After the current year’s hikers are recognized, Edwards, who will give up the
office of ALDHA coordinator later in the weekend, counts down to the beginning,
recognizing each “class” of hikers in turn, going backward in time—through
the 1990s, the 1980s, and the 1970s. Some hikers remain standing for multiple
years. Those hikers absolutely cannot get enough of the Appalachian Trail.
ALDHA’s founder, Warren Doyle, is one of them—he stands for twelve of the
years, the twelve times he has completed the Trail. The farther back the years
go, the fewer people stand up. Those reunions are some of the most emotional,
as one hiker with graying hair strains to see if that other person with graying
hair is the same one he (or she) walked with twenty years earlier. Many haven’t
seen each other since they shared a night in a shelter on the A.T.
When Edwards reaches the 1940s, only 82-year-old Earl Shaffer, the first A.T.
thru-hiker, stands up. The crowd loses it again. Here is their hero.
The 2001 Gathering marked a big year for ALDHA—the organization’s twentyyear
anniversary. None of its founders, many of whom were back for the weekend,
ever dreamed that such a fiercely independent group of wanderers would
still be together as a legitimate organization, much less enjoying such success.
Doyle first proposed the idea of an organization and an annual gathering,
envisioning a mecca for long-distance hikers, dreamers, and helpers. Anyone
who hoped to hike the entire Appalachian Trail could come and learn from those
who already had accomplished it. Fledgling distance hikers could collect information,
find a mentor to guide them, and gain the confidence to take it from
dream to reality. Doyle wanted to keep the gathering affordable, so even the
poorest hiker could attend—with a $10 registration fee. Remarkably, that tiny
fee has not gone up in twenty years!
For me, it is always a homecoming. As a founding member and a past coordinator
of ALDHA, the Gathering has been a place to reconnect with “our tribe,”
the people who truly understand why we love to hike long trails and who share
our insatiable hunger to hike more. And, it is a place to learn about new paths to
follow, whether hiking trails, water and cycling trails, or adventures of other
Continued on page 15
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 13

Treeline
“Mother Goose and the Rockets”—Laura Gingerich and sons on their way to Maine.
mas E. Carden (Papa Smurf), Marietta, Ga.;
John J. Carey (Keystone), Stow, Mass.; William
J. Carey (Harold/Harry), Hixson, Tenn.; John
C. Carroll (Daddy Long Legs), Vail, Colo.;
Brigitte Cate (Leading), Knoxville, Tenn.; H.
David Cate (Trailing), Knoxville, Tenn.; Eddie
Cates (HipBone), Gastonia, N.C.; Jane F.
Chaple (Camels), Lake Worth, Fla.; Michael S.
Chaple (Camels), Lake Worth, Fla.; Tim L.
Chess (LT), Buckley, Wash.; Cloe Chunn (Jewelweed/Red
Zinger), Washington, Maine; Boyd
A. Clampitt (Gray Eagle), Thompsonville,
Mich.; Andrew M. Clark (Silver), Corinth,
N.Y.; Sandee M. Clark (Monya), Fort Plain,
N.Y.; John L. Cline (Born Again), Greenbrier,
Tenn.; James Grady Coble III (Jabez), Arab, Ala.;
Herbert J. Coles (Cookie Monster), Long Beach,
N.Y.; Brian E. Combs (3/4 Time), Charlotte,
N.C.; Diane J. Correia (Max), Mableton, Ga.;
William G. Craig (Flint), Mount Morris, Mich.;
Julie A. Crawford (Samwise), Alexandria, Va.;
Jeremy R. Crise (Beaker), Starr, S.C.; Martyn
Crowder (Pendragon), Cornwall, England; Douglas
A. Cullen (Big Bird), Kent, Ohio; Jimmie
L. Culver (Easy Day), Sanford, Fla.; Bruce
Dailey (Metro), Boca Raton, Fla.; James P.
Dalton (Joker), Media, Pa.; Mike Daly (Bad Feet
Bound North), Brunswick, Maine; Palmer
Dasher (Relic), Hinesville, Ga.; Matthew R.
Davis (Tucker Allman), Ladysmith, Wis.; Stacy
Scheel Davis (Steady On), Ladysmith, Wis.;
Ryan T. Dawkins (Shep the Shepherd), Albany,
Ga.; F. Michael Despeaux, Easley, S.C.; Jeffrey
D. Detwiler (Tabasco Donkey), Bedford, Pa.;
William B. Dingess (Teaman), Carrollton,
Ohio; Dayla J. Dintelmann (Doodlebug), St.
Louis, Mo.; Jeff A. Dishman (Rabbit), Char-
14
lotte, N.C.; Richard C. Doersch (Greenbush),
Cleveland, Wis.; Simon Doherty (Bam Bam),
Brentwood, N.Y.; Jamie Dolan (Lucky), Lincoln,
Vt.; James E. Doll (J.E.D.), Birch Run,
Mich.; Dave V. Dollberg (Breeze), Roanoke, Va.;
Michele P. Dollberg (Mudwamp), Roanoke, Va.;
Susan M. Dolph (DougandSusan), Duluth,
Minn.; Chris Dornan (Wild Honey), Madison,
Wis.; Eugene E. Downs (Eugene the Jeep), Lexington,
S.C.; John F. Doyon (Afterburn),
Ipswich, Mass.; Leigh K. Drachman (Yellow),
Bozeman, Mont.; Charles D. Duane (Linguini),
Marion, Mass.; Robert G. Dunthorne (Ox),
Congleton, United Kingdom; Julia A. Duran
(Jules), San Ramon, Calif.; Alexandra Dzubak
(Alex), Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; Joel P. Eargle (Joel
from Japan), Naha, Japan; Jessica M. Edberg
(Sugar), Brooklyn Center, Minn.; Lionel J.
Edmonson III (Waco), Beeville, Texas; Bryce
Dean Elledge (Deano), Arlington, Va.; Teresa
A. Ellis (TNT), Bloomfield, Ind.; Tom D. Ellis
(TnT), Bloomfield, Ind.; Joshua H. Erdsneker
(Worm), Nyack, N.Y.; Koda Erdsneker (Koda),
Nyack, N.Y.; Chad Erpelding (Erp), Algona,
Iowa; Michael T. Eshenour (Lucky Strike),
Solomons, Md.; Donald F. Etson (Longtimer),
Hamilton, Ohio; Susan W. Faidley (Butterfly),
Signal Mountain, Tenn.; June Fait (Tofu), Long
Beach, N.Y.; Michael W. Fanelli (Scallion),
Centerville, Ohio; Elton L. Fauber (Elf),
Williamsburg, Va.; Sean A. Faulkner (Gump),
Gray, Ga.; Cheryl A. Fellman, Juneau, Alaska;
Jason B. Fellman, Juneau, Alaska; Jonathan M.
Felts (Day Dreamer), Olin, N.C.; Geoffrey A.
Fender (Fender), Neeses, S.C.; Dan E. Fenn, Jr.
(Disco Dan), Coxsackie, N.Y.; Garret J.
Ferguson (Chuckwagon), Verona, N.J.; James
E. Fink (Backhoe Jim), York, Pa.; Alan C. Finley
(Doc), Charleston, S.C.; B. Jeanne Fisher (Little
Steps), Huntsville, Ala.; Mark W. Flagler (Carolina
Cruiser), Wilmington, N.C.;
Laurian R. Flanagan (Motorcycle Mama), Reading,
Mass.; Timothy A. Fletcher (Tiny Tim),
Athens, Ga.; Deron M. Fort (Flea), West
Chester, Pa.; Bob A. Fowler (Grampie),
Meriden, Conn.; Craig B. Fowler (Scatman),
South Easton, Mass.; Laura F. Fox (Everest),
Weston, Mass.; Larry Framme (Longway),
Richmond, Va.; Alex Freeman (Raindog Esq.),
Berkeley, Calif; Phyllis J. Freeman (Hurries
On), West Simsbury, Conn.; Jonathan S. French
(Mukwa), Ann Arbor, Mich.; Mervin E. Frey
(Rider), Greencastle, Pa.; Rachel H. Frey (Pioneer),
Greencastle, Pa.; Philip F. Fritz (Almond
Joy), Delanco, N.J.; Joe M. Fubel (The Stray
Cat), Braintree, Mass.; Tom G. Fuller (Flagman),
West Point, N.Y.; Randy Fulweber
(Freebird), Davie, Fla.; Trevor D. Funk (The
Beast), San Diego, Calif.; Alfred L. Gadway
(Tahogie), Ashby, Mass.; Patrick T. Gallagher
(Patrick), Waterford, Pa.; Alex L. Garland (Hard
Time), Amherst, Va.; John W. Garnet (Johnny
Aussie), Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; David
Garrett (Toast), Gainesville, Ga.; Abraham R.
Gates (Bodily Function), Charlestown, N.H.;
Mac Gay (Hamstring), Covington, Ga.; Thomas
M. Gay (Weatherman), Asheville, N.C.;
Joe W. Gentry (Mountain Man), Brevard, N.C.;
Will D. Gersch (Numbfoot), Hickory, N.C.;
Spencer E. Gibbs (The Brain), Wilson, N.C.;
Estel Gibson (Soleman), Indianapolis, Ind.;
Wesley A. Giles (Timberghost), Bloomington,
Ind.; Bert Gils (Running Bird), Moz, Belgium;
Laura L. Gingerich (Mother Goose), Southern
Pines, N.C.; William B. Gingerich (Rocket),
South Pines, N.C.; Paul S. Girard (The Amazing
Dolphin Boy), Lancaster, Pa.; Jim Goetz
(Transient), Gloucester, Ontario, Canada;
Jonathan Goodall (Yahtzee), Harrisburg, Pa.;
Scott M. Gordon (Raven), Sarasota, Fla.; Kelly
R. Gould (Cookie Monster), Mechanicsburg,
Pa.; James W. Grantham (Downhill), Bridgewater,
Vt.; Ben Grasso (Brooklyn), Breezy
Point, N.Y.; Dr. Randolph Greber (Fretless),
Mechanicsburg, Pa.; Jane E. Greber (Trailbuster),
Mechanicsburg, Pa.; James S. Greene
(Clipper Skipper), Lakemont, Ga.; Evan S.
Greenlee (G. Funk), Albuquerque, N.M.; Renee
Greiwe (Turtle), Sterling Heights, Mich.; Jeremy
M. Gries (Early Riser), Indianapolis, Ind.;
Michael Griffin (Mick), Stockton-on-Tees, England;
Karen L. Grosskreutz (Noggin),
Whitewater, Wis.; Chris A. Groves (Grover),
Naples, Fla.; Amber Grunau (Voyager),
Monona, Wis.; Erick L. Hagmann (Slow but
Sure), Cape Elizabeth, Maine; Carl T. Hall
(Sodapop), Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Geoffrey A. Hall
(Frankenstein), Southern Pines, N.C.; William
J. Halm (Shake), W. Franklin, N.H.; Edward R.
Hamilton (Deadwood), Cohasset, Mass.; Ian D.
MAY–JUNE 2002

Hamilton (Pimp Daddy), Glasgow, Scotland;
Bill Haney (NC Polecats), Greensboro, N.C.;
Gregory L. Haney (Hump Jump), Redford,
Mich.; Robert W.L. Hansen (Bobbalouie), Forest,
Va.; Reid J. Hardin (Badmoon), Raleigh,
N.C.; Kristin D. Harris (Smiles), Kittery,
Maine; Matthew R. Harris (Fiddlehead),
Kittery, Maine; Richard Harrison (Yogi),
Framingham, Mass.; Pete Hart (Old Buffalo),
Glen Jean, W.Va.; Nathanael R. Harter (Green
Light), Chambersburg, Pa.; Scott M. Hasz (Bad
Frog), Middletown, Conn.; Robin S. Havens
(Rocky), Austin, Texas; Christian W. Haydel
(Raver), Champaign, Ill.; Eileen Hayes (Tangent),
Wethersfield, Conn.; Tom Haynes (The
Moseying Mochileros), Shoreline, Wash.; Joseph
E. Healey (White Tail), Laflin, Pa.;
Lorraine A. Healey (Tour Guide), Laflin, Pa.;
Christopher H. Heap (Frodo), Gloucester,
Ontario, Canada; David P. Hebert (Louisiana
Bear), St. Amant, La.; Ben Hendin, Upper
Nyack, N.Y.; Amy E. Hendrix (Sojourner),
Dunwoody, Ga.; Bruce R. Henecker (Maurice
Tenderfoot), Englewood, N.J.; Rita M. Hensley-
Quinn (Slow), Shawnee, Kan.; George T.
Hepbron (Jersey George), Wilmington, N.C.;
Jason R. Herron (Sure Foot), Big Stone Gap, Va.;
Stephen J. Hertzfeld (Sundial), Bethesda, Md.;
Mike Higgins (Pop Pop), Charlotte, N.C.; Jim
R. Hohenstein (Sneaks), Stevens, Pa.; Kathy L.
Hohenstein (Buzz), Stevens, Pa.; Melissa K.
Holcomb (Pumped Up), Columbia, Tenn.; William
M. Hollan (Twinkle), Winston-Salem,
N.C.; Anna E. Holloway (Phoenix), Mooresville,
Ind.; Timothy D. Holmes (Tekman),
Yorktown, Va.; Kennard R. Honick (Tinman),
Sarasota, Fla.; Isidore D. Horowitz (Lumberjack),
Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; Greg A. Hounsell
(Mudman), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada;
Gloria J. Howard (Lolli), Veazie, Maine; Sarah
J. Howard (Quijote), Louisville, Ky.; Frederick
W. Hoybach (AT), Middleburg, Va.; Patricia H.
Humphrey (Go Go Granny), Albany, Ohio;
Mark Owen Hunt (Tucker), Nashville, Tenn.;
Keith A. Hunt (Chestnut), West Greenwich,
R.I.; Guy E. Ilagan (Uncle Shoe), Summerville,
S.C.; David A. Iler (Kain), East Stroudsburg, Pa.;
Tommy Ingram, Brentwood, Tenn.; Richard M.
Irvin (Squirrel), Tyrone, Ga.; Jacob Isleib (Twig),
Raleigh, N.C.; Patty A. Jackson (Rice Paddy),
Hudson, Ohio; Amanda Sachsman James
(Wood Nymph), Bar Harbor, Maine; Amanda
L. Jannis (Cheatin’ Vegan), Charleston, S.C.;
Thomas W. Jensen (Chef), Baltimore, Md.;
Alexis M. Jette (Pippi), Somerville, Mass.;
Howard L. Johnson (Ho-Jo), Alexandria, Va.;
Bradbury D. Johnson (Trapper), Wiscasset,
Maine; Cameron D. Johnson (Jeremiah
Johnson), Columbus, Ga.; Michael J. Johnson
(Hawkeye), Brunswick, Maine; Tim A. Johnson
(The Sherpa), Cornelius, N.C.; Wayne Johnson
(Wunky), Charlotte, N.C.; Wes B. Johnson
(Wiseblood), Asheboro, N.C.; Robin Johnston
kinds. Like Helen Keller, ALDHA folks believe, “Life is either a daring adventure
or nothing.”
Traditionally, the first night of the Gathering is reserved for testimonials—half
a dozen souls come onto the stage and share what ALDHA and the Trail
means to them. Some go on forever (clearly no one listens at home), and the
audience shows good-natured patience as the testimonials ramble on. But, some
folks’ words make them cry, too, touching their souls.
The 2001 Gathering comes during a tense time for the world, only three weeks
after the September 11 attacks. In memory of the tragedies, for the first time at
a Gathering, the hikers sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Every person present
sings loudly, from deep in the belly. It feels very right and good.
Later that evening, Doyle reads some poetry by the late Don West, who founded
the Appalachian Folklife Center in West Virginia and invited ALDHA to make it
the Gathering’s home during the association’s early years. The poetry reading
has been an annual part of the Gathering’s Friday nights, but Doyle’s choice of
poems this year is controversial. So soon after the September attacks, some of
West’s antiwar poetry evokes boos from the crowd, as well as some discreet nods
and polite applause from those who support its sentiments. Those of us who
know him, and know ALDHA, felt that this is just Warren Doyle being Warren
Doyle—he used to bring in folks from “the other side” of the argument so ALDHA
members could get “the whole picture,” trying to get us to think, broaden our
minds. Today’s Gathering has changed somewhat. Controversial topics are still
explored at the weekend’s seminars and discussions, but not with the same fervor
as in the early years.
But, the momentary tension is soon left behind for many, and it is back to the
camping area for a bonfire. Instruments are pulled out, and hikers are laughing,
joking, trading Trail stories, and reminiscing into the wee hours. Sleep may be
the only thing lacking all weekend—fun certainly isn’t.
There are Ultimate Frisbee games, cliff-jumping into the Connecticut River
early Sunday morning (“The air was pleasantly warm compared to the water,”
someone commented), and skits in which the more daring ALDHA members
get up on stage and poke fun at themselves and others, complete with throwntogether
props and lines learned just minutes before. They make the audience
cry with laughter. They believe, in the words of Oliver Wendell Holmes, “We do
not quit playing because we grow old; we grow old because we quit playing.”
Designated shower hours are provided—a necessity because, at the early Gatherings
(when showers weren’t provided), some used to take sponge baths and
wash their hair in the lavatory sinks, much to the horror of the well-to-do
Dartmouth students. An announcement had to be made at the general meeting:
“No taking baths in sinks!” We all laughed, knowing the nature of the beast—a
long-distance hiker will make do with whatever is available. There’s always a
handful that don’t bother bathing at all, and they ripen by the Saturday-night
contra dance. You’d swear, if you closed your eyes, the guy swinging you was a
thru-hiker a month out on the Trail. We all overlook it. It’s part of the Gathering
experience. And, toward the end of the night, when Doyle calls the “Suicide
Reel,” couples fly this way and that, trying to collide yet avoid each other, and
everyone is a sweaty hog with wet hair.
The buzz in 2001 is about Brian Robinson, who gives a talk on the final day of
the Gathering, as he stops in at Hanover on the way toward completion of his
“Triple Crown” hike of the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the
Continued on page 17
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 15

Treeline
(Groovy), Raleigh, N.C.; Kenneth R. Jones
(Sarge), West Jefferson, N.C.; Kenneth F. Jones,
Jr. (Wink), Fayetteville, N.C.; Patrick J. Jors
(Polar Bear), Jackson, Mich.; Ann S. Kandis
(Team GAK), Waterford, Vt.; Gregory P. Kandis
(Team GAK), Waterford, Vt.; Stephan R.
Kaseman (Gooch Chromefoot), Peachtree City,
Ga.; David Kast (Burn Easy), Thornton, Colo.;
Brian C. Keightley (Shameless Seamuis),
Burke, Va.; Jason M. Keller (Raw-Wits), North
Canton, Ohio; John A. Keller (Eagle),
Waynesboro, Va.; Andy Kelso (Ramblinman),
Fayetteville, Ark.; Christopher B. Kelvin (The
Mighty Finn), Stormville, N.Y.; James V.
Kennedy (Ropeyarn), Orange Park, Fla.; William
H. Kennedy, Jr. (Pandora), McLean, Va.;
Brenda J. Kerr (Happy), Elyria, Ohio; Michael
H. Killian (The Preacher), Gainesville, Fla.;
Barry C. Kimbro, Brentwood, Tenn.; Lori L.
King (Spiderwoman), Olympia, Wash.; Terry
L. King (O.D.B.), Olympia, Wash.; Matthew D.
Kirk (Sweeper), High Point, N.C.; Jerry Wayne
Kirkman (Seattle), Seattle, Wash.; Kate
Kirkman (Seven), Seattle, Wash.; Jon J. Klatt
(Kayak Guy), Grand Rapids, Mich.; David P.
Kleinpeter (Johnny Steel), Vassalboro, Maine;
Richard Kostro (Night Train), Westfield, N.J.;
Ross F. Kottmyer (Some Dork), Burke, Va.;
Jeffery D. Kozaka (Bird Nerd), Cromwell,
Conn.; Philippe H. Kozub (Leaps), Bethesda,
Md.; Aaron K. Kraft (Still Thinking), Ann Arbor,
Mich.; Brian J. Kraje (Speedy Gonzales),
Sagamore Hills, Ohio; William H. Kreutzer
(Motel Bill), Riverside, Conn.; Pamela K. Kunse
(Deputy Slim), Portland, Ore.; David M.
L’Italien (Dave), Pinehurst, N.C.; Aaron A.
Lambert (Turf Head), Appomattox, Va.;
Kathryn L. Lannon (Delilah), Bel Air, Md.; Joel
D. Lanz (The Mole), Somerville, Mass.; Edward
A. Laskarzewski (AWOL), Glastonbury, Conn.;
Mary Alice Lassiter (prana/flipper), Hot
Springs, N.C.; Chris J. Lazzari (Smokey),
Downers Grove, Ill.; Kenneth C. Le Roy (Geezer),
Hoover, Ala.; Thomas P. Leal (Marchhare),
Cheverly, Md.; David J. Lee (Hobo), Cumming,
Iowa; Bradley T. Leffingwell (Trail Bum), Columbus,
Ohio; Tony Leits (Mayor), Sturbridge,
Mass.; Susan G. Letcher (Jackrabbit), Mt.
Desert, Maine; Francis Letendre (Brown Bird),
St. Lambert de Levis, Quebec, Canada; Emily
R. LeVan (Okie), Wiscasset, Maine; Gary L.
Lindberg (Lindy), Fridley, Minn.; Mark Lindley
(Y5), Clearwater, Fla.; Robert T. Liseno
(Barkeater), Saranac Lake, N.Y.; John M.
Livingstone (My Trail Name is John), Alexandria,
Va.; Esther J. Locascio (Sisu), Belvidere,
Ill.; Douglas K. Lockhart (Doug), Augusta, Ga.;
Aaron A. Love (Frog Boy), Princeton, N.J.; Dennis
Luna (Flash), Howard, Ohio; Phil F. Lund
(Zigzagger), Jupiter, Fla.; David A. Macdonald
(Longshanks), Marshfield, Mass.; Kerri L.
Macdonald (Blur), Marshfield, Mass.; David C.
MacMichael (Ol’ Dave), Linden, Va.; Ryan E.
16
Madole (Mud), Cullman, Ala.; Mike J. Maher
(Jazz Therapist), Falls Church, Va.; John A.
Mandeville (Colonel), Yorktown, Va.; Austin
H. Manoryk (The Screaming Vegan), Boalsburg,
Pa.; Christopher J. Manza (Huff N Puff),
Alexander, Maine; Matthew A. Marcinek
(Lightkeeper), Shamokin, Pa.; Bryon E.
Marginean (Basil), Inkster, Mich.; Michael J.
Maroney (Chief without Molly), Stanardsville,
Va.; Ben Martich (AK), Anchorage, Alaska;
John P. Martin-Beaulieu (Hannibal), North
(Top): David Kast (“Burn Easy”) proposing
to Kelly Gould (“Cookie Monster”) on
Katahdin. (Bottom): Steve Lee (“Patch”)
and his parents celebrate finishing in
Harpers Ferry.
Smithfield, R.I.; Carmen D. Massey (Carmen
San Diego), Sorrento, B.C., Canada; Troy D.
Massey (Journey Man), Sorrento, B.C., Canada;
Michael W. McGinn (Underdog), High Point,
N.C.; Cameron McNall (Cameron/7 states),
Center Sandwich, N.H.; Charles S. Meek
(Class of ‘65), Austin, Texas; Melanie K. Meier
(Porkchop), Appleton, Wis.; Mark M. Micallef
(Trail Trucker), Ellijay, Ga.; Peter M. Michaud
(Shepherd), Walpole, Mass.; Charles W. Miller
(Tex), Houston, Texas; Cliff Minor (Pogo),
Boone, N.C.; Daniel A. Miranda (Priceless),
Miami, Fla.; Matthew D. Mitchell (Captain
Knatty), Topsham, Maine; Ronald Modde (Fossil),
Ghent, Belgium; Alex T. Moffett (Newton),
Stanford, Calif.; Dustin Morgan (Gerber),
Carnesville, Ga.; Craig P. Morris (Riff-Raff),
Griffin, Ga.; Dustin S. Morris (Moonshine),
Boomer, N.C.; Comer W. Morrison (Swamper),
Perry, Ga.; Jean S. Morrison (Calamity Jean),
Perry, Ga.; Jeff M. Morrison (Grumpy), Madison,
Ind.; Jonathan D. Morrow (Crowded Feet),
Gastonia, N.C.; Patrick T. Mueller (Duracell),
Lapeer, Mich.; Laura Murphy (Murph), Lyndon,
Vt.; Lane Nakaji (Tiki), Sylva, N.C.; Frederick
A. Neace (Take-A-Break), Cullowhee, N.C.;
Brian C. Neal (The King), Ann Arbor, Mich.;
Bruce L. Nelson (Colter), Fairbanks, Alaska;
Jeremy C. Nettleton (Thumb), North East Harbor,
Maine; Paul T. Nirgenau (Luke Skywalker),
Florissant, Mo.; Richard A. Nirgenau
(Darth Vader), Florissant, Mo.; Charles J. Nokes
(Mary Poppins), Lexington, Mass.; Terry W.
Norton (Cheers!), Brandon, Miss.; Bill Novoa
(Stops for Views), Farmington, Conn.; Charles
A. Nowell (A.T. Chaz), Fonthill, Ontario,
Canada; L. Pete Nye (Bumble Bee), Penfield,
N.Y.; Terri M. O’Brien (Terri), Hereford, Ariz.;
Robyn L. O’Kane (Limerick), Woodside, N.Y.;
Joseph M. O’Neil (Singing Sherpa), Needham,
Mass.; Glenn A. Odom (Scribbles), Houston,
Texas; Wm. Paul Oechsle (Little Ox), San
Rafael, Calif.; Nate D. Olive (THA Wookie),
Atlanta, Ga.; Nathaniel Olken (El Presedente),
Sharon, Mass.; Cynthia K. Olmsted (Norway),
Lauderdale, Minn.; Cindy Olsen (Tenderheart),
Huntington, Vt.; Jonathan W. Ormsby (Phantom),
Michigan City, Ind.; Francis Pat Palkon
(Buzzard), South Holland, Ill.; John Paul
Paradiz (Grasshopper), New York, N.Y.; John
H. Paris (TUNA), Park City, Utah; Brian V.
Patterson (Braveheart), Macon, Ga.; Craig A.
Patterson (Crispy), Wexford, Pa.; C. Charles
Paul (Restless), Harrisburg, Pa.; John M. Peace
(Peace), St. Petersburg, Fla.; Mary L. Peiffer (Indian
Summer), Pequea, Pa.; Rachel Pelletier
(Happy Feet), Kennebunkport, Maine; Ann C.
Penhallow (She-Ra Princess of Power), Woden,
ACT, Australia; Adam C. Penney (Swamp Fox),
Lexington, S.C.; Derek R. Pennington (BVD),
Fairfax Station, Va.; Anne D. Peterson (Pokey),
Jackson, N.H.; Bob Phillips (Loose Goose),
Bowie, Md.; Jon A. Phipps (Wanchor), Oviedo,
Fla.; Mark T. Pitterle (Peatz), Blacksburg, Va.;
Megan L. Polk (Gypsy), Columbus, Ga.; Brett
Potash (Boy Howdy), Marietta, Ohio; Brenda
R. Price (Carolina Creeper), Lexington, S.C.;
Reginald L. Price (Carolina Creeper), Lexington,
S.C.; Michael C. Pullar (Marco), Dunedin,
New Zealand; Charles E. Quinn (Steady),
Shawnee, Kan.; Stuart R. Ragland (Oak),
Asheboro, N.C.; Don W. Rain (Mountain
Lover), Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; Alissa A. Ray (Czarina),
Washingtonville, N.Y.; Sarah M. Rector
MAY–JUNE 2002

(Deuce & 1/2), Coweta, Okla.; Dick Redfield
(The Sundown Duo), Pleasantville, N.Y.; Andrea
J. Reemsnyder (Walk It Off), Jasper, Ga.;
Carolyn J. Reetz (Little Train), Waterford,
Mich.; K. Collier Reeves (Crash), Lynchburg,
Va.; Susan E. Reinarz (The Reinarz Family),
Lago Vista, Texas; Roy L. Reinarz III (S.A.M.),
Lago Vista, Texas; Roy L. Reinarz, Jr. (The
Reinarz Family), Lago Vista, Texas; Eric L.
Reschly (Eric), Keota, Iowa; Trisha M.H.S.
Reschly (Trish), Keota, Iowa; Carrington
Rhodes (Mortis), Acton, Mass.; James P. Rice
(Strider), Front Royal, Va.; Jack T. Richardson
(Tumbleweed), Arlington, Mass.; Katie D. Ries
(Burn), Colorado Springs, Colo.; John E. Riley
(Squatter), Fayetteville, Ark.; Laura K. Ripley
(Cassiopeia), Englewood, Colo.; Heather L.
Ristau (Willow), Salt Lake City, Utah; Diana
L. Ristom (Happy Feet)*, Cleveland, Tenn.;
William Ristom (Hatman)*, Cleveland, Tenn.;
James Andrew Rivers (Grizzly Andy),
Hendersonville, N.C.; Adrienne Robbins (Sky),
Farmingdale, N.J.; Franklin L. Roberts (Pop),
Portland, Maine; John T. Roberts (Stargazer),
Woodbridge, Va.; Douglas L. Robertson
(DougandSusan), Duluth, Minn.; Brian A.
Robinson (Flyin’ Brian), Los Altos, Calif.;
David W. Robinson (Blaze Orange), Glastonbury,
Conn.; Cesar J. Rodgers (Woodstock), Berkeley,
Calif.; Kimber Rodgers (Linus), Berkeley,
Calif.; Ryan L. Rodgers (Cantaloupe),
Anoka, Minn.; John L. Rollhauser (Redneck),
Severna Park, Md.; Cynthia M. Romansky
(Romansky 7), Pennsville, N.J.; Elijah J.
Romansky (Romansky 7), Pennsville, N.J.;
Grace N. Romansky (Romansky 7), Pennsville,
N.J.; Joel D. Romansky (Romansky 7),
Pennsville, N.J.; John R. Romansky (Romansky
7), Pennsville, N.J.; Ruth A. Romansky
(Romansky 7), Pennsville, N.J.; Robert J.
Romansky, Jr. (Romansky 7), Pennsville, N.J.;
Leah A. Ross (Windex), Greencastle, Ind.; Zach
Ross (Peanu Butter), Salt Lake City, Utah;
Jonathan B. Rudolf (Bushwack), Yellow
Springs, Ohio; Kathleen S. Rudolf (Bramble),
Yellow Springs, Ohio; Kevin L. Runolfson
(Fruit Pie), Spokane, Wash.; William G. Rush
(Wonder), New Milford, Conn.; Evelyn E.
Salinger (E Jetsetter), Fairfax, Va.; Gerhard L.
Salinger (G Jetsetter), Fairfax, Va.; Michael E.
Sandlin (Too Fast), Big Island, Va.; Peter C.
Sauvigne (Batty), Blacksburg, Va.; Leslie M.
Scally, Lawrence, Kan.; Tina M. Scharf (Nature
Girl), Lincoln, Vt.; Gregory C. Schley
(Dartman), Sussex, N.J.; Sandra Schmid (Packa
Sandra), Columbia, S.C.; Armand Wm.
Schoppy (“Moon” of the Honermooners), Dorothy,
N.J.; Irene A. Schoppy (“Honey” of the
Honermooners), Dorothy, N.J.; Andrew T.
Schrader (River), Kingsport, Tenn.; Michael J.
Schultz (Adder), Marietta, Ga.; Barbara J. Scott
Continued on page 27
Continental Divide in one calendar year. At age 40, he felt he needed a challenge.
So, he walked 7,371 miles, twenty-five miles every day, just for himself,
to see if he could do it. The listeners give him a standing ovation. He embodies
what so many of them believe—it’s your own hike, and you need to do it your
way, however is best for you.
Two decades ago, hikers felt as if they had to justify and make sense of what
they loved, scheduling panel discussions with topics like, “How can we afford to
keep hiking?” and, “Is it socially responsible to long-distance hike?” Getting
ahead, acquiring material things, climbing the ladder of success—all of those
seemed to clash with the ethic of the long-distance hiker.
Those things have changed now, too. After twenty years, ALDHA members
seem comfortable in their own skins, their wildness exchanged for wisdom and
credibility. That is evident during the workshop given by the spokesperson from
the International Appalachian Trail (IAT), a group that has come to tell members
about the 400-mile trail leading north from the A.T. into the Gaspé Peninsula
of Quebec. “Build it, and they will come,” the IAT planners believe, and
they have come to ALDHA to let the hikers know it is being built.
Compared to the traditional trail maintenance of most hiking clubs, this is
the kind of “service” ALDHA members do best. The group is too mobile, too
scattered for sustained trail work. Even so, during the last twenty years, scheduled
work trips have managed to survive and often with record attendance. Sometimes
as many as forty-five people have showed up for mid-Atlantic work trips.
(Of course, organizers threw in swimming in the river, large group dinners, and
a Finnish sauna afterwards, just to make it more fun.)
The Appalachian Trail was what first brought ALDHA together, but it is only
the start for most members. ALDHA mentor Ed Garvey once called hiking
the A.T., “the adventure of a lifetime,” but today the group seems to strive toward
“a lifetime of adventure.” Feature slide shows are presented in the evenings—ascents
up Everest, walks around the world by visiting authors. Gatherings
are where members come to learn about new trails, attend slide presentations,
learn about maps and logistics, and imagine hiking another trail. They’ll
leave intent on that trail for the following season, only to return the next year
with more information to share and more adventures to learn about.
And, there is no finer way to top off the Gathering than by a concert by the
hiking troubadour, Walkin’ Jim Stoltz. Stoltz, a professional musician, drives
from Montana almost every October to sing to his tribe. His stunning slides that
accompany his acoustic guitar make me want to take the hand of the loved one
sitting next to me and squeeze it. “This is why we go out there,” I say to myself,
nodding my head, and I want to go back, whether it’s been twenty years or twenty
days since the last long hike.
For the 2001 Gathering, a gigantic birthday cake has been planned, done in
the typical impromptu spirit—members were just asked to bring sheet cakes.
No one knew how many would come through. The answer: fifty. The cakes are
assembled, two five-gallon buckets of icing fuse the whole thing together, and
twenty candles shine as brightly as the six hundred hikers present to eat it.
“Happy Birthday!” they sing to each other. Like the cake, ALDHA is a patchwork
of personalities, and flavors, and cultures.
The result is delicious.
Cindy Ross is the author of numerous books on hiking and backpacking and a
former ALDHA coordinator. She lives in Pennsylvania. Her new book, Scraping
Heaven: A Family’s Journey along the Continental Divide, will be published in
September.
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 17

18
Head
and
Heart
MAY–JUNE 2002

These “papers” originated in 1996 in response to questions
that were asked on an Appalachian Trail e-mail
discussion list. If you intend to thru-hike the Appalachian
Trail (or any other long trail), you’ll want answers
to most of those same questions. I’ll give a few of my
answers here, but I’ll also guarantee that my answers won’t
work for everyone. You need your own answers, and what I’ve
written here can only serve as a guide.
Who am I to be talking about this? I’m a 1992 A.T. thruhiker
who made a lot of mistakes and learned from them. Since
then, I’ve hiked other long-distance trails (the Pacific Crest and
Continental Divide trails, among others). I’m not a “guru” or
“super-hiker,” but what follows works for me. I’d suggest that
you take the supermarket approach: If you see something here
that makes sense to you or fits your life or style, then use it.
What you don’t like, you shouldn’t use. The Trail is hard enough
without trying to live with someone else’s way of doing things
if it doesn’t fit.
Everything here should be read with the following caveats
in mind:
1. This is not a “thru-hiker manual.” It’s a collection of
thoughts and feelings about the realities of thru-hiking
the A.T.
2. It’s my own experience, observation, and opinion—there’s
nothing scientific or even necessarily logical about it. But,
then, people aren’t logical, are they?
3. I’m one of the “fringe” people whose life changed drastically
on the Trail. What happened to me is not the norm.
4. I may wander off in strange directions.
5. You may not like everything I have to say.
6. By definition, as a thru-hiker, I’m crazy and therefore
cannot be held responsible for anything I say.
First Steps
Few people seem to realize that a thru-hike of the Appalachian
Trail isn’t just a five- or six-month walk. Your hike starts the
first time you see the word “thru-hiking” in print, or hear someone
talk about it, and say to yourself, “I’d like to do that.”
Some people know immediately that it’s what they want to do;
for others, it takes time for the idea to grow on them.
But, all of us start to change the minute the idea takes root.
And, it won’t just affect you. Small as it may be, that change
will affect those around you as well. From the very beginning,
my hike affected my wife and children, my brother and his
family—almost everyone I knew—because I started acting dif-
l Thru-Hiking
Papers
Papers
the
By Jim Owen
Part One
ferently. Eventually, I began thinking differently, too. None of
those people understood the changes it made in me. After five
or ten—or thirty—years of building a life and a career, how
many of the people you know would leave their family, life,
and career to go hike for six months? How many of their friends
and family would understand that? So, why would you expect
your friends and family to understand your motivation when
you decide to thru-hike?
A lot of people have told me that their present life is good,
that they’re happy or settled or content or even “mature,” but
they still want to thru-hike the A.T. One thing I know for sure
is that those people have yet to take a long look at themselves
and their motivation. Happy, contented, settled, mature people
don’t thru-hike. They stay home, build a career, buy a home,
start a family, go fishing, play golf, cuddle their grandchildren,
bake cookies, and remain happily and contentedly settled. They
don’t dream of six months on the Trail with all the attendant
rain, pain, uncertainty, and disconnectedness from “normal life”
that goes with it.
Thru-hiking is for those who are restless and discontented;
for those who hurt and need something in which to submerge
their pain; for those who are bored or burned out at work; for
those who have something to prove to themselves or to others;
for those at transition points in their lives; and/or for those
who feel the need to reconnect with the natural world. It’s for
those seeking change.
We all change constantly—whether we want to or not,
whether we know it or not, whether we like it or not. If you
don’t hike the A.T., you’ll change, but, if you do hike the A.T.,
the change will be accelerated. An experience that takes four
to six months, where you spend time alone with yourself, where
you overcome obstacles and situations that you’ve never encountered
before, where your physical, mental, and emotional
resources are tested, where you live with intense joy and pain,
where you’re stripped of most of the artificial trappings of civilization,
where you learn your own strengths and weaknesses,
and where the level of your commitment to a goal is tested
will accelerate the change process—and may also change the
direction of the process.
How will you change? In general, it probably graphs out as a
bell curve, with some people being affected very little (the near
end of the bell curve), some people (like me) becoming totally
addicted to the Trail and to hiking (the far end of the bell curve),
and most people falling somewhere in the middle. Where you
end up on that curve is probably not predictable.
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 19

What’s the best that could happen to you? You could become
a better person. You could learn the lessons the Trail has
to teach—about happiness, about beauty and peace and love,
about strength and persistence and God and friendship and
more—much more. When I got off the Trail, I wrote down some
of the lessons I learned. Sometimes, when life doesn’t make
sense, I go back to those lessons. They help.
So, what’s the worst that could happen to you? Well, you
could become like me and my partner and my friends—addicted
to long-distance hiking. You might become something more
(or maybe just different) than you would be if you didn’t walk
the Trail.
Is the possibility of accelerated and unpredictable change
worth the risk for you? Only you can answer that.
Making the break
Who thru-hikes? A cross-section would include people of all
ages from a variety of occupations and all areas of the United
States—and a few from other countries. There are engineers,
housewives, nurses, truck drivers, doctors, secretaries, business
executives, lawyers, college students, social workers, carpenters,
and college professors—just to name a few.
There is no “standard profile.” Nor, at this time, are there
any bars to anyone who wants to attempt to a thru-hike. An
eight-year-old has completed the Trail. So has a blind man. So
have octogenarians, diabetics, teen-agers, a man with multiple
sclerosis (on crutches), and one with no stomach. But, don’t get
the idea that it’s easy. It’s not.
Nor is there any standard profile of a successful thru-hiker.
There are people who’ve tried for years to determine who will
make it and who won’t. They don’t know—and neither do I.
The A.T. is nondiscriminating, nonjudgmental and, indeed,
indifferent to age, sex, race, religion, experience, physical condition,
or even health. None of those make any apparent difference
with respect to the probability of finishing. Being young,
strong, and fast is no guarantee: I was passed in Tennessee by a
large group of college students doing twenty-mile days. One of
them finished one day ahead of me, most of them finished a
week or more later than I did. Some of them never did finish.
Being older is no handicap, either. My “Trail family” had
two people who celebrated their sixtieth birthdays on the Trail,
a seventy-six-year-old four-time thru-hiker, four of us in our
fifties, and some younger folk. Only two didn’t finish (due to
injury).
Nor is there any single reason for hiking the Trail. A lot of
us hike at a change-point in our lives—graduation, retirement,
divorce, death in the family, job dissatisfaction, or burnout.
Some are out there for “fun” (whatever that is), some to see
how far they can get, some to prove something to themselves,
some as a “different” way to spend the summer, some just to
keep a friend company, some for the physical, mental, or emotional
challenge, a few to party, and some committed to hiking
to Katahdin. Some start out not caring about reaching Katahdin
and change their minds along the way. Some start out committed
to reaching Katahdin and change their minds along the way.
My personal opinion is that all of us are looking for some-
20
thing. Some of us find it—but what we find is not always what
we think we’re looking for.
Reality
Reality is that only about 50 percent of those who start at
Springer every year make it to Damascus. And, only about 15
percent make it to Katahdin. Not nice numbers—but real ones.
The questions are—which 15 percent will make it all the way?
And, why do 85 percent not?
One of the most common, least understood, and hardest-todetect
reasons why people get off the Trail is nothing more
than unfulfilled expectations. People start with preconceived
ideas of what the Trail will be like, usually based on tales of
other people’s experiences or memories of Scout trips or sometimes
just wishful thinking. They hear about the fun and the
beauty and the easy days and how wonderful it is. Then, reality
turns out to be a whole lot different, because nobody told
them about the rain and the pain. Or, maybe they just didn’t
pay attention when they were told. So, they’re not prepared
for snow in Georgia, or for the multiple knobs that don’t show
up on the maps, or for the multitude of other annoyances that
go with thru-hiking. So, they go home.
Some quit because of injury or illness. Shin splints, stress
fractures, muscle pulls, sprained ankles, tendonitis, back problems,
and knee problems are common (and, to a large degree,
preventable). Some of the reasons for quitting are related to
pack weight, speed, and distance. It’s not a lot of fun dragging a
heavy pack up Blood Mountain or Shuckstack—and, the heavier
the pack, the less fun it is. Some quit because they run out of
time or money. The Trail can be expensive, especially if you
spend a lot of time in town—pizza, beer, and ice cream aren’t
free. The oft-quoted figure of $1 per mile is at least ten years
old—don’t count on it; it’ll probably cost more. More than one
thru-hiker has gotten off the Trail at Monson, Maine, just 100
miles short of Katahdin, because he or she ran out of money.
But, the main reasons for not finishing are head and heart reasons—what
some might call lack of will. The Trail is a head
game and a heart game.
The head game
One of the more interesting reasons that some people quit is
that they learn what they went out there to learn—and so there’s
no longer any reason for them to stay. Sometimes what they
learn is that they don’t care enough about going all the way to
put up with the bugs and heat and weather.
Some get discouraged by the rain, snow, sleet, and hail—not
to mention the mud. I experienced one period when nineteen
out of twenty-three days brought rain, snow, sleet, or hail—or
some combination thereof. And, you may, too. My experience
was neither uncommon nor the worst that can happen. I heard
one young lady say, “whoever — off Mother Nature, please,
please apologize.” Living close to nature isn’t easy.
Some get discouraged by sore legs and shoulders, by blisters
and chafing and foot pain and numb toes. All long-distance hikers
get some or all of those; it’s part of the package. Pay attention
to your body, fix the problems before they become serious,
MAY–JUNE 2002

and take aspirin or Tylenol or Motrin at night so
you can sleep. Just don’t take painkillers for hiking—too
much painkiller can cause other problems,
like kidney failure, perforated stomach lining or
ulcers, not to mention the additional damage because
the painkiller masks what your body’s trying
to tell you.
Some quit because they can’t stand to live three
or five or ten days without a shower. Or because
they can’t stand the thru-hiker smell—or because
they can’t face putting on that “toxic T-shirt” in
the morning.
Some quit because they don’t like the mileageconsciousness
and competitiveness they see among
thru-hikers. A lot of us get uptight about making it
to Katahdin and forget to stop and smell the roses.
There were people who planned to get to Katahdin
in October so they could see the leaves turn, but
who hiked fast enough to finish in mid-September,
and then complained because they didn’t see the
autumn colors. I know twenty-mile-per-day hikers
who slowed down to five miles per day between
Monson and Katahdin just so they could stretch out
the experience. Consistency is more important than
speed. If you “average” twelve miles per day, you’ll make it to
Katahdin in six months. Slow down. Enjoy what you’ve got—it
won’t last forever.
Some quit because they lose sight of their goal. Katahdin is
a long, long way to walk when you’re in Georgia or Virginia.
It’s sometimes hard to believe you can walk that far or that
Katahdin even exists. So, I used the things I could believe in to
draw myself up the Trail—one town, one day, one mile, sometimes
one hill at a time. Some days it was Hot Springs, or Damascus,
or Delaware Water Gap. Sometimes it was the next shelter
or the top of the hill—or the next one hundred steps. Or a
shower. Or ice cream. (Would you walk an extra five miles for
a pint of Ben & Jerry’s? I did, and so have a lot of others.)
Personal opinion is that some people quit because they see
themselves changing in ways they don’t understand, didn’t plan,
and can’t control—and they’re not ready for those changes, or
can’t tolerate them, or don’t want them.
Heart problems
Barring injury (watch out for wet roots and rocks and bog
bridges!), those who get to Damascus have the physical conditioning
and knowledge to make it all the way. So, why do so
many drop out after they get that far? Because they’re tired, or
bored, or because they have “heart problems.”
What? You mean the Trail can be boring? Yeah. For a lot of
people, grinding out twenty-plus-mile-days in Pennsylvania and
New Jersey and New York in ninety-degree heat can be a drag,
even when it’s where you really want to be. (Not that you have
to do twenties, but what else are you going to do with those
long, hot days?)
We all get tired—and some just get tired of always being
tired. A surprising number of people quit at Gorham, New
Hampshire. Some even quit at Monson. Think about it: five to
six months on the Trail. How many mountains? How hot is it?
How much snow and rain? How hungry are you? By the time
they get to Maine, some people can’t carry enough food to keep
their bodies going. Mostly, a couple days in town, resting and
eating well, is all it takes to rekindle the desire to keep on hiking—but
not always.
The heart problems are rarely of the physical variety. I’m
talking about those who miss their spouse or boyfriend or children—or
even their dog—and can’t wait to finish the Trail to
see them again. Some of them don’t wait: They go home. The
first signs are when you start thinking about home and wish
you were there more than where you are.
Another “heart problem” is that making friends on the Trail
and then watching them get off for one reason or another will
hurt. One of the worst things that happened to me on the Trail
was losing three consecutive partners. I called it “300-Mile
Syndrome,” because I lost a partner every 300 miles. The first
time it happened was the one and only time that that I considered
quitting. The second time, I submerged the pain in twentymile
days, and I was really reluctant to take on a new partner
after that. But, I did. Emotional pain is always worse than physical
pain.
Okay. That’s a few of the things you’ll run into besides blisters
and cantankerous stoves and clogged water filters and broken
pack frames. But, there are solutions to everything you’ll
run into. I’ll suggest some in future articles. No, not all the
answers. You need to find your own. Then, it becomes your
choice to use them. Or not.
Jim Owen (Bald Eagle of ’92) lives in Maryland with his wife,
Ginny (Spirit Walker).
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 21

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams,”
Thoreau wrote, “and endeavors to live the life which he has
imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common
hours.” Ah, but in which direction does one advance along
the A.T.? North? South? A little of both? Flip-flopping—changing
directions during a thru-hike—has become increasingly
popular as hikers plan ways of avoiding the crowds of
northbounders and varying their experience of the A.T. But,
when you must change directions midway, what about those
dreams? Here are two perspectives.
Road to nowhere
Dan Kahn
We’re on a road to nowhere—Come on inside.”
“
The saxophone riff in the Talking Heads’ song mixed
with the road noise in the open Jeep. It was late summer
of 1985, and we’d caught an easy ride to the package store in
Cornwall Bridge, Connecticut (which, in those days, offered
“one free brew if you’re hiking through”— usually a Foster’s
mega-can). The breeze clinched it for us: Now Kaz and I had a
plan and a theme song to boot. We were going to flip-flop up to
Maine and hike south for as long as we could. Lucky us.
Quite an A.T. year, 1985. The weather cooperated, not too
many people were on the Trail, and there was a cast of memorable
characters. “Woodchuck” was carrying PVC pipe to lay
into slow springs. “Mountain Man McNeeley” was hiking the
Trail as originally laid out, with 1930s USGS maps. The Beach
Chair Bum, a Florida lifeguard with a Harpo-Marx-meets-Jimi-
Hendrix hairdo, was pioneering ultralight packing—aside from
a few frills, such a beach chair. The redoubtable Wingfoot was
on his first thru-hike. Tin Man drew comic episodes of Trail
life. Poetry Man waxed rhapsodic and always rhymed.
Full-length flip-floppers were also the talk of the registers.
Phil Goad left entries disparaging the one-way mentality. The
Great Appalachian Athlete, a Jamaican who claimed Harvard
connections, wrote passionately on many subjects. A Cherokee
from Oklahoma left lupine pictographs on rocks saying,
“Kunu Wolf hiked that,” and eating “government honey” from
a gallon jar. Novice hikers regarded these folks with attitudes
ranging from awe to derision.
Our flip-flops were more than just directional. My hike had
been planned with Tom and Nancy, two neighbors from
Lakeville, Massachusetts, with whom I had happily trudged
the first four hundred miles. Nancy remarked that I was “sniffing
the air a lot.” Indeed, I was. I had found new love the month
22
REFLECTIONS
Flip-Flopping
before our March start. And then that new love, Kaz—Kathy
Kasmer—met me at Atkins, Virginia, in May, and my old partners
left us behind as we headed north. Our food sack contained
a ridiculous amount of seasonings, which turned many
tongues (and some stomachs) as we shared meals from our oversized
pot. “Spice Twins” became the Trail name that stuck.
Kaz’s Trail legs were new. Even though I had a full head of steam,
the joys of spring and the promise of a cousin’s wedding near
Waynesboro kept us roughly in step. Our pace improved, but
still we fell farther and farther behind the pack.
“We’ll figure it out after the Hudson,” we said. It became
our rallying cry.
It was almost August as we lurched into New England. We
had long since resigned ourselves to not making every blaze
that year. But, hey! Slow as we were, if we jumped north, we
had a chance to meet up with northbound friends as they hit
homestretch. What a concept! What’s more, every step would
be more or less be toward our home base in southeastern Massachusetts.
“Rounder Bill” drove us from Boston to Katadhin
to hike the summit together, then we were on our own. Hundred-mile
wilderness? Pshaw!
Send us your reflections
Reflections is where we ask you to consider the Trail and tell stories
about subjects close to it and you. The list below notes upcoming
topics and the deadlines for submissions. We look for sincerity,
thoughtfulness, humor, sensitivity to the privacy of others, and factual
accuracy. Because of space limitations, we cannot print
everything we receive. We may edit your article—perhaps heavily—
to fit our format. Submissions must be typed and double-spaced or
submitted via electronic mail (editor@atconf.org) to be considered.
If you would like your submission back, please enclose a stamped,
self-addressed envelope. We must wait until the last minute to make
our final selections, so we cannot answer questions regarding the
status of submissions or provide criticism.
We invite you to write on the following topics. Submission deadlines
are:
Issue Topic Deadline
July 2002 Sharing shelter May 1, 2002
September 2002 Springer July1, 2002
November 2002 Trail food September 1, 2002
March 2003 Going home January 1, 2003
May 2003 Things that go “bump” March 1, 2003
July 2003 Scouts May 1, 2003
MAY–JUNE 2002

Reflections
With Katadhin in our rearview mirror, instead of dangling
like a carrot ahead of us, our focus became who we would meet
next. Though at first we were in the company of a short-term
southbounder with wine in his Sigg bottle and new boots, we
hadn’t long to wait. Over the next three weeks, as the air grew
chilly, we passed a magnificent, raggedy parade of Trail buddies
from spring and summer. Some were joyous, damp, lateinto-the-night
reunions around Maine campfires, passing hot
stews and sprouts from a converted washcloth bag. Some were
quick “How-did-you-dos” on windswept slopes. The town stops
at Monson and Rangeley were big, big fun (“Table for twenty?”).
As word spread of our southerly amble, northbounders showered
us with stuff as they hit their finishing kick. We finally
met “Stonefish and Sacajewea,” our favorite register writers
(his signature was a drawing of his namesake singing the opening
of Little Richard’s “Tutti-Frutti”), after an incredibly buggy
night by Moxie Pond. The “Maine Man” explained his signature
drawing of the Tasmanian devil screaming “Rebound!”—
“It’s for getting started early after a twenty-plus-mile day and
also for all you flip-floppers. My high school basketball coach
never let us give up.” The coming of Hurricane Gloria and a
blown-out boot sent us home in September, just as we were
getting into the Whites.
Seventeen years later, I’m chipping away at the last threehundred-odd
miles of A.T. still lacking in my worn-out Data
Book. Number us among both flip-floppers and the perpetually
undone.
At an ALDHA Gathering in 1988, I met “Dr. Owl,” a psychologist
from Pennsylvania, who had tested a bunch of thruhikers
and Trail folk, searching for common threads and personality
traits. Though the actual terms escape me, he spoke
at length about ping-ponging and almost finishing as being the
most interesting anomalies in his survey. “What about flipfloppers
who become perpetual volunteers?” I asked him, betraying
my own ambition.
“You would definitely have some very interesting company
then,” he replied with a twinkle in his eye.
Dan Kahn lives in Seekonk, Massachusetts, with Kaz (the other
Spice Twin) and their two kids, Justin and Lucy (ages 13 and
10), both of whom like to hike. He works at the Rhode Island
State Council on the Arts between hikes.
The traveling register
Phil Dwyer
A
pack of thru-hikers—“Mango,” “Brush,” “Crash,” and
“Zoo”—sat with me in the Gravel Springs Hut after a week
of hiking “big miles” through Shenandoah National Park.
It was high noon, and we were waiting in the shade to avoid
90-degree weather, planning on making up the miles by walking
well into the evening.
I started to reflect on how many miles I had put between
myself and fellow northbound hikers. It was possible that I
would never see some of them again—at least not on this hike.
I was also bothered by the fact that I did not have a memento
to remind me of our time together on the Trail.
There was no time to waste. I opened my wire-bound journal
to where the blank pages began and printed out a title:
“Acorn’s Traveling Register.” Write whatever you wish, I told
the others, and I won’t read any of the entries until I finish my
hike and return home. I passed it around the group.
As Brush was writing in it, I started thinking about those
behind me that would never get to sign it. In a fit of inspiration,
it then struck me that if I traveled south for a few weeks
I could see everyone again. “I can take the train from Harpers
Ferry to Philly,” I thought. “I’ll get my uncle to drop me
off at the Delaware Water Gap, then walk south through
Pennsylvania and Maryland back to Harpers Ferry, and then
take the train back to be dropped off again at the Water Gap.”
Perfect!
I announced my intention to the group, and, four days later,
Uncle Johnny snapped a picture of me as I began my southbound
section to fill the traveling register.
The first mile or so of hiking south was both weird and exciting—kind
of like leaving Springer—and gave me a renewed
sense of enthusiasm for the thru-hike as a whole. Once on the
ridge, I surprised my first northbounder—“Glider.”
“Acorn, is that you?” he said. “I haven’t seen you since
Icewater Springs Shelter in the Smokies.” We chatted and talked
gear and gorp, then went our ways, him still 270 miles ahead of
me, and me traveling south.
The next day, I would meet more from the front of the pack
who I hadn’t seen since Damascus. I was the Trail’s reporter,
bringing everyone I met up to date about who was still ahead
and who was behind. After passing over a twenty-mile section
of Pennsylvania’s infamous rocks, I was spreading the word that
they really weren’t that big of a deal, even though people had
fretted about them since Georgia.
Trail culture is interesting in that way: Although we spend
most of our time alone in the woods, we still obsessively seek
information and news about other hikers we know and news
about the hike to come. The traveling register started to fill up
once I started hitting the familiar crowds that I had hiked with.
What could be more fun than running into the famous duo of
“Polyester” (Polly and Esther), and later hearing “Pamola” shout
from a distance, “Hey, Acorn!” (Crash had told Pamola to expect
me coming south.) “Monkey-butt” and “Sundog” were a
bit surprised when I ran into them at a spring.
Hiking south, I came to accept that with the quick hellos
came quick good-byes. I also learned to expect the opposite of
what anyone told me about the upcoming terrain—“Thirty
minutes to the shelter” meant fifteen; “really easy” meant
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 23

Reflections
uphill; “He’s probably a day behind” meant that the speaker
had no clue as to where “he” was.
Town stops were short on my flip—lunch, maildrop/resupply,
a quick survey of the local hiker highlights (discovering
how dirty the hotel rooms really were in Duncannon), and then
back to the woods to try to beat the rains to shelter. The night
I spent at Thelma Marks Shelter was perhaps the best of the
24
Memorial Contributions
January 1 – February 28, 2002
Since our last edition, donations to the Appalachian Trail
Conference were made in memory of:
Will Beard—by Mark and Jeannette Clodfelter, Vernon R.
and Sallie M. Hunter
Donald Causey—by Stuart Bowers, Stephen E. and
Barbara K. Jones, Ron Schwartzman, Frank W.
Uebersax
Chris Deffler—by Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Deffler
Lloyd P. Evans—by Charles and Judith Hoffhine, David
and Mary Poulin
Jud Germon, Jr.—by Ruth A. Sanford
William Goetze—by the Visiting Nurse Association
of Maryland Hospice
William Gretz—by Anselma and Amelito Canlas,
Virginia L. Colonna, Beatrice S. Sadowsky, Diane and
John Zalewski
Joseph D. Huff—by Bob and Patsy Allen
Jess Guy Jones—by Randy and Edna Reece, Danny and
Patricia Slaughter, Mike and Brenda West
Doug Kelley—by Edwin and Barbara Ford
John Keyes—by T.S. Cadwallader II
Kenneth Scott Lefkowitz—by Mitzi and Andy Kepley
Claude R. Reip—by the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club
John B. Sherrel—by John McDuffie
Rick A. Sterling—by Alan Graziano, Wendy Haravitch,
Patricia D. Hetrick
George Stowe—by Merrilyn S. Williams
Oreste Unti—by Carolyn Cades, Fran Caffee, Robert
Cole, Jr., David Mink
Bruce Van Hine—by Theresa M. Cashin
Notable Honorary Contributions
January 1 – February 28, 2002
Contributions in honor of:
James P. Nangeroni—by Joanne and Laurence Bowes,
Mary Beth and James Cusack, Cheryl and Michael
Paradiso, Elaine and Don Reynolds
flip, as I reunited with “Wookie,” “Swan,” and “All-good,”
whom I had hiked the most miles with that year.
My last three days of hiking south were long, and, by day
fifteen, with no time off, I was exhausted. On Weverton Cliffs,
I took a break to ponder my flip and all of those who I was able
to see for one more time. I had met more than one hundred
thru-hikers and later counted fifty-one entries in my traveling
register.
It seemed ironic that the last three miles to the Harpers Ferry
AYH Hostel, along the “flat” C&O Canal Towpath, were the
most difficult of my entire thru-hike. I literally stumbled along,
out of food, water, and energy. When I reached the hostel and
the end of my flip, I found my great hiking friends—“Roses,”
“Copper Top,” and “Curt”—all relaxing inside. After a shower
and a dose of “Vitamin I,” I joined them for dinner at a restaurant.
We reminisced about our travels, meetings, mishaps, snow
storms, and discussed what lay ahead. Now, I was the one 270
miles north. I wouldn’t see these friends again that year.
To me, those encounters along the way are what the Trail
experience is all about—it’s the people that make the Trail.
Fortunately, I still have them, and all the others, in the traveling
register. The encounters are behind me, but the memories
have a permanent place.
Phil “Acorn” Dwyer completed the A.T. in 1996 after his twoweek
flip-flop with the traveling register.
Mt. Abraham . . .
Continued from page 8
the lower eastern slope of the mountain, and it hopes to acquire
additional lands on the western side of the mountain,
resulting in public ownership of more than 6,000 acres on
Mount Abraham.
The Mount Abraham project was made possible through a
combination of public and private funding. According to Williams,
the lands were purchased with private funding, including
a lead gift from the Sweet Water Trust, other major donations
from the Open Space Conservancy, Great Outdoors Conservancy,
The Betterment Fund, National Wildlife Federation,
Clark Charitable Trust, and hunderds of small donations by
ATC members. The Land for Maine’s Future program and the
Bureau of Parks and Lands contributed funds to the purchase
of other lands on Mount Abraham.
“Ecological reserves are a high land-acquisition priority for
the Land for Maine’s Future program,” stated Tim Glidden,
director of the program that is the primary source for state land
purchases. According to Glidden, when completed, private
sources will have provided more than two-thirds of the funding.
“Projects such as Mount Abraham allow us to really stretch
public land-acquisition funding, acquiring more acres with
fewer public dollars.”
MAY–JUNE 2002

Q.What’s a match?
A. It’s slender, made of wood or cardboard, tipped with a
substance that catches fire by friction, and typically used
by a hiker hoping to light a single-burner stove after a long
day on the Trail.
True, but for the Appalachian Trail Conference, a match is
something more. It’s when your charitable gift becomes the
catalyst for an equal—and sometimes greater—contribution
from your employer.
Many businesses and organizations respond to charitable
institutions that influence their employees’ quality of life.
The Appalachian Trail
Conference, as a
Match making 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization,
qualifies as
just such an institution. Often, corporations and organizations
determine who they will support by matching the contributions
their employees are making. Here are some more
things about matching gifts that you may not know:
• Most companies match one-to-one (1:1), giving ATC a
dollar for each dollar an employee donates. Some match
two-to-one (2:1), effectively tripling your donation to ATC
3Com Corporation
Aetna Foundation, Inc.
Ambac Financial Group, Inc.
Aid Association for Lutherans
American Express
American International Group
Bank of America
Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Ltd.
Becton Dickinson and Company
BellSouth Corporation
Bestfoods
BP
Caterpiller Foundation
The Chase Manhattan Bank
Chubb & Son
CNA Insurance Companies
Compaq Computer Corporation
Computer Associates International
Corning, Inc.
Dominion
Dress Barn, Inc
Eastern Mountain Sports
ExxonMobil Corporation
First Data Corporation
Fleet Financial Group
TRAIL GIVING
Fortune Brands, Inc.
Gannett Foundation, Inc.
General Electric
GlaxoSmithKline
GrayCo.
The Home Depot
IBM
J.P. Morgan Charitable Trust
Kemper Insurance Company
Mallinckrodt, Inc.
MassMutual Life Insurance Co.
MasterCard International
The McGraw-Hill Companies
Merrill Lynch & Company
Foundation
MFS Investment Management
Microsoft
Millipore Foundation
Mobil Foundation, Inc.
Monsanto Fund
Mutual of America
National Grid USA
Neles Automation
New York Times Company
Foundation
if you work for an organization that does that.
• Companies often include their retirees among those
whose gifts are eligible for a match.
• While companies have expanded their programs to match
noncash employee contributions, such as gifts of stock,
some now extend this category to include the hours volunteered
to an organization. For example, Verizon is one
of the companies from which ATC has received matching
dollars for maintainers’ hours.
It is becoming more common for information about a
company’s matching-gift program to be available on its internal
computer network; application forms can typically
be downloaded from there.
Many of the companies with online material allow employees
to fill out matching-gift forms electronically. The
form then gets sent to the designated charity to verify that
the employee has made a contribution and then back to the
company, which mails the charity a check. Please find out
whether your employer offers a corporate matching program.
If information is not readily available, ask your human resources
officer.
In 2001, ATC member contributions helped ATC receive
more than $30,000 in matching contributions from the following
companies:
Norfolk Southern Corporation
Norton Company Foundation
Pfizer Foundation
Philip Morris Companies, Inc.
Pitney Bowes
PPG Industry
Prudential
Reader’s Digest Foundation
Sara Lee Foundation
Stanadyne Automotive
Temple-Inland
Times-Mirror Foundation
USG Foundation
United Technologies
Verizon
For more information about contributions
to ATC, please contact
Bethany Latham, corporate relations
coordinator, by e-mail at , by phone at
(304) 535-6331, or by writing to P.O.
Box 807, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425.
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 25

Shelter
Continued from page 7
hikes. Don’t people realize that these
numbers mean nothing and that what is
truly important is being honest with
yourself? I cherish the memories of my
hike, especially the challenges. I hope
Chris was just experiencing some posthike
let-down and soon he will be craving
those long uphills in his many “flashbacks.”
Chris Cummings (“The Kentuckian”)
Warsaw, Kentucky
◆
Smokey, the Appalachian Trail is hard.
Trust me, I know—I did it twice. In
1995, it was a thru-hike (six months to
the day); before that, I did it in two sections—two
sections of my leg (which
separated in 1992 in Maine). If it was
easy, would you want to do it? I’ll be sixty
in September and am a pretty wimpy
flatland person from the swamps of
Florida; I plan to go back for my third ATC
certificate.
By the way, I never met a thru-hiker
who engaged in much campfire conversation—about
anything. Most of us
crashed ten minutes after eating our
Liptons or Ramen. Are you sure we were
on the same Trail?
Susan Roquemore (“Dragon Lady”)
Cedar Key, Florida
A s
26
Brian Robinson
a hiker and runner, I must say that I
fully understand some folks’ unrest
about the whole concept of speed-hiking
and trail-running. But, having run in my
first ultramarathon after my 2001 thruhike,
I see it from a new perspective.
Challenging oneself is, in my opinion, a
perfectly fine thing to do in outdoor recreation.
I have run along trails, including
some sections of the A.T. Trail running
and speed-hiking are definitely different
(and yet equally enriching) experiences
from hiking. You do not so much see less
as you see differently. I would be equally
reluctant to part with memories of Trail
runs as memories of hikes. Gliding gazelle-like
along a trail is an awesome ex-
perience, as is kneeling down to admire
the patterns on a budding leaf. A hike is
what you make of it, and, as long as you
want to go slow, the A.T. will never become
an ultramarathon.
Matt Kirk (“Sweeper”)
High Point, North Carolina
◆
While I hiked in 2001, I heard the expressions
(or clichés), “Hike your
own hike,” and, “It’s not the miles in your
day, but the day in your miles,” countless
times. What I find ironic is that, as
soon as a hiker varied from the abovementioned
clichés, he was criticized for
doing so. (Personally, I did not take any
“zero days” and heard numerous times
how I should. At one point, while halfasleep,
I heard a plan being discussed to
duct-tape me to my bunk so I would take
my first “zero” rather than hiking in the
rain.)
Everyone hikes for different reasons.
Some hike for the nature. Some hike for
the vistas. Some hike for the social aspect.
Some hike for the escape. And, some
hike for the athletic challenge. The Trail,
although not very wide, is big enough for
everyone to share. I do not know Mr.
Robinson, but I am impressed with his
accomplishment. I do not know why he
chose to do what he did, but I am quite
sure he will have a lifetime of memories.
I would love to talk with him.
Some feel that speed-hikers have no
place on the Trail and interrupt the other
hikers. One of the best people that I met
on the hike was a speed-hiker. He and his
wife graced some other hikers and me
with some major “Trail magic” before his
run began. The interruption, at most,
would be brief. Do not let the interruption
linger inside of you. That is not why
you are on the Trail.
Jeff Tracy
Lockport, New York
◆
When I read Chris [David’s] comments
about my son Brian’s “Triple Crown”
hike, my reactions were also of disbelief,
anger, and sadness. Disbelief because he
expressed his opinions without first
checking the facts, anger that he could
so completely misinterpret Brian’s motives
for “wanting to do such a thing,”
and sadness that he is either unable or
unwilling to accept a person’s dream because
it is not his own.
He suggested that Brian was “assisted
by a helper shuttling what is needed at
the time and taking what is not needed.”
The fact is that Brian hiked the length of
each trail, every step, with pack, without
sag wagon or other on-site support,
resupplying in towns or via the Postal
Service just as most other thru-hikers do.
His family mailed packages and wonderful
Trail angels appeared when needed to
help him through the inevitable crises
that confront all hikers.
He asserted that no one traveling that
fast could have enjoyed or even noticed
the breathtaking views or beauty of the
trails. He obviously hasn’t looked at
Brian’s photos. The fact is that Brian
walked no faster than many thru-hikers.
His secret was that he rarely stopped,
except to enjoy a breathtaking view, and
didn’t spend extra hours in towns. He said
that Brian spent $10,000 and a year of his
life for nothing. The fact is he had the
$10,000 to spend, and he had the time of
his life spending it!
How interesting would Brian Robinson
be to chat with? Perhaps he should
chat with him and find out. Good fortune
allowed Brian to join the Gathering of
long-distance hikers in Hanover, New
Hampshire, only 442 miles before the end
of his trek. While there, he was given the
opportunity to talk about his hike and answer
questions from the experts. At the
end of his talk, he was given a heartfelt
standing ovation.
Brian was able to realize his dream
because of good health, good planning,
and good luck. If you want to question
his motivations, please do so after reading
his journals (at ) and “hiking with him
for a while.”
Roy L. Robinson (“Trail Dad”)
Los Altos, California
MAY–JUNE 2002

2,000-milers . . .
Continued from page 17
(Rhubarb), Versailles, Ky.; Edmund J. Scott
(Jack), Greenville, S.C.; Timothy C. Scott
(Chomp), Nottingham, N.H.; Donald R. Seaman
(Leather Feet), Winder, Ga.; Laura J.
Senechal (Weebles), Ashby, Mass.; Gary J. Serra
(Lawman), Chesapeake, Va.; Bryan R. Serrell
(Sherpa), Sag Harbor, N.Y.; Melissa Sexton
(Latecomer), Tucker, Ga.; Terry L. Shaw
(Stardust Walking), Monona, Wis.; Barbara J.
Shenton (Blister Sister), Bluffton, S.C.; Nancy
B. Shepherd (Shepherd of the Hills), Wooster,
Ohio; John B. Shoemaker (The Bedouin),
Leander, Texas; Sherry D. Shoemaker (Rocky),
Leander, Texas; Allen D. Shoup (Tortoise),
Palatka, Fla.; Alastair W.C. Slay (Al/Badger/
Kraft), Oxfordshire, Oxon, England; Fred Sloan
(Jack Daniels), Lonaconing, Md.; James M.
Sloan (Jym Beam), Eureka, Calif.; Paulus N.
Smit (TOEK), Amsterdam, Holland; Dan
Smith (A.T. Addict), Bronxville, N.Y.; Gregory
R. Smith (Shouse), Ventnor, N.J.; Malcolm Y.
Smith (Blackfoot), Somerset, Ky.; Matt J. Smith
(Drifter), Apopka, Fla.; Matthew W. Smith
(Smittee), Buchanan, Mich.; Robert E. Smith
(Doc Savage), Jackson, Tenn.; Shawn P. Smith
(Monty), Bel Air, Md.; Steve M. Smith
(Goldimoan), Manchester, Mo.; William C.
Snell (Insane), Eatonton, Ga.; Laura S. Snickers
(Why Wait), Boston, Mass.; Matthew H. Sober
(Bunny Love), Greensburg, Pa.; Lee G.
Solomon (Thumper), Reston, Va.; Eric T.
Somes (Free Bird), Indianapolis, Ind.; Meredith
S. Sorensen (Strider), Rumson, N.J.; Angela C.
Sorkin (Beefcake), Simi Valley, Calif.; Brian W.
Sorkin (Jimmy Da Fish), Simi Valley, Calif.;
Jason T. Soule (Beat), Wiscasset, Maine; Wade
E. Speer (Not to Worry)*, Marion, N.C.; Justin
New Georgia shelter . . .
Continued from page 10
feet of trail.
In May, club members dug the six tent
pads at the shelter site. ATC’s volunteer
Konnarock crew arrived during the last
week of May, joining them for two weeks
of work. They completed 2,100 feet of
trail, including the side trails to the shelter
and a spring, as well as the “rockwork”
for the stream crossing, the spring,
and two “cribs” that needed to be constructed
over large tree roots extending
into the new trail. The relocation was
completed in June by club members.
The problem of how to transport approximately
15,000 pounds of material
C. Spitzer (Wolverine), Okemos, Mich.; Bill St.
Laurent (Snowman), Dewey, Ok.; Ronald J.E.
St. Pierre (Popcorn), Falmouth, Maine; John H.
Starnes (Moonshower), Brownsville, Ky.; Thomas
M. Steet (Capt. Nemo), Virginia Beach,
Va.; Dennis K. Stephens (Maniac), Atlanta, Ga.;
Amy C. Sternheim (Bookworm), Amherst,
Mass.; Chad T. Storck (Foot’s Aflame),
Marietta, Ga.; Stephen G. Stortz (Northern
Lights), Eagle River, Alaska; Shawn P. Strader
(Shawn), Jefferson City, Mo.; David B. Stump
(Trailhead), Womelsdorf, Pa.; Michael O.
Sullivan (Trailguide), Sunapee, N.H.; William
J. Sullivan (2-speed), Stockton Springs, Maine;
Joshua E. Swindell (EZ Glider), Bath, N.C.;
Lidia T. Szabo (I Swear!), Ann Arbor, Mich.;
Baker Lee Talbott III (Vacilando), Chapel Hill,
N.C.; Carolyn H. Taylor (Teabag), Houston,
Texas; Brad A. Thomas (Walk’s Alone),
Dahlonega, Ga.; John Michael Thompson
(Dundee), Fort Mill, S.C.; Kristie G. Thompson
(Sunset), Rockwall, Texas; John D.
Thurman (Swift), Knoxville, Tenn.; Jonathan
M. Todd (Q-tip), Columbia, S.C.; Michael J.
Toner (Companero), Savannah, Ga.; Carin L.
Torp (The Moseying Mochileros), Shoreline,
Wash.; Jeff Tracy (Trailwind), Lockport, N.Y.;
Jonas E. Traxler-Ballew (Speedy O McPheely),
Ann Arbor, Mich.; Alexis M. Troschinetz (Tenacity),
Northville, Mich.; Adam L. Trout (Tagalong),
Christiansburg, Va.; Robert J. Trout Jr.
(Grizzly), Christiansburg, Va.; Robert D.
Umberger (Ranger Bob), Aldon, Pa.; Stanley R.
Unger (Stinky Feet), Seattle, Wash.; Greg J.
VageDes (Dimples), Gosport, Ind.; John C. Van
Heertum (Spider), Concord, Calif.; Thor J.
Vandehei (Thor), Ventura, Calif.; Jamie K.
Vandenberg (Deputy Big Girl), Edmonds,
Wash.; Jeannette Vandergaag (Mermaid),
Zwyndrecht, Netherlands; Timothy D. Vaughn
(Gnome), Lilburn, Ga.; Scott A. Vaught
(Briarpatch), Elk Creek, Va.; Bob A. Vogt
the 1.5 miles from the closest road to the
shelter site without causing a major impact
on the forest was solved when the
Forest Service provided a helicopter and
crew they typically hire to fight fires.
Shelter materials were stored at a Forest
Service facility and then transported to a
field provided by local landowners, Ervin
and Bill Gooch. On the morning of July
5, the materials were flown to the shelter
site in thirty separate loads of approximately
five hundred pounds each. The
materials were “long-lined” into the site
so the helicopter did not have to land, and
only minimal clearing of the site was
needed. Construction of the shelter began
on July 14.
Dolly Hawkins, an architect and sister
of Kurt von Seggern, designed the shel-
(Homeless), Collinsville, Ill.; Mary A. Vogt
(Unemployed), Collinsville, Ill.; Don D.
Warmke (Doesn’t Matter), Norfolk, Va.;
Marvin A. Warren (Greensinger), Poughkeepsie,
N.Y.; Theodore F. Warren (Scarecrow),
Manorville, N.Y.; George Harold Waxter (Running
Bear), Walkersville, Md.; Kathryn L.
Weaver (Dare), Brenham, Texas; Gary E.
Wehrwein (Crow Feathah), Keene, N.H.; Jeffrey
M. Welpott (Sufur), Harrisonburg, Va.;
Richard R. Wentzel (Shadowman), Edgar, Wis.;
Eileen West (The Sundown Duo), Pleasantville,
N.Y.; Douglas R. Weymouth (Dig), Norfolk,
Va.; Jason J. White (Achilles), Orono, Maine;
Daniel B. Whitmore (The Mullet), Pasadena,
Calif.; A.J. Whitney (MSExpress), Limington,
Maine; Jeff M. Williamson (Moonshine), Augusta,
Ga.; Timothy T. Williamson (Chops),
Milwaukee, Wis.; Charles W. Willis
(LoneWolf), Ogden, Utah; Bradley C. Wilson
(Zebadiah), East Greenwich, R.I.; Bob Wolf
(Voyaguer Bob), Bloomington, Minn.; Robert
J. Wolfe (Hey Bob), Pennellville, N.Y.; Stuart
A. Wolsh (Noodles), Interlaken, N.Y.; Jeffrey
S. Wright (Hemlock), Bedford, Pa.; John
Yannaccone, Watsontown, Pa.; Jared Yelton
(Sheriff), Hilton Head, S.C.; Gregory R. Young
(Heinz 57), Toledo, Ohio; David J. Yuhas (Beermaster),
Windber, Pa.; Phillip Andrew Zappone
(The Dude), Bend, Ore.; Chad W.M. Zeigler
(Zirque), Tinton Falls, N.J.; James R. Zimmerman
(Dream Catcher), Clarksville, Ind.
2002 Roland J. Beaulieu (Candyman),
Highgate Center, Vt.; Jeffery J. Bejune (The
Thru-hiker formerly known as Jeff),
Southampton, Mass.; David J. Ceckanowicz
(Lemming), Carmel, N.Y.; James D. Madden
(Glide), Lansdale, Pa.; Lauren A. Madden
(Sparkle), Lansdale, Pa.
ter. She combined features from several
different shelters to create a structure
with two sleeping levels for extra space
and an overhanging roof to provide a covered
cooking and eating area. Georgia club
member Larry Walker directed construction
and the building took place during
six days in July and August 2001.
The project was completed September
8, 2001, when club members held a special
work trip to open up the remaining
one hundred feet of Trail. At the October
13 ceremony, the von Seggern family gave
a pair of red suspenders to each of the volunteers
who worked on the shelter, in
memory of Kurt von Seggern’s trademark
hiking attire.
—Darleen Jarman, Georgia A.T. Club
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 27

28
BOOKS
Publications of Interest to A.T. Hikers
Back to the hills with Earl Shaffer
By Robert Rubin
The Appalachian Trail: Calling Me Back to
the Hills. Text and poetry by Earl Shaffer.
Photography by Bart Smith. Westcliffe Publishers,
2002. Hardcover, 128 pages, color
photographs throughout, $39.95.
1948. This is the Earl Shaffer we will
remember: Compact, youthful, cleanshaven,
muscular, dungarees belted high
on washboard-flat belly, tight T-shirt, unruly
upsweep of dark hair above a high
forehead and dark, brooding brows,
dreamy gaze, invincible, a man impossibly
fit but just back from a war that left
him spiritually wounded, carrying an oldstyle
rucksack slung low on his back and
camera looped around his neck, finding
his way alone along an unevenly marked
Trail, sleeping out in all weathers. That
Earl Shaffer strides past a pack of four stylishly
dressed young women where the
Trail crosses a road in Georgia and disappears
into the woods along an obscure
path, recalling the moment in his memoir
of that hike, Walking with Spring.
“Hubba Hubba,” one of the women
says.
1998. The balding old man in the pith
helmet seems unable to escape the press,
the reporters who keep after him to say
“how it feels.” It doesn’t feel so good. His
face has been punished by sun and spider-webbed
with wrinkles, it sags with
exhaustion, and a gray stubble covers his
jaw and chin. Every couple of days, another
reporter is waiting for him at a shelter
or a road crossing. Earl Shaffer is not
having a good time. He has fallen, blackened
an eye, twisted a knee. As he pushes
into Maine, he has walked almost two
thousand miles, but the Trail is so much
harder than he remembers. They have
relocated it, routed it up and over rocky
summits where once it followed gentle
woods roads along the hillsides. He is
angry, despairing.
“I can’t. I can’t,” he tells a fellow
hiker. “I’ll wait here until the
weather clears, then head for
home.”
But, he does not head for home.
After all, he is home.
At age 79, fifty years after he
shocked the Trail establishment by
announcing that he had completed
the unheard-of feat of thru-hiking
the Appalachian Trail, Earl Shaffer
finished the A.T. again. He did not
do it pretty. On his “long cruise” of
1948, he had hiked to Maine virtually
unnoticed, resupplying himself
along the way, disappearing into the
woods for long stretches at a time, reliant
on no one as he walked inexorably
north. This time, though, his friends and
relatives followed each day’s progress
with a mix of joy and anxiety. They met
him at road crossings. They took him into
town for meals. In Maine, as he began to
despair of finishing, they hiked with him,
“slackpacking” his gear while he walked
with a light burden, urging him on, convincing
him to skip ahead to Katahdin
before winter closed in, then walking
with him as he made up the final miles
between Baxter Park and central Maine.
No, it was not pretty. But, he did it. He
walked every mile of the Appalachian
Trail, and he did it in six months.
The Appalachian Trail: Calling Me
Back to the Hills, Earl Shaffer’s account
of his 1998 journey, is powerful stuff. It
is powerful not so much for what it says
as for what it doesn’t say. And, that is as
it should be: Earl Shaffer, now gravely ill,
has been a man of few words, who let his
walking do the talking.
It is a beautifully illustrated book—a
big, glossy, coffee-table volume that
mixes Shaffer’s account of the hike with
the brilliant nature photography of
Shaffer’s coauthor Bart Smith. The photos
capture the Trail in all its moods and
seasons—from the first wildflowers of
spring in Georgia to the snow clouds of
winter on Katahdin. On an objective
level, the book is as much Smith’s as
Shaffer’s—you see the rivers, the hills, the
woods, the wildlife, and the weather
through the eye of Smith’s lens, captured
over the course of a year-and-a-half of section-hiking
the A.T., independently of
Shaffer’s thru-hike.
But, what makes it an essential book
for lovers of the Trail are Shaffer’s story
and poems. How can this be? Without
seeming disrespectful of a Trail legend, a
book reviewer would be compelled to say
that Smith is a professional photographer,
but Shaffer is not, finally, a professional
writer. Had the text been written by
someone other than Earl Shaffer, it might
be thought unremarkable—just another
thru-hike account, with the same hills,
the same valleys, the same road crossings,
the same aches and pains, and the same
hardships that thousands of would-be
2,000-milers encounter each year. The
prose is simple, direct, declarative. There
are a few literary flourishes in the poems
scattered through the text, but even those
MAY–JUNE 2002

Books
are not going to impress anyone who
reads poetry with a critical eye.
Reading this book, though, for anyone
who knows and loves the A.T., is almost
impossibly moving. How, then, can we
explain it?
Perhaps it is so moving because the
experience of hiking the Trail, finally, is
one that words cannot adequately describe,
and Earl Shaffer knows that better
than anyone.
In “Mountaineer Manifesto,” one of
the best poems in the book, Shaffer addresses
someone who does not understand
the Trail, saying,
The evenings you’ll spend
on a dance floor
I’ll spend out under the stars,
And find in my solitude once more
A balm for my wounds and scars.
I’ll purge all my hatred, or try to,
Live as a free man again.
Do as I like when I want to,
Go where I choose to and when.
When he completed the A.T. in 1948,
Earl Shaffer had his whole life in front of
him, but he was not quite ready to reenter
the world he’d left behind. He had
learned of the Trail, which ran near his
home in the hills of southern Pennsylva-
January 1 – February 28, 2002
More than $10,000
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural
Resources Recreational Trails Program—Rocky Top
and Rockin’ Horse Trail Crews
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
State Trails Grant—Pochuck Creek
$1,000–$4,999
Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker—In-kind services
Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires—General operations
Clif Bar, Inc.—In-kind support for Trail crews
Dana Designs—In-kind support for ridgerunners and
caretakers
Dominion Foundation—General operations
nia, before World War II, and he and a
childhood friend had talked then about
hiking it. Then, after seeing several years
of action in the South Pacific during the
war, and learning of his friend’s death in
the Battle of Iwo Jima, the Trail had called
him back to the hills.
The story of that first thru-hike, which
he eventually published as Walking with
Spring, has become a touchstone for the
long-distance hikers who have come after
him: a journey born of restlessness and
pain, a search for beauty and meaning, a
reconnection with the natural world, a
powerful sense of accomplishment, a
dream that it might never end. After completing
his hike, one would have expected
a strong, thoughtful young man like Earl
Shaffer to get on with his life, settle down,
establish a career, and become a respectable
part of society. He never did. The
A.T. took hold of him and did not let go.
Over the years, he would eke out a living
in the hills of his childhood, often living
simply and without modern amenities,
making his living with his hands. He
worked to help build and reroute the
Trail, advised hikers, wrote poems, sang
songs, and walked. He finished the A.T.
a second time, in the 1960s, north to
south, as “a sentimental journey.” He
published his book about the first hike.
If you are reading The Appalachian
Trail: Calling Me Back to the Hills in the
hope that Shaffer will explain his life, and
his affection for the Trail, and his reasons
for hiking it again as he neared his eightieth
birthday, like all the reporters who
accosted him on the trip, you will be disappointed.
Here is all he says:
“Why did I go again? I couldn’t stay
home. I couldn’t pass up the chance to
celebrate this anniversary on the Trail
itself—or at least try to.”
Even so, the answer is in this book,
for those who will read it and Walking
with Spring, and who will put away the
part of themselves that criticizes and
judges, and just walk with him. It is what
makes Earl Shaffer’s simple account,
combined with Smith’s crisp photographs,
resonate in a way that more ambitious
books about the experience never
will. The mute beauty of passage through
a landscape—the hope of walking cares
and mortality and regrets into the dust,
the simple focus on taking the next step
until there are no more to take—that is
all there is here. And, for those with the
A.T. in their bones, it is all they could
ask for.
Robert Rubin is editor of Appalachian
Trailway News.
Notable Contributions from Corporations, Foundations and Supporting Organizations
Garden Homes Management Corporation—General
operations
Greater Piscataqua Community Foundation of the New
Hampshire Charitable Foundation—Building renovations
Johanette Wallerstein Institute—General operations
$500–$999
Asheville Savings Bank—General operations
Leki USA, Inc.—General operations
Merrell/Wolverine Outdoors, Inc.—In-kind support for
ridgerunners and caretakers
Montrail, Inc.—General operations
The Coleman Company, Inc.—In-kind support for
ridgerunners and caretakers
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 29

Lost and Found
Knife. Found on Rocky Mountain
in Georgia, March 10. Send description
of knife to Maintainer,
970 Windy Hill Road, Apt. 16D,
Smyrna, GA 30080
Hiking Partners Wanted
Thru-hiker. Will begin March
2003. Must come out and hike
with me first in the Grand Canyon.
Contact “Maverick,” P.O.
Box 405, Grand Canyon, AZ
86023; phone, (928) 638-2249; email,.
Thru-hiker. Male, 19, seeks partner
for southbound hike beginning
7/1/02. Max Rothbaum, 9 Locust
Avenue, Lexington MA 02421;
phone, (781) 863-1526.
Thru-hiker. Female, 32, seeking
male or female for Georgia–Maine
hike, 5-6 months starting April
2003. Not experienced, but plan
to work on it in the coming year.
Seeking someone honest, motivated,
excited, and fit. Contact by
e-mail, .
Section-hiker. Experienced hiker,
73, seeks partner(s) for 1-, 2- or 3week
hikes, June to mid-September
2002. Northbound, Franconia
Notch to Abol Bridge, 10–12
miles/day. Will do Monson to
Katahdin and/or Mahoosuc
Notch. Gordon Rice, 3168 S. Jackson
Blvd., Uniontown, Ohio
44685; phone, (330) 699-3494; email,
.
Section-hiker. Male, 55, seeks
companion(s) to hike 200 miles
north from Hot Springs, N.C., in
2002. Like to hike at least 12+
miles per day. Possibly switch vehicles.
Joseph Naia, e-mail, .
Section-hiker. Experienced 64year-old
male section-hiker looking
for partner(s) to hike Monson–
Katahdin in Maine during July
and/or August. I plan to slackpack
when possible, backpack when
necessary. Call (908)852-0174, email,
.
30
PUBLIC NOTICES
Section-hiker. Female, 38, seeks
companion(s) to hike in New
York, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania,
1–3 days in 2002. Susan
Grossman, (201) 475-1754; e-mail,
.
Section-hiker. Lost: Old A.T. partner
along the Trail. Seeking: New
partner to complete last half from
Pine Grove Furnace to Katahdin.
Call J. Foster at (434) 325 7461; email,
.
Section-hiker, 63, needs partner
for A.T. from Tellico Gap to
Fontana Dam starting September
1, finishing September 5. Lowmileage
days. Contact Rev. Arthur
“Rowdy” Yates, (727) 868-9285; email,
.
Partner wanted. A.T. 2,000-miler,
61, looking for experienced partner,
to walk the Cohos Trail (New
Hampshire) or Long Trail (Vermont)
in summer 2002. Call Mary,
(603) 434-0655; e-mail, .
For Your Information
Multiclub 2002. The 2002 A.T.
southern region “multiclub meeting”
will be August 30–September
2 at Hurricane Campground in
Mt. Rogers National Recreation
Area. Fee: $5 per person, no preregistration
required. Hikes, bike
rides, and entertainment are
scheduled. Bring tents or RVs (no
hookups available), or book
nearby lodging. For more information,
contact Kitty Farley, Mt.
Rogers A.T. Club, 18070 Stone
Mill Road, Abingdon, VA 24211;
phone, (276) 676-3040; e-mail,
.
Workshop. Orienteering workshop
for women and girls, June 29,
Sky Meadows State Park, Virginia.
Public notices
Learn how to use a map and compass
to navigate in the woods, on
the trails, and off the trails. Register
by June 22. Cost: $25. Beth
LeaMond, (703) 980-0667.
Workshop. Long-distance hiking
workshop (2 nights, 2 days) designed
for the beginning or experienced
backpacker who dreams
of a long-distance hike. Led by
Melody Blaney, cofounder of
Wildside Adventures for Women
and a 1996 thru-hiker of the
Appalachian Trail. Hiking in
Michaux State Forest in Pennsylvania.
Cost: $95. Contact Melody,
(540) 384-7023.
For Sale
National Geographic. Two issues:
August 1949, Appalachian (Skyline)
Trail, includes 34 pages of
articles, pictures, and map of A.T.
in 1949; June 1971, Pacific Crest
Trail, 29 pages. Both magazines in
excellent shape. $10, includes
postage. Mel, (304) 265-3932;
e-mail, .
Free. Appalachia, the Journal of
Mountaineering and Conservation.
Copies available from June
1957 through December 2001,
only 2 issues missing. Would prefer
to ship all copies to one person.
You pay shipping. Contact
Helen, (609) 466-3569; email,
.
Ultralight pack. New—never
used, purchased from Moonbow
at Trail Days last year. Has pack
cover-tarp, sleep pad; weight, 3
pounds, $125. Dave Bigard, 19708
E. 47 th Street , Blue Springs, MO
64015; (816) 795-6307.
CD. Blue Notes Between the
White Blazes, a collection of songs
are published free for members of the Appalachian Trail Conference.
We cannot vouch for any of the advertised items. Ads must
pertain to the A.T. or related hiking/conservation matters. Send
ads to PUBLIC NOTICES, Appalachian Trail Conference, P.O.
Box 807, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425. Deadline for the September
2002 issue is July 1.
from and about the Trail by twotime
thru-hiker Takoma Tedd
Somerset is now available on CD.
Send your name, mailing address,
and money order or check for $18
(includes shipping and handling)
payable to Takoma Tyme Music,
P.O. Box 50411, Sarasota, FL
34232-0303 (Florida residents add
$1.05 state sales tax). Two dollars
from each sale through this notice
will be donated to the ATC, so be
sure to include the letters ATN
with your address.
Help wanted
Appalachian Trail Museum. The
Appalachian Trail Museum Society
is in the early stages of establishing
and developing a museum
for the Appalachian Trail. At this
critical juncture, we need an effective
and dynamic leader to
carry the program forward. This
individual would have the opportunity
to bring into being the first
hiking museum in the country, to
help tell the A.T. story, and to preserve
the Trail’s history for future
generations. The job is presently
a volunteer position. If you are
interested, pleas contact Larry
Luxenberg, (845) 634-0581; e-mail,
.
Crew members. The Potomac Appalachian
Trail Club has ten fiveweek
volunteer trail crews that
need six volunteers per crew. Six
crews are in the Shenandoah National
Park with two in the South
District (August 4–9 and August
11–16), two in the Central District
(August 18–23 and August 25–30)
and two in the North District
(September 2–6 and September 8–
13). Housing and meals provided.
Four crew weeks are held in the
George Washington and Jefferson
National Forests. The dates of the
Massanutten Crew weeks are June
16–21, June 23–28, September 8–
13, and September 15–20. Work in
the national forests is under the
supervision of a Forest Service
ranger. Meals provided; crew
members required to sleep in their
own tent and sleeping bag. For an
application, contact Heidi Forrest,
PATC Trails Coordinator, at (703)
242-0315, ext. 12; e-mail, .
MAY–JUNE 2002

MINISTRY OF FUNNY WALKS
10/12 Felix in for a snack. It is raining and a bit on the
chilly side. The leaves are changing color nicely. I saw a
snake this morning. Hopefully he’ll be the last one for the
year. I wonder why I think it was a he.
My hands are cold. I can hardly grip this pen. I think I’ll
make some hot chocolate. I’m tired of hiking in this drizzle
anyway. Maybe it’ll stop if I take a long lunch.
Saw a dog catch a big, red squirrel today. Well, at least
that’s what I thought I saw happen. It may have just been an
old rag. One of those red ones that you always see sticking
out of a mechanic’s pocket.
From a distance, it looked
The notebook
like a big squirrel. I was
up near Fitzgerald Falls,
and there were lots of folks out for dayhikes. Got an orange
from a college girl in spandex pants.
Hey, Sundown! Where are you? I haven’t seen you in
weeks. I have a letter for you. I can’t tell who it’s from,
though. Debbie? Maybe Beckie? I can’t tell. The post office at
Bear Mountain gave it to me. If you want it, you better
hurry up. I’m not going to carry it forever.
Hey, Tigerlily…
I saw the guy you were talking about. I don’t think the
leg was wooden. It might have been, though. It was on the
table when I went by and he picked it up real quick. An uncle
of mine had the same thing once. I don’t think his was wood.
Headed to Wawaywayandandandana tonight. Subway
tomorrow.
Take care, all.
Felix J. McGillicuddy ME →here
10/12 3:00ish
Out for a dayhike. Met Felix near the Cat Rocks south of here. That’s
a nice shirt he’s wearing. Saw Lucky Luke and Calamity Jane, too.
There is no water between here and Long House C. to the south.
Bob Sylvester Sussex, NJ
Must be the 12 th . That’s what everyone else is writing. Trying to
catch Felix before Friday. I’ve got a maildrop in Delaware Water
Gap and don’t want to get there on Saturday afternoon. I’m outta
here.
Stoat ME→?
Felix J. McGillicuddy
Rain, hunger, blisters, pain…I love hiking. Left my toothbrush
in the privy at RPH Shelter…three days ago! I miss it. It had
a nice handle that I cut in half. I need sandpaper now.
Silkworm AT97, LT 98
10/13 No way! How did Seattle and Sevin get ahead of us? Arrgghh! They
were behind us at Upper Goose Pond. Nobody saw them pass… Man! Is
that yellow I see on those boots?
We are headed to town tomorrow. Mooner needs some new bootlaces,
and I need wheat germ and sesame oil. Tried a new recipe last night and it
used up most of my oil and still tasted bad.
Got some really good magic yesterday from a family at the falls. They
had Cokes and cookies and pretzels. They were looking for a lost
dachshund. I hope they find it.
Honey-n-Mooner
10/13 “Maintainer Mike” in to check things out. Putting
water logs in this weekend and I wanted to scope it out
a little. Still raining a bit. We need it, so I’m not
complaining. The creeks are all dry here. There is a fire
ban for all of NY-NJ. This might help a little.
10/13 You guys do a great job, Mike. Keep it up. The pop
machine behind the shelter doesn’t work, though. It took
my change, but didn’t give me a Coke. And, what’s the deal
with the lounge chair out front. Who picked that color?
Satchel, trying to catch a wave….or, Felix…whichever
comes first.
10/15 Beautiful day. Sun is finally out after three days of
rain. Picked up my winter bag in Bear Mt. And it feels sooooo
good. All I need now is new socks and a battery and I’ll be good
to go.
Did you guys hear about Sundown? He got off in Kent, CT.
because he hadn’t heard from his girlfriend. Said he might join
the Army. The Army! Can you imagine Sundown in the Army?
That “up at the crack of noon” stuff won’t fly in the Army. Or,
the Air Force, for that matter. Stay tuned for updates…
Groovin’ Moose Someplace north ofhere→Someplace south of here
Felix J. McGillicuddy registers his residence in southern Indiana
when he isn’t writin’ or hikin’.
APPALACHIAN TRAILWAY NEWS 31

Old farm building at Woodshole hostel, near the A.T. south of Pearisburg, Virginia. Photo: Sarah Ives
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