Lizzy's Reply

Helloooooooooo!

Loo was brilliant to get this email thing going again and I really enjoyed your choice excerpts from the book- especially the underwear thing. The first time I (quickly) read that sentance and the following one, I somehow thought you were saying that not wearing underwear would save you a dollar a mile. And I was thinking- that's really expensive underwear! Anyway, I am cool w not wearing underwear- one less thing to get wet. If there is anything I learned from 14 days kayaking this summer- you don't want wet stuff (and everything is perpetually wet!)

I just (finally) read A Walk in the Woods and In Beauty May She Walk. I think you've all read the first, the second is the trail memoir of a 60 year old woman solo flip-flop hiker. Although it's a long day-to-day account, I found it interesting. I can save you some time by condensing some of her epiphanies (or more like my epiphanies while reading).

1. Hiking w women is really very cool and different than hiking with men. Because she's alone she falls into step w some groups of men and sometimes also women. She concludes that men hikers think admiting pain is a sign of weakness. "In fact, men deal with being tired by bragging about how much they did that day, and how much more they will do tomorrow. For men, the contest is the essence of the effort, and their metaphors are either of war (the trail is the enemy to beat) , or of competitive sports (they will whip the ass of the mountain). For women, or, at least me as a woman, the trail is a physical challenge to experience and manage, using resources of intelligence rather than physical strength. Knowing when to admit fatiuge and how to deal with it seems not only prudent, but also necessary". "Again I noted the difference between men and women hikers: men competed with each other to conquer the trail, women cooperated and hiked in relationship to each other and the trail. I was much more comfortable hiking with women". So, while I have had fun times doing hiking with men in my family, I am pretty excited that for our long hike it will be just us women. We're lucky!

2. She starts with a 40 pound pack and over the first 1/4 of the trail is eternally repacking, agonizing over what to leave out until she gets the pack down to about 30 lbs. This seems like tortue to me- both carrying extra weight and every week wasting time and energy figuring out what to take out. I realize it's part of the beginner's experience, but one I want to minimize. I am by nature a light packer and I'm interested in doing this as light as possible just because it will be easier to carry and less repacking trying to get rid of stuff (or pitching stuff in the woods, ala Bill Bryson's crazy hiking buddy). Go-light packing, anyone?

3. The flip-flop hike isn't all that "easy". Either ff or NS, the upper northern section is the hardest part- the Whites, Maine and PA. The 100-mile wilderness (in which she somehow gets spirited away by canoe to a fishing camp with hot food and showers, must research this!), the hardest mile of the trail (Mahoosuc Notch) and all those freaking big mountains with freak thunderstorms. Hiking up from Shenendoah Nat'l Park, did give her a few weeks of easier going to get her stuff sorted out, but also means she reached the hard stuff already sore and unfortunately, emaciated. Also I think it's mentally tough to summit Katadin and then say, let's go like 900 more miles! That has so got to suck. I guess I'm still a little torn about which is better, and in fact I find myself prefering the SN route! But then I realize that would distort our superquadrafragilistic plans pretty much to smithereens, as the early start is out for Devo (and LB?). Also, another point my hikin' grandma makes is that the trail is hard and it never gets easier. I wonder if my worrying about making the trail "easier" is just a waste of time.

4. Hike your own hike. This is her song and dance and I'm sure it's not news to you all. I've been trying to think of what this means to me/us. I really do in my heart of hearts like the idea of us doing the trail together. It seems almost irresistible- the combination of adventure and hightened bonding with some of the coolest people I know. I don't like living alone and in many ways it would be easier to share costs and tasks along the way. However, I was reminded recently that most people who start the hike together do no finish it (and of course, no one thinks it will happen to them). While there are memorable duos, the idea of four people being able to mesh that well together for that long seems, well, miraculous. I'm not saying it can't happen, but I would be amazed if it did. I am at the moment open to committing to hiking as a 4some (fearsome or otherwise) if we can all say something like what LB said in her last email- even if you all decided not to go, I'd still go on my own. I think we all need to have our own independent drive and the ability to openly monitor what happens on the trail and say "this isn't working" if that's the case. The trail is a huge strain on people (duh) and it can hurt relationships, including committed ones. I guess you could say I'm the pessimist... But none of that has to happen as long as everyone feels free to be vocal and make a change if need be. I guess on one hand I want something of a pact that we'll remain together to give me added support, some sense of security and knowing that if I start dragging someone will help me along. On the other hand, I'm afraid that me (or someone else) will not be able to handle either the trail itself, some aspect of hiking in a group (pace, personality, preferences for on or off-trail sleeping/eating) and that she might that feel like a shmuck for disturbing the peace, keep silent, and then GO CRAZY. ;) Hikin' grandma does say that towards the end of her hike while there were a few hikers around her she felt intensely lonely, cut off from meaningful relationships. That makes me want to be optimistic about hiking together. How comfortable we are with committing to hiking together will probably have a big impact on gear- like do we bring 1, 2, 4 stoves? Tents? Also coordinating food and mail drops? When I think of the hassel of planning 4 individual hikes versus one big hike, I almost want to forget about my qualms- but again, if I am not willing to plot my own hike I'm probably not cut out for this in the first place.

5. Don't be in a hurry. She concludes that the best way to do the trail is in sections, not thru-hiking! :) Beyond not thru-hiking, I think it is key to not feel rushed. Not to feel like there has to be just more and more miles to make the trip "better". I think I have a tendency to think in terms of maximizing miles and wanting to "get the trail over with" in order to move on w graduate school, etc. While I think we do need (in theory) to think about life after the AT- if I start talking like I'm in a hurry, tell me to slow down!

I'm going out to stock up on more AT related books, please send titles for any must-reads. I am going to do some bear research (my aunt in a bear specialist/phobe, it turns out). I haven't gone nitty gritty on gear yet- but I will say the Esbit stove she uses seems way superior to the whisperlites that paranoid me much of my childhood.

To be perfectly honest, I'm still considering a solo-ish SN route, but it's by no means a preference. I am just trying to make sure I hike my own hike. But like I said above, I really find the idea of hiking with you all intoxicating and I will keep thinking and pass on any thoughts. I will leave it at this, there's more to say, but I've gotta run.

Keep talkin'!
Lizzy