Tid-Bit Post

Sometimes Hansel and Gretel have little tid-bits to share so this will be the tid-bit post.

First, we would like to mention a little about Raisins.  You might remember him from an earlier post.  Raisins is a rather speedy hiker from White Plains, NY.  Hansel and Gretel actually thought they had lost him, but he ended up taking a zero day (when you hike zero miles) and stayed an extra night at the White Mountains Hostel since it was so nice there.  Hansel figured he was about 23 years old.  Before hiking the AT he had basically no experience hiking.  He went on a day hike one time and then decided to just hike the whole trail.  When he showed up at Springer Mountain the first day he had about six pounds of raisins. Can you deduce how he got his trail name?

Another tid-bit is to introduce a new AT Term!  Yay!  It's been a while since we learned a new AT Term.  Today's term is "stealth camping."  This term is specific to the White Mountains because so much of the trail is above tree line.  The vegetation in this area is extremely fragile since there is little soil and limited protection from wind and weather.  Therefore, it is very important for hikers to say on the trail and only camp at designated areas.  Unfortunately, there are rare occasions when hikers are unable to make it all the way to the designated camp sites.  It is in these times that they must take the last resort option to stealth camp.  As you hike through the Whites, you might notice skinny little paths leading away from the trail.  They often lead to flat spots where people have set up their tents to spend the night. It is stealth camping because a.) you are trying your hardest not to disturb the fragile vegetation and b.) you are trying your hardest not to get caught by a wilderness authority figure.  There are some other ways in which the stealth camping term can be applied and are defined here.  Luckily, Hansel and Gretel have not needed to do any stealth camping.

There are some abbreviations that Hansel and Gretel have stumbled upon and immediately decided that they are very dumb.  "SoBo" and "NoBo" is the new terminology that south bound thru-hikers like to throw out.  SoBo means that you are a south bound hiker, and NoBo means you are a north bound hiker.  Now that Hansel and Gretel are getting closer to Maine, they have been running into a bunch of south bounders.  Apparently, no north bounders use these silly abbreviations.  "It kind of irks us," Hansel said. "It's like when people say, 'Oh, you're from Joisey.'  'No, I'm from New Jersey, thank you ver much.'  I'm not from Joisey and I'm not a NoBo."

Other merry tid-bits: Hansel and Gretel met one south bounder named Humble Adouski (no one is sure how to spell it exactly).  He was great.  As they passed by him he said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa.  Hold up!  These (he produced some mini Snickers bars) are for you."  A little congratulations gift from a fellow thru-hiker in celebration of Hansel and Gretel's many miles hiked.  They also met a couple that were hiking who actually knew them!  They said they had been reading this blog and their mom had even donated to MSAA!  So awesome!  Thanks for reading and thanks for donating to the cause!!

I think that concluded the tid-bits for now!

Happy Trails!