Postcards from the Trail |
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Location:The Approach Trail or the great AT swap meet
4/6/06
Today’s Miles: 8.8 that don't count
Our christening – you may prefer to call it a hazing. Or maybe boot camp would be an appropriate moniker for those first 8.8 miles that don’t even count. But as most know, the Approach Trail is just a way to get to the first white blaze for a northbound thru-hike. (Frankly, it scares the Gatorade out of a lot of hikers – so much so, they avoid this tradition.)
The Approach Trail does not hold the distinction of being the biggest ascent, that’s reserved for the Greatest Mountain – Mt. Katahdin. Nor is it as steep as the south peak of Mt. Kinsman or Mahoosuc Arm or Peak E of the Wildcats. And yet, what a reputation it has. No, the Approach Trail is not the biggest or steepest climb on a thru-hike. It’s the first.
Sure it’s tough – what on the AT isn’t. And sure it’s 8.8 miles – but that’s only a fraction of a percent relative to the distance. Of course it is a tradition – like attempting to eat a half-gallon of ice cream or carrying a Springer Mountain stone to the Katahdin cairn. Candidly, it’s one of those “bark is worse than its bite” sort of things. If it wasn’t the first ascent I doubt anyone would give a second thought. But a lot chose to skip it and take the forest service road. The flip side to this is up north you don’t have the forest service road option; everyone must hike 5.2 miles (up to start a southbound thru-hike or down when finished to get off Katahdin) that doesn’t count either. But by then a northbounder will laugh at anything as meager as 5.2 miles. Anyway, if you skip the Approach Trail (hike your own hike), you’ll miss out on a good laugh. Laugh you say with raised eyebrow? Yep. There is so much stuff littering the trail its quite funny. It’s actually a great way to upgrade your gear. Just pick up that certain something that’s nicer that someone’s chucked in hopes of lightening their horrific load and swap it for the thing you’re carrying. Nothing like trading up while heading up for free. (That is if you can beat the locals who show up each year for the annual AT Approach Trail Swap Meet.)
After some time on the trail while sharing a campfire and stories with others, someone will ask if you took the Approach Trail. You’ll casually answer, “Oh sure, doesn’t everyone? One of the best memories so far,” and an odd silence from those who skipped it will hit the moment.