MY NEW JOB

My new Job, I have had the same job for over 45 years. This new Job is by far the most difficult thing I have ever done or attempted to do. I had to learn new things do lots of research  I was looking through one of my book cases and found a Appalachian Champion dated 2006 so I guess I have been preparing for this hike since then. 6 YEARS.
Yes, My new job is backpacking. Long distance backpacking. miles and miles. 6 months at a time. This is the way you must treat a long distance hike, You must get light with your gear but still safe. You must be aware of water were it is and isn't. Which is hard to do when the guide says water and  yuo get there and there isn't any. You always ask south bounders were the next water is. Usually in the spring there is plenty of water but if  a dry winter maybe not. You will learn. The wilderness is not forgiving.  Do not go out there and think you will have a leisurely walk in the woods. As many new Long Distance backpackers think they are going to go for a walk in the woods. Oh I cant wait, I retired ,I quit my job, I got a divorcee, I read this book on the Appalachian Trail, I went to the Smokies or the Whites when I was 7 and always wanted to hike the entire trail.

It wont be anything like that. You will be miserable, you will hurt, you will be hungry, you will be tried  you will be cold, you will be wet. All you stuff will be wet. all your food and your maps will be wet. You will wonder why am I out here, what a I doing?

So if you treat this like your new job. I get up and hike. I get up and hike that's your new job. Hike, hike hike. As you go along day after day you will get better at all the new things you will be learning. Cooking in the rain, eating cold food when you run out of fuel. Packing up a wet tent. Putting on frozen socks and frozen shoes and walking out of camp. Putting up a wet tent. Carrying a wet pack on your back.

Getting into town thinking you will have a room. Ha.
Also when you get to town you think oh finally I get to rest. Well its more tiring then hiking. You cant jump in your car and run to the store buy grocery and come back to your room. You will be walking everywhere. You have to take the much needed shower, wash your clothes. I remember as I was taking a shower I washed my clothes at the bottom of the tub. Like stomping grapes. the laundry at in the hotel was broken. While you are in town you also will be looking for food. Real food you don't have to cook or think about what to eat. I have never thought the AYCE places made any money when hikers came to town.

Lots of people think they are going to read. Most people are to tried to read. I am thinking about a Kindle. They are very light. And if I get held up somewhere I will be able to at least read. Still thinking about that.

You will meet the most wonderful sincere people you will ever meet. And some will become long life friends. Some you will plan more hikes with. Some you will hike away from. But on the most part you will have the time of your life and see yourself for what you really are. Not what your job made you, not what your things made you, not what you have done in the past. No one cares. You wont even care when you keep hiking day after day.
If you are a flower or a tree person there are beautiful places that have wild flowers. If you want to see wildlife in the wild you will. If you want to test yourself to see if I can do this. You will, your hike will be what you want it to be. But I will remember this ITS MY NEW JOB.

Traildino | European Trails

Traildino | European Trails

Summit Sisters

Summit Sisters how did they come about? It all started on White Blazes a Hiking Forum mainly for the Appalachian hikers. I have been reading the forum for a couple of years. Years of experienced hikers are active on there and helped me out a lot when I was getting ready for my hike on the Appalachian Trail.

There is a women group and Connie saw a need to form a club or a group for older women that were interested in hiking and most are first timers. As she befriended each one of the women from White Blazes Forum it evolved into a group of wonderful, independent women all ages and hiking experiences.

One of the group members, Donna opened a Facebook page for all of us. And then all hell broke lose. It was the best think that happened to all of us. We are now a group of 35 hikers. All wanting to hike Long Distances. We all have become great friends and talk almost daily. Start dates are all different and we have some on the west coast hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and most doing the A.T. Even thought we all wont be starting the same date we all have made a pack to meet at Trail Days.We then will all meet in person. Looking forward to that day.

One chat we were having on Facebook it was suggested that we have a name for our group. Well I personally like to have the trail name me (which it did). I thought the trail would come up with a name. Then I said we should have a mark on us a ribbon or something so in case we happen to meet on the trail we would know. Shes part of this group I have been talking to for  6 months on line. Didn't quite work like that.

April one of our members took it upon herself to not only name our group but to make a logo with our group name and the year we hiked. 2013. And another member Susan took it upon herself to find out were to get the logo made into a patch. All with no asking input from other members.

It ended up being the best name and the best patch. So when you see a Summit Sister Patch you can think to yourself. How wonderful the internet brought all these great women together for one purpose.To tru- hike the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. I am proud of our group of women. You will be hearing from all of us.

Perfect

There comes a time when you must stand alone, feel confident enough within yourself to follow your own dreams.. You must be willing to make sacrifices, be capable of changing and rearranging your priorities so that your final goal can be achieved..
There are times when familiarity and comfort need to be challenged, where you must take a few extra chances and create your own realities.
Be strong enough to at least try to make your life better. Be confident enough that you won't settle for a compromise just to get by. Appreciate yourself by allowing yourself the opportunities to grow, develop, and find your true sense of purpose in this life...
Do not stand in someone else's shadow when it's your sunlight that should lead the way. ♥ Take one step at a time and keep moving forward ♥ :')

My Fear

Holidays are not my thing. Any of them even Birthdays. What do I like? Thats a good question. I have worked since I was 15 years old. If you want to count all the Babysitting I did well it would be 12.

Sometimes it would be 20 years before I even got a day off. Now in my twilight years I have found Long Distance Backpacking. 

Long Distance Backpacking you say. On one of my most cherished Facebook Page is a group of women all having the same dream. ( I cant say its a dream for me. ) We call ourselves The Sumit Sisters. A few have met. Some have dropped out some have moved to another trail. Some will hike, some wont, some will make it some wont. But on a recent post about the fear of not even trying came to hit me in a way that made me think about my life.

Since I have retired. I have a fear of not having anything to do. Oh yea I have cleaned out my cabinets, etc. But the hiking. Its not even hiking its Backpacking. Everything I will need on my back for months on end. When I come back from a backpacking trip I always think I don't need this or that.

People who have never done Backpacking don't understand and most don't even care. They don't even know how to talk to me. Thats ok  not to much of a people person. 

The wilderness. I crave it I want to be out in it ,to live there. It can be harsh at times and is not to forgiving. But the freedom you get is the most rewarding life you will ever have. Its not the views from the tops. Unless you are in the west. Its not the life long friends you make along the way. But they are nice to have. Its not the fact that you can live on the trail eating and drinking the same thing everyday.

For me. its the inner peace I get from being out in the Wilderness. My fear is not being able to ever do that again.

You now what they say. You carry your fears in your pack.  Well  I must think I going to starve. I always have extra food when I get into town for resupply. I start out with 4 days of food and then I put another day in just in case.

In case of what you ask?

I could be really hungry from hiking all day and eat more then I allotted for that day.


I could have to stay in a shelter for a day because of weather or I'm sore and need a day of rest. So I would eat my 5th day of food then.

I could come across a backpacker that has lost all his food to a bear and I would have plenty to share.


I could come across another backpacker that has simply  ran out of food because they didn't pack enough.

So I want to make sure. I pack food. 4 days of food and one extra day.

Appalachain Trail 2013 4 days of food.

So many trails so little time.

As I prepare for my upcoming hike on the Appalachian Trail and have met some wonderful tru hikers some many times. I just want to go hike. My problem I am having I want to hike them all. I know I am on the down hill side of my life . Of all the hikes which ones do I want to do. I keep going back to them all. The west pulls me everyday. And the hikes there go through places I have lived. So that would be fun to hike into Pie Town on the CDT or hike into Skykomish Washington from the PCT. But hiking the Appalachian Trail I can hike into Washington DC were I was born. I really don't need to go there through.

So where to go were to go. I m thinking I can park at one end to to the hike to the end. Get a shuttle/plane. Get in my truck drive to the next rail and do it again, Every state has trails. I think about the children and adults that never get out of their boxes and explore the Great American Trail systems that people have made for us. People have spent a lot of personal time and as you know when you are volunteering money out of your own pocket.

The first is the thought. Then contacting the government whether is city, county, state or  federal. Somebody had to go speak to the fathers that be. Then the land owners. Years it takes to make a trail. For who. US. We get to enjoy the outdoors. It is ongoing. There are Associations that still fight in city hall all the way to Washington. For US.

I have volunteered my whole life. Millions of miles on my vehicles. Millions of hours in my life. It was all very rewarding and I still keep volunteering but now its for the Trails that I love. I encourage everyone that has the same passion to Join the clubs that help keep the trails open for us.

 I want to walk them all get to know each one for their own legacy that they have. The history, wildlife, plants that I see that I don't know what they are. The challenges that are unique to each one. The remoteness, mountains, rivers, were to get water.  I want to feel it all.

The Trail Family that I have  well its hard to explain if you have never had one. People always ask why? I say because its there, because I have learned you can carry everything on your back for months. You don't have to answer to anyone but yourself. Which I always did what I wanted to do so that's not much different. But why does the Trail pull me in? Is there a big magnet that is not seen by the naked eye? Yes there is. And if you have never had that pull on you. IM sorry its your loss.

I was hoping if I wrote I would be able to decide what Trail to do now. I am packed so I could just walk out the door. Maybe I will.

Sweet Spot

Time of year

It has to be something in the Autumn air that makes me want to go out into the wilderness. Here I am again looking at trails, upgrading equipment, dehydrating food. My tent, I have either been using my sons or my friends one man tent. Unless my husband goes with me in which we take the 2 person Kelty that I love. So this year since I have decided this long distance hiking is not going away. I have bought a Tarp Tent Notch. I got the one with tall sides to help the sand and snow out when I hike the PCT and the CDT. I haven't used it yet but I have high hopes for it. The next new equipment is my backpack. I got a Hyperlite Mountain Backpack its water proof so no more rain cover to deal with.  It is very lite so this should ease up on my pain.

I am thinking about hiking this year starting Jan 1st at Key West.
I will keep you posted.

Sweet Spot

Again

September 24,2012,

There isn't a day goes by that i do't think about hiking. Well not even hiking more like long distance backpacking. Weeks if not months on a trail. i have so many trail I want to do, I have plan to hike the Lone Star Trail soon. I am getting ready to hike the AT for the third year in a row. I can tel you I am not looking forward to Georgia and North Carolina again. It is very hard. But I have don it twice before so no big deal right.

Every time I go to the store I am constantly picking up trail food. And about once a week I fix a dinner that I would cook n the trail. Mainly to see if I like it and how much fuel it will take to cook.

I have hooked up with a group of ladies all hiking next year. They are so enthusiastic and it's getting me into the mood. I can't wait to meet them all in person.


Will write again.

Sweet Spot

Trail is calling.

How does one get back on the trail? I been home about a month trying to get back on some how. My pack has been packed and ready to go. I didn't want to drive my truck and eave it some where. No trains or buses go were I need to go. I couldn't find a car rental place to drop off a rental. I need to go to far north for someone to drive me. I thought about taking one shuttle after another till I got far enough north. Still might do that.

Why the call of the trail is so strong. I think about it everyday sometimes all day long. What is it that wants a person to torture themselves everyday and night. No idea. I just know the Trail offers me something I don't get in civilization.  On The Trail everyone is equal. Yes some walk faster and go father distances but when you lay your head down no one cares. We just want to rest or sleep. I have laid my head down next to complete strangers I would have nothing in common with and we have all become  good friends. Well not all but the group of people I was honored to hike with or camp with are a great group of individuals.  Our fireside chats were mostly about the trail and food.




I miss all the hardships I had, I miss the mind struggles. 


I will get back on .

On top of Silar Bald.

On AT Trail

5/30/2012

Today I write you to help me update my journey or should I say journeys.  Since I have had my mind goes off wondering in different directions. Sometimes I can bring it back other times I have no control of where it goes or for how long.

Not too sure were to start to I will start at the beginning. Last year I was going to tru-hike the Appalachian Trail. 2, 175 miles from Georgia to Maine. I made  through Georgia. But it took me months because I kept getting off and back on.

This year I am hiking to Maine. I could of started in North Carolina were I stopped last year. No not me I started at Springer Mountain the southern terminal. It is only 2 hour drive from my house. This year Scott hiked the first week with me it was very nice with him on the trail we hiked slow and camped were ever we wanted to. One night about 10 a hiker was walking south asked Scott if he had seen a tent. I guess he had hiked to where he was going to camp and no tent. There are shelters that a hiker can sleep in but if all the spots are full you are out of luck. I stayed in a lot of shelters but also tented.

All the shelters are different in Georgia the trail is wide most of the time two people can walk side by side. Each state has a hiking club that takes care of the shelters and the trail maintenance. Georgia is well taken care of the father north you get not so much.

After Scott went home I hiked on for about a week. I hooked up with some great people that were also tru hiking. For some reason not sure why.  I called home they came and got me. I was home about a week and then I had to get back on the trail. So Wade brought me back up and hiked 3 days with me and he went home I stayed kept hiking.

Typical shelter sleeps 12. This one has a loft. The hiker in the picture is Daz 11 he is from Germany. I met 3 Germans, 1 Scotland and 1 from New Zealand. I guess a documentary was shown in Germany this winter so a lot of German’s ended up coming over to hike.

Well to get back to my hike. I have hiked 200 miles. Met some incredible people along the way. I am planning n getting back on hopefully tomorrow.

I am all consumed with hiking walking 7 hours a day. Wow who would of ever thought. I  am constantly trying to drop the weight of my pack. I ordered anew pack that is what I am waiting for. It weighs 1.5 lbs. suppose to be here today.

I look at food differently now. I was carrying 10 days’ worth of food. Now 5 days is a lot. It is not easy but you can get to towns along the way to buy food. I use to eat breakfast before I broke camp. It was taking too long to get on the trail so now I pack up and hike about an hour then I will have breakfast. I use to have oatmeal and coffee now No coffee and only cold cereal. I carry powder whole milk.

Lunch use to be a tortilla and either tuna or salmon in the foil packs. With a package of mayo from the local deli. Now it’s still tortilla but peanut butter no jelly weighs too much.

 Dinner is always something hot. The pasta sides for $1 are really good. I have a summer sausage to cut up and put with it. I have been a vegetarian for 10 years but have been unable to keep doing that on the trail. If I had planned mail drops of food I could. But need a reliable support system at home. Which proved not to be when I called on a Friday to send my drop box told them the address never came the excuse was I walked to fast they didn’t think I would get there when I said I was going to. Lucky the little store had plenty of food to resupply.

I carry extra soup packets. Dried noodle soup Lipton. Just in case it gets cold. And I always have coffee, tea and some drink stuff you add to the water. That’s another thing I was carrying two full liters of water all the tie. Now I carry 1 liter unless I know the water source is far away. I was drinking about 3 liters of water a day and cooking with about ½ a liter. Water is plentiful along the trail.

A day hiking is very busy I was always trying to figure out where I actually was , how far to water, how far to next shelter. Even though I didn’t plan on always staying at a shelter it made be able to figure out where I was and how many more miles I had to go till the end of the day.

Some people hike by so many hours a day some by miles. I hiked till I got tired then I would lie down. Sometimes I would have to rest before I could set up my tent. Or even eat.

The hike is very hard for my old body but I always felt so good when I got to camp. The support from the other hikers was incredible. I met so many people all from different parts of the country and walks of life. I miss them another reason to get back out.

As far why I can’t stay on the trail and keep hiking and not coming home every month. Not sure when I get home I just want to get back out there. I have so many hikes I want to do. I found one in Spain. I just wish Scott wanted to hike with me yet another thing we don’t do together. He would rather camp then hike. At the beginning of the hike this year he was always trying to tell me this or that. I didn’t say anything just did my routine. After about the 3rd day he was asking me  should we do this or that. Like hang the bear bag before it darks.  Fixing your lunch in the morning and putting on top were its easy to get to. 2 cups of coffee. Well we either need to get up earlier or only one cup of coffee. Need to get on trial as soon as you can while you have the good energy. By the afternoon you start to wear down.

I was always an early raiser but on the trail I was up with the sun always. I love the trail and the trail family I have. I just wish I could live out there. I didn’t miss the TV but when I got home I went right back to watching it. Oh well.

My pack always changing, I do think I have it down now.

I wear underpants that are fast drying. A short sleeve t shirt that has special fabric for  quick drying. A pair of pants that have zipper so you can have shorts if needed also quick drying. I wear one pair of sock liners and carry one pair. And change back and forth about 3 x a day. I also have one pair of wool socks that I have in my sleeping bag and wear at night if needed. And a sports bra.  Flip flops for camp shoes, Camera and battery charger also an x battery and my cell phone and its wall charger. I was carrying extra head lamp batteries but will leave them home now.  Camp towel, tooth brush ,paste, hair brush, nail clippers a small knife,  bear bag line, water bag for at camp sometimes the water source is ½ mile from camp so I fill as much as I can.  I use paper towel quartered for TP. Ran out once leaves work also.  Food and water. Water weighs 2 lbs per liter and food usually weighs 2 lbs a day. Needless to say I am looking for lighter food. I was wearing hiking boots but have changed to trail runners then I will have my boots sent to me farther north or buy new ones.

In my pack I have a long under wear top. I’m leaving the bottoms home.  A stocking hat. Rain jacket, 20 degree bag, one person tent, sleeping pad. A alcohol stove with a wind shield made out of aluminum foil. A spoon plastic cut off so it will fit inside the pot. Matches and a lighter. Head lamp, down jacket it has a sack about the size of a loaf of bread. Running shorts as the weather gets hotter I’ll sleep in them and I can use them for swimming in. A small first aid kit.  Food and water. And water filter drops. I have tried 2 different water filters and I am going more towards the drops. Some water I didn’t even filter. And there is always someone with a filter if I run out of drops. They are light weight. That’s what I am after light weight everything.

One part of the trail was up Albert Mountain I had to climb up it on my belly hand over hand.  It had rained all night and was raining in the morning so it was it very scary but I did it. That’s what I found out while I was walking. I can do anything.

Everyone gets a trail name  supposed to come more organic then just give yourself one. The purist poop poop the one’s that gives themself a name.

My I got last year from some other hikers. I carry a GPS SPOT. And with my name them came up with Sweet spot. I have kept it. One hiker that I hike with was named Weatherman he was named because he could predict the weather better than the paid weathermen. Another was Firefox she had red hair and is very cute.

Scott’s name is Stops a lot. The dogs even get trail names. I only now a couple of the hikers real names but we never call each other by them always our trail names. Some of them have very interesting names and how they got them.

In the picture of the shelter with the tents you can see in the back ground the colored bags. Some people call them the bears M&M’S since the bears have figured out how to get the food bags whether they are on cables or hung with a rope. It’s a problem. I hang mine, so far they have not gotten it down. I met several hikers who sleep with their food. They say the bears don’t associate tents and food just the M&M’S. I have not heard of any tents being torn up. The black bears here are not aggressive. Well the moms are and now there is a lot of mom’s around. My big fear bears and snakes. Probably snakes more.

food

I seem to always be consumed with food my whole life I have been that way. About 10 years ago I became a Vegetarian Doc's orders. Last year on my hike I had a hard time. I always ate cheese and eggs. So a block of cheese would last a couple of days. I did eat some meat last year out of desperation when your hungry you will eat anything. That is true.

This year i am a Vegan very strict. So y food bag has been very challenging to say the least. I am trying not to go into town much for resupply. I 'm trying not to send bounce boxes, maybe a couple in difficult areas.

I love soup I have found some wonderful dehydrated soup in the ethnic department of the grocery store. They don't weigh much and will be wonderful if it's cold or I am running low on food.

Last year on the trail I mainly was concerned about water. How much I had and where the next stream is. Then it was food. The bears to I worried about them. So I talked a lot.

I will be starting at Springer again. So I have a feel for the strenuous hike up and over ,up and over. So mush fun and a sense of accomplishment.

Getting ready to hike the Appalachian Trail 2012

This is Friday 1/20/2012

Last year I hike all of Georgia then cam e home it  took e several weeks since I kept getting off and coming back on. This year I will start at Springer Mountain and hike all the way to the end in Katahdin 2,175 miles. I am thinking 6 months on the trail. You ask Why? Not sure how to answer that. I guess I will find out somewhere on the trail.

The trail name "Sweetspot" was given to me last year by the first people I met. I carry a SPOT. Every night when I would set up my camp for the night I would hit the ok button and that would tell friends and family I was ok and they could look up on the map to see were I was. How far I had hiked that day. And being my name is Candy they deemed me "Sweetspot". Sometimes it takes some explaining but in the end everyone has a trail name. The ones that are given to them by other hikers are so special. One trail journal I was following was Tree Slayer. He said he got his name because he had fallen a couple of times and wiped out a tree each time. So hence the name "Tree Slayer" They all have some story how they got their name and all are very interesting.

This year 2012 the weather has been so strange no winter to speak of. it just makes me want to get out on the trail. I know I will be out there soon. Sign in at the Ranger station. And head north.

Some back ground on me . As I was growing up we moved lot. I was a Brownie, Bluebird, Girl Scout and a Camp Fire Girl. I can not recall ever camping anywhere not even in our back yards. So you ask why this adventure? That's why it's an adventure. I have car camped, not the same. It will be fun. Maybe. Last year there were parts I would of never made it up the mountain. But with the help of some other backpackers I had met. 3 from New York 1 from Gulfport we all made it. We helped each other and we remain friends to this day. i hope they will meet me somewhere on the trail and hike with me for awhile.

The earth is very strange. Have your feet grounded on the earth makes you look at life in a different light.


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