Sweet Sounds of the BT
July 31, 2013

Sweet Sounds of the BT

July 31, 2013 Once again I drove my car to Mary Thurston State Park in McClure, beat but boasting 15 miles hiked on the BT for the day. Not to mention the 15 miles biked to get back to the car. A few years ago I would have had trouble with just one of the day’s trips. The trail was pounding me into shape, and I felt great. I was only 50 miles from completing the entire loop. I settled into my lawn chair and watched the sun paint elegant, vibrant colors onto the evening …
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Remembering Poppie
June 28, 2013

Remembering Poppie

June 28, 2013 In a few short years he became a legend on the Buckeye Trail. In those few short years he also became a dear friend–actually more like a brother–to me, and I’m sure some other fellow hikers and people Poppie met along the trail feel the same. On June 25th, 2013, he left us for a new trail. “Gone Hiking” were the final words Poppie (aka Bruce Purdy) left on his blackboard when he retired from teaching three years ago. He was serious about those words. I met him only two days later …
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June 24, 2013

Back on the Happy Trail

June 24, 2013 I’ve been a little bummed out about losing the Roy Rogers Restaurant over in Union Township. Well, actually it is still there–with the same menu and ownership and memorabilia–but with a different name, Roney’s. Maybe the roast beef tastes the same, but I feel as though I would be disloyal to Roy and Dale if I ate there now. That loyalty to Roy and Dale goes all the way back down the trail to my childhood. Every Saturday morning I would be in front of the TV, toy pistols loaded and holstered …
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June 9, 2013

Manly Excuses to Get Out of a Nasty-Weather Hike

June 9, 2013 There is the hard-core hiker who keeps an eye on the weather channel, waiting for the worst possible conditions before heading out to the trail. He might be heard saying, “Hey, an ice storm is coming! I can try out my new contour-hooded sleeping bag with Techloft Insulation good to 20 degrees below zero and my ice cleats with tungsten carbide studs.” Or maybe, “They’re predicting 12 inches of rain. Great! I’ll break out my 20 denier nylon rain jacket with 15.5-inch pit zips and my downpour wide brim rain hat. Just …
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May 1, 2013

Metamorphosis of a Name

May 1, 2013 Bonnie and I are both mourning the passing of Wally and Eddie’s friend Lumpy of Leave it to Beaver. To me, he was the perfect third musketeer of that trio. Lumpy. What a name. However, I’d take it any day over what his dad called him–Clarence. My parents named me Clarence, too. It didn’t bother me through my elementary school years since everyone called me Butch. I loved being Butch, especially when I got into trouble. Lectures beginning with “Butch” just lost some of their sting. Until around my twelfth birthday, I …
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John, the Human Lightning Rod
April 17, 2013

John, the Human Lightning Rod

April 17, 2013 We never know to what heights a friendship may take us . . . We were three days into our annual fall BTA (Buckeye Trail Association) backpacking trip. Children again–five strong–who still loved to hike and camp in the woods with our buddies. Our fall hikes take us off the BT into new territories. This year John was leading our little band of explorers on the North Country Trail through the Allegheny Mountains of northern Pennsylvania. This far into the journey, we explorers were noticeably tiring. The valleys and vistas were exquisite, …
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