Hiker Preparing for A.T. Trek

COURT HOUSE – Rick “Bearfoot” Hatcher is planning a trip, south then north. Some fine day in March the 56-year-old county seat resident will bid adieu to the Jersey Cape, its beach and boardwalks, ocean surf and sandy beaches. He’s heading for the Appalachian Trail.
As a “nobo” (north bounder), Hatcher plans to hoof the A.T., as hikers call it, from Gainesville, Ga. and Springer Mountain to its northern terminus, Mount Katahdin in Maine. He hopes to make the 2,185-mile trek by September. He will arrive by rail to start his journey.
Spouse Joan plans to meet her hiker hubby in West Virginia. Together they will make that state’s four-mile journey, shortest on the A.T. Other than that brief encounter, (roughly the distance from Court House to Stone Harbor) Hatcher will be alone, except for fellow hikers.
The Hatchers have two adult children, Scott, an Air Force master sergeant, who plans to join his father on the trail for two weeks, and Lisa.
First bitten with A.T. hiking as a Boy Scout in West Virginia, when he was one of those who hiked 50 miles on the trail, Hatcher acknowledged in an interview that the endeavor is not for the faint hearted, nor is the journey inexpensive. The tent in which he will find shelter from the elements is of Cuban fiber, and cost about $3,000.
But, if losing a bit of weight walking from Georgia to Maine seems enticing, consider burning an average 7,000 calories a day. He figures he’ll shed perhaps 100 pounds, if not more, on the trail.
On the trail Hatcher shuns a “heavy” eight-ounce water filtration device in favor of lighter Aquamira purification tablets. A single tablet in one liter of water will kill bacteria, viruses, giarda and cryptosporidium. He’ll carry no more than two liters (about a quart) at a time. There are streams and lakes, but purification is a must, he noted.
“It’s quite a game shaving ounces,” Hatcher confessed. Some hikers go so far as to even trim their toothpaste tubes to shave a few ounces here and there.
He dehydrates his own food, but confesses that, at certain points along the way, he’ll likely go into a nearby town for a pizza or cheeseburger.
Along the way, his wife will mail packages with supplies and seasonal clothing to homes he’ll visit. While post offices are available for general delivery, he doesn’t want to be held to their operating hours.
At the outset, he’ll be prepared for colder weather, perhaps even snow, as he moves through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and beyond. As spring approaches and temperatures rise, he’ll don shorts and T-shirt.
Solar recharging devices would not work well along the trail, Hatcher said. That’s because much of the trail is shaded. He’ll carry a simple cell phone, hoping the Verizon service will be available if and when he needs to communicate with the outside world.
If all goes well, Hatcher will make 12-18 miles daily. If luck is with him, he may find a vacant three-sided shelter in which to spend the night. Otherwise, he’s prepared to sleep where he finds himself at nightfall.
“You are exhausted by sundown, because you have been walking since sunrise,” said Hatcher.
Shelters along the trail are first-come, first-served. There are a variety of rules and regulations dealing with campfires, burial of waste, and more. In general, hikers are urged to leave no trace. Carry out what’s carried in.
Hatcher said he’s like 90 percent of A.T. hikers who “start south and go north.” Still, there are those who begin in Maine and head toward the Peach State.
Hatcher is able to embark on his hike because he’s self-employed. As an employee benefits consultant, the majority of his work is done in the fourth quarter, so that frees him up to pursue the dream hike.
While A.T. may be considered wilderness, and it surely passes through some of America’s most scenic areas, it is a well-marked trail, for those who are mindful of the white rectangle “blazes” on trees and rocks. Since the trail may change from year to year, and it’s left to volunteer hikers who are members of 36 chapters to maintain their sector. A blue blaze indicates access to a road or town off the trail.
“If you don’t see a mark within a few hundred feet, you back track,” Hatcher said.
A.T. is the narrowest national park in the nation, he added. Virginia contains about 500 miles of trail. Pennsylvania is second longest with 290 miles.
Of New Jersey’s portion of the trail, Hatcher said “Many people are amazed how quiet it is in New Jersey.” In Pennsylvania, the trail takes hikers through fields and near airports in the Harrisburg area.
Once at Harper’s Ferry, headquarters for the trail, hikers have reached the halfway point in their journey.
If Hatcher completes his planned journey, he will join about 11,000 who have done the complete distance since the trail was founded by Benton MacKaye.
“When you have hiked the Appalachian Trail, it is like you have climbed Mount Everest 16 times,” said Hatcher.
(ED. NOTE: Hatcher plans to keep Herald readers informed of his progress along the Appalachian Trail.)
For the history of the Appalachian Trail, visit: http://www.appalachiantrail.org/about-the-trail/history.