Lawton Grinter - I Hike Again: Mostly True Stories from 15,000 Miles of Hiking

I Hike Again

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Also from Lawton Grinter

I Hike: Mostly True Stories from 10,000 Miles of Hiking

I Hike Again

Mostly True Stories from

15,000 Miles of Hiking

Lawton Grinter

Grand Mesa Press

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Salida, Colorado

I Hike Again. Copyright 2019 by Lawton Grinter. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations used in reviews.

Grinter, Lawton.

I hike again : mostly true stories from 15,000 miles of hiking / by Lawton Grinter.

Published by Grand Mesa Press, P.O. Box 255, Salida, Colorado 81201

info@grandmesapress.com

Cover photo: Felicia Hermosillo

Cover design: Leslie Henslee

Copy editor: Barbara Grinter

ISBN (paperback): 978-0-9852415-2-0

ISBN (ebook): 978-0-9852415-3-7

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019900978

Library of Congress subject headings:

1. HikingUnited StatesBiography. 2. Adventure and adventurersUnited StatesBiography. 3. Appalachian TrailDescription and travel. 4. Pacific Crest TrailDescription and travel. 5. Continental Divide TrailDescription and travel. 6. Arizona Trail Description and travel. 7. Te Araroa Description and travel. 8 . Grinter, Lawton1976Travel. I. Title.

For P.O.D.

~ Contents ~

Acknowledgements

M other Nature has a happy knack for putting life into perspective. And those who walk in the woods on a regular basis understand this better than most. A long-distance rambler by the name of Bo once described the phenomena as follows:

At some point everything comes more into focus: colors become more vivid, food tastes better, jokes are funnier, the scenery becomes more amazing, and injuries become less painful. When in this state, the world makes sense to me, and I feel connected to everything around me, and grateful. I suppose others call this being in the moment. I suspect that endorphins play a part in this change, as does the fresh air, exercise, sleep, etc. Whatever the explanation, it is indescribable to those of you that have not experienced it.

One man who intimately relates to this heightened sense of unity and appreciation is the author of I Hike Again, Lawton Disco Grinter. Through his day job as a forester and his moonlighting gig (or is it the other way around?) as a backpacking wordsmith, Disco lights up quicker than a hippy at a Grateful Dead concert when he starts waxing lyrical about the wilderness. The guy simply loves being out there, and sharing that passion for all things hiking is really what this book is all about.

From his earliest days as a wide-eyed kid on an Outward Bound course to some of his more recent excursions on the hydrationally-challenged Grand Enchantment and Hayduke Trails, Discos 15,000 mile hiking journey has seen more than its fair share of ups and downs. Yet through the frequent topographical highs and the occasional emotional lows, you always get the distinct feeling that, no matter what happens to the boy from Gaffney, South Carolina, there will always be another hiking trip just around the corner. He is what I like to call a backcountry lifer - someone who, irrespective of the conditions or environment, will always find a way to keep heading out into the boonies.

Besides his unconditional love for spending time in the natural world, the other thing that stands out for me when reading Discos vignettes are the colorful characters. His stories shine a headlamp on the endearingly quirky and sometimes flat-out crazy folks that to no small degree make up the US long-distance hiking world. During my years of rambling on Americas mega-trails, I have met more than a few of these personalities myself. Some of the more memorable have included the taser-zapping boys of Reliance, Tennessee, an elderly English gentleman who happily went by the trail name of Teabag (he enjoyed a Twinings with every meal), and a mustachioed fellow by the name of "Train (wedding, rather than choo-choo), who hiked the entire 2,660 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in a series of bridal gowns (26 in total; one for every 100 miles). But of all the eccentrics Ive encountered during my time hiking in the States, perhaps the wackiest of them all was a man called Duane. Insane Duane.

Hailing from the swamps of Florida, Duane was 49 years young when we met on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2012. It was an overcast morning about 40 miles south of Ashland, Oregon, and I was sitting on a log at the edge of a snowbank, enjoying a late breakfast of granola with powdered milk. As I munched and crunched away, I was approached by a fast-moving, long-haired, wild-looking guy, who was wearing a ragged dress shirt that had a huge rip in the left arm.

Hey, I said.

Are you Swami? he replied, in a barely decipherable southern (maybe) accent without the hint of a smile.

The guy had a Shining-esque stare and was more weather-beaten than a Tasmanian lighthouse, so I paused for a long second before finally answering, yes.

My name is Insane Duane. Ive been trying to catch you for 1,400 miles, the man offered.

Jesus.

This meeting between stalker and unsuspecting prey began an unlikely on-and-off-again hiking partnership that would last until the US/Canadian border. During our time together Duane regaled me with tales from his ten-year stretch in a Florida prison, the relationship he formed with a 74-year-old widower whom he met while working part-time at an old-folks home after being released from jail, and the ins and outs of living off the grid in the swamp - think canoes, hammocks, gators, bugs and bush tucker. Other fun facts about my mate Duane: 1. At the time of our meeting in 2012 he had never owned a computer or had a credit card; 2. Due to the fact he had no navigation skills whatsoever, he regularly carried an extra day or two of food because he got lost so frequently; 3. He was the biggest tipper I have ever met and always had a thick wad of $100 bills in his wallet. When I asked him about the source of his wealth, he replied, pre-prison savings; 4. Despite carrying a heavyish pack (base weight of approximately 15 pounds), he was one of the fastest and strongest hikers I have ever met. The guy was indefatigable. During his decade in the clink, Duane had made himself harder than a coffin nail through a regimen of endless pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and running (both in the prison yard as well as on the spot in his cell). When I asked him how he became interested in long-distance hiking, he replied, In prison I read an article about the Appalachian Trail in a National Geographic magazine. After all those years of being locked up, I liked the idea of spending time out in nature. And moving from A to B rather than round in circles definitely had its appeal as well.

Duane and I (along with Matt Mouse" Zion) were the first people to finish the PCT in 2012 (July 29). I havent heard from him in the years since, but Id like to think he is still plying the swamps of Florida in his canoe, as well as making the occasional excursion on Americas long-distance trails. He was a true original and, if it werent for hiking, I would have never met the guy. And that bringing together of disparate souls is one of the things I love most about trail life. In the woods it doesnt matter (or at least it shouldnt matter) how old you are, what you look like, where you are from, or what you do for a living. Mother Natures welcome mat is always out. All you really need is a pack, a pair of running shoes and the desire to, in the words of Mr. Grinter himself, get on the trail! Hope to see a few of you out there (Note: Non-stalkers only).

Cam Swami" Honan

Long-Distance Hiker