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.

Loner AT 2012 Springer Mtn. vid

Here's a video from Jeff aka Loner filmed on Easter Sunday, second day of his 2012 AT thru-hike with the white blazes, after he hiked the approach blue blaze trail  from below Amicalola Falls.  In this video he's hiking from Springer Mtn. top. Springer Mountain is 3782 ft. up in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia offering stunning views. This is the southern terminus of the Benton Max Kaye Trail for all NOBO AT thru-hikers.  A bronze plaque honors Benton McKaye.

Jeff stayed near the Springer Mountain Shelter on a spur trail leading about 70 yards east of the Appalachian Trail. Blue blazes mark the spur trail. The shelter has a raised first floor and a sleeping loft reached by a permanent ladder. Each level of the shelter can comfortably sleep four or five backpackers.

There is a fire circle and wooden picnic table in front of the shelter and a privy down the hill behind the shelter.  The spring has provided water even in recent drought years. There are two sturdy cables strung in trees near the shelter with pulleys and hoisting lines for hauling backpacks and food bags out of reach of the local bears, raccoons and rodents.


Loner is  working with a mini laptop and none of his film editing programs so he can't do much with titles, music, etc.  I'm really grateful to have these even though he's been emailing us regularly.  It helps us to enjoy it more. He's now two weeks into his hike. and he's now posted 12 videos all together from the Appalachian Trail under the you tube name Loner2012AT

Recap: Jeff's AT Prep Hike Black Gap/Amicalola Oct. 2011

10/21/2011 Another journal entry from my son Jeff on his pre- thru AT hike  in Oct. of 2011 to prepare for the hike he's on now after leaving Georgia on  April 76, 2012. He made this 4 or 5 day trip to test his equipment.  If you look close you'll see the owl stuffed animal Jeff bought for my granddaughter, Kendall for Christmas.  He also bought Beth and I long AT maps so now my push pin is notched in at the GA/NC border until I hear from him again.   10/21/2011 Destination: Amicalola State Park Starting Location: Black Gap Today's Miles: 7.00 Trip Miles: 49.00 Friday for fun took the Hike-Inn trail to check that out. Neat place. LOTS of day hikers on Friday and they don't care who sees them poop in the woods. Walked up on 2 different people in the act! How about walking OFF the trail a ways people! Made it back to the visitor center to look around. Tried to take a shower there but the on/off handle came off in my hand and got soaked in cold water just like some bad Chevy Chase movie! Super fun trip and talked to lots of nice people. The shelters were cool and the trail well marked. This was a shake down for my 2012 thru and was very happy all the gear worked out great. Only one small rub on the back of one foot. Was glad to hike in the cold/rain/snow as I have not been able to test that yet and found I'm fine with it. Was easy to find nice trees to hang from too. Looking forward to doing Neels to NC next time before doing the whole thing in 2012! Some extra notes... There is LOTS of trash at some of the shelters. Two had huge kitchen bags full of trash hanging from the bear cables. Met several people that had bad blisters after only a few miles and one dude who got sick and was in trouble on the second day. Out of water and a huge pack. Others could not do the cold and wanted to go home. Water was dry in places but still was able to find enough no problem. Only saw one deer and 3 grouse. (we don't have these in my part of SC). Owls hooting every night was cool too. Used the Terra Nova Laser Elite 20L. Pack weight with food was just under 11 lbs. I carried two 2-liters of water on my belt. Total 50 miles hiked. Loner

Jung, Native American Ancestors & the AT Trail

Jeff has gone back to the Americas before Columbus.
When he signed the register at the beginning of the AT Trail, the backpack, weigh-in site in the Amicalola Falls State Park, Jeff  chose the AT name,  Loner. 

 I would give Jeff a Native American AT Trail name, mostly from the Algonquin's of Maine, who are in his ancestral line on his father's side dating back to maybe his great-great-great grandmother, from the time when one of the British Gray's of Gray, Maine married an Algonquin girl.   

In the Algonquin language the most fitting name for Jeff would be,  Enkoodabaoo which means one who lives alone.  I see his hike as a quest of self-discovery.  So far I haven't found an Algonquin name for turtle, which is his totem animal and has been since his days in the cub scouts when he found his first box turtle and then his dad built him a massive 8X6 foot waist high turtle habitat which had sand for turtles to bury themselves in, lots of vegetation,  a pond for the red-eared water sliders, which his dad rescued from a construction site where the turtles were barely surviving in a mud puddle. The pond had  logs and rocks where they could stretch out their legs and sun themselves and Jeff could push it in and out of the garage in bad storms. In the winter he released them all into the wild so that they could lay their eggs next spring in natural surroundings.
Like a turtle, Jeff travels with his house on his back.  He has lived in a camper for years and it totally suits his simple nomadic lifestyle.

 Jeff  knows himself more than any man I know.  He's an internal guy, always thinking, analyzing his dreams.  His whole life he's navigated the Jungian approach without knowing it, learning who he is, becoming 100% Jeff full of muchness.  He's as authentic as they come - full to the brim with the essence of Jeff. You can see it as soon as you meet him, even beneath the shy surface and subtle humor.He's done more psychological inner work than most people I know and I've worked in the psychological/psychiatric field off and on for many years. Jeff has kept dream journals and spent more than his 40 days in the wilderness starting from when he was a kid about 12 years old (pictured right) when my then boyfriend, Steve, a mountain man to be sure ( he caught rattle snakes in pillow cases for Clemson University as we hiked) would take us off trail in the Blue Ridge Mtns and show us the ropes.  So 90 or 120 days plus won't seem like as much to Jeff as it would to city folk (like me now).  He currently lives in his camper on the road mostly on back roads in the sticks and mountains. So he's familiar with the woods and enjoys his own company.  He's a deep thinker and profound person in touch with the world on a natural level like the Native Americans.  He doesn't buy consumerism sham and lives a minimalist life - and when I say minimal - I mean it.  All his worldly belongings would fit in a couple of trunks and he recycles and sells them often as he takes up new ways to connect with Gaia. All except for his arrowheads which he's collected since he was 12 - but that's another blog all together.
Now he's taken another cycle on his quest in a spiral way over the 39 years of his life, as he's been circling around this unknown goal for many years in the wide range of activities he's become obsessed with - all of which I imagine he shall discover has taught him the skills and given him the mental tools to reach whatever goal he has for this most unique and adventurous experience.