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More Than Just an Adventure — A Reflection by Sierra Costa–Pierce

As I reflect on the adventures through the vegetable kingdom of the Blue Ridge Mountains, I find myself becoming reminiscent. I envision in my mind’s eye the experiences of traversing up, down, and through the multiform terrain, conversing with the eccentric characters of the AT, standing in reverence to the pure wildness of the denizen creatures in their natural habitat, and drinking in the picturesque scenery of the mountain overlooks. The rocky outcrops and established clearings were so abundant that it began to form a central theme for me. Looking over vast quantities of land reveals to the observer the advanced intricacy of the topological formations, the pattern in which humans propagate, and the distinct interconnectedness of an ecological system, yet in the same moment it reveals a kind of simplicity.

Gazing over the seemingly boundless landscape invokes in the individual the sense of raw wonder. Wow. And then the first thought one receives is something like “I am so small,” followed by a river of feelings. To my mind, this overlook metaphor is generalizable to the entirety of the endeavor. Beyond Limits: Awaken Your Potential is an organization which serves to impel people to convene with others, for the sole purpose for stretching the envelope of possibility. In other words, making possible that which is deemed impossible. To do so, we must set our inherent differences aside and work as a unit. That is just what we did from June 1 to June 10. We pushed ourselves beyond the perceived boundaries of the self and acted for others. If expanding oneself beyond their limits means to transcend oneself through the crucible of difficulty, and awakening means to rise up and out of sleep, then we are doing essentially the same when we climb up a mountain and are met with a panoramic view of where we are.

The mountain is a simple example of circumventing difficulty – the journey is fraught with dangers and risk. Every step gets you closer to the top, but with each step comes impending fatigue. The next step is harder than the last. At times you must break so that you can breathe, laugh, and drink water. This revitalization is necessary if you are to continue your peregrination. After a bout of struggle, unexpected hardship, existential curveballs, and excruciatingly long moments, you finally stumble upon a viewpoint. You have reached the summit. The encompassing nature of an overlook allows you to, in a sense, look down through the passage of time and space. From here, you are able to see all you have accomplished thus far. Another way to put it is seeing where you are relative to where you were. And similar to that of an individual waking up from sleep, the hiker lifts oneself up and out of the density of the shady forest and unto the luminous peak of nature’s prominence. Standing in the presence of an overlook represents our innate capacity to look over our boundaries, restrictions, limits, inhibitions, obstacles, and hindrances. And more importantly, that this pioneering into the realm of the impossible cannot be done alone.

One of the more sentimental aspects of this trip was that people thought we were a family. Towards the end of the expedition, we had to finally admit to ourselves that we were indeed a family. We were a group of varying individuals, most of whom were previously strangers, who unknowingly took part in a kind of metamorphosis. What happened was that we each had to shift our individual self to the side a bit. In doing so, we could leverage against each other and align our ideals into a group ethic. It is through this unspoken ethic that we silently agreed on how to treat each other. This is how we came to realize our familiarity, among other things. And I am grateful to have been a part of something like that. Thank you, and much love to Dr. J, Truffles, Hopper, Fescue, Glide, Rocky, and Legman.

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The Best Way to Keep Cool

Hello everyone—Saint here. Summer is coming! That means that it’s time to really think about water.  Do you guys know how critical water is? Could you imagine what would happen without water in our lives? Have you ever figured how much water you drink each day? I did a rough calculation of my need for water each day. Now I realize that I need more water in summer and on days when I’m really active because I need water to cool my body when it’s hot.

At home I have several bowls with water that help me to save energy. Now I really know how important it is to drink lots and lots of water when the sun beats down, because I spend much time hiking with my Mummy every day. More water makes my body cool as soon as possible so I will have more energy to hike with Mummy. I need more water now. I see Mummy always brings a big bottle with enough water to save her and my energy. Roughly now my water intake is two times more than when we were at UMPI.

Anyway, Saint wants to remind you all to drink more water, in time. Water is the source of life and the link that binds all living beings on this planet. No creatures cannot survive without water. The body’s need for water is second only to its need for oxygen. Not only should you drink enough water daily to keep your body healthy. Also, please make sure that you’re drinking enough after running or hiking, especially in the summer months.

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It’s All About the Journey: Travels With Dr. J. and Saint—The First Week of Hiking — Part 6

After Heidi left us we did more hiking. We were coming to a trailhead to meet Honey and Bear and get some supplies. We also heard that there was some trail magic—a place that was offering a hiker feed. An older man, Jeremiah, and his younger male companion came up looking for us. Honey had told them about us. Jeremiah wanted to try carrying for a while. I was concerned about him. Jeremiah is not a young man and was quite heavyset. I was concerned about the strain that this was putting on him. He made it for about seven minutes, which was remarkable. Then we asked the young man, Justin, if he wanted to try. He hadn’t really thought about it, but stepped up and did well. Their rotations really helped out the Clemson Crew.

When we got to the trailhead, it was time for a break. Jeremiah is part of a group that has some hiker hostels along the trail. Here they had taken a double-decker bus and fixed it into a hostel. Everyone went over to check it out. I stayed put on the tailgate, grateful for the break. The rest of the gang had something to eat and drink, including an unusual tea. They also met some more of Jeremiah’s group, including his wife. His wife came over to meet Saint and me. She had a connection to Maine, so wanted to make herself known.

The crew was tired and there was a ways to go to get to a good camping area. So, again, we thought that we should get a ride for a mile or two. But in this area, the road was paved and had a speed limit, so sitting on the tailgate would not be an option. We thought that we would need to travel in two groups, with one going ahead to wait until the next one could come along. But, as always, we were lucky. There was a woman there who knew Honey and Bear—she had stayed with them some years back. (Honey and Bear are always meeting people whom they have helped along the way.) She offered to take some of our group to our next jumping off place. She was doing this with her own car, just to be helpful, and wanted nothing in return.

We got a ride to Neels Gap. Some of our group checked out the supplier or used the privies. Then we hiked to our camping spot for the night: Bull Gap. We got there with plenty of daylight to spare. This was fortunate, because it gave time to set up camp and send people on a rather long walk for water. It also may have been here that the line for our (Hopper, Saint and my) bear bag got tangled and broke. So from thereon, we used the Clemson Crew’s bear-bag line.

Bears are an issue along the AT. They can be attracted by anything with a scent. So one hangs one’s food and toiletries and cook pot in a bag suspended on a line from a tree limb high enough and far enough out that bears can’t reach it. There are some parts of the trail where bear canisters mandatory. Many hikers try to avoid these sections and also think that they are capricious—do the bears know where the regulations start and stop? :>) The bears are lured by easy food. But this harms everyone, especially the bears. Bears that eat trash don’t live as long. If they become aggressive, they may need to be killed. So there are people whose summer job is chasing bears, trying to re-instill fear of people into them. They may make loud noises at bears, bark at them, may even shoot bean bags at them. We never saw any bears during our stretch of hiking. And Saint would be a good deterrent for me. But we didn’t want to tempt the bears and make things more difficult for them, either.

By the third night, the hike was taking a toll on the kids, in particular. Some were getting serious blisters. They were consuming ibuprofen. But they remained game. We sat around a campfire that night with others whom we had not known. People were interested in what we were doing. One of my favorite moments from that experience came when a young man said, “That’s so great. I hope that when I’m really, really old, someone will carry me.” I’m not sure if he thought that that was what would make him unable to hike. Or if he thought of me as really, really old. Regardless, I did laugh inside. One doesn’t get a big ego on the AT.

Along the way, the four Clemson students acquired some trail names. When we had started, Hopper asked them if they wanted to pick a trail name or just let it happen. They decided to let it happen. Jimmy became “Gold Member.” That came about because he split his pants early on from the crotch all the way up the back. He tried to repair them with duct tape and all that we had available was gold. Brad had several names. Most of the Clemson called him Triple B. His name is Frederick Bradford Bradley. Sean mistakenly thought that his first name also started with a B, so called him Triple B and it stuck. I called him BOS—Buns of Steel. That’s because early on he said that the muscles in his buttocks were on fire. All the kids learned how useful Tiger Balm can be. Lindsay was the only girl and has a high-pitched voice. So she became Screech. Philip also had a variety of trail names. The one that seemed to stick the most was Philbo, at takeoff on Bilbo from Lord of the Rings. I had told the kids early on that I identify strongly with Frodo—a small person leaving behind his beloved county and off on a great adventure. So Philbo seemed particularly apt.

To pass the time as we went along, we would tell stories. I told the students many stories from my life and also about Saint. They said that my voice was soothing and kept them calm and upbeat. I wound up telling the same stories many times because some of them would be out of range and I would need to catch people up. I also tried to learn about the kids and their stories. This was more challenging, because they would be already exerting hard by carrying and could get out of breath. I did manage to learn a bit, though.

Jimmy is a self-made man. He hadn’t really thought much about going to college. He joined ROTC in high school and it changed his life. So as he got near graduating, he began to consider going to college: ROTC would pay his way. Jimmy is a business/human resources major and a junior and 21. He wants to become an officer in the reserves and go into HR to help people. He credits ROTC with helping develop his character. He also does some work with athletics, helping out at games.

Philip was the youngest. When we hiked, he was 19, although he turned 20 a week later. As the youngest and the shortest male, he was an object of good-natured teasing. He was also often the quietest. He has a sweet temperament and a huge heart. He is majoring in mechanical engineering. The others teased him that he was just going to be a fancy mechanic. He also did not know a popular meme based on Dr. Phil—“Meet me outside—how bou tha”–much to the delight of the others. But he stepped up big time when needed.

Lindsay was also a junior and a nutrition major. She is one gutsy lady. She joked and said that being with the guys was like hanging out in a locker room. She probably had the least outdoor experience of anyone. Sean took her for a hike one weekend day before our trip to see how she would do. He gave her a heavy pack to carry and reported that she did fine but that she never stopped talking. She is a chatterbox, but it helps pass the time. Her parents were concerned about her going on the trip, but she decided to do it anyway. She took her turn in the rotation and a few times even exceeded 10 minutes. Lindsay has a heart of gold and is a great believer in true love. When Hopper shared some of her background, Lindsay said that she was the most interesting person that Lindsay had ever known. But we countered that, really, everyone is interesting. Lindsay just got a chance to know more about Hopper. On the trail, people will share the most personal stories to help pass the time. A lot of the façade of civilization gets stripped off on the trail.

Brad was the oldest of the four: 24. He was working on his second bachelor’s degree. His first was in chemistry. This one is bio-chemistry. He was going for a second because he said that he had too much fun the first time around. At one time he had worked in an emergency room and seen quite a slice of life. That influenced him to want to become an ER doctor. He had two older sisters (twins?) who had also attended Clemson. He shared an apartment with one of his sisters in Clemson. Brad was largely putting himself through school. He worked full time for a men’s clothing store. Brad was the fashion plate of the group. He had many, many suits, sports coats, slacks. I was entertained one day listening to Brad give Philip clothing advice. He was talking about his ostrich leather shoes, among other things. He talked about hanging a suit jacket on a cedar hanger to absorb perspiration and help it keep its shape. He explained quality belts and how one should never wear black with brown. When Hopper talked about how few clothes she had, Brad said that that kind of made him question his wardrobe. But that did not last. He got discounts on the clothes and was built like a model: tall and slim. He was about 6’2” and weighed around 140 pounds. He liked to dress up and stand out.

I also learned about men’s jewelry from Brad. Clemson is very big on school rings. One can get them in various metals. Brad had one and the other students expected to get one as well. Brad had a mid-range ring that cost $1,000. Students get their rings in a ring ceremony. That’s when Brad got his first suit. He liked cuff links with shirts. And a wealthy, childless uncle had given him a vintage, refurbished Rolex watch. He didn’t have these things on the trip but wore them afterward when we saw him.

Brad had been quite a baseball player in high school. He and his dad had thought that Brad might make it in the pros. He was a pitcher with a very fast ball. But he tore up his shoulders so that dream did not come to pass.

Perhaps because he was a little older, Brad seemed to be the most immediately reflective about the trip and his transformation through it.

By our fourth day, Thursday March 23, our little bad was hurting. Hopper’s knee was very swollen. She has arthritis in that knee and will probably need to have it replaced. Sean seemed in the best shape—at least he wasn’t sharing his pain. Lindsay was rolling her ankles. Brad’s shoulders, never in good shape, were painful. But his feet were more problematic. He had a split toenail, nasty blisters and an angry blood blister. We tried emergency foot care, including using duct tape. But things were tough. One of the biggest problems was that we weren’t moving fast enough to get to more water. There wasn’t a trailhead to which Honey and Bear could take us that would get us close enough that we could reliably make it. No one wanted to stop. But we couldn’t go on without water. And we didn’t want anyone to get hurt. So we reluctantly decided to get off the trail that afternoon. The kids were relieved but also sad. Jimmy seemed to take it hardest, apologizing for letting me down. I needed more time with the kids and a chance to explain that no way did these folks let me down.

Our next blog will be about camping with the kids back in Dahlonega and then finding our way to and a place to stay in Clemson, SC. Until then, take care. Be well.

Dr. J.

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It’s All About the Journey: Travels With Dr. J. and Saint—The First Week of Hiking — Part 5

As we hiked, the day warmed and we were able to shed layers. As always, I was absorbing a lot of the Sherpas’ body heat, so I could get very warm. We stopped for our lunch break at a place about a mile or so from the trailhead where Honey and Bear were to meet us. Sean decided that the Clemson crew would eat their Mountain House meal, then be able to eat something else that Honey and Bear might bring. While we were taking our breaks we met Sassafras and Gray Eagle. We also met an ATC ridge runner who keeps a check on the trail and the people hiking it. And Honey hiked up from the parking lot to meet us. She brought bread and meat that the Clemson Crew and Hopper dug into. She said that she had started off hiking with Bear, but that his legs just couldn’t do it. He had had the cheese and other things. Tuesday was his birthday so they had a birthday cake that he wanted to share with all of us. Honey left us before we broke our lunch camp. She wanted to go back and check on Bear.

Sassafras was a retired educator. He had grown up in the country and they had done lots of hiking and camping as children. As an adult, he had married and had children—daughters. He didn’t do much hiking during that time, but always wanted to do the Appalachian Trail. He had done some practice hiking the previous summer with his grandson, who planned to join him this summer. The grandson was in high school. Sassafras got his trail name because he had always loved sassafras. He said that he swung back and forth between confidence and feeling overwhelmed and doubtful. He wanted to help us by doing a rotation, but was cautious about his ability. We encouraged him and said that anything that he could do–even a minute—would help us. So we got him into the harness and me onto him and away we went, after packing up from lunch. He did just fine. He was tentative at first, but then found his legs and confidence. He was a sweet, gentle spirit who lightened our loads in more ways than one.

Gray Eagle came along at about this time, too. Gray Eagle had just retired from the USMC and a job in Washington, D.C. I didn’t get to know much about him. The carry was harder for him, so he did not talk much. He did do a whole rotation with us but it took much out of him. He sat down to rest after that.

We saw both Sassafras and Gray Eagle on the trail the next day. Gray Eagle acknowledged us. Sassafras did another rotation with us. We would have one more set of people help us with a carry the next day, Wednesday.

When we reached the trailhead where Honey and Bear were waiting, we could see that Bear was pretty done in. His legs had just given up on him and he had had to go back to the parking lot. He was resting in a plastic chair. They put me on tail gate and we all had carrot cake and celebrated his birthday. He enjoyed visiting with the kids, especially Lindsay. We decided to get a ride over a couple of miles so that we could make it comfortably to Gooch Mountain. We needed to rendezvous with Heidi, Sean’s wife, around there the next morning so that she could pick up Nate and the Clemson Crew could get its resupply. At this part of the trail, the road would not be patrolled, so the kids were able to sit on the tailgate. Bear drove with Saint and me in the front. Sean, Honey, Hopper and Nate sat in the backseat. At one point we heard a yell. Philip had fallen off the tailgate but had not been hurt. This was also where Jimmy picked up some trail magic—a Coke that Bear had left along the road for anyone who was thirsty. It was around here that Bear also stopped to pick up trash from people who were camping. He and Honey often that did, which was a great help to people so that they did not have to carry out all their trash.

They dropped us off and it was a race now for a place to camp. The weather was turning. There was danger of strong storms, thunder, lightning and hail. We wanted to try to get to shelter before things hit. This was when the students really, really came into their own. They felt the urgency and did longer carries than normal. Our “mile or so” to the shelter wound up being longer. As we thought that we were getting close, we could hear the thunder getting closer. It was time to switch, but Philip did not want to take the time. He wound up doing the longest rotation of the week at that time. He brought me safely to the shelter and got me out of the carrier so that I could sit down.

There were not enough places in the shelter to accommodate everyone. Smooth was there and offered me his spot downstairs, offering to go upstairs. But going to the bathroom through the night, which I always have to do, would be problematic. It was my call and I said that I needed to sleep in the tent.

The problem was where to put the tent. The area around the shelter was already quite filled with tents and there wasn’t much level ground available. The ATC had a couple of volunteers, staying at the shelter and helping out hikers: a man and his wife. I didn’t really meet the man. But the lady’s name was Mother Nature. We had a chat and she told me about her health issues. She had been told by doctors that she should not and really could not hike. But she was still doing so because she loves it. When she learned that we were looking for a place for our group to camp, she said that she would take us to a place nearby that was secluded and not open to regular camping. This worked out wonderfully for us. It was so kind of her—we had a nice place to ourselves. We took extra care to Leave No Trace.

During that night, we experienced a strong storm. All that had been predicted—short of a tornado—hit. The kids were playing cards at first in Lindsay’s tent. But as the weather got really bad, the guys gave up and fled to their hammocks. They got wet but were so exhausted that they slept deeply. Fortunately, it didn’t get as cold that night. I was thrilled by how well our tent stood up. We were snug, warm and cozy in our tent all night. After a few hours, I gathered that Big Agnes would come through, so we were able to sleep well.

It was still a bit raw in the morning. We put on our rain gear. I noted that Philip, like Hopper, had Rain Togs. The others had variations. Mother Nature came to check on us that morning and gave us a chance to thank her once more. Then we made a stop by the very nice privy. I have become something of a connoisseur of privies. The ones at Katahdin were lovely. They were my first encounter and were wonderful—very clean and spacious. The ones at Debouille were pretty dreadful—really dirty and unpleasant. This one was fine. And it was to be our last for this stretch of the hike. A couple of the guys carried me in using a fireman’s carry. Then Hopper helped me pivot and sit. From there I could manage on my own until it was time to be carried back out.

We needed to meet Heidi by 10 a.m. Since we were quite close, that was not a problem. In fact, we were early. It was still cool and damp, so the kids sat me in a sheltered spot and made a little windbreak for me of a raincoat. Heidi came along with the Mountain House meals and a box of doughnuts that the crew devoured. She took Nate with her so that he could attend his swim meet on the weekend. She had a chance to meet Hopper. And I asked her if she could help me by finding an accessible place to stay for a while in Clemson. She said that she would be leaving town in a day or two, but she would see what she could do. We had realized that Sean had left his phone in the Clemson vehicle that was at Springer. So he was using Hopper’s cell phone to communicate. He had also brought a separate camera that he used to take photos. Heidi did some sleuthing and did find us a place to stay. She belonged to Airbnb and went that route. I had never really paid attention to that before. She did some digging and found a great, ACCESSIBLE place in which we could stay. It wasn’t easy to find because it wasn’t listed for the start of when we needed it, but Heidi did some sleuthing and make it work. We’ll have much more to say about Airbnb in upcoming blogs.

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Warmer Weather

Hi guys! Saint here. Wow, what a difference in the weather we have here in Virginia. It is really nice and warm! Unlike Maine, where it’s cold all the time. When we were in Maine, Mummy would bundle up in so many jackets to go outside. Here in Virginia, she doesn’t have to! I think Mummy likes the warmer weather. I like it too! Nothing better than sleeping in a nice, warm place!

We are still waiting to go back on the trail. I heard Mummy telling her students back in Maine that we would be heading back to Maine for a little bit. I think Mummy said it has something to do with equipment issues, but I really don’t know what that means. But it must be important since we are heading all the way back home. I am very excited to see all our friends again. I’ve missed the students too. They always smell so good and pet me when I walk over to them. I can tell they really like me, which is good because I really like them!

Even though I am excited to head back to Maine, I am a little sad that we won’t be hiking for a little bit. Mummy and I have met so many new friends and I will miss all of them. And even though there is nothing I love more than taking many naps in a day, I will miss being out on the trail. There are all kinds of new places to go and things to smell, it’s never a dull moment! It is so much fun being on the trail surrounded by so many beautiful things! I will miss it so much! But Mummy says after a couple of weeks in Maine, we will be heading back onto the trail. I hope we meet up with old friends and meet new ones as well. It will be fun being back on the trail, and I can’t wait to see what new adventures unfold! Be sure to keep up with my blogs, I will be telling all kinds of fun stories in the future! Bye for now!

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Just Chilling For Now

Hi, guys! It’s me, Saint! Since I had a little down time, I thought I’d take a minute to catch you up on what I’ve been up to. I’m so excited I hardly know where to begin!
Well, if you’ve all been keeping up with us, you know that Mummy and I are pretty far from home. We hiked our first week on the Appalachian Trail a little while ago. After that, we spent some time in Clemson, SC. Mummy got to know a lot of the students at Clemson University. She even did some talks around the area about our adventure.
Now, we are in Virginia. We just moved here last week, and we’re waiting for the next group of hikers so we can get back on the trail. I don’t think we made it as far as Mummy had planned. But she seemed to think it was a good thing. She still had to help her students up in Maine finish their finals. Boy, I really miss them! I think Mummy does, too. She uses her computer to talk to them a lot!
I’m really excited to get back on the trail. I don’t mean to brag, but I’m a really great hiker. I think that Mummy is really proud of me. I hiked the whole way our first week and I didn’t need any help! I’ve been training for months so I’m really not surprised.
Oh, I almost forgot. In case you guys haven’t already seen them, you should check out Mummy’s blog. She wrote about our first week on the trail. She’s been really busy with finals and moving, so she hasn’t written as much as she’d like. But I think she’s going to start again soon. I can’t wait! Mummy’s a great storyteller. I wonder if that’s where I get it?
Well, I think that’s about it for now. I’ll have a lot more to tell you all in a couple of weeks. Make sure you keep up with us on Facebook and the website. Bye, guys!

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On The Way

Hi everyone! Saint here. Long time no see.  Good news: Mummy has a super car! Mummy got a new wheelchair: I think that is an amazing car! It’s blue–I like blue. Blue represents the ocean, the water. When I am lying beside Mummy’s wheelchair, I always fall into a deep sleep soon. I dream Mummy and I live by the sea. Not only is the new wheelchair faster than her old one, but also Mummy can put the back down when she wants to take a break. Also, the wheelchair can go up and down, which makes it convenient for my Mummy to do everything she wants to do.

Mummy’s wheelchair is not the only good news.  Do you guys know where Mummy and I are now? Ah, we started the Appalachian Trail Adventure!!

Could you guys imagine the amazing things that I experience these days? We’re going different places, seeing the various landscapes, meeting all kinds of people, learning a lot along the way.

I enjoy this wonderful journey with Mummy. Mummy and I already successfully started the Appalachian Trail Adventure in mid-March. Mummy and I spent nearly a week hiking with five interesting people who are Mummy’s friends.  There was her colleague from Clemson, Sean Williams, and four Clemson students: Brad Bradley, Lindsay Costin, Philip Gee and Jimmy Knot. We took a lot of amazing pictures on the way that Mummy said she would like to put on our BEYOND LIMITS website and social media.

Now, Mummy and I need to take a little break. We need to adjust or repair our equipment. Mummy and I are very exciting! Mummy said we have made a good start to our trip! Over the summer we will continue to hike.  Would you like to join us? Saint is here and Saint waiting for you!  Find out how to join us at www.beyondlimitsawaken.org.

Saint’s getting comfortable and doesn’t want to leave!
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It’s All About the Journey: Travels With Dr. J. and Saint—The First Week of Hiking–Part 4

The Clemson Crew worked out a rotation. As I mentioned, Nate did not want to carry. He reasoned that he should not become part of the rotation, since he would be with us for only a shortened time. He did get into the rotation once when his father was having back issues. (Sean had surgery some years back in which he had to have metal rods placed along his spine.) Other than that, Nate helped out by carrying gear. Jimmy stepped up to carry first. He was most familiar, of the students, with carrying heavy loads because of field experiences in ROTC. Then came Brad. After Brad was Philip. Then came Lindsay. Sean brought up the rear of the rotation. Curiously, Sean was often the person carrying when we came into a camp or rest area. The kids teased that he was always the one getting photographed carrying in the photo opp.

The Katahdin group did not use hiking poles because they feared what they might do to me if they slipped and fell: they were concerned that I would be impaled. The Clemson Crew largely used poles. I taught them to help one another and be ready to give the Sherpa carrying a helping hand. I also taught them that someone needed to keep track of the time of the carries and someone needed to always go ahead to break trail. Breaking trail consisted of scouting the safest route (the one that was the least slippery/steep, etc.) and being ready to offer a helping hand. Jimmy had a watch so he volunteered to be timekeeper.

Before we headed off to climb Springer, we took off some layers. Honey hiked with us. At 84, she is amazing—can still hike for miles. The crew got a chance to get a feel for the Jac Pack and how to swap in and out of it. We made it to the summit of Springer in good time and got some photos. We also all signed the log book. Then we headed back to the trailhead to see Bear again and get the heavier packs. Sean would carry both a regular pack and a day pack with the Clemson University paperwork.

Once folks got the regular heavy packs, reality began to set in. The packs were very heavy—probably at least 45 pounds. This is considerably heavier than most thru hikers carry. And other than Sean and Nate, the Clemson crew were not seasoned hikers. But they never really complained.

Honey and Bear would be available to provide support to us for the whole week. We would really draw upon this. Every day they would meet us at a trailhead and bring us what additional things we needed for supplies. We would often have lunch with them. Some days they would help us do some yellow blazing—they would give us a ride around a difficult mountain, cutting down some on the crew’s wear and tear.

Because Campmor had donated so many Mountain House meals, Sean was committed to their using them for all three meals. But sometimes the kids preferred big sandwiches of meat and cheese that Honey and Bear provided. When we stopped and had lunch with them, it was a welcome respite to remove packs and for me to get out of the Jac Pack.

Sometimes the kids got discouraged that we were not making better time or covering more ground. But Hopper helped them to feel good about themselves by saying that they had already done more than many predicted. Apparently there were those who thought that we wouldn’t make it the mile up Springer Mountain. So given the low bar, everything else that we accomplished was gravy.

The first night we made it to Three Forks. Then we went about what would become our routine. We set up camp and sent people for water. Hopper would set up Saint and my tent and her own. Usually some of the kids would go for water. We knew that it was going to be a cold night, so encouraged folks to have something hot and put on all their clothes.

This was the night that we met Smooth. Smooth had thru-hiked the AT before. He had experienced a brain aneurysm some years before that had nearly killed him. He was in surgery for hours. That changed his perspective. So now he hiked whenever he could. He would work for a while, then hike. He was married. His wife understood and supported his efforts. He was quite interested in what we were doing and asked if he could help us out by doing a rotation. We said that we’d be delighted.

Our tent and sleeping system worked out wonderfully. On this entire trip, my best sleep has been in our tent, using the cot and air mattress. The Freshette has worked out really well also. Hopper got the stove going and we boiled water for our two meals. We ate them and visited a bit with the others. We went to bed as it got very dark.

We awoke early. People took turns throughout taking Saint somewhere to walk. She did fine in terms of covering the mileage every day. When we were in a camping area with other people (who were not part of our team), we would keep her on her retractable leash so that she would not bother others by getting into their possessions. Out on the trail, we often let her run loose. We kept on her vest so that she was easy to spot. Hopper brought me some hot oatmeal to eat while we were getting ready to break camp. I have a very hard time eating breakfast, but knew that it was important and having something warm seemed wise. It had gotten down to freezing during the night, but we had slept warm.

Smooth was as good as his word and lead us off on Tuesday, carrying me. He did really well. He said that it was definitely more than he usually carried, but it didn’t really seem to bother him. He was able to chat away the whole time. He isn’t a big man but is wiry and seasoned. He had folks take photos of him carrying me so that he could post them on Facebook. He stayed with us until he had done two carries. The kids were so grateful to have that respite. Then he moved on because he wanted to go at a faster pace than we were capable of doing.

As we have talked about doing this, we have met with lots of skepticism. When there are ideas outside of their comfort zones, people often push back, hard, saying that something is crazy and selfish. Some have become belligerent, saying that no one would ever help us. But even in the short time in which we were on the trail, we have had several people already help us. Interestingly, they were mostly older men. Women could also carry but they do not always seem to realize that. And younger people often tend to be in more of a hurry and don’t want to slow down—although one rotation wouldn’t make that much difference in their attaining their end goal, but it would make a huge difference to us and our freshness and ability to do our rotations. Perhaps as the word spreads we will get more help with a rotation or two.

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It’s All About the Journey: Travels With Dr. J. and Saint—The First Week of Hiking–Part 3

The ride to the trailhead took about 1.5 hours. We had decided not to take Miracle because of several factors. For one thing, we didn’t know what we would do with her while we were hiking. Some were afraid that someone might break in and damage Karma, my wheelchair, or something else. Also, the van, since it has been converted, is very low to the ground. When a van is converted so that someone can drive from a wheelchair, they cut from just in front of the backseat and lower all that area so that one can roll in and drive without having to bend over or cower. We were concerned that on the roads leading in to Springer, the van would be too low and would scrape on the road. Even if that did not happen, we would have to crawl along and slow everyone down. So it just did not make sense to take it. We got to the parking lot, debarked, got out a few light day packs. One of Sean’s was all the paperwork that he needed for the kids. The big question was how to get me into the Jac Pack. We were to experiment with this and refine it throughout the hike. When Honey and Bear were there, we used the tailgate of their pickup. The person who was to carry would put on the Jac Pack. I would sit on the person’s right side. Then I would lean far over to the right and have help threading my left leg through the Jac Pack seat. Then I would scrunch/sidle over until I could get the rest of my body into the Jac Pack. My feet would dangle free. The carrier would lean backward so that I could position padding and try to get square into the seat. Then people would help the person carrying stand up. There would be adjusting straps. People would help me get my feet into the stirrups. Al had put the stirrups onto the carrier rather than the seat (as he had them when we went out to Aroostook State Park). I could use the stirrups to help position myself.

I would not then get out of the carrier usually for several hours. We kept time (Jimmy was our timer generally) and people rotated through roughly every 10 minutes. Lindsay often did not make it to 10 minutes, although one time she went even longer. Philip probably held the record for going the longest, when he was trying to get us to shelter before a thunderstorm hit on Tuesday night. In order to swop out, we had to try to find a relatively flat area that wouldn’t block the trail for others. That could take a while to find. So sometimes the rotations would be minutes longer.

Al did an amazing job with his carrier design. But we had not had a chance to really field test it before we left for our ATA. We had worn it a little in the living room, but that is hardly proof for the AT. So we found things that needed to be tweaked. The chest strap quickly pulled completely off. And the shoulder strap on the carrier’s left shoulder nearly tore through. We believe that that was because people were continually pulling on the straps to try to make them as comfortable as possible. We had such a range of body types. Our tallest guy was 6’2”. Our shortest was 5’7”. Al had stitched in thick, wide microbial padding. He had stitched it so that it would not move around, as had been a problem with the PiggyBackPack. So there needed to be a happy medium. The answer was probably to lengthen the shoulder pads. Early on, the metal framework on the carrier’s left side had slid out of its web harness. We could not get it back in so that it would stay. So we eventually made due by duct taping it so that the metal didn’t jam directly into my chest. When the chest strap first pulled off, we made due using a bandana. But when the left shoulder strap also tore and looked as though it might tear through all the way, it was time to act. If the left strap tore through completely, I would be unable to move. Hopper had a needle, but knew that the thread that she had would not be strong enough. Fortunately, Nate had brought dental floss. Hopper doubled the dental floss and re-secured the straps, sewing them twice. That made the straps fairly secure, but the tearing was symptomatic of the adjustment problems and needs. The other adjustment that we would need was to the levers under the seat. Al had two little levers so that the seat could be adjusted for nearness to the carrier’s body, angle, tilt, etc. He had purposely lengthened the levers so that they would be easy to grasp. But we found in the field that they were really too long. When we would take a break and the carrier wanted to get out of the harness, we wanted to be able to have the carrier set me on a log or a boulder and step out of the carrier. If I could prop my legs up, I could unload my weight that had been on my groin/pelvis. But setting the carrier down on such objects bent the levers. We found it really hard to move the levers after this, because they became bent by the boulders and logs. So making them short would ultimately make them easier to use. Longer and they became bent and impossible to turn. These issues and others made us need to send the carrier back to Al for tweaking the following week. But the prototype is amazing. And to think that Al envisioned this all and made it with tools from his woodworking shop. Amazing. It ultimately can be made lighter and more refined with precision tools. But the overall design is ingenious.

Several people had talked about partnering with others to refine the design, make it from lighter weight materials, mass produce it. Sean was going to reach out to people he knew in business. He also suggested working with students in a Clemson program called Creative Inquiry. He had thought at first that there would be money to bring me to campus to talk about this. He was involved in instituting the program some years back. But since then it has gotten more restrictive. So he didn’t think that it would be a good fit because it isn’t directly rooted in/at Clemson. Fast forward to another Clemson teacher, Skye Arthur-Banning, who also suggested reaching out to the Creative Inquiry students. And Sean and others spoke about partnering with engineering students within the University of Maine System. But the question then becomes, Who then would own the design, the intellectual property? A goal is for BEYOND LMITS to patent the designs for the carrier and for the hiking wheelchair and then be able to use the income from the proceeds to support and sustain the work of BEYOND LIMITS. So that is one thing that I need to get busy on when we return to Maine.

We wanted to start at the very southern end of the Appalachian Trail. We decided not to hike the eight-mile approach trail. But the trailhead to which we drove was one mile up the trail. So we decided to hike the mile south to Springer Mountain, then hike back to the trailhead. That way we could sign the log book at the very beginning of the trail and get some photos. We could also slack pack: just take light day packs with water and snacks for this first couple of miles before we got back to the trailhead and got our really heavy packs.

This was the first time for the Sherpas to get a feel for what it would be like to use the Jac Pack and carry me. It was the start of our getting to know one another. With the Katahdin gang, we had had some practices together beforehand so I knew them a little. With the Clemson Crew of kids, this was climbing on the backs of strangers. The closest comparison would be when I first met Rod Jandreau and within 10 minutes was on his back and hiking up the little hill at Aroostook State Park. It could potentially be awkward. But one finds oneself instinctively beginning to ask questions and learn about the wonderful people carrying you. Thankfully I had already had the Katahdin experience. I knew that gentle verbal encouragement and the healing power of touch would be extremely important. It proved so, over and over again.

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It’s All About the Journey: Travels With Dr. J. and Saint—The First Week of Hiking–Part 2

Honey and Bear came back from their trip to an outfitter (at Neel’s Gap?). They had bought two sets of ice cleats—really chains that would slip over hiking shoes. Hopper asked them to get two sizes: medium and large. She figured that one or the other of those sizes would fit whoever was carrying me if we ran into ice—and ice had been reported on the trail. The cleats would provide much more stability.

 

Earlier in the day Bear had asked me to join Honey, Hopper and him at a family-style restaurant, Dutch treat, for dinner. (He would pay for Hopper, since she is like family to Honey and him and has done so much for them. I was to learn more about this in the coming days. Without Hopper’s help through the years, Honey and Bear wouldn’t have been able to keep their hostel, The Cabin, open. It wouldn’t be open now without her. But the help goes both ways. When Hopper has been in need, Honey and Bear have been a home for her.) Bear gets tired more quickly these days since he had a serious stroke a few years ago. So he and Honey were going to go back to the campground so that he could rest before dinner.

 

After people had their packs straightened out, Hopper asked if they would like to get a feel for the carrier. So all of the students and Nate gave it a try. Nate was probably the strongest and most in shape of the young people. He probably had the easiest time carrying. But he made it clear that he did not want to carry. The other people, though, got a feel and began to wrap their heads around what they were going to do. Most of them did not seem to think that it was too bad. But then again, we hadn’t gotten out on the trail, yet.

 

Clemson had given/rented the Clemson Crew a suburban. They loaded it very full of their gear and themselves. I took some of their gear as well because what they had now included my things, as well. We all went to the campground. That’s where the Clemson Crew were staying, as well as Honey and Bear. Hopper had gotten permission to camp on the site with Honey and Bear.

 

None of the students knew one another or Sean before this. So Sean wanted them to have experience camping and bonding together the night before the hike. He wanted them to set up their gear, build a fire, make dinner, etc. It was very cold that night: it got down to below freezing, and we really weren’t even in the mountains yet. Lindsay had a tent, but the guys all slept in hammocks with tarps over them. And as a way to save weight, Sean had told them not to bring coats. So they had a chilly night, wearing everything that they brought with them for clothes. Early on I quoted Mike Smith (and others have said this before him) to the kids: “Embrace the Suck.” I also told them about the three types of fun. Type 1 is hanging out with your friends and family—really, no effort. Type 2 is when you experience something that’s basically fun and easy—it might have a bit of challenge, but overall you’re having a good time doing it. Type 3 just seems tough. You’re thinking, “Wow, this is terrible. How did I get into this? I can’t wait to get out!” You can’t imagine that you could ever look back on it fondly. But this is the type of fun that your gramma would say “will make you a better person.” And, for ill or good, gramma was right. When you share something really difficult with others, something that you didn’t know that you could do and that was really hard—but together you found a way to do it—it forms amazing bonds and helps define you as a person. It makes for great stories.[1] So not only do you come to embrace the suck, but you also embrace the Type 3 fun. That’s the kind that you remember and that ultimately makes you who you are.

 

Honey, Bear, Hopper, Saint and I went to the historic old Smith House for the family-style meal, for which it is famous. It sits on top of an old gold vein and dates back to 1899. We went in on an upper level. The restaurant is downstairs. I was able to go down in the vertical lift, but the lift was not powerful enough to bring me back up. The young woman who took our money and gave us our receipts so that we could be served explained that I could go out on the lower level and just roll around and back up the hill to the parking lot. The meal was fine: fried chicken, beef stew, ham, cole slaw, collard greens, creamed corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits, corn bread and strawberry shortcake for dessert. There wasn’t much that I could eat, but I wasn’t surprised. I had gone for the company and not the food.

 

We were to get to the trailhead for the mile hike back to Springer Mountain with two vehicles. Bear was going to take some of the folks in his truck. Sean was going to take Saint and me with him in the front of the Suburban. We were told be ready for 8 a.m.—all checked out and ready to go. Saint and I were ready way ahead of time. We went out into the lobby and got checked out at around 7:30 a.m. Then we proceeded to wait. And wait. And wait.

 

The first people to appear were Honey, Bear and Nate. The rest were still packing up. Honey and Bear had shared stories the day before about how they had sometimes, in their travels, eaten breakfast furnished by hotels at which they did not stay. (This was mostly innocent—they thought that they were restaurants until too late, when they realized that this was the complimentary breakfast that came with staying at the hotels.) Hopper had sent them for some hot food. This was really OK because breakfast comes with a room and I had not eaten anything there. They sat down and befriended a woman whose nephew was going to do some hiking on the AT. They had a nice visit. I asked Nate if he wanted something to eat, but he did not. The entire Clemson Crew had drunk a lot of Holiday Inn Express coffee the previous day when we were doing pack shakedowns. The rest of the group probably showed up closer to 8:30 at the earliest. I had parked the van down in back of the inn so that it was more out of the way. I had loaded it with our suitcase, duffle bag and food. Now we were going to get me into the Suburban and I would lose my mobility for the next several days.

 

Hopper had figured a way to support and rotate me so that I could get in positions to sit on different objects. She did this now. The seat was high, though, so a couple of the guys had to help me get up. Then Hopper got into Karma, put her in the van and locked it. We gave my keys to Honey for safekeeping. I had a down parka and gloves to wear. But since the kids didn’t have anything very warm, I also brought my down vest and peace fleece mittens, just in case. I don’t think that the vest ever got worn—and for a time, it went missing. But the mittens did help. I know that Lindsay, in particular, wore them. The Suburban was very warm—the kids were trying to get thawed from their very cold night. Their breakfast had not hit the spot. They had had dehydrated eggs, which many of the kids had said were “nasty.” Brad had liked them. I was to learn that Brad is rather like the Cookie Monster—he will eat and enjoy anything. He must have a very active metabolism because he eats far more than anyone else and is so slim. He would regularly polish off the remains of the Mountain House meals that the other kids didn’t want. That cold night, though, had helped start the beginnings of some warm bonds. The kids were starting to talk among themselves.

[1] I’m a storyteller. So whenever something happens, particularly something elaborate or detailed, I always think what a great story it will make. My dad recognized this in me when I was very little. He used to say: “Jac, most people just go through life. But with you, everything is an experience and an adventure.” And boy was he right.