attroll
04-11-2005, 00:40
600 Miles and Counting!
by Michael J. Karaman (Kerosene)
It all began during spring break from high school in April of 1973. Little did I know that it would turn into an obsession. Since then I’ve managed to tally 856 miles in outings ranging from 10 to 115 miles in length, from Shenendoah National Park to New Hampshire. While I have tackled a few other trails over that time (notably the Long Trail), I keep returning to the rhythms of the A.T. even after taking a 10-year break to start a family.
Scouting is to blame - specifically the Hiking and Pioneering merit badges. Two of my 15-year old scouting buddies and I felt we had enough experience under our belt to tackle the New Jersey section, and somehow we talked our parents into letting us go. We planned the trip for six months, yet we found we still had a lot to learn. Basics such as why wrapping yourself in your plastic groundcloth doesn’t keep your cotton sleeping bag from getting wet, or what freeze-dried food does to your gastrointestinal fortitude, or how the lean-to is never around the next bend, or even what deer sound like as they’re bedding down (I never knew deer could make those kinds of sounds).
All in all, the weather that week and the New Jersey Trail conditions provided an easy introduction to what I later found out can be a pretty rigorous endeavor. Spring breaks were dedicated to the Trail for the next three years as we took on northeastern Pennsylvania and Massachusetts/Connecticut. Ed Garvey was our guide and the A.T. Mileage Book our primary reference tool.
The rocks of Pennsylvania are all they’re cracked up to be. I’ve always found it interesting that even well-conditioned thru-hikers complain. We risked the hills of Massachusetts and Connecticut in late March, slogging through knee-high snow on the northern slopes and scrambling over an ice-covered Trail in Sages Ravine. Over time I became increasingly confident in my abilities, to the point where I trained my mom and future wife to accompany me on 1-2 week jaunts. I’m in the process of grooming my pre-teen daughter now.
During college I was able to time summer hikes to intercept thru-hikers in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Vermont, relishing in their experiences.
My brother and I walked Shenendoah National Park in 1987, but he’s been occupied with his burgeoning family since then. A few years ago I realized that I was getting to the age where I needed to get serious if I was to achieve my life-long goal of hiking the entire AT. I finally convinced a Michigan friend to hike eastern Vermont/western New Hampshire which triggered a yearning to get out at least annually. I’ll be done in about 20 years at this rate, which is why it’s so encouraging to read about retirees hitting the Trail.
Despite the aggravations of travel arrangements, section hiking seems to fit my personality and lifestyle better. After aborting a solo 5-week hike through Vermont and New Hampshire in 1976, I realized that I prefer 1-2 week stints shared with a hiking companion. My career makes anything longer difficult to accommodate anyway, but I found that I need to re-connect with civilization periodically. My trail log has allowed me to keep each hiking day fresh in my memory.
Michael Karaman (Kerosene) manages software development for a healthcare information company in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His intensive soccer regimen will hopefully make those A.T. hills a little lower.
by Michael J. Karaman (Kerosene)
It all began during spring break from high school in April of 1973. Little did I know that it would turn into an obsession. Since then I’ve managed to tally 856 miles in outings ranging from 10 to 115 miles in length, from Shenendoah National Park to New Hampshire. While I have tackled a few other trails over that time (notably the Long Trail), I keep returning to the rhythms of the A.T. even after taking a 10-year break to start a family.
Scouting is to blame - specifically the Hiking and Pioneering merit badges. Two of my 15-year old scouting buddies and I felt we had enough experience under our belt to tackle the New Jersey section, and somehow we talked our parents into letting us go. We planned the trip for six months, yet we found we still had a lot to learn. Basics such as why wrapping yourself in your plastic groundcloth doesn’t keep your cotton sleeping bag from getting wet, or what freeze-dried food does to your gastrointestinal fortitude, or how the lean-to is never around the next bend, or even what deer sound like as they’re bedding down (I never knew deer could make those kinds of sounds).
All in all, the weather that week and the New Jersey Trail conditions provided an easy introduction to what I later found out can be a pretty rigorous endeavor. Spring breaks were dedicated to the Trail for the next three years as we took on northeastern Pennsylvania and Massachusetts/Connecticut. Ed Garvey was our guide and the A.T. Mileage Book our primary reference tool.
The rocks of Pennsylvania are all they’re cracked up to be. I’ve always found it interesting that even well-conditioned thru-hikers complain. We risked the hills of Massachusetts and Connecticut in late March, slogging through knee-high snow on the northern slopes and scrambling over an ice-covered Trail in Sages Ravine. Over time I became increasingly confident in my abilities, to the point where I trained my mom and future wife to accompany me on 1-2 week jaunts. I’m in the process of grooming my pre-teen daughter now.
During college I was able to time summer hikes to intercept thru-hikers in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Vermont, relishing in their experiences.
My brother and I walked Shenendoah National Park in 1987, but he’s been occupied with his burgeoning family since then. A few years ago I realized that I was getting to the age where I needed to get serious if I was to achieve my life-long goal of hiking the entire AT. I finally convinced a Michigan friend to hike eastern Vermont/western New Hampshire which triggered a yearning to get out at least annually. I’ll be done in about 20 years at this rate, which is why it’s so encouraging to read about retirees hitting the Trail.
Despite the aggravations of travel arrangements, section hiking seems to fit my personality and lifestyle better. After aborting a solo 5-week hike through Vermont and New Hampshire in 1976, I realized that I prefer 1-2 week stints shared with a hiking companion. My career makes anything longer difficult to accommodate anyway, but I found that I need to re-connect with civilization periodically. My trail log has allowed me to keep each hiking day fresh in my memory.
Michael Karaman (Kerosene) manages software development for a healthcare information company in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His intensive soccer regimen will hopefully make those A.T. hills a little lower.