Appalachian Trail bachelor party

EAR MOUNTAIN STATE PARK, New York — One of my biggest frustrations with outdoor adventures is that most of the best, epic ones require a large time commitment. Hikers need six months to hike the Appalachian Trail (a hiking trail connecting Georgia to Maine in the eastern US), six weeks to hike Spain’s Camino de Santiago, a month to hike Turkey’s Lycian Way, and even three weeks to hike California’s John Muir Trail. Sadly, it’s nearly impossible for me, my brother, or my friends to take enough time from work to attempt adventures like these with me. Recently, I’ve come to the annoying realization that neither I nor my friends will ever be able to set aside enough time to hike the entire 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail. However, facing this fact has freed me from obsessing over hiking the entire Trail in one shot or with any one person, and I have started considering hiking the trail in small, non-continuous sections. By the time that I turn 60 years old, I hope that I’ll be able to finally say that I’ve hiked the entire Trail.

So, when my brother, Brian, appointed me the Best Man for his wedding this year, after a moment of panic, I realized that this would be a great opportunity to start on this hiking project and spend a few days with him on the Appalachian Trail. Knowing that we’d both agree that hiring strippers for a bachelor party is a ridiculous and problematic tradition, I suggested that we gather the wedding party and hike for three days on a section of the Trail just north of New York City, where my brother lives. Though it wouldn’t be an epic adventure, it would be a fitting “last hurrah” for our last both-of-us-unmarried moments together. Unfortunately, with only a week before the trip, one of the Best Men broke his toe and another threw out his back, reducing our bachelor party attendees from five to three. But, we decide not to let this stop us, and, four days before the wedding, Brian, Brian’s childhood friend Eric, and I head to the Appalachian Trail trailhead in Garrison, New York.

On the first day, we hike to the top of Anthony’s Nose, a hilltop with a fantastic view of the Hudson River, and then cross the River by hiking across Bear Mountain Bridge. Most of the hiking that Brian and I normally do is in total wilderness, so this detour through civilization is a welcome change. Next, we head up the steep, granite steps leading to the top of Bear Mountain. It’s a hot and humid day, and by the time we’re about halfway up, we all feel like we can’t take another step. Eric looks like he’s going to keel over. Nevertheless, we eventually make it to the summit and enjoy our lunch while the sun sets. We hike in the dark for about an hour before finally setting up camp below Bear Mountain, and the three of us can’t stop sweating during the humid, 80-degree night.

Thankfully, the weather is cooler when we wake the next morning, and the cool breeze and dense forest scenery is a stark contrast to yesterday’s humid death march up Bear Mountain. We stop for lunch at Brien Shelter, lying in the grass while eating our tuna wraps, and I realize that I’m starting to understand one of the things that makes the Appalachian Trail so great: the well-maintained shelters and their attractive surroundings make for a rewarding trekking experience. From there, we head to shimmering Lake Tiorati, where we buy some PowerAde and popsicles from a vending machine and then jump in the lake for a refreshing swim. Already exhausted, we hike a couple more miles before finally setting up camp at Fingerboard Shelter. We spend the night playing board games and eating gummy bears.

On our final day, as we pack up camp and begin hiking again, I feel sad. I know that these last five miles on the trail will be the last I hike with my brother before he gets married, and I know that the frequency of our (at least) yearly hiking trips may diminish over time as obligations to his new family increase. I hope that there’s a chance that may both of us will have managed to hike the trail’s entire 2,200 miles by the time we turn 60 years old. But, for now, the forest canopy envelops us, and we still have five miles remaining in this section, together, on the Appalachian Trail. WB