Fisher Cat
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At the conclusion of today's hike, I have reached the summit of Cabot by all trails possible, both legal and otherwise. I cannot say that I have done that with many peaks, and I'm not sure why. As if I were a true instinctive creature of habit, I quite often return to trails I know. I am open to any theories on why this is my cycle. Is it comfort? I do tend to like to plan ahead and know what is involved, where I'm going, what to expect and so on. Yet, somehow, I wonder if it goes deeper than that.
There are so many factors in determining who we are or what we will become. Our foundation is based on environment, parental upbringing, and personal experience. Of course, experts will tell us that by such and such an age, we plateau, that we settle into predictable patterns, habits, reactions, likes and dislikes. Maybe that's true, but it is also a bit unsettling.
I wondered if that train of thought transcended to the type of hiker we are. Thus, my mind began to spin. First, I must say, I don't like the part of playing the fool. But as they say, find something in life that you are good at, and stick with it. Therefore, in view of the foregoing, was born my Great Trailmaker Experiment, a personality test as it were.
I decided to look back to the days of the trailmaking explosion. Let's call it the "Trailmaking Big Bang" of the late 19th and early 20th century. One can study the habits and personalities of the premier trailmakers, say of Edmands, and see how their process inspired the trails they carved. As my great uncle and father were often heard to say, "this is typical Edmands". Simple, I thought, I will pick 5 of my favorite trails that I hike again and again, and at least some would have originated in that time period, and I was right. They are: Gulfside Trail, Castle Trail, and Great Gulf Trail, the other two fell outside the time period.
The Gulfside had a wonderful trail "improver" as opposed to "maker" during that time period. He was described as a "high strung organism of intense nature". Other adjectives included "courtly", "chivalrous", "kind and helpful", and "hospitable". He was of the theory that trails shoud be accessible to all, not too steep, and that threaded their way. I can attest to that because the Gulfside is great in the aspect that you can hike it, admire the views, and never look down at your feet.
The Castle Trail had a designer described as "athletic, brilliant, erratic, and indefatigable". Of him, no one built more miles of new trail in the 19th century.
The Great Gulf Trail was carved by an individual characterized as "a tireless tramper", an "irrepressibly high spirited mountain lover". He was quoted as saying that "every member... should be delighted to get the opportunity to work on Club trails."
If you love the mountains, its almost impossible not to be drawn to people described as such, and perhaps find a bit of ourselves in them. You know, there are a lot of online tests that ask a certain amount of questions, and based upon your answers, will for instance tell you what kind of dog you would be, if you ever possessed the curiousity involved to know. It was my sincere hope that if at least a simple majority of my favorite trails held the same originator in common, I could find out what I held in likeness with them, and learn a bit about my own hiking personality.
The result? Not what I expected. The trail designers - and in one case, improver - were respectivley, Edmands, Cook (among others), and Hunt. No simple majority. As a matter of fact, there is no better case of polar opposites in trail design and approach than Edmands and Hunt. So much so, that even the Watermans dedicated a singular chapter in their book about the very topic. Quite a project I must admit, and seemingly for not. If you have read this far, you have an unfortunate glimpse into what goes on in my head while hiking, but even more so, a past, bleak look of the futility so rampant amidst the days of my public education.
What have I learned? Suprisingly, some of the same adjectives used to describe former trail makers and improvers, have also been spent on me, and more than likely, every single one of us who has hiked. Though each one of the trailmakers had a different approach to what they did, they shared a common goal, which is eerily familiar to each one of us as well. And their efforts were not in vain, for here we are, hikers who just keep coming back. True, we come back for varying reasons, but when we are amidst our familial mountains, we are the most comfortable we will ever be just being ourselves.
I have at times thought of what could have been, or where the spirit of influence first took to root on my life. But for now, I will meekly comply, and acquiesce as I turn my mental ears to the mountains. And I will be content to listen to them as they tell me who I really am.
Greetings from Mt Cabot! (PS-please pardon the logo on my hat, a shameless plug for one of my favorite stores- Labonville)
There are so many factors in determining who we are or what we will become. Our foundation is based on environment, parental upbringing, and personal experience. Of course, experts will tell us that by such and such an age, we plateau, that we settle into predictable patterns, habits, reactions, likes and dislikes. Maybe that's true, but it is also a bit unsettling.
I wondered if that train of thought transcended to the type of hiker we are. Thus, my mind began to spin. First, I must say, I don't like the part of playing the fool. But as they say, find something in life that you are good at, and stick with it. Therefore, in view of the foregoing, was born my Great Trailmaker Experiment, a personality test as it were.
I decided to look back to the days of the trailmaking explosion. Let's call it the "Trailmaking Big Bang" of the late 19th and early 20th century. One can study the habits and personalities of the premier trailmakers, say of Edmands, and see how their process inspired the trails they carved. As my great uncle and father were often heard to say, "this is typical Edmands". Simple, I thought, I will pick 5 of my favorite trails that I hike again and again, and at least some would have originated in that time period, and I was right. They are: Gulfside Trail, Castle Trail, and Great Gulf Trail, the other two fell outside the time period.
The Gulfside had a wonderful trail "improver" as opposed to "maker" during that time period. He was described as a "high strung organism of intense nature". Other adjectives included "courtly", "chivalrous", "kind and helpful", and "hospitable". He was of the theory that trails shoud be accessible to all, not too steep, and that threaded their way. I can attest to that because the Gulfside is great in the aspect that you can hike it, admire the views, and never look down at your feet.
The Castle Trail had a designer described as "athletic, brilliant, erratic, and indefatigable". Of him, no one built more miles of new trail in the 19th century.
The Great Gulf Trail was carved by an individual characterized as "a tireless tramper", an "irrepressibly high spirited mountain lover". He was quoted as saying that "every member... should be delighted to get the opportunity to work on Club trails."
If you love the mountains, its almost impossible not to be drawn to people described as such, and perhaps find a bit of ourselves in them. You know, there are a lot of online tests that ask a certain amount of questions, and based upon your answers, will for instance tell you what kind of dog you would be, if you ever possessed the curiousity involved to know. It was my sincere hope that if at least a simple majority of my favorite trails held the same originator in common, I could find out what I held in likeness with them, and learn a bit about my own hiking personality.
The result? Not what I expected. The trail designers - and in one case, improver - were respectivley, Edmands, Cook (among others), and Hunt. No simple majority. As a matter of fact, there is no better case of polar opposites in trail design and approach than Edmands and Hunt. So much so, that even the Watermans dedicated a singular chapter in their book about the very topic. Quite a project I must admit, and seemingly for not. If you have read this far, you have an unfortunate glimpse into what goes on in my head while hiking, but even more so, a past, bleak look of the futility so rampant amidst the days of my public education.
What have I learned? Suprisingly, some of the same adjectives used to describe former trail makers and improvers, have also been spent on me, and more than likely, every single one of us who has hiked. Though each one of the trailmakers had a different approach to what they did, they shared a common goal, which is eerily familiar to each one of us as well. And their efforts were not in vain, for here we are, hikers who just keep coming back. True, we come back for varying reasons, but when we are amidst our familial mountains, we are the most comfortable we will ever be just being ourselves.
I have at times thought of what could have been, or where the spirit of influence first took to root on my life. But for now, I will meekly comply, and acquiesce as I turn my mental ears to the mountains. And I will be content to listen to them as they tell me who I really am.
Greetings from Mt Cabot! (PS-please pardon the logo on my hat, a shameless plug for one of my favorite stores- Labonville)
