new hiker

“Spindle and Rev, I won’t know if I can make it until later in the week. I let you now.”

“I am seriously considering my plan to hike north from kirkridge on Sat. I am still working out the whole plan to make sure my wife is covered for what she needs and so forth. not sure what my time frame is... but if you guys are on track for kirkridge Sat night I suspect it would be hard to miss each other.”

“so how many people on this trip now?”

“from where to where?”

“At least two.

And I'm not sure it's so much of a "trip" as Escape Plan Beta.

I wonder if my childcare (aka Mom) would wig out too badly if I kept going SOBO?

Hmmm, I should ask. ;)”

“Need help? I can arrange for food drops.

Sadly, I kind of miss it.

Edit: Perhaps I should add that to my resume. Hey Roam, do you think that would get me a job? ;) Official title: Official AT Trail Support
last edited: 9/17/07 12:02:14 PM”

“You certainly are detailed, consistant, and reliable. That's gotta be worth something on a resume.

You'd probably have to explain how it a little.”

“MsDoolittle, that would make you a Trail Angel! That's what we call them out here anyway.”

“spindlette whats this i see you wanna countiue SOBO did i start trouble lol”

“Edit: Perhaps I should add that to my resume. Hey Roam, do you think that would get me a job? ;) Official title: Official AT Trail Support
last edited: 9/17/07 1:02:14 PM”
MsDoolittle

couldn't hurt! If I were the hiring manager, it'd be a HUGE plus! I'd have several questions about your pack weight and topo reading skills too though. It'd be a tough interview ;)”

“Now, I think that is one interview I'd be able to handle! ;)”

“trust me jersey, that thought is in the back of any of our minds at any given hour of the day. you started nothing.”

“Yeah the "if I just kept going..." question comes with every hike.

I have young children, so the answer is always "not yet". ;)”

“I have young children, so the answer is always "not yet". ;)” ~ spindlette

Which always seems to be followed by "but soon...." Sometimes you have to knock her out of the dream-like state. ;)

Of course, I have no room to talk. :p”

“So, I met this funny guy in a kilt on the JMT this summer who directed me to this site. You guys gave such wonderful advice to Jersey, I wondered if I could get some too! I did my first ever backpack this summer on the JMT--have done dayhiking for years (Mt. Whitney, Half Dome, Angels Landing, etc)- I am very interested in Refrigerator's trip to Alaska this summer but don't want to be stupid. Will it be possible to learn what I need to for that trip by doing weekend adventures with TT peeps? I travelled pretty light this summer--20lbs base, used a tarp,fuel tabs for cookin, etc. I've never forded a river where I had to get really wet, not much experience with a compass. No experience with grizzlies. Your thoughts?”

“you're fresh meat.....

prepare for just about anything... :?)”

“which girly were you, we heard stories, LOL!”

“find trips in your area with folks - go on them. Observe - you'll pick up lots of stuff pretty fast.

Most of all - HAVE FUN!”

“In all seriousness the best way to learn anything is to do it. Watch the trips page carefully and read the various insanity on here. The trips page is a good way to meet folks and actually do the hiking and camping that you want to learn. The insanity is a way of getting to know the trail names and being able to roughly gauge a personality with a name. I say roughly because there are some folks who really don't exist. You won't run into them on a trail.

Most of the people I have met have been pretty consistent with their postings. Very few surprises. We have our gear whores who can tell you the weight in grams of just about anything you want to know. We have our trail freaks who (between them) have just about every trail cataloged, mapped and hiked, our food junkies who can cook anything from ramen noodles to four course dinners on a single burner, sometimes alcohol, stove, and have it all come out at the same time.

You name it, some one has it covered and they are usually very free with their information.”

“listen to what these guys say they have been so much help to me”

“Ooo lookee! More fresh mea...err...I mean..

Welcome sunnydayz!”

“Thanks for the welcome! I signed up a few days ago to meet a ghost at Masten. Hope to meet some of you there.”

“Gack.....

Talk about baptism by fire.....

Are you sure you know what you are doing?”

“Ummm...Jackstraw assured me the campfire he met me at on JMT was wilder than anything he's seen in all his years with you guys. 8)”

“i can't wait to hear all the new stories now, tee hee.”

“He was just being modest, we've had some wild ones, but we're harmless......mostly ]:->
last edited: 9/17/07 7:21:04 PM”

“BackSlacker is harmless, mostly.

There's no vouching for the rest of 'em. ;>”

“Backslacker's mostly harmless? Dammit, I missed that part.”

“Jackstraw assured me the campfire he met me at on JMT was wilder than anything he's seen in all his years with you guys. 8)”
sunnydayz
9:45:00 PM
9/17/07

Wait a minute.. I thought he was _with_ some of "you guys"....”

““Backslacker's mostly harmless? Dammit, I missed that part.” MsDoolittle

Kirkridge. Winter. "mostly" covers it.”

“Gotcha. Wasn't there for that one. ;)”

“wait a minute.....”

“still waiting”

“It was his idea, really it was.”

“My childcare has decided to have an episode that makes me uncomfortable with leaving the kids in their care.

I have no other resources in that area. So I can't hike, I'm sorry, I'm a mom.

I can however still do support. Jerseynew, I will look for you at Kirkridge at 5pm on both Sat and Sun. It's close to home. We can set up for some slackpacking and/or get you off trail for the night. I can slackpack you easily between NJ and Port Clinton...maybe a bit further with some planning..

This sucks. I'm sorry.”

“Tough deal, Splindette, but you got your head in the right place:)”

“Ain't no way I could set out for the excursion you guys had planned. I know I can't do the mileage. shazzbot.

You have made the right choice spindlette. But I know it is a bummer for you.”

“Huge bummer. On many levels.

I'll keep track of our noob best I can tho.”

“its ok family comes first i know no worries i feel bad for you cause i know you were looking forward to it too. but yeah i should be at kirkridge on sat...
so now i'm packed and all ready to go i'm gonna be leaving tommorrow morning so i guess i'll just start headin south so it will give me plenty of time to get to kirkridge on sat......
i want to say thank you to you all you guys have been so much help
i'll keep in touch along the way and give you updates”

“Party at Kirkridge Saturday night?”

“Wait...let me get the iodized salt for that wound. :(

When I show up at Kirkridge I'll have the spindlings in tow. No party por moi. Could help y'all put one together tho.

Jerseynew, you have mail.
last edited: 9/18/07 5:51:59 PM”

“jersey, be sure to update us here or start a trailjournals.com account. just about any trailtown with a library will let you use their computers for free”

“My plans have to wait until I see the pay stub tomorrow afternoon. If there is not enough then I don't get to party either. :?(

Much as I would like to meet the spindlets....”

“That so sucks Spindle, hope everythings OK on the home front! Best of luck to you Jersey Fella!”

“i'm of everyone check in with yall soon
thanks again for all the help

chris”

“Don't you hate to see them leave home...

God speed dude....”

“Did some of you guys and gals go on a shake down hike with jerseynewhiker? Did anyone get a picture of him, or do a trip report? Did gear lighten up, and his menu beef up with , beef?

Sunnydayz, where do you live, so we can give you sage advice on places to do some hikes and backpacks?”

“Jersey never got the shake down. Sounds like life got in the way for the folks helping him out. Best of luck to you Jersey. Hope to see you on the trail someday.

Welcome Sunnydayz!”

“We did get him turned around and heading south. That makes me feel better. He's 25, tough and sounds reasonably fit. He'll survive. He did send some stuff ahead. I don't know about the rest. I hope to connect with him Saturday night but don't know if I'll be able to swing it. I won't know until tomorrow evening when the pay stub shows up.”