INTRODUCTION

Hi! Drag’n fly here - getting ready for another hiking adventure.  In October, while attending the ALDHA (Appalachian Long Distant Hiker Assoc) gathering in VA, the idea was presented by Ron Burger to do something to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of President Johnson signing the “National Trails System Act”.  There are 11 National Scenic Trails.   The initial hike plan was to have 11 teams made up of five ALDHA members.  Each team member would hike 50 miles on their team’s trail for a total of 250 miles per trail.  Doing this to celebrate the 50^th anniversary and bring attention to the trails. Well, being the eager beaver I am, I thought why not me, Drag’n fly, hiking 50 miles on all 11 trails.  That’s only 550 miles.  Piece of cake.

If you don’t know me here is a little bit about me.  I am a 77 year old woman who likes to hike and backpack.  Didn’t start backpacking until I was in my mid 60’s but fell in love with the adventure, challenge, and concept of having everything you need on your back.  Life is so simple; eat, sleep, walk.  No worries.  I don’t understand people who say they would not like sleeping in a tent or on the ground or not being able to get a hot shower every night.  Gee that hot shower every night really does limit you.  I recently saw a pair of children’s PJ that had a picture of a bear on it with the words “I Sleep Better in the Forest”.  Well put.

I have been hiking and camping all my adult life, for family vacations and other outings, and since I lived in PA or VA, close to the Appalachian Trail, (here after just called the AT), I naturally always thought about what fun it would be to hike the whole trail, GA to ME.  Every time I saw a hiker with a pack at a road crossing or on the trail I would day dream about doing that someday.   In 2006, under the impression I was too old for a thru hike (a “Thru Hike” is hiking all 2,200 + or - miles in one calendar year) I decided to hike the AT in sections.  The goal was to finishing at the northern terminus, Mt Katahdin, in Baxter SP, ME, by my 70^th birthday.  I was on Katahdin several days after my birthday but still had 86 miles of trail not hiked.  I finished those miles the next year and really felt I had, as they say, “been there, done that”.

In 2013 when meeting my friend Freckles in WV at the AT Headquarters in preparation for a 4 day hike, she asked how old the oldest woman to do a thru hike was.  The answer was 71.  “Gee” she said, “you could beat that”.  So the challenge was made and with Freckles as my hiking partner on March 30, 2014 we set out from Springer Mtn. in GA headed for ME.  Long story short I finished Oct 4, at 74 years of age, making me the oldest woman to hike the entire AT in one season.  As far as I know that record still stands. Of course, to be perfectly honest, there are not a lot of 75 year old women who want to spend 6 months hiking and sleeping in the woods.

I have continued to hike in the years since, working on the Pacific Crest Trail in WA, OR, and CA and hiking other favorite and new trails. I am looking forward to this new adventure.

I plan to start with the Florida National Scenic Trail the beginning of March, hiking 50 miles and moving on to the Natchez Trace, The North Country, The New England and The Potomac Heritage Trails hiking 50 miles on each.  Hope to have those five along with 50 miles on the Appalachian Trail done by the end of May then I will head to AZ to hike 50 miles on the Arizona National Scenic Trail.  That will leave the Continental  Divide, Ice Age, Pacific Crest, and Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trails.  The goal is to be finished by Aug 30.  Wow, will I be busy.  I might add I am not the only ALDHA member who will attempt to hike 50 on all 11.  Ron Burger has also put his name on all 11 teams.

So follow me on my big adventure.  I will be posting to this blog with comments and pictures to keep you updated.  If you want more information on the National Scenic Trails it is available at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationaltrailssystem/index.htm.

For more information on ALDHA check www.aldha.org

Signing out,  Nan Reisinger aka Drag’n fly