Then The Hail Came

[chief]

While i was reading the controversy over Bryson's book in another thread, i was reminded of a trail journal i read recently. it's by George Steffanos and is titled, "Then The Hail Came". i'm gonna go out on a limb and say, it's the BEST thru-hike journal i've ever read. it contains lots of humor and is a pretty amazing account of the hardships and joys of the AT by an excellent writer. if anyone has read it, i'd like to hear what you thought of it.

for those that haven't, it can be found at:

http://www.skwc.com/exile/Hail-nf.html

be warned, i was up all night reading it!

[Lugnut]

Chief,
Yes, I read that off the AT-L. I thought it was very insightful and maybe embarassingly honest on the authors part at times. I printed it out ( for my own use only, weasel!) and enjoy reading it at times. Too bad it was never published, or least promoted to a wider audience. Maybe your mention of it here will qualify.

[SGT Rock]

I love that, especially the hiker with no-name parts. But the most frank and honest part is the follow up he wrote years later. It is worth reading.

[Journey]

George's journal was the first one that I read after deciding on a March 2003 thru-hike. I was glued to it the entire time. He's a great writer and had me laughing and crying through out the entire thing!
I e-mailed him after finishing to wish him all the best that life had to offer. I got a nice reply too.

Diane Manning~Journey

[chief]

i wish i had read george's story before i attempted a thru-hike in 2000, especially the epilogue as sgt rock pointed out. i tried to use the trail to fix some things in my life, while hiking someone else's hike. could those be the wrong reasons? i would say so. nothing is fixed and the hike was cut short. a funny thing happened though. the trail became mine to finish.

In the rain I walked through fragrant tunnels
of rhododendron, blocking the light at the end
Fog shadowed the sunlight on mountain peaks
where I yearned for enlightened views
Trees parted to reveal damp hollows
marking ascents up endless ridges
Pain in my legs and weight on my back
distracted me from thoughts drowning my spirits
Fellow hikers passed and fell behind
while I was left with only the wind to listen

[Lugnut]

Chief, seems to me you really did find something out there but it's not "that" depressing!

[chief]

sorry, didn't mean to depress anyone. guess i should have posted a no rain, no pain verse. you know, like the trail we read about in glossy magazines.

[SGT Rock]

I grew up visiting the Nantahala area of NC regularly - a lot of summers living primitive on the private land my uncle has in Canada, NC. When I think of that area and the AT, most of it is cold summer mornings, rain most of the time, fog hidding the mountains, and steep muddy mountains to climb - GREAT FUN! When it is anything different treat it like a treasure, but enjoy the mountains for what they are, not what you think they should be and you will have a better time of it.

------------------------------------------------

Chief,

Now that you point that out, it seems to highlight something in the back of my mind but something I have been afraid of saying for fear of offending some. I'll throw it out, but please ya'll - don't get offended.

Back on the old Trailplace, there felt (at least to me) like a general atmosphere of many would-be thru-hikers getting ready to do the trail because something was misssing in their lives, they wanted to find something, or hoping the trail would somehow make them a better - or maybe just different person.

On the other side of that coin, veteran thru-hikers at times were assumed by many to have their "act together" inm more ways than just knowing how to poop in the woods. It semed in the end result you couldn't tell a veteran thru-hiker he was full of it on something unless you were a thru-hiker yourself.

Anyway, I don't know exactly where I'm going with this. But I think this journal is a winner because despite all the hardship you may go thru, in the end you still have a life to lead and the "real world" and deal with the many things life sends you.

[Hammock Hanger]

is that they will come to understand themselves. Learn that when life gets tough you can get past it, just like that damn ascent. To take one day at a time. Learn when to push, when to relax. The trail is long and you have plenty of time to talk to yourself. Whatever you learn, you then have to take it to the "real world" with you.

Hammock Hanger

[chief]

Originally posted by SGT Rock
I grew up visiting the Nantahala area of NC regularly - a lot of summers living primitive on the private land my uncle has in Canada, NC. When I think of that area and the AT, most of it is cold summer mornings, rain most of the time, fog hidding the mountains, and steep muddy mountains to climb - GREAT FUN! When it is anything different treat it like a treasure, but enjoy the mountains for what they are, not what you think they should be and you will have a better time of it.

SGT, glad you wrote the above, because it never occured to me that the verse i wrote and posted here would be taken as depressing. it was simply a snapshot (i think accurate) of a day on the AT, very near the area you describe. i hope to see many more days like it, because it was GREAT FUN!

the other stuff you wrote about the old trailplace and veteran thru-hikers has a ring of truth to it. i may have gotten caught up in thinking i needed a reason to hike (make myself a better person? hehe, what i thinking?). it turned out, to me, just to be in the forest was reason enough. the veteran hiker thing, i won't say more except it sounds familiar.

[Lugnut]

Chief, Don't take my comment serious. I was just kiddin' you! I'm sure what you wrote doesn't mirror your whole trip.

[nitewalker]

While i was reading the controversy over Bryson's book in another thread, i was reminded of a trail journal i read recently. it's by George Steffanos and is titled, "Then The Hail Came". i'm gonna go out on a limb and say, it's the BEST thru-hike journal i've ever read. it contains lots of humor and is a pretty amazing account of the hardships and joys of the AT by an excellent writer. if anyone has read it, i'd like to hear what you thought of it.

for those that haven't, it can be found at:

http://www.skwc.com/exile/Hail-nf.html

be warned, i was up all night reading it!

i figured i would post this link.

[Mr. Bumpy]

mine to finish.

I could read a trail book with that title.

[BryanE]

I am on Chapter 5 right now, I really, really enjoy it. It is also very helpful to me at this point in my life. Exactly what I needed. Thank you for the link.

[Tammy Petry]

While i was reading the controversy over Bryson's book in another thread, i was reminded of a trail journal i read recently. it's by George Steffanos and is titled, "Then The Hail Came". i'm gonna go out on a limb and say, it's the BEST thru-hike journal i've ever read. it contains lots of humor and is a pretty amazing account of the hardships and joys of the AT by an excellent writer. if anyone has read it, i'd like to hear what you thought of it.

for those that haven't, it can be found at:

http://www.skwc.com/exile/Hail-nf.html

be warned, i was up all night reading it!

Thanks Chief! After logging in here this morning and finding this link, I am now on Chapter 7 of this AMAZING journal. Wow. Just what I wanted to read. Highly recommend -- but it IS very addictive!

[mountainman]

I couldnt stop reading it. My wife thought I was on a porn site. Best I've read.