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skinny minnie
02-24-2008, 23:41
Disclaimer: I'm just asking, is all! Trust me, I am far from speedy. I'm just sort of intrigued.

I've done some lackadaisical googling/searching on here but haven't seen much.

Obviously, there are people out there who are ultra-runners, which started me down this path of thinking. But then I was wondering as far as hiking goes, if there was anything of note.

No Belay
02-25-2008, 00:02
Why would there be? That would be comparable to sprinting through an art gallery.:confused:

ScottP
02-25-2008, 00:07
That would be a pretty sick ultra.

Appalachian Tater
02-25-2008, 00:07
There are no speed records on the A.T. at all. The ATC recognizes 2,000-milers only, people who have walked every step of the trail, or lie and say they did. There is no one to monitor anybody or keep records.

Lone Wolf
02-25-2008, 00:10
There are no speed records on the A.T. at all. The ATC recognizes 2,000-milers only, people who have walked every step of the trail, or lie and say they did. There is no one to monitor anybody or keep records.

BS. Warren and I do.

fiddlehead
02-25-2008, 00:54
My best was 5 days, so it is probably half of that or better.

That was at the start of a SOBO hike so we were not yet in the best of shape. (and in oct)

For those that say we (faster hikers, or those on a mission to test their limits as far as speed goes,) don't see anything, or have any fun or miss the scenery. All i can say is that's silly. YOu just need to try it to see.

First of all, we are usually up before dawn and on the trail at first light or before. This is the best time to be out there. You experience things like the animals are more apt to be moving, but best of all is the colors are soon to come and you can be well awake to enjoy them. Also the sunset of course is the same. the Alpen glow or the colors of the sky up to an hour after sunset can be incredible too.

I'll never forget when i was on a speed hike of the JMT and we were hiking a ridge as the sky was a bright red sky (one of the best i've ever seen) and my buddy, who is very experienced at this sort of thing, said to me: Ah the poor hikers all in their tents with their Steinbeck book. Just as we passed a tent with a candle lantern or something illuminating it and you could see his silloutte of , sure enough, reading a book. I wanted to shout at him to come outside and see such an incredible sunset.

I enjoy some night hiking if the moon is up and you can see a lot. I don't prefer dark nights with just a flashlight. (then you can only see the trail in front of you and nothing else)

I've seen a lot more of the really good stuff when most hikers are in camp or sleeping.
We don't complain about the Steinbeck hikers or the slower than mud hikers, so, don't knock our style til you've tried it. (not that i'm a record holder on anything or even close, but i do like to see if i can do a 200 mile stretch in 4 days or the "Bob" in 3 1/2 days or similar feats. )
By the way: if you get to be the 1st human that hunted animals have seen in the spring, since hunting season, they will be very curious as to what you are and you can get quite closer than normal. Extreme hiking can be great fun!

warraghiyagey
02-25-2008, 01:08
Why would there be? That would be comparable to sprinting through an art gallery.:confused:
Agreed.:)

fiddlehead
02-25-2008, 01:36
Others have a different path.

Agreed!

Sly
02-25-2008, 02:07
A guy was going to try and slack the 100 mile wilderness in two days in '98, but I'm not sure how he made out.

jrwiesz
02-25-2008, 03:38
BS. Warren and I do.

So, according to your records, what's the quickest someone completed the "100 mile wilderness"?

Or is Warren in charge of that section, as far as the record keeping goes?

Just curious, mind you. Five days seems like a reasonably quick trip; or is it shorter than that?:sun

Kirby
02-25-2008, 08:38
I was reading an article at Shaw's in Monson about that section, and it mentioned a couple people racing each other. They were trying to get through in three days.

After White Cap, it's fairly easy terrain, it could be done.

Kirby

Phreak
02-25-2008, 09:20
I climbed up and down Mt. K and made it to Monson in 4 days last June.

Lone Wolf
02-25-2008, 09:25
In 91 Maineak went from Monson to Katahdin in 3 days. We watched the sunset fom the top

Dirtygaiters
02-25-2008, 13:12
My best was 5 days, so it is probably half of that or better.

That was at the start of a SOBO hike so we were not yet in the best of shape. (and in oct)

For those that say we (faster hikers, or those on a mission to test their limits as far as speed goes,) don't see anything, or have any fun or miss the scenery. All i can say is that's silly. YOu just need to try it to see.

First of all, we are usually up before dawn and on the trail at first light or before. This is the best time to be out there. You experience things like the animals are more apt to be moving, but best of all is the colors are soon to come and you can be well awake to enjoy them. Also the sunset of course is the same. the Alpen glow or the colors of the sky up to an hour after sunset can be incredible too.

I'll never forget when i was on a speed hike of the JMT and we were hiking a ridge as the sky was a bright red sky (one of the best i've ever seen) and my buddy, who is very experienced at this sort of thing, said to me: Ah the poor hikers all in their tents with their Steinbeck book. Just as we passed a tent with a candle lantern or something illuminating it and you could see his silloutte of , sure enough, reading a book. I wanted to shout at him to come outside and see such an incredible sunset.

I enjoy some night hiking if the moon is up and you can see a lot. I don't prefer dark nights with just a flashlight. (then you can only see the trail in front of you and nothing else)

I've seen a lot more of the really good stuff when most hikers are in camp or sleeping.
We don't complain about the Steinbeck hikers or the slower than mud hikers, so, don't knock our style til you've tried it. (not that i'm a record holder on anything or even close, but i do like to see if i can do a 200 mile stretch in 4 days or the "Bob" in 3 1/2 days or similar feats. )
By the way: if you get to be the 1st human that hunted animals have seen in the spring, since hunting season, they will be very curious as to what you are and you can get quite closer than normal. Extreme hiking can be great fun!


I definitely agree. People who accuse some hikers of going too fast and missing experiences often don't realize that these kinds of hikers often have much richer experiences on the trail than they who get to camp early, read a book on the trail, stay confined in tents, sleep through the dawn, etc. Although I can't get up when the sky is still dark, I'm similar to you in that I like to structure my hikes so that I wake up at first light and am on the trail until it's too dark to hike, or, if I end up hiking past nightfall, until I'm too tired to keep hiking. I'm not a fast hiker, but I've knocked out 20 mile days at some very slow walking speeds this way. I can see how someone in a little better shape than I am, especially in the middle of summer when the days are long, could do 25-30 mile days without too much rush.

weary
02-25-2008, 15:45
I might hold the record for spending the most consecutive nights in the Wilderness: 11. It's a beautiful area. The weather was fine. The leaves were turning. So I stretched out my walk as long as possible. I took all the side trails to scenic ridges, explored and swam in the lakes, spent a day photographing Gulf Hagas, waited out an afternoon shower reading again some of my favorite passages in Walden....

Tell me, why are two nights in a spectacular area better than eleven nights?

Weary

Mags
02-25-2008, 16:04
I once did the Wilderness one step at a time. About as fast as I can currently go.

Alligator
02-25-2008, 16:05
...
Tell me, why are two nights in a spectacular area better than eleven nights?

WearyYou have nine more nights to spend in other spectacular areas.

warren doyle
02-25-2008, 17:12
I would imagine that one of the shortest times (if not the shortest) from Monson to Abol Bridge was done by Pete Palmer, former AT endurance record holder. On his next to his last day (NOBO), he walked from White Cap Mt. to Abol Bridge and then some (at least 64 miles). Don't know about his distance the day before this, but it is only 41.5 miles between Rt. 15 (Monson) and White Cap Mt.
It would be interesting to see if an ultrarunner-type could do this 100-mile stretch in one day (24 hours).

fiddlehead
02-25-2008, 21:54
It would be interesting to see if an ultrarunner-type could do this 100-mile stretch in one day (24 hours).


I think it would take one of the best ultra runners (Horton?)
i say this because we all know it's tough, especially compared to the Masnutten 100 miler in VA or most of the east coast ones.

The Leadville 100 in CO race (starts at 9,500' which is it's lowest point, and goes up to 12,500) over some of the tougher climbs on the CDT.
It usually has about 5-8% of it's finishers doing it in less than 24 hours.

I think Leadville is probably harder than the wilderness area in Maine but, you also have aid stations ever 7 miles, people cheering you on, drop bags, llamas bringing in tent cities of support, etc. which really makes it easier than doing the trail without those things.

so, some could, but not many! IMO

weary
02-25-2008, 23:54
You have nine more nights to spend in other spectacular areas.
It takes time to really get to know an area like the wilderness. As Henry
Thoreau wisely commented. "I've traveled widely in Concord."

I hike almost daily in my small (in both acres and population) town, but I haven't seen all the interesting places as yet.

One five-mile trail that I hike a couple of times a week shows me something new on each visit.

Weary

Dirtygaiters
02-26-2008, 00:30
It takes time to really get to know an area like the wilderness. As Henry
Thoreau wisely commented. "I've traveled widely in Concord."

I hike almost daily in my small (in both acres and population) town, but I haven't seen all the interesting places as yet.

One five-mile trail that I hike a couple of times a week shows me something new on each visit.

Weary

What you say is largely true and I've certainly been in some wild areas that endeared themselves to me much moreso than others and which I've returned to, to spend more time in. However, as a person that often structures hikes to cover as much distance as possible, I've got to say that for me it's often not about being there to be enjoying the area, it's about enjoying the hiking. I hike because I love to hike, not because I want to experience some look out point that another person has proclaimed as being "spectacular". I'm just as happy being in a random southern hollow with a meager little creek that has only a few little mayflies coming off, as I am being in the grand canyon or any other area that attracts herds of tourists just to see what there is to see. I don't know how to explain it, but hiking for me isn't about getting to and seeing and experiencing some area--the seeing and experiencing are just perks as I move through the different areas. I really do enjoy the hiking, for hiking's sake. And also for the sake of getting away from civilization, so any wild area will do...to put it bluntly.

rafe
02-26-2008, 01:43
did thoreau ever write or say anything funny? just wonderin'... istm, the man lacked the humor gene.

skinny minnie
02-26-2008, 10:14
Tell me, why are two nights in a spectacular area better than eleven nights?

Weary


Well, that's just it. One is not better than the other. They both are valid. I think as long as you are fully experiencing and appreciating both the moment and the entire experience, you're golden.

Fiddlehead, I really liked your response.

weary
02-26-2008, 10:30
did thoreau ever write or say anything funny? just wonderin'... istm, the man lacked the humor gene.
Walden is one of the most amusing books I've ever read. I chuckle everytime I pick it up. It's full of subtle puns and ironies.

"Any fool can make a rule, and every fool will mind it.
"As for the pyramids, there is nothing to wonder at in them so much as the fact that so many men could be found degraded enough to spend their lives constructing a tomb for some ambitious booby, whom it would have been wiser and manlier to have drowned in the Nile, and then given his body to the dogs.
"Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes.
"City life is millions of people being lonesome together.
"I do not know how to distinguish between our waking life and a dream.
"Are we not always living the life that we imagine we are?
"I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.
"I have been breaking silence these twenty-three years and have hardly made a rent in it.
"I have lived some thirty-odd years on this planet, and I have yet to hear the first syllable of valuable or even earnest advice from my seniors.
"I have received no more than one or two letters in my life that were worth the postage.
"I should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well.
"I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.
"If I seem to boast more than is becoming, my excuse is that I brag for humanity rather than for myself.
"If I repent of anything, it is very likely to be my good behavior.
"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.
"It requires nothing less than a chivalric feeling to sustain a conversation with a lady.
"Live your life, do your work, then take your hat.
"The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked what I thought, and attended to my answer.
"The lawyer's truth is not Truth, but consistency or a consistent expediency.
"The youth gets together his materials to build a bridge to the moon, or, perchance, a palace or temple on the earth, and, at length, the middle-aged man concludes to build a woodshed with them.
"There are nine hundred and ninety-nine patrons of virtue to one virtuous man.
"We worship not the Graces, nor the Parcae, but Fashion. She spins and weaves and cuts with full authority. The head monkey at Paris puts on a traveler's cap, and all the monkeys in America do the same.
"What does education often do? It makes a straight-cut ditch of a free, meandering brook.
"What men call social virtues, good fellowship, is commonly but the virtue of pigs in a litter, which lie close together to keep each other warm. "


Weary

oops56
02-26-2008, 11:32
You might be right but come and visit me i am 65 i done almost ever thing there is to do i could teach you a few things but it take 65 years:eek:

slow
02-26-2008, 20:48
In 91 Maineak went from Monson to Katahdin in 3 days. We watched the sunset fom the top

Funny how YOU HELP...BUT never talk ... any about YOUR THRU.:-?:o

Lone Wolf
02-26-2008, 20:49
Funny how YOU HELP...BUT never talk ... any about YOUR THRU.:-?:o

which one you wanna know about, kid?

slow
02-26-2008, 21:21
15,000 And Never Thru?

Lone Wolf
02-26-2008, 21:25
15,000 And Never Thru?

never thru what?

slow
02-26-2008, 21:54
JUST stick to the MIL VIBE,over weight,under hp,under breaked,over price ...butt you are cool.

Now when you want to walk?

Phreak
02-26-2008, 21:58
JUST stick to the MIL VIBE,over weight,under hp,under breaked,over price ...butt you are cool.

Now when you want to walk?

w-t-f ???

dessertrat
02-26-2008, 21:58
never thru what?

I think he means the New York Thru Way.

dessertrat
02-26-2008, 21:59
Sorry, Weary, Thoreau was clever, but not funny. For funny, Twain is the man.

rafe
02-26-2008, 22:02
Walden is one of the most amusing books I've ever read. I chuckle everytime I pick it up. It's full of subtle puns and ironies.


"Humor" in parables... for the betterment of mankind. Right. It won't play at the Comedy Club, or Vegas or the Catskills. :rolleyes: Does Thoreau ever admit to being human, subject to the weaknesses that he so keenly observes in the rest of humanity? :-? Hell, even Lone Wolf does that.

Lone Wolf
02-26-2008, 22:03
w-t-f ???

yeah.really

rafe
02-26-2008, 22:03
Sorry, Weary, Thoreau was clever, but not funny. For funny, Twain is the man.

Hear, hear! :clap :clap :clap :clap

slow
02-26-2008, 22:10
w-t-f ???

H.D. is the same as a slug and needs to find a home.:D

Phreak
02-26-2008, 22:11
H.D. is the same as a slug and needs to find a home.:D

Uh, if you say so. :confused:

weary
02-26-2008, 22:21
Sorry, Weary, Thoreau was clever, but not funny. For funny, Twain is the man.
Well, it was a different kind of funny, but Henry had a very subtle, very intelligent sense of humor that thousands of readers have appreciated over the decades. That's why he is still increasingly read and studied a century and a half after his death -- more so than any of his compatriots.

Weary

dessertrat
02-26-2008, 22:32
Well, it was a different kind of funny, but Henry had a very subtle, very intelligent sense of humor that thousands of readers have appreciated over the decades. That's why he is still increasingly read and studied a century and a half after his death -- more so than any of his compatriots.

Weary

More than Twain or Melville? I wasn't aware of that.

rafe
02-26-2008, 22:38
Well, it was a different kind of funny, but Henry had a very subtle, very intelligent sense of humor that thousands of readers have appreciated over the decades. That's why he is still increasingly read and studied a century and a half after his death -- more so than any of his compatriots.

What an outrageous comment!!!
Henry David Thoreau (12 July 1817 6 May 1862)
Lewis Carrol (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898)
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910)
Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882)
Robert Louis (Balfour) Stevenson (November 13, 1850–December 3, 1894)
Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870)Do you suppose Walden is more widely read than Alice in Wonderland? How about Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer? How about then novels of Dickens or Robert Louis Stevenson? Here's Stevenson commenting on Thoreau (http://thoreau.eserver.org/stevens1.html). Now this is funny!
THOREAU'S thin, penetrating, big-nosed face, even in a bad woodcut,conveys some hint of the limitations of his mind and character. With his almost acid sharpness of insight, with his almost animal dexterity in act, there went none of that large, unconscious geniality of the world's heroes. He was not easy, not ample, not urbane, not even kind; his enjoyment was hardly smiling, or the smile was not broad enough to be convincing; he had no waste lands nor kitchen-midden in his nature, but was all improved and sharpened to a point.

weary
02-28-2008, 13:52
What an outrageous comment!!!
Henry David Thoreau (12 July 1817 6 May 1862)
Lewis Carrol (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898)
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910)
Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882)
Robert Louis (Balfour) Stevenson (November 13, 1850–December 3, 1894)
Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870)Do you suppose Walden is more widely read than Alice in Wonderland? How about Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer? How about then novels of Dickens or Robert Louis Stevenson? Here's Stevenson commenting on Thoreau (http://thoreau.eserver.org/stevens1.html). Now this is funny!
THOREAU'S thin, penetrating, big-nosed face, even in a bad woodcut,conveys some hint of the limitations of his mind and character. With his almost acid sharpness of insight, with his almost animal dexterity in act, there went none of that large, unconscious geniality of the world's heroes. He was not easy, not ample, not urbane, not even kind; his enjoyment was hardly smiling, or the smile was not broad enough to be convincing; he had no waste lands nor kitchen-midden in his nature, but was all improved and sharpened to a point.
Well, I wasn't thinking about novels and children stories. Thoreau was a very complex and subtle person and writer. His words can be read again and again, each time providing new insights. For that reason Walden is an ideal trail book.

History proves Stevenson's bad judgment.

A century and a half later, there are no Stevenson, Twain, Dickens ... Societies, but there is a Thoreau Society, with a growing membership of incredibly diverse people -- from laborers to English professors.

I was first attracted to Thoreau by reading an E. B. White essay, origninally published in the 1930s. At White's suggestion I picked up Walden, a book I've been reading from time to time ever since. I chuckled all the way through that first reading. I'm constantly amazed at Thoreau's subtle wisdom as I again pick up Walden over the years.

Though Henry disparaged newspapers, he is probably why I ended up as a newspaper reporter and why my stories often dealt with efforts to protect the Maine woods, that Henry had described so eloquently.

As a kid from Maine working as an apprentice electrician in a Chicago factory, I took an evening course entitled "reading and writing" at Illinois Institute of Technology.

The first assignment was to write a "space arrangement." I described Walden Pond from memories of a visit to the pond while I was stationed at Fort Devens, MA.

The instructor didn't grade my paper. Instead, he wrote a note at the top, "all these assignments must be original work."

Several years later when I gave up on becoming an engineer and was looking for some place that would except my credits, I remembered my instructor's comments and chose the School of Journalism at the University of Illinois.

Weary

Alligator
02-28-2008, 16:09
It takes time to really get to know an area like the wilderness. As Henry
Thoreau wisely commented. "I've traveled widely in Concord."

I hike almost daily in my small (in both acres and population) town, but I haven't seen all the interesting places as yet.

One five-mile trail that I hike a couple of times a week shows me something new on each visit.

Weary2 days, 11days, 20 days or 50 years. It's a great big world and you will never see all of it. How long you chose to linger is only best for you.

weary
02-28-2008, 17:09
2 days, 11days, 20 days or 50 years. It's a great big world and you will never see all of it. How long you chose to linger is only best for you.
Well, it's also a matter of being efficient. It's a long drive to the wilderness, even for me. Once there, it makes some sense to spend enough days to see the best of it.

I'm thinking especially of the Gulf Hagas loop and it's numerous side trails to scenic overlooks, and the spectacular Potaywadjo Ridge Trail. But one should also allow enough time to explore the magnificent pines of the Hermitage, and to walk along the shores of the several high mountain ponds.

Whether you plan to stay overnight, or not, one should not miss the three-quarter of a mile round trip to Cloud Pond -- though I should warn you that should you do so, you may feel an overwhelming need to camp in its pond side leanto.

The same is true of the Cooper Brook leanto, nestled at the foot of a delightful waterfall. Too many hikers, perhaps, rush by and see only the privy, not one of the prettiest campsites on the 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail.

Weary

Alligator
02-28-2008, 17:18
Well, it's also a matter of being efficient. It's a long drive to the wilderness, even for me. Once there, it makes some sense to spend enough days to see the best of it.
....I'm wondering if the phrase HYOH was invented specifically for you:-?.

weary
02-28-2008, 17:35
I'm wondering if the phrase HYOH was invented specifically for you:-?.
I could care less how people choose to hike. But since this is a trail site, Jack tells me I should feel obligated to tell people about trail things that I know about. I can't say much about gear, because all of mine is at least 20 years old. But I do know a bit about Maine and its so called "100-mile-wilderness."

However, I apologize to those who may not have wanted to be tempted by, "It's a long drive to the wilderness, even for me. Once there, it makes some sense to spend enough days to see the best of it.

"I'm thinking especially of the Gulf Hagas loop and it's numerous side trails to scenic overlooks, and the spectacular Potaywadjo Ridge Trail. But one should also allow enough time to explore the magnificent pines of the Hermitage, and to walk along the shores of the several high mountain ponds.

"Whether you plan to stay overnight, or not, one should not miss the three-quarter of a mile round trip to Cloud Pond -- though I should warn you that should you do so, you may feel an overwhelming need to camp in its pond side leanto.

"The same is true of the Cooper Brook leanto, nestled at the foot of a delightful waterfall. Too many hikers, perhaps, rush by and see only the privy, not one of the prettiest campsites on the 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail."

Weary

slow
02-28-2008, 17:47
I could care less how people choose to hike. But since this is a trail site, Jack tells me I should feel obligated to tell people about trail things that I know about. I can't say much about gear, because all of mine is at least 20 years old. But I do know a bit about Maine and its so called "100-mile-wilderness."

Weary

I have a peak 1 pack that i can send..free,and will pay shipping.

Alligator
02-28-2008, 18:09
I could care less how people choose to hike. But since this is a trail site, Jack tells me I should feel obligated to tell people about trail things that I know about. I can't say much about gear, because all of mine is at least 20 years old. But I do know a bit about Maine and its so called "100-mile-wilderness."

However, I apologize to those who may not have wanted to be tempted by, "It's a long drive to the wilderness, even for me. Once there, it makes some sense to spend enough days to see the best of it.
...You say you don't care, but you set up a time value comparison then continue that with the statement about needing lots of time to get to know the area. It's not that you are tempting people, but rather are telling them they how much time to spend based on your perception of the value of the place (given by your 11 days hiking reference).

It's fine to tell what is nice to see but the how to experience part is where the HYOH reference comes to play.

...
Tell me, why are two nights in a spectacular area better than eleven nights?

Weary


It takes time to really get to know an area like the wilderness. As Henry
Thoreau wisely commented. "I've traveled widely in Concord."

I hike almost daily in my small (in both acres and population) town, but I haven't seen all the interesting places as yet.

One five-mile trail that I hike a couple of times a week shows me something new on each visit.

Weary

GGS2
02-28-2008, 18:30
I could care less how people choose to hike. But since this is a trail site, Jack tells me I should feel obligated to tell people about trail things that I know about. ...

Trail-name Weary, long in life's experiences. Odysseus home again, wondering when the trail's end will catch up to him. I would sit a spell beside you, old friend, not to share stories or what people call wisdom, but simply to hold the quiet with you. Let Telemachus rush onward to see what lies there, beyond the next bend. You and I can sit here and wait for what comes to those who watch time pool and riffle in a lazy stream. There is reality behind the reality, and truth can't be caught in a net.

clured
02-28-2008, 19:32
I did Monson to Abol in like 3.5 days. The first half was a little bumpy, but then it settles down into that 25-mile flat piece that can be covered really fast. Also, I really agree with the defenses of fast hiking here. There's no pleasure quite like the joy of three or four poptarts after a 40 mile day!

weary
02-28-2008, 19:42
Relax, Alligator. Zip through the "wilderness" in 24 hours if you want -- and can. I was just suggesting that the area has a lot of things to see and experience that people interested in more than seeing how fast they can go might enjoy.

BTW, my trail name "Weary" truly doesn't mean I'm particularly weary. I borrowed the name from a 9-year-old grandson, who hiked Maine with me in 1991.

He asked every thru hiker he met for a trail name. One finally proclaimed him the "Weary Wanderer." Because Jon hadn't yet overcome a reading and writing provlem, I started signing the shelter registers as the "Weary Wanderers."

Two years later when I went to Georgia for a long walk home, it seemed natural to change my name to the singular -- especially since I knew he would join me again at Harpers Ferry for another 600 mile excursion through the Appalachians.

I'm not implying I'm really fast. I discovered a long time ago that I like to explore. I'm always curious about what the next bend in the trail will bring; what that side trail will offer.

From time to time I like to tell White Blaze about the things I've discovered, not to keep people from hiking their own hike, but to offer some insight into attractions they may not have known about.

I camped several times at Cooper Brook while fulfilling my commitment as overseer of the area. Each time I heard hikers bypass the beautiful campsite as they inch pass the camp privy, maybe 100 yards to the west.

I've given up overseeing 60 miles of the trail. But I truly like to remember some of the highlights in case others might enjoy them.

Weary

jersey joe
02-28-2008, 20:05
I did Monson to Abol in like 3.5 days. The first half was a little bumpy, but then it settles down into that 25-mile flat piece that can be covered really fast. Also, I really agree with the defenses of fast hiking here. There's no pleasure quite like the joy of three or four poptarts after a 40 mile day!

I did monson in 3.5 days too...I'd guess that it could be done by a marathoner in roughly a day.

Phreak
02-28-2008, 20:34
I did monson in 3.5 days too...I'd guess that it could be done by a marathoner in roughly a day.

A marathon is 26.2 miles. It'd take an ultrarunner to complete it in 1 day.

jersey joe
02-28-2008, 21:02
Yes Phreak, I suppose what I should have said is ultrarunner. I'm sure you see more of a distinction between an Ultrarunner and a marathoner than the average joe(me), since you are an ultrarunner.

I also meant to say Monson to Katahdin Stream, not abol bridge, in 3.5 days.
Doing this in one day would be a SERIOUS challenge, even for the a very gifted ultrarunner.

rafe
02-28-2008, 21:33
History proves Stevenson's bad judgment.

A century and a half later, there are no Stevenson, Twain, Dickens ... Societies, but there is a Thoreau Society, with a growing membership of incredibly diverse people -- from laborers to English professors.

Good g*d man, have you never heard of teh google?

Australian Mark Twain Society (http://www.marktwain.com.au/)
Mark Twain Association of New York (http://www.salwen.com/mtahome.html)
Mark Twain Circle of America (http://www.honors.uiuc.edu/files/mtcircle/)
Mark Twain Center (http://www.elmira.edu/academics/distinctive_programs/twain_center/trouble_at_eight/recordings)
Stevenson Society (http://www.adirondacks.com/robertlstevenson.html)
Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship (http://www.scotsdictionaries.org.uk/pdf/RLS_guidelines.pdf)
RLS Club of Scotland (http://rlsclub.org.uk/)
Dickens Society (http://lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/%7Ematsuoka/CD-Society.html)
International (http://charlesdickenspage.com/dickens_web.html#societies)Dickens organizations

.... etc. etc.

Aside from being a laughable measure of Thoreau's worth... you couldn't be more wrong. If I didn't know better, I'd guess you were joking. ;)

Cool find: There seems to be a walking/hiking trail in France (http://www.chemin-stevenson.org/index.html) named after R.L. Stevenson. (Linked from the RLS Club of Scotland.)

Alligator
02-28-2008, 21:51
Never planned on zipping through myself Weary;), but I've already been to Gulf Hagas.

fiddlehead
02-28-2008, 21:59
I did monson in 3.5 days too...I'd guess that it could be done by a marathoner in roughly a day.

Ahh, finally a post "on topic"
Why is it that whenever someone posts any thread about going fast, all the slow guys have to hi-jack it?
Why don't they start their own thread about "slo-motion" or the "Tom Brown" method of hiking. (stare at a 1 metre square for 24 hours and then move on)

Thanks Jersey Joe!

weary
02-28-2008, 22:29
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warren doyle
02-28-2008, 22:40
I have always enjoyed your WB posts Weary.
Thoughtful and well-intentioned.
Thank you for sharing your passion of, commitment to and knowledge about the Maine wilds.

rafe
02-28-2008, 23:05
Weary hasn't heard of teh google, but I guess he knows how to cut 'n paste. ;)

clured
02-28-2008, 23:43
A marathon is 26.2 miles. It'd take an ultrarunner to complete it in 1 day.

Yup, I've run three marathons, and there's no way I could do it in a day. Although I think that with training it might not be such a hard 100-mile course; when I went through, I got rained on for like ten hours straight on the first day, got fed up and stopped in a shelter at like 4:00 after only about 25 miles, and then got up the next day and hit that flat part and did 38 miles, ending at 6:30. Once you're over Whitecap it's a cake walk. Definately one of my favorite parts of the whole hike.

weary
02-28-2008, 23:49
Good g*d man, have you never heard of teh google?
.....Aside from being a laughable measure of Thoreau's worth... you couldn't be more wrong. If I didn't know better, I'd guess you were joking. ;)

Cool find: There seems to be a walking/hiking trail in France (http://www.chemin-stevenson.org/index.html) named after R.L. Stevenson. (Linked from the RLS Club of Scotland.)
Thanks to the links to the Stevenson, Clemens, Dickens and other sites.

The difference between those groups and the Thoreau Society http://www.thoreausociety.org/ site, is that the former are mostly scholarly organizations promoted mostly by academics, and in some cases, just tourist promotions seeking visitors to a specific building or area.

The Thoreau Society claims to be the largest organization devoted to a specific author and the organization with the most diverse membership.

As far as I know the claim is true. I know that occasionally I run into people urging me to join the Thoreau Society. No one has ever suggested I join the societies devoted to the authors you mention.

Thoreau has been misread from the beginning of his adult life, including by his neighbor, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Walden sold but 2,000 copies during Henry's lifetime. But somehow his readership has been expanding ever since.

Walden has been translated into scores of languages, and has now sold millions of copies, which is quite remarkable given that the book appeals to only to a tiny minority, as readers of this thread can attest. However, for a few Walden is very special. Some of us even appreciate Henry's very subtle humor.

There seems to be particular interest in Thoreau during times of trouble. Walden was almost a best seller during the great depression of the 1930s. The great biologist E. O. Wilson opened one of his best selling science books a few years ago with a "letter" to Henry Thoreau.

Weary

dessertrat
02-28-2008, 23:55
Could it be that you run into Thoreau enthusiasts more because of Thoreau's appeal among nature enthusiasts?

I know far more Twain fans (myself included).

weary
02-29-2008, 00:21
Could it be that you run into Thoreau enthusiasts more because of Thoreau's appeal among nature enthusiasts?

I know far more Twain fans (myself included).
Twain told some great stories that continue to appeal to readers. Thoreau expressed some great ideas that continue to inspire readers to action. When I started efforts at preserving land in my town my goal was to protect 1,000 acres which Thoreau wrote every town should have. We somehow overshot that goal. We are currently at 5,000 scres and counting.

Thoreau continues to move people to action. He is not simply a teller of tales and entertainment.

Weary

rafe
02-29-2008, 00:28
Well, I know you're fond of Walden (the book.) I remember suffering through it in AP American History back in high school. It's odd and ironic... I happen to live about 10 miles from Walden Pond. The circuit 'round the pond makes for a nice half-hour hike, and there are trails leading beyond it, two or three miles to the Concord River. I'm aware of (and not surprised by) your fondness for Thoreau. I agree with his words. Just can't find much humor or empathy in them. Folks do enjoy the pond.


"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—
Of cabbages—and kings—
And why the sea is boiling hot—
And whether pigs have wings.

Now, that's more my style. ;)


http://www.terrapinphoto.com/walden.jpg
Walden Pond, February 2004 © me

rafe
02-29-2008, 00:40
Thoreau continues to move people to action. He is not simply a teller of tales and entertainment.

I believe that statement does a great disservice to the likes of Sam Clemens and Lewis Carroll, Weary. You may carry Walden like a tattered family bible, but seriously -- show some respect. :rolleyes:

weary
02-29-2008, 00:44
I walked walden's shore and the surrounding forest in 1951, when I hitched a ride to Concord from Fort Devens in Ayer. I've been back a couple of times since, when passing through Massachusetts. A member of the Thoreau Society used to spend summers in Phippsburg. When he sold out and returned to Lincoln he gave our land trust most of his land. It had an appraised value of about $400,000, our largest single gift.

Weary

rafe
02-29-2008, 00:58
So your association with the Thoreau Society has been very... productive for you. It begins to make more sense now.

weary
02-29-2008, 10:52
So your association with the Thoreau Society has been very... productive for you. It begins to make more sense now.
I've been tempted to join, but I've resisted. I'm trying to get involved with less, not more, these days. So I have no "association with the Thoreau Society." I've met a few members over the years, but I had known the guy who donated the land to our land trust for decades before I learned he was also a reader and a walker in the paths Thoreau pioneered.

He was into reenactment of REvolutionary War activities and I referred him to a guy who was mapping Benedict Arnold's walk through Maine to Quebec.

Later we both bid on the same property that he eventually gave to the land trust. He wanted a summer place in Maine. I wanted a place to live on the water on a quiet road. I dropped out of the bidding long before he did.

These days I put my canoe in the water on days the tide is flowing north and paddle to the land trust preserve for a walk, hoping to catch the turning tide to ease the paddle back.

Weary

dessertrat
02-29-2008, 11:19
Weary, I hoped you would acknowledge that Mark Twain is one of the greatest thinkers of the 19th century, not just a teller of "tall tales."

How someone can read Huckleberry Finn and be so dismissive is beyond me.

Matteroo
02-29-2008, 23:22
i enjoy a challenge, truly, and like pushing myself to see what i am capable of, even when finding that answer means voluntary pain and suffering. however, i am going to say my 2cents in weary's 'camp' for spending a bit more time in a place like the 100 mile wilderness. hyok? hyoot - Have Your Own Opinion Too. mine is that racing thru as the only interaction one has with the trail is lousy. if someone wants to lecture/debate/harass/decree hiking style/critique mine, then i'll deal with that, and go toe to toe with them in the game, but i won't cry about the fact that they're not adhering to hyok.

Matteroo
02-29-2008, 23:23
hyok=hyoh (worked a lot this week + alcohol).

weary
03-01-2008, 13:31
Weary, I hoped you would acknowledge that Mark Twain is one of the greatest thinkers of the 19th century, not just a teller of "tall tales."

How someone can read Huckleberry Finn and be so dismissive is beyond me.
Twain was certainly one of the great humorists of the 19th century. And he wrote at least one book that will be read for as long people continue to read. But he had a lot of competition in the thinking category. It was a time of great advances in political theory, philosophy, science, mathematics....all things that require a bit of thought.

Remember, I didn't introduce Twain into this discussion. And originally had made only a casual reference to Thoreau for that matter. Then Terrapin or someone complained that Thoreau had no sense of humor.

I posted some examples of sentences that strike me as humorous and argued that Twain told some great stories that continue to appeal to readers, while Thoreau expressed some great ideas that continue to inspire readers to action.

I'm guessing you object to my observation that, "He (Thoreau)is not simply a teller of tales and entertainment." Whether the latter even refers to Twain is doubtful, since I've read very little Twain recently.

After decades of reading nothing by Twain, a few years ago I reread Huckleberry Finn. The first part is a brilliant story of childhood conflicts, adventures and dreams in the pre-Civil War South. The ending was pedestrian at best.

Weary

dessertrat
03-01-2008, 13:38
Reading Huck Finn just after a reading of Hobbes' Leviathan and some of Rousseau's essays changes one's views of the book by just a little bit.

dessertrat
03-01-2008, 13:51
Twain was certainly one of the great humorists of the 19th century. And he wrote at least one book that will be read for as long people continue to read. But he had a lot of competition in the thinking category. It was a time of great advances in political theory, philosophy, science, mathematics....all things that require a bit of thought.

Remember, I didn't introduce Twain into this discussion. And originally had made only a casual reference to Thoreau for that matter. Then Terrapin or someone complained that Thoreau had no sense of humor.

After decades of reading nothing by Twain, a few years ago I reread Huckleberry Finn. The first part is a brilliant story of childhood conflicts, adventures and dreams in the pre-Civil War South. The ending was pedestrian at best.

Weary

I think several people took issue with your assertion that Thoreau is more widely read today than any of his contemporaries. Twain was one of many examples of people who quite likely remain more popular than Thoreau, and he is roughly a contemporary. (I think they were born 17 years apart). There can be little doubt that Thoreau even influenced Twain's thinking in writing Huck Finn. I do not say that Thoreau is without merit, and he certainly influenced many people. But some of the criticisms of him-- that he exhibited a sort of moral churlishness and disdain for what is human-- ring true to me also.

He was apparently terrified beyond words by the Maine woods, in a manner which he never adequately described in his own writings about Katahdin. However, his biographers have noted that the experience spooked him considerably, to near hysteria. I think I have some inkling of what he felt, especially considering that he was there in the 1840's rather than today, but wish he had made more of an exploration of those feelings in his own writing rather than passing over it. I think that for all of his idealism, Thoreau was in many ways a man in denial, and that his denial expressed itself in subtle ways through his work.

Alligator
03-01-2008, 14:07
i enjoy a challenge, truly, and like pushing myself to see what i am capable of, even when finding that answer means voluntary pain and suffering. however, i am going to say my 2cents in weary's 'camp' for spending a bit more time in a place like the 100 mile wilderness. hyok? hyoot - Have Your Own Opinion Too. mine is that racing thru as the only interaction one has with the trail is lousy. if someone wants to lecture/debate/harass/decree hiking style/critique mine, then i'll deal with that, and go toe to toe with them in the game, but i won't cry about the fact that they're not adhering to hyok.Someone lecturing/debating/harassing/critiqueing your hiker style in a "toe-to-toe" manner is exactly why HYOH is invoked. When your opinion starts to judge other people's hiking syle (it's lousy), you are placing your values onto another hiker. I'm not a speed hiker myself but hey if that's what these folks like to do that's their business. I've heard many reasoned discussions as to what speed or simply fast hikers are about and I can see their point of view. No reason to be judgemental about them. HYOH.

Cheers and and be careful of PWI (posting while intoxicated):D.

dessertrat
03-01-2008, 14:21
The only thing that matters is enjoying the trip and finding things out on the way. (Without harming anyone or anything, of course). However one meets that goal is fine. I am never going to criticize someone for running the trail or crawling through it at 3 miles per day. That is up to that person, and that person has a reason for doing it that way.

I am moderate in speed, so I guess I get criticized by both camps? Too fast for some, too slow for others?

clured
03-01-2008, 14:27
I think several people took issue with your assertion that Thoreau is more widely read today than any of his contemporaries. Twain was one of many examples of people who quite likely remain more popular than Thoreau, and he is roughly a contemporary. (I think they were born 17 years apart). There can be little doubt that Thoreau even influenced Twain's thinking in writing Huck Finn. I do not say that Thoreau is without merit, and he certainly influenced many people. But some of the criticisms of him-- that he exhibited a sort of moral churlishness and disdain for what is human-- ring true to me also.

He was apparently terrified beyond words by the Maine woods, in a manner which he never adequately described in his own writings about Katahdin. However, his biographers have noted that the experience spooked him considerably, to near hysteria. I think I have some inkling of what he felt, especially considering that he was there in the 1840's rather than today, but wish he had made more of an exploration of those feelings in his own writing rather than passing over it. I think that for all of his idealism, Thoreau was in many ways a man in denial, and that his denial expressed itself in subtle ways through his work.

"Moral churlishness and disdain for what is human" is an interesting way of putting it, and I agree with you in a sense. Churlish and bitter about his failures in life, certainly, but the "disdain" was a disdain for what is idiotic and wasteful about human life, not life itself. Walden is a celebration of what it is to be alive.

rafe
03-01-2008, 14:33
Good post, dessertrat (#75.)

Whitey9457
03-01-2008, 15:15
This is really my only fear of hiking Maine, there is literally no wear to get supplies for 100 miles? So besides you speedy hikers, how long does it take to hike it at an average pace? I was thinking about hiking from Mt. Washington -->Katahdin in June but I have a fear i'm gonna get to the 100 miles and be dying of starvation hahaha (i'm sure the thru hikers can giggle for my worries when I'm only going to hike a little over 300 miles but it'd be my first real serious trip so i dunno what to expect...)

rafe
03-01-2008, 15:30
This is really my only fear of hiking Maine, there is literally no wear to get supplies for 100 miles?

That was the case when I went through, it may be a bit less true now, what with White House Landing. (I wouldn't know.) In any case, being in the woods for a full seven days was quite intense and exciting. I wouldn't have changed a thing -- though I must say, for the last day or two, I was looking forward to a dinner and a shower at Shaw's.

dessertrat
03-01-2008, 15:46
This is really my only fear of hiking Maine, there is literally no wear to get supplies for 100 miles? So besides you speedy hikers, how long does it take to hike it at an average pace? I was thinking about hiking from Mt. Washington -->Katahdin in June but I have a fear i'm gonna get to the 100 miles and be dying of starvation hahaha (i'm sure the thru hikers can giggle for my worries when I'm only going to hike a little over 300 miles but it'd be my first real serious trip so i dunno what to expect...)

Eight to ten days should be plenty of time even for the average or slightly below average hiker. If you really need to bail out early, you can come out at a number of places along the way, it's just that it's not convenient to use those "escape" points to resupply-- it would probably be a daylong detour to do so. Besides, you won't starve to death even if you go without food for a day or two at the end, although you won't be happy about it.

weary
03-01-2008, 18:42
I think several people took issue with your assertion that Thoreau is more widely read today than any of his contemporaries. Twain was one of many examples of people who quite likely remain more popular than Thoreau, and he is roughly a contemporary. (I think they were born 17 years apart). There can be little doubt that Thoreau even influenced Twain's thinking in writing Huck Finn. I do not say that Thoreau is without merit, and he certainly influenced many people. But some of the criticisms of him-- that he exhibited a sort of moral churlishness and disdain for what is human-- ring true to me also.

He was apparently terrified beyond words by the Maine woods, in a manner which he never adequately described in his own writings about Katahdin. However, his biographers have noted that the experience spooked him considerably, to near hysteria. I think I have some inkling of what he felt, especially considering that he was there in the 1840's rather than today, but wish he had made more of an exploration of those feelings in his own writing rather than passing over it. I think that for all of his idealism, Thoreau was in many ways a man in denial, and that his denial expressed itself in subtle ways through his work.

"Beyond words?" Nay:

" This was that Earth of which we have heard, made out of Chaos and Old Night. Here was no man's garden, but the unhandselled globe. It was not lawn, nor pasture, nor mead, nor woodland, nor lea, nor arable, nor wasteland. It was the fresh and natural surface of the planet Earth, as it was made forever and ever,-to be the dwelling of man, we say,--so Nature made it, and man may use it if he can. Man was not to be associated with it. It was Matter, vast, terrific,--not his Mother Earth that we have heard of, nor for him to tread on, or be buried in,-no, it were being too familiar even to let his bones lie there--the home this of Necessity and Fate," Henry writes.

Thoreau savors the aloneness of the Katahdin Tableland, a world of raw natural phenomena. He is groping for the needed language.

He contrasts the summit with the poverty of Boston:

"And yet we have not seen pure Nature, unless we have seen her thus vast, and drear, and inhuman, though in the midst of cities. "

And adds, "The tops of mountains are among the unfinished parts of the globe, whither it is a slight insult to the gods to climb and pry into their secrets, and try their effect on our humanity. Only daring and insolent men, perchance, go there. "

"I stand in awe of my body, this matter to which I am bound has become so strange to me. I fear not spirits, ghosts, of which I am one-that my body might-but I fear bodies, I tremble to meet them. What is this Titan that has taken possession of me? Talk of mysteries-Think of our life in nature-daily to be shown matter, to come in contact with it-rocks, trees, wind on our cheeks! the solid earth! the actual world! the common sense! Contact! Contact! Who are we? where are we? "

This is not a proclamation of terror, but an honest attempt to tell the truth about Katahdin, which only a handful of people had climbed before him.

Weary

rafe
03-01-2008, 19:37
Thoreau's account can be read here (http://thoreau.eserver.org/ktaadn05.html). His experience on the summit appears at [8]. I'm not sure if terror is the right word, but Henry David does not sound to me like a happy camper:

It was vast, Titanic,and such as man never inhabits. Some part of the beholder, even some vital part, seems to escape through the loose grating of his ribs as he ascends. He is more lone than you can imagine. There is less of substantial thought and fair understanding in him, than in the plains where men inhabit. His reason is dispersed and shadowy, more thin and subtile, like the air. Vast, Titanic, inhuman Nature has got him at disadvantage, caught him alone, and pilfers him of some of his divine faculty. She does not smile on him as in the plains. She seems to say sternly, why came ye here before your time? This ground is not prepared for you. Is it not enough that I smile in the valleys? I have never made this soil for thy feet, this air for thy breathing, these rocks for thy neighbors. I cannot pity nor fondle thee here, but forever relentlessly drive thee hence to where I am kind. Why seek me where I have not called thee, and then complain because you find me but a stepmother? Shouldst thou freeze or starve, or shudder thy life away, here is no shrine, nor altar, nor any access to my ear.
...
There was there felt the presence of a force not bound to be kind to man. It was a place for heathenism and superstitious rites, — to be inhabited by men nearer of kin to the rocks and to wild animals than we.

weary
03-01-2008, 21:42
Thoreau's account can be read here (http://thoreau.eserver.org/ktaadn05.html). His experience on the summit appears at [8]. I'm not sure if terror is the right word, but Henry David does not sound to me like a happy camper:

It was vast, Titanic,and such as man never inhabits. Some part of the beholder, even some vital part, seems to escape through the loose grating of his ribs as he ascends. He is more lone than you can imagine. There is less of substantial thought and fair understanding in him, than in the plains where men inhabit. His reason is dispersed and shadowy, more thin and subtile, like the air. Vast, Titanic, inhuman Nature has got him at disadvantage, caught him alone, and pilfers him of some of his divine faculty. She does not smile on him as in the plains. She seems to say sternly, why came ye here before your time? This ground is not prepared for you. Is it not enough that I smile in the valleys? I have never made this soil for thy feet, this air for thy breathing, these rocks for thy neighbors. I cannot pity nor fondle thee here, but forever relentlessly drive thee hence to where I am kind. Why seek me where I have not called thee, and then complain because you find me but a stepmother? Shouldst thou freeze or starve, or shudder thy life away, here is no shrine, nor altar, nor any access to my ear.
...
There was there felt the presence of a force not bound to be kind to man. It was a place for heathenism and superstitious rites, — to be inhabited by men nearer of kin to the rocks and to wild animals than we.

He was hiking alone on a rarely climbed mountain in less than ideal weather. He was also trying to sell an article to the Atlantic Monthly and may have used more flowery language than usual. (forgive me, Henry, for doubting your perfection)

Weary

dessertrat
03-01-2008, 23:29
Well, a guy's gotta make a buck. Even Twain would have agreed on that.

mainetrips
08-22-2010, 21:03
3 of us did the 100 mile wilderness Aug 7-8, 2010 from Abol Bridge to Monson in 39 hours 30 minutes, no camping, no sleeping. Not sure if that is a record but it sure was quite the adventure.

Lone Wolf
08-22-2010, 21:28
3 of us did the 100 mile wilderness Aug 7-8, 2010 from Abol Bridge to Monson in 39 hours 30 minutes, no camping, no sleeping. Not sure if that is a record but it sure was quite the adventure.

i'm thinkin' it is. good job!

jersey joe
08-22-2010, 21:39
3 of us did the 100 mile wilderness Aug 7-8, 2010 from Abol Bridge to Monson in 39 hours 30 minutes, no camping, no sleeping. Not sure if that is a record but it sure was quite the adventure.
Wow, that is quite a trip. Congrats on finishing so quickly. Did you hike with gear in case you needed to camp or just go lighter with just food and water?