Warrior Hikes
Several of the Pacific Crest Trail hikers posed in front of Eagle Rock in Warner Springs, California. Stare at that big rock shape behind them for a minute.
K
ay Thompson, an NCTA member and VA nurse from Erie, Pennsylvania, recounts that she met a 2013 A100 hiker who was a recent vet. He said that 28 in his unit returned alive out of the 28 who went into the desert, but since returning, three had committed suicide. She herself suffers from recollections of serving in the Middle East, and the smell of oil pumps sends her into shock. So she will like this story, because she wishes she knew where to start helping others. A few people have noticed these alarming trends and created an organization to help returning vets “walk off the war,” as famous Earl Schaffer said about his first through-hike on the Appalachian Trail in 1948. The website at Warriorhike.org suggests that modern transportation’s speed, enabling soldiers to return to their old lives within one short day, is almost too fast for soldiers to absorb. Sean Gobin of Warrior Hike theorized that long distance backpacking time spent on one of the National Scenic Trails, with significant local support at trail towns, could restore many vets’ confidence and inner peace, so applicants to the program may now receive equipment and supplies for their hike, trail town support from veterans’ and community organizations, and assistance with job searches afterwards. Matt Davis, NCTA Regional Coordinator for Minnesota and North Dakota, found Tom Bielecki, a member of the West Michigan Chapter who recently walked the whole Pacific Crest Trail as part of the “warrior hike” program. Tom answered Matt’s online interview questions and introduced himself by saying that he has spent seventeen and a half years with the Michigan National Guard, including two Operation Enduring Freedom deployments, one to Egypt as part of the Multinational Forces and Observers, and one to Afghanistan as part of C Troop 1-126 Cavalry, MIARNG. Until now he counts himself an inactive NCTA member, but
www.northcountrytrail.org
wants to assist some local Boy Scouts with projects on the trail. He also says that “my hiking experience before the Pacific Crest Trail was very small.” But here is what he considers small! “ In the spring of 2011 I did the first 340 miles of the AT, in the fall of 2012 I completed the nearly 300-mile Benton MacKaye Trail, and during 2013 I attempted a through hike of the AT (Appalachian Trail) but had made only 966 miles when both of my parents had cardiac events within 18 hours of each other. During that hike I met the Warrior Hikers and started my relationship with them.” “I would say the most powerful part of the PCT for me is the overwhelming beauty and size of the landscape. The friendship and support of fellow hikers and townspeople were also extraordinary, nothing but positives and fun my whole hike. We really laughed about the hardships we encountered: we woke up to six inches of wet and nasty snow on Mt. San Jacinto and we laughed anyway. Everyone was worried about the Mojave Desert, but we walked through in rain and 53 degree temps… and laughed. “The whole hike took 166 days with thirty zero days, April through September 2014. The support along the trail was amazing. Each weekend we were picked up at a road crossing by members of local organizations, often American Legion, VFW or sometimes Rotary or Lions Clubs. Each provided rides to and from town, arranged for complimentary hotel stays or they hosted us in private homes. Dinners and welcoming programs were the norm. The support got to be so large that we occasionally had to turn some offers down, because we had to hike! “My most powerful moment occurred in Lake Tahoe. I had lost about 60 pounds at this point and was just feeling great. I was so happy that I considered it the turning point for me and almost went home to get on with life. But I didn’t because I had …Continued on page 6 January-March 2015
5