The Things They Carried They carried the things they needed, and some things they didn’t need. They carried one- and two-person tents. They carried hammocks, tarps, and groundsheets. They carried photos of their wives, husbands, girlfriends, boyfriends, children, and pets. They carried disposable film cameras and digital cameras. They carried video cameras, PDA’s, cellular phones, and radios. They carried extra socks. They carried sleeping bags, sleeping bag liners, sleeping pads, down quilts, and even blankets. They carried rain jackets, rain pants, and ponchos. They carried downfilled and synthetic-lined jackets and vests, fleece jackets, and gloves. They carried food and water. They wore boots, shoes, and sandals. A few of them went barefoot. ***** Byte Code and Church Mouse carried less and less as the months went by, eventually eschewing rain gear, extra clothing, camp shoes, and even stoves and fuel. They made Mt. Katahdin while most northbounders were cursing the rocks in Pennsylvania. Grasshopper carried (for a time) a little folding stool. He also carried (also for a time) a backpack into which he could probably stuff a refrigerator. He hiked all the way to Mt. Katahdin. They carried knit caps, baseball caps, cowboy hats, scarves, visors, and headbands. They wore Mickey Mouse watches, Timex, Seiko, and high-tech altimeter and compass watches made by Suunto and Altitech. Some of them wore no timepiece at all. They carried the ThruHiker’s Handbook, the Thru-Hiker’s Companion, the ATC Databook, and maps. They carried duct tape. ***** They carried Pocket Rocket, JetBoil, Simmerlight, Whisperlight, and homemade alcohol-burning stoves, to name but a few. They carried trekking poles made by Lekki and Komperdell. They carried sticks they found in the woods. ***** Worm carried his little dog next to his stomach. ***** Soco and his friends carried cases of beer, and took full advantage of their discovery that the more one drank, the lighter one’s pack became. They carried stuffed animals, bandanas, vitamins, ibuprophen, cigarettes, and marijuana. They carried Vicotin, Percoset, They carried, too, their reasons for hiking the long and difficult trail. Some of them shared their reasons, and others did not. The trail was an adventure, a search, or an escape – or perhaps some combination of all of these. ***** Kokopelli carried a stuffed bear she named EZ Rider. He smoked and drank whenever he got the chance. Tylenol, and glycosomine. They carried knives, nail clippers, cotton swabs, foot powder, bug spray, and cortisone cream. They carried bandages, braces, and wraps. They carried headlamps. ***** Marlboro Man arrived at Springer Mtn. with a dolly loaded with canned foods. He didn’t make it very far. They came to the trail when their children moved away. They came in the wake of a divorce. They came after graduation or retirement. They came because they were burned out. They came because they were bored with life. They came because they hated traffic. They came because they had gotten into some trouble at home. They came because they loved the outdoors. They came because they wanted to be able to say that they had hiked the Appalachian Trail. They came looking for love. They wore pants, shorts, tights, kilts, and skirts. They carried soap, disinfecting gels, and sewing kits. They carried toothbrushes, toothpaste, and dental floss. They carried earwax removal drops and anti-chaffing ointment. They carried these things, and more into the wilderness. They carried everything on their backs. ***** ***** Coach came because he liked walking in the woods. They left behind their friends and families. They left behind their televisions, automobiles, and the myriad comforts and conveniences of modern life. And they left their identities behind. They would be known as Kokopelli, Handyman, Bag Lady, Soco, Philmont, and Ox. They were called Iceman, Chef, Grasshopper, Flying Turtle, and Bandaid Kid. They were called Willie Goat, Trail Dancer, Tortuga, Bird Legs, and Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner carried a gourmet kitchen’s worth of spices and herbs and refused to eat Ramen noodles. The Things They Carried 2 Mountain Man. They signed the trail registers as Circadian, Byte Code, Church Mouse, Tennessee Jed, Not Guilty, and more than a thousand other trail names. Some of them would hike the 2,174 miles that constituted the Appalachian Trail in 2007. Most of them would not make it nearly so far. During a span of months from March through November, they would form two long processions, one moving north toward Mt. Katahdin in Maine, the other moving south toward Springer Mtn. in Georgia. I began my Appalachian Trail adventure at Springer Mtn. on March 24, 2007. I was part of the intermittent queue of hikers moving slowly, almost imperceptibly it seemed, north to Maine. I met hundreds of people, both on and off the trail. I hiked a total of 1,831 miles of the trail, finally giving up as September, along with my ambition, waned. ***** I carried with me an appreciation for the outdoors, with all its wonders and even its inconveniences. I carried the chronic fatigue that set in somewhere in New Jersey. I carried away memories that I hope will last for the remainder of my life. • The Things They Carried 3