Old South to New England, Hiking the Appalachian Trail

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Although I have been buying things for my April 20th departure from Springer Mountain, Georgia to begin my trek on the Appalachian trail, today was the most serendipitous of days. I left Keystone, Colorado early on a Colorado Mountain Express shuttle to downtown Denver. From my dropoff point in downtown Denver I walked west down 15th Ave to Platte and the REI store.

Today I needed to buy the last of the equipment I would need on the Appalachian Trail. First on my list was a pair of quality hiking boots. When I hiked the Camino de Santiago in Spain in 2010 I hiked in an old pair of boots I had bought in Spain in 2006. The boots were too short and I paid the price with substantial blisters and other foot problems. That trip was 550 miles long and I was not going to repeat the mistake of that hike on a route 4 times longer. The selection at REI was huge and I selected a pair of Asolo brand hiking boots after trying on many different sizes and brands. With boots and appropriate socks purchased I went to on to take care of my other needs.

First on the list was a stove and I met Cash, an REI customer service agent, and we began to discuss the pro and cons of the different stoves and fuel types. I originally approached Cash because he was wearing a Chilkoot Trail t-shirt. I asked him if he had hiked the trail and he said yes. That lead to the question if he had worked in Skagway to which he replied yes. We then shared our experiences in Skagway as I had passed 13 summers there. Then we got about the process of selecting a stove.

At this point another REI associate, Frank Woods, was introduced to me and this is where serendipity entered into my visit to REI. Cash told me that Frank had hiked the entire Appalachian Trail. Later I learned that he had also done the Transcontinental Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. For the next half hour he and I had a question and answer session about the Appalachian Trail and about what was necessary for a successful hike from south to north. Prior to coming to Denver he had worked at the REI in Atlanta and had given seminars on hiking the Appalachian Trail. Wow! What an unbelieveable resource had been presented to me. Based on his recommendations I was able to make informed choices when purchasing the remaining things I needed. Thanks to him I reduced substantially the weight I will be carrying in my backpack.

One of the best recommendations he gave me among many was my choice of hiking poles. He told of an incident that occured when hiking with poles that twist to lock. He was hiking downhill using poles as brakes to control his downward momentum. He planted his poles to stop and one of them collapsed and he went head over heels over a cliff and injured himself. I purchased poles that have a clip locking mechanism, the same ones that he now uses.

With all my puchases made, Frank gave me his e-mail address with the request that I send him a message when I finish in late August or early September. I left the REI store so much more prepared to hike the trail. With just a little over a month to go I'm really psyched to get started on the trail.

Tonight is a full moon and since there is a major solar flare hitting planet earth I will go outside later and see if I can see the Northern LIghts. There is a good possibility tonight.

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Photos

Map of the Route of the Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian traverses 13 states for a distance of 2,175 miles. Its southern starting point is on the top of Springer Mountain, Georgia. One must make it to its northern terminus on top of Kathadin before the park closes on Oct. 15 or the first snowfall.

AT Logo
A logo of the Appalachian Conservancy. Are you a member yet?