Campfire Clean-up Ambassador
David Alan Lane "Squarepeg"
Hey it's Squarepeg! smile emoticon AKA - Crazydave or David Lane and I and my wife are Texans! smile emoticon I'm a hiker who mainly majored in day and weekend hikes until our first thru-hike attempt in 2013. On April 13th my wife and I stayed at the Hiker hostel and caught a shuttle to the trailhead and began our journey with excitement and great expectations. We did everything wrong including carrying a folding toilet seat! We weren't in good shape to carry a 65lb and 45lb pack so within days my wife fell and hurt her knee. She soldiered on to Gatlinburg where she couldn't go on as the pain was just too much. I carried on until our tenet decided to trash our house and refused to pay rent thus cutting the funds for the trip.With a heavy heart I caught a ride from Uncle Johnny's Hostel in Erwin, TN after only hiking about 250 miles. What we gained from it all was the experience of long distance hiking. What worked and, like the toilet, (which broke on the first use) what didn't. gasp emoticon
Fast forward to March 17th, 2015 and I'm back at the Hiker Hostel, alone this time as my wife couldn't get away. cry emoticon I began my thru-hike on the 18th with excitement, ambition and great determination. Along the way I tore my rotator cuff muscle off the bone! gasp emoticon I had $1,500 stolen from my pack and it was only through discipline, stubbornness, trail Angels and trail magic that I could finish my hike on October 17th. I was inspired greatly by my friend - Niki Rellon - AKA the Bionic Woman who was the first woman who thru-hiked the AT with a prosthetic leg! Anytime I started feeling sorry for myself, I would think of her drive and determination, theoretically bslap myself, tell myself to man up and carry on. During my hike I observed the best and worst of the hiking community and I began to speak out against the abuse after witnessing fist hand in Kent where one drunken man shut down the camping at the used clothing store and second hand at the garden store by the on trail, train station to NY, that no longer allows camping. I took a pledge to be a self appointed trail ambassador working to show the best of the hiking community.
I'm now working on two books about this adventure now. On about the journey and the other a book of poetry from my journal entries.
I will be proudly taking to the trail again this year as a Hiker Trash Maintenance Ambassador in charge of firepit maintenance. My duties include cleaning and restoration of firepits and the education of hikers along the principles of leave no trace.
I miss and long to be back on the trail and among my hiking family! smile emoticon See you all on the trail!
Graffiti Removal Ambassador
David Fleming “Hey Everybody”
My name is David Fleming. I am A 25 year Navy veteran. Since retirement I have work as an Auto Parts salesman, truck driver, garage manager and motel manager. In 2013 a significant change in my life left me with no place that I wanted to be. As I have known about the Appalachian Trail since I was 12 years old I decided to take a thru hike. With only one week of planning and a three day gear camping test I started my journey at Amicalola Falls. Hiking in below freezing weather with inadequate gear sent me rapidly back to town. Regrouping I headed back into the mountains and hiked steadily but slowly towards Fontana Dam. I continued through the Smokies, in 22 inches of snow. After spending a few days in Gatlinburg, I returned to the trail and eventually arrived at Greasy Creek, with a torn Achilles tendon. I eventually made my way to a friend's home in Eastern North Carolina. After 4 months of recovery and physical therapy I returned to the AT in April of 2014. Slowly and steadily over the next 185 days I made my way to Katahdin. I then returned to Eastern North Carolina.I immediately started planning an additional thru hike, even after telling many trail friends that I would not attempt another long distance hike. With a good amount of knowledge and some planning I returned to the AT in April 2015.At mile 650 I was informed by my family that my sister was in ill and not expected to last very long. I hiked
rapidly to Four Pines, and made my way 2 South Carolina. I stayed with my sister until she passed, an assisted my brother in law in making his transition to living alone.In August 2015 I rented a summer cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Through the winter I worked two part time jobs and started planning for a 2016 through hike.
I volunteered as a Hiker Trash Trail Maintenance Ambassador so that I could give back something to the trail and its people that had given me so much. I will as much as possible hike in a manner consistent with the LNT code. I hope that my efforts will show others that our trail needs their help so that it will stay in its natural form, so that our children's children can enjoy the Appalachian Trail whether it be a day hike, weekend hike or thru hike.
Happy trails, hike safely and we will see you there. “Hey Everybody”
Trash Ambassadors
Kaitlin Thompson
Kaitlin hails from rural Minnesota where she had the privilege of having parents who were always telling her to, “Go play outside!” In addion to exploring her vast backyard with her brothers, there were several summers when her family of 5 would pile into the staon wagon and explore the country together. Hiking, and later geocaching, were always the highlights of these trips. Kaitlin learned not only to love, but appreciate, respect and protect nature. However, this made it harder to have a “normal” job later in life. O'ce jobs never stuck. She’s worked on an 1800’s living history ranch and most recently withthe Naonal Park Service in an e/ort to bring her love of the outdoors into her work. Although Kaitlin’s longest trips hiking trips to date are only week long trips, not months, ask anyone who knows her - she’s got the grit to see this thing through.
Jason McElroy "Cavey"
Born and raised in northeast PA less than an hour from the Appalachian trail, I’ve always been drawn to the mountains. I've toyed with the idea of a thru hike for years, but never had the pieces in place to achieve the goal. Finally, after years of 500+ mile hikes, it's time--and what better way to achieve that goal than to help clean up!
I believe this year we can remove 3000 lbs of trash, partially because of the way I will be hiking. Starting in Harpers Ferry and heading SOBO to Springer, I can meet and help people develop an interest in cleaning up after themselves. Next I will flip back around and follow those same bubbles I talked and formed bonds with all the way to Maine-- hopefully leaving a huge impact that will follow for decades to come, and leave a place for our children to embrace.
https://www.facebook.com/caveysadventures/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6U60J_2dM9L96tQ_YRywMw
