JIMarx.comHiking the Appalachian Trail
The Finish | October 10, 2008
My
Appalachian Trail journey is complete. Harpers Ferry is the
termination of my 2008 thru hike of the Appalachian Trail, all 2,174
miles of it. And I feel great about it. I am so happy to get
it over with successfully. Of course I did not achieve this alone,
it took a lot of support from many people. I appreciate your
interest in following along with my hike. Knowing so many people
were interested, kept me motivated at those times I felt I should quit.
So thank you for your support, it really helped me along the six month
journey.
The Right Stuff | October 1, 2008
The right
stuff I am referring to is the equipment I have on the trail. Most everything I have is changed from when I
started my hike in April in Georgia, even my underwear. To
start with, the most important equipment are the shoes; as I know from
the first half, if your feet are sore, nothing works well.
I have upgraded from the hiking shoes I was using to hiking
boots. At my half time break I purchased a pair of
“Meindl Alaska Hikers” sold by Cabelas. They are
designed for alpine hiking which I thought would be needed in Maine, New
Hampshire, and the rocks of Pennsylvania. These have
worked out very well for me on the rocks and on the wet trails.
They are twice as expensive, but are lasting twice as long and
still functioning well on the rocks of Pennsylvania.
My feet still get sore from all the hiking by the end of the day,
especially on rocks; but not painfully sore.
Slideshow 4 | September 24, 2008
Here
are some more pictures that I have taken recently.
It's A Journey | September 20, 2008
Hi from Vernon, New Jersey ,
Yes, New Jersey already, and only 334 more miles to go. That may still seem like a lot yet, but it definitely isn't when you consider that I have already hiked over 1,800 miles. It seems like I am just grinding out the miles now, I am anxious to get to Caladonia and the last week of hiking. A very wise friend just reminded me of an old proverb; "When you have completed 95 percent of your journey, you are only half way there". I need to reflect on that some. Several of you have said you cannot join me at Caledonia State Park in Pennsylvania for the last week of hiking; I hope that means the rest of you are still considering it. So far only Ben will be joining me for the hike, and my sister Pat and Mike are considering coming to Harpers Ferry for the celebration on Friday evening October 10th.
Before I write about Massachusetts , Connecticut , and New York , I want to go back to Vermont and tell a story.
You're Invited | September 7, 2008
I made it through Vermont; but before I talk about Vermont, let me invite you to join me for a week of hiking.
Here’s my plan:
I will be camping in Caledonia State Park in Pennsylvania on Sunday October 5th waiting for you to meet me there. This is 60 miles outside of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. We would spend the next 5 days hiking in Pennsylvania, through Maryland, and then into West Virginia to Harpers Ferry on Friday afternoon, which will be October 10th. Then of course, we would have a giant celebration Friday evening for the completion of my Appalachian Trail through-hike. On Saturday morning I will go to the Appalachian Trail Headquarters in Harpers Ferry and register my through hike completion, and fly back to Detroit on Saturday evening from Washington, DC.
New Hampshire Presidentials | August 27, 2008
No, this is not going to be about politics. I’m sure you are getting enough of that already. The New Hampshire Presidential Range is a group of mountains along the Appalachian Trail named after presidents (and a few other prominent Americans); Madison, Adams, Jefferson, Washington, Monroe, Lincoln, Jackson, and more. They are well known by hikers on the AT for both their beauty and their difficulty. They showed me both during my hike through and over them.
The Maine Event | August 12, 2008
I almost finished Maine, or should I say Maine almost finished me. I had to skip a 20 mile section because I could not get across a stream fording at Black Brook. Brook sounds like a small stream; but that day it was a raging waterway out of it banks and over 5 feet deep with a very swift current. I tried it without a pack first, and the water was already up to my waist just a few feet into it, and the current forcing me downstream. So I had a choice to make, be a quitter or an idiot.
Back On The Trail | July 27, 2008
I’m back on the trail
again heading south this time from Maine back to
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
Maine is so New Englandish; even the names sound
very English such as Penobscot River, Pemadumcook
Lake, and Pollywog Stream. There
are many lakes, ponds, streams, bogs, and woods with
white birch trees and the sound of loons.
From all of this, you just know you are in
New England!
The trails here are full of moose droppings. Now, I don’t know shit about animal poop; but I’m told the piles of big round turds are from moose. I thought it was giant rabbits.
Movie: Izzy's Walk | July 21, 2008
Izzy's Walk
is a short
show about
the first
half of my
Appalachian
Trail hike.
Most of the
footage are
my pictures
that you may
have already
seen,
however the
movie does
contain some
additional
content.
Halftime Report | July 9, 2008
Having
arrived in Harpers Ferry on July 4th;
I have
completed
nearly half
of the
Appalachian
Trail. I’m
now in
Jackson,
Michigan for
a bunch of
appointments
this week.
I will
return to
Maine on
July 16 to
begin the
second half
hike from
Maine back
to West
Virginia.
Before I get into the statistics of the first half, I have to tell you about another bear sighting. This one was close, and was an encounter. On Wednesday June 25 I got off to an early start anxious to get into Waynesboro, Virginia and start the Shenandoah National Park portion of the hike.
What's For Dinner? | June 25, 2008
An Atypical Day On The Trail | June 12, 2008
I’m back on the trail
again heading south this time from Maine back to
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
Maine is so New Englandish; even the names sound
very English such as Penobscot River, Pemadumcook
Lake, and Pollywog Stream. There
are many lakes, ponds, streams, bogs, and woods with
white birch trees and the sound of loons.
From all of this, you just know you are in
New England!
The trails here are full of moose droppings. Now, I don’t know shit about animal poop; but I’m told the piles of big round turds are from moose. I thought it was giant rabbits.
