Retire from work but not life 

For so long I wondered about what I would do upon retirement.  In fact, I often said that I didn’t want to retire.  As a type A personality person, I like to be kept busy and sitting around all day with nothing to do did not sound like my ideal lifestyle.  But then I put my small information technology services company up for sale and got an offer that was hard to refuse.

So, here I am retired.  The first year (2015) was spent mostly sailing and a trip to Italy for a couple of weeks.  As the new year (2016) approached, I was faced with the dilemma of what to do for an encore.  Then I saw “The Movie.”  For the uninitiated, “The Movie” is A Walk in the Woods starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte.  “The Movie” has been the catalyst for many non-hikers to dump a load of money for hiking gear into a local outfitter’s cash register, and then hit the Appalachian Trail or one of the other popular long-distance hiking trails.  It was early February 2016.

In 1995 when I was IT director of the Florida Orange County Health Department, a young man came in to interview for an open technician position.  Almost from the beginning of the interview, he started talking about his Appalachian Trail (AT) hike.  I found it fascinating, but unfortunately, he was unqualified for the position.  Nevertheless, his story about the AT was always in the back of my mind.  When I saw “The Movie” it reminded me of the young man and the AT hiking story.  With nothing better to do, I started looking into it.

By March, I had found an experienced outdoorsman who agreed to let me tag along during his own AT hike.  He would show me the ropes and in return, I would try to stay out of his way.  With that settled, I pulled the trigger.  A month and many dollars later I was ready to go and thus begins my story of hiking the Appalachian Trail.  Bobby McCabe and I stepped off on April 3, 2016 from the southern terminus of the AT, Springer Mountain.  Until that day, I had never hiked and never camped in the woods using a tent.  My blog describes the day to day ups and downs (figuratively and literally) of hiking.

I wish that I was a better writer.  There are so many stories to tell about long distance hiking.  As time goes on, I intend to try to tell those stories better than the last day’s hike.  With that in mind, I hope you enjoy at least a little bit of my adventure.

In the future, I intend to post some of my sailing experiences like the time I sailed through a hurricane on a 34’ sailboat with the boat’s owner.  I, also, have a lot of pictures and something to say about my travels in Italy.  However, for now this site is dedicated to my hiking adventures.

By the way, I did return to the Appalachian Trail in subsequent years.  In total for 2016 through 2021, I hiked almost 2,000 miles.  Of course, actual miles hiked were well over that total when you add trips down side trails for water, a shelter or hike into a town.  It’s been quite the adventure.  The White Mountains proved to be formidable, and hiking through the Mahoosuc Notch, which is what AWOL’s AT Guide calls the “most difficult or fun mile of the AT,” was a real eye opener.

In 2020, I had planned to hike 1,000 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in California and then return to the Appalachian Trail to finish the last 265 miles.  It was not to be.  The coronavirus pandemic hit and all but shut down California and several sections of the PCT.  The last miles of the AT are all in Maine, which had severe restrictions on quarantining for out of state travelers.  Parts of the trail in Maine were “iffy” as to whether they would open.  It was a disappointing year, and I didn’t make it to the AT either.  I did go to Maine in 2021, but only hiked a little over twenty miles before I came down with Covid 19.  That ended my latest attempt to finish the Appalachian Trail.

A ray of hope shined out west after all.  The 485 mile Colorado Trail was open and even inviting hikers.  I started the trail June 26, 2020 and finished August 4, 2020.  It was great!  Hiking in the Rocky Mountains was nothing like hiking the Appalachian Trail.  It was a most memorable through hike.

The new year, 2021, brought new plans.  While the PCT is once again awarding permits, I am still concerned about possible closures of the trail during a record coronavirus pandemic surge.  What seems like a better option is the 800 mile Arizona Trail.  I set off northbound on the AZT on March 25 and immediately got hurt climbing 9,000 foot Miller Peak in the snow.  I went home after only three days, but I did return.  September 28 I started a southbound hike on the AZT at the Utah/Arizona state line.  I finished on November 27 when I reached the point where I stopped hiking in March.  I had hiked the entire Arizona Trail. 

In 2022, I decided to give the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) another try.  I started northbound at the end of April and things were going great – until…  Fifty-two miles into my hike there was a loud pop from my left ankle.  I had a complete tear of the left ankle tendon.  That was the end of my 2021 hike.

I did go back to the PCT in 2023 and hiked fifty miles north of Kennedy Meadow, which was my goal.  Then in 2024, I went to Washington state to hike the northern part of the PCT.  I didn’t get very far, though.  After getting evacuated off the trail a second time, I decided to call an end to the hike.  There were more forest fires in Washington and Oregon and I simply didn’t not believe it was worth the effort with all the trail closures.  I’m already planning my return in 2025.  

If you find my adventures worthy, like a page or two or all of them and leave a comment.  I would like to hear from you.

Tony “Slapshot” Lombardi