Posted by Tom Talbott

(Photo L-R: Megan Devlin, Charlie Frair and President Don Zillman.)

Our speakers last Friday featured home-grown club member Charlie Frair, and former member Megan Devlin, who shared with us their adventurous 100-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail. This was not a walk-in-the-park, this particular section is rated the toughest part of the entire trail. A cautionary sign at the beginning of the hike forewarned worthy trekkers to bring a 10- day supply of food and be fully equipped. “Good Hiking!” 

The hike itself was 2 years in the making. Megan needed to heal from a broken arm, and Charlie, who has to take precautions due to heart/AFib issues, hired a personal trainer to prepare for the hardest physical challenge of his life. Finally, a “practice hike” was scheduled in order to test the gear, assess the backpack weight, and get a feel for it all. Everything looked easy at first, just stay on the trail. Uh-oh – they got lost in the first two hours, and endured attacks from Maine’s state bird, the mosquito. No fun! However, the duo made their way back, and was not to be deterred. The full 100-mile hike would soon follow. 

The “Trail” was rough – plenty of rocks and tree roots that were often difficult to navigate. Charlie estimates he fell down once every 10 miles, not really the thing you want to be doing out in the wilderness. It’s a long day, but at the end of the hike, the work begins! Setting up their tents, collecting water and pumping it through filters, making the meals, hanging the bear bags…it’s not easy!  The trail has some accommodations, including one old lodging camp named the WhiteHouse Landing. A little pricey, but a good meal, and good place to sleep.  Apparently, the house dog was Charlie’s nemesis, stealing his socks. Megan and Charlie took this opportunity to mail back about 15 pounds of supplies they did not feel were essential to their expedition, and lightened the load. Camping gear is far lighter and more efficient than in the past, but a pound is a pound, and the goal is to pack right and travel light. 

If you want to make friends with NOBOS and SOBOS, aka Northbound trail hikers, and Southbound trail hikers, a little bit of whiskey is an effective way to break the ice. Charlie’s Listerine bottle was actually 90 proof, and he became quite popular. Perhaps this is one of the catalysts for hikers to be given interesting nicknames as they meet each other on the trail, as real names are not used. Charlie’s call-sign was “Tiger Balm,“ which we assume was a cream for sore muscles, while Megan was known as “Chair Girl” or “Sittin’ Pretty.” Megan took it upon herself to tote along a folding chair, not something that most hikers bring along, however, she became the envy of others after a long day of hiking. 

The trail is truly a community with a spiritual feeling. On a typical day, they would see 30 or more backpackers. As you can imagine, you meet all kinds of interesting characters. Not a lot of wildlife, perhaps due to the consistent traffic. They spotted 5 snakes, 2 deer, a moose across the lake, loons, and leeches. And the aforementioned mosquitos.

Unfortunately, Charlie did have an an AFib episode, and had to cut his journey short just past the half-way mark. A friend was able to meet him on a road intersection and bring him out. This left Megan with a dilemma: Keep going by herself, or wait for another opportunity? Taking stock, she decided to press on, no excuses, just do it. Not an easy decision by any means. A bad fall along the way didn’t make things easier. However, she persevered, and completed the journey. Congrats Megan!  

Thanks Megan and Charlie for taking us on your trek, and we are glad you’re both home safe to tell us all about it!