All posts by richardkjudy

About richardkjudy

A 1973 Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, Richard Judy spent a career as a corporate PR executive and found time over the last four decades to find adventure hiking trails, canoeing, climbing mountains, etc. Both his kids are thru-hikers as well. Richard's novel, THRU: An Appalachian Trail Love Story, is published by the Appalachian Trail Museum. View all posts by richardkjudy →

The Return of Doug Hellie!

September 29, 2014Uncategorizedrichardkjudy

Back in ancient times (1973) when I was hiking from Maine to Georgia, I met a delightful fellow named D. J. Hellie who hiked with me through a portion of the Mid-Atlantic states. D. J. was a bright guy who spent many a hiking mile and rest break conferring with me about nature, Watergate, what he and I were going to do in the future and on and on. Until last week, I had not spoken to D. J. in 41 years. Then, he called and said he was in the Atlanta area visiting his daughter and new grandchild and wondered if I wanted to have coffee. Well, sure I did, and we met at a Starbucks for a couple of hours to catch up on jillions of cubic feet of water under the bridge. D. J. now goes by Doug, and he and I had great fun describing our various adventures. If anyone paid attention to us, they saw a couple of over-sixty, bearded codgers animatedly swapping one exploit after another. Doug sent me some photos and a written description of a hike he took on the PCT in 2005. I have hiked the same stretch, so I was keen to read every word. What I guess I loved most about it all is that Doug hiked that hot, arid stretch in a top hat. The photo above shows a good-humored guy who knows that adventure is always in the cards. You just got to want it. That’s what Brave Phillie said in THRU: An Appalachian Trail Love Story, and he was right. Here’s to old friends coming back into your life. Stay vertical you guys, and keep walkin’.

Four-star Luxury in a Doberdal Shepherd’s Hut!

September 25, 2014Uncategorizedrichardkjudy

On my recent trip to the Peaks of the Balkans, I shared sleeping space in a shepherd’s hut in Doberdal — a grazing community in a grassy cirque nestled in the heart of the Balkan peaks. Native folk prepared excellent grub on a wood stove and smiled at us a lot without talking. Their English was every bit as fluent as our Albanian. The guys pictured above had to squeeze together later to make room for me. Not exactly the most comfortable night ever, but certainly a memorable one. Stay vertical, you all, and keep walkin’.” (Photo by Jay Dement, all rights reserved).

THRU Goes to the Peaks of the Balkans!

September 15, 2014Uncategorizedrichardkjudy

One of the great new hiking opportunities in the world is the recently developed Peaks of the Balkans Trail in the countries of Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro. The group I traveled with was a seasoned bunch of hikers -- mostly members of the Georgia ATC. Two PCT thru-hikers and two AT thru-hikers were on board as well as Marianne Skeen who has hiked McKinley twice. It was a guest house trip meaning our gear was carried by livestock or jeep. We stayed in places ranging from high-class hotels to shepherd huts. The hospitality of the people in all the countries was amazing. The mountains were phenomenally beautiful. I have hiked all over the world, and few places can rival this area. It was quite rugged, and we were delighted to carry only day packs. Our guide, Besa, was a bright, cheerful young woman who was indispensable for a group who knew nothing of the area. I doubt I could have found my way left to my own map reading and orienteering skills. More about this trip later. (Photo by Jay Dement, all rights reserved). — One of the great new hiking opportunities in the world is the recently developed Peaks of the Balkans Trail in the countries of Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro. The group I traveled with was a seasoned bunch of hikers — mostly members of the Georgia ATC. Two PCT thru-hikers and two AT thru-hikers were on board as well as Marianne Skeen who has hiked McKinley twice. It was a guest house trip meaning our gear was carried by livestock or jeep. We stayed in places ranging from high-class hotels to shepherd huts. The hospitality of the people in all the countries was amazing. The mountains were phenomenally beautiful. I have hiked all over the world, and few places can rival this area. It was quite rugged, and we were delighted to carry only day packs. Our guide, Besa, was a bright, cheerful young woman who was indispensable for a group who knew nothing of the area. I doubt I could have found my way left to my own map reading and orienteering skills. More about this trip later. (Photo by Jay Dement, all rights reserved).

AT Museum Publishes New Shaffer Biography

August 20, 2014Uncategorizedrichardkjudy

After publishing THRU: An Appalachian Trail Love Story earlier this year, the AT Museum did not mess around. They just released the long-awaited authorized biography of Earl Shaffer, A Grip on the Mane of Life, which provides an objective view of the long, full life of a truly great man. Anyone who loves the heritage of the AT needs to immerse themselves in this accessible, well-researched volume. They will not be disappointed. Go to the AT Museum website of Facebook page for details and order a copy soon. All proceeds go to the AT Museum.

This is one of the easy stretches of AT trail in Maine

August 19, 2014UncategorizedMaine, Monsonrichardkjudy

My section hike is finally over as of Aug. 7. It ended on a nondescript highway crossing north of Monson, Maine. During the 100 or so miles we hiked, we saw some of the most arduous hiking east of the Mississippi. Here's a fairly typical uphill grind. More pix soon. (Photo by Eric Graves, all rights reserved). — My section hike is finally over as of Aug. 7. It ended on a nondescript highway crossing north of Monson, Maine. During the 100 or so miles we hiked, we saw some of the most arduous hiking east of the Mississippi. Here’s a fairly typical uphill grind. More pix soon. (Photo by Eric Graves, all rights reserved).

Robert Redford Takes a Walk in the Woods!

July 15, 2014Uncategorizedrichardkjudy

Before there was THRU: An Appalachian Trail Love Story, there was Bill Bryson’s classic A Walk in the Woods. Rumors have abounded for years about how Walk was going to be made into a Redford/Newman film vehicle. Time passed, and Paul Newman went to the great movie studio in the sky. Redford kept the dream alive, and recently he, Nick Nolte and a huge film crew converged on Amicalola Falls State Park to film part of the movie. From all appearances, Redford is giving old age a good name. Assuming that the movie comes out in 2015, I think we can expect Springer Mountain to be a circus of madness in the spring of 2016 as aspiring NOBOs take on a challenge based on having seen a movie and little else. A big time for some quick character building. You can bet I’ll be there just to watch. Meanwhile, good luck to the Hollywood folk, and if you liked Walk, do me a favor and add THRU: An Appalachian Trail Love Story to your reading list.

Tortilla Tosser Embedded in an AT Tree

July 4, 2014Uncategorizedrichardkjudy

One of my favorite hiking companions is the legendary Tortilla Tosser who has conquered many a trail mile with indefatigable stamina and quiet dignity. My buddy since second grade, Steve Skinner, snapped this pic on the AT south of Dragon’s Tooth in Virginia. We were near the end of a fatiguing day, but the Tosser managed a faint smile. If you meet him, ask where he got the trail name.

I NEED TO TAKE THEM MORE SERIOUSLY!

Anecdotal evidence — mostly what I hear from fellow hikers and read in the newspaper — has me thinking there are more bears out there this year, not to mention more venomous snakes. I have heard reports from several hikers detailing bear and snake sightings. I always breeze past black bears, thinking of them as little more than big dogs. (Grizzlies have always been a different matter altogether). I need to remember that a black bear has the speed, power, teeth, jaw strength and paws to make a real mess of a human being. Reports of black bear attacks are rare, and when they do occur they are normally provoked by idiotic human behavior. Still we owe it to them and ourselves to give them a wide berth and respect their well-earned place in nature. Stay vertical, watch for snakes and keep walkin’!

Thanks for the Kind Words from “Books For Hikers”

“Books For Hikers” is the go-to spot on the internet for information about books and other media dealing with trails and hiking. THRU: An Appalachian Trail Love Story has just been showcased as their featured book. Go to http://www.booksforhikers.com and read about it. You can also go to http://www.pojonews.co/1gpopKX to see a cleverly written review of THRU by Poughkeepsie Journal columnist Ralph Ferrusi. Ralph was skeptical that a novel about the AT had anything new to say, but his wife loved it and badgered him until he read it. He said that it “might just kick off a ‘THRU’ generation” and that it was a “heckuva 2,000-mile read.” If I can make it in Poughkeepsie, I can make it anywhere.

Hiking Around the AT Museum

We were in Boiling Springs, PA, over the weekend to attend the AT Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Also spent National Trails Day at the AT Museum. I did the world a favor and did not practice the time-honored tradition of hiking naked on that sacred day. I met a number of 1974 AT thru-hikers led by a guy from Puerto Rico named Gonzo and another nice guy named Karl Hartzell. Also on hand was my old ’73 AT buddy, Bustace. Great fun had by all and a good place to sell books. The sign in the photo makes it obvious that the AT is for foot travel, but while hiking the AT near the museum, we did encounter a clueless chap riding a bike on the trail. Whatever!