Month: June 2014

Interview: Chipmunk, the youngest AT solo through hiker

On Sunday I attended a “hiker feed” event on the Appalachian Trail called the Feast in the Forest. While I was enjoying burgers and lasagna I didn’t realize I was in the presence of a trail celebrity.

Neva Warren is a typical young woman of fifteen. She has a dog named Coco she plays with and listens to Green Day and One Direction. Unlike other women her age, she’s also through hiked the Appalachian Trail.

The young Ms. Warren previous to this had already led an adventurous life. As a nine year old she was racing BMX, and as a twelve year old participated in a lengthy bike tour with her parents. Neva, who is home schooled, decided she wanted to hike the entirety of the AT after a family trip to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. After completing the trail she’s given a TEDx talk and appeared at AT events to support her favorite not for profit, HIKE For Mental Health. In an age where young women continue to be objectified and told they need to confirm to some ideal for appearance, she says, according to her father, “its not what your body looks like that’s important, its what you physically do with it that counts.”

Neither the Appalachian Trail Conservancy nor the Guinness Book of World Records awards ‘titles’ for hiking the world’s most famous footpath, but Warren’s seven month solo trek makes her the youngest person ever to solo through hike. Her trail name was Chipmunk, and her mother kept a blog of the hike at Ridethenation.org. Warren agreed to this impromptu interview, and after getting approval from her father I’m happy to share it with our readers.

A Taste For The Woods: When did you start your hike?

Neva Warren: I started April 1 at Springer Mountain.

ATFTW: How long did it take you to complete the hike?

NW: I hiked seven months.

ATFTW: What were your highs and lows of the trip?

NW: The high for me was seeing the wild horses at Grayson Highlands [State Park in Virginia.]

ATFTW: Not climbing Mount Katahdin in Maine at the end of the trail?

NW: No. Katahdin seemed almost an anti-climax. My parents were going to meet me at the top, and they were coming by a different trail. My mom took a wrong turn and had some problems on the mountain. Also, I didn’t finish at Katahdin. Because I had to get in the bubble of hikers climbing the mountain before it was closed for the season, I had to skip ahead. After I climbed the mountain I had to go back and hike a hundred miles in Maine to complete the trail.

ATFTW: That hundred miles, was it the notorious 100 Mile Wilderness?

NW: No, this was in southern Maine.

ATFTW: And the low?

NW: Definitely Blood Mountain in Georgia. I’d rolled one ankle on the first day of the hike. The second day, I rolled the other ankle. My mom took me to REI and I got new Vasque boots, and I went on the trail. It began to rain, and it was a cold rain. Everything was coming down, rain, hail, and I was soaked and freezing. But I got off the trail at the hostel in Neel’s Gap and had some hot chocolate and put on dry clothes and I felt better.

(I asked Warren about safety, since while she was a determined 14 year old when she started, she was still a 14 year old girl.)

NW: I never felt unsafe on the trail. In towns, that was another story.

ATFTW: Did you ever have moments you felt uncomfortable?

NW: There was one time a boy followed me from a town into the woods. That was a little creepy. He wasn’t a hiker, and he gave up after a couple of miles. But I felt safe on the trail. I had a Spot tracker with me, and my parents could follow my progress. And I had a code I could put in it that would mean “the helicopters should come.” I had that covered up so I couldn’t press it by accident.

Also, I had a lot of big brothers and big sisters on the trail. Other hikers, once they learned what I was doing, were really cool and supportive, and they helped me a lot.

(As mentioned, Neva’s parents followed her progress electronically and with periodic phone calls. They also physically followed in an RV and met their daughter at some trailheads. Warren spent some nights in the RV but she carried a full pack and also spent nights at shelters and trail campsites.)

ATFTW: What was your pack weight?

NW: When I started it was about forty pounds. I quickly got it down to about thirty.

ATFTW: Seven months is a long time, and the AT is a tough trail. What kept you motivated?

NW: This is going to sound silly, but I had a poster of One Direction on my bedroom wall, and I wrote at the bottom “Welcome back!” I then forged all of their signatures on the poster. I wanted to see that poster, and that helped keep me focused.

ATFTW: Did you listen to music when hiking?

NW: Never.

ATFTW: Did you sing One Direction songs on the trail?

NW: No, they are a little outside my vocal range.

(At this point the conversation turned to popular music and I was completely lost on the subject. I thanked Warren for the interview and her time.)

 

 

/ /

Adam’s Hike: Update 063014

Terra Nova isn’t fond of this photo, but so be it.

I drove into New Jersey on Saturday to meet my friend and possibly hike part of the AT with him. However, the extreme heat and the fact I had to work late into the night on Friday ruled that out.  On arriving we decided to reserve a motel room at a nearby and  extremely cheap establishment so my friend could get out of the heat. And since he had to go off trail in the middle of the week to have his monthly bloodwork and other tests run, we decided I was going to take him home on Sunday. The forecast of temperatures in the 90s next week influenced the decision as well.

I was shocked at how thin Terra Nova looked. While he is an extremely fit man, his face was visibly thinner. Perhaps it was dehydration. Perhaps he wasn’t eating enough – this is a running argument between us. But for whatever reason, the trail was having its say on him.

His mileage on the Appalachian Trail was impressive considering he’d taken a day off and his first day consisted of two miles – he traveled on the trail from Wind Gap, PA, over the Delaware River and 30 miles into New Jersey. 46 rocky miles passed under his boots between my dropping him off and picking him up. His complete mileage is 270, including the entirety of the PA section of the trail. Those are good numbers. Oh, and by the way, this is a man with MS.

Terra Nova passed a psychological barrier too. When he first set out hiking last fall, his goal was to complete the Pennsylvania section of the AT. As he approached the end of that section, he had a crisis of confidence. As he reported, he called his wife and asked to be picked up the next day, saying he couldn’t go any further. The following morning he called his wife again and said ‘I’m going for the rest of the trail.’ The two most difficult things to deal with are not getting what you want and getting what you want. In my opinion, Terra Nova knew he’d finished Pennsylvania, and thought “now what?” And the enormity of the Appalachian Trail’s 1900 remaining miles hit him.

Overnight he resolved his problem by not thinking of the enormity of the task, or his physical condition, or his disease. As he told me and other people following his hike, he’s only thinking of one day at a time. He doesn’t need to think about how likely he is to reach Maine, or when he can head south to hike to Georgia. Its just the day ahead of him. As long as he is physically able to hike, he will hike.

On Sunday we stopped at a “hiker feed” event called the Feast in the Forest. This is an annual but unofficial picnic and I’ll not reveal the exact location. But it was big enough to hold tables of food, grills, and coolers filled with ice and water for friends and the stream of backpackers using the AT. Terra Nova, rested and bathed, did nearly as much justice to the food as I did. He also enjoyed meeting other hikers and friends of hikers.

 

In particular he seemed to hit it off with Chrisco, a hiker staying in Delaware Water Gap. The two men spent a couple of hours talking gear, their approach to hiking, and things they’ve seen on the trail. When Terra Nova returns to the trail on July 4, I expect that if Chrisco is around the two men will hike together. Friendship is the best gear.

/ /

Westsylvania 2014, Day 2: Walk in Downtown Ligonier

Ligonier is one of the most beautiful small towns in Pennsylvania. And that’s not just my opinion,  or that of Ligonier residents, but that of a couple of guidebooks I’ve come across. Leaving aside the fact that the town boasts a restored 18th century fort two blocks from the center of town,  this little community in the Laurel Highlands has many historic buildings surrounding “the Diamond” – Ligonier’s green town square.

After my trip to the Ligonier Valley Rail Road Museum, I took a walk in the downtown. I had a long drive ahead of me to my next stop at Raystown Lake, and I wanted to put my shoes on something other than the gas and brake pedals. My cell phone was low on power, and the few photos I took I didn’t care for, so the photo below is from my July 2012 trip, where I spent a couple of hours wandering the streets and had lunch at the gazebo. This walk was about a mile and rushed; I should have spent more time here.

After walking through the downtown on this hot afternoon I started my two and a half hour drive to Raystown Lake, where I would camp and meet my friend Brian, the blogger behind Hike By Faith.

/ , /

Adam’s Hike: Update 062714

From Terra Nova late last night:

“Just a quick update as I just want to sleep. Heat still bothering me, legs are a bit sore, slight blister, bit of a sunburn, mosquitos from hell, several rattlesnakes, but I did somehow manage to make it a little over 10 miles to the Mohican Rd intersection of the AT in NJ. Again having some doubts about the heat but hopefully with a good nights rest I will feel better.”

Note there’s one thing he doesn’t mention – giving up.

If all goes as planned I will be in NJ and dayhiking with Terra Nova this weekend. Temps will be in the mid to upper 80s. I’ve suggested getting a motel room on Saturday night so he can sleep in air conditioning, clean up, and charge his phone. But its his call.

/ /

Message from the fat guy chasing Neil

Hi folks, I’m the fat guy chasing Neil. One of you contacted him to find out what he did, and is doing, to get away from me. Neil’s away from his computer now, so I thought I’d use his ID for a minute.

 

What he did to get away from me was:

 

1. Take responsibility. Neil decided he was responsible for his being over 400 pounds and losing the weight. No excuses. He wasn’t big boned, he wasn’t the victim of the food industry, or his parents, or society, or his metabolism.He made himself fat, and he had to change that.

 

2. Practice accountability. He weighed himself regularly, recorded what he ate and how he exercised, and noted problems he had. Sometimes he shared information, sometimes he didn’t. But he was always truthful with himself.

 

3. Swallowed pride. If he had a problem with something, he wasn’t afraid to ask for help, or solicit opinions. Sometimes the advice was painful to take. But he considered everything, and then made a decision.

 

4. Found joy. Little changes, such as being able to sit in a diner booth, or moving the belt a notch, made him excited. Also seeing progress in others cheered him up. I hated that. I hate seeing people succeed in changing their lives for the better. It makes me angry. It makes Neil almost giddy. I can’t catch someone who is bouncing off the walls with positive energy.

 

So that’s how Neil got away from me. For now. Hope springs eternal…..

 

Thanks, the fat guy chasing Neil. Gotta go, I see Neil is coming back to use the computer……

 

/ , /

Adam’s Hike: Update 062614

From Terra Nova last night:

“First let me begin by thanking Neil for taking the time to write this blog about my mini expedition I am on and let me also thank everyone else for their kind words of encouragement and ideas on how to battle the summer heat. Everyone’s words of encouragement have really helped me stay focused and try that little bit harder to keep at this what I like to call my mini expedition.

Yesterday I was having real trouble with the heat and having doubts about why I would even try to so something like this in my condition. I could easily have called my wife and tell her it’s time to come get me , which is actually what I did last night, I felt completely defeated by the heat and the monumental hike in front of me. I thought that since I completed the state of PA that that would be enough and I could go home with my head held high.

Well I woke up this morning and felt I was selling myself short, that I used to do longer ruck marches in the army with a pack twice as heavy as what I am carrying now. Yes my body is different now and I didn’t have to deal with MS then but I for some reason which who knows I may regret in a day or two told my wife to forget picking me up today, that I wanted to stick at this. I have decided not to think about being on the trail for 3 months or 2, or 1 but to just focus on making it through one day at a time. I don’t know how long I will be able to stay at this, it may just be for another day or two or maybe 2 or 3+ months. One thing I do know for sure is that I am grateful for each day I can hike, each person I meet on the trail , and each night I get to camp in my tent. I can’t express how much everyone’s and Neil’s words of encouragement help keep me motivated even when my body is saying I shouldn’t be doing this and my mind says I could easily be home with my 5 year old daughter eating ice cream in an air conditioned house. As much as I love to do that I also love to hike through the mountains and I know that it may be now or never to do that so that is what I try to remind myself each night I go to sleep and each morning I wake up here on the AT.

I had a nice zero day and plan to go to bed soon so I can wake up at 4 am and start hiking by 4;30 in order to get most of my hiking done before the heat builds up during the day. By the way yesterday I saw a black bear in front of me on the trail only 75 feet away. He moved into the thick woods before I could turn my phone on to get a picture. I don’t mind seeing bears, it’s the rattle snakes I hope I don’t see.

Good night everyone and tomorrow I begin my first steps into the NJ part of the AT

/ /

Westsylvania 2014, Day 2: Ligonier Valley Rail Road Museum

 

After some last minute shopping for my backpacking trips the night before, both Judy and I slept in. I was tired from the drive and Judy wanted to be rested for the reenactment taking place at Fort Ligonier that afternoon. (Her husband spent the night at the fort as part of that reenactment.) So we visited a place I’ve passed before, the Ligonier Valley Rail Road Museum.

The little station is located just off Route 30, next to Idlewild Park, and near the Loyalhanna Creek. Little museums are hit or miss in my experience; they either display the passion of their founders and volunteers or they just exist out of a sense of duty. The LVRR Museum is the former. I found the displays fascinating, and even the docent who overwhelmed me with details made this a good time. (I do confess that when she went into a detailed explanation of couplers I felt like throwing myself in front of a train. But I should have been prepared. Most railfans are like that.)

The LVRR Museum has a caboose you can walk through in addition to the guided tour of the museum. It would be a great place to bring children, or anyone who loves trains. The website is http://www.lvrra.org/.

/ /

Meeting Justin Willoughby

Justin Willoughby, a man who lost 600 pounds through diet and exercise and currently perhaps the most famous former fat man in the world, featured me as a Transformation Tuesday post on his website:

Losing weight WITH THE OUTDOORS! Meet Neil Brennen. #TransformationTuesday

Justin mentions that we met. And we’ve met more than once; I attended worship services at Open Arms Community Church in Bradford, where Justin is a youth pastor, and he introduced me before I made my public speaking debut at the launch of this website. If you’ve read the Huffington Post article or seen the Today interview you might be wondering, “that’s the face he shows the media. What is he REALLY like?”

Well, I hate to disappoint the cynical, but Justin is the same man in person that he was on Today. He’s both transparent about his weight loss and fascinated with other people’s weight loss journey. I admit I was surprised that a man who lost four times the number of pounds I did wanted to know about me. I shouldn’t have been. Going through the hell of super obesity makes you want to see other people escape too. It motivates me, and it motivates Justin. My hell wasn’t his hell, and I’m glad of it, but still, we were both there.

As for celebrity, he takes that lightly. And he doesn’t claim to be perfect, which is refreshing in the world of weight loss. For instance, he wrote on his Facebook wall that he ate badly while in New York for the Today taping, but was getting back on the routine once he was home in Bradford. As I wrote, that’s Justin’s transparency in action. When was the last time a personal trainer admitted to such a thing?

Anyway I’m pleased to have become friends with Justin, and I’m flattered he finds my weight loss story impressive. Please visit the link above and read it.

/ , /

Adam’s Hike: Update 062514

I wish I had better news to report. Terra Nova, as of last night, is staying at the Church of the Mountain hiker hostel in Delaware Water Gap, PA. He plans on taking a zero day today and rethinking things. While his determination is in place, the heat is sapping his energy. This is a common problem for people with MS – the wide range of symptoms associated with the condition worsen with heat internal and external. And Pennsylvania has been very warm the past couple of days.

Regardless of the outcome, I am proud of my friend. And now he’s completed 240 miles of the AT, the entire length of the trail in PA from Pen Mar to the Delaware Water Gap. He still feels he could complete the hike, but his body is giving out on him. Fall and winter hiking would work much better for him, but he felt he needed to hike now since he never knows if he will be incapacitated by a flare up.

I will continue to keep you updated on Terra Nova. Keep the support coming, please. He needs it.

/ /

Westsylvania 2014, Day One: Fort Ligonier

My annual vacation, ever since I rediscovered the outdoors, is spent outside. Past years included bike tours from Pittsburgh to DC, a ride through Delaware and Maryland, a whirlwind tour in western PA, and hiking and biking trips to Ohio. This year’s promised to be the oddest of all, as it not only included my first two backpacking trips, but also the launch of the new version of A Taste For The Woods, my first public speech, and my first lengthy radio interview. I’d be meeting old friends and many new ones, and visiting places I’ve been before as well as discovering new wonders.

The challenges began before my trip started. I had to postpone my trip a day because of work I needed to do at home. Then at the last minute the friend I was going to meet for the sole planned bike ride on vacation had to cancel. Since I had no other rides planned, for the first time I left the bike in the garage.

Eventually I headed out across the state, going towards my first night destination of Ligonier. My friend Judy and her husband would put me up, and she would help me plan meals for the backpacking trips. But first I had to get there.

Google Maps provided a clear route to Ligonier, and an optimistic timeline to get there. However, its perplexing to be driving for seemingly an hour on Route 30 and not come across a single sign advising you how distant the town is. PA roads are notoriously generous with such distance markers, but none of them mentioned Ligonier. I feared that in fact the town didn’t exist, that it had only materialized once a century – Ligadoon, in other words. But as my car hurtled over the ridges into the Laurel Highlands I saw the town before me, and my first stop, Fort Ligonier.

At the moment the guns of Fort Ligonier overlook Route 30, but in the 175os the fort was an important stop on the Forbes Road, the main supply line into western Pennsylvania. Fort Ligonier is privately run, and well funded – the museum is a wonderful place to spend an hour looking over the exhibits and learning about the worldwide Seven Year’s War, more commonly and incorrectly called the “French and Indian War.” The grounds of the fort remind me of Valley Forge, except this is a single fort, not a massive encampment.

 

I had to meet my hosts, so my visit was short. However, I’d toured the fort and museum at length in 2010 and 2012. I hope to go back sometime and witness one of the regularly scheduled historical reenactments. Fort Ligonier’s website is http://fortligonier.org/

/ , /

Load More