Meet the Good - The Muir Project

During Christmas, my two sons express a lot of joy when I give them a handful of change to put in the Salvation Army kettle.  They can easily find the good.  Funny enough, I can easily find the good in them. 

The good is simple, it just is.  The good can’t help itself.   The good is unblemished by the foolishness, morally defunct and politically perverted nature of our society.  The good isn’t complex and it is free to everyone.  The good can’t help but radiate and grow.  Defining the good doesn’t require an education, an explanation or even a reason.  The good speaks every language and is relevant to every generation.  When the good is in our face – no one needs to point it out.  The good couldn’t hide itself even if it wanted to.

I think the good explains the wilds to us, that which otherwise wasn’t explainable in the first place.

Want to know where to find the good?  The Muir Project.

A group of multi-media artists, musicians, painters, teachers and others captured the 211 miles of the John Muir Trail in 25 days of footage with the singular purpose of bringing you the good.

The videos are inspiring and will transport you to the good.  Watch them.

Support the good at Kickstarter.  Consider giving $1.  Then, give more instead.

"I Hike"

I enjoy reading books about backpacking.  Whether they are about experiences or technique, and as long as the material isn’t something I’ve heard a couple dozen times already, usually I buy it.  I think in a simple way, I enjoy sharing experiences that I likely may never experience on my own. 

I first heard of Lawton "Disco" Grinter when I stumbled across The Walkumentary a few years ago  It’s a great movie on hiking the Continental Divide Trail (DVD).  I think one of the things that drew me to the movie was the fact that it was well organized and didn’t come off as a bunch of spliced together still photos or bad videography when in reality it probably contained both.  It was just more polished than others who made similar efforts. I watch this video at least annually principally because I like the personalities, photography and personally think it’s the best backpacking video on the market.  It also motivates me to hit the trail.  For those you haven’t seen it, I strongly encourage you to take a look.  After all – it’s free for download or a mere $5 for purchase. 

After watching The Walkumentary, I reached out to Lawton to answer a question that I honestly didn’t really care about but was intrigued about at the time.  Considering all the topics I could have asked, apparently my little mind merely wanted to know if he and his hiking partner (P.O.D. – Princess of Darkness) were romantically involved.  I guess I felt like the story was never adequately explained in the video despite sharing a tent, the obvious inside jokes, and the general exchanges that goes along with being a happy couple.  Lawton said the answer was that they were dating, and according to the book, they are now married living in Denver with P.O.D. working as a teacher and Lawton as a full-time forester.  Lawton graduated with a Masters Degree from Virginia Tech.  Being from Virginia and having worked on my own Masters at Virginia Tech (I never finished), I guess I felt a bit of a kindred spirit (and jealousy that he was able to progress in his backpacking and professional career more than I have been able to accomplish).  Lawton is also taller than average (he’s 6’2” and I’m 6’5”) and embraced the “lightweight” side of backpacking which is obviously another commonality.  As a Triple Crowner, I figured most things he had to say about backpacking were probably worth listening to – that – and he had an honest humor about him.

Lawton put what could easily be described as the greatest hits from his backpacking experiences into a new book called “I Hike”.  It is available several places.  If you want an autographed copy for no additional charge, go to Gossamer Gear.   Lawton is a GG Trail Ambassador and carried a minimalist pack on his adventures.  You can also get a copy of his book at Amazon.com or Barnes and Nobels.

This weekend I read it cover to cover.  This should speak highly of the book because I wouldn’t describe myself as a “reader”.  Consequently, if whatever I’m reading doesn’t flow well, I normally get distracted from the content and focus instead on composition which makes reading in mass undesired.  On Saturday I was supposed to run in my first 5k since tearing my meniscus over a year ago which required surgery, my first run of any kind since this time.  Unfortunately, as happens more often than I’d like, my diabetes decided to remind me that I’m on a different playing field than many others and there was no chance I would run (or walk) the race.  First, I was up all night Friday with hourly trips to the bathroom pondering how it was possible to pee so much.  All of Saturday was spent feeling like I was in a coma where I couldn't simply sleep it off.  Saturday night was similar, and Sunday was only a little better.  This is what happens when glucose (energy) gets stuck in a body and can’t be processed correctly causing it to be 3 times more, or less, of what it should be in a “normal” person.  To me, if feels like a build-up of toxins and my whole body hurts much like the feeling after running a marathon.  The act of moving, no matter how small (a walk from the bedroom to the bathroom) is not just challenging, but painful.  Needless to say, I was pretty incapacitated and decided to read.

Lawton writes very well.  According to the book, the grammar was largely a reflection of the influence of his mother, a Librarian.  In fact, his grasp of solid writing jumped out at me as I reflected on a youthful generation where broken English thumbed out on an iPhone is becoming all too common and an actual understanding of basic English is slowly evaporating.  Just this week I had to explain to a youthful college-degree toting coworker that St. Louis was the destination of a meeting as to clear up her confusion voiced widely in a business e-mail to several where she wondered aloud about the identity of St. Luis, apparently a quite religious Puerto Rican with an exciting nightlife worthy of being visited by business persons.  Everything in the book flows nicely and Lawton paints a nice picture.  Bill Bryson is a little more illustrative, but I’d say Lawton was on par with Bill “Skywalker” Walker who consequently had a Masters in English and taught it for many years as best I can recall.  While Bryson continues to hold the unchallenged top spot in outdoor adventure books when it comes to hiking and related humor, I think Walker and Lawton definitely have something to contribute.

Lawton’s book is a collection of stories and observations from his time spent on the CDT, PCT and AT in addition to other shorter journey's.  I would argue that there is a lesson in each, whether it be about making smart decisions, recognizing limitations, respecting weather, understanding gear, being moved by the loss of a friend and helping prevent the loss of another, accepting lower mileage days in the face of adversity, the positives and negatives of Trail Magic, the positives and negatives of a good map and technology, etc.  These stories cover the real possibility of getting hypothermia or Giardia and the discomfort and variety of bugs and relentless bears.  There are several great comical sections of the book which I think Lawton handles with ease.  One of my favorites is a story about a Great Blue Heron being struck by a car whose occupants lack of reaction seemed to imply that hitting a 4 foot long rare bird was normal in that area (Lawton was in the backseat merely trying to hitch a ride).  Hands down, my favorite character from “I Hike” or “The Walkumentary”, and I trust this is of no surprise to anyone who is familiar, is a German engineer named Speedo.  If Lawton valued making money from his writing and videos, I would tell him that he has a virtual cash cow in all things Speedo and should strongly consider a greatest hits version of his escapades, and well, all things Durf and how American soap is not adequate for everything.  You’ll need to read the book to understand that reference.

So, get the book whether for the enjoyment of the stories, the experience of someone tested, or to support a fellow hiker.

Getting "Out" From the Comforts of My Own Home

I've been extraordinarily busy for the last several weeks and my outdoor time whether hiking or merely seeing the light of day has been dwindling. Whether it is the strains of working for a new boss who recently hired one of his former employees who strangely enough does exactly what I do (dusting off the resume and hoping for the best) or the fact that I'm pretty sure I tore my MCL, I feel like I'm missing summer. Course, the few times I've braved the day, I was met with triple digit temperatures which singularly made me dream about fall and winter as I camped out in my refrigerator.

When I can't get out, I try to at least keep my spirit alive by checking in on some backpacking or outdoor programming to include many of the blogs listed on the right -------- >. Consequently, I've also watched a few DVD's.

Many of you know about Richard "Dick" Proenneke who quite literally lived in a homemade Alaskan cabin for nearly 30 years. His life during this adventure is documented in a video called "Alone in the Wilderness" by Bob Swerer Productions. His story is really great and he is a product of the World War II generation for which I have a tremendous amount of respect, admiration, and gratitude. For anyone that watched his documentary, they likely learned that he nearly lost his eye in an accident which contributed towards his need to seek refuge in the beautiful wilderness. Likely the thing that stood out most was both his self-sufficiency and his amazing ability to build just about anything, and build it well, with merely an axe, saw, a couple chisels, and some glue. Dick passed away in 2003 and his cabin is now under control of the U.S. Park Service.

Fortunately for those of us that couldn't get enough of Proenneke's escapades, Bob Swerer Productions came out with a sequel (Part II) of Alone in the Wilderness. It can be purchased at http://www.dickproenneke.com/ for $21.95. It has additional footage, shows Proenneke a little later in his life and a little more hardened from the environment. He reminded me of a trapper the more I watched his very experienced and mechanical actions, very much the mentality of a lightweight backpacker in the sense that he had only what he needed and was quite resourceful with that.

I also picked up "Alaska - Silence and Solitude" which covered a couple weeks in Alaska with Bob Swerer Sr. and Jr. which was interesting watching their child-like enthusiasm for the wild and their firsthand experiences which attempted to echo that of Proenneke.

I also picked up two backpacking DVD's which focused on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). I personally have no desire to thru-hike the PCT principally because of the desert areas, but I do like the scenery of the central and northern parts in addition to watching the exchanges between hikers, gear choices, and just experiencing the trail vicariously.

The first was Wizards of the PCT (http://www.wizardsofthepct.com/) which was narrated and was directed by a backpacker named Jester. The DVD was $20. This was one of those purchases which was a donation to the backpacking community. In my opinion, the footage was shaky and showed the less polished side of backpackers. It was pretty underwhelming in comparison to other backpacking videos I've seen and came with a heavy dose of snarky attitude which I assume has something to do with how Jester got his trail name. Nonetheless, it serves as a nice documentation of his personal experience and surely will entice some.

The second was a series of four DVD's called "Walk", "Still Walking", "Even More Walking", and "Walked" (http://www.walkpct.com/). Although I wasn't thrilled to pay for four DVD's ($45 total) for something that could have been better paired down to just one DVD, the reality is that it is understandable because the narrator and director, a backpacker named Squatch only intended on making a single video. It was his goal to merely bounce around the PCT, talk to backpackers, and get a general idea of the lore of the path so close to his own home. After the first video, it was clear he got the backpacking bug and hiked a 150 mile section as he continued to bounce around and shoot more footage. By the third and following videos it was clear he became a backpacker and continued his trek along the PCT until he finished it. His fourth DVD "Walked" was the best production and quality by far and it served as a who's-who of the backpacker community with appearances from Jester, Joe Valesko (Samurai) from Z-Packs, Disco and Princess of Darkness from the great PCT documentary "The Walkumentry", and even The Onion (one of the first people to yo-yo the CDT along with Francis Tapon (Mr. Magoo) in the same year. I also noticed that ULA-Equipment packs were the most common, followed by Gossamer Gear in a close second, with some people carrying Osprey packs. The production and video quality improved towards the later DVD's and his personality was child-like initially and always inquisitive. I think it represented the "common man's" video of backpacking and serves as a good learning tool. If you decide you want to purchase one, go for the fourth installment (Walked).

I'd also like to take a moment to thank everyone to contributed to the Ultralight A-Z video series mentioned in my last blog. This project was fully funded and you and I can look forward to what will hopefully be a mainstay in lightweight backpacking DVD's.

The Walkumentary

Over the course of 2009 I had the opportunity to read several great backpacking books and also watch a handful of backpacking DVD’s. Having only minimal time to backpack, I find these resources help fuel my interest and allow me to live vicariously through the accomplishments of others.

One DVD I recently watched was “The Walkumentary” (http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/walkumentary_dvd.html) in which Lawston “Disco” Grinter takes video of his 2,800 mile thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). Near the end of the video, Disco and four friends crown one another with makeshift crowns to recognize their accomplishment of successfully hiking the Triple Crown (Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and CDT).

The extremely small number of people who have completed the Triple Crown have accomplished quite an amazing and impressive feat in my eyes. If I’m being honest, I’m quite jealous that they have the time, money, support, and ability to do it as each of those things have long since been crutches of my own and excuses for me being unable to meet similar goals. With most of my time being spent on the Appalachian Trail, I sought out to ask Disco for his impression of the AT versus the CDT and PCT in terms of difficulty, resupply, water availability, etc. I was also curious how he found the time and money to do it. After doing a quick internet search, I found his blog and he was kind enough to respond to my e-mail. Below are his comments:

I think that mile-for-mile, the AT is the toughest on the body and the PCT is the easiest on the body. The CDT, especially in Montana, is really brutal. Lots of up and down, just like the AT, and the lack of maintained trail and in some cases non-existent trail make it the toughest state to hike in on the entire Triple Crown in my humble opinion. The CDT is a good bit easier in Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico though. The AT is consistently tough from Georgia to Maine.

The AT is easiest to get water. The southern California section of the PCT in dry years can result in hikers carrying large amounts of water. In 2004, I carried 7 liters out of one spot. In 2008, which was a much wetter year, the most I carried in southern Cali was 3.5 liters. It really depends on the year with the PCT. New Mexico is known to have some long water carries but in the Fall of 2006 when we hiked thru, the most water we carried was 2.5 liters. Mainly because it's a good bit chillier in the desert in the fall. If we had hiked New Mexico in the Spring, it would have been a bit tougher.

Weather . . . the AT has the most rain . . . hands down. The western states are just plain drier. On the PCT in 2008, we didn't get any rain at all until central Washington. Not a drop. We walked from Mexico to central Washington completely free of rain. That'd be the equivalent of walking from Springer to say Gorham without any rain. Having said that, I've been in some brief but violent weather on the CDT . . . thunder, lightning, hail with 50+ mph winds. In 2004 on the PCT it rained 3 out of every 4 days for the last month on the trail. But the AT consistently gets more rain than the CDT/PCT.

Resupply . . . the CDT has the toughest resupply. Especially in Montana/Idaho where you will hike 5 days, hitch 20 miles down to the nearest town and have a convenience store to resupply from for the next 5 days. Lots of mail drops take care of this tough resupply situation on the CDT.

I've logged about 12,000 miles since 1999. I've been able to find the time and the money to do this amount of hiking because I made it basically my #1 priority. Out of that 12,000, I've done four 2,000+ mile hikes. Each time I was in a transition period of sorts. When I hiked the AT, I was just out of college. My first PCT hike, I quit a job. My CDT hike, I had just moved to Colorado and wasn't tied to a job. My second PCT hike, I left a seasonal job. Moneywise . . . I saved money like it was my job. I made saving money for the next big hike a priority. I also got smarter on the trail. I spent $4,500 during my first PCT hike and $2,100 during my second. Staying away from towns and hotels resulted in the bulk of my savings on my second PCT hike.