View Full Version : MinnesotaSmith's 2009 redux AT thruhike
mweinstone
08-27-2008, 07:41
pulling out dry haddock is cool if you only wanna anger your hunger. but to really get its goat youll need a little something my scientists have been working on just for you. do you love liver? thaught so! and miss it so on hikes? yup! then my new liver toothpaste is for you. comes in chicken and fish flavors as well. made to swallow, these pastes clean, freashen and prevent sprayed white mint poison on bush syndrome. for that just fryed chickened freash that can add hundreds of calories to hike on, use my new matmade pastes and acsessories. made exclusivly by illegal alien scientists working in my lex litherlike lair deep beneath the sewers in north philly.
minnesotasmith
08-27-2008, 08:37
pulling out dry haddock is cool if you only wanna anger your hunger. but to really get its goat youll need a little something my scientists have been working on just for you. do you love liver? thaught so! and miss it so on hikes? yup! then my new liver toothpaste is for you. comes in chicken and fish flavors as well. made to swallow, these pastes clean, freashen and prevent sprayed white mint poison on bush syndrome. for that just fryed chickened freash that can add hundreds of calories to hike on, use my new matmade pastes and acsessories. made exclusivly by illegal alien scientists working in my lex litherlike lair deep beneath the sewers in north philly.
I have run across canned liver sausage for sale online, but have no plans at this time to buy any to put in mail drops. I figure that organ meats don't need to be eaten very often, that buying liver frozen at the odd hostel that allows kitchen use would suffice during my upcoming thruhike. I may get a comment or two then, though, as I did when I boiled up a couple pounds of beef liver at the Vernon NJ hostel... ;)
Jack Tarlin
08-27-2008, 11:13
Stinking out a hostel with food odors that the vast majority of folks find offensive and disgusting will not make you any friends, Smith.
Find a diner or other place that serves liver, or cook it somewhere else. All I know is that if I were in a place like Kincora or Miss Janet's and someone decided to cook a couple of pounds of liver in the kitchen, it'd make things pretty repellent in the entire house, which would be extraordinarily inconsiderate to everyone else there.
minnesotasmith
08-27-2008, 11:48
Stinking out a hostel with food odors that the vast majority of folks find offensive and disgusting will not make you any friends, Smith.
Find a diner or other place that serves liver, or cook it somewhere else. All I know is that if I were in a place like Kincora or Miss Janet's and someone decided to cook a couple of pounds of liver in the kitchen, it'd make things pretty repellent in the entire house, which would be extraordinarily inconsiderate to everyone else there.
1) It is normal, unspiced simple meat sold in virtually all U.S. supermarkets. It's arguably rather less obnoxious than much Mexican food, chitterlings, limburger, authentic kimchi, concentrated Cajun spices, lutefisk, durian, etc.
2) I'm starting so early this time that I'll be hitting hostels well into Virginia long before most other hikers are around, e.g., could well be alone in them but for Faithwalker. Anyway, Miss Janet is (regrettably) not currently in the hostel business (wish she'd set one up in Troutvile, Catawba, Glasow, Bland, or Kent, say, instead of a town that already has two other hostels), and Bob Peoples does not live in his Kincora hostel.
3) There are these things over most stoves called vent fans, which I use whenever available. Vernon had one.
4) Cooking liver is arguably less offensive than loudly hocking a big loogie into a sink used for food preparation. (I've heard of someone doing that in a trail hostel...:eek: )
5) This isn't something I have any inclination to do often even if I had the opportunity. I don't eat liver BC I particularly like it, but BC I believe it's nutritionally important to occasionally eat organ meats (where all the vitamins are in red meat).
6) Good point on seeing if a local greasy spoon will serve liver.
7) There is a commonly-sold sandwich spread that has the same stuff in it I may just use instead some of the time; Braunschweiger, I think it's called. I've had it before.
Jack Tarlin
08-27-2008, 11:57
Arguing that other activities in hostels might actually be more offensive or obnoxious than the action you're contemplating doesn't give you carte blanche to go ahead anyway.
Yeah, limburger cheese or fish could pooh out an entire house worse than cooked liver, but this is a pretty weak argument. Sorta like defending your right to crap on the living room floor as being OK cause it's not quite as repellent as your doing it on the sofa.
If one realizes that a behavior or action is likely to distress or disturb others, Smith, then the courteous thing is to curtail or better yet, to never commence the behavior.
But defending the behavior by saying "Well I could be doing something even worse!!" is a pretty tepid justification.
minnesotasmith
08-27-2008, 12:05
For example, cigarette/cigar smokers smell to me post-smoke like they've been in the midst of a rotting car tire fire, and do so until they've had a shower, changed their clothes, and their lungs have had a few hours from the last "fix" to air out. (A smoker's breath stinks for hours to someone who still has an undamaged sense of smell, worse than 95% of hikers' funk.) Yet, I don't suggest that they not enter under roofs they don't own until they've done those things.
And, unlike my cooking healthy food, they're stinking up themselves and the neighborhood for absolutely no good reason. Lastly, these inconsiderate people do this multiple times every fricking day (!), whereas I cook liver maybe every month or two. Not the same thing at all.
Jack is pointing out that common courtesy is good. I have not had a Partagas since the '80s, but I do know where to buy them.
Every greasy spoon sells liver. Part of the definition.
minnesotasmith
08-27-2008, 12:57
I have not had a Partagas since the '80s, but I do know where to buy them.
A type of stink stick, or something else?
the goat
08-27-2008, 13:01
Sorta like defending your right to crap on the living room floor as being OK cause it's not quite as repellent as your doing it on the sofa.
damn, beat me to it!
Jack Tarlin
08-27-2008, 14:00
Smitty:
You're missing the point. True, everyone has their own definition of what constitutes behavior that is unpleasant or unacceptable, but one cannot excuse one's own poor manners by pointing out the transgressions of others, or by listing transgressions that you think are "worse." Being inconsiderate of others when sharing space or facilities is being inconsiderate, period, and pointing out that other folks do things that you might object to, Smith, doesn't give you the automatic right to do whatever you please. Stinking out a house or hostel with noxious cooking is simply rude, and what other folks might be doing while in the house is irrelevant. They are responsible for THEIR behavior, just as you have an obligation to pay attention to YOUR behavior.
smokymtnsteve
08-27-2008, 20:42
mm liver and onions..sounds good and smells better..makes me hungry...go MS!
tabacco smokkers do stink.
and those foul odors from folks eating freeze dried food.:eek:
and no one makes anyone stay at a hostel...
maybe hostel owner should post a sign.
no stinky cheese allowed!
papa john
08-27-2008, 21:14
mm liver and onions..sounds good and smells better..makes me hungry...go MS!
tabacco smokkers do stink.
and those foul odors from folks eating freeze dried food.:eek:
and no one makes anyone stay at a hostel...
maybe hostel owner should post a sign.
no stinky cheese allowed!
Ditto on the liver and onioins. Served up with brown gravy poured over a hot plate of grits.....
Livermush is a nice option...get it anyplace that serves breakfast.
minnesotasmith
09-07-2008, 15:44
I have 4 that are pretty far along with how I want them, 2 of which have not been hiked with at all.
They are:
~6'7" dogwood; intended as my primary/starting staff
~5'1" dogwood
~5'8" oak (only one not a gracious gift from DWM's land)
~5'10" poplar
Faithwalker plans to pick one of these as her primary/starting staff. The other two will go to our support person as backup replacements to mail us if need be (loss/ theft, excessive damage in use).
So far, all have had their ends sawed perpendicular, side branches sawed off and mostly filed down flat, been debarked with a Black & Decker "Firestorm" portable power sander, and had copper alloy cladding put on the bottoms. Several observations on these:
1) The sander doesn't do the side branches that well; they wear the sandpaper pads very quickly. It's VERY efficient at the debarking, especially after I did a quick (3-minutes a piece) prep job with the file to get the coarse bark off first. It took about one size-40 pad per staff.
2) There are IMO several areas in particular to file/sand flat on a staff critical to maximizing use comfort/minimizing glove wear. These include not just where it is primarily going to be held when walking on "normal" ground (the easiest 80% of the time on the AT), but also near the top where it'll be held when on ultrasteep downhills/largest-size boulder fields/more-treacherous stream crossings, and near the center of gravity where a staff in my experience is best held when held horizontal in one hand on a flat fine gravel or paved road (where there is no need for the staff, and no sense in putting wear on it).
3) The cladding at the bottom... I use plumbing-department ~1.5" wide x 1.5" deep copper end caps, with ~2.25" length same-material sleeves above them. I use Gorilla Glue underneath as it is waterproof and usefully expands as it dries. I first used galvanized roofing nails (shrtest length I could find) to hold the sleeves and end caps in place, but they tended to bend when I tried to punch them through the cladding (took about 7 nails to get one in). I switched to 1.5" fluted masonry nails for the last two staves; they go in fine, but tend to split the wood a bit. I think the best method would involve drilling holes thru the cladding, then (while held in a vise) using the roofing nails.
I've also scraped out the tiny bit of softer wood around a couple of knotholes/cutoff side branches. I figure on letting the staves season/dry for a few weeks more (note that they're all over year old now) before I seal up those spots, along with any cracks.
Eventually, I'll add a 10" piece of pipe insulation and a strap from a duffel-bag to make a cushioned handhold (the technique Dances With Mice taught me), and hockey tape (latter along their entire lengths) to them all. Faithwalker snagged a case of about 40 rolls of HT off E-Bay for next to nothing about a year ago, so that hard-to-find item is not going to be a problem. The HT is useful in that it makes friction sufficiently high that the staff doesn't slip in use, yet is slick enough it doesn't wear gloves out prematurely.
I've had it cross my mind to carry something like a long (6" in finished form?) coiled (to fit over staff narrow end) double-pointed nail (seen pictures of as a bayonet substitute in the Civil War) when needed against loose dogs, but figure not worth the hassle. Swinging my staff for defense against smaller dogs, and using bear spray on the larger ones, should cover that.
minnesotasmith
09-07-2008, 16:36
I'd like to add some sort of coating to the staves before covering them with hockey tape, but I don't know what would work best. It would need to be waterproof and still let the HT stick. It also should not IMO let water in through some crack or pit, then prevent the water from drying out and leaving in a reasonable period of time. Any ideas on this, anyone?
I'd like to add some sort of coating to the staves before covering them with hockey tape, but I don't know what would work best. It would need to be waterproof and still let the HT stick. It also should not IMO let water in through some crack or pit, then prevent the water from drying out and leaving in a reasonable period of time. Any ideas on this, anyone?
Most of us that build wooden bow and arrows use plain old Minwax brand polyurathane, I've found wooden arrows that laid outside all winter that were still in great shape. I use oil based, others have used the water based and reported good durability. I like prefer satin over gloss.
minnesotasmith
09-11-2008, 20:17
I emphasize, VERY rough draft. I'm trying to cut expenses and time (such as dodging the pricier hostels/tougher town hitches), maximizing pace, while still periodically picking up drops with resupplies of specialty foods not likely to be available at Joe Bob's convenience store in Deliverance, ATstate such as freeze-dried vegetables. Will be tenting much more this time, and hoping to avoid any slackpacking.
================================================== =
Hiking Resupply Points
Legend:
Full = total resupply that way (by Drop or by Buy), including TP and non-FD food
Half = partial
FD = specialty foods only (in Drop)
() = miles since last resupply
Pinhoti FD Drops: 3
Pinhoti Half Drops: 1
A) Pinhoti Trail - Alabama (130 miles)
Cheaha State Park -- (45) store- half DROP
Town of Heflin -- (72) BUY, FD DROP
options: Oxford, Anniston, Piedmont (all take hitches)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B) Pinhoti Trail - Georgia (150 miles)
Town of Cave Springs (6-8) Dollar General – Map 2- FD DROP
Gas Station store – (32) –Map 7 –half BUY
Kroger’s – Mile (94) – Map 15 - FULL BUY
Town of Dalton - half BUY- FD DROP
Note: for AT, (x) = # miles since last resupply point
C) Appalachian Trail – NOBO
Full-3/4 Drops
Half-1/4 Drops
FD Drops
Georgia:
Full-3/4 Drops 1
Half Drops 2
FD Drops 0
Hiker Hostel - Town of Dahlonega – 3/4 DROP (0) check to see if easy access to supermarket
Neels Gap Hostel - half DROP (39.5)
Blueberry Patch Hostel -Town of Hiawassee – Ingles Supermarket--Half BUY(?), half DROP (37)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
North Carolina/Tennessee:
Full Drops 2
Half Drops 3
FD Drops 1
NOC Hostel - FULL DROP (67)
Fontana - half DROP (28)
Standing Bear Farm FULL DROP (74)
Hot Springs - Duckett House hostel – BUY (33)
Erwin – BUY;FD DROP (78)
US 19E -Mountain Harbor Hostel – half DROP??? (shower only?) (47) (prob no drop)
Dennis Cove/USFS Rd. 50/Kincora Hostel half DROP (stay, shower, laundry) (24)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Virginia
Full -3/4 Drops 0
Half – ¼ Drops 2
FD Drops 2
Dave's Place Hostel, Damascus – FULL BUY (50)
?church hostel - Troutdale - half BUY (could drop) (IF laundry available?!?) (59) call re laundry
?Partnership Shelter/Town Marion BUY (instead of Troutdale)(74) prob just shower/ handwash
Town of Bland BUY (71/56)
church hostel - Pearisburg – hostel/shower/laundry BUY (43)
VA 624 – ¼-half BUY (77)
Town of Troutville/US 220 -outfitter - FULL BUY, FD DROP (27)
?Town of Glasgow - FULL BUY (57) prob skip
?Town of Buena Vista - truck stop shower, laundromat FULL BUY (84/22) good place, tough hitch
church hostel - Town of Waynesboro - half BUY, FD DROP (outfitter takes drops?) (55)
Loft Mtn. Campground OR Lewis Mtn. Campground (shower/laundry) -- 1/4 BUY
Terrapin Hostel (shower) if open/if not –laundry-Front Royal -FULL BUY (93 from Waynesboro)
Bears Den Hostel –hostel-shower/laundry HALF DROP (33)
?Hit ATC HQ for ¼ DROP?
Harper's Ferry Hostel, just north of Town of Harper's Ferry - HALF DROP (20) prob skip
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maryland
Full Drops 0
Half Drops 0
FD Drops 0
?Dahlgren Campground – free shower
?Wolfsville Road, Free State Hostel (call to see if can just shower and go on; if not, skip Harper’s drop) half BUY?? (62/29 from Harper’s Ferry Hostel)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pennsylvania
Full Drops 1
Half Drops 1-2
FD Drops
Town of Boiling Springs FULL BUY –see if local will take us in; list at ATC office (67)
Doyle Hotel (hostel), Town of Duncannon, half BUY half DROP (25)
Port Clinton - pavilion -Half BUY (marginal selection) (or, free hostel/laundry/shower at outfitter in Orwigsburg; see if accepts drops; then half DROP) (70)
free townhall hostel- Town of Palmerton –shower/laundry FULL BUY (41)
church hostel -town of Delaware Water Gap-shower/laundry FULL DROP (to post office) (37)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Jersey
Full Drops 0
Half Drops 0
FD Drops 0
Mohican Outdoor Center – free tenting, water; for $2 shower & towel
?alternative to Vernon – Unionville-shower/laundry at Dick Ludwick’s (call 1st)-Full BUY (51)
church hostel-shower/laundry Vernon (call to ensure still open) FULL BUY (63 from DWGap)
New York
Full Drops 1
Half Drops 0
FD Drops 0
Town of Fort Montgomery Half Buy (45 from Vernon)
Town of Pawling – shower by pavilion/town laundry -FULL DROP (PO) (could buy) – (43)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connecticut
Full Drops 0
Half Drops 0
FD Drops 0
Shower & handwash clothes at hydroelectric plant
Laundry? Town of Salisbury half-2/3 BUY (53)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Massachusetts
Full Drops 0
Half Drops 1
FD Drops 0
MA23/East Mtn. Retreat Center (hostel)-shower/laundry Half DROP (UPS/Fedex only) (30)
Tom Levardi's/Rob Bird's "Birdcage" Dalton (sleep on porch; possibly shower?) 1/4 BUY (40)
Williamstown-optional shower-Full BUY (23)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vermont
Full Drops 0
Half Drops 0
FD Drops 1
Bennington/Price Chopper Supermarket FULL BUY, laundry/free shower (18 from Williamstown, 42 from Dalton)
Manchester Center/Price Chopper Supermarket Half BUY, FD DROP (only shower if outfitter has locals on list) (40)
Rutland/Wal-Mart/12 Tribes Hostel shower, laundry, FULL BUY (50)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Hampshire
Full-3/4 Drops 2
Half-1/4 Drops 0-1
FD Drops 0
Hanover/Wal-Mart (via hostel shuttle)/Half BUY/Half DROP(?)/Trescott Road
If use Tigger’s Tree House (cheap hostel)/shower/laundry (46) then no DROP
Glencliff/Hiker’s Welcome Hostel-3/4 DROP (winter gear)/shower/laundry (43)
North Woodstock/Half BUY/laundry/no showers (26)
?showers@ Franconia Notch /Lafayette Campground
Crawford Notch/Campground/FULL DROP/hostel/shower/laundry (28 from N. Woodstock)
Gorham/Shaw’s Supermarket/FULL BUY/Hiker’s Paradise Hostel/shower/laundry (47)
Maine
Full Drops 2
Half Drops 1
FD Drops
Andover/grocery/half BUY half DROP/Pine Ellis Lodge (hostel)/shower/laundry (41)
Rangeley/grocery/FULL BUY/Gull Pond Lodge (hostel)/shower/laundry (36)
Stratton/grocery/FULL BUY/2 hostels/shower/laundry (32)
Caratunk/HALF DROP (no buy avail?)/Northern Outdoors (hostel)/free shower/laundry (37)
Monson/FULL DROP/Shaw’s(hostel)/showers/laundry (37)
Abol Bridge/campstore/1/3 BUY (100)
US 19E -Mountain Harbor Hostel – half DROP??? (shower only?) (47) (prob no drop)
This is a nice place to stay. If you want to save money and not stay, call the night before and come in early in the morning for the breakfast. I came in late and had the "leftovers". I had egg casserole with peppers and sausage, watermelon, chocolate cake with cherries on top, plenty of OJ and coffee, and she offered to make some french toast. All of that she only charged me a couple of bucks since I had the leftovers
RITBlake
09-12-2008, 12:59
I've had it cross my mind to carry something like a long (6" in finished form?) coiled (to fit over staff narrow end) double-pointed nail (seen pictures of as a bayonet substitute in the Civil War) when needed against loose dogs, but figure not worth the hassle. Swinging my staff for defense against smaller dogs, and using bear spray on the larger ones, should cover that.
WHAT??? I almost missed this part. Check w/ your doctor, you might be crazy.
WHAT??? I almost missed this part. Check w/ your doctor, you might be crazy.
from wikipedia... a child psychologist can help...
Cynophobia is the clinical name for an abnormal fear of dogs, i.e., a specific phobia related to dogs. The dog is a domesticated superpredator; this in combination with increasing media coverage of dog attacks could be contributing factors for development of this fear.
A 1992 study of cynophobia among children and adults [1] reported that actually experiencing dog attacks does contribute to cynophobia. On the other hand, early harmless exposure to dogs seems to hamper conditioning that can lead to fear of dogs. Small children are more susceptible to acquiring this fear. Pediatrical psychologists explain that gradual exposure to dogs may help to prevent the development of cynophobia.
Treatment for cynophobia is similar to treatment for other specific phobias.
What I don't get is how does a hiker "avoid" slackpacking either you do or you don't.
minnesotasmith
09-12-2008, 14:03
After roughly 7 different attempts by loose dogs (thus strays) to bite me without provocation during my last thruhike, most times of which took some significant impact of my hiking staff against dog bodies to deter, not being concerned about dogs on my next thruhike over the same trail would be called poor memory. I'm sure there's a clinical term for that, too...
As I just about got nailed seriously several of those times (large/multiple dogs), despite my best efforts with an above-average staff WRT weight and sturdiness, bringing my bear spray the whole way this time solely for stray dogs is a reasonable act for someone not confused over animal rights vs. human rights (a mental problem I don't have).
minnesotasmith
09-12-2008, 14:06
What I don't get is how does a hiker "avoid" slackpacking either you do or you don't.
If your knees fully hold out (especially to get you to Katahdin or other places like the Whites that seriously snow in), then slackpacking is more fully a voluntary option. I hardly slacked at all last time til I got WAY north, with time issues more than money issues, and determined to finish my hike that year, with any measures short of blue- or yellow-blazing.
just an fyi, for what it's worth....there's a great hostel in Lincoln NH now, which is right next to North Woodstock, and it's donation only, with bunks, tenting, showers and laundry. walking distance to a grocery store and lots of restaurants. this year he, Chet, had someone doing shuttles for him and she only asked about 3 to 4 dollars which went towards gas, as she did loads of shuttles, basically to wherever anyone wanted to go whenever they wanted to go. You can get there either from Kinsman Notch or Franconia Notch, as both roads lead right to N.Woodstock/Lincoln area.
i forgot to add in that he lets you use kitchen too, and hang out in the living room and watch tv/movies too...Chet's an awesome guy!
minnesotasmith
09-12-2008, 14:16
That's very useful info. Patronizing that hostel would certainly cut down on the showerless time through the Whites. :)
That's very useful info. Patronizing that hostel would certainly cut down on the showerless time through the Whites. :)
You're welcome! i know that alot of hikers that may or may not have had the money to leave as a donation, did other things to help him out, like clean the house, cook dinner for him, etc. You know how it is, gotta give back in some way, shape or form to the ones that are helping us out while we're out there!!
That's very useful info. Patronizing that hostel would certainly cut down on the showerless time through the Whites. :)
Yeah, and it is helpful for about the first quarter way up any of the notches.
minnesotasmith
09-12-2008, 14:23
You're welcome! i know that alot of hikers that may or may not have had the money to leave as a donation, did other things to help him out, like clean the house, cook dinner for him, etc. You know how it is, gotta give back in some way, shape or form to the ones that are helping us out while we're out there!!
I leave a decent donation AND pick up after more than just myself, e.g., not pull a WD. I also sent some food and/or other stuff to some of the hostels where I felt most welcomed (I still regret Miss Janet's not being open so I can send her something.) I'll probably do some more of that the year following my upcoming thruhike.
I leave a decent donation AND pick up after more than just myself, e.g., not pull a WD. I also sent some food and/or other stuff to some of the hostels where I felt most welcomed (I still regret Miss Janet's not being open so I can send her something.) I'll probably do some more of that the year following my upcoming thruhike.
very cool...and i was never implying that you didn't help in some way, sorry if you thought i was! :)