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Local grad David 'E/ipse' Wilcox hugs his grandfather goodbye.
Mike 'Little Engine' Ferguson |
T'S A JOURNEY most people only dream about.
But David Wilcox and Mike Ferguson are making it happen. Two weeks ago, the two 18-year-olds began hiking the Appalachian Trail.
They'll have local children "following" them all the way. Dawn Renee Wilcox, David's mother, is the science coordinator for Spotsylvania schools. She's made lesson plans based on the young men's journey. The hikers will send updates on weather, animals and trail life to the children.
They've already hiked Maine's 100-mile wilderness. The end zone: Springer Mountain in Georgia. They expect to finish the 2,174-mile trek by spring.
The challenges are many.
Alpine-like conditions are common in the Northern mountains. They expect to get snowed in often in Pennsylvania. Cold, wind and rain will be the biggest enemies in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern states.
They'll encounter black bear, bobcats and vagrants. Of them all, vagrants are considered the biggest threat. A family friend showed the teens how to use pepper spray.
Then there's the sheer stamina required to continue hiking, day after day, with heavy packs.
Theirs weighed 42 pounds, including food and water. They carried bivy tents, which fit one person. They'll trade those for two-man tents when they reach New Hampshire. The extra room will hold in body heat.
After two weeks on the trail, they've seen moose, reddish-brown squirrels and snakes.
The moose are really loud, and the ground echoes when they run.
The friends will walk 180 miles before the next mail drop. Their summation of the trail so far: roots, rocks and mud.
Tradition requires hikers to come up with trail names. Wilcox's trail name is "E/ipse." It's a bit of a boast. Most hikers can't keep up with him, he said. He often has to pause to wait for others. Ferguson is Little Engine, for the Little Engine that could.
They'll both need all the ego and determination they can get.
Only 20 percent of those who attempt to hike the whole trail succeed, according to appalachi
The team has the required skills. Ferguson, who's from Maryland, and Wilcox met at Camp Olmsted, a summer camp in New York. That has taught young campers outdoors skills for years.
They have the support crew.
Dawn Renee Wilcox, David's mother, is an avid outdoorswoman and planner extraordinaire.
Many towns along the trail cater to hikers. They have hostels where weary walkers can shower, eat and rest. His mother outlined each stop where the hikers can pick up packages, stock up on food and send e-mails.
Henry Wilcox, David's dad, has handled food preparations. He has spent hours making homemade beef jerky and other trail sustenance.
Food is the biggest expense for hikers. He'll send dehydrated meals to cut down on the team's costs. The guys expect to lose about 30 pounds, even though they've packed liquid butter to slurp along the way.
Wilcox graduated from Spotsylvania High School in June. Most of the his peers started college this fall. The Wilcoxes joke that their son is attending "ATU," or Appalachian Trail University.
They aren't disappointed that their son has put off college for now. They believe the trip will help him figure out what he wants from life.
"It's his American walkabout," Dawn Renee Wilcox said.
David Wilcox is also following a family tradition. His grandfather roamed Roan Mountain, part of Tennessee's Appalachian Trail, in the 1930s, collecting specimens for the Smithsonian Institution.
Mike brought his mother's old leather-bound journal. The journal was given to his mother by her mother, who wanted her to record her adventures in its pages.
"I'll get to use it," he said.
The day before they drove to Maine, the boys showed off their gear with the zeal of children on Christmas morning.
Ready-to-eat meals in shiny silver packages. A GPS navigation system to keep track of storms and each other. Moisture-wicking undergarments. Waterproof hiking boots.
Special bags that compress two weeks' worth of clothes into a soccer-ball-sized clump. Solar chargers for their MP3 players. A compact jet-boil system to heat meals. A water filtration system.
The friends spent about $2,500 each on supplies. A thru-hike typically costs $3,000 to $5,000 a person.
Henry Wilcox sometimes worries because his son has spent his college money on the trip. But his son's thirst for adventure also makes him proud.
"We raised our kids, if there's something out there, don't fear it; go for it," Wilcox said. "Don't wait until you're 30 or 40 years old
To reach KIM BAER:
Email: kbaer@freelancestar.com
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Mapping their progress Want to follow the team? |
