I am an Associate Professor of Food and Nutrition at Framingham State University in Framingham, MA. I am thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail while on sabbatical during the spring semester of 2020. I will be getting an early start in February in order to reach Katahdin by mid-August. I have to be back at school by mid-August.
During my hike, I will be tracking and analyzing my food intake and my blood glucose (BG). I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) in 2010. Hiking is a challenge as my BG increases when I hike – especially on steep climbs or when my heart rate gets elevated for an extended period of time. I am not on insulin, so the only way to get my BG to drop is to slow down or stop. As I thru-hike, I will be focusing on managing my BG through the exercise, the food consumed, and adjusting medication. The quality of my diet will influence my energy and can either hinder or help me as complete my thru-hike.
Why hike?
The woods calm me and soothe my soul. I would not describe myself as a religious person, but I would describe myself as spiritual. The woods are my church. I am an introvert and re-energize when I hike.
My dad was instrumental in getting me hiking. When I hike now, I feel very close to him. More importantly, I feel close to the dad I knew before he was diagnosed with depression, before the regular hospitalizations, before the suicide attempts. I hear his words and advice when I am in the woods – the words from a man who was more light-hearted, joyful, and present in the world than the man who passed away in 2003.
I began hiking with my family when I was 5. My first trip was a three day trip: Appalachia parking lot in Randolph, NH to the Perch on day one; over to Madison Springs Hut on day two; and back to the parking lot on day three.
At the time, there was no backpacking equipment or clothing for children. And, clothing was cotton or wool – long before the dawn of synthetics. Dad wanted me to have shoes that would provide ankle protection. Instead, he settled for Ked’s canvas sneakers as the best option for hiking shoes! I carried an external frame with my sleeping bag. Not many items – but heavy for me. I remember getting tired and asking for assistance with my pack. That meant that my pack got added to either mom’s or dad’s pack which were already heavy. When we approached mud, you could hear me call “DAD!” and he would carry me over the mud! I wish I still had that option today!
There were many trips with the family over the next few years. Dad and I would make yearly overnight trips to the Baldfaces in Chatham, NH for the unbelievable good blueberries. We would hike up in the afternoon and stay at the shelter just below the ledges. The next morning, we would climb onto the ledges and pick blueberries until all our containers were full. We would come home with enough blueberries to fill the freezer for the year!
As I got older, I attended hiking camp at the NH UCC’s Horton Center on Pine Mountain in Gorham, NH (multiple times). And, I have fond memories of hiking Mt. Washington with high school friends on a beautiful summer day.
After high school, I stopped hiking. I would occasionally go for a hike. But, I was slow and didn’t like slowing others down. Yet, I didn’t want to hike alone for safety reasons. It took over 30 years before I was ready to hike on my own or enjoy hiking in a group.
Why hike the AT?
One memorable trip occurred when I was in junior high (in the late 70’s). My dad organized a trip with several of my cousins. We were hiking in Mahoosuc Notch when we met a couple thru-hiking the AT. They were retired, in their 60s, and heading NOBO. The end was in sight. The woman was sporting a cast from the tips of her fingers to her elbow. Apparently, she had fallen and broken her wrist in a couple places. It took them several days of hiking to access town and medical care. She received the medical care she needed. When her husband indicated that was the end of their thru-hike attempt, her response was “no, we are getting back out there and finishing!” My thought at the time was that I wanted to grow up to have the same spirit and sense of adventure that she had. I am still amazed at how a brief, random meeting with someone can generate such a dream. I am lucky that I don’t have to wait until retirement to thru-hike!
Why read this blog?
This blog will follow my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. The posts will be written to appeal to a wide variety of folks interested in different aspects of my journey.
- Family – they will want to hear about it all!
- Friends – they, too, will be interested in the wide variety of my posts.
- Students and colleagues – they will want to read about food and blood glucose on the trail while fueling this endurance event.
- Other thru-hikers or potential thru-hikers – they will want to read about my experience on the trail – some posts will have more basic info than they would like. I will do this so that family, friends, students, and colleagues can understand the culture of the trail.
Welcome to My AT Adventure 