October 20, 2010

The Christianville Spirit: AWOL On The Appalachian Trail

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Inspires You

October 20, 2010- TCS # 221


So, A couple days ago, I finished reading something that I’ve been reading for while. You see, When I went to Atlanta for what I’m going to call “My PTLS Gathering and Birthday Week” this past summer, My Mom, My Grandma Honey, My Cousin Gram, and I went up to a place in the North Georgia Mountains called Amicalola Falls State Park, While there I saw the southern end of The Appalachian Trail. Anyway, Just before I got a souvenir Map of The Trail, the guide that I was talking to turned me around and showed me a shelf of books written about The Trail and showed me a couple really cool pictures, from the book that I just got done reading, and told me about some of the things that were in it. So, after some consideration, I decided to get it to read when I got home. This Book that I got is called AWOL On The Appalachian Trail by David Miller; Anyway, This book was a really good book and I learned about what it was like walking 2,000+ Miles on The Appalachian Trail. He taught me about where hikers sleep, What they’re thinking, The Weather on The Trail, and Trail Lingo. Like for Example, a Northbound Hiker is called NoBo(meaning Northbound) and GAME(for Georgia to Maine) and A Southbound Hiker is called SoBo(meaning Southbound) and MEGA(for Maine to Georgia). Now, the GAME and MEGA, I already knew but, here are some that I didn’t know; “AYCE” , Hikers say is their favorite saying because it means an All You Can Eat meal which is wonderful when you go several days with small meals like Trail Mix or freeze-dried food. Also, I learned about the types of “Thru-Hikers” and methods of Hiking. There are 2 types of hikers, a Thru-Hiker who hikes the entire trail in one year and a Section Hiker who hikes the trail in sections. There are types of Hikers in the way they hike, There are “White Blazers” named from the White Blazes on the main trail. Then, there are “Blue Blazers” who take the Side Trails ( The Side Trails have Blue Blazes) to either get around a Mountain or cut the mileage down. Next, there are “Aqua Blazers” who take Rivers or Creeks to points on The Trail. And, finally there are “Yellow Blazer” named from the double yellow lines of The Road. Now, there are different methods of hiking, You can just walk with a 50 pound pack on your back or You can do something where you don’t carry anything and have a team meet you at a road crossing at the end of the day. Then, they take you to a hotel. But, I don’t think that sounds Natural as easy as it may be. My Favorite Part of this book is reading about how pretty the scenery in the mountains are and passing all the milestones that come with a hike that is 2,000 Miles long, go’s through 14 States, and takes an average of 6 Months to Hike. Now, It is really peaceful and wonderful to walk in the woods that long but, it can also be dangerous because of the weather sometimes and The Animals that roam around like Bears, Snakes, Mice, and Moose (in Maine and Northern New England).Now, I have to warn you that this book has alot of Big Words in it and it took me a while to read the word and figure out what it means. All in all, AWOL On The Appalachian Trail was a really good book to read and I highly recommend it if you are a Nature-Lover or someone who is ready for Adventure.




Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Cherish Nature and Everything in it.

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