What (or who) got you hiking?
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JohnL
New member
Monroeton.
billski
Member
me 3
I was born on the northern fringes of the Adirondacks. My father installed and maintained radio equipment on mountain and hilltops. He would take us little tykes along, we would make a day of it, picking blueberries, hanging out, getting hurt and crying. The dog always cleared out my raspberry bucket and I would cry.
We then moved to the flatlands. One day I made the observation to my folks that we had been to Canada many times, but never to any other state. They got religion and we started cabin vacations in all the New England mountains. My folks either hung around the cottage or went to the tacky tourist stores. I would go stir crazy and just start walking. And walking and walking. I never really called it "hiking."
When it came time to graduate from college, I wanted to be near mountains all four seasons, near a sizeable city and near the ocean. Once I got here, every weekend I made it to some mountain, any mountain. When I got to Katadin, it was like going to the promised land. Life would never be the same.
Bravo to you all for sticking with it.
I was born on the northern fringes of the Adirondacks. My father installed and maintained radio equipment on mountain and hilltops. He would take us little tykes along, we would make a day of it, picking blueberries, hanging out, getting hurt and crying. The dog always cleared out my raspberry bucket and I would cry.
We then moved to the flatlands. One day I made the observation to my folks that we had been to Canada many times, but never to any other state. They got religion and we started cabin vacations in all the New England mountains. My folks either hung around the cottage or went to the tacky tourist stores. I would go stir crazy and just start walking. And walking and walking. I never really called it "hiking."
When it came time to graduate from college, I wanted to be near mountains all four seasons, near a sizeable city and near the ocean. Once I got here, every weekend I made it to some mountain, any mountain. When I got to Katadin, it was like going to the promised land. Life would never be the same.
Bravo to you all for sticking with it.
billski
Member
Love your story. I haven't heard the word "crick" in 30 years! I made the same statement about walking in my post before I even read yours.
My seminal moment in hiking was when I finally became comfortable in the woods - not being phased by anything, knowing how to deal with critters, how to find your way around, comfortable with "getting lost", how to read the ground, the trees, the water, knowing how to find "stuff".
billski
Member
I call it "stealth hiking" I have had more amazing, magical moments when I would quietly than in any other experience in life.
DSettahr
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I'd gone on hikes occasionally in the Adirondacks as a kid, but nothing major. The two things that stand out most in my mind are a trip into John's Brook Lodge with my dad when I was a kid, and then my first true backpacking experience on the Northville-Placid Trail in February of 2002. I took 4 more years after that before I started to seriously get in to hiking, but for me it was those two trips that gave me the first necessary nudges into what has turned out to be more positive experiences than I can recount in a single sitting.
woodsman642004
New member
The need to go some place that wasn't changing or going to change any time soon. The desire to visit places I haven't been before but have literally lived in the shadow of all my life. Turning 40.
Blue
New member
My sister and I would go hunting for arrowheads in the back woods of my aunt's house. We would go on long walks with my aunt and uncle around rail road tracks, back country roads in central Connecticut.
My parents preferred hotels and malls to campgrounds and trails, so I didn't really hike until my senior year in college. There I met a local Oxford, MA boy who took me to Crow Hill every weekend to hike up and down the same way - just for fun.
A few years later I tried Mt. Washington with another boy, taking the Ammo - only reaching Lakes in the rain. I'm surprised I ever hiked again!
Finally, I joined the AMC in Boston and found the 48, another hiker boyfriend, VFTT and I got hooked
My parents preferred hotels and malls to campgrounds and trails, so I didn't really hike until my senior year in college. There I met a local Oxford, MA boy who took me to Crow Hill every weekend to hike up and down the same way - just for fun.
A few years later I tried Mt. Washington with another boy, taking the Ammo - only reaching Lakes in the rain. I'm surprised I ever hiked again!
Finally, I joined the AMC in Boston and found the 48, another hiker boyfriend, VFTT and I got hooked
Chip
Well-known member
Beer and Jealousy
After scouts, beer propelled my interest in camping. In Junior High a couple of us would occasionally camp out on a Friday or Saturday night and crash the local interglactic kegger. Jealousy reignited my interest in winter camping and backpacking in my 40's. I had a group that I used to go with in High School that still did an annual winter 4 or 5 nighter in the Adirondacks. I was out of shape, lacking gear and jealous they were still going, so I got it together, rejoined them and have subsequently left them in the spindrift, as it were.
After scouts, beer propelled my interest in camping. In Junior High a couple of us would occasionally camp out on a Friday or Saturday night and crash the local interglactic kegger. Jealousy reignited my interest in winter camping and backpacking in my 40's. I had a group that I used to go with in High School that still did an annual winter 4 or 5 nighter in the Adirondacks. I was out of shape, lacking gear and jealous they were still going, so I got it together, rejoined them and have subsequently left them in the spindrift, as it were.
Little Rickie
New member
REK
Member
I started as a young kid with my parents who hiked and fished a lot. My father taught me the woodsy bushcraft hiking stuff and my mother taught me to fly fish. My mother is gone but at 91 my father doesn't hike anymore but still goes out on his boat several times a week. In junior high I would go on multi-day backpacking trips with my buds. It got worse when we got our licenses. I was also in Scouts. My wife was the lookout up in Pawtuckaway for a long time so I spent every waking minute getting to know those woods. Now I hike with my son and share what I've learned with the local scout troop. (one hour a week!?!)
Michael J, I remember seeing your trip report and photos (about a million years ago) of Flat Mt Pond. I hadn't been there since I was a little kid so shortly thereafter I took my 6 year old son on his first back packing trip there. you might remember meeting him and his sister at Crag Camp.
Bob
)Michael J, I remember seeing your trip report and photos (about a million years ago) of Flat Mt Pond. I hadn't been there since I was a little kid so shortly thereafter I took my 6 year old son on his first back packing trip there. you might remember meeting him and his sister at Crag Camp.
Bob
Raven
Well-known member
Growing up for my first 18 years in Steuben County, NY on a large hay farm, I was surrounded by rolling hills and forest. I spent many solo hours in the late 70's/early 80's (stylishly) wandering those woods without any gear, water, maps, compasses, etc and simply learned to love the sights, sounds, smells, and peace of the trees.
My first real backpacking trip was in the Smokies in my twenties - I recall our last stop before Fontana was a liquor store and remember each of us carrying a different bottle rolled up in our sleeping bags.
Later on in life, I dropped the alcohol and cigarettes and focused my addictive tendencies toward mountains. Peakbagging lists are a nice substitute for addictive substances. In the late 90's I became obsessed with NE hiking, especially the Whites. Through a 7 year itch from 98-05, I spent all my free time hiking and peakbagging and did the NH48, AT, NEHH, and many winter summits.
Like many on this forum, at this point I can't imagine a life without hiking as a big focus. I am working to share this love with my near 4-year old daughter who has already spent many hours in the woods. I sincerely hope when asked later in life why she loves the woods and mountains, her memories of us together in her youth will bring a warm smile to her face.
My first real backpacking trip was in the Smokies in my twenties - I recall our last stop before Fontana was a liquor store and remember each of us carrying a different bottle rolled up in our sleeping bags.
Later on in life, I dropped the alcohol and cigarettes and focused my addictive tendencies toward mountains. Peakbagging lists are a nice substitute for addictive substances. In the late 90's I became obsessed with NE hiking, especially the Whites. Through a 7 year itch from 98-05, I spent all my free time hiking and peakbagging and did the NH48, AT, NEHH, and many winter summits.
Like many on this forum, at this point I can't imagine a life without hiking as a big focus. I am working to share this love with my near 4-year old daughter who has already spent many hours in the woods. I sincerely hope when asked later in life why she loves the woods and mountains, her memories of us together in her youth will bring a warm smile to her face.
Christa
Member
Well, I was 33 and there was this guy.....
First hike, he takes me up Welch-Dickey and we get rained and hailed on going across the Dickey ledges.
Second hike (the next day), he tells me that it's only a mile or so to get up to the summit of Mount Major. Turns out it's 1.75 miles each way.
Fourth hike we get lost in Pawtuckaway State Park (fortunately, no rescue was needed)
Sixth hike we went up Tom & Field. At the beginning of May. On a North facing trail. Without any traction. I don't want to tell you how many times I fell on the way down.
Fortunately, it got better from there....both the hiking and the relationship. I finished my 48 back in 2007 and I'm marrying the guy in October.
First hike, he takes me up Welch-Dickey and we get rained and hailed on going across the Dickey ledges.
Second hike (the next day), he tells me that it's only a mile or so to get up to the summit of Mount Major. Turns out it's 1.75 miles each way.
Fourth hike we get lost in Pawtuckaway State Park (fortunately, no rescue was needed)
Sixth hike we went up Tom & Field. At the beginning of May. On a North facing trail. Without any traction. I don't want to tell you how many times I fell on the way down.
Fortunately, it got better from there....both the hiking and the relationship. I finished my 48 back in 2007 and I'm marrying the guy in October.
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REK
Member
Before 1988: The Boy Scouts got me into this...
1988-2009: The great drought - only hiked a couple times
2010 forward: A desire to lose a little weight, get into better shape, get back outdoors, and maybe even get my remaining 3 NH4Ks. You folks on VFTT get a fair amount of credit, too, reading the great trip reports is very inspiring.
I don't have any new peaks yet, but I've hit some local hills, re-visited some old friends that I had climbed before, and even if I never get another new peak, whatever I do hike, it still all good.
Tomk
1988-2009: The great drought - only hiked a couple times
2010 forward: A desire to lose a little weight, get into better shape, get back outdoors, and maybe even get my remaining 3 NH4Ks. You folks on VFTT get a fair amount of credit, too, reading the great trip reports is very inspiring.
I don't have any new peaks yet, but I've hit some local hills, re-visited some old friends that I had climbed before, and even if I never get another new peak, whatever I do hike, it still all good.
Tomk
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