SavageLlama
06-22-2004, 11:57
Yearly trips a tradition for friends
Rose Marie Feagin
June 21, 2004
News Journal, Mansfield, Ohio (javascript:NewWindow( 'FIISrcDetails','?from=article&ids=mans');void(0);)
MOUNT VERNON -- Marlene Smalley is planning to take a long hike -- literally.
She and a former college roommate Brenda Foist of Cape Geraldo, Mo., are gearing up for a trip down the Appalachian trail.
"Hiking is a great outlet," said Smalley, who lives in Mount Vernon. She and Foist started taking smaller treks while they were in college in Tennessee.
They also have hiked in sections of southwest Virginia.
Smalley said this year, they are going to southwest and central Virginia.
Their quest is to cover nearly 2,170 miles of the Appalachian trail. They already have hiked the Tennessee and North Carolina section for a total of about 490 miles.
"We have done it every year for nine years," Smalley, a special education teacher, said.
"What Brenda and I are doing is called section hiking because we are only hiking a section at a time, we are not hiking all the way through from Maine to Georgia," Smalley said. "We will get it done, but not at one time."
"The first three years we weren't on the (Appalachian) trails, we were just doing (our) favorite hikes," she said.
Smalley said the entire Appalachian trail goes from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Katahdin at Baxter State Park in Maine.
It will probably take them a week to make the trek from their starting point in Pearisburg, Virginia, to their destination, north of Roanoke, Virginia. "On this trip, we will probably end up doing about 70 to 100 miles," Smalley said.
Smalley and Foist will meet in Pearisburg on Sunday for the start of their trip.
Smalley has her gear ready to go.
"We have sleeping bags and ground pads," she said.
She said they also will take garbage bags to keep mice out of their backpacks and keep everything dry.
"We don't go anywhere without duct tape, (used for) covering up blisters to repairing damaged back packs (and) sleeping bags, anything that needs to be repaired you just slap duct tape on it," she said.
"Of course, you carry (a) cook stove and your meals," she said.
Smalley said her gear will weigh about 35 pounds. She conditions throughout the year so the weight doesn't cause her problems.
"Well, every year I kind of go through this little conditioning routine, which is why we were at Mohican the other day," she said.
"I haven't been able to do as much of that, because it's raining," she said.
Smalley jogs often, but said hiking itself is always the best way to condition for a long hiking trip.
She said her husband Dave also accompanies her on some shorter hikes. "We go to Hocking Hills, and we will go back up to Mohican. Mohican is so close to us," she said.
Whether she's on the trail at Mohican or somewhere in Virginia, she usually wears hiking boots on the treks.
"I wear the traditional leather hiking boots. (Brenda) started wearing things that runners wear but, she doesn't have weak ankles like I do," Smalley said.
"We wear very lightweight clothes.... We will have sandals that we change into that we wear around camp at night," she said. "I can't stand to hike with pants on. I always wear shorts unless it's winter out."
And although the weather has been warm in north central Ohio lately, it sure has been wet.
Patty Shannon of Mohican Adventures said the rain hasn't detoured hikers who are taking shorter treks.
We been taking our cabin and camping customers hiking because they can't canoe, she said.
Mohican Adventures, located about 1 mile south of Loudonville on Ohio 3, offers outside activities that include go carts, miniature golf and canoeing. Canoeing has been put on hold at many campgrounds throughout the state because of flooding.
Shannon said the trail they take customers through is picturesque with the water running over the falls. It's also very muddy because of the rain, she said.
"We have forewarned them ahead of time, so they go in knowing what to expect," she said.
Rain, snow, mud -- bring it on. That's the attitude of many hikers, including Smalley and Foist.
"If you like to hike, you hike," Smalley said.
Rose Marie Feagin
June 21, 2004
News Journal, Mansfield, Ohio (javascript:NewWindow( 'FIISrcDetails','?from=article&ids=mans');void(0);)
MOUNT VERNON -- Marlene Smalley is planning to take a long hike -- literally.
She and a former college roommate Brenda Foist of Cape Geraldo, Mo., are gearing up for a trip down the Appalachian trail.
"Hiking is a great outlet," said Smalley, who lives in Mount Vernon. She and Foist started taking smaller treks while they were in college in Tennessee.
They also have hiked in sections of southwest Virginia.
Smalley said this year, they are going to southwest and central Virginia.
Their quest is to cover nearly 2,170 miles of the Appalachian trail. They already have hiked the Tennessee and North Carolina section for a total of about 490 miles.
"We have done it every year for nine years," Smalley, a special education teacher, said.
"What Brenda and I are doing is called section hiking because we are only hiking a section at a time, we are not hiking all the way through from Maine to Georgia," Smalley said. "We will get it done, but not at one time."
"The first three years we weren't on the (Appalachian) trails, we were just doing (our) favorite hikes," she said.
Smalley said the entire Appalachian trail goes from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Katahdin at Baxter State Park in Maine.
It will probably take them a week to make the trek from their starting point in Pearisburg, Virginia, to their destination, north of Roanoke, Virginia. "On this trip, we will probably end up doing about 70 to 100 miles," Smalley said.
Smalley and Foist will meet in Pearisburg on Sunday for the start of their trip.
Smalley has her gear ready to go.
"We have sleeping bags and ground pads," she said.
She said they also will take garbage bags to keep mice out of their backpacks and keep everything dry.
"We don't go anywhere without duct tape, (used for) covering up blisters to repairing damaged back packs (and) sleeping bags, anything that needs to be repaired you just slap duct tape on it," she said.
"Of course, you carry (a) cook stove and your meals," she said.
Smalley said her gear will weigh about 35 pounds. She conditions throughout the year so the weight doesn't cause her problems.
"Well, every year I kind of go through this little conditioning routine, which is why we were at Mohican the other day," she said.
"I haven't been able to do as much of that, because it's raining," she said.
Smalley jogs often, but said hiking itself is always the best way to condition for a long hiking trip.
She said her husband Dave also accompanies her on some shorter hikes. "We go to Hocking Hills, and we will go back up to Mohican. Mohican is so close to us," she said.
Whether she's on the trail at Mohican or somewhere in Virginia, she usually wears hiking boots on the treks.
"I wear the traditional leather hiking boots. (Brenda) started wearing things that runners wear but, she doesn't have weak ankles like I do," Smalley said.
"We wear very lightweight clothes.... We will have sandals that we change into that we wear around camp at night," she said. "I can't stand to hike with pants on. I always wear shorts unless it's winter out."
And although the weather has been warm in north central Ohio lately, it sure has been wet.
Patty Shannon of Mohican Adventures said the rain hasn't detoured hikers who are taking shorter treks.
We been taking our cabin and camping customers hiking because they can't canoe, she said.
Mohican Adventures, located about 1 mile south of Loudonville on Ohio 3, offers outside activities that include go carts, miniature golf and canoeing. Canoeing has been put on hold at many campgrounds throughout the state because of flooding.
Shannon said the trail they take customers through is picturesque with the water running over the falls. It's also very muddy because of the rain, she said.
"We have forewarned them ahead of time, so they go in knowing what to expect," she said.
Rain, snow, mud -- bring it on. That's the attitude of many hikers, including Smalley and Foist.
"If you like to hike, you hike," Smalley said.