Tales from the Appalachian trail

SPARTA — In third grade Jake Weissman began backpacking along the Appalachian Trail (the A.T.) with his father. The A.T. is a marked hiking trail that extends from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. A portion goes through New Jersey just a stone’s throw from the Weissmans’ Lake Owassa house. He has enjoyed the annual adventures, but it was really 13 years later, over a New Year’s Eve celebration in Boston with two childhood friends, that Weissman made a pact to hike the entire A.T. — all 2,178 miles of it. Weissman, and his buddies, Josh Price and Issac Gabel-Frank, had been talking about this trip for years but it took time to come to fruition. Initial conversations began back in the summer of 2000 when the trio participated in Wilderness Adventure in Eagle Landing. “It’s a summer camp in the Carolinas,” says Weissman, “the three of us went and really liked it. The A.T. just sparked from that.” The Weissmans are an adventurous family. Jake’s father volunteers to maintain the portion of the A.T. that runs by their house, and his mother owns Willow Lake Summer Day Camp, which Weissman has been attending since he was three and then eventually became a counselor there in his teen years. Weissman, Price and Gabel-Frank hoped to hike the trail after high school, but then each went their separate way to college. Weissman said they kept in touch and each summer talked some more “but I was skeptical about it ever really happening.” Finally it was on that New Year’s Eve that the dream came to life. “But we didn’t want the goal to be to finish the whole AT... we’d be setting ourselves up for failure,” says Weissman. “I was happy to hike for a week or so and if we didn’t like it we’d be done.” Getting ready Most recently, Weissman attended the University of Vermont and was an active member of the Outing Club, hiking and backpacking with classmates. He felt prepared. He knew all the basics, especially what to pack. But on the A.T., according to Weissman, weight is a big issue. The trip can take 160 days. “You think you have to bring a lot of stuff.” On his earlier hikes for a weekend, he carried a 45-pound pack. “No one does that on A.T.” says Weissman. So, as they thought about what to bring and consulted guides like GoLite.com, Weissman kept a spreadsheet recording each item and its weight. For example, he found out that a tarp one can sleep under at night can double as a poncho to wear in rain during the day. Weissman went through three pairs of boots the hike. His parents were very helpful — upon request, his father would send a new pair along with some favorite snacks like salami and hot sauce. The group typically ate oatmeal and cereal bars with dehydrated milk for breakfast, trail mix for lunch, and anything that can be boiled with water for dinner, including ramen noodles, couscous, mac and cheese, and soup. Both ends toward the middle Typically, hiking the Appalachian can take seven to eight months. According to his mother Wendy, hikers should get to Mt. Katahdin for the peak fall foliage. She said, “they should have started in April but being in school, it wasn’t possible.” So the boys decided to split the trip. On June 1, they flew to Georgia and hiked north through the summer determined to get to New Jersey by August 20. This was a significant date because it was the last day at Willow Lake Day Camp - a camp that has been like home with plenty of friends cheering him on all summer. As the day neared, Weissman didn’t think he would make it. In order to accomplish this feat, he lightened his load and hiked all that Thursday with what’s called a slack pack — friends picking up his gear and driving it home while he hiked the remaining 40 miles to make it back in time on Friday. The celebration was quick because they had to complete the second leg of the journey. They decided to do the hike in reverse starting at Mount Katahdin in Maine and heading south. This, says Weissman, “was my favorite part. It was a beautiful day... 3,000 feet high with a drop on either side... what a magnificent view.” And now for life off the trail Weissman’s future plans consist of applying to graduate schools to pursue his Master in Education degree. His initial hopes are to teach earth science or natural science to middle school students or high school freshman. It will give him the additional experience he needs working with kids plus a chance “to make some money. We spent about $4,500, not including gear,” says Weissman. “not bad for a five-month trip but we also weren’t making anything.” Getting a job soon will also help give him some start-up money for his ultimate goal - to start a Wilderness Adventure Camp. In the distant future Weissman also hopes to head out west and hike the Pacific Crest Trail or the Continental Divide Trail. “There’s a lot of possibilities” but Weissman is definitely happy to be home, taking it one chapter of life at a time.