Of technology on the Appalachian Trail.

Electronic Technology: Enhancement or Detriment to the Hiking Experience

So, I have been dialoging with another hiker on one of the hiker forums about whether technology enhances or detracts from the trail experience.  This has been an interesting debate and has been on of the more popular discussion posts on that site recently.

First, let me clarify, we are not debating things like GPS and GPS locators.  I think just about everyone can agree this type of technology is universally accepted as "good" technology on the trail. I think most people agree that a small radio receiver to keep up with the weather would be allowable.  However, from that point on, it appears there are many diverging opinions as to whether things like ebook readers, smart phones, tablets and mp3 players enhance the hiking experience.

So, as I read thru the posts and flame wars that were present, the purists point out that whether hiking for a day or hiking for months, one of the reasons we hike is to get away from the the modern world, this includes the overstimulation of the electronic trappings of our life. We hike to enjoy the simple joys of the woods.  We seek out the enjoyment of the life in the woods to experience the quiet cooing of a dove in the early morning, walking among the clouds on a mountain peak, trudging up difficult trails to a vista most people will never see.  The rewards are endless and the purist states the electronis deter from the "spiritual" experiences we seek in the wilds.

While I can understand the purists arguement, and I agree there are many times that I do not want or need to use my electronic "toys", The electronics I bring do enhance my hike.  For example, my Iphone.  There are many times hiking when the scenery is bland and predictable for miles.  My Iphone is loaded with music that can motivate me to continue to hike when I have many miles to go.  Now picture this, you have hiked hours to the top of a mountain, the hike was gruelling, difficult and long, you reach the summit to a million dollar view, throw your pack off, find a place to sit on the summit and take in the views.  Now, after the inital viewing, you reach into your pack, take out your Iphone/mp3 player and find a moving piece of music to match the beautiful views.  Nirvana for hours.  I have now enhanced my hike and lifted my spirits. 

My Iphone is also a valuable way to possibly contact emergency services should I get hurt or need to get off the trail for an emergency.  I do not count on getting a signal, and I do prepare and realize that when I hike, I am the only one responsible for my safety and getting myself of the trail in an emergency.  However my phone is there if I need to attempt contact....and if I do get a signal I will use it. With my ATT service that would be sketchy anyway.

During a longer hike such as a section hike or thru hike, text messaging is used by the hikers to stay in touch with each other as friend and buddies can be spread out over several days and miles on the trail.  This allows the group to let each other know where they are, what shelter or camping areas they are at, where they will be at in town and if they have rooms reserved and where there is cheap beer!  It is a great way to communicate with other thru hikers who do have to treat the hike as "work" and can make logistics much easier.

Ebooks are awesome! Stored on on my reader (as well as my Iphone which on my hike I will use as an e-reader) I can store the reference books for the trail, birding, wildlife and plant reference books, light reading for rainy nights under my tarp, as well as my spreadsheets and documents I have created to assist me on my hike.  The ebook weighs less than many paperback books and I can cary a huge library with me.

However, I have to agree with the purist, I do not want to be sitting on the summit of a mountain and hearing someone calling a friend and shouting "Guess where I am" or trying to enjoy the peaceful twighlight getting ready to go to bed to hear someone else's phone nearby start to ring and then listen to their banal conversation for the next thirty minutes.  If you are going to use technology, use it in a manner that does not interupt the experience of the hike for someone else.

So as the saying goes, hike your own hike just be considerate of others and do not ruin their experience.  As for me, I will be bringing technology that enhances my safety and enjoyment of my hike.  The added benefit is it will actually help me cut weight as well as my maps, books and spreadsheets will be on my Iphone!!!

So I would love to hear your thoughts on the technology argument good or bad, I am sure it will be food for thought.

Thru Hiker......still following the compass rose north in 2013

An Evening Hike and Ghost Town History

Destination: An Evening Hike and a Railroad Ghost Town.

The Happy Wanderer

So here we go again, an evening hike and then a quick trip down to a train station to watch the coal trains traveling through the New River Gorge.

Rend Trail
Sandstone Cliff

 Tonight it was hiking the Rend Trail in Thurmond WV.  The Rend Trail is an old rail bed that has been converted to a double track bike and hiking trail. It is an easy trail with no steep sections at all.  The trail is 3.5 miles long, well graded, and has awesome views of the gorge and the ghost town of Thurmond across the New River Gorge. However, the trail is a constant uphill grade which does make it good for some cardio training. Do remember, that after you make it to the top of the trail, you do have the reward of an easy downhill hike back to your car!

The hike was finished just before dark and the decision was made to head down to the bottom of the gorge approximately 2 miles and visit the Ghost Town of Thurmond WV. 


Thurmond Depot

To be honest Thurmond is not a true ghost town.  There are several full time residents of the town.  The town during the winter has 3  permament residents and come spring, the town's population swells to a whopping 7 residents as the 4 people who summer here return.  Talk about an influx of people.

Thurmond's claim to fame was being a railroad town in around the turn of the 20th century.  The population at its height was only about 500 persons, but do to its importance in moving freight and coal it had 2 banks, resturants, a hotel and a casino among other things.  In fact, the hotel and casino were the place to be for the vacationing well to do and even Presidents of the United States were known to book a room in the hotel and ply their luck in the casino. 

Today all that is left is the shell of several stores, a few houses and a functioning Amtrak Depot.  Remember the post several days ago regarding the depot at Prince NC?  Well, this one is restored to the cost of over 3 million dollars by the park service and apparently the average Amtrak train stopping at the Thurmond Depot drops off or picks up only 3 passengers. 

How do I know how many people board the train here?  Well, we were hanging out at the Depot when an older gentleman came down the road on a bicycle.  This gentleman was the volunteer who workes for the National Parks Service and his office was in the train station.  So, for the next hour or so, he was kind enough to tell us all about Thurmond, the history or the town and residents and other triva about the area.  I must say it was interesting and the local history had shall we say a bit of color to it...

So, another enjoyable evening out in the woods is in the books.  The hike did nothing for training for the mountains...well, actually a bit of cardio and endurance, but it was good for the soul.

Thru Hiker......

Questions, Questions and one Subdictus Answer!

Round 2 of commonly asked questions..........

You have read the earlier post related to questions, so here are a few more for your reading pleasure...

Person: "So, you say you will generally carry between 4 and 6 days of food with you.  What do you eat?"

Me: "Well, we eat whatever we want and can carry.  I have head of people carrying just about anything to eat on the trail.  People have carried  racks of ribs, turkey breasts, beer, you name it it has probably been carried.  Remember, most people start in the Georgia mountains in the late winter or early spring.  Nature is our refrigerator at this time....haha. 

Actually the common foods a hiker carries are things like pasta noodles, rice, freeze dried dinners, dehydrated foods such as veggies and fruits, single servings of spam, tuna, salmon, Parkay margarine, flat breads, hard salami and hard cheeses, nutella, peanut butter, crackers, nuts, crackers, oatmeal, powdered milk, coffee, hot chocolate, cider mix and of course mac and cheese, chocolate and pop tarts!!!  Oh, and of course with this stellar diet, probably vitamins as well.

Basically we are looking for calories, protein, and carbs!!!  We also look for foods that pack light, don't spoil, and are either precooked, do not need to be cooked, or are easily cooked by boiling in water.  I also look for food in containers that after the contents have been used are easy to be packed out of the woods as well.

However, I will experiment in the beginning with possibly taking something like hot dogs to add some additional meat to my diet.  It should be cold enough that if I carry the dogs in my pack the cold temperatures should keep them from spoiling..  It is also not uncommon when a town is nearby to stop and pick up a 12" sub and carry it on the trail for a quick lunch or dinner as well...Hikers improvise and will find ways to vary their diet when possible. There is also a saying "the trail will provide" and this is actually true when it comes to supplementing your diet.  In season, depending on where you are hiking, there are fruit trees, berries, and wild veggies such as ramps that can add welcome variety and nutrition for a hungry hiker.  Hikers have been know to drop a fishing line in the water as well.  I don't recommend this unless you have a fishing license for the state you are in...who wants a huge ticket from DNR. However, who would argue with a starving hiker, short on food and funds if he or she baited a hook for dinner without a proper license."

Person:  So, you said you select foods that can be cooked with boiling water.  Why not cook over a campfire?"
Me:  "You finally ask an good question!  First, there are many nights you will not have a campfire.  Rain, local laws, or you are just plain exhausted may keep you from a campfire.  Also, that would require more kitchen gear and we hikers do not want any additional weight."

Person: "OK, I kind of understand that, but I am confused.  If you need to boil water, you still would need a fire or a stove.  Isn't a stove kind of heavy to carry?  My Coleman stove I use for camping at the state forest campground must weight 7 or 8 pounds. "

Me: "Wow, two good questions in a row!  What happened?  Did you take a smart pill?  Actually most thru hikers carry an ultralight stove that weighs very little and is fueled by alcohol or one of the canister fuels.  The stove is able to hold a small cup or pot and most of these stoves can boil water in less than 5 minutes.  My stove weighs less than 3 ounces and is fueled by one ounce of alcohol.  I carry about 8-12 ounces of fuel with me and will resupply my fuel when I resupply food."

Person:  " Aren't you scared of being eaten by a bear?"

Me:  " Wow, back to the dumb questions again."

"The black bears that reside around the Appalachian Trail are generally skittish when approached while hiking and there are ways to diminish the likelihood of them mauling you. In fact, the bear is more scared of you than you are of them.  While camping you can eat away from your tent and you will be hanging your food in a tree, again away from camp to keep the bears and other hungry critter from likely coming into your camp. There so few bear attacks that with common sense bear practices, you will not have to fear the bear.

I am more scared of the Golden Shiotisu Millipede (Subdictus Aureus Millipes) that was accidentally introduced to the East Coast years ago and now is a serious threat to hikers. Apparently this millipede was accidentally brought over here with shipments of ornamental dwarf maple trees years ago from Asia.  They have since thrived in the hardwoods of the eastern forests and can and do cause death.  These potent venomous millipedes are 500 times more toxic to humans than the bite of a rattlesnake.



Subdictus Aureus

Millipes

The Golden Shiotisu Millipede  can be found where there is a hardwood forest.  Generally you will find them on the ground under the forest duff feeding on the decaying bark and leaves they find.  The scary thing is hiker will generally not feel the actual bite when bitten as the bite is very small and just breaks thru the first couple layers of skin. Identification of this millipede is easy, they are generally about 1- 1.5 inches long, gold in color and with eyes that are underneath the first section of the body.

 The millipede injects a neurotoxin which is rapidly absorbed by the skin and finds it's way into the bloodstream, travels up to the blood-brain barrier, attaches itself to glucose molecules, hitching a ride and getting past the blood-brain barrier where it starts to interfere with neurons.  It especially is fond of attaching to neurons of the brain that affect motor skills and the portion of the brain that drives the respiratory system. This results in depression and paralysis of the respiratory system as well as paralysis of muscle tissue that may manifest either locally or systemically within the whole body and can occasionally affect other vital organs as well.

Although it can affect vital organs such as the heart, kidneys, and liver, the largest risk is the inevitable quick loss of the hikers respiratory drive. The neurotoxin interferes with transfer of electrical impulses at the synapse of the neuron and at the same time interferes with transmission of the impulses along the myelin sheath that covers the outside of the nerves. The effects of the neurotoxin manifest themselves withing 15 minutes of the bite and complete depression of the respiratory drive is usually present within 20-25 minutes.  Paralysis of nerves leading to other muscle groups generally are seen within another 10 minutes. 

Symptoms: The hiker will become confused and complain of shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, breathing will become shallow and cyanosis will begin to be noted as well. The skin will possibly become flushed and the hiker may most likely will present diaphoretic as well.  As the breathing center shuts down, the patient may become combative due to lack of oxygen and the patient will become more and more cyanotic. You will notice the skin color change from flushed to ashen and blue.

You may also notice twitching and convulsions of the extremities as the transmission of signals down the nerves are interrupted to the extremities.  The patient may urinate and evacuate their bowels unintentionally.

Treatment.  THERE IS NO ANTI VENOM for this subdictus neurotoxin! The bite generally is not fatal as long as it does not attack the nerves to the heart, kidneys, or liver (Vital organ compromise other than the lungs happens in < 2% of known cases), the airway is managed quickly and the person is transported to a hospital, monitored and placed on a ventilator.  The neurotoxin will generally degrade within 5-6 weeks and if there are no complications, the hiker can be weened from the ventilator as soon as they can maintain their own airway and should recover enough to be sent home within 2 months after being bitten.

However, this physiology presents major problems for a hiker of the Appalachian trail. Since aggressive airway management is critical to save the hikers life, there must first be several persons close by at the time of the envenomation to render medical help. The rescuers must be able send for help to transport the patient out of the woods, keep the patient warm and dry, and most of all, the rescuers must be willing to give mouth to mouth respiration at a rate of 12-20 breaths a minute till definitive help arrives. If this care cannot be maintained, the hiker will die due to lack of oxygen.

This type of rescue would of course generally not available while hiking.  There are just to many things that would have to be in place to make the rescue work.  Just the amount of persons involved to breath for the person while help arrived hours to a day later would be daunting. 

The Gov't estimates that there are approximately 250-500,000 of these millipedes with most of them in the more temperate portions of the GA, NC,TN and Southern VA area.  However there are known sighting recently in PA,MA, and NJ.  They are found on the Appalachian Trail in these areas through the spring, summer and early fall.  There are 20-30 deaths a year and over 200 hospital admittances attributed to this millipede.  Unfortunately the majority of deaths are hikers and campers, again due to the fast acting nature of the neurotoxin and lack of adequate care in the back country.

So, what do you do when you see one of these millipedes.  First off, do not be scared, they are not aggressive.  They will only bite if they are agitated and most people are bit when they are setting up their tents or while sleeping under their tarps.  So, be sure to inspect the area you will be setting up and sleeping on, be sure before sitting on the ground give a quick visual inspection of the forest duff.  Be careful with exposed skin especially around thick forest duff and remember they cannot bite through clothing.

So you can see why I am a bit scared of this insect.  But will it keep me from hiking?  No way, I will just be careful.  So, what should I be scared of, bears or millipedes? Hmmmm....."

Me: Thinking to myself.  "Subdictus, Subdictus, Subdictus".....Chuckle! That should keep them wondering about bears and millipedes for a bit.

Person: "Wow, that sounds scary, is this true?"

Me:  "So do you know Latin?  No?  Grab a Latin Dictionary and look up Subdictus and get back to me." 

Me:  Just shaking my head and smiling.

So, until Part 3 of Questions, Questions, Questions,

Hike Strong,

Thru Hiker.

Glade Creek

Glade Creek Hike



Glade Creek at rail crossing
at abandoned town

It is nice to walk a flat
trail now and again

Just a few pictures of a quick 5.5 mile hike in the gorge.  This is the Glade Creek Trail that of course, follows Glade Creek.  This idyllic stream is a rocky trout and small mouth bass stream that empties into the New River at Prince WV.

Glade Creek Trail is an easy fairly flat trail that follows the creek most of the time and is utterly beautiful. The trail starts out with a rough gravel trail surface and after about .5 miles becomes a soft dirt trail with minimal rocks and roots.  It is a pleasure to walk this trail after the last few weeks of rocky mountainous trails I have been hiking.  Unfortunately we only traveled about half of the trail before having to turn around due to time constraints and ensuing darkness.  However, not to miss an opportunity to have some fun, a brief discussion and decision was made to head over to the non thriving metropolis of Prince, pop 116, to watch the bats that live in the train station leave to find their evening meals. You do have to give the bat population props for trying to rid us of West Nile Disease by devouring all the mosquitoes! Can you say "All you can eat Baby"!

Yes, I said the train station.  I know, who would expect a full service train station in an area as remote as this, but it is here and it actually is large compared to the one down the rail at Thurmond, WV, pop 7.  Check out this link for information on this cool little depot... http://www.greatamericanstations.com/Stations/PRC/Station_view.  For a bit of information on the history of Prince as well as why this town never grew up, check out this article, http://www.wvexp.com/index.php/Prince,_West_Virginia.

So until the next time we pass, keep the compass rose pointed north on the Appalachian Trail.....and as for the bats?  There were no bats as there have recently been some repairs to the station sealing off old cracks and crevices where the bats lived.....oh well..we will find them next time.



Prince Train Station

On the Rail



Lightweight shelters...No I Am Not A Gram Weenie...but...

Silnylon or Cuben Fiber Shelters

So to lighten my pack, I am vacillating between a tarp and and a tent.  Of course with any decision, there are pros and cons to each decision.  Weight, rain, condensation, snow loading, bugs all play into the decision of what type of shelter to carry.



Echo 1 Cuben Fiber Tent.

I am by no means an ultralight hiker.  I do  however care about the weight I am carrying, and I do seek out lightweight value oriented gear.  However, after saying that, shelter can be one of the big weight hogs in a pack especially if you are hiking solo and cannot divide the weight of the shelter between two or more persons.  So lets look at tents, a typical 2 person backpacking tent can weight 3 to 5 pounds not including stakes and ground cloths.  This would be the typical tent an average camper would purchase.  To shed weight, a hiker will probably look at purchasing specialty made tents made with specialty nylon materials.

Shire Tarp Tent.  Notice the trekking pole
is used instead of a tent pole to cut weight.
Cost is ~ $200.00 for this tent

Silnylon is the most popular of these specialty nylons.  The advantage is it is a durable fabric while lessening weight.  The material is a nylon impregnated with silicon to make it more durable.  The disadvantage to sil nylon is it is a bit difficult to repair if you have a tear in the field, (duct tape does not stick to it) and there are condensation issues that have to be dealt with if it is not ventilated well.  Because many of these tents are single wall tents or tarps, with no storm fly, hikers have to make sure that when there is condensation due to rain or temperature changes, the hiker and/or his gear do not touch the walls of the tent where there is moisture.  Touching the material in this state will allow the moisture to leak into the structure and  possibly allow any gear under the shelter  to become wet.

The weight advantage over a conventional backpacking tent is benefited by not using aluminum tent poles.  Generally with the smaller silnylon tents a trekking pole that is already carried by the hiker and is used for support.  Between the lighter weight of of the material and good designs, the weight of the tent including lightweight titanium tent stakes and specialty guy lines  generally will be in the 2-3 lb arena.  If you are carrying a silnylon tarp as a shelter, weight is even lower.  My 8x10 tarp with titanium stakes and guy line falls just under 15 oz.

Cuben Fiber is the newest high tech on the block.  Extremely lightweight, less condensation problems compared to silnylon, and although you have to be a bit more careful with placement as the fabric is very thin (as not to rip the fabric), is becoming more popular with long distance hikers  The other advantage of cuben fiber is easy field repairs if torn.  Duct Tape does adhere to Cuban Fiber Nylon and makes for an easy emergeny repair.

Unfortunately, cuben fiber material is expensive.  Go figure. However the weight advantage over a long hike may just outweigh the higher initial cost.  The cost of a cuben fiber tent generally falls into the $350-500 range.  However let's look at the weight differences of a Henry Shire TarpTent and a Zpacks Hexamid Solo Plus cuben fiber tent.

Henry Shires Contrail Sil nylon 1 person tent.

ZPacks Hexamid Solo Plus. 1
Person Tent.

1 person tent comparison weights of silnylon and Cuben Fiber.

Contrail Sil nylon tent                                                        Hexamid Cuben Fiber Tent

$199.00                                       Cost                              $395.00 with storm beak

24.5 ounces                                 Tent Weight                 10.7 ounces

2 ounces                                      Tent pegs  Titanium     2 ounces

5.5 ounces Tyvex                         Ground Cloth              3.3 ounces, cuben fiber
                                                                                           groundcloth/bathtub floor

$10-30.00                                     Ground cloth cost       $105.00

31 ounces                                     Total weight                16 ounces


So comparing the two tents above, and I must say that both companies make excellent tents for long distance hiking, cuben fiber wins hands down when it comes to weight. Weight advantage of cuben fiber is almost a pound and the tent has more floorspace inside the tent allowing you to store your pack or sleep a second person in a pinch.   Advantage probably would go to the sil nylon tent for durability and definitely cost.  The silnylon tent may sleep just a tad bit warmer due to the heavier fabric as well and would be a very small advantage in colder weather.  The cuben fiber tents are semi transparent due to the material and if better privacy in your tent is important, you will have to decide if this is important enough to carry the increased weight. I have slept in a cuben fiber tent and I must say the difused light of the moon and stars "leaking into my tent" was awesome.

The advantage definitely goes to cuben fiber for footprint size while riding in your pack.  It just packs smaller...duh....with the weight advantage and size of the stuff sack, you may just be able to reduce your pack size on the trail as well!!!!!  You would reduce your pack size instead of loading up more stuff right? :)

Tarps in cuben fiber would also be interesting, and benefit from the weight and size differences as well. Just think an 8x10 tarp would be reduced from 14 ounces to 8.5 ounces.  Well, as in any decisions, there are always things to be considered.  For me, if I can find a lightly used cuben fiber tent for a great price, I just might have to pick it up........and for those that will say I am becoming a gram weenie and counting every gram, nope, I may stay with what I have, my tarp is light and easy to set up but it would be nice to be lighter and have more options to be enclosed for those sudden nasty storms people have to weather on the trail.

Links to the manufactures from above.

Zpack Tents and Backpacks http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/hexamid.shtml
Henry Shires TarpTents        http://www.tarptent.com/index.html

Other lightweight Tents and gear

Mountain Laurel Designs  http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/

Hyperlight Mountain Gear  http://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com/echo-i-ultralight-system.html

LightHeart http://www.lightheartgear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14

Six Moon Designs http://www.sixmoondesigns.com

ULA Designs  Although they do not make tents, check out their lightweight backpacks!  I am the proud owner of their lightweight Circuit backpack and I can vouch it is one awesome pack for traveling long distances on the Appalachian Trail. Lightweight durable, and comfortable carrying 35 lbs or less. The bonus is it is American Made in the great state of Utah.  The price is right so hit them up on the internet and buy one today!!!
www.ula-equipment.com

So, go out and hike your own hike today!