Plan Your Own 'Walk in the Woods'

Hamilton, MA - Have you ever dreamed of hiking the Appalachian Trail?

If so, you should be sure to head to the Hamilton-Wenham Public Library on Tuesday night to hear from Wenham’s own Steve Crowe.

Each year some 2,500 people set out to hike the Appalachian Trail, and about 800 complete all 2,190 miles between Springer Mt. in Georgia and Mt. Katahdin in Maine (in four to seven months). But hundreds more take to the trails for day hikes, one- and two-nighters and increasingly, long distance section hikes of 100 miles or more.

Steve Crowe of Wenham has hiked 1,400 miles of the AT. For 10 years he confined his hiking to New England, completing about 500 miles on dozens of 1- to 3-day hikes. Two years ago he discovered long distance hiking and completed the first 530 miles in the South; last summer he added another 330 miles in Virginia, stopping at Waynesboro - Charlottesville, VA.

Steve’s topics in this workshop include: Why hike? What to carry. Where to stay. Starting out (slow). Resupplying. Health and safety. The people you meet. The best time to go. Getting there and back. and Can I really do this? (You can expect the answer to be “yes” – Steve is 63 and has two replacement hips!) Those attending will receive a gear checklist and a worksheet for planning their own hiking adventures. Free and open to the public, bring along a friend for this event that runs from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.