Where we're going, we don't need roads

So as the Back to the Future title reference implies, roads are not required; Trails are.  After classes wound down (and since I had no finals during finals week) I went hiking with my Dad and a friend on the Appalachian Trail (AT).  My Dad and I have been hiking before on the trail when I was about 13 but I got sick so we quit after only two days.  This time we planned to do about 50 miles over 6 days (with the first and last day being half-days).

Now that I am full grown, I enjoy hiking and camping and such...but hiking for a couple of days is a little more intense.  You have to carry everything you need and our packs weighed in at about 45 pounds.

We decided to start at the beginning of the trail since the person we were hiking with had a place near Springer Mountain in Georgia.  In the pictures below you can see the house of the guy (who is a total badass and built this house literally by himself) and the place to put into the trail which is at the base of Springer Mountain.

We had to hike south to get to the start of the trail (although many people put in at Amicalola falls which is 8 miles past Springer Mountain, the trail technically starts at Springer Mountain) before we could hike north to our final destination.

On the first day we took it easy and only hiked five miles.  It was a good idea because at about the five mile mark is a nice little waterfall.

On the first night we elected to sleep on a slight slope because it was supposed to rain and all of the flat areas looked like a place where the water would build-up if it rained.  Aftre tossing and turning all night and with sore backs the next morning...we learned that sleeping on a slope is a bad idea.

Anywho, the next day we got up nice and early (which means we got to sleep in until 8 AM) so we could do our daily ten miles.  We decided after a couple of days that we probably could have planned for 12 miles a day and still felt like we could take our time and enjoy ourselves, but we planned for ten so we stuck with ten.  It was actually nice because we never had to rush.  If we wanted to break or stop and get pictures, it was no problem.  If we hiked straight through we usually finished at 3-4 PM and it got dark after 7 PM.

On the second day as we walked over a nice little climb I saw a bear cross the path about 30 yards ahead of me.  I also learned (from seeing it everywhere) that a bear, does in fact, shit in the woods.  Well as the day wore on everyone we passed was talking about the bear problem in the upcoming areas.  Apparently there are a couple of bears that have learned how to tear down bear bags (where you hang your food from a tree so they don't eat it).

• Bottom middle: Here you can see our bear bag handing from a small tree.

Well we had no incidents the second evening but we were not really in the problematic bear's territories yet.  The third day was all about prepping for Blood Mountain.  Blood Mountain was probably the toughest climb we had on the 50 mile stretch we chose and we wanted to stop short of the Mountain so we could tackle it in the morning.  Problem was that the shelter we planned on stopping near was where the bears had recently been active. These bears ripped down permanent steel cables that were designed to stop bears from getting to your food.

This led to everyone on the trail stopping way short of Blood Mountain...so we ended up camping with about 17 other people and this is not common when hiking on the AT.

• Bottom left: We forgot to get a picture but you can still sort of see some of the other tents of the people we camped near.

Once again we had no bear troubles so we started to climb Blood.  Turns out Blood was no big deal.  I won't say that it was not challenging, but at this point with a couple of days under our belt we were in better shaped and just raced up the thing.

The amazing thing is that at the top of Blood Mountain is a shelter that was built by the Civilian Engineering Core (government work to restart the economy during the depression in the 1930s).  People had to haul all of the stones and mortar necessary to build a structure up that mountain (I'm sure they used rocks from up there but mortar requires water).  It is still looking good today, about 80 years later, and I'm sure that it has helped many a stranded hiker.

After Blood we hiked down to mile 30, where the trail passes through a store that has a ton of hiking gear as well as ice cream (we had been talking about mile 30 since mile 1).  After a short break we walked another 2.5 miles and then decided to walk back to mile 30 and end our trip early.  My Dad's feet started blistering on the first day and despite all of our efforts to tape and bandage them we decided the best thing to do was to get his feet some rest.  It turned out to be a really smart thing since it poured rain that night (we had no rain during our four days...simply glorious weather) and the wet shoes certainly would not have helped his already bad feet.  He ended up loosing his baby toenail because he had a blister all around the nail and under it and this also reaffirms that we made a good decision.

When we got to mile 30 we had a shuttle (and the driver and his dog were quite a pair) take us back to the cabin, showered for the first time in a week, and went into town for real food.

• Middle left and right: People tossed their old shoes in the trees and lines hanging inside the store at mile 30 so our friend contributed his shoes (which were loosing their soles) from the trip.

Overall it was a fantastic trip.  You could not have asked for better weather, the sites were gorgeous, and it was a fun and challenging event.  Hopefully I can find some time in the upcoming years to do another week.

You're welcome world

My fellow LGO 10's were not too excited about Mustache March this year but I had such a good idea that I still needed to grow a mustache.  Eventually, some LGO 11's got their act together and organized a Mustache March but at that point I was already well into my own thing.  I started growing my beard in mid February but I had to wait until after Plant Trek to unveil my creation.  Without any further wait, here is my gift to the world.

As you can see, I have carved the acronym LGO, which stands for Leaders for Global Operation, into my face.  I happened to unveil my creation on the day when the admitted students for the LGO class of 2012 were in town for Open House (where they really learn about the program and decide if they want to join).  I got a ton of strange looks from the prospective students because if you only looked at me straight-on it was hard to tell what was going on with my face.  Luckily, when my wife introduced herself (she is one of the staff of the LGO program) her fun fact was that she was married to that idiot they met earlier with LGO carved into his facial hair...at which point the light bulb went off in everyone's heads and they laughed.

A similar experience happened with my classmates.  Most people gave me strange looks until someone sitting next to them explained what was going on with my face, at which point I got a thumbs up and a big laugh.  Hopefully one of the 11's takes my idea to the next level next year and add to it.  It is all about continuous improvement.  Maybe LGO colors (black, neon green, and grey) or maybe they will get the courage to walk around Boston looking like this for two weeks so they can officially enter the Mustache March contest.

Anywho, concerning my amazing facial hair, you are welcome world.

Japan to Boston - Day 15

We got in so late (5:30 AM) that we did not do much on the final day.  We checked out of the hotel and took the shuttle bus to the airport before spending most of a day on an airplane.  I can't say enough how fun the trip was and how gracious I am to Joonhaeng for hosting us in Korea, the CLFM students for hosting us in Shanghai, and for the 11's who planned the rest of the trip.

Japan - Day 14

Last full day in Japan and the weather could NOT be nicer!  As was the case last year (in Easter Europe), March is not the best time to visit some places from a weather point of view.  Most of the trip has been cold and rainy but today was spectacular.  So what do you do on a beautiful spring day in Japan?  Well, if you are lucky you spend the day admiring cherry blossoms…and this is what we set out to do.

• Bottom right: I found Dr. Pepper in a vending machine.

First we headed to the Imperial Palace to walk around the garden.  You can only go inside the palace on two days during the year, and this was not one of those days, but the gardens are always open.

• Top left: Look at the stone work...no mortar.

Next we headed to the electronic district of Tokyo to check out the stores.  None of us were in the market to buy anything, but it is pretty cool none the less.  Imagine a Best Buy on steroids crammed into ¼ of the same space…then add lots of flashing lights and excited/screaming advertising.

• Top and bottom right: These girls got pissed when I took pictures of them, but that did not stop me.  You dress up funny in public and I'm going to take your picture.
• Bottom left: Apparently they don't have trash cans in Asia.  I carried that Dr. Pepper can for a couple of hours.
• Bottom middle: Victory!  Not only did I find a trash can, but a recycle can.

After that we headed to the Tokyo museum which has an awesome lane of cherry blossoms.  We knew none of this at the time.  We were heading to the museum because someone in our group was reading the New Yorker (obviously a hippy) and he read about a tea house there that we should visit.  When we got to the museum area we were blown away with the cherry blossoms and the number of people celebrating outside.  It felt like the fourth of July in the US.  We headed to the museum and the hippies went to the tea ceremony and a few of us went in the museum.

• Bottom right: The picnic looked fun.

• Bottom left: I love samurai swords.  This one was from the 12th century.

After the museum we just wandered the area for a little while.  The festive atmosphere was just too good to leave.

• Bottom left: Everyone was taking pictures of the cherry blossoms.
• Bottom right: Worst case of Asian Plush that I have ever seen (I only recently learned about this term but apparently many Asians turn very red when they drink).

• Bottom right: This dog loved to eat cherry blossoms.

Next we stopped into a sushi shop so the boys could get a snack (I don't eat sushi) and a drink before dinner.  Then we headed to dinner (taking a few pictures along the way).

• Bottom left: At the end of the day, I am American...which means I have to insult foreign cultures and their works of art.

Dinner was an event and a half.  The place does not typically take English speakers but someone in our group had their mother (who speaks Japanese) call all over town to find a place that would take us.  The dinner setup was fantastic.  It was all you can eat and all you can drink (beer and sake) for 2 hours.  Since only one person in our 28 person group spoke Japanese, dinner took about three hours…but they did not charge us extra.  The end result was a group in quite good spirits…so it was time to go clubbing.

• Top right: I was more than full.
• Bottom left: Steak.
• Bottom right: Pork.

From 3-27-10 Tokyo

• Sake Bombs!  After this, we did a round with everyone there.

We stayed in the club until about 3:30 AM and since it is a Tokyo tradition, after a quick bite to eat, we took the first subway home (5 AM) with hundreds of our new best friends.

Japan - Day 13

Today was our final plant trek and it was to Hitachi and their facilities where they build nuclear power plants.  For the first time this trip we got the tour we wanted!  Hooray!  Hitachi spent almost the entire day with us and gave us a tour at a pace that allowed for questions and with people capable of answering them.  Well done.

We spent the morning getting an overview (in powerpoint form) about a number of the things that they do, especially the engineering and project management.  It was easy to see why they have such an impressive track record on big projects.  We also talked a bit about nuclear energy and I really hope the US gets over its NIMBY (not in my back yard) and embraces new nuclear plants.  Hitachi hopes for this as well. ;-)

After Hitachi we had a two hour bus ride back to Tokyo (hitting rush hour traffic as we expected to).  Luckily for us (and unluckily for our bladders) they gave us beer for the ride.

• Bottom left: Never turn down free beer even if you don’t drink…cause your friends will want your beer.  Also, Hitachi had sanitary paper hats for the hardhats so naturally I wore that for the rest of the day...and the people at the rest stop may have thought I was Muslim with the hat and the beard.
• Bottom right: As was the case last year, those with smaller bladders struggle on buses without bathrooms.

Once we got back into town we headed out for dinner.  Once again coordinating dinner took forever (despite our best efforts to coordinate on the busride) but eventually we made it and I had the best ramen (noodles in water) that I have ever had.  After dinner we were debating what to do and most people were “tired” and went home like a bunch of bums.  I understand that it has been a long two weeks but it was Friday night in Tokyo…time to party.  Six of us went bar hopping but we were not very successful at our endeavor.  We elected to go out near our hotel so we could walk home (subway stops at 12:30) but most of the bars in the area were more like restaurants…but not exactly.  They all serve food, but not a full meal, and this can get expensive if you just want to try a place out for a drink and then move on.  They definitely got mad when we said that we did not want food.  It also gets tough on me because I can only drink so many Cokes before I just don’t need any more caffeine or sugar.  We made it home by about 3 AM (I had a date with JP at 5 AM to go to the famous Tokyo fish market where vendors from around the world purchase their sushi) and it was definitely bedtime.

• Top middle: We went up a free observation building for a night view of the city.
• Bottom middle: I never got pushed into a subway but I got to see the other side get pushed in.