GCC Newspaper

Greetings.

I recently wrote an article for my school newspaper - for non-grovers, it will be published below - for any first-time visitors - click on 03.06 to your left under *archives* to start from the VERY beginning. Actual letters/journal entries and pictures from the trail don't start until 06.06.

I have been in civilization for a little over a month - and I am just reaching the point where I really truly want to be back out in the mountains. I miss it. I miss hiking. I miss discovering new people and places and things. I even miss eating the same thing every day, over and over. Anyways, here's the article that will be/is/was in the GCC newspaper.
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Yes, I walked here from Georgia
Senior takes the path less traveled
By Lauren Carlson
Guest Writer

You think the hike from Colonial to HAL is tough? Imagine hiking through seven states: roughly 1,053 miles in 80 days. Maybe you wouldn’t get so winded on your jaunt to upper campus.
On June 4, my best friend and I left the Atlanta airport with just the packs on our backs to walk home. We expected some painful days, some fun times and maybe a little bit of rain. We found so much more.
The longest I remember going without a shower was ten days, but who was counting. I drank iodine purified water from streams, carried 35 pounds on my back and saw 11 black bears. I ate Milky Ways, Ramen noodles and so many clif bars that I cringe when I see one now. It was amazing.
The Appalachian Trail traverses 2,000+ miles from Georgia to Maine, and I hiked half this summer. For as long as I can remember, I had wanted to hike this trail. Through various family vacations, I experienced small sections of the trail. The opportunity arose when I was asked to be in a fellow Grover’s wedding in Georgia on June 3rd. My immediate thought was, why spend money for a two-way airplane ticket? Why not walk home to Pennsylvania? So, I called up my best friend from high school and convinced her it would be a fun summer endeavor, and everything seemed set.
Then I mentioned my plans to my parents. They were, to put it nicely, ‘not keen on the idea’. They were primarily and understandably concerned for my safety. Think ahead 25 years to when your 20 year old daughter comes home from college and says, “Hey mum and dad, instead of getting a summer job this year, I’m going to live in the mountains with the bears and rattlesnakes and other scary, dangerous people who don’t want to get jobs. Can I borrow $500?” I suppose as a parent I wouldn’t have been thrilled either. Eventually, they offered their approval and support.
Now I bet you’re curious about hiking. My pack contained a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, tent, raincoat, one change of clothes, one gallon of water, a pop can stove, denatured alcohol, toilet paper, journal, cell phone, guide book, and about 15 pounds of food. I hiked nearly 15 miles a day. That’s equivalent to spending eight to ten hours on the elliptical machine in the weight room.
During finals last spring, I spent my spare time planning out where I would be along the trail on what dates. At home, I rushed to pack cardboard boxes with food and supplies to mail to myself in small towns close to the trail. We only walked through three towns all summer, the other town trips required multiple mile side trips to pick up ‘mail drops’. My regular diet included cold oatmeal, clif bars, peanut butter bagels, GORP, instant mashed potatoes and maybe an ‘O.C.P.’ (oatmeal cream pie).
The toughest times on the trail were not so bad. I had been warned to expect rain three out of every five days. I remember seven of 80 days where rain was even an issue.
Not showering sounds gross at first, but after three days of constant sweat, any number of days added to it hardly makes a difference. I took a few showers at hostels along the trail, a couple at state parks and one memorable shower at a truck stop. (Truck stops have sweet showers!) I got blisters on my feet and my big toe went numb for three weeks. I almost sat on a rattlesnake and I accidentally stepped over a copperhead… apparently I survived.
There’s so much to tell. I kept a journal, my sister posted it: www.somethinghidden-at.blogspot.com if you’re interested; there are pictures too.
Now to end, let me share some things I learned. Duct tape is a great fire starter. People are genuinely kind by nature and most black bears will run from humans. Water is a necessity, Pop tarts have 490 calories per pack and rattlesnakes let you know before you step on them. Things don’t have to be planned to be fun. Perfect is all a matter of perspective, relationships mean the most in life and dreams do come true. I will never regret or forget those 80 days. So now I encourage you, pursue your dreams, live your life.