Howdy AT Hikers in CT and Bee-yond! How can we help you along the way/

I've had a chance to chat with about a dozen different Applachian Trail (AT) "through hikers' (going from Georgia to Maine, a little over 2000 miles in the spring and summer months, from the south to the north). I've also met some who are doing the trail in sections rather methodically, some doing shorter hikes of a few days to a few weeks and I just met my first 'flip-flopper' who is doing various parts of the trail at different times or 'legs of his journey'.

Okay, so they are donning hiking shoes and giving themselves supplies and networks to get support from folks at home or as they can along the trail. Then there are some people who host for free or for varying amounts a place for hikers to rest, shower, eat and maybe even get some rides.

Trail Angels may be one or more people over a long period of time, helping many or come along when meeting someone.  The idea of hiking likely keeps most domesticated people snug as a bug in their homes, fearing ticks, snakes, critters and even other people out in the wilderness. Then there is the heat, rain, cold, sun, and pesky mosquitoes...and of course the trail itself has its ups and downs, both of which can prove more of a challenge than one may have imagined.

Carrying a heavy or even not-so-heavy load means having some training and pacing in mind. Then some hike in groups or with a friend ( a person or dog) while others go it alone, for some or most..or maybe even all of the journey. There are resources, which I will try to add in a bit, but I'd welcome a listing by people who found sites and such helpful so that others may benefit from this post in direct practical ways. It'd also be great to hear of 'what was good about various towns and even parts of the trail..and What could Make it even Better?"

A few friendly meet and greet people and places may be a good first spot to check. Even a local hiker/visitor-friendly website could help people feel warmly welcomed, maybe even offering basics like where to find bathrooms (and outdoor showers), food, shelter (free camping sites or low-cost, same with rooms and other basics, such as rides and maybe even some bicycles or storage units so people could move freely. On the barter side or in permaculture terms--balancing inputs and outputs of  group dynamic, maybe hikers would be able to plan to visit with locals for a half hour or thereabouts, telling them about their trip or having a chat about local issues.

If there are some projects that hikers would like to help with (fundraisers, tag sales, and other similar local easy-does-it kind of events) plans could be put in place so that would become a friendly option and maybe even allow hikers to earn some money if there are ways to do so. Ideally, safety planning for reasonable public events and supervised gatherings could be made so everyone could feel more at ease when talking and joining forces on any project. Most hikers use trail names which are anonymous...for the safety of all involved. Some keep blogs with regular postings or occassional ones to keep family and friends aware of their journey's progress and people they are meeting. Being clear about one's location and planned hiking route and destination would make sense on a daily basis (or every few days, etc).

Other ideas are to travel with people one knows from beforehand, or to be in trustworthy groups to the best of one's ability. Likely that could use some fine-tuning. Maybe local hikers one can feel at ease to call would be a helpful resource. There is also a Google Voice Phone Number for free worth checking into. The phone number is one that initially requires a land line to be set up, but then can have calls forwarded to another phone or two. Messages or conversations can be recorded automatically on a voicemail account set up with googlevoice, and those are stored on one's gmail account as e-mails (though the translations are iffy) as well as audio recordings. That would provide a nice way to have a vocal account of one's trip. That can be done by anyone for any reason.

Often it can be a helpful way for families to journal their summer or other seasons, with each family member speaking into the phone or being recorded during a conversation. I have a recording of a friend in his 90s so that is a treasure I can share with his family online. With cell phones, using the google voice phone number can allow one to let others leave a message who are willing to speak into one's phone, an easy way to gather names and numbers or other remembrances.

I am off to yet another lovely concert at Hotchkiss School for free (my best budget cultural event for the day aside from talking to the hikers.) Thanks for adding your insights to making the trail a friendlier place to travel and the towns more inviting to our down-to-earth ambassadors..

They paint a great possibility to stay calm in a storm or heatwave... for the climate change influx of folks we may receive inland from the shoreline when the oceans rise a bit more with glacial melting and CO-2 levels rising which makes it harder to keep the sun's heat and light at bay as the ozone gets thinner.

That was rather sciency, but over time, everyone likely will be feeling the effects and be inspired by these hikers of many decades who did the trail for a variety of reasons (some more than once too). Thanks for leaving words of wisdom, inspiration, perspiration or wishes...May the roads rise with you, as the  Irish well-wishing goes....(see/ download a nice version on Folk-legacy Records).