[at-l] Year End Summary

[icw39@ncfreedom.net (Clark Wright)]

Great post and idea, well - here goes!

Miles hiked - about 1,400, mostly on the AT, also in the Smokies and
down east in NC near the coast on a cool trail called the "Neusiok,"
which is part of a neat new NC trail called the "Mountains-to-the-Sea"
trail, which runs over 400 miles east/west across North Carolina.

Nights out - about 100, though a good number of those were in hostels,
shelters, etc.

Some things I learned from this year's walking:
- Meeting other hikers is almost always a unique, and frequently awesome
human experience.
- having to part with newly met trail friends was a lot harder than I
expected, but there's always the next trip to plan!
- How lucky I am . . .  
- That attempting a thru-hike with a pregnant wife [well, what can I
say, it happened right before I left for Springer! :)] and a 2 1/2 year
old daughter was ridiculously hard, but we all learned a lot about
ourselves in the process.
- That coming back and trying to resume a full time demanding
professional career job is nigh on impossible . . . and that may, in the
long run, be a very good thing to have learned - time will tell.
- That having to endure 9/11 within a week of coming home was almost
more than I could bear . . . yet, somehow much good may yet come of it.
- That losing a sister to suicide less than a month later was more than
I could bear . . . yet, somehow, life does go on.
- That staying in touch with new friends from all over the world is one
of the truly awesome positive things that the IT revolution has brought
us.
- That trail corridors and wild areas are worth fighting for, but that
"moral outrage environmentalism"  [i.e., blindly condemning those who
clearcut, mine, drill, pave or develop] is often hypocritical, for we
all enjoy the fruits of our economic system [just look in your pack or
your house, or garage, etc.]
- That the best way to protect and conserve environmental values we
treasure usually is by making personal changes first, followed by
finding ways to communicate with those we differ with, and by finding
win-win solutions, like the solutions quietly hammered out every day by
local, national and international land trust organizations, who find
ways to work with everyone from the poorest farmer trying to save a
family farm, to the largest timber and mining companies - all with a
common goal of PERMANENT preservation of sensitive, wild or other open
spaces.

Some resolutions for the New Year:

1)  Find some little, but meaningful ways to conserve more and "pollute"
less at a personal level.
2)  Find a more meaninful job - [so that I don't have to think of it as
just a "job!"]
3)  Love my wife and family more, for we know better than ever just what
it is you cannot take for granted!
4)  Support local and national land trust organizations - two of my
favorites with AT and NC connections are the Conservation Trust of North
Carolina (which has a focus on preservation of lands near the Blue Ridge
Parkway, among other programs) and the Southern Appalachian Highlands
Conservancy (which focuses on the awesome beauty of the Roan and Hump
Mountain Highlands, among other areas).
5)  Finish my AT thru-hike . . . I can hear the call of the rocks up
there north of Duncannon, PA (ho-ho!)


"cosmo catalano, jr." wrote:
> 
> Anyone up for this?  Let's summarize our trail year...
> 
> Here's mine:
> 
> Miles hiked: (for fun, not for trail work) approx 45 (nearly all on the AT)
> Nights out: 5 :>(
> 
> Days on trail projects (meetings, project prep, and field work) 55
> Miles travelled in Berkshire county (89 AT miles) for above 3482.5
> 
> Clearly I need to drive less and hike more!
> 
> Things I've learned from this list and applied to my hiking:
> 
> Travel light--Nomad, Mountainsmith pack, ridge rest, photon, instead
> of Clip Flashlight, Camptrails External, and Thermarest.
> 
> Bring less "spare" clothes--No undies, two pairs of sox, sleep shirt
> instead of 3 undies, 3 sox, long pants, 2 shirts.  Three years ago in
> June, I even packed a pair of blue jeans for a 3 day Mt Washington
> traverse.
> 
> Eat Better--Jerkey, Trail Mix, Tang, tortillas, powdered beans,
> salsa.  Snax for lunch rather than a meal. Instead of Liptons, and
> Ramen ad infinitum (and ad nauseum).
> 
> Drink Better (and more often)--Platypus & hose instead of Nalgenes
> inside the pack.
> 
> Hike the trail, not the schedule.
> 
> This is a great list, I wish you all the best of 2002.
> 
> Cosmo
> 
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