[at-l] I'm back

[Phil Heffington <phil.heffington@oc.edu>]

Having just returned from my third section hike in three years, and now
having covered 800 miles of the AT, I am loaded with opinions about dogs on
the trail, cell phone usage, mail drops, thru-hiking, weekend hiking, use of
Greyhound to get to the trail and back, food to eat, Trail Days, planned
Trail Magic, mice, and many other things, I'm sure.

1.  Dogs - leave them home - for their sake, yours, and those around you.
2.  Cell phones - not half as obnoxious as the Dragonfly stove. Cell phones
are normally used for casual conversation and not emergencies.  I saw 3 in
28 days, and only once was one used to help a sick person get off the trail,
and that was simply to arrange a different take out point.
3.  Mail drops - not necessary - useful if you get to the Post Office when
it is open (not after hours, weekends, or holidays), and the package has
arrived, and you still want what you thought you wanted when the mail was
sent.  All in all, unless you want special items, you can do just fine by
resupplying on the trail, and it is more convenient, and usually just as
cheap.
4.  Thru-hiking - I'm still not convinced that encouraging thru-hiking as
the dominant way to use the trail is good for the trail as a whole.
5.  Weekend hiking - They have just as much right to the trail as anyone
else, but shouldn't bring groups of more than 6 and then expect to have the
shelters all to themselves.
6.  Greyhound is cheap, sometimes rude, and you had better keep an eye on
your pack at every change of buses.  Took me 21+ hours to get to Abingdon,
VA from OKC, and 33+ to get back home from Buena Vista, VA.
7.  Food - Special diets are a pain if you are planning to hike a long
distance.  Eat all the fat and calories you can get your hands on and you
will probably still lose weight if you're a man, and gain a little weight
(muscle) if you're a woman.
8. Trail Days - Has developed into a big commercial party.  Probably
shouldn't have been started in the first place. 
9.  Planned Trail Magic - I still appreciate it, although some "trail
angels" are now just commercial shuttle services.
10. Mice - fun to kill, but not really a problem, unless you just imagine
them to be.

Well, that about does it.  Check out my website at
http://www.oc.edu/staff/phil.heffington if you want to know more about what
my hike was like this year, and the last two years.  I've already entered my
journal, and I'll soon have over 100 pictures added of my trip this year
from Damascus to Montebello, VA.  Check out the good "wallpaper" pictures of
Azaleas, Rhododendron, and Mountain Laurel.


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