The Flip Side

After my last post, I received a very important comment from Patty, mother of an AT hiker, named Rayo, who is a few weeks ahead of Jeff.
Patty reminded me of some very important points about being a family member of an AT hiker - the good things!
As we participate in their journey from afar, we are being introduced to a whole different side of life.  She reminded me of how much fun it is to talk about our sons wherever we go.  How satisfied we are when we find new kinds of trial mixes or good healthy dried fruit - especially at bargain prices; how we make lists of items to spice up a mail drop box or add to their calorie intake - very important right now since they're burning 6,000 calories a day.
I need to keep these good things in mind more often than my worries.  Because of Jeff's (Loner's) decision to walk the AT, I'm learning so much more about America, taking pride in it's people and character, as well as being newly awed by its grandeur and diversity.  I'm learning about the ecology of our country and how we have done harm, but also how many men and women have, and are working hard to find ways to preserve it, from the guy who picks up trash and packs it out, to our legislatures who pass laws to keep our natural beauty intact. Over the past fifty years we have protected thousaands of acres by creating our system of State and National parks and preserves.
 I'm learning the flora, fauna and animals which live only a half a day's drive away and I'm able to see America through new eyes - all because sometime last year my son made the decision to hike the AT.
I'm meeting new and interesting people who are learning these things as well from our soggy, tired but ultimately enchanted ambassadors for our nation: the hikers of the AT who take the time to blog, take photos, and post videos so those of us who can't, or won't ever have such an experience can at least get a taste from the comfort of our couch or safety of our computer chair.
I'm fortunate my son chose to hike now, close to his 40th birthday in July, when technology allows me to share it with him, instead of 20 years ago the wait for a rare letter could last weeks.
Because I forget to write these things, it doesn't mean they don't matter to me or I take them for granted.  Instead they are part of my everyday life now.  It's as if I'm learning a new language, culture, geography, history, science and psychology of our country and the warmth and concern within each American all at once. 
The Trip of Loner and every brave soul who has stepped foot on the trail has made me take more pride in America than any speech I've ever heard.
Hikers, nature lovers, wanderers throughout our public lands on foot are the true chroniclers of our nation. Without the rhetoric of politicians, the agendas of corporations, the petty worries and squabbles of a consumer-driven society, they see the purity behind the facade, the majesty of our mountains, the strength of the individual who meets nature as a follower or cooperator on an elemental level.
There is only the fog of fear to divert a hiker from the path, or the inability to trust his own unique instinct. Those who keep going despite four days of rain, falling apart shoes, eating cold food every day due to the ability to find fuel for their tiny stove will prove something to themselves about man and the stunning beauty of fourteen states over 5 million steps.
They are the true story tellers as they wind their way through the natural beauty of the mountains through the small towns of south, mid-America and New England - all encompassing different characters and cultures, but who as one united front prove over and over how people want to naturally help, give and care. We just have to be reminded to stop our everyday rush and the constant chatter in our brains to hear an old story told in many new and personal ways.

OCD mom: From Frantic Valley to Augmented Reality

As you might have noticed, if you've been anywhere on this blog, I suffer from  obsessive compulsive disorder, not in the way that people think of, such as hand-washing or meticulously cleaning your house all the time (my daughter claims that one) but in the way when I get into something, a new hobby for example or a new subject or interest, I am obsessed.
As evidenced by the fact that I've posted a good many blog entries on CarolinaATMom  since I started this blog about five weeks ago. It's was one of the methods I employed to  deal with my anxiety regarding my son, Jeff's aka Loner's Trek on the Appalachian Trail.
And there's about 5 more posts already written, waiting to be edited or linked with links or peppered with photos and flotsam and jetsam of AT facts or stats.  Even I think it's too gauche to post this many.
But I can't stop myself.

And the blog posts are just the tip of my AT obsession iceberg attempting to rival altitude of Mt. Kathadin. Behind the scenes there's hours of book reading (some books twice!), hours of You Tube videos, blogs and video documentaries including 2,000 Miles to Maine, a funny and sometimes irreverently honest film interviewing a cast of quirky hikers and one angry dog and  I just watched Trek - a vibrant, emotional and telling chronicle of four young men who take to the trail as the Four Horsemen and both the wonderful and the trying experiences they encounter. Beautifully photographed with stunning panoramic views which can't be caught in photos, this will be one I'll watch over and over, just like I do Loner's You Tube Videos.
I also can't resist stalking the Internet sites White Blaze  where AT hikers post journal entries, post questions, comments, help each other, sometimes argue about all topics related to the AT and Trail Journals a website of journals kept by thru-hikers over the years and updated as hikers can with smart phones, etc.
 I also find myself reading the crime reports and unfortunately forwarding them to my son as warnings about what to look out for.  While I believe the AT is as safe as any other part of the USA, the trail is almost a mini moving town and in any town things such as deaths happen. On the AT the dangers range can arise from hypothermia, heat exhaustion, falls, heart attacks. And yes, even violent crimes and murders do happen (such as a recent, May 10, 2012, attempted armed robbery on Beauty Spot Lookout on Unaka Mtn. in Tenn. to be addressed in another post). Loner had been there about a week before. It's just good be aware.
If I could find wild animal reports going over those for every 5 million steps my son will take on the 2,000 whatever it is, the mile count keeps changing miles, especially since my son as already dispatched one rattle snake to the side of the trail with the lure of the snake's supper and three bears, who thankfully ran away from him. .

So, am I the only family member, friend or, I admit sometimes overly involved mom out there?  (Peeking through the Internet telescope) Are there any other AT support teams who sometimes feel close to falling  over the cliff edge to Frantic Valley? Am I the only Mom who drops her life to peek in on her son's?  I read about these Augmented Reality Glasses Google is proposing to release later this year - it's a computer in a strange glasses/around the forehead headbandy thing, all futuristic which offers GPS, displays weather, has the ability to take photos, send emails, make phone calls etc. all in one tidy headset smart phone.  I told my son about them and asked if he'd wear them if he ever undertakes another adventure like the AT in the future so I could follow him every step of the way.  He was smart and refused.  I should have known better since the only technology he has on the trail is his camera. Am I alone? Am I crazy?
It would really be nice to know I'm not the only family member who's gone around the proverbial crook in the trail in this situation. 
My son would think so, hence up until recently I wrote this blog in absolute secrecy from my son. It was easy since he doesn't carry a cell phone or smart phone and has limited access to computers at hostels.
But now I finally feel I can mentally balance the idea of the valuable life transformation he's gifting himself against the worry I feel about the what ifs.

New Loner AT videos #'s 22-29

I just heard from my son Jeff, aka Loner who posted 7 new videos of his 2012 Appalachian Trail thru-hike up at his You Tube site Loner AT 2012
There's footage from Roan, TN to Marion, VA.  So he passed 400, mile, then 500 miles and crossed into Virginia within the past two weeks.  He'll be in Virginia about a month since it's the state with the most miles on the AT, 550 miles!  But it has a lot fewer high mountains, more farms and valleys and the beautiful Shenandoah so hikers make a lot of time and manage high mile averages while going through Virgina.  Loner decided not to stay in Damascus and wait on his mail drop - it would have been an extra 2 or 3 days in town and that can eat up a lot of a hiker's money.  He also wanted to get to his computer so he could download his videos so he headed north, met a lot of SOBO hikers and cyclists heading to Damascus but he saw bears, cows and ponies and visited or stayed in some cool hostels.  Black Bear Resort looks killer - we may have to stay there if we go to Damascus for Trail Days next year - which he says he wants to do.  He would have liked to have stayed but not that many days.  Bummer the P.O. closed at 11:30 pm and he missed three boxes of his food mail drop.  Hopefully they've bounced them ahead. He's glad to have run into some of the folks he's already hiked with on the trail!  Some days he hikes 25 miles and has lost 30 lbs so far.
Hope you enjoy the videos!

Hiking, Art and Photo journals

A few of years ago I became involved in making altered books,and handmade art journals and photo albums.  As with many of my art activities, I soon became obsessed, like the first year I started painting, (I was in my 50's).  I completed 40 paintings.
Lately, since starting the book/journal making, I guess I've made between 30-40 over the past couple of years.  I can't remember since I give many away and sell them on my Etsy page.
So, of course, since my son, Jeff aka Loner, has taken up is great undertaking, this Magnum Opus of the outdoors, the 5 month or more hike of the Appalachian Trail, I've been using art as therapy (which I teach at our brain injury drop in center) and am making Jeff what they call in the scrapbooking/bookmaking world - a mini album.  It's a combined album/journal which has places (not slots like in a photo album) but creative ways such as fold out cards, accordion cards and photo mats to display photos as well as lots of places to  record journaling entries, keep lists, tuck memorabilia, ephemera and even 3-D mementos into various pockets and envelopes. This has become quite a large trend in the last few years and there are hundreds of videos on You Tube on the various techniques and styles.   Since Jeff is a light weight backpacker, he won't collect much on his trip (although I will try and convince him to send some back home) so I started collecting hiking, backpacking and AT related items form the first day we dropped him off at Amicalola Falls. And now I've started making him a mini book to keep as a reminder of all the adventures he has on his trip. They're called mini books because most scrapbooks are 12X12 inches. The one I;'m making for Jeff isn't really that "mini", it will be about 6X4 inches when completed and may end up being three or four books in a wooden box which I'll embellish to match the journals. 
I highly recommend this to any family member as a way of dealing with their anxiety over their At hiker! It's a great thing to keep your mind of the stressful aspects of thinking about your hiker on trail and the scary things that can happen and instead focus on the fun, discovery and excitement that our hiker is thinking about and really experiencing - keeping the worries more in the back of their minds than we do.

 Before my son went on this trip, I never considered making an photo/journal, art book for him.  Most of the materials, ephemera and etc. which I use for these books is aimed at women and children.  Only around father's day do you find anything masculine enough to use and while there are some things for campers, fisherman, cyclists and hunters, there's not much for hikers and so far nothing for hammock campers (so I'll have to figure out a way to make my own).  At first I made the rounds of Michael's, Hobby Lobby and A.C. Moore, finding a few things here and there. I did find the Jolee's Boutique camping, and fishing but not the hiking.  But not enough to use for the size of book needed to cover all 2,100 and odd miles!
But today, quite by synchronicity, I found just the resource I needed!  And so if any family member is making any kind of photo album, journal or keepsake box, boy do I have a good resource for materials. Wow! The online shop called Scrappin' Sports Stuff  is a goldmine of materials for hiking, camping, backpacking, kayaking - all in one place  (I'd already spent three hours this morning scouring the Internet and Etsy (where I did find some gems)!  And they had a hiking one from Jolee's  which I hadn't seen anywhere but which I love especially because of the sign and the gear!  In addition to dimensional stickers, they have 12X12 papers and even page layouts, die cuts, ephemera, ribbons (including a masculine one that has hiking boots footprints and the word "outdoors" on it, word stickers and more. I've already compiled quite a large wish list and will have to wait until payday to purchase the materials I'll need for the next 3 1/2 to 4 months.
As soon as I get further along, I will post photos of the book I'm making for Jeff.  I may have to post them on my other blog just in case he reads this one.  I want him to be surprised.  Do you think I've already blown it?  
Jeff knowing me the way he does, and who has seen me make these over and over may have already guess I might make one while he's away - or then maybe not, maybe he thinks they are only for women and kids. As a matter of fact I was maybe too dedicated to making one the night before we took him to Amicalola Falls - but they are great stress relievers to manage some of the stress form my job. But since I'd like to share the idea for those out there who could use some stress release tactics  I'll take the risk.  And here and there I'll add some tips and techniques along the way on here and maybe even get the guts to make a You Tube video which I meant to do before some of my books went to other homes.

Jeff aka Loner at Fontana Dam

I rec'd another email from my son, Jeff aka Loner. On the anniversary of the first week, he was able to cross the GA/NC line (video here). During the first week he was able  He was able to pick up the two drop boxes I sent.  One for his pack and one for town food or for his bounce box.  He did bounce some of it forward to Hot Springs.  He's passed the dam after two days of rain, but stayed dry at night.  Only one blister so far - no other problems.
 He was able to get into town at Hiawassee and NOC (The Nantahala Outdoor Center) video here, so within the first two weeks there are plenty of towns to stop in to resupply. Thirty miles into the trail after the descent from Blood Mtn. (video here) there's one outfitter at Neels Gap. Most AT All Thru-hikers stop in at Mountain Crossings store and hostel since the trail runs right through the building! Mountain crossings is only place where the trail runs right through the building and the only place on the  2,178-miles of the AT that passes under a roof.

Here thru-hikers can get a backpack shakedown by the highly knowledgeable outfitter staff. They weigh it there then tell you what you need and what you don't need to get your weight down. Some first-timers carry up to 35 lb packs!  They end up throwing a lot it away.  In many of the outfitters and hostels there are boxes or barrels where AT thru hikers can leave the stuff they don't need or want. Hikers who come after them can dig through it and restock. Each year, an average of  9,000 pounds of unnecessary stuff is sent home or left behind in the Mountain Crossings boxes and barrels.
Jeff let them do his backpack shakedown on his prep hike last October so he knew what was going to work this time to get the weight down to 13.5.

After Jeff left Fontana Dam, NC he entered the Smokey Mountains.  He produced a yout tube video of this section on his You Tube site LonerAT2012. Then climbed Clingman's Dome the highest mountain trail on the AT at  6,643 feet, Clingman's Dome is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the highest point in Tennessee, and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi. There is a viewing tower at the top with 360 degree views, but I' think it's raining there so Jeff may not get to see this great angle of the Great Smoky Mtns. 
  I think it's around here that AT hikers keep straddling the Eastern Continental Divide circling around and switching back and forth into North Carolina and Tennessee.  And at this point he'd hiked 200 miles.

Emotions, Books, Jeff aka Loner on the AT

It's funny, Jeff would probably have a fit if he knew I was writing this blog, but I am a writer - that's how I deal with my emotions and what life throws at me. Jeff is a very humble guy and probably won't tell anyone about his interesting life as he hikes the AT.  He's a unique guy with a deep soul, and although mostly English, Irish, Polish,Russian and Italian, he's profoundly connected to his Algonquin Indian roots which date back to his great-great grandfather from Gray Maine.

 And while I was just tremendously excited for Jeff as he prepared to leave, it didn't hit me until a day later how scared I was and how bittersweet it was to see him wave on that switchback trail up to Amicalola Falls.  I wondered if I would ever see him again, knowing folks have died on the trail.  But I couldn't break down there because my granddaughter Kendall (9 years old) was standing there beside me.
So I broke down the next week - all week - crying jags as I drove from one client to the next in my job as a rehab support specialist for adults with traumatic brain injuries.  I had nightmares at night but made myself do research.  So now, I've read tons of AT thru hiker blogs, read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson and am reading,  AWOL on the Appalachian Trail, by   David Miller, and have ordered from Amazon, Zach Davis, Appalachian Trials, the psychological approach to making the trail and from reading his funny yet honest blog on his Good Badger website.