Rude pizza guy

May 19, 2014May 19, 2014 / jim fetig / 7 Comments

Morgan Stewart Shelter, N.Y., AT NOBO mile 1,433.9, Sunday May 18, 2014 — I promised this blog would be about a rude pizza guy. It is. You’ll see. But first a word from our sponsor.

Long distance hiking definitely helps sooth the mind, but Hike for Mental Health is more than that. Like bike rides, marathons and similar challenges. Hike for Mental Health hopes to use long distance hiking as a means to raise money in support of much needed research in the field.

As a former senior administrator at one of America’s leading research universities, I can attest to the criticality of funding for academic research. Without the creation of new knowledge, problem solving would grind to a halt. So it is with mental health. Here’s how hiking fits.

The Appalachian Trail was conceived as a way to get people from the urban areas into the wilderness. Its visionaries never imagined thru-hiking as a component of the trail experience, but one guy did.

Earl Schafer was the first thru hiker in1948. He was “walking off the war” (WW II) in terms of his own experiences and to cope with the tragic loss of his closest boyhood friend in that war. He needed the time, the space and the opportunity to commune with nature to help himself cope.

In my own case, I needed a way to decompress from a highly stressful career and do some unfettered thinking about the future, those I love, and my personal successes and failures. To date, hiking has been marvelous medicine for me, and this blog is part of that process.

I asked Hiking for Mental Health to put its donate button on the right hand side of my blog page for the purpose of trying to help a good cause. When this hike is over, I plan to click on it and make a small difference. I hope you will too.

Back to our story.

It was around 42 degrees this morning at wake up time. My tent was cosy and I hated to abandon ship. We were up and out of the park, walking briskly in our short sleeve shirts to stay warm, before almost anyone else was awake.

We hit the 9-11 memorial rock painting within minutes. Later we lounged for lunch at the exquisite RPH Shelter. If it hadn’t been 24 miles away, we might have stayed there instead of Fahnestock Park.

Everyone was in a great mood and looking forward to the pizzeria and deli where the AT passes 4/10ths of a mile from the highway to Stormville, NY. We’d be there around 2:30 pm and could walk the extra distance off trail in time for a tasty late lunch. Our anticipation was high!

Upon inspection, the deli was more of a convenience store with no seats so we decided to eat at the pizzeria. Swayed and I entered and ordered a $26 large pie to split between us.

Then Swayed made a simple request and asked where the restroom was so he could was his hands before eating. The guy behind the counter said they didn’t have a restroom, but Swayed could use the spigot on the side of the building.

I went on red alert. In NY, as most states, any restaurant with tables must proved a restroom for customer use. I scanned the small establishment but could see nothing obvious. Spigot… On the side of a building… It has a certain historical ring to it.

As we were bulldozing our way through the pizza, we noticed customers using a room marked “private” from which noise sounding strangely like flushing emanated.

Bingo! This guy doesn’t like hikers. I didn’t care much for his tasteless pizza either, but I got the picture. It works like this.

The vast majority of thru hikers are kids in their early 20s. Many are just out of college. Some are drop outs. Others never went. They stereotype into three groups, only the smallest of which is positive.

The other two groups act and sound either like Beavis and Butthead or characters from the 1983 Nicholas Cage “Valley Girl” movie with the upward inflection at the end of every sentence. They have little money, outdoor expertise or sense of personal hygiene.

The hiker trash stereotype is derived from their example and behavior. In dozens upon dozens of conversations with hostel owners, shuttle operators and restauranteurs, almost no one has had much good to say about them.

Swayed and I have met our share and concur. It’s been a constant topic of conversation since we met.

Back to our pizza guy. This jackass cannot differentiate between a couple of obviously polite middle age, affluent and educated folks and the boneheads. Worse, he’s breaking the law. Just insert any racial group into his equation.

I posted photos and a notice on the AT hiker class of 2014 Facebook Page. I noted that the deli is great, so I hope everyone goes there.

Flash forward.

Tuesday sometime we should reach the very affluent and reputedly hiker unfriendly little burg of Kent, CT.

The guidebook says hikers are “unwelcome” at the laundrymat. Guess who’s gonna test that one? This could get interesting. Stay tuned.

Zoo

May 18, 2014May 18, 2014 / jim fetig / 5 Comments

Clarence Fahnestock State Park, NY, AT NOBO mile 1,419.9, Saturday May 17, 2014 — Swayed and I are tenting in a NY state park not far from New York City on a weekend. Guess who’s on exhibit? Why us of course.

“Hey Vinny! Did ya see doz guys?” We being “doz guys.” Actually, if you know how to ‘nice them out’, New Yorkers are pretty good folks. Let’s just say that we’ve been well treated since we’ve been here. Swayed’s British accent helps.

We got a late jump on the day being that the shuttle leaves the motel at nine. That’s really late for us. We set our sights on a 20 mile day while Bus elected to stop much shorter. He caught the chest and head cold I’ve been nursing for the past week and is a bit under the weather.

We all wanted to see the Bear Mountain Zoo. Within, the bear exhibit is the lowest elevation on the entire AT. Sadly, we were too early. It wasn’t open yet. Every hiker wants to liberate the poor bears. We like them much better outside cages.

Since we had the extra time, our day started with a high octane pancake breakfast served with Italian charm. We loved it.

Next up at lunch time was the Appalachian Deli which is right on the trail. It is truly an amazing place. I gobbled an excellent plate of rigatoni with chicken for lunch. Washed down with Gatorade of course.

The day was decent hiking with the exception that the trail was seriously waterlogged from the heavy rain overnight. I did run into a friendly garter snake whose curiosity about me was amusing.

This weekend is Trail Days in Damascus, VA. Thousands of hikers gather there. Hike for Mental Health, which I support, has a booth. I plan to write about the hiking and mental health tomorrow. It’s a propitious time to do it.

Pounded

May 16, 2014 / jim fetig / 10 Comments

Bear Mountain Bridge Motel, N.Y., AT NOBO mile 1399.7, Friday May 16, 2014 — Everybody complains about Pennsylvania. The reason may be that the worst of the PA rocks occur in the final 2 1/2 days in the state and the resulting misery leaves a lasting impression.

What almost nobody mentions is that NJ and NY are substantially different, but in many ways offer even more challenging hiking.

The NJ/NY rocks grow progressively larger and the talus piles require more and hand-over-hand up-climbing as the trail progresses. Trekking poles get stowed. It’s grunt work just to make headway.

The corollary to these vertical ups is steep, jarring down-hills that eat knees and quads – not to mention the back pockets of your hiking pants – for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Add a bit of rain to this recipe of slick rock and left over leaf litter and down you go – sometimes more than once.

So it was yesterday. Three days worth of hard landings lit up the damaged nerves in my right foot for the first time since this hike began.

Early readers of this blog will recall my concerns that an old, but severe injury to my right ankle and foot might make this hike hell on earth. Until the past day or so I’ve experienced no issues thanks to special orthotics and targeted physical conditioning.

Now we’re dealing with phantom signals that suggest bone on bone pain. The pain is real, but the fact is not. This is a purely neurological issue so Ibuprofen doesn’t help. The best Rx is Rest until the damaged nerves calm.

Swayed’s knees and feet were barking too, so after a tasty lunch in the 3-star Bear Mountain Inn, we called a 10-mile NERO for yesterday and a zero today. We’re back at it in the morning.

The good news is that the Bus rolled into the motel around mid-morning, so the Gang of Three is back in business!

A couple of notes: Yesterday we hiked over Bear Mountain featuring some of the most exquisite rock steps, retaining walls and trail engineering I’ve ever seen. I texted Bus (the engineer) to be sure and void his bladder before hiking this part of the trail for fear that he’d wet his pants. It’s that good!

When we were on Bear Mountain it was pouring rain, so unfortunately no pics. We did say a final goodbye to Maglev who we encountered in the Perkins Memorial Tower on the summit.

Our motel is vintage 1920, featuring only six units. Its market is primarily hikers and people visiting nearby West Point.

There’s another similar “hostel” motel just outside Fontana Village, Tenn called the Hike Inn. The economic model is similar in both cases, as is the vintage charm. The owners are all wonderful folks.

My foot is feeling much better after 24 hours. I’ll be ready to rock and roll in the morning.

Kamakazi Trail Day

May 15, 2014 / jim fetig / 2 Comments

William Brian Memorial Shelter, N.Y., AT NOBO mile 1389.6, Wednesday May 15, 2014 — It’s official, less than 800 miles to go! Seems like I was just celebrating the completion of the first 800 miles. Miles fly when you’re having fun.

Today was a hard day. Since crossing the New Jersey border the rock scrambling has grown more intense. A fitting trail marker that looks like a Japanese flag turned up in Harriman State Park. I can’t imagine a better fit with the hand-over-hand climbing we’ve been doing.

Tomorrow and Friday it’s going to rain. The rocks are especially slippery when wet. I think the worst of them are behind us, but we’re a bit concerned safety wise. The going will be very slow if today’s terrain is any measure.

Today’s tasty morsels included the “Lemon Squeezer” which is a very narrow rock passage, and some trail side magic, the first I’ve encountered. The cooler had fresh fruit and cookies. The water was extra welcome on what was a hot day.

The deer in Harriman Park seem about as tame as those in Shenandoah. I was almost able to pat a young doe on the rump this afternoon.

Last night we were paid a special visit from a hiking club from Indiana. They arrived long after hiker midnight, headlamps blazing and announcing their presence with hoots and hollers.

These are gray- haired types though it appears they were unaware of AT protocol. At first they seemed to think they were going to pile into the shelter, at least until they realized was full. So, they tented. We asked their shuttle driver, whom we met at a trailhead this morning, to help educate them on how to behave after dark. A little courtesy goes a long way out here.

Under the Boardwalk

May 13, 2014 / jim fetig / 4 Comments

St. Thomas Episcopal Church Hostel, Vernon, N.J., AT NOBO mile 1,352.9, Monday May 12, 2014 — New Jersey is famous for its boardwalks “down by the sea,” but it’s the ones in the mud I’m lovin’ at the moment.

This little corner of New Jersey is full of wildlife refuges and associated wetlands. The really good news is that they are accessible to foot traffic.

Hiking the AT is often a journey of discovery and serendipity. Yesterday we discovered Jim Murray’s farm quite by accident. His farm is one of the most soothing places I’ve been on this hike.

Today it was a series of boardwalk highways through wetlands (swamps) most people would never think of investigating. The number of red wing black birds was fascinating. Who knows what we’ll trip upon tomorrow.

We’re at a generous church hostel 2 1/2 miles off the trail. Fortunately a trail angel gifted us a free ride to the tiny village of Vernon. We resupplied at the A&P and pigged out at the pizza place. We’re good to go.

The walk today was cross compartment from west to east as we close our stay in NJ. We’re on a steady descent to the lowest point on the AT – 218 ft. at the Bear Mountain Zoo. After that, it’s all up hill.

Though we were walking over ridges, many of them appeared to be glacial moraines judging by their composition. We also saw our first granite.

The weather is warming rapidly and the vegetation and insect life are responding accordingly. We’re all bouncing our spring gear northward to Hanover, NH soon. Hanover is the gateway to the White and Presidential ranges – real mountains with real weather. Meanwhile shirtsleeves are a novelty.

A bit of heaven

May 12, 2014 / jim fetig / 6 Comments

Jim Murray property, N.J., AT NOBO mile 1,339.4, Sunday May 11, 2014 — Heaven. In New Jersey? You bet.

A former thru hiker has a farm with two friendly mules and a couple of tiny cabins, one of which he has set aside for hikers. There’s a well, outdoor shower and a privy. Zowee! When we saw the set up, we dropped anchor.

Maglev was here for a short time, but his hike ends Tuesday, so he motored on. Bus, Swayed and I moseyed a mile plus I to the nearby town of Unionville, N.Y. for dinner, then trucked back to Murray’s bunkhouse.

As we hike along the NY/NJ border, the trail is changing to rocky tops and soggy bottoms as the two young hikers from Rheinlander, WI foretold. We also passed the NJ veterans memorial. Tomorrow night we’re in a church hostel in Vernon, NY tho we won’t have officially crossed the border.

Meanwhile we’re thanking Mr. Murray and loving every minute of our stay.

3.14159 reasons to love Delaware Water Gap

May 8, 2014 / jim fetig / 4 Comments

Delaware Water Gap, Penn., AT NOBO mile 1,289.6, Wednesday May 7, 2014 — If I had been a character on Sesame Street, I would have been the Pie Moocher.

I love pie – pot pie, apple pie, cherry pie, punkin pie – any kind of pie, even the number pi. You can fill my pie hole morning, noon and night.

Well, this threadbare burg has its very own pie bakery. Talk about a hiker vortex. You can walk in, but you can’t walk out.

No sooner did I saunter in than a piece of apple pie a la mode jumped right out and landed right on my table. It was so yummy.

Not to be outdone, the second course consisted of a savory shepherd’s pie. Scrumpilicious!

For desert I tried waddling over to the strudel table but fortunately I couldn’t make it all the way. The button on my waist band was about to pop.

Did I forget to mention the homemade giant size cookies or the cupcakes? Oh mercy!!!

They open at 8 o’clock. A special breakfast awaits, I can tell.

The rest of the week will be much warmer and rainy. My quick trip home and back paralleled the AT. Spring is about a hundred miles south of us at the moment, and should catch up momentarily.

Of course the cats were delighted to see me. 🙂

Zero = Bush Day

April 30, 2014April 30, 2014 / jim fetig / 3 Comments

Hamburg, Penn., zero mileage day, Wednesday April 30, 2014 — In bad weather motels and hostels attract hikers. Currently between Hamburg and Port Clinton I’ve identified five thru hikers and five section hikers – all ducking the storm. In hiking parlance, we’ve formed a bubble.

As luck would have it, at breakfast this morning I ran into a Lockheed Martin retireeI met during my Shenandoah hike in October. It was old home week.

Trips to Wallmart and Cabela’s took care of resupply. I needed a little food and to replace a polar fleece I’d sent home thinking that warmer weather was bound to encroach on the calendar. It’s still too cold at night to take chances.

A few of us followed up with lunch at the hiker favorite hotel in Port Clinton and a side stop at the Peanut store. That’s an 80-year-old candy store – the old fashioned kind that makes a lot of its own candy on site. Sure glad I ate a giant chicken pot pie for lunch before walking into that place.

With all the sugar I’m eating out here, I’m half expecting to be a diabetic by the time I’m done.

The weather today has been gross. Avoiding it has been a blessing.

The good, the bad and the ugly days.

April 11, 2014 / jim fetig / 3 Comments

Someone asked me if I’ve ever considered quitting. The short answer is a resounding, “No.” The question did prompt a reflection on how I classify my days.

They say never quit on a bad day ’cause the next day’s always better and you’ll most likely get over it. Well, I’ve had good days, hard days, but fortunately no bad days though I’ve been close twice.

Almost every day has been a good day. That means everything has mostly been routine. I got up, got where I was going, and got fed, all with minimal discomfort.

There have been a few hard days. I had three of them in a row after returning to the trail in early March. I was trucking my full 0F, 38 lb. winter kit, enough out of shape to notice, and a total slug from a mental perspective. Moreover, the climbing was bigger and harder than I anticipated, not to mention that my cake got frosted with snow on the second day. Woe was me!

I sucked it up and got over it as I ate the weight out of my food bag and my body and mind readjusted to hiking.

Even the nasty early November storm in the Smokies was just hard. A little frost nip is nothing and the adjustments I had to make weren’t that big of a deal.

Twice I was soaked through to the skin and everything in my pack was wet enough to have been in a Dunkin Donut contest. I had nothing dry to change into though my bedding was dry as a teenage guy’s mouth when he’s trying to talk to a pretty girl. In each case I’d made a costly mistake, but had the fortune to be walking into planned town stops each time. Warm and dry Erwin, Tennessee and Damascus, Virgina never looked so good.

It’s 34F and raining in this photo – that’s cold – and I’m soaked inside and out.

Had the towns not been there, we might be telling a different story. As they say, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.

What’s a bad day? How about when you break a bone, fall and knock yourself silly, or run out of food? Bears, racoons, skunks, mice, porcupines, pit vipers, rocks, widow makers, lightning and a whole lot more have propensity to turn the odds in their favor.

In the interim the best advice I have is this: Don’t dwell on it. Just hike.

Major Milestone Complete

April 5, 2014 / jim fetig / 5 Comments

George Harrison with the Beatles had it right. “Little darlin’, it’s been a long, cold, lonely, winter!” You bet! One thousand and eight, point eight northbound miles on the odometer.

“Here comes the sun,” I hope. Of course, along with warmer weather I realize that in trade I’ll be sharing the trail amenities with other thru hikers, section hikers and recreational users of the trail. That’s been the (very welcome) case pretty much since spring break. Actually, it’s been nice to have some company after weeks playing a combination of Daniel Boone/Grizzly Adams/Kit Carson going solo in the wilderness.

Being alone does help foster peace of mind. I’ve come to understand and embrace the appeal that solitude brings monks, nuns, hermits and those who spend hours in meditation. On the other hand, sometimes your mouth fills up with stuff you just have to share with someone. In those cases, when two hikers paths cross, the stacato wordy eruptions from the two parties can be positively Vesuviun as they lock on like Blue Tooth, spouting information at rates that would melt fiber optic cable.

Since I trekked from Rockfish Gap to Harpers Ferry in the fall, when I closed on the Gap, my hike flash forwarded the 160 miles through Shenandoah National Park and on to the Maryland border where the Potomac washes the West Virginia line.

As I ensconced myself at a convenient popcorn stand, Tim, my high school classmate once again saved my bacon. He scooped me up for an Italian lunch in downtown Waynesboro, a shower at his house and a visit to a very cool museum within walking distance of his house as we killed time until my wife could arrive and drag me home. Of course we treated our spouses to fine dining first.

Day 1: 10:04 a.m. Sept. 24, 2013

11 a.m. March 3, 2014 – 25 lbs. lighter. Notice the big difference in body language.

A popcorn/jhot dog stand right on the trail. What a concept!

The Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, Va. (http://www.frontiermuseum.org/)is a living history affair modeled on Colonial Williamsburg, featuring the ethnic groups that settled the Shenandoah Valley – including the original Americans and the ethnic Nigerian Igbo enslaved population. The perspective it offers about how the valley was settled and evolved was absolutely awesome.

Along the way, I learned that those stone walls I previously wrote about were actually built by rented slaves. That tale is not as romantic as the image of hard-scrabble farmers clearing land by the sweat of their brow.

When to reenter the northbound hiker flow is to be determined. The Conservancy staff suggests waiting until late April or early May or risk riding winter’s tail all the way to the end. That option would add the social factor associated with more people too. On the other hand, I’m not inclined to wait that long. Therefore I’ve arranged to consult with several successful of thru hikers who reside in the northern states and seek their advice. My departure date will be based on how their insights fit with the experience I hope to have.

Meanwhile, there’ll be more in this space on lessons learned, Tarzan, and a couple of other subjects that banged against my skull as I bumped along the trail.

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Sisu – Makin’ tracks …

A fork in the road

Yogi said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." So I'm following the white blazes.

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