Thursday, December 29, 2011

New Projects - Favorite Subjects- True Trail Stories

I've begun a new project with favorite subject matter: true trail stories about the people, adventures and ridiculous stuff over 12 years of trail life. Most of the stories have never been told. Most of the stories are just too damn embarrassing.

This tiny photo is of a thru hiker named "Falafel". He spent a night in a Georgia AT shelter and woke to find a mother mouse had not only given birth in his pack, but had taken up residence.


I met this couple on their honeymoon on the Pacific Crest Trail. These two lovebirds carried a four pound camera and their last resupply from Stehican  consisted of 52 candy bars and one package of ramen noodles. I met them the next year while I was hiking the AT and they were working for Backpacker's Magazine "Get out more " team. Fantastic couple. Shout out to Brent and Amy. PCT hikers sometimes don't have trail names. We called these two the Honeymooners.


This is me on the second day of my PCT hike at the Kick Off Party at Lake Moreno. We were fed all kinds of fantastic food by well wishers, trail angels and family members. I met some wonderful people there. If you're heading out to the PCT, this party is usually the last weekend in April.


Smurf and Radio Flyer, good dudes from the AT thru hike. We liked getting our 20 mile days done early, then relax on whatever the shelter had to offer. These dudes and I shared a room in Harper's Ferry. I felt like the mom when they went out on the town shopping and gave me silk shorts. Ahem, all in the family.



This food orgy could only happen when hiker trash is involved. Take any food, place it in the middle of the table and stand back. Spoons appear out of no where, I mean. This is a Pacific Crest Trail Photo, and I remember much hunger being replaced by bloated town bellies. You gotta love it.


The Poet. Need I say more? Great guy, quiet and thoughtful.

My new project has photos and true stories woven with lessons I learned the hard way, sort of a how to and how not to book, along with ultra light gram weenie embarrassing moments.

To all my trail bum friends, hiker trash, and gram weenie aficionados: May All Your Gear be Lighter, Happy New Years, and I'll See you up the trail.

Brawny

2 comments:

  1. Looking forward to reading more of your stories in the new year. I once lead a hike and could not find the trail head! I took a scout troop on two complete circles before I gave up and asked the unit manager where the start was. The start was straight ahead. LOL.

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  2. Yeah, Flo, that rings a bell. The start of the Colorado Trail is fairly nebulous...we wandered around looking for the sign that said:
    Colorado Trail Northern Teminus, or anything that would indicate its actual tag-the-sign kinda thing.
    instead, you begin in Waterman Canyon. Live and learn. After getting off the town bus and wandering around the parking area, tagging glassed in maps and side trails, we finally figured if we hadn't started at the beginning, by god we passed the beginning at least twice!

    Happy New Years!

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