A long walk through the Appalachian Trail

Christine Carrillo

Charles Ward of Newport Beach finally completed his hike through

14 states in August.

His journey through the Appalachian Trail began in April 2001.

With a year of research and physical training behind him, Ward, in

his mid 60s, was ready to take on the 2,168 mile trail alone.

Deciding to follow in the footsteps of other light-weight

backpackers before him, Ward prepared his 18-pound backpack with the

four essentials: a tarp for shelter, a sleeping bag, clothes and

dehydrated food that his wife mailed to him. He then started on his

way.

But six-months into his trek, Ward stopped 118 miles short of his

goal. With the strain of loneliness and injuries constantly

surrounding him, Ward needed time to re-group and re-capture his

drive.

“In spite of my apprehensions, I decided I’d probably have to do

it alone,” said Ward about his initial decision to hike the trail.

“There were times when I’d go for many hours and I wouldn’t see a

soul ... after my experience last year, I felt sort of burned out and

although I was disappointed, [my wife] knew it was important to me to

finish it.”

And in August, he did.

“On the [Appalachian Trail] they say that ‘you should hike your

own hike’ that is, you should do what is comfortable for you rather

than trying to emulate others,” Ward said. “That certainly is a

lesson that most long-distance hikers, including me, probably have

found to be applicable to their later life as well.”

With the added encouragement of his wife, Carmen, who promised to

hike the last hundred miles by his side, Ward completed a goal that

had become a driving force in his life.

And a driving force not many people could understand.

“It’s just sort of out of their realm of imagination,” he said.

“It’s like going on trip to the moon.”

While the idea of backpacking through the Appalachian Trail was

not the most appealing offer she’d encountered, Carmen wanted nothing

more than to help her husband reach his goal.

“I am so proud of him ... and happy that he finished it,” she

said. “It takes a special kind of person, the trail people are a

special kind of people -- a wonderful people, because it’s so

physically demanding.”

While the physicality of his experience did change his physique,

by increasing his shoe size from an 11 to a 13 and leaving him 23

pounds lighter, the biggest change he faced was a mental and

emotional one.

“The experience has made me feel a bit more relaxed and mellow,”

he said. “It has given me a better perspective on what is important

and what is not ... it has given me a new appreciation for a simple

nonmaterialistic lifestyle.”

* Have you, or someone you know, gone on an interesting vacation

recently? Tell us your adventures. Drop us a line to TRAVEL TALES,

330 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; e-mail

[email protected]; or fax to (949) 646-4170.