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watchmaker
06-10-2012, 19:45
I am in Baltimore and my wife and I are maintainers on the AT and TT.

I am 58 with a 12 year old replaced knee and have come to decide I do not have too much time to wait; so 2013 is my year (assuming the Rapture gets postponed again).

I intend to do at least one weekend a month from here on in (in addition to work trips) and I want to get in a 5 to 6 night trip to check out my systems. I would like to do a seasonal appropriate section of the AT; but that may not be realistic. For example, I am not going to start off at Peter's Mtn (Duncanon) and hike to Bear Mtn in the next couple weeks; although that may be a good trip later in the year.

I am in reasonably good shape (Darlington Shelter to Duncanon in 5 hours with dinner for two more nights sadly after being out for two days).

If anyone is interested in partnering for some trips contact me privately or through this thread. FWIW, I am a WFR as well. Oh, and I do not snore!!!

Regards,

Dewey

Cookerhiker
06-10-2012, 19:50
Welcome fellow PATCer :welcome Good luck with your program for 2013. With your new knee, it would behoove you to use trekking poles if you haven't figured that out already.

Where is your AT section? I maintained a 2.2 mile stretch in the South District of SNP for 5 years.

watchmaker
06-10-2012, 20:28
PenMar to PA16. We also do the Trailhead section of the Newsletter.

Thanks for the luck Cookerhiker. Yeah, we have used poles for years. We did Fontana to NewFound gap last year (plan was Standing Bear where we ENJOYED the staff BTW) but my wife developed blisters that would have had me crying every step. Actually had to stop for a day. Tough lady. But the 6 hour climb to Molly's Ridge started it. Funny though, she was "pulling" me up some of the knobs before she told me what was going on. After all these years she now gets the importance of dealing with hot spots immediately.

I got my summer start walking pack weight to 26 lbs (4 dinners) and I am going to lose 3 of those by trading in my Deuter (which I dearly love) for a ULA Circuit. Just looked over my FA/S kit to see what I can jettison; won't be any chainsaws around and Droid has a compass. Amazing how much you can carry for the cost of weight of a few electrons (does a full SD card card weigh more than than an empty one?). Phone, GPS, Camera, Music, Books and access to trail news in one device. That IS cool!

I always look at archive photos when we go to NPs and I used to spend a lot of time in ADK. When you understand these people (especially women in ankle length wool skirts) got to the tops of Rainier and Marcy with cotton wall tents and duck cloth packs, makes us look like pikers. No matter how we want to pretend we are mountain men, Motorola Razor Droids, Google Maps and Hostels are a real game changer. But in the end, it still takes physical stamina, mental discipline and lucky genes to have it happen.

So, I will train and see what the outcome happens to be. So it goes (Kurt Vonnegut captured it all).

Regards,

Dewey