hikingafter40

I wrote this for a friend that is considering getting into backpacking.  I am posting it here so I can find it again. ~~~~ So here is a packing list of the things that I use.  Most of the thru hikers I've met use similar things.  Most of us belong to REI (http://rei.com).  It costs 20 dollars to join (one time fee), and some things are really expensive (so I buy those on Amazon), but for the BIG things (tent, sleeping bag, cook system), it's worth it because they have a 100 day return policy.  You can try gear and return it if it doesn't work for you.  For example, I started with an Osprey backpack, but bc I am a bigger girl, it cut into my waist and made me feel like I was in the magician's box getting sliced in half.  I returned it and got a Gregory pack which works for me.  They will measure you for a pack, and you want one that is about 60 liters. Here is a shopping list: BACKPACK: You definitely want to get fitted for this.  There are all kinds.  There

Many years ago, I participated in Harvard's Second Life experiment called "Law in the Court of Public Opinion."  It was a fascinating class because it spoke to how our collective opinion of guilt and innocence is framed not by law but by the perceptions of those deciding the fate of others. In speaking to my 17 year old son, Moustache Man (spelled wrong for impact), we often discuss when we think something is being treated fairly or by the "court of public opinion."  Mumkey Jones, a YouTuber, has been ill treated by this circus court, and his channels, Mumkey Jones I and II, were taken down from YouTube for 6 infractions. Now, I had watched some of the videos when they were up on the channel before the channels were taken down.  I can't say I understood most of what he was talking about, but I am also not a teenager or young adult in the target audience.  I never get the humor from PewDiePie's channel, either.  Of all the modern YouTubers that my t

Clan Young Tartan, Scotland I began celebrating Hogmanay, or Scottish New Year, the year my mother, Karen, died.  It was a way to remember her and the heritage she loved.  Hogmanay is celebrated differently among many Scottish clans, and since I had no personal tradition to draw from, I did a lot of research and came up with our own tradition. Feel free to create your own tradition or to use this one if it helps bring closure to one year and launch you into a peaceful new year. Hogmanay, as celebrated in modern day Scotland, is a giant celebration combining music, fire, and gift giving.  The US has its "Times Square" tradition; Scotland has Hogmanay. The roots of Hogmanay go back centuries and are linked to Norse, Gaelic, and Druid practices surrounding Winter Solstice.  The traditions include music, fire, and gift giving, but also include ritual cleansing of the home and "first footing."  To that end, these are the traditions we do in our house on De

Back when my boys were small, I used to go Black Friday shopping with my best mate, Liz.  We would leave the house at 4AM, go to WaWa and get coffees, and I had planned a route to all the stores (mostly KB Toys, Toys R Us, Kohls, and Macy's).  It wasn't unlike planning a backpacking trip. In some years, we even had a driver to cart our post turkey butts around. My kids got older, and I no longer needed to buy overpriced toys on sale.  My teenagers don't ask for a lot.  They want books and experiences. I may not have taught them how to tie their shoes properly, but I am so happy that they learned that the greatest gifts are the people in our lives and the memories we make together. This year, instead of shopping, I joined forces with the backpacking outfitter, REI, to offer an #OptOutside hike on Black Friday through my MeetUp group for new hikers.   REI takes a great financial risk by being closed on the most major shopping holiday in our culture, so I wanted to offe

So, I truly suck at keeping a blog because, well, I get bored with it, and don't feel like writing.  Then I feel inspired and write in a flurry. In a notebook. With a pen. I don't feel it authentic to retype it all here, so, I don't. A lot has happened since my last post in August. For one, unexpectedly, I accepted a new job at the community college where I graduated and where I started my academic career 20 years ago.  As much as I love the students at Union and the opportunities I've had in New Jersey, it's time to go home. New Jersey is just too expensive, and as I think and pray constantly for my father who is battling lung cancer, I think, one day, hopefully a long time from now, but, one day, my sons are going to go through this with me.  I can't afford a future for my disabled son, Julian, in New Jersey.  He will always require a companion.  In PA, near our family, he has a chance.  Northampton is one of the best community colleges in the

Rambo and I used to debate over the important things: Thundercats versus Little House on the Prairie.  They both came on TV at 4:00, and this was the only time slot of the day when our Mom didn't have a program she was watching because she was making dinner.  Rambo, being older and much bigger, would always win the battle, but I still fought it every day. Fast forward 35 years. Neither of us watch TV.  But, the banter has never died.  It's how we roll. In the backpacking community, debates happen all the time.  To Bear Bag or Not; that is the question.  Trail runners versus boots?  Tent or hammock?  Brain, no brain?  Trekking pole versus sticks?  NOBO versus SOBO?  Is a Flip Flop a legitimate thru hike?  Aqua blazing ~  Yes or No? Every blaze or yellow blazing? Approach trail in Springer?  Can you give yourself your own trail name? I've been crowd sourcing ideas forever, and I definitely ask questions with the aim of learning something.  There are some debates th

Another thing Rambo and I have in common is a love of music.  We both played bagpipes in high school, and he still does.  We both like harder rock and heavy metal in addition to classical music.  Since we don't agree on what to haul into the woods, I figured we could find some common ground and plan our "trek" playlist.  I am interested to know what other people are listening to on all these earbuds along the trail.  Are we all listening to "Uncle John's Band" by either the Grateful Dead or the Indigo Girls?  Are people listening to books on tape?  Even though I am an English professor,  I can't listen to books on tape...I will fall asleep while walking.  Other folks love podcasts.  Again, that's an instant lullaby to me.  What are you listening to? I have several playlists hanging around on Spotify.  They are broken down into moods.  Lately, I've been listening to the "contemplative" playlist.  These are the top 10 songs on it

Yesterday, I wanted to hike, but my son, Sharpie Boy, who is Autistic and has CP as a result of an infant stroke, was having none of it.  Nothing is more miserable than hiking with someone who hates it, so I didn't force him to go. Instead, he wanted to go to Taco Bell.  The kid clearly has a stomach made of steel. I get very depressed when I can't get outside.  The weather has been horrible, so it was the first nice day to get out, and I was stuck at a Taco Bell. But, this is the life of a parent with a child with special needs.  He appreciated getting to choose our activity, and 3 burritos later, he was all smiles. So, instead, I went hiking today. Alone. This is actually my favorite way to hike.  I like to camp with others, but I prefer to hike alone. I can go at my own pace, stop when I want, take a million pictures when I want, and I am not holding anyone up or going too fast. I did a section in New Jersey that I have done about 10 times as a trail angel d

So, before we carry on with one of the most controversial of hiking topics, let me preface this by saying a few things.  First, I respect whatever you believe.  I see the sides of all gun arguments, and I respect you and your opinion, and I don't expect my opinion to change yours and your opinion, while I am happy to hear it, won't impact mine. One of things that is making this hike so memorable is that Rambo and I are complete opposites in many ways.  He sees the world as a place full of criminals because he is a prison officer, and his world is, literally, filled with criminals.  I am an English professor turned administrator, so I see the world in terms of literary devices (he would say sunshine and unicorn farts).  Fair enough. I am not opposed to gun ownership.  I was taught to shoot at a very young age, and I own long arms of my own.  I've won first place the last two years (the only two years I've participated) at the annual gun club "lobster s

I am actually heading out the door to take a hike with my unwilling 15 year old son when my phone vibrates with a text. It's Rambo. "Can you look in the hiker boxes for a Tomahawk?  I don't have one of those." My first thought was, who is putting Tomahawk missiles into hiker boxes...but then I remembered there is an axe thing called a Tomahawk, and this is Rambo. Eye Roll and laughter. I text back, "um, I will ask around, but I've never known anyone to have a Tomahawk or even a machete." "I already have one of those." "You need both?" "We've got to be prepared." So, I am not sure what my brother thinks lives on the AT in the 13ish mile section between Blue Mountain and the Lehigh River in PA, but I am fairly sure it isn't Nessie or Bigfoot.  Surely, some selfies would exist, right? I mean, we grew up there.  He still lives there.  Are there sightings?  Have I missed something in the 12 years s

So, Rambo and I planned our route today.  Now, originally, we were going to do 4 days.  Then he said 3.  Now, we are going overnight.  LOL.  But, that's ok, as I go all the time, and can do a longer trip any time. So, this is our overall route: Day One looks like this: Day Two looks like this: He gave me his itemized packing list that had things on it I never even heard of...and when I gave him my tiny list (originally scribbled on a napkin), he pshawed at my unpreparedness.  Seriously, I don't need more than this: 65 Liter Osprey Pack with rain cover Black Diamond Trekking Poles UL Sleeping Bag (liner optional) and Thermalite sleep pad Kelty Monarch II Tent with Tyvek tarp and extra cord Pocket knife UL camp stove, Stanley pot, Titaniam spork 2 Smart Water Bottles, 1 Sawyer Mini Headlamp with extra batteries Charger + phone Ziplock wallet Waterproof matches Ziplock FAK (bandaids, Neosporin, Motrin, alcohol, tweezers, sting ointment, bu

In preparing for lashing (long ass section hiking), I need to get miles in with my gear and set up.  I've enlisted by older brother, Paul (AKA Uggie) to go on at least one backpacking trek with me, but this isn't as easy as you think it should be, but is as hilarious as you would expect it to be (people want us to go on the road as a comedy duo). Polar Opposites Paul and I are polar opposites.  His nickname in high school was "Rambo."  He (legally) owns more guns than anyone I know.  He wears camo (all the time).  He has American flags hanging all over the place, but especially near his gun cabinets.  His is a Corrections Officer; he is rabidly Republican; he is loud and shouts and yells and carries on.  He's agnostic.  He chews tobacco.  He has a giant tattoo of a wolf and cubs.  He carries his NRA membership card in place of a library card. I hug trees and save kittens. Why Bother? The thing we share, though, is a love of nature.  He's always

This weekend, I scheduled a MeetUp for new backpackers.  It was also the first time I have been backpacking in about 25 years.  Though I car camp from April til October, I've not had the chance to go backpacking since I began my career. 8 people signed up for the trip.  1 person attended: Kevin.  Raised in India, he and his wife have never camped, and he never saw even a "live" tent until he set up his own on Saturday.  He was amazing, though, and really took to it.  It was hard to tell if he enjoyed the experience, though, because his pack was really heavy and hurting his hips.  This is due, I think, to all the extra stuff he bought at REI that he didn't really need.  Since everything was new, it had all the packaging with it, as well, which adds weight. Friday night, I scheduled a beginning backpacking class with REI which they also opened to their customers.  Even though their job is to sell stuff, the teacher, John, did an excellent job.  Since my last backpa

This is what I typically wear on a short hike (less than 3 miles).  

Bucket List: Hike the Grand Canyon There is a phrase used in hiking that some people love and some people hate. Hike Your Own Hike Sometimes referred to as HYOH, the phrase pretty much means do your hike the way you want it.  On a trail like the AT or the PCT, you will meet up with people who are experts about everything, but at the end of your day, it's your own hike you are hiking, so own it. This phrase really applies to all hiking.  You don't have to be a thru hiker, section hiker, flip flop hiker, or master hiker to embrace the sentiment.  Just hike your own hike.  Just keep in mind that hiking YOUR hike doesn't mean you get to dictate how others hike THEIR hike .  So, what's your hiking style? Purpose Everyone sets out with a hiking purpose.  Some people want to hike for fitness.  Others want to hike for the nature.  Some just don't want to sit home.  For me, hiking is about getting away from technology.  I use technology all of the time, and in