My Hiking Resume

Funny to think I might have a hiking resume!

On the Pinhoti Trail

"So you are thinking of doing at AT thru-hike, huh? All 2100+ miles? Exactly what experience do you have that might prepare you for attempting such an undertaking?"

Let me see if I can list the places I have hiked - this is really going to tax my memory. I think I'll just hit the high points:

• AT: From Springer to Davenport Gap (the north end of the Smokies) several times in sections, including the approach trail. The longest sections at one time were all the Smokies, Dick's Creek Gap in GA to Fontana, and Springer to Dick's Creek Gap.
• AT: The 100 mile wilderness in Maine in 7 days/6 nights.
• AT: The Bigelows in Maine, from Straton to Caratunk.
• Alabama Pinhoti: All of it, about 110 miles when I did it, in two section hikes: everything north of I-20, and everything south of I-20.
• The Grand Canyon: I did 9 days here, going from south rim to north rim, back to the river, then down the Kaibab Trail, down to the river, then back up to the south rim.
• BWCA in Minnesota: Canoe/portage trip. Two trips a year apart. On the second trip I went across into Canada and came back.
• Colorado: Hiked in the Lost Creek area and around the presidentials near Buena Vista.
• Smokies: In addition to the AT I've done about half of the side trails, mostly on the NC side. Everything down around Fontana and Bryson City, with Hazel Creek being my favorite.
• Sweden/Lapland: Spent a week hiking on the Kungsleden above the Arctic Circle in Sweden.

And so forth and so on. Seems like a lot, and it's certainly a lot more than most people who start out on the AT with the intention of doing a thru-hike. But I have the advantage of having been at it for a lot of years!

The other thing that I love to do is orienteer. I'm active in the Georgia Orienteering Club, making maps for them and designing courses as well as competing. I've orienteered in GA, AL, NC, SC, KY, OH, IL, IN, MO, PA, NY, KS, CO, WY, VA. That's what I can remember off the top of my head. Night-orienteering was my specialty for a while, and I was a US age group champion one year, many years ago - my one claim to fame, quickly forgotten. I also made the maps and headed the course design team for the 2012 US Champs. Also quickly forgotten (What have you done for me lately!?).

So that's a pretty good list of positives for hiking the trail. What about negatives?

I've been married to "Lovely Laurie" aka "Chatty Cathy" for 33 years. Being separated from her for the 5 or 6 months it will take me to hike the trail will be as difficult as hiking the trail. Hopefully she will see me off and visit me on the trail a few times. Probably about the third week I'll be calling her up, begging her to come and get me!

I play piano every day - can't take a piano with me on the trail...