Back in Bath!

Bart: On the Maury River catching up with Jim Ashley a life long friend!

Jo: Bart's hanging out near a beautiful but very unappealingly-named river that the GET crosses on the Headwaters Section!

The next adventure . . .

For a year, Bart and I have been talking about the next adventure. We didn't always know what that next adventure would be, but somewhere along the way we got the idea of hiking the western leg of the GET.  See how the GET splits in Maryland and Pennsylvania? Lured by the Standing Stone Trail President, we took the eastern route last year.  What better than to now hike the western route and then the Allegheny Trail south for a beautiful 500-mile summer?

(I think it's pretty cool that not only did we not push each other off a cliff, we're willing to hike together again . . . or maybe Bart just wants a second chance at the cliff thing?)

I have all the maps.  Bart and I have the chunk of time carved out in our schedules.  I have a modest but comfortable amount saved up for the inevitable pizza stops.  I even have a train ticket.  Yet the hike has been in jeopardy because of me . . . and I probably want to hike this even more than Bart does.

Getting food poisoning last year made me feel like this.
This seems quaint after all the stuff I've had this year.

I've gotta say that 2014 has been the most challenging year of my life due to being constantly sick.  I've been out sick from work for the past two weeks with ten different medications trying to find a balance in my system, and I just feel like a ghost of a human being.

So, the long process of healing has begun.  After 16 days of being confined to bed, I joined the world of the living.  I have just a couple of weeks to regain my strength.  Today, my humble goal was to actually go to work.  I did it, took a five hour nap, and then went for a walk.

It's a start.

Cumberland Trail Conference Petition

Please sign this petition to help shed light on the recent dissolution of the Cumberland Trail Conference.

Signing will only take a minute and doing so will help ensure a vibrant future for the Cumberland Trail, which hosts the Great Eastern Trail in Tennessee.  This trail deserves answers.  Please sign!

Roadwalking on the Great Eastern Trail

"But aren't there . . . roadwalks?"
I get that a lot when talking about the Great Eastern Trail.  It's a fair question because yes, there are roadwalks.  There are roadwalks in the south, and there are roadwalks in the middle, and there are even roadwalks in the north, although they are rarer up there.

Hikers have a hard time with the R-Word.  I understand, because I used to have a bad attitude towards roadwalking, too.

Having hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, the thought of hiking a trail with roadwalking was very intimidating.  Except, oh wait, the AT has roadwalking too.  And not all of it is pleasant, in-town roadwalking.  Hiking out of New Hampshire into Vermont was not particularly scenic or enjoyable.
But what do the AT (and, for that matter, GET) roadwalks do for the trail?

• They allow for the best possible sections to happen.  
• They make resupply easy.
• The give hikers a break from constantly looking down at the ground
• They let hikers move at least 1MPH faster than they usually do.  
• They help the hiker out with useful bridges.
• They allow for hot meals and cultural tourism.  

The AT is always going to have some roadwalks and hikers like it that way.  No one really bothers to talk about AT roadwalks because they are no big deal.

But people do talk about GET roadwalks because we've got a 1,600 mile trail and about 25% of that is roadwalk.  Is this significant?  Well, let's put it into perspective.  First of all, this % is going down every year.  Since Bart and I hiked last year, I know of at least twenty miles that have been routed onto trail and off road, and there have probably been more. That's fast progress, but even so: this is a young trail.

Earl: Badass and inventor of the thru-hike

Back when Earl Shaffer hiked the young Appalachian Trail in 1948, the AT was nearly half on roads.  Half!
The Appalachian Trail Conference was founded in 1925, so the movement was around 23 years old when Earl hiked.

Compare to the Great Eastern Trail Association, which incorporated in 2007 and is about 7 years old.  The GET movement is much older than that but still, the active plans to link the GET host trails together are relatively new.  Yet it is about 75% finished already.  Pretty impressive, huh?



So yes, there are roadwalks on the GET and there will be for a long time.  Some will be there forever. The AT is still rerouting onto an optimal route; every trail is a work in progress. The Ice Age Trail and Mountains to Sea Trail are still 50% on roads; the Continental Divide Trail is 76% completed yet these all boast thru-hikers and positive hiking experiences despite roadwalks.  That's because roadwalks aren't inherently bad.

 Here are three examples of GET roadwalking.

Guess how many cars we saw on those roads?  The answers: 1, 0, and maybe 2.   Bonus: we got to see the POWERLINES sign.  It makes sense in real life, but I won't spoil the reason why.

Here are some things we saw along roadwalks:

Too bad there's no beauty along roadwalks.

This is without a doubt my favorite tree along the GET.

Nope, no roadwalk views to be found! :)

Roadwalks on the GET supplied all the perks of roadwalks on the AT, only moreso because as the roadwalks are larger, so too are the benefits.

•  Resupply was, on average, easier than the AT despite the GET's lack of hitch-hiker culture. 
•  Our packs were often very light, as some sections only required a day or two of food before resupply.  
• Faster miles were another perk that we could bank on - not only thanks to a lighter pack but also because roads offer fewer obstacles to trip on.  
• But most importantly, the biggest redeeming quality of roadwalks was the people.

We met people on roadwalk sections that we otherwise wouldn't have run into.  Like Ramar and Angie, whose kindness towards us inspires us even today.  So many people made time to talk to us, to help us. . . it was overwhelming.

Don't let the GET's roadwalks scare you away.  Many of the roadwalks are incredibly beautiful, unique, and refreshing -- just like the people you'll encounter.

Cumberland Trail Conference

We are sad to announce the abrupt and uncalled-for dissolution of the Cumberland Trail Conference.

The CTC was founded in 1997 by the Tennessee Trails Association (TTA).  The CTC has built and maintained the incredible Cumberland Trail and was on track to complete it in upcoming years. They have connected people, both local volunteers and BreakAway volunteers from across the country to the trail. CTC ensured that the trail was on-track not only for mere completion, but for becoming the definition of a high-quality, challenging, well-loved trail.

On our hike, CTC volunteers helped us in so many ways.  They:

• organized several interviews across the state for us
• hosted events to welcome us and spread the word about the Great Eastern Trail
• hiked and offered to hike new sections of trail with us
• spent lots of time going over trail conditions with us
• organized shuttles into towns for us
• allowed us to use CTC computers and printers to access some maps and guides that we'd neglected to find prior to our trip (oops)
• hosted us for the night in several towns
• welcomed us into their homes and fed us delicious food
• oh, and they were responsible for the trail being there in the first place!

Organizations are only as strong as the hearts and souls behind them, and the Cumberland Trail Conference was filled with passionate, intelligent, dedicated individuals who enriched not only our hike, but our lives. 

Unfortunately, the Cumberland Trail Conference was recently dissolved by Tennessee Trails Association. The TTA leadership responsible for this did not give advance notice to board members or the membership base prior to the meeting.  This hostile takeover of the organization and its assets is a shameful slap in the face to those who have given so much for the dream of completing the Cumberland Trail.

This is a heartbreaking and embarrassing chapter in the story of the Cumberland Trail and our thoughts are with the CTC, its volunteers, and with the trail itself.  Thank you for everything.

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Woolrich!

It is good to be back! Bart and I are speaking in Wellsboro today but spent a night in Woolrich. We had to get up the road before the store opened but we really appreciate their Woolrich car. Bart says, "It's bad to be plaid!" That's a compliment.

Northbound vs. Southbound on the GET

On most long-distance north-to-south trails, northbound has been the traditional direction to hike. That does not have to apply to the Great Eastern Trail.  The two biggest considerations are:

1. When is your free time?  
2. Do you want to tackle the most mentally-challenging section (the south) when you are fresh and enthusiastic?  Or do you want to tackle it when you are tired but experienced?  

For me, I really wanted to get the southern gaps out of the way, because I wasn't 100% sure that the trail could be successfully (or enjoyably) connected by foot.  As it turns out, linking the trail by foot is actually pretty easy with a couple small exceptions.  That being said, next time I want to hike southbound so I can experience Pennsylvania in particular when I am fresh and end where it all began.

So, for the next hikers, northbound or southbound?  Here is a summary of what you might consider:

Hiking northbound (presumably beginning in mid-spring)

On the bright side:

• A meaningful mountain (Flagg) to mark your beginning
• A gentle start (with shelters!) on the Alabama Pinhoti Trail
• Relatively easy terrain throughout Georgia makes for faster miles and high morale
• Chattanooga provides a needed rest prior to tackling the challenging Cumberland Trail
• Reaching the halfway point in southern West Virginia and knowing that well over half the mental work is done
• Reaching Pearisburg, Virginia where the rest of the trail (over 700 miles) is dependably blazed and/or (mostly "and") has really great guides
• Greater feeling of trail cohesion as the trail heads north
• Some tricky resupply points in Virginia and Pennsylvania, but at this point you've been hiking long enough so you should be able to figure it out without much of a problem 
• Just a personal preference, but I was glad that I was heading UP the Thousand Steps
• Hiking north, Pennsylvania becomes less rocky
• A quiet finish to the hike with a shelter; a good place to take a day and reflect upon the journey

Challenges:

• Significant road walking/unblazed route in Georgia and on the Alabama incursion which could be mentally challenging so early in the hike
• Great guides available but not for the entire south - challenging gaps to figure out
• The first outfitter on trail is in Chattanooga, a few hundred miles from Flagg Mountain
• Significant roadwalking/linking of trail sections in Tennessee and on either end of Kentucky, still early-on in trip when you're figuring it all out.
• Catoosa WMA may be closed, requiring additional planning
• Potential for late-spring storms that could drop snow on higher elevations in Tennessee or Kentucky
• Spring flooding in Bluestone WMA may make the recommended route impassable.
• Challenging rocky sections of Pennsylvania when you're already exhausted 
• Intense heat on very dry ridges of Pennsylvania 

Hiking southbound (presumably beginning in late summer)

On the bright side:

• Beginning your hike at an intersection connecting 10,000 miles of hiking trails
• Dependable blazing for the first 700ish miles - less thinking involved in the beginning
• Reliable guides available for the first half of the hike
• A gentle, rolling beginning through New York and northern Pennsylvania
• Completing your first state in just a few days, which can be a big morale boost
• Hitting the tough rocky sections of Pennsylvania when you're fresh (and not making big miles each day anyway)
• First outfitter of the trail is in Wellsboro in northern Pennsylvania (about 100 miles into the journey); another is located in State College and there are shoes and socks available in Woolrich.  Pennsylvania has the most outfitters and they are more useful to southbound hikers who encounter troubles with gear they thought would work.
• Challenges of the south (unblazed sections, roadwalks, areas without guides) may be easier to overcome with all the experience accumulated in the northern half of the trail - at any rate, you'll be too stubborn to give up once you've come that far!
• Chattanooga is a welcome rest after one of the longest states on the trail
• Ending your hike at the end of the Appalachians

Challenges:

• Potentially tricky resupply points in Pennsylvania before you really settle into the trail
• Some water sources flowing for northbounders probably would have dried up by late summer
• Hunting season on several stretches of public land would have to be taken into consideration
• Reaching Pearisburg, Virginia and knowing that you have the hardest part ahead of you and that you're not yet halfway done
• Shorter hiking days on very challenging sections (night-hiking not recommended in many areas)
• Potential for autumn storms that could drop snow on higher elevations
• Significant roadwalking/linking of trail sections on either end of Kentucky, in Tennessee, in Georgia and on the Alabama incursion - these could be both physically and mentally challenging at a time when many hikers feel "done" with their journey already

Your mileage may vary, hike your own hike, and have fun no matter which way you go!

GET Board Meeting

I was lucky to get the chance to attend the 2014 Great Eastern Trail Board Meeting near Corning, New York last weekend.  It was a reunion of wonderful people who made last year's hike possible.  The people on the left are those who make the GET happen.  I wish I could download their wisdom into my own brain.

Especially huge thanks to Pat, who not only retrieved me from the airport (and got me back there) but hosted the event at the lovely Watson Homestead. What a perfect weekend.

While out for a hike, we were able to visit the Great Eastern Trail rock.  I used to think people who hiked the same long trail twice were crazy, but I see wisdom in it now: both Bart and I walked past this rock on June 18, 2013 and didn't notice it.  I guess we were too excited to get to Moss Hill Lean To!  What else did we not see?  Maybe I'll get Bart to hike the GET with me again someday.  He already was silly enough to say yes once . . . .

There is lots of forward momentum on the GET.  I'm excited about all the discussions that took place last weekend and I look forward to watching this trail "grow up" and get better every year.

The morning before I flew back to Minnesota we all hiked to Moss Hill Lean To, the northern terminus of the GET.  It couldn't have been a more beautiful morning to be out and about.  While there, I got to see Strider's note in the register (North Country Trail thruhiker) and I left a note for current GET hikers Taylor and Gramps. 

But the highlight of the hike may have been finding the Pennsylvania rock that Bart carried to New York.

 

AT vs. GET

GET or AT?
(Trick question!)

Many AT hikers have asked me how the GET compares.  Because this is such a common question, I made a whole page comparing the two trails.  If you're trying to decide between the two trails, this may help.  Look up at the tabs and you'll see it listed there.  Or you can click this.

Happy hiking!
-Jo

Upcoming presentations in Minnesota

 As usual, I am up to no good!  The following presentations are happening in Minnesota:

Thursday, March 13 at 6:30pm - Hiking the Great Eastern Trail at Moose Lake Elementary School

Thursday, April 10 at 7:00pm - Introduction to Backpacking at Moose Lake Elementary School 

Thursday April 17 (apparently I like Thursdays) at 7:00pm - Hiking the Great Eastern Trail at Midwest Mountaineering in Minneapolis. (Expedition Room)

Saturday, May 3, afternoon - Planning an Overnight on the Superior Hiking Trail &

Hiking the Great Eastern Trail at the Superior Hiking Trail Annual Meeting, Wolf Ridge ELC.

(THIS IS AN AWESOME EVENT.)

More news coming soon. . . including news about the next GET hiker heading to Flagg Mountain!

-Jo

Guides Page

I've been working on a list of resources that Bart and I used to hike the GET.  This list can now be found on the Guides Page.  It is still a work in progress, but it should help future hikers see what resources are available.  Feel free to contact me with additional links, corrections, etc.  Thanks!

-Jo

The next thruhikers

Bart and I are amazed that it has been over a year since we set off on our journey.   There are two hikers about to set off on their own Great Eastern Trail adventure: Gramps and Taylor.  Hiking the Loop will showcase their experiences - check it out.  They leave on February 1.

Best of luck, Taylor and Gramps!  Your lives are about to change forever. :)

Slideshow

Hi friends!  I've finally put together a slideshow about the places we saw on the hike.  Enjoy! 

-Jo

Warrior Nation!

Life since the trail

The northern terminus with a list of people who helped us along the way...

Hiking the Great Eastern Trail was a life-changing experience for both of us.

We are continually reminded of all the help we received and the friends we made along the way.  The people are what made this trip everything it could be, and we can never thank you enough for being part of the journey.

Since we finished the trail, Bart has started work as an athletic trainer and his team is having a great season.  Jo has been in Minnesota helping her parents with some projects and is doing a lot of writing.

We will be at ALDHA's The Gathering this weekend, presenting on our hike at 3PM on Saturday.  More information: http://www.aldha.org/gathering.html

We hope our paths will cross with all of you in the near future.  Thanks to all, from the bottoms of our hearts and boot soles.