The Peaceful Warrior, ten years on

9/12/09 Two Nalgene water bottles, recycled

In 1999, a twenty-seven year old single guy quit his job, moved out of his Jersey apartment, and struck out to hike the Appalachian Trail, calling himself The Peaceful Warrior. The journey took four months and twenty-eight days, covered 2,156 miles, and ended on September 12 on top of Maine's highest peak, Mt. Katahdin. That journey is chronicled on a web page my late friend Vance created: Reed's AT Adventure.

Over the last ten years, a lot has changed. That guy has worked in three different schools, married a beautiful woman, bought a house, and relocated back to Maine. I'm him, of course, and I decided to mark this ten-year anniversary with a return hike up Mt. Katahdin.

In those ten years, some things have stayed the same. The mountain is still as big and tough to summit as ever. Without a doubt it's the hardest climb on the entire A.T. I also still have a great hiking buddy in the person of my Uncle Steve, who not only dusted off his hiking knees but also his trailname, Anchovy, for the trip. And, among the gear that again came along up the trail were my fleece shirt, trusty gaiters, and two old Nalgene bottles.

I'll return to the mountain again - hopefully not after another 10-year hiatus - but those bottles won't. They're full of all that lovely Bisphenol A (BPA) we've been warned about, and, more and more, I'm generally happy to get rid of anything that is contributing to the plastic-ization of our planet.

And, besides, the little plastic tab that kept the lids attached to the bottles had long ago broken on both of them. About the sixth time that Anchovy dropped the lid on the ground, he told me he was in "full support" of the bottles being downsized. I think well-worn, old hiking equipment is cool. But malfunctioning equipment that might give you cancer? Those bottles helped us through 10 hours of rugged trekking today, but now it's into the recycling bin for them.

As for the hike, it was unbelievable. I'd bet that there aren't a dozen days per year when the weather on Katahdin is as perfect as it was today. Sunny, mild, no breeze, and a view that was spectacular to the fifth power.

The Peaceful Warrior and Anchovy still have a little kick left in 'em. With any luck, that won't change for quite some time.