I need a Sherpa. I promise to cut the borders off the edges of the maps to lighten the load..........
Posted on 07/25/2009 6:07:59 AM PDT by JoeProBono
Several weeks into Tom Lange's attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail, some fellow hikers voted him "Least Likely to Succeed."
It was hard to blame them. Lange, an Ohio State graduate and longtime Columbus resident, was older (50) than the average trail hiker, overweight, and limping along on a badly injured foot.
But while appearances justified the doubts, nobody knew the depth of Lange's inner fire.
"I wanted to prove to myself I could do something really, really hard," he said. "I had quit things before, and I wasn't going to quit this."
He didn't quit, despite the foot, stomach problems, the death of his father, and the usual array of weather and terrain issues that all Appalachian Trail hikers encounter.
On Oct. 8, 2008, nearly seven months after his journey began, Lange reached the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine, the end of the 2,178-mile trek.
The Appalachian Trail has existed since 1937, but through 2008, only 10,668 people have been credited with hiking the entire length nonstop (called "thru-hiking.") Lange was one of 438 to do it last year.
"I'm not an elite athlete, but I belong to an elite group," he said.
The seeds for the journey were planted a few years earlier. Lange, a licensed massage therapist who also worked in retail, felt his life was in a rut. One day, he had a serious conversation with his father, Vern, who had suffered from multiple sclerosis for decades.
"He basically said he had lived a very full life and had done everything he wanted to do," Tom Lange said. "I got to thinking about that, and I realized I hadn't done all the things I wanted to do. I didn't want to get to the end of my life and wish I'd done this and that."
He began researching what it would take to hike the trail. He bought about $2,000 worth of gear and took several "shakedown" weekend hikes.
Lange, who is single, eventually moved out of his apartment and put his possessions into storage before beginning his journey March 16 at Mount Springer, Ga.
Despite taking precautions, such as not overdoing it early in the hike, his left foot soon began to ache. Two of his toes somehow got twisted the wrong way, and he rolled his ankle nearly every day on the often rocky, root-covered or muddy trail.
Orthotics didn't help. He began popping over-the-counter pain medication. About halfway through, he forgot to sterilize his drinking water and picked up a parasite that caused intestinal problems.
He woke up one morning in New York and discovered that his socks and boots were frozen solid. He sat on them for about 45 minutes to thaw them out.
And on Sept. 1, he got a call from home. His father had suffered a heart attack a few days earlier and was fading fast. Tom and Vern shared one last tearful phone conversation before Vern passed away at age 80.
After flying home for the funeral, Tom resumed the trek. Katahdin was the last of about 650 mountains he climbed.
After the journey, his foot required major reconstructive surgery. Surgeons inserted nine screws and two plates -- rearranging ligaments, fusing bones and otherwise repairing the damage.
"I just looked at athletes on TV working through pain and thought, 'If they can do it, I can,' " Lange said. "I'm not heroic or anything. I just wasn't going to quit unless I broke my leg."
In the aftermath, Lange decided to make some major life changes. He has moved in with his mother, who is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Having met eight male nurses on the hike and listening to their stories of helping people, he decided to enter nursing school.
Hiking the Appalachian Trail will not be the last notable achievement of Lange's life.
"I want to move into the future," he said. "The most important thing about the trail is I don't want to end up being like that Bruce Springsteen song Glory Days. I want to make other memories."
I’d like to try that... except I hate camping. At some point this summer, the wife and I are going to hike the Pinnacle, I think that’s part of the Appy Trail. Then head to the... casino! That’s my idea of hiking/camping.
I need a Sherpa. I promise to cut the borders off the edges of the maps to lighten the load..........
There is so much advanced technology now, one hardly knows where to begin.
I know two things .........Vasques and gore-tex.
Look! I think we have a floater!
“My wife and I have hiked all over the south end of the AT...”
Now one can hike from the GA terminus to the real terminus of the Appalachian range...Mount Cheaha in Alabama. The Pinhoti trail system in AL now extend east and ties in to the AT. Cheaha is 2407 feet and rises up from nearby Talledega.
Now those would leave some attention-getting tracks in my local suburban Maryland park...
I plan on hiking the AT next month, South to North. Thanks for mentioning Mt. Cheaha! Had no idea about its connection to the trail. Will look into starting from there!
Are you planning to do all of the AT ??!! I've never backpacked for more than six days out at a time so I have no experience with the logistics of such an undertaking but have always thought that someone needed a side angle to spend so much time on the trail. Doing something specific like salamander photography, writing your autobiography, or side training with a javelin would add something to the challenge. Ha! I just never took off that much to chew!
Have had dreams about it each night since I made the decision a few weeks ago. Can't wait!
This guy is an inspiration. Thru hiking the AT is still a goal of mine after 30 years of contemplation and wishful dreaming.
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