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Multitasking

Hello, everybody! Saint here. Do you guys know that people can handle different roles or duties in life—at the same time? You must be familiar with the hero in the movie Superman. In fact, he is also a journalist at the Metropolis newspaper. The same as him, I also have various roles and duties in my life. Let me introduce them to you guys!

I was awarded Top Dog at UMPI where Mummy works because I am unique at UMPI and I have various skills. When you see the doors at UMPI with ropes on the handles, that suggests I can open the doors for Mummy. I believe many students and professors see my good performance.

I am a good student in Mummy’s class because I am never absent when she teaches. Also, I always seriously listen to the whole class. Sometimes people think that I sleep through class, but I’m really just resting my eyes.

Sometimes I am a model because when I am walking, I always catch so many eyes. Also, I often think I am an investigator because I am used to watching all around Mummy and am prepared to tell Mummy if any danger will happen.

I am a real daughter at home. I will open room doors for Mummy. I will help Mummy get on her warm winter clothes, such as her gloves and hat. I always accompany Mummy when she is working—she does that a lot, even from home. I will listen to Mummy’s every word when she is happy or upset and I try my hardest to keep her feeling good or to help her feel better. I will open the elevator door for Mummy. I will cover up Mummy with quilts in the night, etc.

I am a good teammate with Mummy when Mummy is hiking and climbing mountains. I have special climbing shoes and gear. Also, I sleep with Mummy in a tent. I just love the tent: it’s just the two of us and we are snug and safe from the outside. I am so happy that I can hike and climb mountains with Mummy because I can see the various landscape and make many friends. Some people think that this makes me a superstar, but it’s all part of being Mummy’s baby. (That’s what Mummy calls me.)

Different roles give me different values depending on the situation. But they’re all good. I enjoy the different happiness I get from each role. I always try my best for each one.

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Who’s Truffles?

Hi, everyone! It’s Saint. Or should I say Truffles? If you haven’t been in the loop, I now have a trail name! Why Truffles, you ask? Don’t worry, I’ll get to that. Just be patient. I have so much to tell you!

Mummy and I spent 10 days on the Appalachian Trail in June. We made a lot of new friends, and everyone had a great time! And, you should all know that I’ve become quite an avid hiker. I’ve never been so fit before! I hear Mummy brag about me to people and even some of her students have commented on my physique. It’s kind of nice. I worked really hard! Sometimes, and don’t tell anyone, I sneak a few peeks at myself in the mirror.

Now, I know you’re probably wondering about my new trail name. Well, when you are on the Trail, there are so many smells to sniff. I can’t help myself. Everything is so new and green and yummy, I have to take a whiff! I tried to get the others to try it. I guess they didn’t want to get their noses dirty. Anyway, some people said I sounded a bit like a pig sniffing for truffles, and so that’s how I got the nickname. I guess truffles are very tasty mushrooms that grow in the ground. Who knew?!

Some of you are probably wondering where I walk, since Mummy is often being carried. Well, I usually walked in the very back. I could still see Mummy and of course I had to make sure that I was behind her if she needed me. One of the carriers usually walked with me, so I wasn’t lonely. The person who got done carrying Mummy would come to the back to walk with me. I got to know everyone really well this way. Everyone was so nice. And I’m pretty sure everybody wanted to be the one to walk with me. I’m a great hiking companion!

Mummy and I are taking a little break right now and are home in Maine for a bit to take care of some things here. But don’t worry, we’ll be on the road again in a few weeks. I’m so excited. I have the best life ever!

Well, my hands are a little tired from all this writing. I’m still resting up from the hike. But I’ll be talking to you all again soon. Mummy and I have many more adventures up ahead. Bye for now!

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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.