tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77133131858916733172024-03-19T00:44:35.506-07:00A Taste For The WoodsA formerly sedentary man rediscovers the outdoors. The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.comBlogger280125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-40139636632556673972014-06-20T00:36:00.001-07:002014-06-20T00:36:18.756-07:00New site www.atasteforthewoods.comThe new website is live. Please visit <a href="http://www.atasteforthewoods.com/" target="_blank">www.atasteforthewoods.com</a>The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-21434469203016451712014-06-14T02:13:00.001-07:002014-06-14T02:13:58.639-07:00Backpacking Project: Update<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1aFPEFJ0MfQxzTfFGNT8YAVhvPrKaMGoVvnj-FiI9LO1c2hyvXfRZCo5u0SA-PKhxscH5PUEy2e6CJVDQgy13lwNlTydNjpBppgluHSWF9nDgvAmt4nRZKTHy0210YVzasNmnWlGntl4/s1600/10407391_10203246789843018_6025058800598723539_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1aFPEFJ0MfQxzTfFGNT8YAVhvPrKaMGoVvnj-FiI9LO1c2hyvXfRZCo5u0SA-PKhxscH5PUEy2e6CJVDQgy13lwNlTydNjpBppgluHSWF9nDgvAmt4nRZKTHy0210YVzasNmnWlGntl4/s1600/10407391_10203246789843018_6025058800598723539_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a>I left the woods for a day to recover, and that gives me the opportunity to update you on the Backpacking Project. I'll give a detailed report when I return from vacation in two weeks, but I completed a short overnight with my friend Ian and Baxter the faithful hound. I made mistakes, many mistakes,and the trip didn't go as planned, but all three of us had a good time, and I am now a backpacker.<br />
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Next backpacking trip is next week, and that will end my vacation. Back into the woods, and back to a quiet blog.The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-42025453856401933362014-06-06T05:44:00.000-07:002014-06-06T05:44:04.966-07:00Into the woods we go....Time for my annual vacation. Like previous years, I'm spending it in the outdoors. Unlike previous years, I'm leaving the bicycle behind. Since I have two backpacking trips, I have the difficulty of finding a place to store the bike when I'm away. So its staying home.<br />
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During my trip I won't be able to post here. In addition, <i>A Taste For The Woods</i> will be moving to its own website at Atasteforthewoods.com, and that launch should be happening during my absence.<br />
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Take care, and I'll be back in three weeks. And remember, the outdoors is for everyone.The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-62039238429439719642014-06-03T05:15:00.000-07:002014-06-03T05:15:22.467-07:00Backpacking Project - Friends"Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends." - <i>It's A Wonderful Life</i><br />
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So far in the Backpacking Project posts, I've discussed <a href="http://atasteforthewoods.blogspot.com/2014/05/backpacking-project-pack.html" target="_blank">the pack</a>, the <a href="http://atasteforthewoods.blogspot.com/2014/05/too-fat-to-backpack.html" target="_blank">problem I had with getting a pack</a>, <a href="http://atasteforthewoods.blogspot.com/2014/05/backpacking-project-new-boots.html" target="_blank">boots</a>, my <a href="http://atasteforthewoods.blogspot.com/2014/05/backpacking-project-pack-list.html" target="_blank">packing list</a>, and more. And while all those things are important, I think most important of all is the fact that I'm going to be doing these trips with friends.<br />
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Admittedly these are friends who I've met while publicly living what <a href="http://atasteforthewoods.blogspot.com/2014/06/book-review-million-miles-in-thousand.html" target="_blank">Donald Miller might call a "good story.</a>" I knew none of them before they expressed an interest in taking me into the woods. The cynical might say they simply feel sorry for me. Cynicism is its own reward. The online backpacking community has been amazingly supportive of my taking on this challenge, even while assuring me its not a challenge at all. I disagree with them about how difficult I might find backpacking, but still the support has been wonderful. I've learned so much and I expect to learn much more as the Backpacking Project continues.<br />
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<a href="http://www.midatlantichikes.com/photos/lt09-2-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.midatlantichikes.com/photos/lt09-2-6.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>In particular the three friends leading me on trips deserve mention. First of all is Ian, who is guiding me on the Loyalsock Link Trail in 8 days. This will be a three day trip of 18 miles, with the possibility of an additional <br />
stretch to the area known as the Haystacks. The hike is described at <a href="http://www.midatlantichikes.com/loyalsock1.htm" target="_blank">Midatlantic Hikes</a>, and I've poached the photo from the hike description at the link, Ian is going to introduce me to hammock camping. I suspect I'll have a lot to write about on that subject, as well as the wonders of the Loyalsock. I look forward to Ian's company as well as that of the loyal hound Baxter.<br />
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Ten days after the Loyalsock I'm meeting Adam for an overnight on the Appalachian Trail here in PA. Adam is an enthusiastic backpacker with a challenging health problem that would keep many men inside. In other words, he's the reason for this blog. Adam is going to have me on the ground instead of the air - where Ian is loaning me a hammock for the Loyalsock, I'm borrowing an ultralight tent for the AT trip. Our distance will depend on how the two of us feel and the suitability of a spot for pitching a tent.<br />
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Then next month I travel to Virginia for an overnight trip with John, the man who sent me his boots for my backpacking trips Our destination isn't set yet, nor the dates, but we are aiming for July, and the AT is probably the trail. We would most likely camp at one of the trail shelters.<br />
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<i>A Taste For The Woods</i> isn't just a home for my writing, or a an account of trips in the outdoors, but its also a celebration of friendship. I love the outdoors alone, but I push myself hard and further when I'm with friends, and the world, rich as it is, seems richer still in good company. Regardless of how these trips turn out I expect to have a great time with Ian, Adam, and John. Thank you in advance, friends.<br />
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<br />The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-65616075443284868302014-06-03T03:37:00.001-07:002014-06-03T03:37:27.976-07:00300 - Weigh in June 2, 2014300.<br />
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No, its not the number of posts I write a week. No, its not the number of readers I have. (I wish!) Its the number of pounds I weigh, and its the lowest I've weighed since 2011.<br />
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I've not been as attentive as I should to my eating and exercise over the past couple of months due to stress, and so the recent drop I've experienced is a surprise to me. Still, I'll take it. And the drop means I'm poised to go below 300 during my vacation, which will consist of hiking, backpacking, bike riding, and other outside activities. I expect an enormous calorie burn from backpacking in particular, and I have two, and possibly three, backpacking trips in the next three weeks.<br />
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<br />The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-23006041295253444032014-06-01T17:56:00.001-07:002014-06-01T17:56:47.969-07:00Book Review: A Million Miles In A Thousand Years(I first published this review on my Facebook page three years ago. I've expanded and clarified a point or two, but it remains very much as I wrote it in December 2010.<br />
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While a Christian-themed book by a Christian author might not seem a good fit for <i>A Taste For The Woods</i>, I think Miller's ideas of living your life as a story and making your goals public 'work' regardless of your beliefs, if any. Also, many scenes in Miller's book take place in the outdoors - hikes in Peru, a bike ride across the US, kayaking in Portland - and so its related to our topic. And its hard to not see the support I've received in the Backpacker Project as an example of people wanting to be part of what they see as a good story.)<br />
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It's afternoon on Christmas day, and I've finished Donald Miller's book <i>A Million Miles in a Thousand Years</i>. Miller is a writer who authored a memoir, <i>Blue Like Jazz</i>, that made the <i>New York Times</i> bestseller list a few years ago. During the writing of the screenplay of his memoir, Miller began to explore the idea that a person's life could be better if he viewed it as a story, a tale of a persona in conflict with obstacles who goes into action to overcome them and make a good ending.<br />
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Miller, the author of several books, is surely being coy when he claims he didn't understand how a story works. All writers tell stories. Even writing about chess, I did. There's a reason "story" is part of "history." A decade ago I wrote an article about an all but unknown chess player named Morris Freed. This Polish immigrant wasn't even a footnote to a footnote until I came across a family reference to his wanting to impress his wife by winning the chess championship of Pennsylvania. All of a sudden as a writer I had a man who was going into action to overcome whatever was in his way. That's a story.<br />
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I enjoyed Miller's book, and recommend it, but on reflecting I find I've been applying a lot of what he writes about in my own life for the past five years without realizing it. For instance, Miller describes as "choosing a different story" what I'd usually refer to as making a life change. Years ago I changed my life, or picked a better story than burying myself with a fork. And making better choices is an event as old as story itself. When my 400 pound self lay in the hospital years ago it was Dickens' miser Scrooge who came to mind, standing before his own grave and wondering what he could do to remove the words from that stone. “Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead," said Scrooge. "But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change.”<br />
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Obstacles, Miller writes, can be self-imposed challenges. Again, I've done it, and seen it in action. My friend Sayre Kulp at one time was notorious on Bike Forums for three word posts and 1500 word signature lines filled with his goals. Just as Miller sends out text messages that he's going to meet his long-estranged father just so he'd go through with the meeting or publicly commits to hike the Inca Trail when he's flabby round the middle, so Sayre posted his goal to ride 2000 miles back when he was north of 400 pounds simply so he could hold himself accountable. Not a new idea on Sayre's part, or Miller's, but still effective, and important to remember.<br />
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The aspect of Miller's book that had the most impact on me is how we, and our stories, interact. People like a good story, and if you 'write' one, you'll find people will join in it simply because it's good. They become part of the story, and in some ways the best part. Participating lets them not only help you, but it improves their life stories too. For example, four years ago I began to learn to ride a bike. Three years ago I completed a century, a hundred mile ride. Although it wasn't that long ago, there are many details of the ride that have faded in my memory. However, I remember my friend Dan at the finish line, cheering me as if I'd finished in sub-six hours instead of ten hours 25 minutes. I remember our first meeting, when I could barely balance and I knocked him and his bike over. And I remember the support, discussions, and arguments that took place as I improved in the months between the fall and the triumph. That's what Miller might call a good story with a good ending. (I'm writing a memoir of my weight loss, and that IS the ending I am using.) I'm pleased I lived a good story and that Dan was part of it. I'm still friends with Dan years later and I'm sure he remembers it as well.<br />
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I'll stop here. I have to go out and write the next page of my story....The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-45237936902245772022014-05-31T22:06:00.000-07:002014-05-31T22:06:18.368-07:00Backpacking Project - Hiking With A Full PackI had the pack. I had the poles. I now had boots. It was time to try a full pack.<br />
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<a href="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/t1.0-9/1391756_10203149752097135_3653304110049183447_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/t1.0-9/1391756_10203149752097135_3653304110049183447_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>Or at least a fuller pack. My pack weight came to 13 pounds approximately, which means about nine pounds of stuff and four of pack. That's probably a pound or two less than I'll actually carry in two weeks on the Loyalsock. I used clothing I had in the back of the car to weight the pack.<br />
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The location of the hike was Warwick County Park, starting from Mount Pleasant Road trailhead, and <br />
heading toward French Creek. The trail is the former right of way of the long gone Sowbelly Railroad, and isn't like the Loyalsock, but a man has to start somewhere.<br />
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My hike took me to French Creek's vista, overgrown as expected, and back for about three miles. The scenery was lovely as expected, and this is a park I hike in frequently, but since this was a shakedown or testing hike, I'll leave descriptions of the views for another post.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t1.0-9/10376322_10203149756497245_3050171233096343315_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t1.0-9/10376322_10203149756497245_3050171233096343315_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to Pennsylvania.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Here are my takeaways from the three miles, starting at the ground and going up....<br />
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Boots: The new boots from my friend John are better at support than the Brooks Cascadia trail runners. That said, as I mentioned in the last Backpacking Project post, the boots are slightly too large. I slid a little side to side and front to back on grades. I think tighter lacing and thicker socks will minimize this problem. The boots handled well on both rock and dirt, and I felt comfortable in them. I didn't have any plantar problems. The orthotic insole stayed in place.<br />
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Also, there was a psychological benefit that I won't dismiss. I always associate hiking with boots, and just having them on helped me form an image of me as a backpacker. Yes, I know I can hike in anything, and I encourage all my readers to hike their own hike, but still, the boots helped both my feet and my mind.<br />
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Poles: John criticized me for having my poles too short, and I corrected that this hike. The poles did their job, and there's nothing more to say.<br />
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Clothing: I didn't wear the clothes I am hiking in on the Loyalsock. No special reason. I'd just not done laundry. Cotton was fine for the three miles.<br />
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Pack: The fitting REI did was OK. The weight rested on my hips and not on my shoulders. However, there was one odd feeling I had. As you might have noticed from my photos, I have a spinal curvature. While the pack didn't hurt my back, it did force me into a different posture, one more upright than my normal scoliosis slouch. My back muscles feel, well, confused at being forced to take a different position. So do my arms and shoulders. I expect some soreness tomorrow from the fatigue tonight.<br />
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<a href="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/10374518_10203149752857154_6426053354494895838_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/10374518_10203149752857154_6426053354494895838_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Food: I ate badly before hiking and suffered. Note to self - do not eat a heavy meal ten minutes before hiking. Hydration was fine.<br />
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Fatigue: Yes, I am worn out. Hiking with a pack takes more out of you, and I am tired. Of course I was tied before the hike for reasons I won't discuss here, so it might not be entirely the hike's fault.<br />
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The most important takeaway is that I feel I can do this, and while I am going to be challenged during my three days on the Loyalsock, I will be a backpacker. And after this hike, I consider myself one now.<br />
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The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-54917385485998336342014-05-31T07:45:00.000-07:002014-05-31T07:45:37.561-07:00Backpacking Project - New BootsIf you've been following the Backpacking Project posts, you recall I discovered last week that the boots I'd <a href="http://atasteforthewoods.blogspot.com/2014/05/backpacking-project-so-long-to-asolo.html" target="_blank">purchased in 2010 for hiking no longer fit. </a>Well, the backpacking community came through for me again.<br />
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Among the many friends I've made online since starting the Backpacking Project is John, who is planning an AT through hike in 2015. He told me he had Vasque boots that were too large for him, and he didn't wear them anymore. In previous conversations we'd already discovered common links - we both love our Brooks Cascadias trail runners and Osprey Atmos packs, and we are both weight loss success stories - and it turns out we have the same shoe size. Friday morning thanks to John and the US Postal Service I received the boots, and I wore them to work that day to break them in.<br />
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<a href="https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/t1.0-9/10322775_10203144519526324_3706694387822371848_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/t1.0-9/10322775_10203144519526324_3706694387822371848_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>The boots are the Vasque Breeze 2.0 with Gore-Tex. John was off on the size, which Vasque claims is US 14. The European measure they give, 48, indicates a size of about 13.5 US. I now use orthotic insoles that take up about half a shoe size in room. This puts the boots at about a 13, which is the size of my cycling shoes, my Brooks Cascadia and other athletic shoes, and most of my casual and dress shoes. The Asolo boots are a 12.<br />
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t1.0-9/10154547_10203144525286468_5396018028372403185_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t1.0-9/10154547_10203144525286468_5396018028372403185_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
The fit isn't as tight as my Asolo boots. Even in 2010 when my feet were smaller the Asolo were tight. The Vasque are larger, and I don't feel squeezed in them. I realize hiking boots are supposed to be snug fitting so your feet don't move around in them, but I think the little extra room in the Vasque will be beneficial. After exertion or a long day I have swelling up to a half shoe size in my nerve damaged right foot, so much so that I sometimes will have my shoe off under my desk at work.<br />
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Here is a side by side by side comparison - Asolo, Vasque Breeze, and the foot of a formerly sedentary man etc etc etc. I won't be wearing those socks on the hike. I'm sending the Asolo boots to John, who will try them out.<br />
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Meanwhile, I've hit it off so well with John that he's going to lead me on my third backpacking trip, an overnight on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia in July or August. They say to know a man you have to walk a mile in his shoes. Well, I'm doing just that.....The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-19526338602350776822014-05-28T06:01:00.000-07:002014-05-28T06:01:34.238-07:00Our Anniversary"thinks he has found a name for his outdoor writing blog. "A Taste for the Woods" pretty much describes me. The phrase comes from a letter by historian outdoorsman and writer Francis Parkman. In the letter he corrects a friend for suggesting he was drawn to the subject of the French settlement of Canada by the nobility and grandness of the topic. Instead Parkman wrote "From boyhood I had a taste for the woods...." "<br />
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I wrote that Facebook status update a year ago. And what a year its been. Yes, we started a year ago as a diary and "outdoor writing blog", but we've expanded to more than that. And in the upcoming year we will expand further still as we move to our own website. More and more varied articles, and more voices. Gear reviews. Interviews. A podcast. And more to come.<br />
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Regardless of the changes I'm still going to be here, and writing about the outdoors. How can I not? Over the past year I've experienced marvels I'd never have seen had I remained 400 pounds and trapped in a little room. A writer is nothing without a reader, and in this case thanks to the readers of <i>A Taste For The Woods </i>I'm having outdoor experiences I'd never have considered otherwise. I've been a writer all my life, I've won awards, but <i>A Taste For The Woods</i> contains my best work, and you challenge me to be better day after day, and post after post. Thank you.<br />
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But aside from my growing and challenging myself as an outdoorsman and writer there is an impact from my sharing a story of a former sedentary man rediscovering the outdoors. There are people in the woods who want to play gatekeeper, restricting the wonders of nature to an elite few. Last month a major retailer tried to tell me I wasn't thin enough to backpack. People are routinely discouraged from participating by an outdoor culture that confuses athleticism with activity. We as a community have the potential to do so much and help so many by dispelling the lies of that outdoor culture, by tearing down the gates. As we grow in the coming year lets all work to show that the outdoors of this great big wonderful world is truly for everyone. Because we all have a taste for the woods.<br />
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<br />The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-39750884848492289922014-05-27T05:50:00.000-07:002014-05-27T05:50:00.101-07:00Backpacking Project - EatingAs I mentioned in the Packing List post, for food on my upcoming backpacking trip on the Loyalsock Link Loop trail I was going to go with basic items that cook quickly in little water. This includes oatmeal, Knorr packaged pasta meals, and pouched tuna. Unfortunately I don't own a food dehydrator and I will be car camping for a week before the trip so I won't be able to prepare homemade alternatives.<br />
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My concerns are carrying enough calories to prevent this trip from turning into a Pennsylvania version of the Donner Party and having foods that won't upset my stomach. Exertion causes me to develop a ravenous appetite, and I'm going to be pushing myself harder than I normally do. I'm not a forager, and while I have a copy of Euell Gibbons' <i>Stalking The Wild Asparagus</i> on my bookshelf I'm not going to trust myself to start using it this trip. (Besides it adds to the pack weight.)<br />
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Aside from eating, there's the result of eating. I have what a more reserved generation would call "a nervous stomach" and I'm going to be under considerable stress during the trip even if it goes well. The last thing I want is to add to the potential physical discomfort I'll suffer by adding IBS to the mix.<br />
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So then, here is what I will eat for my three days and two nights on the trail. As usual your comments are helpful to me, as they help me rethink my choices.<br />
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Breakfast:<br />
Instant oatmeal, two packets<br />
instant hot chocolate<br />
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Lunch:<br />
Day one - peanut butter sandwiches brought with me<br />
Day two and three - Knorr pasta packages<br />
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Dinner:<br />
Knorr pasta packages<br />
Bumblebee or Starkist pouched tuna, various flavors<br />
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Snacks:<br />
Trail mix<br />
<br />The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-91017477834041300892014-05-26T23:16:00.000-07:002014-05-26T23:16:10.211-07:00Medal of Honor Grove, Freedoms Foundation, Valley Forge, Memorial Day 2014I spent part of Memorial Day at Valley Forge National Historical Park, a hike I'll discuss elsewhere. But I also spent an hour and a mile hiking at a place I'd driven by for years without ever stopping. This is the story of an unknown gem in the shadow of the national park, why you should visit, and how it could be the most difficult hike you ever do.<br />
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<a href="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/t1.0-9/16017_10203102470515125_2135136221098015797_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/t1.0-9/16017_10203102470515125_2135136221098015797_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Located two miles west of Washington's Headquarters on Route 23 is the Freedoms Foundation. The small campus with the massive 100 foot flagpole is the headquarters of a Cold War organization founded by business leaders and General Eisenhower. The mission of the Freedoms Foundation is to promote "the ideals and principles of our free society and encourage all Americans to embrace both their rights and the responsibilities and contribute to the common good of society." In other words, they teach and promote what my generation of students called civics. What the current generation calls the subject I don't know, nor do I suspect they study it. Just that morning at Valley Forge I'd overheard a young woman surprised that Washington was the first President of the United States. Her boyfriend set her straight, which in turn set my blood pressure back to normal levels.<br />
<a href="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/t1.0-9/10175049_10203102552597177_7226735051312300369_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/t1.0-9/10175049_10203102552597177_7226735051312300369_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/t1.0-9/10175049_10203102552597177_7226735051312300369_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><br />
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However, as interesting as the mission and campus of the Freedoms Foundation was to me, that wasn't what I'd come for. Fifty-two of the eighty-five acres of the campus remains wooded. And in that woods is the Medal of Honor Grove. A winding series of paths take you to 54 memorials devoted to winners of the Medal of Honor - one for each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, military chaplains, and men who hadn't achieved citizenship at the time they committed their act of heroism.<br />
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The Medal of Honor, popularly called the Congressional Medal of Honor even though its been presented by<br />
Presidents from Lincoln to Obama, is the highest military commendation in the United States. It's awarded to servicemen and women for valor above and beyond the call of duty. And its often presented posthumously, as valor demands sacrifice, and at times the ultimate sacrifice. As I wandered past the markers and monuments on this Memorial Day, I had a lump in my throat. Each name underlined the duality of war; its the most horrible of man's creations, and yet it brings out the noblest elements in us. And every name tells a story. At the Pennsylvania monument I stopped to photograph one marker, just one at random.<br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/10308874_10203102525996512_6105671973558158942_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/10308874_10203102525996512_6105671973558158942_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Ross McGinnis was a young man born in Meadville and raised in Knox, both towns in western Pennsylvania. . The nineteen year old was a private in the US Army serving in Iraq. In 2006 a grenade was thrown into the vehicle he was riding in. With seconds to decide, he alerted the other soldiers so they could escape the vehicle and then threw himself on the explosive. McGinnis' sacrifice saved the lives of the other soldiers. His parents were presented the Medal of Honor he earned by President Bush in 2008.<br />
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The Medal of Honor Grove is filled with such stories, some recent, many older. Here was a stillness in the air as I passed stories of lives cut short, parents outliving sons, children without fathers and spouses parted. My hike was on pavement, and little more than a mile. I didn't need boots or poles. There was no exertion needed, and yet I've not found a hike that took more out of me than this one. I emerged from the wooded Grove into the sunlight and couldn't look at the flag the same way I had when I walked in. And now a half day after my visit, I still can't.The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-21765728051061303732014-05-25T21:51:00.001-07:002014-05-25T21:51:28.952-07:00Backpacking Project - So long to Asolo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtcE5f_c78dUZVKaFiA0LRvsr272r6mlxSChBflKlmVvPcHFK8e-8cY7pOGg4KYCKN1yNW0_hx8UbyLT41Em3l7kL5VBZ3XUdDXwW04qpJHBieYWvsFYB0tDh-MsK7YQ4uCFngNWRio_k/s1600/101_4743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtcE5f_c78dUZVKaFiA0LRvsr272r6mlxSChBflKlmVvPcHFK8e-8cY7pOGg4KYCKN1yNW0_hx8UbyLT41Em3l7kL5VBZ3XUdDXwW04qpJHBieYWvsFYB0tDh-MsK7YQ4uCFngNWRio_k/s1600/101_4743.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
As I mentioned in the last Backpacking Project post, I needed new insoles to keep my developing PF symptoms at bay. And in the post several months ago discussing "Footwear for Hiking", I wrote about my feet shrinking back into my Asolo hiking boots. Well, that didn't happen. My feet are still too big for the boots, and the addition of the insoles renders the boots unwearable. So my Asolos are destined for a hiker's flea market - they have little wear, easily less than a 100 miles - and I'm left with the problem of deciding what I wear during my trip in two weeks.<br />
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I currently have three choices:<br />
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1. Buy new boots. While this choice might prompt cries of joy on online forums, my budget doesn't extend to new boots this year. So unless I luck into some massive clearance sale, have an unexpected flush of cash, or get a gift (I need a size 13, gentle readers), my choices are reduced to:<br />
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<a href="https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/1907986_10202893355927391_1425357098940821079_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/1907986_10202893355927391_1425357098940821079_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>2. Hike in the new Cascadias. I'm now on the Cascadia 8, the 7 above being worn out. I've put the new insoles in, and the shoes are comfortable, but I don't know about for six to eight miles of backpacking. Brooks says the shoes are not intended for backpacking, but my load will be relatively light, and when you consider the shoes are already supporting over 300 pounds.... still, its either these or.....<br />
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3. Hike in the Ozark Trail boots I purchased on a whim a few months ago. If you aren't familiar with the brand of boot, its the house label for Wal-Mart. (Yes, I do at times shop at the Beast of Bentonville.) I'd toyed with the idea of doing a cheap boot vs Asolo comparison for you, gentle reader, but I'd never gotten around to it. The Ozark Trail boots size 13 last had to have been designed for Sasquatch; the fit improved with the replacement orthotic insoles, but the boots are still wide on me. A hike of a mile on pavement seemed OK. Again the boots don't perform as well as my Asolo did, or perhaps as well as a top of the line boot, but the goal is to get me through this trip. I'd only use the boots for the two backpacking trips - the three day on the 11th and the overnight on the 21st - and perhaps as a second choice to the Cascadias on day hikes.<br />
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The Backpacking Project posts have been the most popular on <i>A Taste For The Woods</i>, and the hiking community is very supportive of my goals. Please, share your thoughts in the comments below. Should I backpack in the Ozark Trail boots? The Cascadias? Something else?The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-88597325270843274122014-05-23T02:21:00.002-07:002014-05-23T02:21:42.922-07:00Overlooks on Ridge Road, Michaux State Forest, May 2014<a href="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/t1.0-9/10329188_10202931497080896_8171475535477928609_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/t1.0-9/10329188_10202931497080896_8171475535477928609_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>I'm a sucker for a vista. When I learned there were overlooks on Ridge Road, I headed there. What I found was both exciting and frustrating.<br />
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I left the Ironmaster's Mansion Hostel on Sunday morning and took Route 233 North. As the road climbed and crested South Mountain I turned right onto Ridge Road. For a PA forest road it was in excellent shape - dirt and cinder and gravel, but well packed. The driving was easy, and in about a mile I found the first overlook on the right. This vista is amazing but isn't on the Michaux State Forest map.<br />
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After walking a short distance from the pulloff, I was greeted with a spectacular view of Piney Mountain. It's not as nice as the view of South Mountain from Pole Steeple, but instead you can view Pole Steeple. The haze and my poor photograph don't do this vista justice, but if you look closely in the second photo you can notice a speck of quartz. That's Pole Steeple.<br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/10314513_10202931653404804_8937328640736105759_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/10314513_10202931653404804_8937328640736105759_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>After I spent a few minutes trying to get a good photo and failing, I returned to my car and continued to the next overlook, Hammond Rocks. The first stop was flat, but Hammond Rocks is anything but. The rock formation offers decent views, the better the higher you climb. However, because its a drive up overlook its evidently easy for a disreputable element to reach. There was extensive graffiti on the rocks, and trash strewn around. I enjoyed climbing up the rocks but I was dismayed at the evidence left by other visitors. And when I realized a rock pile on South Mountain is the natural hangout of the Eastern Timber Rattler I decided I'd had enough. Back to the car and continuing down Ridge Road.<br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/10330427_10202931822289026_8940745758484280184_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/10330427_10202931822289026_8940745758484280184_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>The final overlook, Spruce Run, takes some work to get to. Ridge Road deteriorates quickly once you are past Hammond Rocks. But I persevered and on my left was a pulloff with a view of the Cumberland valley. Again better shooting conditions and elevation mean a better photo. (Scott Brown in his photography books mentions standing on the roof of his Jeep to get photos, a feat I was not going to replicate.) The view was pretty, but under the circumstances not worth more than the couple of minutes I gave it. I resumed driving on Ridge Road, which after a bumpy descent lead to Mount Holly Marsh Preserve's entrance and PA Route 34. When I return to the preserve to hike I might come back to these overlooks and attempt photographs again.<br />
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<br />The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-86834179567384980772014-05-22T04:07:00.000-07:002014-05-22T04:07:09.768-07:00Backpacking Project - Boots and Insoles<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SUkRqXkcIXM/UwNP1TJf7XI/AAAAAAAADs8/c15u3PCbKus/s1600/101_7483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SUkRqXkcIXM/UwNP1TJf7XI/AAAAAAAADs8/c15u3PCbKus/s1600/101_7483.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How did you spend President's Day?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Readers will remember three months ago <a href="http://atasteforthewoods.blogspot.com/2014/02/appalachian-trail-south-at-pa-route-501.html" target="_blank">I had a little fall </a>at the Kimmel Overlook on the Appalachian Trail. The Emergency Room at my local hospital diagnosed a "soft tissue injury" in my right heel and sent me home with crutches and a boot. I used the crutches three days and wore the boot for four, and then took it easy for a few more. My first hike after the fall was ten days later, and I've been hiking since.<br />
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However, the past couple of nights at work I've had occasional tenderness in that same heel. I suspect its because I'm wearing shoes that don't support my arches. Or I should write my fallen arches, as like many fat and former fat people my arches are flattened. Since I don't want the problem to worsen either before or during my planned trip I'm going to get replacement insoles for my shoes and my hiking boots. Also, because I suspect this is the beginning of plantar facsiitis, I'm starting the stretching routines recommended for people with PF. Meanwhile my hiking preparations continue.The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-10734238701351952522014-05-22T03:37:00.001-07:002014-05-22T03:37:36.625-07:00Mount Holly Marsh Preserve, Mount Holly Springs, PA, May 2014<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/10299077_10202932935836864_8904098490866767369_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/10299077_10202932935836864_8904098490866767369_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Like Mount Alto two days before, my trip to Mount Holly Marsh Preserve was a thwarted hike. But I'll describe the preserve for you, and why I turned around.<br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/10258136_10202932934276825_7710765851210223094_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/10258136_10202932934276825_7710765851210223094_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Mount Holly Springs is the closest town to Pine Grove Furnace State Park. It sits in a gap in South Mountain. On the edge of the town and the edge of the mountain, off Route 34, is the Mount Holly Marsh Preserve. 913 acres of land on the mountain and along Mountain Creek are held by Cumberland County, with The Nature Conservancy managing 200 of them. The inkeepers at the Ironmaster's Mansion Hostel and a few other residents of the area recommended the hiking trails in the preserve as worth a visit. With the AT, Pole Steeple, Tumbling Run, the Bucktail Path, and a few other trails in Michaux State Forest, the preserve is often overlooked. So I was looking forward to being off the beaten path.<br />
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However, less than a quarter mile in I ran into flooding from the recent rains or snowmelt or the creek overflowing or the springs that give the town its name. Whatever it was, the trail was a mess, and I wasn't in the mood to get wet feet again. And I was out of dry socks anyway. So I turned around. I will be back, however. In drier weather.The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-71612432751568191782014-05-21T03:08:00.000-07:002014-05-21T03:08:11.171-07:00Why Bother?This post is prompted by a discussion on BikeForums.net a couple of years ago. In a thread titled "Motivation or Tactics", a poster called Tractorlegs wrote that the back and forth between my friend Chris and myself in another thread was "rough around the edges." Perhaps. Its very hard for a super obese person to find the right track, for the penny to drop into the slot. Finding the right way to change your life isn't easy. Nor is it easy for friends of a super obese person to always say the right thing.<br />
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I should know. I've been on both sides, now as a recovering super obese man who has kept a triple digit weight loss for eight years, and then as a 400 pound person. Ten years ago I was in Cambridge Springs, PA, at the 100th anniversary celebration of the famous international chess tournament the town hosted; I was there in my capacity as a board member of the Pennsylvania State Chess Federation, and Grandmaster and former US Champion Larry Evans was to discuss games from the event. 18 months later I'd hear my wake up call; but it was ringing there, when I was so tired I didn't have the strength to play in the amateur tournament scheduled that same day. I sat on the porch of the Riverside Hotel and rested. None of the diet iced tea I was drinking was doing the trick.<br />
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A few years before Fritz, a player at my chess club, sat down with me and told me I had to lose weight, because he wanted to be playing against me 20 years in the future. I made some promises to try, which meant doing nothing, and simply wrote it off as Fritz dreaming about decades of crushing my Dutch Defense.<br />
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My point is that I had some desire to lose weight. Super obesity isn't super. It kills. Every super obese person knows it. I knew. And I could have died of it. Among my friends in the chess world I lost two in one year, Fide Master Boris Baczynskyj and former PSCF President Ira Lee Riddle, to obesity-caused illness. Boris "the Bear" was so big that when I gave him a lift in my Geo one time, we couldn't close the door, and I had to drive through downtown Philadelphia with Boris partly sticking out of the passenger side. Ira was so sedentary that at one tournament he was directing he had room service deliver to the lobby of the hotel so he didn't have to get up from the registration table. Had someone spoken to them as Fritz did to me so long ago, perhaps the penny would have dropped. Or perhaps not. Boris had as a chess student Pat Croce, and the <i>Philadelphia Inquirer</i> ran an article and photos of the FM and the physical trainer and 76ers owner at the chessboard. Croce was quoted as saying that Boris had to lose a couple of hundred pounds, and Boris replied in his thick Ukranian accent "I have lost hundreds of pounds many, many times." <br />
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So why bother with a person who says they want to lose weight or get healthy but offers excuses or has little success? Because they bring up the subject. Doing so shows an interest, a desire, to change. And because you never know when that penny will drop in the slot. In my case it took one of my neighbors passing on to me a gym gift certificate after he heard about my trip to the hospital. But for two weeks after I was discharged I did nothing but live in a daze, knowing what I had to do but not being able to make myself do it. If I didn't get that two weeks for free certificate for Gold's, who knows what would have happened? And even after I'd gone twice and exhausted myself with seven minutes on the recumbent exercise bike, my diet was still garbage, and that didn't change until I read about my choices.<br />
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So why do I bother? Because people bothered for me. Its taken a lot of time and reflection for me to realize just how much I owe to so many people for helping me with my weight loss. They didn't have to, and they did. They persisted despite my lack of success or half-hearted efforts over the years. Can I do any less for other people?The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-84822222693618364752014-05-21T01:06:00.003-07:002014-05-21T01:06:57.951-07:00Mont Alto State Park, May 2014<a href="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/10155327_10202919975312859_4003704860994160606_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/10155327_10202919975312859_4003704860994160606_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>I wrote <a href="http://atasteforthewoods.blogspot.com/2013/06/mont-alto-state-park.html" target="_blank">a year ago, in one of my first posts</a>, this description: "Mont Alto State Park, opened in 1902, is the <br />
oldest park in the PA DCNR system, and its one of the smallest. I have an unexplained fondness for this park. It's like one of your grandfather's cufflinks - old, cute, small, but useless when you think about it. Still, I like the park, and visit when I can.<br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/t1.0-9/10277428_10202919974312834_4010279240364870025_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/t1.0-9/10277428_10202919974312834_4010279240364870025_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>"The park is on Route 233 on South Mountain, a few miles north of the Mason-Dixon line. The park consists of a picnic area, restrooms, a play area that's seen better days, a bridge over the West Branch of the Antietam Creek - yes, THAT Antietam Creek - and a carousel shell. Mont Alto was originally <br />
an amusement park, and the roof of the carousel was used to cover a raised picnic area."<br />
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<a href="https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/10154072_10202919973072803_1086557663687556809_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/10154072_10202919973072803_1086557663687556809_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>I'm still fond of Mont Alto, and I had lunch there on my first day in Michaux State Forest. This time my post-meal hike was short again, although that wasn't by choice. I tried a trail from the parking lot across Route 233, but after a few hundred feet there was a blowdown, and I didn't feel like bushwacking around it. I had just read the park warning about the protected status of the timber rattler, and I took the warning "don't tread on me" seriously. So I backtracked and once again took photos around snowmelt-swollen Antietam Creek.That combined with lunch "under the big top" of the picnic area made for a pleasant hour.The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-45085959819842116132014-05-20T05:57:00.000-07:002014-05-20T05:57:29.988-07:00Backpacking Project - Getting Used To The Pack in Corporate America<a href="https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1.0-9/10302121_10203038146147056_8310843740771530651_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1.0-9/10302121_10203038146147056_8310843740771530651_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>I have quirky ideas. One was prompted yesterday by the knowledge I have three weeks to get used to the backpack, and to carrying items in it. So I couldn't think of a better way to continue my 'training' on days I don't hike by carrying the pack into work. My office is used to my being 'weird' - after all, I spend my free time outside instead of getting drunk or watching television like normal Americans do - so I didn't get a second glance when I wore the pack to my desk. It was a light load, consisting of lunch, a few books, headphones and MP3 player, and a shirt in the bottom of the pack, but was a load and I feel it helped. My back is bad, and very bad at times, and those muscles need to get used to my Atmos.<br />
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I tried to have the pack match my attire. For some reason I couldn't find my orange tie, so I had to coordinate with my socks. I think it worked.<br />
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<a href="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/1536727_10203038152427213_3453661091614444607_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/1536727_10203038152427213_3453661091614444607_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Still, good as I looked, and comfortable as the pack was, I long for the day I'm not wearing a tie and loafers, but my hiking shirt and boots, and earning the description "backpacker." That day is in three weeks.<br />
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The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-82554878864477132932014-05-20T05:14:00.000-07:002014-05-20T05:14:09.300-07:00Whispering Pines Trail and Pine Plantation Trail, King's Gap, May 2014<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/1017739_10202935208253673_8568866723560833983_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/1017739_10202935208253673_8568866723560833983_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>At the entrance to King's Gap Environmental Education Center is the Pines Day Use Area. Its the sole flat area in the park, and it holds two short trails, the paved Whispering Pines and the longer grassy Pine Plantation. As the names indicate, these are I walked both trails, which total a mile, before leaving the park during my recent trip to the Michaux State Forest. It was late afternoon and I was alone. The sound of my boots on the ground and the birds were all I heard, as I was surrounded by the smell of the pines and the light filtered through them. Although these trails have no technical challenges, no elevation changes, no vistas or waterfalls, I found my hike here to be as wonderful as any I've been on. A hike doesn't have to be busy or long to be fulfilling. Nor does a hiker have to do things to be filled.The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-12639801230953689852014-05-20T03:38:00.001-07:002014-05-20T03:43:00.914-07:00Backpacking Project - Pack ListTime for my preliminary list of gear I will be wearing and carrying on my three day trip on the Loyalsock Link Loop Trail. We are doing this over three days, two nights, for a distance of 18 miles, along with a potential few additional miles if we, meaning I, have more in the legs and want to see the rapids known as The Haystacks. Expedition leader is my friend Ian, and Baxter is the official dog.<br />
<br />
I'm not listing weight of items below, and I've backed off my initial estimate of 9.5 pounds. That was unrealistic for a first time backpacker and for one my size - my clothes are bigger and I'll carry more food, for starters, than the tiny people who are over-represented in the hobby.<br />
<br />
That said, here is the preliminary list:<br />
<br />
CLOTHING<br />
<br />
One par of Cabela's Guidewear pants.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/533698_702033489813557_1077656922_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/533698_702033489813557_1077656922_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My typical hiking ensemble, minus the fisherman's shirt. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One Columbia fisherman's shirt<br />
Asolo hiking boots<br />
Three pairs of athletic underwear<br />
Two pairs of wool Columbia hiking socks<br />
baseball cap<br />
HIKE For Mental Health bandana<br />
running shorts or swimsuit and athletic t shirt<br />
Crocs for camp shoes<br />
<br />
Its not the just the voice of my mother telling me to wear clean underwear; like many former super-obese people, I have a lot of loose skin, and I'm prone to rashes in certain places if I don't keep clean. I've found I can safely reuse wool socks a day before the ick factor gets to me. All of this clothing is synthetic or wool aside from the bandana and baseball cap.<br />
<br />
SHELTER<br />
<br />
Hammock I am being loaned for the trip. Ian tells me the weight of the hammock is 2 pounds, which includes the top tarp. He's suggested I use two additional coverings which will add 2 pounds to the shelter. In addition I'll bring a microfiber travel pillow.<br />
<br />
KITCHEN<br />
<br />
Ian is loaning me an alcohol stove and titanium mess kit. I'll bring my spork.<br />
<br />
WATER<br />
<br />
Ian is carrying a water filter, and filling up in a stream should be easy. I'll carry a couple of water bottles on my person and in the pack.<br />
<br />
FOOD<br />
<br />
This will be my basic bike camping recipe of Knorr's instant items, packaged tuna, and oatmeal. I'll have fat person snacks with me, especially on the first day. Tea will be English Breakfast, as I need a strong brew in the mornings.<br />
<br />
BATHROOM<br />
<br />
Paper, camp soap, toothpaste in a plastic bag, toothbrush. I'll have to ask Ian if I should bring my own trowel. I think I should; I'd feel uncomfortable borrowing his knowing what he'd used it for. Since we live in Ticksylvania I'll spray and carry repellent and use sunscreen.<br />
<br />
PERSONAL<br />
<br />
Camera, cell phone, batteries for camera, lightweight headphones, MP3 player. These and the car keys go in my pockets, not the pack.<br />
<br />
BACKPACK<br />
<br />
Osprey Atmos 50<br />
<br />
POLES<br />
<br />
Inexpensive aluminum poles from my friend Chris.<br />
<br />
What am I overlooking? What am I doing wrong? I know you have an opinion, please share it in the comments.The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-22101364525506255252014-05-19T07:16:00.000-07:002014-05-19T07:16:11.574-07:00Tyler Kulp, 1986 - 2014Last weekend we said goodbye to Tyler Kulp, father, husband, musician, and brother of my friend Sayre. The 27 year old was killed in an automobile accident on May 3. There will be others who will write about <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIYYeueuK5E" target="_blank">Tyler's musical gifts</a>, or the wife and child he leaves behind, or the many lives he impacted - I refer you to the <a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/readingeagle/obituary.aspx?pid=170939142" target="_blank">obituary notice in the <i>Reading Eagle</i> for that information</a>. I want to focus on on the lives he touched through helping one man - that being his brother, and his role in Sayre's transformation from a 430 pound man who saw his life circling the drain to an athlete.<br />
<br />
The <i>Reading Eagle</i> ran a profile on Sayre and his weight loss in November 2010. Reading is one of the largest cities in Pennsylvania, and the <i>Eagle</i> is widely read, so Sayre's life change was the talk of the town. In the article, Sayre's little brother gets due credit for assisting in the transformation and teaching him a new sport. "His brother, Tyler Kulp, 25, of Muhlenberg Township, an ultramarathon runner, has been a big motivator, particularly when they work out together at Planet Fitness in Muhlenberg Township. "My brother said to me, 'If you really want to keep with the weight loss you have to start running,' " [Sayre] said."<br />
<br />
In a post to Bikeforums.net Sayre expanded on the role his brother played: "In the early Spring of 2010, my brother (an avid runner) encouraged me to get into recreational running to help aid in my fitness goals. I ran my first 5k at an event called "Shiver by the River". The name was appropriate .... I am proud to say that I finished the race (not in last place, either!) My time was just ahead of my brother's finish time for the 10k event."<br />
<br />
To put this into perspective, Sayre's weight loss had begun in October 2009 and at first the only exercise the 430 pound man was able to do was walk. He'd added cycling to the mix shortly after. The Shiver By The River series of running events takes place from December to March, and he already was being guided and taught running shortly after starting his journey.<br />
<br />
Would Sayre have taken to running without his brother's prodding and help? I don't know. Fortunately we don't have to think about what didn't happen because it did happen. Still, one can speculate, and I'll do just that.<br />
<br />
Super-obesity isn't just a number on a scale, its a way of seeing the world. Part of that life view for many super obese people is learned helplessness. Quite simply, you don't think you can do things, so you don't try. Having someone in your life who is both supportive and pushes you to do more and have new experiences helps the super-obese person to discover that they CAN take charge and change. In my case I made a friend at my gym who constantly pushed me to work out harder, and to stop thinking of myself as a 400 some pound guy. It seems to me for my friend Sayre his brother filled such a role.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1.0-9/10342765_10202951206613622_6642079057235102100_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1.0-9/10342765_10202951206613622_6642079057235102100_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>And by helping his brother Tyler Kulp wound up helping many people indirectly. I've never met a recovering super-obese person who hasn't wanted to help others starting where they did. Sayre has proved true to form, having given advice and training to others in person and online at Bikeforums.net and Fitocracy for years. This includes me, for Sayre advised me both on my short time running and my one bike race. (Let me add I took up running against medical wisdom, and my problems had nothing to do with Sayre's advice.) So Tyler Kulp's aid to his brother paid off for many people Tyler never met.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/t1.0-9/10322819_10202951204013557_5818227337367646217_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/t1.0-9/10322819_10202951204013557_5818227337367646217_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>I was one of the fortunate people to have met Tyler. I've ridden on a bike ride from Pottstown to Reading and back with him, I've bowled with the Kulp brothers, and we've exchanged messages online. And I took photos at Sayre's first 10K run, where Tyler ran to support him. Sayre had lost 150 pounds by then. The second photo was an attempt at a portrait of the Kulp brothers; I'd asked for them to be less stiff, and Sayre responded with the pose to the right. What Tyler thought of it we will never know. What we do know is his aid to his brother flows on in this world, and we are fortunate it does. Rest in peace Tyler.<br />
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<br />The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-48947143214503892762014-05-19T01:47:00.000-07:002014-05-19T01:47:51.821-07:00Backpacking Project - The Pack<div class="content clearfix" style="color: #292f33; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-left: 58px;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Its appropriate I include the Tweet here, since the pack is named for a bird. The pack I am wearing is an Osprey Atmos 50. I'm carrying a ten pound weight, and despite that I'm comfortable. Admittedly the carpeted floor of an REI store isn't the same as a hiking trail, but I think its a good sign a guy with a bad back can carry a pack without discomfort. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The much discussed problem with the hip belt getting around my waist wasn't a problem. The Atmos has a long belt, and the hip pads expand forward to offer more support. Unlike the Gregory and REI hour brand packs I tried, the Atmos adjusted so the bulk of the weight falls on my hips. I had been told that due to my waist size more of the weight would be on my shoulders, but the Atmos proved that claim false. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Now that I have the pack, I need to build up muscles so I don't have to be broken in, or broken, on </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/1532023_10203030633119235_3540682061681030476_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/1532023_10203030633119235_3540682061681030476_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">the Loyalsock and AT. Last night I took the pack out for a walk at Warwick County Park with a light load - I threw a pair of jeans and a shirt in, and headed out. My back was sore at the start from not sleeping well, and it was sore at the end, but less so, which means the pack is free of blame. Since this was a two mile hike on gentle ground I didn't bother changing into unnatural fibers or boots, so forgive me for wearing cotton. I promise not to do so on my backpacking trips. </span></div>
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The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-56387398142907321532014-05-19T01:12:00.001-07:002014-05-19T01:12:55.888-07:00Scenic Vista Trail, King's Gap, May 2014This is the story of my four mile hike on a two and a half mile trail.<br />
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<a href="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/10245531_10202935259054943_6190373363137021592_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/10245531_10202935259054943_6190373363137021592_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/1907628_10202935261174996_9189433644766369901_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/1907628_10202935261174996_9189433644766369901_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>I didn't intend to do the longer distance. When I spent my last afternoon on my recent trip to the Michaux State Forest I headed towards King's Gap Environmental Education Center. The state park is located near Mount Holly Springs, outside of Carlisle, and is about six miles by trail from Pine Grove Furnace State Park. King's Gap in its previous life was an estate, and the mansion house is now used by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for conferences and events. Sitting on a hilltop, the patio of the mansion commands a fantastic view of the Cumberland valley. On a good day you can make out Carlisle a dozen miles distant.<br />
<br />
But while the mansion and the view is a draw, its not the only one. The park has several views, and it has trails like our forests have deer ticks. For a relatively small park there are a bewildering array of hiking possibilities, and most of them intersect at one point or another. Blazing is inconsistent, with an array of colors and shapes and signs to direct the hiker somewhere or other. Add in a hiker who needs all the help he can get and, well, you'll see.<br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/10302430_10202934715641358_2613476340850816177_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/10302430_10202934715641358_2613476340850816177_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/10168182_10202934720121470_7580545808918306761_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/10168182_10202934720121470_7580545808918306761_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>I selected the 2.5 mile Scenic Vista Trail, and promptly headed in the wrong direction down the wrong trail. I soon corrected myself, and hiked beneath the patio of the mansion and and around to the south. The SVT soon merged with the Bucktail Path to Pine Grove Furnace, and just as soon diverged. The Bucktail headed south and the SVT headed back up and down around the mountain. I'd neglected to note the park trail map was a topo, and didn't bother to note all those elevation lines the trail crossed. Still, the weather was nice and the trail surface pleasant by Rocksylvania standards. And about a mile and a half in I was rewarded by the promised scenic vista.<br />
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Once seen, I continued down the mountain. I was curious how they were going to manage to get me back to the start. After a continued downhill, followed by crossing a flooded portion of trail, I noticed this trail was, in fact, not a loop. Not expecting to do a long hike I'd not brought water. Still, I wasn't terribly thirsty, and I thought I'd see this trail to its end.<br />
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I eventually came out at a day use area on the four mile drive up the mountain. I met a runner there, who advised me my best and shortest option to get back to my car was to follow the park road up. Although walking on pavement wasn't appealing, I did it, and began to hike up the road. Fortunately about a mile in I noticed the Mansion Trail crossed the road, and so I followed the half mile climb up the side of the hill. I emerged from the trail a few feet from where I started. Although I'd made mistakes, having been careless in map reading and not bringing water, I was proud of myself for completing a four mile hike with nearly as much elevation change as the Pole Steeple adventure the day before. Perhaps I'm getting the hang of this, I thought. Now if I could only learn to read a map.....The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-26042259368476572902014-05-18T00:19:00.000-07:002014-05-18T00:19:13.172-07:00The Reader's Challenge Contest<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWKbQrZ7nEdBLkQpI7MrmELq87Y5Zy90XLOKIYrdH0E80wMLG9dbcVJ2fWoKMEf1jvsJASELIgvCWDcO4awopGZzC8kdJecDNgU2AgAwQtQv0IAqar2uJIcXdnrpBGh0N6WD8Yy2Aefk/s1600/101_2970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWKbQrZ7nEdBLkQpI7MrmELq87Y5Zy90XLOKIYrdH0E80wMLG9dbcVJ2fWoKMEf1jvsJASELIgvCWDcO4awopGZzC8kdJecDNgU2AgAwQtQv0IAqar2uJIcXdnrpBGh0N6WD8Yy2Aefk/s1600/101_2970.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Are the readers going to make me get my shoes wet again?</td></tr>
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OK, readers, time to make me your puppet. This blog is many things, but its in a diary format and driven by doing what I want to do and where I want to go. Its now your turn. Where do YOU want to see me go and write about on <i>A Taste For The Woods</i>?<br />
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The rules are simple. Post a comment to this post, to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ATasteForTheWoods?fref=nf" target="_blank">the Facebook group</a> telling me where I should go and <br />
what I should do - hike, backpack, ride, canoe, or whatever. On June 1 I'll take the four most popular suggestions and let the readers vote. Winning suggestion I'll follow up on during the summer or fall, depending on which season is most practical.<br />
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There are a few restrictions. One is that the destination must be within a four hour drive (roughly 200 miles) of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. That gives you about half of PA, all of NJ and DE, most of MD and parts of NY and WV to choose from. The four hour rule is simply so I'm not spending all day driving. Also, I reserve the right to reject a suggestion if its beyond my abilities or my health - for instance, serious whitewater, which is beyond my abilities, or running a 10K, which I can't do as running is something I'm medically restricted from.<br />
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So far the top two suggestions from the Facebook group are hiking in World's End State Park and hiking in and around the town of Jim Thorpe. Keep them coming!<br />
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Now, GO!The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7713313185891673317.post-81483008035903277282014-05-17T23:39:00.001-07:002014-05-17T23:39:04.874-07:00Ironmaster's Mansion Hostel, Pine Grove Furnace State Park, May 2014<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigRWE2vYqd4mfIantAHA7Op9BxJgluFJt83OcQ4811aHbSGwy0VMXsaReZYv5BiDJH_vRmxT_uNB03rjVByNqXVJXg8poZzcAK3JrrUHeVJ1vBB8XzorebDTppDDN9eEhfZiz20HhdABk/s1600/101_2769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigRWE2vYqd4mfIantAHA7Op9BxJgluFJt83OcQ4811aHbSGwy0VMXsaReZYv5BiDJH_vRmxT_uNB03rjVByNqXVJXg8poZzcAK3JrrUHeVJ1vBB8XzorebDTppDDN9eEhfZiz20HhdABk/s1600/101_2769.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>During my recent weekend in the Michaux State Forest I stayed at the Ironmaster's Mansion Hostel. Located on Route 233 and the Appalachian Trail in Pine Grove Furnace State Park, the hostel is indeed a mansion, built in 1829 and standing above the site of the old blast furnace. Next door is the park general store, and nearby is the blast furnace stack, Appalachian Trail Museum, and park office. The park lakes and Pole Steeple are within a couple of miles. And Springer Mountain in Georgia and Katahdin in Maine are in walking distance if you are ambitious.<br />
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The hostel was run, and run down, by American Youth Hostels for many years, and AYH was in charge when I first stayed there in 2009. The building closed in 2010 and was purchased by the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy, who did extensive renovation to the property. Now with Roger and Kathy as hosts the hostel is open 11 months of the year with the exception of days the building is booked for a wedding or other event.<br />
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<a href="https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/10172789_10202928688090673_9051905183380879484_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/10172789_10202928688090673_9051905183380879484_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>I've never stayed alone at the hostel, but I've never seen more than four guests at a time. I'm curious to see how a full house would look, with conversation and guests spilling from room to room. Instead I've been blessed to meet on a one to one basis the fascinating people who hike the world's most famous footpath. One of them was Shane, on a "flip-flop" hike, starting in Harpers Ferry, ending in Maine, and then resuming in Harpers Ferry heading south. He is a delightful conversationalist, and an even better pianist. He was in tune the morning before the Pole Steeple hike, the piano not so much.<br />
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For more on the Ironmaster's Mansion, visit <a href="http://ironmastersmansion.com/" target="_blank">http://ironmastersmansion.com/</a><br />
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<br />The Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152771061213643548noreply@blogger.com0Pine Grove Furnace, PA 17324, USA40.0334245 -77.29859479999998914.511390000000002 -118.60718879999999 65.555459 -35.99000079999999