View Full Version : Harry, the 87 year old German
Slo-go'en
06-05-2013, 13:23
Harry is an 87 year old German, currently thru hiking the AT. Harry is a remakable man. The first thing he asks when he gets to a town or hostel is "Ver ist da beer?" What is really remarkable and an insperation is Harry has a metal plate in his head and still carries shrapnnel from the war - WW II. He and his departed wife were serious ice and rock climbers, climbing mountains all over the world.
All of us who have meet Harry are hoping he makes it all the way. He has a good chance of doing it too. Like the Energizer bunny, he just keeps going and going. Once Harry finishes the AT, he wants to get a hip replacement and go to New Zeland and do a big hike there.
T.S.Kobzol
06-05-2013, 13:27
awesome. Vielen Gluck Harry!
HikerMom58
06-05-2013, 14:49
That is awesome... pulling for Harry!
Feral Bill
06-05-2013, 14:57
Wow.......................
Odd Man Out
06-05-2013, 15:05
Excellent. I have already announced my plans to thru hike when I'm 90 years old (NOBO class of '49). I will have to get some pointers from Harry. He should learn the English phase "craft beer from local microbrewery". Otherwise he might be disappointed with his request.
MDSection12
06-05-2013, 15:34
That's awesome for him! I gotta be honest I cringed a bit when I heard he was a German who (presumably) saw combat in WWII... I think there's a term for that... But I guess I'm just being a little too nationalist myself, so I won't give it too much thought. :eek:
Regardless of my ethnocentrism, I wish him all the best on his hike! :D
Herzlichen Glückwunsch! (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=herzlichen%20gluckwunsh&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDMQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.bab.la%2Fdictionary%2Fgerman-english%2Fherzlichen-glueckwunsch&ei=UNavUcv_NIneqQH4mICoDg&usg=AFQjCNHCMlAwcAFeMCKTxcgg5oI_QyF39w&bvm=bv.47534661,d.aWM)
Teacher & Snacktime
06-06-2013, 01:33
All I remember from my high school german is "guten tag"...."guten gehen" might suffice. Anyway, we wish him the best hike ever!
hikernutcasey
06-06-2013, 09:57
Does anyone know where he is at on the trail? Or any way of keeping up with him? It would be interesting to know if he makes it or not. Hopefully folks can update this thread with his whereabouts if they run into him on the trail.
Water Rat
06-06-2013, 10:03
Wow! That is pretty amazing stuff. I wish Harry all the best! He sounds like he is making the most of his time on this planet. :)
Thats what I'm talking about when I say living on the edge and living life to its fullest!!! Yeeeeeeeeeehahhhhhhhh
Smithwick
06-06-2013, 12:04
http://www.h-rost.philippines-corner.com/English/Pics/pics.htm
henry g wilgo
06-06-2013, 13:59
great for harry..would like to know pack weight and average speed..per day...any other specifics
thankyou all
Does anyone know where he is at on the trail? Or any way of keeping up with him? It would be interesting to know if he makes it or not. Hopefully folks can update this thread with his whereabouts if they run into him on the trail.
Harry was the first hiker I met on this trip as I ran into him at the north springs Marta station it Atlanta. Even though there was a language barrier we learned a lot about one another in the two hours we spent with one another. We both started April 17th. I hiked into Pearisburg yesterday and last I heard he was only a few days behind me. I'd say he's near Bland.
Slo-go'en
06-06-2013, 15:31
great for harry..would like to know pack weight and average speed..per day...any other specifics
thankyou all
Harry started off with a pretty large and heavy pack, which is common. But he quickly adapted replacing much of his gear at Mountain Crossings. He has a very slow, but very consistant pace. Mostly he hikes shelter to shelter. I'm not sure he has a tent as all the times I've meet him, he was staying in the shelters.
As far as I know, he hasn't taken any zeros and is keeping up with most every one who started about the same time he did. Even the 20 somethings who thought they would get ahead and never see him again. But take a few zero's here and there and all of a sudden Harry shows up again. Harry was a day or two behind me when I got off at Marion, VA this last Monday, so he should now be on his way to Pearisburg. The only reason I got ahead of him was I took the Iron Mt Trail short cut around the highlands because my allergies were getting so bad and I just wanted to go home at that point. The quicker I got to the bus station, the better.
Harry passed through Harpers Ferry a couple of weeks ago. He is a remarkable person who has led a very interesting life. If you have any Harry sightings, can you let me know privately? I have some maps that he was interested in for the New England section.
Laurel at the Teahorse Hostel
We are trying to locate Harry. Last time we know of he went thru Kent Vt on Sept 17. He told someone he wouldn't be able to finish but intends to come back in 2015 and finish!! Love his optimism!! Amazing! If anyone knows of Harry's whereabouts or how to contact him please let me know privately. I had offered to give him a ride when it was time to go home then went off the trail and lost his contact info. I'd really like to help.
ChinMusic
09-30-2013, 19:51
Excellent. I have already announced my plans to thru hike when I'm 90 years old (NOBO class of '49).
In the spirit of Shaffer, I have inked-in a 50-year anniversary hike from my first thru.
Had the pleasure of meeting Harry as we progressed thru Va.24244
tscoffey
10-01-2013, 13:57
That's awesome for him! I gotta be honest I cringed a bit when I heard he was a German who (presumably) saw combat in WWII... I think there's a term for that... But I guess I'm just being a little too nationalist myself, so I won't give it too much thought. :eek:
Regardless of my ethnocentrism, I wish him all the best on his hike! :D
You do realize that relatively few members of the German military were Nazis, right? The average Heer soldier was just a kid who was drafted into service, and had no desire to join the Nazi party.
We are trying to locate Harry. Last time we know of he went thru Kent Vt on Sept 17. He told someone he wouldn't be able to finish but intends to come back in 2015 and finish!! Love his optimism!! Amazing! If anyone knows of Harry's whereabouts or how to contact him please let me know privately. I had offered to give him a ride when it was time to go home then went off the trail and lost his contact info. I'd really like to help.
On 9/17, I met a section hiker who found Harry's equipment at the Winturri shelter earlier in the day. Harry had gone for water after dark, lost his way and spent the freezing night in the woods. He was quickly found in the morning and a video showed he was talking about the cold night but doing well. On 9/23, I met Harry in person heading north at Holts Ledge. He indicated October 21 would be his last day on the AT. On 9/26, another section hiker related that he met someone who saw Harry on a side trail on Cube, probably on his way to town for supplies. There was also a note on a car at NH25C offering a ride for Harry if needed. There seems to be a lot of people watching out for him.
I met German-Harry in Vermont on 9/9 near Clarendon Gap during my Long Trail hike, he was steadily plugging northward on the AT. Several other hikers told me they had stayed with him at Minerva Hinchey shelter the night before. He arrived pretty late at the shelter by headlamp. He hikes at a slow, steady pace for long hours each day. I hope he's okay and still on the trail. What an inspiration to all of us!
Kerosene
10-03-2013, 22:20
I distinctly remember playing a competitive soccer match with a 42-year old teammate when I was 26, and thinking to myself that I want to be able to play at that level past 40. I made it to age 48 before I noticed a distinct decline in my abilities, and it was 4 more years before I had to hang up my cleats due to my knees. I hope to be backpacking well past 80, although I might need a knee replacement between now and then!
We have located Harry and my husband, Fahmah, will contact him and hopefully give him that ride to Boston that he promised him when he met him in Va. Harry is amazing and it's incredible that he made it this far!!!
Weather-man
10-12-2013, 16:27
I had the honor of sharing the trail with Harry this Spring. I first met him at Gooch shelter and we bounced around each other until I got off at the NOC. Harry is Bavarian, from Munchen, which was serendipitous as my wife is also from Bavaria and I speak a little Bayrisch. I had the opportunity to talk with him many an evening at the shelters and he often commented that my German is worse than his English! He had mentioned that he had a return ticket for Munchen on the 15th of Oct, IIRC, and he was going to walk as far as he could until that date.
He was walking in honor of his wife, Inge, who passed away a few years ago. From talking to Harry I could tell that he had loved her deeply.
Some of his other stories were awe inspiring. On one occasion, I believe somewhere in the Himalayas, he an Inge zippered a cliff and pull all the pro except for the last piece. Harry was helo'd out via 9 separate chopper rides (IIRC) and was on life support for quite a while. He and Inge also climbed in Iran, the Pyrenees, Chile (patagonia) as well as other places that I can't remember. The man is a machine and I marveled at his hiking rhythm. He woke at 0700, had breakfast, and was on the trail by 0800. He then walked until 1200, rested and ate lunch, then walked until 16 or 1700. His pace was probably 1.5 miles per hour but it was consistent and constant. As soon as he hit the shelter he took care of camp chores, ate and then was in the fart sack as soon as possible.
We also spoke of his military life in the Wermacht. He laid communication wire between outposts and was often the recipient of allied sniper fire. I believe he was shot once or twice during those adventures.
All in all he was one of the gifts that was bestowed on those of us walking during those short two weeks. It was good to meet him.
Here's his web site for those who'd like to read about some of his adventures.
http://www.h-rost.philippines-corner.com
I saw someone mention his equipment. If I remember he switched out his pack at Mountain Crossings. I believe he was carrying a big Osprey and he bought a ULA at MC. He also had a tent as we stayed together at the Cheese factory and he used it there.
Bear Cables
10-15-2013, 11:33
Had the pleasure of meeting him in April at Deep Gap shelter :) at the time he was with a group if other thru hikers and one of them spoke fluent German.
Weather-man
10-15-2013, 11:47
Had the pleasure of meeting him in April at Deep Gap shelter :) at the time he was with a group if other thru hikers and one of them spoke fluent German.
Ha! That was me but I'm not sure I'd classify my german as "fluent":) !
Were you the lady with the SPOT device?
BTW, I just received a pic via text yesterday of Harry in NH....He just walked into a gear shop that one of the thru hikers, "Rome", works in. I'm waiting for her permission before I post the pic. He's sporting a beard!
Edit: Here's the pic of Harry in NH from a few days ago. Looks happy!
24462
Bear Cables
10-15-2013, 12:42
Yes I was the lady with the SPOT. So good ro hear he did well.
LostandFound
10-15-2013, 13:06
Ran into him, on the trail, just before Daleville. I hope I'm doing cool stuff when I'm in my 80's. The guy is inspiring.
MDSection12
10-15-2013, 14:25
You do realize that relatively few members of the German military were Nazis, right? The average Heer soldier was just a kid who was drafted into service, and had no desire to join the Nazi party.
I regret ever posting what I did... And not just because of what you said, which I'm sure is true. Even with the temperance I tried to convey in what I was saying it was still out of place. I apologize for my carelessness.