Ray K. Anderson's Blog, page 8
December 1, 2015
Trail Maintainence Crews: Lots of work; very little credit.
Who paints all the trail blazes? Who clears all the blow-downs and debris? Ever seen the occasional ladder and handhold of rebar? Where does that come from? Trail maintenance crews, that’s where. Behind all that beautiful scenery is the hard, grunt work of men and women who maintain your trail. My hiking buddy in New Jersey is a volunteer trail maintainer […]
November 28, 2015
Survival and Rescue: A Growing Problem
A couple of years ago, an injured hiker was rescued after spending three nights on Mt. Hood in Oregon. At the same time on the East Coast, it took rescuers nine hours to bring an injured hiker to safety after he fell on a Maine mountain. More and more, we hear these stories. Why? Some believe that the ubiquitous […]
November 24, 2015
Speed Records on Trails: Good idea or bad?
Two years ago, Associated Press ran an article about a woman who’d just completed hiking the entire Appalachian Trail in 46 days, 11 hours, and 20 minutes! Well, that’s dandy. While I’m in awe of the accomplishment, I’m wondering why she did this. What is the logic or meaning behind it? The article states that she never […]
November 21, 2015
“Hike Your Own Hike” redux
I’ve received a number of comments on a previous post–Hike Your Own Hike (HYOH). I have hit a sensitive issue, an issue that can easily break up any thru-hike. I remember two thru-hikers on the AppalachianTrail in ’03. The two middle-aged men were tight when they started, but one always lagged behind the other, and the other was always in a […]
November 17, 2015
Hiking Hostels: What you should know
I prefer a motel room in town when I resupply on a hike. For one big reason—I sleep better. There are smaller reasons. Privacy and the freedom to do my own thing, when and how I want to. Many hikers, especially younger ones, flock to hostels. I understand why: They are inexpensive and offer camaraderie. So, for economic reasons and to stick with a […]
November 14, 2015
The Adirondacks: For the Peakbagger
I keep hearing about the 46 four-thousand-foot mountains in the Adirondacks of upstate New York. Judging by the photos here, which I pulled from the Internet, I’m in for a pleasant treat when I begin the quest to climb them next Spring. I’m told that most of them have marked trails leading to the summit. That […]
November 10, 2015
Sleeping Bags: How to wash and dry them
I’m always apprehensive about washing my sleeping bag; I’m afraid I’ll ruin it. There are few pieces of hiking gear as important to me as my bag, and I do everything I can to get a comfortable sleep in the wilds. Here’s what BACKPACKER magazine says about washing sleeping bags: 1) Read the label, or get advice on the company’s website. […]
November 7, 2015
Trail Angels and Trail Magic
Hats off to all Trail Angels and to any other good souls who make Trail Magic. As defined by Michele Ray in her book, How to Hike the A.T., a trail angel is a person who does kind things for hikers, such as offering them shelter, food, or water. Trail magic is comprised of the serendipitous, silent acts of […]
November 3, 2015
Hiker-Hobble: Handling Knee Problems
On any extended hike, you risk knee problems. And, as mentioned in an earlier post, if you hike without trekking poles, you are asking for a knee problem. What do you do when a knee, shin, or leg begins to fall apart? This happened to me six weeks into my Appalachian Trail thru-hike. What frustrated me was that I’d used my […]
October 31, 2015
Tip: Before an extended hike, do a shakedown with all your equipment.
Before leaving on an extended hike, do yourself a favor–take a multi-night shakedown hike with all your equipment. Unless you hike overnight several times a year, don’t try to wing it. And if you have new equipment, give it a test run. Set up your tent under trail conditions and sleep in it. The best way to make sure that you will […]
