Return of the Berry Monster

Well there's all kindsa berries. There's blueberries, raspberries, thimbleberries, huckleberries, blackberries, (western and eastern) mulberries, elderberries, strawberries...

And none are safe from the Berry Monster. The Berry Monster walks the ridges, valleys, and hills looking for the slightest glint of color. Down a well trodden path it plods, glancing not straight or up, but down to the right and left. This Berry Monster walks on two legs, grubby meat hoofs at the ready to pounce on tiny blue orbs, or red jewels, packed with the juice and nutrients to sustain the Berry Monster for another hour. At a large patch, the Berry Monster may regress to a previous evolutionary state, stooping to all fours, crawling on hands and knees, looking up under the leaves for shaded fruit, out of the harsh fruit-shriveling light of the fierce sun. Grubby meat hoofs become a blur, shoveling tasty morsels from bush to madly chomping jaws. Juice flows obscenely from red stained teeth. Extremeties change color from dirt stained brown, to juice stained red and purple. The Berry Monster has total disregard for others in it's presence and greedily defends the berry patch from other invaders and rarely leaves fruit for other creatures.

Occasionally the Berry Monster will pass through an area of significant human population. It pulls its bedraggled self together and dawns human-clothes, pulling sweat soaked money from a dirty rucksack, makes its way into the nearest grocery store. With dirt and juice stained paws, slaps the soggy currency down at the register in exchange for more fruit.

This pattern continues and becomes mare severe as summer progresses. As fall approaches, the Berry Monster must find other ways to survive until the first strawberries of spring.

Gateway

New York to Massachusetts.
July 23

On the Pacific Crest Trail, the Bridge of the Gods acts as a gateway to the Pacific Northwest. Psychologically, I felt it made a difference, suddenly I was in Washington, land of rain and berries, 500 miles left...

The Bridge over the Hudson River was similar for me this year. After what seemed to be like forever in the Mid-Atlantic, I encountered rain and lush greenery again. The day before crossing the bridge it rained... hard. It was that hard pelting, driving, buckets, red-on-the-Doppler sort of rain. Clothes were completely soaked beneath my poncho.

After the bridge, it was a relatively short jaunt to the Connecticut border. Just over the border, streams flowed and greenery grew over the trail. The towns of Kent and Salisbury were dominated by white houses with peaked roofs, manicured yards with neatly trimmed grass and hedges, large old healthy hardwoods, quaint business, and the signs of old money... Rumor has it that Alec Baldwin wished a hiker luck in front of the grocery store in Salisbury, which, might I add, had endive, radicchio, and beluga lentils! The first time I have seen this trinity of yuppy bobo foods since... Maybe the San Fransisco Bay Area!

Suddenly I have traveled from the Mid-Atlantic to New England.

And then there were mountains. Great tall, exposed cathedrals of stone. Well Out here they are. 4000 feet is a beast of a peak in this neck of the woods. I have discussed the differences between mountains of the east and west. Before another discussion, I will have to experience New Hampshire.

But Race mountain and Mount Everett at a paltry 2500 feet towered over the idealic lowlands and vast forests. This was another gateway. The gateway into the north east.

My saunter has been re-energized by the passage into new and different territory. I await treeline.

Going Plaid

Mile 853 to 1362

There is an allure to fastpacking. I learned about Scott Williamson before I hiked the PCT. It was amazing that there were hikers capable of doing consecutive 35-40 mile days, hikers capable of walking over 5000 miles in a summer, or even 10,000 in a year.

I began the PCT hiking 15 to 20 miles per day. As my pack weight dropped and I reached thru-hiker level fitness, I was able to push further. 15 went up to 20, then 25... 30 was very doable. 25 became comfortable. I did my first 40 mile day in Washington, and my first 50 in Oregon and California.

On the CDT, with a lower baseweight, I was able to push further more easily. I did my 50, I did a few 40s...

It becomes much easier with thru-hiker fitness, and a light pack. At first I thought 50 was this goal I could never reach. It fascinated me that people were capable of such things. But then when my pace quickened and nutrition improved, I learned that 50 could be done in daylight, 16 hours of walking just over three miles per hour could get a hiker 50 miles.

So with a 50 under my belt on the PCT and CDT, I had to try for one on the AT

The four state challenge is traditionally a 44 mile day from the border of Virginia and West Virginia, through Maryland, and into Pennsylvania. Myself and the woman with whom I am hiking, Ladybird had planned to go for it, long before we reached northern Virgina. And so after visiting Harper's Ferry WV, we backtracked to the border, and took off early the next morning.

The gruesome details can be found at www.trailjournals.com/sangabrielat on the date of June 23.

It takes more than physical endurance to accomplish such a feat. Almost anybody can walk. One can start at One mile per day, and with relentless progress, will reach high mileage. The mental aspect is much more challenging. To walk for 20 consecutive hours takes a meditative state a t time. It has only been through many miles that I have learned to turn my brain down to a dull hiss while I churn out miles in a zombie-like state.

It takes an even more brain dead state to walk for 30 hours.

Ladybird and I had considered the possibility of walking the length of the AT in New Jersey in 24 hours. I did walk the length, though it took almost 30 hours. See the entry for July 8 on my AT journal.

I had a very difficult time working through the intense fatigue. My body wanted sleep so bad that I staggered drunkenly at times, with only chocolate covered espresso beans to keep me upright. I actually blinked out while sitting on a rock but was relieved to find that only less than 10 minutes had passed.

72 miles is the realm of ultrarunners. Athletes who run upwards of 50 and 100 miles in a single race, typically in under 24 hours. I don't know if backpacking 72 in this terrain is possible with even a light backpacking pack. I think I could trim off two or three hours, but I don't know if I could trim off six.

The NJ72 sub 24 is still up for grabs. Let me know if you succeed. Requirements are to hike from the middle of the Delaware Water Gap I-80 bridge to the Register at the NJ/NY state line in a 24 hour stretch, unsupported. One must carry their typical thru-hiking gear and enough food to make it to whatever resupply they chose. Current known time is 29 hours 26 minutes.

Virginia is easy!

Or so they say.

"We done Geaorgia."
"You'll do 30s, its flat!"
Liars!

Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying Virginia immensely. The past couple weeks have been a blast.

Now I can do the 30s, I did three in three days. But do I want to? Was it easy? Not particularly. There are some very big climbs here. With big climbs, come big descents. Between Pearisburg and Waynesboro, there are some up and downs in excess of 2000 feet. From Tye River to Three Ridges is 3000. And with June comes heat.

However, I do have some theories. By the time they reach Virginia, most hikers have been on trail for over a month. They are in shape. They have worked out the kinks gear and body. This allows them to travel further more comfortably. There is a lot of well maintained trail. At times, one can really move. But then there are rough patches of rock and steep grade.

Another theory I have about the non-flatness of Virgina is one of expectations. So many people say that Virginia is flat, that one expects it to be so. It may be flatter than Georgia, but it isn't as flat as I expected. And anything steeper than what I expect is somehow more difficult...

Of course, my lack of 30 mile days can certainly be attributed to swimming and lounging. If not trying to break a record of keep to a schedule, what is the point of doing 30 plus.

I jotted these notes down over the past couple weeks, but just two mornings ago, was read something interesting. "Northern Virginia is flat." The last 100 miles apparently leave that flat taste in your mouth. Am I really supposed to believe this?

Swiss Cheese Socks

June 12
Mile 626 to 853
Pearisburg to Waynesboro

Summer has fallen on the eastern mountains like a big giant hot wet towel. "it is 90 degrees" I heard one hiker say (June 4) "94 in Town today" I heard another report in Waynesboro. And that ain't your average west coast stuff. This stuff is thick... oppressive, soggy... I feel like I am trying to breath under water! Well I did... I am beginning to acclimate. The last few days have been better, even with the thick, hot, steamy weather. On the 12th, today, Ladybird and I (a hiker with whom I have been traveling since mile 370 or so) made 20 miles by 2:00 with limited stops. Naturally we were drawn by the spinning vortex of town, trapped in its event horizon. But it was hot today! "94 in town"

One gives up trying to stay dry. I... we have adopted the strategy of trying to stay wet!

Here is a possible transcript of a visit to one of the many creeks and streams that cross the trail:
"Oooo, a stream, There. That looks deep enough. Thigh Deep? Fine! That means I can submerge. Lunch? What it is only 10:30? Oh, who cares, lets do lunch anyway... How long has it been? Two hours? Hey, my socks are dry!"

After a couple swims, one becomes accustomed to a cleansing soak in a murky stream. And Clear ones become that much more refreshing. We have been rating stream, giving points for depth, clarity, waterfalls, slabby rocks... There are no clear winners, and I can't even begin to remember all of the spots. Jennings Creek sticks out in my mind as a particularly refreshing stop. Streams can be found in many of the low gaps between high mountains.

And oh the wonders it does for thruhiker stench! There are several stages of body odor. The first is that sort of smell one gets after jogging for an hour. A little sweat, but it is fresh. It is just salt. There isn't much in the way of bacteria. Socks when dropped on the floor, don't crawl away under their own power. This is normal. In the next stages, one begins to smell like various foods. Onions and old refried beans are typical after a day or two. Then comes cheese. Swiss, Feta... The most alarming stage is that compost pile smell. At this point, possibly over a week, salt and dirt has soaked into the clothing repeatedly over the course of a week. When I encounter such a smell, I do my best to stand up wind. Now I am sure that I smell plenty bad, but I think a swim does wonders. If caught early, the progressing putrification can be reversed from cheese back to refried beans, and if one is lucky, the river smell, which is very socially acceptable, will drown out all other various and interesting smells.

The added bonus is the break from walking. We realized one day after doing nearly 100 miles in three days "Are we having fun?" In one way, yes. It is fun to push oneself. In another... No. I'd rather be swimming. I think I can make a five mile per day sacrifice for that. Maybe even 10.

Fried Chicken... Fried Chicken... Fried Chicken...

Mile 465 to 626
June 2
Pearisburg

I hear about a hiker who was trotting into town chanting "Fried chicken fried chicken fried chicken fried chicken..." I have adopted this mantra and repeated it as I descended from Angel's Rest to Pearisburg, an elevation drop of nearly 1500 feet.

We eat to live. Hikers eat twice as much to live. Some say that hikers need up to 6000 calories a day to maintain weight. I think that figure may be slightly inflated, but we definitely need a lot. And the more dense the better. Not many hikers can subsist on typical food. It is far too heavy! We need fat. Lots of it. Dehydrated stuff, no water weight.

Without enough calories, a hiker may just wither and fade. So here is a list of various calorie dense heavy things that I eat:
Nuts, salted, raw, roasted, flavored... Granola, dried fruit (not much), crackers, chips, pretzels, dehydrated rice, beans, couscous, lentils...

I try to keep the calorie density above 1600 calories per pound. Some very high calorie foods are shredded coconut, 3000 calories per pound, peanut butter, 2800 calories per pound, and corn chips, 2500 calories per pound. So when you are going out for a weekend or a summer, look at the packages and do the math. More density means less total food weight.

However! One must endeavor to eat high quality food. Dinners with their complex carbohydrates do a lot to give a hiker much needed energy. Foods high in protein will do much to repair muscle damage. Low quality stuff such as food high in sugar is fairly worthless. Sugar does not pack a sustained wallop. It will give bursts of energy, but not enough to keep oneself moving up a 4000 foot peak. In addition, it is low in density! There is a five percent difference in calories between natural peanut butter and sugar added peanut butter. Sugar added Peanut butter has less weight from fat (9 calories per gram) and more calories from sugar (4 calories per gram.)

Of course, Fresh stuff can do a lot for hikers' morale. I have packed out fresh fruit. I feel rejuvenated by the fresh enzymes and nutrients.

And in town... It is important to eat proper healing foods. Upon our entry into Pearisburg this morning, the hiker with whom I have been traveling and myself, split 32 ounces of plain yogurt, two pounds of berries, and a box of mostly natural granola. In the words of another hiker I met once, "That's power food right there."

So what is next?

May 31
Planning

There is no better time to plan for further adventures than while you are currently on a long adventure.

While walking the Pacific Crest Trail, I met many people who had been on the Continental Divide and Appalachian Trail. They would tell me all about it. The green tunnel, earning views, the White Mountains, trail magic, social aspects... So in 2008 I planned on hiking the AT and going canoeing in New England during the summer of 2009. Finances didn't quite allow that and instead I ended up hiking the CDT. That was a grand experience which kept the proverbial ball rolling. I planned my eastern adventure further. Other seeds festered as well. One day I would walk the length of New Zealand, bike across America, ski the Sierras, climb Denali, Sail around the world. I am a travel addict and I am not afraid to admit that.

before this particular adventure, however, I thought "Maybe it is time to get a real job, a career, a car, a home... No more backpack and carpet space in my parents' house. Well. I can't help it. I have to roam. Upon the start of this walk, or saunter I guess I am calling it, My mind once again started wandering... Bike the CDT, Go to the mountains of Western Russia, Siberia, Mongolia...

For the past 10 days, I have been walking with a hiker from California. Her trailname is Ladybird. We seem to be on a nearly identical schedule and walk a very similar speed. Well two people can dream up a lot more interesting things than just one. "How do we do this without getting a real job?" we ask. Both of us plan considerable adventures by human power. The Sierra 100 peaks, traverse Siberia, boat across Lake Baikal, and bike to the Himalayas. The mind doesn't quit.

So with all of these ideas, I just have to figure out how to finance them. For now, I will keep planning.