Colorado Trail

                                                                               
6/16/2015


                                                                                 Mountain Dreams


  I am going to hike the Colorado Trail, and you are invited to hike with me.  In announcing a new adventure, this first entry, a bit of nostalgia, is an attempt to give you a picture of my frame of mind regarding hiking,  other hikers, the hiking community, and the mountain experience.   It is an effort to understand the pull that hiking, and mountains have on me…..to know why it is now such a part of me. 

I miss the mountains.

It was almost a full year later………..a year,  after my brother "Wildman",  and I summited Katahdin,  ending my Appalachian Trail Journey………  that I realized,  I was beginning to miss mountains and to miss the people who hike them.   I have not written anything for awhile.  I miss that too.

As you know,  people who attempt a long distance hike,  usually have a trail name.  I think this helps to set us apart from our established identities, and assigns us all to the same rank.  We are all hikers.   We share that identity.   

A lot of long distance hikers are named by their fellow hikers along the trail.  But some of us name ourselves.  

I am "Hawkeye," of the James Fennimore Cooper novel,  "The Last of the Mohicans."

I read it in 7th or 8th grade.  One of those nuns at St. John's Grade School, Sister St. Timothy,  probably made me do it.  Or maybe my mom brought it home for me,  from work.  Her career was as a head librarian at multiple branches of the St. Paul Public Library System.    We usually forget,who exactly it was that steered us toward a certain path, in this case toward the love of books.  Mothers and teachers get only the satisfaction of knowing that they have done it.  Thank you.

  

The story "Last of the Mohicans"  was a living thing, it just grabbed ahold of me.  I saw myself in those woods with "Hawkeye".   I was right there racing through the woods, beside my namesake.   That tale is part of me.  It has  never released it's grip. 

On the Appalachian Trail,  I kept running into people who treasured that story like I did.   There was something truly mystical about that trail……mystical.   In Georgia, early in the hike, I was gabbing with two 20 something lads,  and one of them tells me that he has that book in his pack.  I can not conceal my,  "Yeah, right." look……….  so he digs it out of his pack to stifle my disbelief.  I feel a chill run up my spine.  

Up the trail,  in North Carolina,  I meet "Dozer",  just for an evening,  in the light rain, and he tells me that he has the sound track for the movie.  That he just loves it.  That it haunts him.  And I feel that chill again.  I love that movie…..I know that music….haunting is the word! 

Later, I am hiking with three weekend hikers,  in Virginia,  and  Richard turns on some music on his cell phone.  It is the music from the beginning of the movie, when the hunters are chasing the elk through the woods!   He tells me that he plays it at the end of all of his hikes, when he is approaching civilization again.  On that third occasion,  I know that I am "Hawkeye".  I am meant to be here.

I get nervous when I meet people.  As an ice breaker, when I would meet hikers on the trail,  the first thing that I would do is to tell them that my name is "Hawkeye", from  "Last of The Mohicans."   "No….not the one from "Mash".
I would admit that I named myself.   I always told them,  that the self naming was because I knew that if I did not have a trail name, my fellow hikers would surely name me "Never Shuts Up".   I used that spiel repeatedly with just about everyone that I met.  I hoped a little humor would make us all more comfortable. 

At the end of the 100 Mile Wilderness my brother "Wildman",  and I are inside a little store and restaurant.   It is all there is to a hamlet called Abol Bridge,  which is about ten miles South of the base of Katahdin.  We are just a couple of fast little rivers, left to wade, away.  You can see Katahdin,  the tallest peak in the state of Main, the Northern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail, standing tall in the background,  when you walk across that bridge.

Every northbound thru-hiker takes a picture of Katahdin from that bridge……every single person.  It is the vision of each of our dreams come to life.  Each hiker has to have a photo…..he just has to……   The sight of that mountain,  brings the emotion of a six month slow motion quest to the surface.   And right then each one of us knows two things, with certainty.  First;  that you are going to get there.  You are going to make it to the top.  And second;  that when you do……… you are going to cry.  So snap that picture.  We are almost there!

I am still up at the counter of that tiny store, arranging our campsite and showers.  The public campsite across the road is free, but does not have showers, nor a washer and dryer.  After 9 days on the trail, a shower will be nice.  "Wildman," who had joined me at Shaw's in Monson…..now a veteran of that nine days on the trail, is off to the side, looking at all the snacks and deciding what to eat first.   A woman and her husband approach my brother.   She points an arm toward me and asks, "Talks Too Much?"  My brother cracks up laughing and replies, "Yah………. that's him!"  Turns out I had met them back in Virginia.  She did not get it exactly right,  but she was close.

 The AT as I said……. truly is mystical.  One of the first people on the trail,  that my brother met,  North of Monson, was "Sunshine" who had left camp that morning ahead of her husband,  "Not Yet".   I was so happily surprised to see her.  I had met them both…..way….. way back in Georgia……. had really liked them……talked with them at least 45 minutes at a trailhead….and later had decided to myself,  that they might last 2 weeks…… and that I would never see them again.

 I began to introduce her,  to my brother,  "Wildman",  and she laughs and tells us that her name is Wildman, too.   I say "No,  your name is 'Sunshine'"!  And she says that her real last name is Wildman!    We see them,  a last time,  at the top of Katahdin.   "Sunshine ' tells us that she fell down while crossing the river,  could not get out of her pack……………  that "Not Yet ",  and two other hikers jumped in and pulled her out.  It is the same river,  "Wildman" and I realize……  where I got really annoyed with my brother for walking downriver out of my sight,  choosing a spot to cross……. and actually crossing,  before I got down there.  He is on the far side celebrating.  Instead of congratulations from me,  he got a stern yelled lecture……….. from an AT  'know it all'.   I told him that if he was alone and forced to take the chance, then yes,  you pick the best spot,  and go for it.  But since he was not alone,  he must always….always,  wait for his partner….in case he has a problem.  All thru-hikers know this.  "This is the 100 Mile Wilderness!"  I bellowed at him….. "You do not take chances,  out here!"

  

Sue, from Shaw's,  had picked up "Wildman" at the Bangor Airport,  and they became fast friends on the ride back to Monson.  Camping the last night at Katahdin Stream Campground,  before summiting the giant……..  a car going by our campsite pulls over, and Sue jumps out…..rushes over to "Wildman"  gives him a hug,  while joyously stating
"You made it!  I am so glad you made it!"  She has just shuttled a husband and wife….who become our most recent new friends, 115 miles north from Monson,  so that they can climb the mountain the next day….as we will….and start their third hike of the AT…… this time a southbound section hike…..their first rest stop being back at Shaw's.   They are both very fit and downright exuberant.  And we do see them the next day climbing,  and I mean climbing, near the top of the mountain……. as we carefully made our way back down.   He is 74 years old,  and she is 73!  So as I am trying to demonstrate, hikers are never just hikers.  Hikers are new friends.  Hikers, and the people who help them along the trail,  are somehow connected to each other.  We are part of a community.

I am not going to tell you about "Doc" and "Boone" here…..….two 21 year olds from Massachusetts……. now, infamous AT thru-hikers,  lads that I  met on their very first day,  at the top of Springer Mountain…… whose friendship I enjoyed….. off and on for 723 miles to Daleville……. and then never saw them again….. yup….. never saw them again.   But on that last day,  there they were…..almost 1500 miles later…….. on the Tableland……… near the very summit of Katahdin…. and "Boone" casually greets me as if he fully expected to see me right there.  "Hey,  Hawkeye!"  No.  I am not writing about "DOC" and "Boone".

So the AT is in fact, mystical.  And hiking it,  does bond you……. forever……  with the others who experience it.  

Somewhere in Maine……. probably 200 miles South of Katahdin,  I was taking a standing break and visiting with a woman in her 40's,  who was hiking with her teenage children.    They were out sharing a couple of late summer days of togetherness.  Anyone who has spent a couple of days hiking the AT,  going up and down those mountains, is interested……. when you tell them that you are hiking all of it.  

She was eager to hear about my hike….. asking many questions,  that I answered.  Then she asked me,  'what would I say was the trait that I have,  that made me want to thru-hike the whole Appalachian Trail?'
I responded without hesitation…."A total lack of common sense!"  I can see she is somewhat taken aback by my answer.  I knew that her question was a serious one.  And although there was much truth in my answer….I expected that her response would be laughter.    We keep talking.  And now she asks me a final question,  "What is the first thing, that you are going to do when you finish the trail?"
I respond,  "Throw all of this crap away……… and never hike again!" 

But now……… I miss the mountains……I really do miss those mountains.  And I miss being with the people…..people who share the joy of mountains.  

All along the hiking trail, and in the towns it passed,  I met people……people who were kind to each other………  people who enjoyed and accepted each other. ……… people interacting in a state of harmony.  It was just people living in a state of joy.   It was amazing! 

So I am going on a new adventure and mountains are involved.   The Colorado Trail has mountains………big mountains.  I am going to see those mountains.  Hawkeye.