I awoke at Rich Cove Gap to brutally cold temperatures…mid-20s with winds gusting at about 20-25 mph. The good news is that my Western Mountaineering Alpinlite 20 degree sleeping bag + Sea to Summit Thermo-Lite Liner form a cocoon that keeps me warm at night. The bad news is that if I’m ever going to make it to Maine, I have to be willing to depart the cocoon and take on the elements.
I spy a bear bag
After getting dressed inside my tent, I stepped out to find an inch of snow on the ground, howling winds, and freezing temps. Job 1 was to relieve myself in the snow by a nearby tree. (TMI Alert). I took my gloves off causing my cold hands to get the kind of cold where they start hurting. Trembling, I unzipped my fly and reached in. To my dismay, there was nothing there. Felt around…nothing. It seems the body part I was looking for had recessed into my body cavity and was lodged in a defensive position somewhere behind my gall bladder. I was not a happy camper. Shaking all over, I sang a couple of Mountain Dew ditties to coax him out…and then spelled “AT 2016″ in the fresh coat of snow. Only I ran out before I got to 6, which left the impression of a 3rd Century hiker.
I packed up camp as quickly as possible, knowing the best way to warm up is to hike. The snowy scenery was gorgeous, but I was focused on not falling, and trying to get the pain out of my hands by squeezing the trekking poles and wiggling my fingers. I was so focused, in fact, that I missed the iconic sign marking my crossing of the border into North Carolina. 1 down, 13 to go! As I climbed Bly Gap, the snow deepened and would run 1″-4” deep for the next several hours. At the top of the Gap, I stopped, out of breath, hands hurting, wind blowing…and decided this was easily the low point of the first 10 days. I celebrated this low point by gobbling down brown sugar cinnamon sawdust (aka, a pop tart)…which instantly stuck to and dried out my mouth. I reached back for my water bottle and discovered it was frozen…thus creating an all-new low point. (Lesson learned: put at least 1 liter of water in the tent with you on cold nights. Just don’t confuse it with the other bottle.)
God did this.
So with sawdust stuck to my tongue and cheeks and snot running unabated down over my mustache, I decided to…hike! You just keep walking. You suck it up and remind yourself that things will get better…and they did. By the time I reached Standing Indian Shelter, the sun had come out and my hands had warmed up. I met two Aussies while squeezing water. They live in a desert and had never seen or been in snow before that morning. Looking over at me, they also saw their first American snotstache.
I continued hiking and passed Once a Day, who I had met a few days earlier. She is from The Netherlands. She fell several times on each of her first few days on the trail. A fellow hiker told her that if she must fall, she should try to do so only once a day…and the name stuck.
5435′ Elevation…highest so far
The afternoon was slightly warmer and manageable…high 30s. After a fairly exhausting 13.7 mile day (longest so far), I pulled into the Beech Gap tenting area (mile 90.7). One thing I’ve learned about myself on the trail: If I interact with a lot of people during the day, I tend to like the solitude of a remote mountain top at night. However, if I’ve had minimal human contact during the day, then I kind of like being around others at night…at a tenting area or near a shelter.
This would turn out to be an enjoyable night with several interesting hikers. Introductions…
Maine Mike – older guy, from Maine (duh), told lots of interesting stories about hiking in Maine.
Night Whisperer – so named because he talks in his sleep. From Connecticut. Handed out mini-Reece’s peanut butter cups to arriving hikers. Built a great fire that night and the following morning!
Bert – young guy from LA. Near-term goal is to get drunk in Franklin. Bummed a highly coveted (for smokers) cigarette off Maine Mike, and then another…behavior which eventually will earn him a trail name.
Maia – pastry maker; 120 lb young woman carrying a 40+ lb pack…not good. From Colorado, now lives in Indiana. After the trail plans to move to Poland where her mom is from. Hadn’t slept in 3 nights because of the cold. I lent her my sleeping bag liner for the night…no worries, I didn’t come with it.
Sir Fob W. Pot – older dude, reeks of manure. Misses his wife. Handed out Girl Scout cookies around the fire, courtesy of the Crum family. Big hit!
After sharing war stories around the campfire, we retired around 9 p.m., aka hiker midnight. The bonding around the campfire drowned out the brutally cold morning we had all endured.
Zoom in on sign
BTW, here’s the final Georgia AT tale of the tape:
Toughest climb – out of Unicoi gap (due to slope, heat, and heel blisters)
Toughest descent – off of Blood Mountain
Falls – 0
Wildlife seen – 1 squirrel, 1 salamander, ~ dozen birds, including 2 owls, 0 bears
BMs in the Woods – 1 (@ newly named Quesalupa Gap)
Weight gain/loss- Unknown
Finally, a contest…by comment on this blog or on Facebook or on Trailjournals, guess when Fob will see his first bear. Be specific…a shelter or mountain or gap or town (unlikely) or mile marker…not “Virginia”. Yes, there will be a prize. Entry deadline is this Sunday night, 3/27.
I wish I could write more…but baby, it’s cold outside.
Serendipity – Luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for.
Providence – The means by which God directs all things, both animate and inanimate, seen and unseen, good and evil — toward a worthy purpose, which means His will must finally prevail.
The lucky twists, the fortunate breaks, the way a series of seemingly random events can work in conjunction to produce an unexpected favorable outcome…do you call them serendipity? Or is it God’s Providence at work? The older I get, the less I believe in luck or randomness…and the more I believe in a loving God orchestrating a few twists, and engineering a few breaks, to provide and sustain his children. Even when bad things happen, God is there bringing out the good and maybe teaching us some things in the process.
Day 9
I really wanted to attend worship services Sunday morning in Hiawassee, because I need that and know that opportunities to do so will be limited over the next 6 months. The church, though, was 10 miles out of town…hike-able, but hikers don’t really like hiking non-AT miles unless we have to. So I googled a number associated with the Hiawassee Church of Christ…and got the former minister who is no longer there. He gave me a possible contact of Robert Jarrard…there are a few of them. Left a message for the first one. The second one, Bobby, answered and said he doesn’t go there but his brother does. He also offered me a ride! On the way to services, we drove by his beautiful lakeside home and I commented on it. He said, “you should see inside,” and then he pulled in and gave me a tour of the place. A kind man…being used by God to give me a “good break.”
Thank you, Bobby!Bobby’s Lake View
Really enjoyed worshipping with the good folks of H CoC. They average 12, but had 17 that morning due to several visitors. A faithful group, despite small numbers and their long-time preacher being out for some time with an apparent serious illness. They even extended the invitation for me to teach in their Sunday School class, so I taught on “spiritual applications from hiking the AT.”
Good FolksSmall Numbers, Big Enthusiasm
Meanwhile, there was the issue of getting from church back to the trail…about a 20 mile journey. How would God come up with a “lucky twist?” Well, from out of nowhere I hear from Mark Crum, a high school (and Facebook) friend I haven’t seen in 32 years. He said his family would be in the area and would love to take me to lunch and then deliver me back to the Trail. Cha-Ching! He has an adorable and extremely kind wife and 2 children….such a sweet family. They took me to Brothers at Willow Ranch where I feasted on the Chicken Alfredo and salad. Then, before dropping me back on the trail, they gave me a bag of assorted Girl Scout cookies! Thank you, Team Crum!
Northern Burlington, Class of ’84
I got on the trail at 2:20 and banged out 7.4 miles to Rich Cove Gap (elevation 3532 ft). The temperature was dropping quickly and my watches barometer was trending downward. As I pitched Big Agnes, the snow began to fall. Just after getting camp set up, eating, and crawling into my tent, the snow turned to freezing rain. Perfect timing, and luck had nothing to do with it.
“Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.” – Stephen Wright
Day 6
As I broke camp on Rocky Mountain, two hikers came by with their dog and stopped for a rest. The older bearded guy, Relic Hunter, was straight out of Deliverance…and I mean that as a compliment. He completed half a thru hike several years ago. While on the trail in Virginia, a bear grabbed a hold of his backpack which was leaning next to a tree by his tent. He got out, changed underwear, and followed the bear at a distance. It eventually dropped the foodless pack and moved on. Today the pack, with 3 bear claw punctures, hangs in his garage.
Swag of the Blue Ridge (for Julio Colon)
The younger, thin guy, Loud Owl, looked pretty tired and worn out. I asked him where the trail name came from and he explained that “owls can get pretty loud.” Fair enough. I reciprocated and told him about a time my offspring defiled a trail and that made him smile. I also learned that he was about out of food. So I gave him my relatively heavy bag of trail mix. His face lit up like a Christmas tree and he said, “thanks, Fob.” It seemed like a good and decent thing to do, but I had some other motives: 1) I’ve learned out here that I never crave trail mix…especially the sweet, messy kind. I was just carrying it up and down mountains; and 2) Reducing weight whenever possible is always a good thing. It was a Win-Win for me and young Loud Owl.
Later, I came across Driftwood who is hiking with her 20 year old special needs son, Wildwood. He doesn’t speak, but can communicate with basic sign language. I spent some time with them at Neels Gap and observed how good and caring and patient she is with him. It was good to see them and I find them very inspirational. I really want to see them finish this hike.
I descended Rocky Mountain and then began the long climb up Tray Mountain, the 7th tallest in Georgia. On the way up, I squeezed water out of a stream while a nearby brother and sister ginger team, straight from Hogwarts, washed their hair. It just never occurred to me to wash my hair in a Georgia stream in March. Next, I stopped for a break and met a French-speaking Canadian from Quebec with the trail name Diguidou!, which is slang for “everything’s good”. Neither of us spoke the other’s language, but I wanted to impress him and make him feel at home…so I said the only French words I know…”Oui, Oui, omelette du frommage” which means, “Yes, yes, cheese omelette.” He looked at me, understandably puzzled, and decided break time was over. I probably set U.S.-Canadian relations back by 20 years, and for that I’m truly sorry.
Water Stop, Tray Mountain
At mile 60.9, I stopped and had a candy bar at Young Lick Knob which is followed by a dip at mile 62.2 called Swag of the Blue Ridge. I’m guessing the Native Americans who named these parts had a pretty wild party that night. At Addis Gap, I hung out with Castaway, a sailor who I met on the trail on Day 1. He’s trying to make it to Virginia in the time he has off from work.
After a final climb over Kelly Knob, I descended into Deep Gap Knob and set up camp near the shelter there. There were around 25 tents set up in the vicinity, and some lively dinner conversation around the picnic table. Most hikers were in their early to mid 20s, and the topic that evening was student loan debt and how to avoid paying it. Options ranged from “just vote for Bernie Sanders” to “just don’t pay it…education is not like a house they can foreclose on…once you have it you have it.” A ginger, with remarkably vibrant hair, suggested college was a complete waste of money. I had thoughts on these subjects, like one should only borrow money if one has the intent and ability to pay it off eventually. But I kept those thoughts to myself and instead focused on keeping my fettuccine Alfredo down. It wasn’t the time and place for a lecture from an old conservative guy sitting on a log with salt formations in his Spanish Moss-looking beard.
Later, I noticed 2 German guys sitting off by themselves so I went and talked to them about trail names and my time stationed at Spandahlem Air Base. Even later, I struck up a conversation with an impressive young man from Jackson, MS, who turned out to be The Beaver…the son of a friend of a friend who I had been asked to track down. I only wish Diguidou from Quebec had been there to see that I had tracked a beaver in the wilderness.
Fob meets The Beaver
Day 7
I woke up highly motivated at 6am, because I needed to hike 3.6 miles to catch the 9am shuttle into Hiawassee for some time off. I packed up everything in the dark and departed at 6:45am while everyone else was still in their tents. I got a chance to use my headlamp for the first hour, and enjoyed hiking in the dark. Just gotta watch the steep ledges. About a half mile from the pickup point at Dicks Creek Gap, I went by a trail maintainer who was blowing leaves off the trail. I knew these folks removed trees and limbs, but it never occurred to me they used leaf blowers to keep the trail clear. I thanked him.
God did this!
I arrived at the Budget Inn and signed up for 2 nights, in order to get a full zero day on Saturday, give my heels some time to heal, and to hopefully get to church services on Sunday. It’s not a race and I plan to enjoy these trail towns while I’m here. While waiting for my room to get ready, I met Pat and Meagan, a mother-daughter thru-hiking team from Vermont. Meagan graduated from Dartmouth, taught English for awhile, and is getting married in October. It was her birthday, and we were all craving coffee, so I took them for some coffee and conversation at the nearby Dairy Queen. They filled me in on the Green and White mountains I’ll face up north. Fun, random fact: the Asian guy who made our coffee was the first non-Caucasian person I had seen in a week.
Vermont Buddies
Once my room was ready, I took a long hot bath followed by a long hot shower, did some laundry, and then headed straight for Daniel’s All-You-Can-Eat Steakhouse! It was so, so very good! I had a salad, bread, potatoes, fried chicken, fried fish, fried shrimp, pees, Mac n Cheese, baked beans, strawberry dessert, 2 waters, 2 diet cokes, a tall glass of chocolate milk, and a cup of coffee. Did I mention it was really good? Maybe I won’t lose weight after all!
As I walked back to the hotel, I re-supplied at a Dollar General and then headed back to the Budget Inn. Several 20-something hikers were gathered around a campfire next to the Inn drinking, smoking and sharing hiking war stories. I stopped by for a few minutes to chat, then headed off to bed…actually a sleeping bag on top of the bed. It was good to be in civilization.
Day 8
Saturday…my first Zero Day! My goals were to eat, rest, take a nap, prepare my backpack, and call my wife and father. I was able to get all that in. I had a foot-long Italian BMT sub at Subway for brunch, and was joined by a traveling soccer team from Francis Marion University out of Florence, SC. I finished off the day with a Quesalupa combo and a beefy 5-layer burrito for dessert. Glad I got a single room.
It was a great zero day and I love Hiawassee. But I’m anxious to get back on the trail tomorrow and get some more miles in.
“I intend to make Georgia howl.” – William Tecumseh Sherman
Day 4
It’s only fitting that The Hunger Games and The Walking Dead were both filmed in Georgia. In my first week on the trail in Georgia, I have experienced zombie-like stretches when all I thought about was food.
Hiking Boots in Tree, Neels Gap
Fortunately, as I awoke at the Walasi-Yi hostel on the morning of day 4, hunger was not going to be an issue. A friend and fellow sojourner, Maureen Welch, arrived with her family at 9am with a ton of McDonalds food and coffee! God bless her dear soul! There was enough for Matt and me and others to devour sausage and egg biscuits and cinnamon thingies. I enjoyed meeting her family. After sharing a few hiking stories, we prayed together, and I specifically thanked God for Maureen being a true trail angel early in my journey.
Maureen & Family with McD’s!
Matt’s legs were really bothering him, so he decided to take a zero and stay another night. Since the weather was nice and I was feeling good, I decided to head on out. As I left Neels Gap, I thought of my Uncle Phil who hiked the 40 miles from Amicalola Falls to Neels Gap as a 65-year-old about 15 years ago. (Mad respect for you, Uncle Phil!)
It was another warm day and I was glad I had done a good bit of my training in Florida. Mid-afternoon, I descended into Tesnatee Gap and discovered more trail magic! King Tut and Angela were serving snacks and drinks, answering questions, and offering crochet winter hats courtesy of the Crochet Group from Bethlehem Georgia’s United Methodist Church. I took one and now use it as my clothes bag cover, which is also my pillow. Thanks, ladies!
Hostel friend; she’s lucky I’d already eaten
The climb out of Tesnatee was the toughest to date, especially for my blistered right heel. I missed Matt, but enjoyed taking a few breaks and getting to know other hikers. First there was a guy from California who sold all his possessions and is traveling around the country in a van with his dog. (I thought, what kind of a nut job goes and does something like that?) Next were two ladies hiking together, one of whom lives near Tinker AFB, OK (our first AF assignment). At Blue Mountain Shelter, I met a medically retired Marine and his girlfriend. We shared stories of our time in Afghanistan. He was in the lead vehicle of a convoy in Helmand Province when an IED exploded, sending him and others flying through the air. His face was torn off and had to be reconstructed. Kudos to his docs, because his face looks really good. He doesn’t have a trail name yet, but it would be alright with me if people called him Hero.
First Mountain Flower
After 10.5 miles, I called it quits atop Sheep Rock Top mountain. It was a good warm day of hiking. In fact, as I settled in for the night, I noticed salt formations from my profuse sweating had formed on my backpack straps.
Day 5
I woke up to a beautiful sunrise this morning. Before heading out, I spent a fair amount of time building moleskin patches for my blisters on both heels. I descended into Low Gap Shelter to get water and then spent this 12.1 mile day doing a series of small ups and downs.
At the Blue Mountain summit, I spoke with a young, fast-hiking, red-bearded guy from Murfreesboro TN. He spent 22 years affiliated with the churches of Christ and then moved on to the Baptists and then another group. He said he was out here to find himself and figure things out. I hope he finds what he’s looking for and can use this experience to re-connect with a God who loves him and is evident at every turn.
The final climb of the day out of Unicoi Gap was intense. I try to take those fairly slowly and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. I also think of weird things to focus on. For example, I wondered what it would run me to have my friends Adam Key and Mickey Shrader do mold remediation on my body after the hike.
Exhausted, I set up camp on Rocky Mountain, with wonderful views from 4017 feet. I fired up some chicken and rice on the MSR Pocket Rocket and gobbled it down way too quickly…a losing play in The Hunger Games. I called Lil Jan and was thrilled to hear her voice. Unfortunately, as she updated me on happenings back in the real world, I had to put her on speaker as my acid reflux kicked in and I started throwing up. It was like, “Yes, dear” (barf)…”that’s good news” (gag), etc. Sorry, honey! And sorry I missed out on those carbs! It wasn’t the most romantic, mountain top phone conversation I’d ever had…but then again I guess it was.
After much reflection and consideration, I have accepted the trail name…Sir Fob W. Pot. It can be shortened to Sir Fob or simply Fob.
I will share the back story, or at least a version of it that I know. I don’t know all the specifics, but I think I have the general gist of what went down. Several years ago, when my youngest son Kyle (now a college senior) was in about 9th grade, he went on an Adventure Trek with Larry Alexander and 20 or so other teenagers. Larry is an AT and PCT thru hiker (trail name: Baro), friend, author, and my AT mentor. He takes groups out into the wilderness for several days of team-building, hiking, and rappelling.
One evening, as the group descended into their campsite, Kyle was left with the impression that they would be hiking out the opposite way the following morning. About 10pm, nature called in a big way. Kyle felt the rumble in his tummy and needed to act quickly. As there was no privy, the proper procedure was to go into the woods, a good 30-50 yards away from camp, dig a hole, do your business, bury it, and return to camp. Above all else, you are to “leave no trace.” This is an established camping principle dating back at least to the time of Noah.
Kyle, with a still developing frontal lobe, decided to divert from the operating manual. Maybe he was scared…or lazy…or simply trying to beef up his résumé to get into the Knights social club at Harding one day. Whatever the motivation, he headed back up the same trail the group came in on, dropped his trousers around his ankles, and in a moment of moral weakness, in the light of the moon, took a massive dump in the center of the trail. Perhaps immediately realizing his grave mistake, he sprinkled a few leaves on top for good measure and walked back down the trail to camp.
The next morning, Baro assembled the young hikers and told them they would be hiking back out the way they came in. Kyle’s eyes widened and he immediately got a big lump in his throat (but not nearly as big as the lump he had criminally left sitting 50 yards up trail with a few leaves on it).
As they approached the Kyle pile, Baro immediately spotted it and tried to shield the eyes of the younger hikers, but it was too late. An avid outdoorsman, Baro closely examined it and revealed what others suspected…this was a pyramid of human waste. So he circled the troops around this disgusting mound of filth, and gave a short speech on the sanctity of trails, leave no trace principles, and accountability. They weren’t leaving until someone owned this horrendous trail violation. After a few awkward moments of silence, Kyle shrugged his shoulders and sheepishly raised his hand. Baro sighed, shook his head, and gave Kyle his official trail name: Trail Pooper.
Fast forward to last week…as I began my AT trek, Baro suggested I be named Fob W. Pot…Father Of Boy Who Pooped On Trail. My first hiking partner, Matt, loved it. He suggested I add Sir in front of it to make it more dignified…and because I was the oldest person he’d seen in 3 days. I discussed the name with several other thru hikers and they loved it and the story behind it.
In addition to the great story, it connects me to family (Trail Pooper), to my AT hiking mentor (Baro), and to my first AT hiking partner, Matt. It’s a name I earned by virtue of being partly responsible for the birth of Kyle, the Trail Pooper himself.
And who knows? Maybe someday Kyle and Laci will have a son, an adventurer type, and all the hiking world will come to know him as Sob W. Pot.
Since about the time I turned 40, I’ve had 2 health things to deal with…acid reflux and frequent urination. Both problems joined forces and made for an interesting night on Ramrock Mountain.
The Beef Ramen noodle, Chicken Ramen noodle, and tobasco sauce trifecta began working their magic both north and south of my stomach. I popped some Tums at 2 a.m. which quelled the reflux. The real issue that night, though, involved urination.
Apparently as men get older, their prostates grow. I believe mine is probably about the size of a can of tuna. The doc told me it pushes on the urethra (which, quite frankly, sounds like something only women should have) and this irritates the bladder walls, which contract, making you have to pee. So for most nights over the past decade, I get up at 3 a.m., shuffle to the bathroom, relieve myself, then crawl back into bed. In an RV this is really easy because you just take one full stride, do a left face, and fire away.
That’s all well and good in a house or RV, but not so fun in the wilderness at 3 a.m. in all sorts of weather. So I brought a Mountain Dew pee bottle. Before judging me, hear me out. It’s ultra-light. It fits neatly in the side pocket of my backpack. I’m in a Flycreek 2 tent, which implies pants fly and creek or stream. There’s a technique that can work…and did work at 3 a.m. on our first night on the trail. First you get up on your knees, placing the top of your head at the top of the tent. Ideally you’d have 3 hands…one to hold the bottle, one to aim with, and one to hold a small flashlight. (Headlamps are not recommended as they illuminate the tent and may cast an awkward silhouette.) With only 2 available hands, this must be done in the dark. You assume the position, aim, fire, put the lid on tightly, and go back to sleep. Then empty the bottle the next day. Why no one has written about this technique in all the AT guides and books I’ve read is beyond me. It’s called The Johnson Method and it worked beautifully on night 1 near Hightower Gap.
Night 2 at Ramrock…not so much. I made a critical mistake. As I rose up on my knees, they were on the air mattress rather than straddling it. I grabbed the bottle, aimed, and fired. About 6 ounces in, all was well. As the Mountain Dew bottle warms up, you know good things are happening. Then disaster struck. About mid-stream, my left knee slid off the side of the air mattress, sending me in to a topple. Your instincts are to reach out and catch yourself, but there were no available hands! In moments like this, mid-stream, job 1 is to keep the Mountain Dew bottle connected to the mother ship. So I held on for dear life and fell over sideways with my head and shoulder hitting the side of the tent. But I kept firing. At age 50, there’s no way to turn off the spigot until the tank is empty. I laid there for a moment…relieved that I wasn’t injured…and just relieved in general. As I lay there on my side, my next issue was that the bottle cap was on the other side of the tent. So with all the energy I could muster I swung my legs around while maintaining the link up with the mother ship. I grabbed the bottle cap with my toes like a ballerina and swung back around. I then leaned the bottle up, capped it, and rolled back onto the air mattress. Tragedy averted! It’s the unexpected things on the AT, the surprise moments, that will make or break you. Ya gotta rise to the occasion or urine big trouble.
Matt an I on Blood Mountain
Matt and I left Ramrock about 8:15. About 20 minutes into the hike, I got that rumbling in my stomach. The tobasco-laced Ramen noodles had worked their way through my digestive track. I knew Woody Gap was near and had an actual toilet. And so, in answer to the question, “Woody finally go on day 3?”…the answer is he would. In honor of the occasion, I renamed the location He Would Gap.
After a peanut butter, trail mix, and beef jerky lunch at Jarrard Gap, we made our way toward Blood Mountain. It is the 6th tallest mountain in Georgia and the tallest AT mountain in Georgia. Some say the mountain was named after a bloody battle between the Cherokee and Creek Indians. Others say it’s based on the reddish color of lichen and Catawba near the summit Others say the Bloods beat the Crips there in some gang warfare. (Just 1 person said that.) Sadly, what’s for certain is that it was the location where a hiker named Meredith was murdered in 2008. The killer is in prison for life.
We ascended blood mountain in the rain. On the way up, we saw a few birds…the first wildlife of any kind so far…besides one salamander. It was a long ascent but not too difficult other than my right heel was bleeding a bit. We hung out with some hikers at the Blood Mountain shelter for awhile and shot a video clip that wasn’t audible due to the wind. The descent was more challenging due to the wet rocks (lots of them to scramble over) and the wind. I’d hate to be a south-bounder going up that side. On the way down we passed 3 New Yorkers also planning to stay at the Walasi Yi hostel for the night. That would prove to be a key pass, as when we got there around 5, we got the final 2 remaining bunks.
Large Pizza Appetizer
First order of business, even before showering, was to eat. I drank a Diet Coke that was magical. Matt and I then split a large 3-meat pizza. I then ate a burrito and then an apple and then drank a Ginger Ale and a PowerAid. I was just starting to fill kinda full when 15 students from Armstrong State University in Savannah came rolling in with baked ziti, salad, and bread. So I ate it. These youngsters do this on Spring Break as part of a Christian ministry outreach and we really appreciated it.
Ziti and The Matrix with new friends
We got a shower, did laundry, and got to know a wide assortment of humanity. Among the cast of characters was Book in Boots, an Australian lady who bunked below me. There were two Indiana University ladies who we shared a bear bag line with on Ramrock…one is a competitive cyclist and one wants to be a brain surgeon. Next there was Emily, a very kind and interesting transgender photographer from Houston. A lady about my age named Driftwood was there with Wildwood, her 20 year old special needs son. They are attempting a thru and I really admire that. Several of us stayed up til 10:30 watching The Matrix and burping ziti.
Just a Flesh Wound
My final challenge of the night was climbing up to the top bunk with sore feet and a sore body. I finished off the day listening to an excellent sermon by my friend and former fellow teacher, Donald Ballard. (Thanks Ross and Crafton for putting these on the web.)
I was in a warm bed, with a bathroom nearby, and my Mountain Dew bottle was securely tucked away in my backpack.
The mountains are calling and I must go. – John Muir
I don’t know how this hike will end, but the beginning was fantastic! A fellow sojourner, Maureen, arranged for Lil Jan and me to spend 2 nights in a cabin not far from Springer Mountain. The cabin belongs to her friend, and our new friend, Arlin…thank you, sir! Turns out Arlin is the father of Terry Chapman, who we know from our FL Bible Camp days. Small world. The cabin was right on the Toccoa River and a perfect place to be.
On Friday, we headed to Amicalola Falls State Park with Maureen and Arlin, and met up with a bunch of family…my Dad, sister Ellen, her hubby Vin, her daughter Lizzie, Jan’s sister Carol, her hubby Scott, and Vin’s brother Tim. We hiked up the Falls (killer steps!), ate at the lodge, and checked out the visitors center. I also registered for my hike…I’m hiker #564 to start the trail this year. That night Janet carbo loaded me up with chili and pasta. I slept surprisingly well, even though I was a tad anxious.
One small step for Big Steve…one giant trip ahead
Saturday morning we all rendezvoused at the Springer Mountain parking lot. That was no small feat as the 6 mile Forest Road 42 leading to the parking lot was gravel and full of potholes. Thankfully we were in a Honda Fit. ? We then headed up the .9 miles to the Springer Mountain summit and southern terminus of the AT. We took some photos, I signed the logbook and then I took the first of what I hope will be about 5 million steps. Back down at the parking lot we circled up and Vin led us in prayer. I then hugged everyone, kissed my wife, and almost cried. So many emotions were going through my head. I can’t express how cool it was having all those folks there. Or the texts and Facebook posts from all over…even high school friends that I haven’t seen in 30+ years! I have truly felt the love and support and encouragement. I carry a piece of each of you with me. If you want that piece back, see my son Jason…he does prosthetics!
First Privy
About 100 yards down the trail I sensed a guy on my tail. I turned and asked him if he was going to Maine. He said yes so I gave him a fist pump and we’ve been hiking buddies ever since. His name is Matt and he recently graduated from UNC-Wilmington. Loves jazz music and reminds me a lot of Luke Larsen, for those who know him. He decided to take a year off before starting law school. He’s a competitive rifle and pistol shooter which I thought might come in handy hunting wolverines but he’s not packin. He has a slightly faster motor than me on the up hills…probably because hes’s not 50 and chunky.
Beef Stew.
Our first day of hiking was beautiful and unseasonably warm. I stopped at the Stover Creek Shelter privy to relieve myself because apparently the thousands of trees in every direction weren’t good enough for me. We met several other hikers there and later at the Hawks Mountain shelter. We learned that a woman had to medically evacuated from there because she spilled boiling water on her leg while cooking. Sorry to hear that. Matt and I ended up camping on the top of the first hill north of Hightower Gap. I had beef stew and peanut butter and crackers for supper. We hung our bear bags, built a fire, and set up camp. It had been a near perfect 8.9 mile day 1 and I dozed off to sleep about 9pm.
Bear Bag
The heavy rain and wind gusts started about midnight. I was kind of excited about it because I wanted to test everything out early on the hike. I stayed warm and dry in my UL Flycreek 2 tent. Matt didn’t fair so well in his hammock and tarp. In fact he got soaked. I felt bad for him but he bounced back pretty quickly.
I got up at 7:30, packed up in the rain, and ate the pop tart that had been sitting in the bottom of my food bag for the past 2 months of training hikes. It was basically brown sugar cinnamon sawdust. Sassafras Mountain, at 3347 feet, was my first butt kicker. It’s not as difficult as what lies ahead, but it’s difficult because your lungs and legs are still getting acclimated to these altitudes. The moderate rain didn’t help. My glasses were fogging up so I took them off…causing my vision to fog up.
Justus Creek…cold but refreshing
Our luck improved around noon as the sun came out and we had lunch and got water at the beautiful Justus Creek. Later we paid a visit to Gooch Gap shelter and talked to several hikers. One guy was a 50 year old pastor from Belleville IL (where we used to live) who has a son who spent 2 years at Harding University where Kyle and Jason go/went. A short time later, at Gooch Gap, we got our first trail magic!!! A former thru hiker, Sticks, is spending his Spring break making hot dogs for hikers. He asked if I wanted one. That answer will always…ALWAYS, be yes! Pretty cool, selfless thing to do on your week off. I ate it in 2 bites.
Matt and I enjoying some trail magic
We finished our 10.1 mile day atop Ramrock Mountain. It’s the 2 of us and 2 young ladies from Indiana University. Don’t worry honey we’re only sharing a bear bag line as they didn’t have one. It’s been a good day…the only downside being Matt’s soaking hammock (which eventually dried out) and a couple blisters on my heels which I treated tonight. And I miss Lil Jan. Supper tonight was 2 packages of Ramen noodles (beef and chicken) with a packet of tobasco sauce. I haven’t pooped in 2 days so I’m hoping that will stir the pot. (If that’s TMI for you, you’re reading the wrong blog!)
Not a bad view
Very grateful to be here, and grateful for the folks cheering me on. Looking forward to tackling Blood Mountain tomorrow and possibly getting to Neels Gap, where we may stay the night to shower and re-supply.
“He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, even in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.” – 1 Samuel 17:40
We spent our last six weeks in Florida at the Sojourners workshop and then on a sojourn at Mount Dora Christian Academy. The workshop featured a combination of good speakers, singing, a banquet, games, future mission planning/sign-ups, and all-around fellowshipping with a tremendous group of people. Workshops are how Sojourners sharpen the saw, re-energize, and re-connect.
Lil Zip Liner
The first highlight of the workshop for me was a visit on my 50th birthday by our youngest son, Kyle, and his fiancé, Laci. The visit was made possible by Dr. Bruce McLarty, the President of Harding University. Bruce was a keynote speaker and banquet speaker at our workshop. His parents were there with us, and he knew that we were there and were Kyle’s parents. So he invited Kyle and Laci to fly in with him on the Harding jet and spend about 24 hours with us. Kyle mentioned to me that he and Laci would have to miss a day of classes. I told him that when you are flying around with the president of the university, that’s probably an excused absence! I really appreciated Dr. McLarty’s thoughtful gesture and can’t imagine a better birthday present. We took full advantage of Kyle and Laci’s visit to show them around the Central Florida Bible Camp campus, go zip-lining, eat German food in Mount Dora, and get updated on the various details of their upcoming wedding. I’m biased, but I think this young Christian couple is going to have a really powerful impact on the world. In many ways they already have.
MDCA Sojourners
The second highlight of the workshop involved my upcoming AT thru-hike attempt. As previously blogged about (AT Thru-Hike #3: Julio and “Amber Alert”), I’m using my thru-hike as a way to help our friends, Julio and Amber Colon, adopt a child. A dear sweet lady, who will remain unnamed, approached me at the workshop. She said, “Steve, I read the blog on your friends and I want to help them adopt.” She then handed me a $10 bill and wished me luck. I thanked her and she walked away. A short time later, I learned that she has had some difficult family challenges and is certainly not well-off financially. Suddenly her $10 donation took on increasing significance to me. Mark 12:41-44 came to mind…
“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
I’m not suggesting our sojourner friend lives in poverty. I am suggesting her $10 was not an insignificant amount to her…she was not giving “out of abundance”. It got me to thinking…I wonder if I should make a personal appeal to these fine people. Asking for money is not something I enjoy doing. I would fail working in a Development office. When my sons were young, it even felt a little awkward watching them sell candles and cookies and things to raise funds for various causes. Still, I felt like these folks should hear about the Colon’s adoption plan in order to decide for themselves whether they were in a position to give. So I addressed the group and made a short appeal. When we went on break, several sojourners made their way over to Janet to donate. Long story short…within 10 minutes, they had pledged $1700 toward the cause! News of their generosity spread, additional donations and pledges have come in, and our total is now at $3673.94… 68% of their $5375 balance! I know of 3 additional pending pledges, and perhaps some others reading this will join in on this worthy cause (if so, contact Janet…703-403-8492). Never underestimate what God can do with a couple of “small copper coins”.
Fence Removal Crew
Our sojourn at Mount Dora Christian Academy was a lot of fun. The work included construction, demolition, repairs, painting, pressure washing and cleaning all over the campus and at the school’s thrift store. Lil Jan primarily painted and pressure washed all over campus. In fact, she may have found her sojourners calling with a pressure washer in her hand. I helped remove a fence, replaced damaged patio tiles, painted, and helped Lil Jan with the pressure washing. I may have also sprayed a lizard with a 2700 PSI pressure washer blast. The MDCA team was gracious enough to provide our team breakfast and lunch every day, and we enjoyed getting the chance to interact with the students. In fact, they were impressed with my tongue-twirling abilities and sought me out on campus so that I could show my trick to others who hadn’t seen it.
Lil Bridge Washer
A final story once again showed God at work. Tonya, one of the house parents at Mount Dora, made our team several delicious breakfasts while we were there. Tonya has a love for God and a love for children that you might expect to find in a house parent at a children’s home. On one occasion, we asked her what was on her wish list (because everyone has one of those). She paused for a moment, because the thing she had in mind was, to quote her, “really big”. I was thinking she might be thinking about a new car or perhaps a Hawaiian vacation. Instead, she said they could really use a picnic table. Yes, a picnic table was her big item. I laughed, because in my mind it’s not that big of an item, quite doable, and well within the capabilities of our team. But to her, it was a big deal, and she gets to decide that. She didn’t have one simply because she hadn’t asked for one…perhaps because she thought it was “too big” of a request. After initially planning to pool our resources and just buy her one, our team instead was made aware of one elsewhere on campus that wasn’t being used and just needed some TLC. So we dried it out, planed it, sanded it, and stained it. It looked as good as new. In fact, it looked better and more solid than the one that was available for purchase. So on our final day there, at our final breakfast with her, our team surprised her with the table and a new large coffee pot. She was thrilled and touched by the gesture. It wasn’t that big of a deal…really, it wasn’t…and yet to her it was.
After the sojourn ended and we were heading north toward South Carolina, Janet got a text from Tonya that I don’t think she’d mind me sharing: “When Daniel (who is 10) came home yesterday and discovered the picnic table, he got all excited and shouted that his teacher had told them to go outside on a picnic table to pray and write in their journals. He said, “Can I go sit at the picnic table and pray?” He went out and I watched him sit down at the picnic table, fold his hands, and start praying! He did it again today! Already put to good use!! Thank you all so much for blessing us!”
God works in mysterious ways. He can turn a few fish into a feast for thousands. He can use a small stone and a brave young man to slay a giant. He can multiply a seemingly modest donation by touching the hearts of those who hear about it. And he can use a simple picnic table to inspire a young man to journal and to pray. Never under-estimated what God can do with the little and simple things in your life. Give him a chance, and he can turn them into something big.
While Steve does most of the blogging about our adventures, I wanted to share my thoughts as I get ready for Steve to begin his AT thru-hike on Saturday. Thru-hiking the AT has been a bucket list and dream of his for so many years. Way back in 2004 when we lived in Virginia and would talk about it, I secretly never thought it would come to fruition. Well, I’m eating those thoughts now!
Steve plans to depart on March 12th from Springer Mountain, GA and, if all goes well, will be gone for about 6 months. Many of my friends and family have asked me how I feel about this whole thing, so I decided to jot down my thoughts. I typically joke about it and say I’m glad he’s finally getting to do it so I don’t have to listen to him talk about it anymore and so he can quit obsessing over it all the time. And to set the story straight, he has assured me that this is not his attempt to get some time away from me after literally living together for 10 months in 480 square feet in “a van down by the river.”
I also have been asked many times why I’m not going with him. My answer to that is… “It’s not my crazy bucket list item!” Although I do enjoy hiking and being out in nature, I just don’t feel the draw to go that far and spend that many nights in a row in a tent on the ground! Even though I’m sure I would enjoy much about the experience, for me, the cons far outweigh the positives. Having said that, I know Steve’s experience will be much better if he’s not having me around to slow him up and complain about how my feet hurt, or I’m too hot, or I really need a bath!
I’m actually excited for him to be able to begin this bucket list adventure because I know how much he wants to do it, but I’m also very anxious and worrisome about it. Dwelling on the “what ifs” and negatives of his hike is something that I struggle with every day. In all areas of my life I try not to be a “Negative Nelly” but it is something that I have to fight against. In reaction to his hike, I will have to remind myself everyday to think about the positives (the nature experience, the camaraderie with his fellow hikers, the majestic views he will enjoy, his sense of accomplishment, and of course, the protection of the Almighty watching over him). I will have to keep my mind away from the “what ifs”, like “what if he gets lost, what if he gets hurt, what if he gets mugged by some crazy hiker, what if he’s in the middle of a bad storm, what if he runs out of water, what if he gets bitten by a snake and of course, the obvious…WHAT IF HE GETS MAULED BY A BEAR like Leo DiCaprio in The Revenant!” Those kinds of thoughts will only make my next 6 months miserable. Therefore, I am going to try very hard not think about those things! He has told me that I cannot start worrying unless I haven’t had any contact or text from him within 7 days. I can’t promise not to worry, but I promise not to call the Forest Ranger to go find him before the 8th day of no contact!
As for my plans for the next few months, I plan to spend quite a bit of time with my family in SC and visiting with friends around the country. One of the added blessings will be spending several weeks with my aging parents, which I know will be something that I will cherish for a long time. I plan to meet Steve 3 or 4 times at various trail towns along the hike and will mail him a few care packages along the way. We also have a wedding coming up in May that gives me something to be excited about! As a military wife, I was lucky to only have Steve gone on one long deployment for about 5 ½ months in his 23-year career. When he was in Afghanistan I had many things to worry about regarding his safety, but I had a house to keep and the kids at home to keep my mind and life busy. This time around, it’s just me and I don’t even have a typical “home” to hang out in. I will have to depend on my friends and family to house me and keep me busy! I like to think of myself as a pretty independent woman, but I’m sure doing things on my own for the next few months will get old after awhile. I will certainly miss my best friend that I’ve been living life with for the past 28 years!
I am happy that so many of our family and friends, new and old, are following Steve’s journey and supporting him while he’s living out this crazy dream. He will certainly look forward to reading all your posts and supportive comments on our blog or through Facebook, as will I. We solicit your prayers for both of us as we embark on this journey.
I guess I will finish up my thoughts here with a note to my dear, sweet husband…I am so proud of you for having the determination and drive to follow your dreams! I’m glad that we are at a point in our life that this dream is becoming a reality for you. I can promise you that I will pray for you daily (most likely multiple times each day), that I will miss you terribly (the good and the bad), that I will try not to worry TOO much (can’t promise that I won’t worry at all), but most importantly I promise you that I will LOVE YOU FOREVER!
Be safe, my love, and come back to me in one piece as soon as you can!!
“Ah, music! A magic beyond all we do here!” – Albus Dumbledore
“With music, you don’t often have to translate it. It just affects you, and you don’t know why.” – David Byrne
I have the most eclectic taste in music of anyone I know. Survey the couple of thousand songs in my iTunes library and you’ll have a hard time pinning down a particular favorite genre or artist. You’ll find everything from George Jones to Van Halen, and from The Commodores to the Electric Light Orchestra. A recent training hike music shuffle took me from Kirk Franklin to Frank Sinatra to Def Leppard. That’s a little weird, I know. Although I’ve been inspired and motivated by music during each of my five decades of life, I suppose I like the 80s music of my teenage years the best. In fact, if you’re putting together an 80s music trivia team, you’d be well served to pick me first.
While I’ll have access to thousands of songs to listen to on the Appalachian Trail, I decided to put together a 15-song playlist to listen to as I begin each morning’s hike. (After that, I’ll listen to birds and talk to other humans.) Each song has a special and unique meaning to me. Together, they will energize me as I take on rain, pain, and elevation gain. Yes, after prayer, coffee, and a bagel covered in peanut butter, it’s music that will fuel the first few miles out of the gate each day. Hunter Thompson puts it this way:
“Music has always been a matter of Energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel. I have always needed Fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio.”
Here then, are the songs that will fuel my journey as I hit the trail each morning for the next 6 months, and why they made the cut.
Revelation Song
Revelation Song – This amazingly uplifting song, awarded Worship Song of the Year at the 2010 Dove Awards, was recorded by contemporary Christian group Phillips, Craig and Dean. Band member Randy Phillips explained the group’s rationale: “This song captures the moment of looking up into Heaven, peeling back the curtain of eternity so we can peek in. If you keep your eyes on the Dow Jones or nuclear weapons in North Korea, you’ll always be nervous. Look to the awesomeness of God instead.”
I can’t think of a better way to start the day than to look up to the heavens at the awesomeness of God and sing, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, holy holy is He. Sing a new song, to Him who sits on, heaven’s mercy seat. Holy, holy, holy…the Lord God Almighty…who was and is and is to come!” I get chills every single time I hear this song. It’ll be even chillier when I hear it on Mount Washington.
I Lived
I Lived – This inspirational song was recorded by American rock band One Republic in 2014. Band member Ryan Tedder, who wrote this song for his 4-year-old son, said “The whole idea, to quote the late great Robin Williams from Dead Poets Society, is ‘carpe diem’.” He said, “It’s absolutely universal and applicable to everybody.” Regarding the lyric “With every broken bone, I swear I lived,” Tedder said, “So for every day that you’re on this earth, for every minute that you have, the whole idea is doing nothing less than exactly what you feel you’re supposed to do and squeezing every last drop out of life every day, regardless of the difficulties or trials that you face.”
As great as the song is, the music video is even better. It’s dedicated to Brian Warnecke, a 15-year-old fan of the band, who suffers from cystic fibrosis. Just as the song inspires Brian to keep fighting and to live every day to its fullest, it will inspire me to keep hiking and to try to live my life to the fullest as well. To Brian and my fellow thru-hikers, I hope we each can say, “I owned every second that this world could give. I saw so many places, the things that I did. With every broken bone, I swear I lived.”
Mighty to Save
Mighty to Save – This 2006 worship song was released by Hillsong Church, although I’m going with the Hallal Music version. As a hiker, I love the line, “Savior, he can move the mountains” although I really just want him to help move me over the next mountain. The song reminds me of God’s love, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. It also reminds me that, despite my fears and failures, I need to try to let my light shine…to help and encourage others whenever I can. If I don’t do that on the AT, it will have been a failed walk, regardless of how far I go.
Home
Home – This 2012 song was the coronation song for American Idol winner Phillip Phillips. According to co-writer Greg Holden, “the song is about a friend who was going through a very difficult time, and it was his way of reaching out and saying that ‘you know someone’s here for you’”.
When I hear this song each morning, I’ll think about Janet. As a highly mobile military family and now full-time RVers, we think of home not so much in terms of brick and mortar, but relationships and experiences. I’ll be motivated to finish the trail to see her, because to me she is “home”…at least until I get to the home sung about in the Revelation song.
As a thru-hiker, I also find meaning in the lyrics, “As we roll down this unfamiliar road”…and “just know you’re not alone.” Later, he says, “Don’t pay no mind to the demons they fill you with fear. The trouble—it might drag you down. If you get lost, you can always be found.” So I’ll think of my wife and remember that she’s right there with me in spirit. If I keep walking, and block out the “demons” of fear and doubt, I’ll eventually find my way back to her…to home.
Mirrors
Mirrors – Justin Timberlake recorded this song in 2013 for his 20/20 Experience album. According to JT, it’s a love song about a person’s other half and is inspired by the marriage of his grandparents. He said, “One of the most valuable things in a relationship is being able to constantly change and be individual, but look to the other side to the person that you’re with and know that they’re changing as well individually, but somehow you two can mirror each other and be the other half of that world that you both create.”
That is really cool and deep and meaningful, but honestly, I just like the way the song sounds. Rolling Stone critic Jon Dolan describes Timberlake’s singing on the song as “replete with laidback soulfulness, mountain-climbing croon and falsetto butter.” Falsetto butter? Did he just call JT margarine? I have no clue what that means but I think I agree with it…especially the mountain-climbing part! All I know is this song became popular as I was training for the Disney Marathon, and it got me through the final mile on many, many training runs in and around the Fishhawk subdivision of Lithia, Florida.
Beautiful Day
Beautiful Day – My first experience with U2 music was listening to Sunday, Bloody, Sunday in my friend Jeff Goss’ car as we drove to school and around McGuire AFB, NJ during our senior year of high school. Windows rolled down. Music blaring. Yes, that was us. By the end of the year, the lyrics “how long, how long must we sing this song?” began to take on new meaning. Although that song is a classic 80s song, I instead went with the more recent Beautiful Day. Lead singer Bono explained that the upbeat track is about losing everything but still finding joy in what one has.
On the Appalachian Trail, I will temporarily lose an awful lot, but not everything. This song will remind me that no matter how bad the day may seem (weather, hunger, homesickness, etc.) it can actually be a beautiful day if I look for the joy in it. Psalm 118:24 states, “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” In fact, if (when) I start whining, I hope someone out there will remind me it’s a beautiful day.
Don’t Stop Believin’
Don’t Stop Believin’ – For starters, Journey’s Escape album came out in 1981 at the height of my music listening teen years. It would become my most listened to album of my high school years, a title held by Styx’ The Grand Illusion during my middle school years. Escape was the first album that I remember thinking that every song on it was really good. While loudly singing Open Arms alone in my room as a 9th grader, I realized just how bad of a singer I was. Even the dog walked out.
Steve Perry was inspired to write Don’t Stop Believin’ while on tour in Detroit in 1980, staring out a hotel window at 2 a.m. Perry said, “I was digging the idea of how the lights were facing down so that you couldn’t see anything. All of a sudden I’d see people walking out of the dark, and into the light. And the term ‘streetlight people’ came to me.”
Anyway, I jammed to Don’t Stop Believin’ as a high school student. Then, thirty years later, I watched my own students at Foundation Christian Academy jam to the same song as part of a campus-wide lip dub. Thus, the song reminds me not only of my high school years but the fun that I had teaching and getting to know the youngsters at FCA.
The Spirit of Radio
The Spirit of Radio (Live) – This song was released by Canadian rock band Rush towards the end of my 8th grade year. I had a room to myself down in the basement in our Dover, Delaware home and I would listen to Rush and Cheap Trick at Budokan (“I want you…to want…ME!) on my totally cool 8-track tape player. I played air guitar and air drums while singing along with Geddy Lee’s high-pitched voice. Years later The Spirit of Radio would become an “insanely hard” song to master on Guitar Hero. On the trail, I will focus on just hiking and singing the song, but will imagine my friends Jeff Hernandez and Jonathan Smith right behind me, deftly handling the air guitar and air drum portions of this song, respectively. If I make it to the halfway point (approximately Harpers Ferry, WV), I will replace this song with Rush’s Limelight and/or Tom Sawyer for a little variety.
Counting Stars
Counting Stars – A second One Republic song made the cut for two reasons. First, it’s got a great rhythm to it that makes you want to hike fast. Second, I love the opening lyrics… “Lately, I’ve been, I’ve been losing sleep, Dreaming about the things that we could be. But baby, I’ve been, I’ve been praying hard, Said, no more counting dollars…We’ll be counting stars, yeah we’ll be counting stars.” For me, it’s a reminder of a process that Janet and I worked through a couple of years ago, and a decision that came out of it. We were comfortable, making okay money, buying increasingly nicer homes, and accumulating material possessions. I guess you could say we were living the American dream. Most of my military peers retired and then returned as well-paid contractors, with the potential for double pensions down the road, tremendous wealth, and an even more comfortable retirement. We made a conscious decision to divert from that path, sell our house, and unload most of our possessions. Rather than work another two decades accumulating wealth and things, we decided to travel the country by RV, serve others, and accumulate experiences/memories. Metaphorically speaking, we’ve chosen “counting stars” to “counting dollars”. While that decision is not possible, practical, or desirable for everyone, it has worked out well for us so far and we have no regrets.
Lose Yourself
Lose Yourself (Radio Friendly version) – Rapper Eminem wrote this song while filming his first movie, 8 Mile, and the song is featured in the movie. The movie is based on his life growing up in a poor Detroit neighborhood, dreaming of rap stardom.
The first time I heard the song, I had no clue what he was talking about. The best I could tell, a Globetrotter named Rabbit was throwing up his mom’s spaghetti on his sweater. Over time, I have come to appreciate his passion and borderline anger in the song. Elite runners and other athletes, of which I am not, often use anger or a “killer instinct” to succeed. As strange as it may sound, you can get “angry” at the runner in front of you, generating a little extra fuel to catch him, especially at the end of a race. In the movie, the young rapper is trying to succeed and make a name for himself in the highly competitive rap world, and he’s facing a once-in-a-life opportunity. He realizes the magnitude of the moment, and he is, quite simply, all in. His passion, anger, desperation and focus combine to help him achieve his dreams.
Like the previously mentioned song Mirrors “fueled” the training for my second marathon, Lose Yourself did the same for my first. I’m hoping I will find it just as inspirational going up and down the 400 mountain ranges of the AT. The last 10 words in the song are perhaps the most inspirational…”You can do anything you set your mind to, man.” Powerful words. Like Rabbit, I feel like I realistically have one shot, one opportunity, to thru-hike the trail. Will I capture it, or just let it slip? Yo.
Crazy Train
Crazy Train – This heavy metal offering from Ozzy Osbourne is supposedly about the Cold War and learning to love in a world gone mad. For me, it’s just a fun song with a lot of energy. I picture a bunch of us crazy thru-hikers getting up to head out each morning aboard our own “crazy train”. I imagine the guitar player from Mad Max Fury Road out in front of the pack, and I’m in the back yelling, “All aboard! Hahaha!”
Fun Fact: The sound at the end of the song is a studio engineer saying “An Egg” through an oscillator. Ozzy had asked him what he had for breakfast that morning. Now you know.
What Goes Around / Comes Around
What Goes Around…Comes Around – This second JT song to make the cut is about a relationship that collapses because of cheating. Specifically, JT’s friend Trace Ayala was dating the actress Elisha Cuthbert (known as Kim Bauer in the television series 24). Ayala let a friend crash at his place, and the friend took up with Cuthbert, which Ayala found about later in a tabloid. The lyrics “Don’t want to think about it. Don’t want to talk about. I’m just so sick about it. Just so confused about it” were actually spoken by JT to Trace as they discussed the sad situation.
The closest connection I have with that situation was my relationship with Karen R. in 5th grade at Reilly Brown Elementary School in Dover, DE. She was the prettiest girl in our school…long brown hair with a darling Michael Strahan-ish gap between her front teeth. She was way out of my league. Still, I had the guts to call her and ask her to “go steady” with me on a Monday of Spring Break week. Amazingly, she said, “Yes”. I think it might have been my 8-track tape player. Anyway, she called me back on Wednesday to tell me that she thought we should see other people. It had been two days, folks! I hadn’t even seen her that week! Am I still bitter? You bet I am! I told my best friend, Jeff Ensslin, about it as we headed to the creek behind Fiddlers Green to go fishing. He said something to the affect, “Don’t want to think about it. Don’t want to talk about. I’m just so sick about it. Just so confused about it.”
As for the song, though, I mainly like it because it has a good hiking rhythm to it. It’s also a song that reminds me of my two awesome sons, Jason and Kyle, as together we have jammed to that song hundreds of times since it came out in 2006.
I Was Brought to My Senses
I Was Brought to My Senses – Sting is one of my all-time favorite artists, and I could have chosen any number of his songs as a solo artist or during his time with The Police. His Mercury Falling album, and this song in particular, is about appreciating nature, the changing of the seasons, and relationships. Although the song wasn’t a big hit for him, I absolutely love it…especially while listening to it out in nature.
One of his fans perhaps said it best…“I think this is just one of the most beautiful songs in the world. Lyrically, musically, the voice, the guitar…It’s about when you first fall in love with someone and suddenly the world is brighter and more beautiful. You notice everything and just appreciate it all. The first verse he is wondering what could happen between them, he sees the birds, takes it as a sign, and makes his move. The rest of the song is that first morning after telling her he loves her. He sees everything even more clearly and wonders why he did not notice the rest of the signs before.”
I especially like the lyrics, “I walked out this morning…it was like a veil had been removed from before my eyes. For the first time I saw the work of heaven, in the line where the hills had been married to the sky. And all around me every blade of singing grass, was calling out your name and that our love would always last.” The song, and that line in particular, remind me of an awesome God who created the sky, mountains, and grass…and of an awesome lady who God also created and gave to me as a very special gift.
Paradise
Paradise – Coldplay’s Chris Martin explains that the album Mylo Xyloto is a story. “It’s supposed to be about two people who grow up separately in a very big oppressive city, and they each are a bit lost in their lives. The pair meet in a gang and fall in and out of love before getting back together at the end. Paradise is about a girl really, the female half of the album, just about being a bit lost in the world and escaping through fantasy.”
The girl in the song has high expectations for life and dreams about them. But she grows ups, faces difficulties, and becomes disillusioned. Ultimately, she responds with optimism and hope for the future…”I know the sun must set to rise.”
I suspect thru-hiking the AT is something like that…high expectations, followed by difficulties and some disillusionment. That’s followed by optimism, hope, and perseverance…or pessimism, hopelessness, and quitting. I’m hoping for the former, so that I can reach the final summit singing, “Para-para-paradise, Para-para-paradise, oh oh oh oh, oh-oh-oh-oh.”
Give Me Your Eyes
Give Me Your Eyes – Last but certainly not least is perhaps my favorite song of all-time (slightly edging out Don’t Stop Believin’). The song’s meaning originated with a discussion between Brandon Heath and his friend and fellow songwriter, Jason Ingram. “We had a conversation over Chinese food that we wished we could have God’s perspective on things”, Heath said. “If we did have His perspective, we’d wish we could have it for long periods of time, rather than just for a few seconds. That was the beginning.”
What a powerful concept…wanting to see the world as God would, and having a desire to view people with more compassion. We…well, let me just say I, have a real tendency to go through the day focused on myself. Am I comfortable? What and when will I eat next? Am I happy? Are all my needs being met? Jesus, on the other hand, went through life focused on the needs of others, showing compassion at every turn.
In 1 Corinthians 9:19, Paul says, “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.” Making oneself a slave to everyone is a foreign concept in the self-centered, big ego, materialistic world we live in today. Few choose Christ and His others-centered path, which may be why it’s called the narrow path.
So my hope is that this song will remind me, every morning, to try to live a little more like Jesus. “Give me your eyes for just one second. Give me your eyes so I can see, everything that I keep missing. Give me your love for humanity. Give me your arms for the broken-hearted…ones that are far beyond my reach. Give me your heart for the ones forgotten. Give me your eyes so I can see.”
I’d say that’s pretty good advice to end an AT thru-hike playlist with…and a blog.
