Starting in May 2011 Cindy and I will be hiking the American Discovery Trail, going 5,000+ miles from Point Reyes in California to Cape Hanlopen in Delaware in a year. I’ll post our progress on this site. Check out The Hiking Humanitarian web site for more details on the humanitarian aspects of our journey.
I just got out of the shower where I spent a good bit of time savoring one of the four remaining dependable showers I’ll take. Certainly I’ll have opportunities to shower over the course of the next year, but when and how often are unpredictable.
The second time I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, in 1980, I took only three showers over the course of 109 days. I made up for lack of showers by jumping in virtually every large stream and lake no matter the temperature or weather. There was something satisfying about the “natural” approach to cleanliness, while at the same time making those three showers quite special.
Before I left for my first thru-hike I did not think twice about my “last showers.” You don’t what you’ve got until it’s gone. You certainly appreciate them when you get back from a long-distance hike; and I appreciate them now as I contemplate a year ahead when they become few and far between.
Cindy and I are busy preparing for the American Discovery Trail Humanitarian Hike starting in May 2011. We intend to have a support vehicle, which means we need one or more support vehicle drivers over the course of the year. Anyone interested can contact Kirk Sinclair at hiking.humanitarian (at) gmail.com.
For more information about this journey visit The Hiking Humanitarian web site. You can also sign up for the Hiking Humanitarian Newsletter which will keep folks updated about our journey and other content related to hiking and humanitarian causes.
With the new year it’s time to step up our game with planning our American Discovery Trail journey. There are five areas of planning:
Collaborating with Lions Clubs along the route
Soliciting business sponsors
Generating publicity for our humanitarian cause
Making the journey Internet friendly
Oh, yeah, and then there are the logistics of planning a 5,000+ mile year long journey that includes a support vehicle.
I’ve started to read the journals of others, beginning with Lory Mitchell’s 2008 journey.
I started out this site with an idea that I would comment occasionally on backpacking equipment. The trouble is, I’m not really a “gearhead.” I’m basically easy to please with most things material, which precludes me from making a discerning fuss about equipment. However, I do have a perspective on how backpacking equipment has changed from the time I completed the Triple Crown from 1975-1985 up until now, when I am soon to hike the American Discovery Trail. For this and other comparisons of “then and now” I’ll start a new category.