The People's Trail

The Appalachian Trail experience can be a social experience for those who want it. Not quite on par with the European trail systems' cultural experience, this trail is for people who desire a total immersion in wild nature. The trail people, especially thru-hikers, want to exert themselves physically on insanely technical and rugged terrain. But most people say their favorite part of the experience is the friends they make along the way and the commaraderie. This year, over 1,100 people attempting a thru-hike passed thru the trail's halfway point in Harper's Ferry, WV. 

Here are some the characters I have met so far...

Beans: first Appalachian Trail thru-hike attempt; so far so good. A 'thru-hike' means hiking the entire trail start to finish (Georgia to Maine typically). The average time people take to do this is 5-6 months.

Grey Ghost: began his thru-hike in March and halfway thru realized he had two broken bones in his foot. He got off trail for the 11week recovery and then began hiking southbound from the northern terminus on Mt Katahdin in Maine southbound. He decided to reverse directions to avoid severe winter weather up north.

McGuyver: got his trail name as he is pretty handy making useful things out of nothing. He made these really cool chainsaw carvings at the white mountains lodge and hostel  in Gorham, NH.

Hudson: attempting his first thru-hike. But he's no stranger to the trail. Hudson operates a hiker hostel in Falls Village, CT. He's showing off his rad AT tattoo in photo below.

Jo Cool and B-Man from Pittsburg are out hiking a section NOBO.

Poppy: Waiting outside the Andover, Maine post office to mail unnecessary gear home. Shedding some extra pack weight will help his efforts over Maine's mountains.

Rizza: from Winston-Salem,NC. In this picture he is stoked to be in Monson, ME at the doorstep of the infamous hundred mile wilderness. This will be his final 6 days on a months-long journey north from Springer Mountain, Georgia. We got to hike with this energetic and positive hiker personality.

Hillbilly Dave: not a thru-hiker but instead the legendary ferryman taking hikers safely across the trail's most formidable ford, the Kenebec River. Dave Fletcher has been running the ferry for the last eight years May-October six days a week!

Hillbilly Dave coming to pick up NOBO (northbound) thru-hiker Indy. Indy is another Marylander (from Cecil County).

Hangin around town. The post office in

Caratunk, ME September 27, 2014

(r to l) Chewy, Tesla, and Rizza in a frenzy around the hiker box in Caratunk. They are all becoming increasingly excited as they approach their final 150 mile crescendo atop Mt Katahdin.

Nan: a 'trail angel' in Caratunk, Maine. She leaves baked treats for the hikers in a box at the post office.

Marie: Caratunk, Maine post master. She has helped hikers and other mail patrons for 25years and retires on the 30th.

Photo taken back in Caratunk after my last leg of hiking to Monson on September 29th 2014

Miss Janet: a legendary trail angel providing vehicle support and many others fabulous forms of trail magic. Hailing originally from Alabama, she is getting to know the strategic road crossings quite well from Dahlonega to Millinocket. She rode me back to my vehicle in Caratunk when I arrived in Monson, ME. Thanks Miss J!

September 29th 2014

This gal/guy is not a person but it appears that (s)he spends a lot of time around people, so I am including him/ her in this post. Meet Theo!

Sandy: at White Wolf Inn and Cafe takes good care of hungry hikers. Here she presents the Wolf Burger!

Dawn: owner and operator at Shaw's. A hiker hospitality since the '70s. Shaw's serves the heartiest hiker breakfast in Monson!

A gathering at Shaw's. 

September 29th 2014

Food Rescue Day at Baltimore Free Farm

Another Food Rescue Day at Baltimore Free Farm

 

Some of the goods we got today.  We also had lots of volunteers to help sort the produce, yay!

 I'd like to tell you more about why we're passionate about Food Rescue:

 A recent study from the USDA found that:

"In the United States, 31 percent—or 133 billion pounds—of the 430 billion pounds of the available food supply at the retail and consumer levels in 2010 went uneaten. The estimated value of this food loss was $161.6 billion using retail prices. For the first time, ERS estimated the calories associated with food loss: 141 trillion in 2010, or 1,249 calories per capita per day."

- See more at: http://endhunger.org/food_waste.htm#sthash.vneApqjT.dpuf

That's just crazy.  Why is it that people in this country go hungry when there is so much food going to waste?

By intercepting the food from going into the landfill, we are helping the environment!
Reducing the methane from landfills: when food is disposed in a landfill it rots and becomes a significant source of methane - a potent greenhouse gas with 21 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. Landfills are a major source of human-related methane in the United States, accounting for more than 20 percent of all methane emissions. 

By wasting less food, we're wasting less resources: There are many resources needed to grow food, including water, fertilizers, pesticides, and energy. By wasting food, you are also wasting the resources that went into growing it.

By donating HERE:

You will help to sustain this project:

We will be able to recoup the gas used for the food pickups, (gas is expensive!)

which will help to continue to allow food to be distributed to the community for free.  Thank you all for your continued support!

Enjoying the bounty!  Today we put out about 20lbs of Free Farm grown surplus produce!

Hiking into Autumn

Beans and T-Mello arguing about which direction to hike. I am a southbounder at heart, but I gave into Beans' northbound tendencies since he has come all the way from Georgia on foot beginning March 21st. Photo by McGuyver.

Autumn is the best time for camp fires!

Trail registers are often full of amusing stories, comics, poems, and nature observations. These public journals are also important means of communication for those hiking long distances on the trail. For example: "McGuyver, I'm headed to Frye Notch Shelter tonight. Hope you can make it." ---- Beans 9/20/2014

I've been seeing entries from another Maryland thru-hiker named Waldo. I've yet to meet him though....

I've been collecting seed from this plant called Hawkweed. I bet it's in the aster group. It seems to like a rocky substrate in sunny locations, usually near road crossings. 

Baltimore Free Farm is hosting the educational aspect of the second annual Mushroom City Arts festival from October 2nd thru October 4th. Check out their website for schedule of events.

http://mushroomcityartfestival.org/schedule/

Maine trail is notorious for it's rugged and often technical climbs and descents. The Maine A.T. Club even installs metal assists in rocky places where hikers shouldering packs would have trouble getting through.

But the rewarding scenery makes the climb worth all the effort!

Lake Mooselookmeguntic. Say that 5 times fast!

Autumn colors are showing.

Today is the first day of Autumn and we are most fortunate to be crossing Saddleback Mountain. Here is the view!

Not what we had hoped for but still beautiful in it's own way. It's gusty wet cloud weather but thankfully not too cold.

Gearing up for an overnight hike

All of this stuff has to fit in my pack!

Essential to any hiker's gear list is water treatment. This one has a hint of lemon.

Data book for seeing what's ahead and journal for notes.

There's nothing better than warm dry socks at the end of the day. 

A patch printed at BFF. And a sewing kit given to me by Lady Sherpa. I will have something to do at camp.

Baltimore Free Farm -- a Social Justice and Sustainability 'Food Hub'

T-Mello on 2011 Southbound Thru-Hike to Georgia 

As most know, I am a collective member of Baltimore Free Farm a project of Fusion Partnerships.

Our Mission
Baltimore Free Farm is committed to created ecologically sound alternatives by combining the best of age-old and modern technologies. We strive to promote urban agriculture, sustainability, and permaculture through the creation of green spaces and community sanctuaries which utilize reclaimed materials whenever possible. By providing entertainment, educational opportunities, and ethically produced food to local residents, we hope to instill a sense of pride in one's community and its ability to sustain itself.

Food Rescue Day
Every Wednesday members of Baltimore Free Farm go to various produce distributors and grocers to rescue distressed goods <items too ripe to sell or just past their expiration date>. We drive the 300-500 lbs of produce, dry goods, and bread 30 miles back to Baltimore Free Farm for redistribution into the community. This is a direct action against the endemic food waste crisis that faces our society, which pushes 40% of food produced into landfills to rot with the plastics and other non-compostable goods while millions around the world starve. By simply giving perfectly edible food to people who will eat it, Food Rescue Day is the physical manifestation of a conservation about food waste on a local level. Food is given away at 12noon every Wednesday.

 A happy family gets free food on Wednesday September 17th

 Bread, Eggs, Dairy, Veggies, Fruit, and groceries! A whole week's worth to those in need for free!

September 17th 2014

Currently a two year old project, BFF volunteers work from 8am to 3pm making sure things run smoothly. Last winter was rough, but we only missed pick ups once or twice due to adverse road conditions.

September 17th 2014

A regular customer admires his new loaf of bread.

September 17th 2014

San Marzanos produced well this season. BFF also donates home grown veggies to Food Rescue Day.

September 6th 2014

My Proposal = Reason for this and the coming blog posts:

I have a two week window to go backpacking with my friend Jay in Maine. Jay is 'thru' hiking the entire 2185 mile Appalachian Trail. I dropped him off on Springer Mountain summit at the start of the trail in north Georgia on March 22nd. Jay, travelling by trail name 'Beans,' has been travelling on foot since then and just crossed into his final state. He has about 280 miles left to go. As the fall colors filter down from the mountain tops, I will be joining him for the journey.

I propose a 25 cent (that's a quarter of a dollar) donation for each mile I hike on the Appalachian Trail in Maine between now and October 1st. For example, if I begin tomorrow and hike 12 miles a day for 12 days, that's 144 miles x $0.25 = $36.00 Anyone is welcome to donate any amount at any time. Every little bit helps. If money is tight, you can email collective@baltimorefreefarm.org and pledge to volunteer on a Wednesday to help the Food Rescue and distribution efforts. Proceeds will go directly for fuel expenses required to transport hundreds of pounds of food to Baltimore Free Farm each week.

DONATION STATION
Make a tax-deductable donation to Baltimore Free Farm via our 501(c)3 fiscal partner, Fusion Partnerships.

Reagan's rendition of a hitch hiking carrot.

May 2014

A sign I encountered in Wells River, Vermont en route to Appalachian Trail on 

September 18th, 2014.

Dehydrated veggies for donation by Baltimore Free Farm.

Appalachian Trail hikers at White Mountains Lodge and Hiker Hostel in Gorham, NH will carry this light weight nutritious food over Maine's mountains!

September 18th 2014

Tonight I camp with 'Beans' at Grafton Notch Maine. The photo above shows an elevation profile with Grafton Notch near the center of the image. We will be hiking Northbound (to the right in this image) to Katahdin tomorrow!

September 18th 2014

 Wolf Kisses and Papa Shrimp at the trailhead after a quick ride from a gas station in Gorham, NH in the collective van. I made sure they stocked up on dehydrated veggies from Baltimore Free Farm before they left town. At the gas station where I met them, a police officer was initially suspicious when he saw them scooping into a 5 gallon bucket full of spinach flakes. But no worries; these two happen to be vegetarian, so they really appreciated the food.

September 18th 2014