Day 2: Monday, March 15, 2010

I slept in.

I usually don't sleep well but this was a much appreciated exception.

I finished off the cup of soup. I actually made two portions. One for last night and one for this morning. Can you live on a diet of just cup of soup? I will have to try something a little different later.

Eventually I got everything packed and off I went. I was in the Lost Nation Game Area so I was already in the woods. Most of my gear was wet but I packed it up anyway. It promised to be a beautiful early spring day. The sun was up and was already showing the signs of warming.

It was my intention to take it a little easier today. Yesterday was the farthest I ever traveled by foot with a backpack. I used to be a runner and had covered longer distances but not carrying 50 lbs on my back. I was also starting in the woods and even though it is a better trek it is also more arduous as you have to walk a winding, up and down, slippery trail. If I made 3 or 4 miles I would be satisfied.

So off I went seeking new adventure. The trekking poles worked great on the slippery up and down slopes and I made better than expected time. The sun was also drying out my clothes and I began to warm up.

Early on I came to a stream that I remembered reading about in a NCT hiking journal.
At first I didn't see a way across that didn't involve getting very wet. The journal had mentioned a rock bridge but it wasn't readily apparent.

After a few minutes of searching I saw the bridge about 3 inches under water. Spring run off and the rain had its impact here as well. I was a little worried about losing my balance with the backpack on. The stream was about five foot wide and I thought I might be able to toss the backpack across.

With the concern of looming failure, I took off my backpack and swung it back and forth and attempted the throw.

Yahoo , the old man still has it!

I must of ate Wheaties this morning with the cup of soup because I easily made the distance and then some.

I extended the trekking poles so they would reach the stream bed. I than completed the crossing to the other bank. I reached the other side by carefully going rock to rock balanced by the trekking poles.

Once reaching the other side, I hiked a little longer and came to a lake. I decided to rest and tried to catch a fish. Tried is the operative word. I have always had trouble catching fish and today was no different. My record of futility is still in tack. I lost a lure, didn't have a nibble, kept getting hung up in the trees and decided it was time to stop trying. A real Chevy Chase moment.

I hiked a total of about 5 miles and decided to take advantage of the unseasonably warm day and set up camp. I wanted to dry everything out. After setting up camp I made a little dinner. It consisted of Spanish Rice sans fish.

Everything was still damp from last night but I was able to start a small campfire. I enjoyed this a lot as darkness fell on the second day. It was very cold again tonight, around 30 degrees but I was warm snuggled in my sleeping bag. I slept well once again.

The pictures above:

Trail Marker

Camp - Second Day

The Stream

The Rock Bridge

Trail Blaze

The first night

I woke up with a start. It took me just a moment to orientate my self. It seemed a bit darker than when I first crawled into the tent. I looked at my watch and saw that it was close to 7:00 p.m. The time change was yesterday and I was glad now that I had the extra hour of daylight.

My appetite had returned. I looked at my water bag and now wished I hadn't put the iced tea mix in with the water. I have a great water filter and now was the time to try it out.

The next step was to find a water source. With intent I had found the highest point around to set up camp which means now I have to go back down to find a water source. I better get moving, it will be dark soon. I tied a piece of red ribbon on a tree when I crossed the trail so I could find my way back to my campsite.

I kept working my way down and eventually saw a pond a few hundred feet ahead. It kept getting muckier as I got closer. With about 10 feet to go I got down on all fours and crawled to a spot that on my belly I could reach the water. Because of the snow melt and rain the water had risen and I could only reach the over fill.

I stretched out as far as I could so that the water was deep enough to begin filling the bag. It was not easy. It was cold, I was covered in mud and I could barely trickle water into the bag because of the shallow water. It seemed I would get as many leaves, mud and small sticks into the bag as I did water.

Time to give up.

I worked my way back towards my camp. When I was about 50 feet from the trail, I felt that my efforts paid off. Directly in front of me was a flock of Wild Turkey's walking down the trail. I always love seeing these birds. I watched them for awhile. There were about 20 in all.

Back to camp. I wasn't sure if I needed to go left or right on the trail when I reached it. I wasn't too worried as I new I would only go in the wrong direction for a short time before I would turn around and go the right way.

I have to confess at this point.

I tried to pick a spot to place my tent that would not be visible from the trail. I was quite pleased with myself, when going down the hill to get the water, the tent quickly left my sight. Now as I was trying to get my bearings I saw my tent in clear view from the new angle. So much for my wilderness deception abilities.

I quickly got back to camp and started filtering the water. With the sticks and mud constantly plugging the hose it took me 10 minutes to get 2 cups of water. Not a very successful endeavor. But it was enough for tonight. I boiled the water and made a packet of Lipton's Chicken Noodle Cup of Soup. I added some Kroger Cheese and Crackers to the soup and that was dinner.

Considering the effort to get the water, the long day of hiking and the limited amount of water I retrieved the soup wasn't that good. It was great!

It was almost full dark now and I was relaxing for a while before turning in for the night. I took in the full 360 degree panoramic view and was amazed that I could see a couple of miles away in all directions. Then I noticed that in my entire line of sight I could only pick out a few points of light. I did not realize that you could be so isolated in southern Lower Michigan.

During the entire day I only passed four cars and I didn't see any people except for the few in the cars.

Now that it was later I was able to call Diane. I have always loved the sound of her voice and it was even more precious to me now. It had been less than 12 hours since I last spoke to her, even so, it seemed like a lot longer. I have always been in love with her. I am glad that has never changed.

Time for bed. I crawled back into the sleeping bag and curled up to sleep. I slept very well this night. I do have to tell you that the 30 degrees was very cold when I was standing outside at 3:00 a.m. for my bathroom break.

The pictures above are:

Wilderness Survey Marker
View from campsite
My hidden campsite
Trail Blaze

On my way..........

Saturday, March 13th and I was on my way. My wife Diane, and I were heading for Hillsdale. On the way we met my daughter Tina and her husband Anthony for dinner.

Tina and Anthony had found out recently that Tina is pregnant with their first child. The baby is due in October. This is very exciting news. They really want to start a family. Even though this will be grandchild number 9, it is just as exciting for Diane and I.

I don't think that children and grandchildren ever understand how much we love them until they have their own. It still amazes me the love I have for all of them. Even though they range in age from almost 37 to almost 23 I love them just as much as when they were little. I do have to admit they are a lot less work now. Just fun.

We spent the night at the Day's Inn in Hillsdale. It would be a 25 mile drive in the morning to reach my starting point.

Sunday morning I was very apprehensive. Diane was visibly nervous since the time she woke up. We got started a little later than planned but I wasn't in a big hurry to get started now that the time was finally here.

A lot of thoughts were running through my mind. Could I go 12 miles with a 50 lb pack? Would I find a place to set up camp? Would I get lost? What about those country dogs?

We drove as much of the NCT as we could from Hillsdale to the Ohio border. We specifically sought out the trail head that enters the Lost Nations State Game Area.

When we reached the starting point on the Ohio border I asked Diane to drive a mile ahead and wait for me. I wanted to double check myself before I was left stranded. It was very wet and cold with a brisk 14 mile an hour wind this morning. I was hesitant but ready to go.

When I reached Diane we kissed good-bye and off she went. I had a moment of fear as our car left my line of sight. I have been with my girl for 27 years and I felt uncomfortable now that she was leaving. I tried to call her a bit later and of course I had no cell signal. I was on my own.

The trail starts out at Territorial Road and Tuttle. It was 10:30. I walked north on Tuttle for about 8 miles. This is a very rural country road. I only saw 2 cars and no people for the entire 8 miles. The wind was blowing right to left so I was reasonably comfortable.

I turned left on Squawfield, right on Carncross and then left on Losey Rd. I then took a right on Pittsfield Rd and a few hundred yards later I found the trail head.

All day I had to deal with mud and as I entered Lost Nations it got worse. The trail was slippery, a combination of mud, wet leaves and steep inclines. The trail was mostly going up and I had to rest often by this time.

The higher I went the drier the trail became. About a mile into Lost Nations I came to a hill that appeared to be the highest point around. I went off trail and climbed to the top of the hill and found a place to set up camp.

Setting up in the rain wasn't great but it wasn't awful either. I had practiced setting up the tent and now the preparation paid off. I was able to set up the tent and keep my supplies dry. In 15 minutes I was warming up in my sleeping bag. It was around 6:00 p.m. and even though I only had 2 apples since 10:00 a.m. I was too tired to eat. As I warmed up I became sleepy and dozed off.

If you click on the pictures they enlarge.

The barn is at the Ohio border. It has a sign on the side that says "Welcome to Ohio".

The NCT trail emblem is at the corner of Tuttle and Territorial.

The stone with the metal emblem is at the Lost Nation's trail head.

My tent in the distance after a difficult but rewarding day.

The Training is Paying Off

It is the middle of February and I have been increasing my endurance steadily. I packed, emptied and repacked my backpack many times. I tried out all of my equipment from my stove to my tent. Altogether the total weight of my backpack and supplies was 50 lbs. I tried some treadmill work and small walks with 35 lbs. I kept making adjustments until the extra weight felt right.

Now it was time to try a full 50 lbs in hiking conditions. I measured the route of starting at my home, going to Tindell, left on Rattalee Lake, left of Eaton, left on Davisburg and back home. It is 4 1/2 miles.

The 50 lb. pack seemed extremely heavy. I had some difficulty getting it on. It was more likely I was going to injure myself putting on my pack than actually hiking.

I figured out a way to put on the backpack by sitting on the floor or ground and putting on the pack from a sitting position. I would then turn over onto my hands and knees and stand-up.

Time to start the hike. I have trekking poles and that helped maintain my balance as I was getting use to handling the weight. I kept putting one foot in front of the other until 4 1/4 miles later home was in sight. I was actually trembling by the time I made it through the door. Not a successful first try.

I was disappointed that it took everything I had to go the 4+ miles. I knew I needed to be able to do at least 10 miles a day if I was going to hike the North Country Trail. That distance is necessary to get to resupply and lodging.

Two days later I lightened the load to 35 lbs and paced myself differently. Along the route are three different park areas I could stop at. I took advantage of all of them. I took an hour longer but felt a lot better and felt I could go longer. I was encouraged to try with 50 lbs again.

Two loops around my route is 9 miles. I took many breaks, had lunch along the way and stopped several times to observe the beauty of nature. Six hours and 9 miles later I arrived home. I had learned how to pace myself in a way that I would be able to go the 10 necessary miles. Physically, emotionally and equipment wise I was ready to go.

But it was only middle February and that is not the time for this type of trip in Michigan. My plan was to keep checking the weather for a one week window that would allow me to hit the trail.

I was antsy to get going.

I was going on a cruise with my wife, youngest daughter and her fiance the last week of February. This was great timing. I had something to distract me from "weather watch". When we returned from the cruise on March 1st, I new it was time.

After a few days a weather pattern was forming that appeared to be on my side. There were going to be a few days with highs in the 50's and lows in the 30's.
This should be doable. I planned on starting on Sunday, March 14th. The photos are pictures from my "training route".

Physical training is tough...................

Taylor, a very bright and strong young lady, who is one of my wife's long term children from her daycare loves physical activity.

I took two strenuous hikes with her at the Holly Recreation State Park. They have a series of trails that are not your ordinary nature walk. They are up and down, often very steep. On our first hike together I was trying out my new trekking poles. I had another set that I received from my son and his wife for Christmas and Taylor was trying to use those.

This hike was a little over 4 miles around two frozen lakes. Taylor seemed to like doing this quite a lot. She is always game for adventure but I wasn't sure how she would handle a winter hike. No problem. She wanted to do it again.

On the second hike we took the longer route which covered around six miles. The day was cold, snow and ice covered the trail. We lost the trail and I was a little worried about how to find my way back. I don't know if Taylor figured out that I was a little lost or not. She is a very smart 9 year old and I suspect she knew something wasn't exactly right.

We reached a very flat area that was covered in ice. Within 5 seconds of me telling Taylor that she needed to be careful and to use the trekking poles carefully, "Down She Went". I was looking ahead and didn't see the fall but it sounded horrible. Taylor is also very brave. A tear came to her eye but that was about it. I helped her up, checked for injury and we were on our way again. We eventually found the path and headed back to the car. Getting lost added a mile or so and I figured we covered around 7 difficult miles.

Even though I was making progress with my endurance I was still having feet trouble, sore knees and sore ankles.

Once again I researched the Internet. I ordered two different types of shoe inserts designed to lean my weight slightly forward to take pressure off of my heels. My heels were now so sore I couldn't touch them.

The one pair of inserts were very effective. I took a couple of days off from my training to give my feet a chance to recover and I was off again. I did a 7 mile hike in the woods with my daughter Sandi's fiance. Chris is a sturdy 25 year old man who is very physically fit. He plays Hockey and has a job at Lowes. My wife and I like him a lot. Sandi seems to think he is okay too. We kept a strong pace and I finished the distance in record time. I really enjoyed his company and I felt quite good with my progress.

Just a few days later I had the opportunity to hike with my son. We only had a few hours before he needed to be home with the family.

My son Eddie has a beautiful family. His wife Lacey is a beautiful, very petite blond who is a terrific daughter-in-law, mother, daughter and friend. If she sounds to good to be true that would be wrong. She is very real and and I can't hardly believe how great she and her family are. My son, who has always been lucky, is truly blessed to have Lacey and her family.

To top it off they have two extremely bright and beautiful little girls, Tessa and Lily. There are loved by all who know them.

Back to the hike. I took Ed on the shorter more strenuous path and I did very well. Ed is a natural athlete and had been getting in shape recently for a 15K run so I don't think this was much of a challenge. A young man of 25 in his prime, in good shape will out do an older man every time.

I took him home to Lacey and the girls and went back to the park. I took on the rest of the trail and ended up with 12 miles for the day. My first goal was met.

Time to get serious.

I kept up the walking and hiking. Now I was ordering the equipment as well. I discovered an outfitter called REI. They do have brick and mortar stores but none of them are close to me. I began researching and buying my needed equipment from their online store. I ordered the back pack first so that I could start training with weight on my back. I had no idea how I would do with the additional weight but it was time to find out....................

Preparation is half the fun..............

Once the idea of hiking the NCT really took hold I became obsessed. Single-minded may be a nicer way of saying it but that is not really the way my personality works.

I am a chronic insomniac. I have been for years. I am extremely jealous of all of you that seem to "sleep" on command.

Often I use insomnia to my advantage. I have read countless books, watched a plethora of movies, studied the bible and written timely letters to friends who needed encouragement. The Internet, email, and now this blog will help kill the time during the wee hours of the night.

Many late nights have been spent researching the NCT. The North Country Trail Association websites have many hits in the middle of the night.

Luckily for me, I function well on very little sleep. It takes days before it becomes obvious that sleep deprivation is affecting my performance. From time to time I get a good nights sleep and it feels like a very special present every time.

Preparation Begins:

I started out with a bang: I studied the Internet sites, I began a walking regimen, I purchased a good pair of hiking boots and I became obsessed with giving this a real opportunity to come to fruition.

Besides the research and purchasing the proper equipment, the real challenge was getting in shape. I determined that 10 miles per day was the minimum for a successful hike. This is mainly based on being somewhere by the end of the hiking day that would allow for adequate sleeping arrangements. Even at 10 miles a day it looked like I would have to camp in small woods and behind foreclosed empty homes to keep going.

I am not a big fan of trespassing and encounters with angry homeowners or farmers.

I suspected that being stranded as dark is quickly approaching, on foot in the middle of nowhere is not a good thing. I also have some experience with unhappy farmers when you just show up in the middle of the night. I am not a fan of aggressive country dogs.

The other physical challenge is that not only is a minimum of 10 miles necessary for reasonable accommodations but I would also have to carry nearly 50 lbs of equipment in my backpack.

I had no idea if 50 lbs. and 10 miles was even possible for me. I am a short, stocky, okay fat, little man and this seemed like a tough road.

I do not know if my friends and family would agree but I think that one of my best attributes is that I am so committed (stubborn) to the tasks I take on. If I decided to do something in my life I almost always have done it.

I quietly began to prepare myself. I wasn't ready to tell anyone what I was planning to do. But with 2010 now at hand it seemed time to make a resolution and get in shape.

I am 5'6" tall and 5' wide. I weighed 206 lbs. Some of that bulk is old muscle and a lot of it is new fat. I clearly needed to lose about 40 lbs.

During the month of December 09, treadmill training began.

Two miles per day caused sore arches, bad ankles and other small injury. I bought a good brand of hiking boots and was able to move it up to 4 miles a day.

I was now starting outside training walks as well. I took two of my 3 year old buddies from my wife's daycare and did a 4 mile hike. The boys loved it. I took 2 of the 9 year old girls a week later and the dynamics weren't quite as good. I did the hike several times alone.

Brianna, the love of my life, is my oldest daugter Cyndee's oldest daughter. She likes what I like and has always hung out with her "Pepa" whenever we are together.
We have planted gardens, played video games, rough housed, walked the Mackinac Bridge and too many other activities to mention them all.

Did I mention? She also likes to harass, tease and abuse me as well. We are buddies.

It was time for a challenge. I needed to find out how far I could go. I took Brianna to Indian Springs Metro Park on a cold, wintry and windy day.

They have an eight mile round trip all purpose path there and I felt I could now go this far. It really was a good hike. We saw several white tail deer, wild turkey, squirrels and many birds. Not bad for a winter hike. We stopped and had lunch. Brianna was loving it with excited 9 year old enthusiasm.

At about the 6 mile mark I was nearing the end of my endurance. Brianna was enjoying my discomfort. Teasing me became her number one job for the rest of the adventure.

She began to pick up long sticks. I intuitively new I was in trouble. Well intuitively is the wrong word. Brianna made it quite clear that I was in trouble. She wasn't even beginning to get tired and I was on my last leg.

Adrenaline is an amazing thing. Brianna, with a little too much delight, began to prod the "old man" as she was now calling me. She would swat me with a switch every time I slowed down and yell "get going old man". She definitely kept me going.

Eventually, my car was in sight and I new I would finish the eight miles. Besides, the only way out would have been to call Diane to come get her wimpy old man. Brianna would have harassed me for years, so with proper dignity I made it to the finish line. Brianna was so strong as we finished the 8 miles she than chose to run up and down a very large and steep hill twice just to rub it in. Kids, don't you just love em?

A little bit about me

I lost my job two years ago and have not been able to find any serious employment since then. I had a six figure income and like so many people my age in this economy, I was unable to replace it. I had a job at Wal-Mart for minimum wage and upgraded all the way to $9.00 per hour for a seasonal job at the Home Depot.

I was on unemployment for two years. Fortunately, my wife's income covers the basics.

We were able to renegotiate our mortgage as well. This was probably the most important financial event that happened to me for quite awhile. It was very depressing contemplating giving up our home.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to receive a nice piece of cash through a negotiated settlement. As part of the agreement I will say no more about this issue.

So I went from unemployed to retired at a relatively young age.

I am married to the lovely Diane. We have been together for 27 years. The stability of the family we have is what kept me together during these rough times.

We have 6 very wonderful adult children. We have 5 daughters and 1 son. Their ages range from 36 to 22. No, the son is not the youngest and we are not Catholic. So far the children have produced 8 beautiful grandchildren. Keeping with the trend, 7 of them are granddaughters. Daughter number three is pregnant, so around the middle of October number 9 will arrive.

I am very proud of my family. Of the six 5 have college degrees and the youngest is about a year from graduation. They have accumulated 2 Masters with 2 more working on their Masters programs. Another is working on her second degree in the medical field. All are gainfully employed.

My oldest granddaughter is an exceptional student and graduates from high school this year. She will be attending Wayne State next fall. I am very proud of her.

I am sure I will be mentioning my family often. That is one thing nice about a blog. You get to write about what is most important to you. In my case that is my family.

I have an extended family that I love dearly as well.

Just talking with Sabrina

Before Christmas I was talking to Sabrina, my second oldest granddaughter. She is a beautiful young lady who has always been very special to my wife Diane and I.

We were talking about the Appalachian Trail. She was interested in hiking part of the trail some day. I told her that I would love to try that if I could shed 50 lbs and get in good enough shape to give it a fair shot.

Sabrina is a junior in high school so that would give me a year and a half to prepare.

As is my way I started researching the Appalachian Trail. After much research it was clear to me that you don't just start walking the trail. Months of preparation would be needed. You would need the equipment, the strength and endurance, and a great desire to make a dent in this 2400 mile test of body and spirit.

While researching, I discovered a lesser known trail system called the North Country Scenic Trail. This trail starts in upstate New York and goes through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota.

The trail runs through Michigan which is the state I live in, so I became much more interested in the possibility of a long but less strenuous start to my hiking life. After three months of preparation I began the first leg of my journey. I covered 70 miles in 7 days carrying a backpack with about 50 lbs of equipment.

I started keeping a journal of my "Quest" as part of making the experience memorable. My main reason for starting this blog is to share my journal, thoughts and perhaps give and receive advice as I progress. I hope to be a source of inspiration for the "Not so Young" and the "Young" as well.