Student conquers Appalachian Trail

    Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot—all the way from Maine to Georgia on the famed historic Appalachian Trail. Few have completed the entire trek, but the GCSU community has in its midst at least one of those noteworthy hikers, called “2000-milers.” An average of only 579 people a year, since 2000, claim the title of a 2000-miler, and Blain Foley is one of them.
    Foley completed the A.T. on Dec. 8, 2006, having hiked for five months and two days.
    “I was bored with school,” he said, “and wasn’t really sure I wanted to be here.”
    So after finishing the spring semester in 2006, he withdrew from the classes he had planned to take in the fall.
    “I had always wanted to do it, and I was tired of just putting it off,” he said, remembering his initial decision.
    “People always say they are going to do it someday, but are too afraid. You have to walk away from everything you have, and just go out there,” Foley said.
    The first week of July Foley and his father made their way to the trailhead of the A.T., in Katahdin, Maine. From there, on July 6, Foley’s father left him to begin his journey southbound to Georgia alone. Foley was what is called a “SOBO,” or “southbounder,” as opposed to a “NOBO” who starts in Georgia and hikes northbound to Maine.
    He packed light taking only essentials like one moisture wicking shirt, one pair of shorts, one pair of shoes, two pairs of socks and a few other necessities like a rain coat and food. He sent gear home and had his parents mail him gear as needed or when the seasons began to change. He only showered once a week on average, but even went nearly two weeks without showering at one point.
    “It’s exciting not knowing who you are going to run into next, or where you’ll end up at the end of the day, or what kind of thing you’ll encounter next,” Foley said.
    Many people hike different parts of the A.T. at any given time of the year, so the trail is often a social place. Before long, Foley found that he was hiking at the same pace as a few other “thru-hikers,” people who complete the trail in less than a year. He befriended the other hikers around him and they became travel companions and trail-buddies.
    It is common practice for A.T. hikers to travel under an alias, not only just for fun, but also for safety from complete strangers who may hike nearby. Foley’s new friends followed this tradition and began to call him “Not Bad,” because of that phrase being a regular term in his vocabulary when talking about the trail or aspects of a thru-hiker’s life.
    The weather was generally fair that summer up North, which made it easier to hike the 13 to15 miles a day Foley soon became use to completing.
    “You get your hiker’s legs after about six weeks in,” he said.
    Some days, however, he took breaks and went into nearby towns to check out the local scene. Days that no miles were logged they called “zeros,” and days with only a few miles were called “nearos,” short for “near zero.”
    The trail is a whimsical place that has its own culture and way of life, with standard lingo, ethics and camaraderie. Average people who are supporters of the trail-life, called “trail angels” would leave “trail magic” along hiking routes, usually consisting of brownies, soda or other goodies. Trail angels often also make themselves available for giving rides for thru-hikers to local towns or providing a hot meal and shower.
    Foley said he got sick a few times, which he attributes to the weather and to the fact that he stopped treating his drinking water, instead he just drank directly from the springs along the trail. He restocked his food periodically as he came upon small towns.
    “After awhile, the trail really became a means to an end for me, so to speak. I had to complete it and make it to Georgia,” Foley said.
    Approximately 2,100 miles later, Foley arrived at the stone marker that marked the end of the trail for him. In the end he had lost nearly 30 pounds, grown a long beard, spent nearly $2,500 and conquered one of his life long goals.
    When asked if he would do it again, he simply exclaimed, “Definitely!”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 16 2007. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry