SavageLlama
01-17-2005, 21:36
Aaah, I can tell spring is on its way because I can smell the fear of the 2005 hopefuls…
'OUT IN THE WOODS' –– Student trains for 2,000-mile hike on the AT
By Jeffrey Kayer
The Patriot-News
January 11, 2005
The Appalachian Trail snakes 2,160 miles through 14 states and some of the most treacherous terrain on the East Coast. Steep mountains and unpredictable weather test even the most experienced outdoors enthusiasts.
Scott Snair isn't daunted.
The 19-year-old Mechanicsburg native and Shippensburg University sophomore plans to hike the trail days after the school year ends. Snair will set off at Springer Mountain, Ga., and end his journey at Mt. Katahdin, Maine, the end of the trail.
"I have always been into hiking since I was a boy," Snair said. "I just love being out in the woods where it is quiet, and I can relax."
Snair estimated that it will take the summer to hike the 2,160 miles. He thinks he will have to hike more than 20 miles a day.
He's setting a tough goal for himself. The average thru-hiker walks about 12 miles a day and takes five to six months to complete the trail, said John Fletcher, a spokesman for the Appalachian Trial Conservancy in Harpers Ferry, W.Va.
The shortest hike on record is 49 days, completed by Peter Palmer in 1999. Palmer, however, did not carry a backpack and was aided by a support team, Fletcher said.
"He could do it," Fletcher said of Snair's plan to complete the hike in one summer. "But it's not going to be easy. He has to really stick to a schedule, and that can be hard on the trail."
Snair acknowledged the challenge.
"It won't all be fun. There will be a lot of work involved," Snair said. "It is going to take grit and a lot of determination. Finishing it will be a big accomplishment."
In fact, Snair will have to clear one of the toughest parts of the trail at the onset. He must scale Clingman's Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee, the tallest mountain on the trail.
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, as it is officially known, is the longest and narrowest national park in the country. Volunteers maintain the trail.
Snair is wasting no opportunity to prepare.
Snair often hikes near Pine Grove Furnace at Tumbling Run, following the stream to a small drop-off that offers scenic views of the Cumberland Valley.
He has a rendezvous planned along the trail. While in Pennsylvania, not far from Boiling Springs, Snair will meet his parents.
"I really look forward to it," he said.
From there, Snair will head for New Jersey and then New York's Hudson Valley before arriving in New England, considered one of the most strenuous parts of the hike with its steep mountains and unpredictable weather.
Snair's parents will send food to post offices near the trail for their son to pick up.
"These are fairly difficult as you have to plan precisely where you will be to pick them up," Snair said. He will survive on dehydrated meats and pastas, such as Ramen noodles.
Snair is confident the experience will change his life.
"I am sure a mental change will occur after hiking the trail," he said. "It is going to give me the chance to cleanse myself, to get away from making money and let me focus on me."
# # #
'OUT IN THE WOODS' –– Student trains for 2,000-mile hike on the AT
By Jeffrey Kayer
The Patriot-News
January 11, 2005
The Appalachian Trail snakes 2,160 miles through 14 states and some of the most treacherous terrain on the East Coast. Steep mountains and unpredictable weather test even the most experienced outdoors enthusiasts.
Scott Snair isn't daunted.
The 19-year-old Mechanicsburg native and Shippensburg University sophomore plans to hike the trail days after the school year ends. Snair will set off at Springer Mountain, Ga., and end his journey at Mt. Katahdin, Maine, the end of the trail.
"I have always been into hiking since I was a boy," Snair said. "I just love being out in the woods where it is quiet, and I can relax."
Snair estimated that it will take the summer to hike the 2,160 miles. He thinks he will have to hike more than 20 miles a day.
He's setting a tough goal for himself. The average thru-hiker walks about 12 miles a day and takes five to six months to complete the trail, said John Fletcher, a spokesman for the Appalachian Trial Conservancy in Harpers Ferry, W.Va.
The shortest hike on record is 49 days, completed by Peter Palmer in 1999. Palmer, however, did not carry a backpack and was aided by a support team, Fletcher said.
"He could do it," Fletcher said of Snair's plan to complete the hike in one summer. "But it's not going to be easy. He has to really stick to a schedule, and that can be hard on the trail."
Snair acknowledged the challenge.
"It won't all be fun. There will be a lot of work involved," Snair said. "It is going to take grit and a lot of determination. Finishing it will be a big accomplishment."
In fact, Snair will have to clear one of the toughest parts of the trail at the onset. He must scale Clingman's Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee, the tallest mountain on the trail.
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, as it is officially known, is the longest and narrowest national park in the country. Volunteers maintain the trail.
Snair is wasting no opportunity to prepare.
Snair often hikes near Pine Grove Furnace at Tumbling Run, following the stream to a small drop-off that offers scenic views of the Cumberland Valley.
He has a rendezvous planned along the trail. While in Pennsylvania, not far from Boiling Springs, Snair will meet his parents.
"I really look forward to it," he said.
From there, Snair will head for New Jersey and then New York's Hudson Valley before arriving in New England, considered one of the most strenuous parts of the hike with its steep mountains and unpredictable weather.
Snair's parents will send food to post offices near the trail for their son to pick up.
"These are fairly difficult as you have to plan precisely where you will be to pick them up," Snair said. He will survive on dehydrated meats and pastas, such as Ramen noodles.
Snair is confident the experience will change his life.
"I am sure a mental change will occur after hiking the trail," he said. "It is going to give me the chance to cleanse myself, to get away from making money and let me focus on me."
# # #