Tim On The TrailFollow me on my hike

May 20th Trail Update Day 17

Tim is in the tiny town of Lickdale, PA after hiking 11 miles in the rain today (5/19/15). He was staying at a Days Inn and doing laundry. He said he hadn’t shaved in more than a week and was looking pretty scruffy.

His cold is better but his left foot has a bad blister. I am gathering goodies for his next mail drop in a week or so. He has the sleep pad now and is enjoying it. One of his fellow hikers, Tree Hugger, has a daughter that hiked with them for a week and she gave Tim a trekking pole because she didn’t really like it.  Nice!

They laughed at how awkwardly I climbed up there.

His plan is to hike to the 501 shelter tomorrow, followed by a camp out at Eagles Nest and to be in Hamburg/Port Clinton Friday.

May 20th An Adventurous Couple of Days on the Trail

Sunday (5/17/15) saw the first extended rain, which caused me some concern climbing the rocks as I headed up the mountain.

The next day, Monday, started out sunny and I had a two mile uphill climb. Needless to say I don’t like uphill climbs. On the way down from that peak I saw my first two timber rattlesnakes, about ten minutes apart. One rattled at me as I kept to the far side of the trail. It figures I saw them on the way to get water at Rattlers Run.

It was drizzling as I reached my next campsite and set up my tent. I got inside just as it started thundering and lightning and really coming down. I was happy to be dry inside my Henry Shire tent (the super lightweight 2-lb. tent I bought from Blissful during Flip Flop Hikers Day in Harper’s Ferry, W.VA.).  I guess that was my initiation to hiking the Appalachian Trail.  So far PA is rocks, boulders, mountains and more rocks.

Thanks to all those who have already contributed and those who will contribute in the future.  It is much appreciated.  Click here to go to my Indiegogo page.

May 16th Interesting Tidbit regarding Cove Mtn. Shelter

Growing along the trail on the way to Cove Mountain Shelter

When I spoke with Tim this afternoon (Fri. 5/15/15) he told me there was a sign at the shelter warning hikers that porcupines had been visiting the shelter and getting into packs, etc. so the caretakers took the steps off the shelter so the porkies can’t get in!

Porkies love sweat and salt so I can understand the attraction!

(Tim says: The porcupine visited us the night I stayed there. It chewed on the tree stump beneath the shelter. Very loud. A hiker called Bear Bait chased it away.)

This is a photo from 2010 by a hiker named Tinker. Note the stairs.

May 15th Where’s Tim on Day 11? [ May 13th]

For those of you following along at home, May 13th was day 11 on the trail. Tim has hiked about 100 miles so far and lost 10 pounds. His pack weighs about 33 pounds give or take water and food. He hiked from the James Frye Shelter to the Allenberry Inn (great rate for hikers) in Boiling Springs PA. Tomorrow (Thursday) he’ll hike about 15 miles to sleep at the Darlington Shelter and then wake up and hike about 11 miles to Duncannon, PA to the famous Doyle Hotel on Friday. That was the plan anyway. Except he has a slight cold and decided to take a break after 7.6 miles and spend the afternoon and evening (Friday) at Cove Mtn Shelter. Those rocks are killer!

The Doyle is an exciting rest stop because his super light (14 oz.) Thermarest Z Sol lite sleep pad should be there waiting for him (fingers crossed).  Hopefully the pad will provide a little bit of comfort for his body even if it can’t make things better for his feet!

Tim says Boiling Springs is a beautiful town with a crystal clear lake in the center of town which the trail goes right by.  He enjoyed watching, ducks, geese and swans swimming in the water.

Tim reported this evening that he saw and heard a piliated wood pecker. He said it was one big bird. That’s the one Woody was modeled on.

Big thanks to all those who have contributed. He is looking forward to purchasing trekking poles as PA trail is made up of rocks, rocks and more rocks!

Lost the trail for a little while after taking this pic!

Nice Rock Formation

Will update when he has cell service again.

May 11th Day 8

Another rest day today; only 4 miles. After consecutive 13-mile days, it feels good to eat real food and rest my blistered feet.

The BLT sandwich with avocado at the Pine Grove General Store was the best sandwich I’ve had in years. (Hiking 30 miles in 3 days with dehydrated foods and trail mix for meals might have something to do with that rating.)

My trail friends are ahead of me right now, but I’ve found that new friends are always available on the Trail. It’s a welcoming community, with many volunteers keeping the trail going and ready to offer help for hikers. Today I had one guy give me a banana and a couple give me a sandwich.

Will probably gain weight after this rest stop.

By the way, the blisters are from the 75 miles of rocks I’ve walked on (out of 85 total walked so far).

Hiked four of these the same day!

May 7th Made it to Pennsylvania

It’s Day Four on the hike and two things are clear: I’m not as flexible as I was at 21 (or even 41) and I don’t like going uphill — sometimes over rocks and boulders — with 35 pounds on my back.

Nostalgic Trio

My fellow hikers call me Time. I like it because it reminds me to take my time to notice nature’s beauty. I’ve seen a heron, hawks, turtles and toads so far, along with a 5 foot black snake. Others have seen rattlesnakes.

Apr 28th The Start

As a progressive campaigner in South Carolina, I am often told to take a hike. I took those suggestions to heart, so I’m walking the Appalachian Trail.

It’s 2,180 miles, stretching from Maine in the north to Georgia in the south. As with everything else in my life, I approached this hike differently than most people. Those who know me well won’t be surprised.

Instead of starting at either end of the trail, I’m starting in the middle — in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. I’ll head north to Mount Katahdin, Maine, then take a break at a family gathering in Cleveland. After the party, I’ll return to Harpers Ferry and head south, finishing up at Springer Mountain, Georgia.

The hike should take about six months, which means I’ll need a meal every once in awhile. That’s why I’d like your help in funding this adventure.  Any amount will do. $3 will get me some rice and beans, $10 gets a canister of fuel or a new pair of socks, and so it goes. Near and dear to my heart: $40 means I can take a shower and sleep in a bed — that’ll be a once-a-month treat.

Blog posts should come at least once a week (I plan a day of rest each week). Sometimes there will be stories from the trail; other times I’ll share my meditations from the walk. As many pictures as I can take will be added.

While I’ll welcome comments, I won’t always be able to respond quickly. Please be patient if you have a question.

Thanks in advance for reading this blog and helping me Take a Hike!

TJL