After spending all last week blogging about myself and my various personal adventures and misadventures, it's time to return to more fascinating topics _ like, say, the 15-year-old Florida girl who is about to become the youngest person to do a solo hike of the Appalachian Trial.
How about that? Neva Warren (trail name "Chipmunk") should be finishing up in Maine any day now. You can read about her _ and see a video interview _ in this article by outdoors writer Aislinn Sarnacki of the Bangor Daily News.
I've encountered hikers of all ages during my time on the AT. In Vermont, I met a man in his 80s _ Mike Caetano ("Cimmaron") _ who was attempting to become the oldest person to thru-hike the trail.
But it's a special challenge for women hiking solo on the trail. They basically have to endure six months of pick-up lines from male solo hikers, which is no fun at all. I even met one hiker who stopped signing her name in the log books at the shelters just to throw off her "stalkers."
So it's not surprising that 15-year-old Neva has taken extra precautions. She carries mace. She has a GPS so that her parents can track her. They don't hike with her, but they follow along on nearby roads with a camper, where she usually spends the night.
Still, hiking 2,000-plus miles is a fabulous accomplishment. Wish I could've done it when I was 15. Well done, "Chipmunk."
By the way, we'll hike on a small portion of the AT during one of our hiking trips next year. Visit our website to learn more about our vacations to Virginia, Vermont, Nevada and Switzerland.
See you on the trails.
Joseph
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