Page 4 - Wayne Dispatch Pages

Trailblazer, Continued from page 3 a couple times because I wasn’t eat-
ing enough food. Carrying food is
was going to do when I retired: I heavy, and you need to keep your
wanted to hike the entire trail. And weight around (for me) 26 pounds,
my experience in 2017 taught me and it can be up to 30 pounds with
that I could actually do it. food.

CC: It’s funny, I envision you CC: What is some invaluable ad-
trekking through this tranquil, quiet vice about pitching a tent success-
trail all alone, but you were among fully?
other hikers. Tell me about the hik- DW: Get into camp before sun-
ers you encountered in 2022. down because when it gets dark, it’s
DW: There are people who have dark. You don’t want to set your tent
traveled from other continents and up under a dead tree or branch; and
other countries. I had spoken to peo- you don’t want to set your tent up on
ple from Australia, the UK, Canada, a root or rock; and you don’t want to
Germany, and Spain. The year 2022 set your tent up in a valley where, if
was the busiest year due to the travel it rains in the middle of the night,
ban being lifted—the borders had water is going to run down the moun-
been closed previously because of tain and into your tent.
COVID.
Dave Wylie at the Smoky Mountains National Park, in North Carolina at mile 167 on CC: Wow! All stellar advice. You
CC: Tell me about your gear, had to have a lot of trust to complete
which had to be meticulously consid- March 18, 2022. this journey.
ered, because everything has to re- months. I have a cell phone—and the weather was bad, I had to hike to DW: There’s a saying among us
main on you—it’s not like you could there were areas where I did have stay on schedule to receive my food. hikers: “The trail will provide.” And
schlep a set of luggage along the trail. cell service—but there are a lot of Otherwise, I’d starve. I ate breakfast, most of the time, the trail does pro-
DW: In 2022, I went through five places where you don’t have that. a second breakfast, lunch, an after- vide. There are a ton of volunteers
pairs of boots. There was a time in And on those days, I didn’t talk to noon snack, and dinner. The thing is that maintain the trail, and there is
Maine when I had to use medical anyone except the other hikers. I met you can’t haul enough food to main-
tape to wrap my toe up because the a lot of new friends that way. I still tain your calories. I actually got sick See Trailblazer, page 6
sole near my toe was split apart. talk to them.
There’s “The Big Three” in backpack-
ing: your sleeping bag, your back- CC: Let’s talk about the cost of all
pack, and your tent, which is your this?
shelter. I spent a lot of money on DW: It was expensive! There are
those three things and, combined, a lot of hidden costs—the backpack-
they weighed about five pounds. And, ing meals, the energy bars. My girl-
I had two different sleeping bags— friend would buy those in bulk from
one for winter and one for summer. Amazon, and then she would divvy
them up and mail them to me on the
CC: What was the most difficult trail. [There are post offices in the
thing about this journey? trail towns along the Appalachian
DW: You start missing people. I corridor where hikers can pick up
missed my girlfriend, my family, my packages that have been sent to
dog. I missed my friends and the fire them.] This is essential because the
service. I missed Michigan, I missed places that sell food along the trail
Wayne. I was gone for six and a half markup the prices. So, even when

4 · April 2023 · The Wayne Dispatch