Follow up Questions to Canoeing.com

Greetings,

I hope that everyone is enjoying 2008! The year of 2007 was one of my best. Gosh, I got to spend 8 months hiking and canoeing. Folks, it doesn't get much better than that.

Charlie Mahler of Canoeing.com and Canoeing.com, as Rob mentioned earlier, has taken an interest in my 2007 hiking/ canoeing adventure. In addition to the story they wrote I recently took the time to answer several questions for them. My responses resulted in another set of follow-up questions that I will answer shortly. Once Canoeing.com posts to their website I will provide a heads up. However, you should not wait for my story to check them out! The following responses are a sampling of what you will soon be able to read at Canoeing.com:


1. Canoeing.com: What prompted this epic journey of yours?

Jason "TDS" Bivin: Charlie, Thank you for taking an interest in my story and the time to ask these questions. I was attempting a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail and while at The Sauffley’s, a hostel, I read about the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. This water trail was officially completed in the Spring of 2006, the same time I was hiking the PCT. About this time a kid from Wisconsin was hiking around us and we spent some time talking about paddling. These talks got me thinking seriously about a future thru-paddle of the NFCT. It was Spring time in Portland, OR, some friends were starting AT, CDT and PCT thru- hikes, I was miserable with my job and a long term relationship I was in was ending. So I needed a change. After some consideration I began a preliminary plan to do both the AT and NFCT in one season, hoping to be the first to complete both. I had to do it or I would have been crazy. I announced my decision and began planning. Once I sat at the rock atop Springer Mountain, GA, the Southern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail, I never thought I would fail. It was on!


2. Canoeing.com: Now that it's completed, what do you think will be the enduring impact of it for you?


Jason "TDS" Bivin: Well, Charlie, first I would say that it is not yet completed. Not totally 100% completed. I was not able to paddle some 160 miles of the 740 mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail. I did complete the 2174 mile Appalachian Trail but there is still some work to complete. My plan is to wrap up the NFCT miles next Spring. I did set out to be the First to thru- paddle the NFCT and thru-hike the AT in one season. I fell short of this accomplishment due to low water conditions on much of the NFCT and time but still accomplished a great deal personally and 2700+ hiking and canoeing miles in eight and a half months.


What will endure time will be the lessons I learned along the paddle, the experiences and the people. Some pretty amazing things take place in the wilderness and I had the privilege of seeing some of them this year. At a campsite in New Hampshire a black bear watched me eat dinner from just several feet of where I sat by campfire, while paddling down the Allegash River a bald eagle snatched a meal from the water just in front of my canoe, bull moose enjoying breakfast close enough that it might be considered we had breakfast together. What I learned about long distance paddling was brand new. I experienced white water river paddling, big open lake paddling and bog paddling for the first time along the NFCT in 2007. No matter where I landed, there were always great people in close proximity. Many folks helped along the trail, many friends and family helped from abroad. All of these people make the experience both possible and memorable.


...Best of luck in 2008 and THANK YOU to everyone that helped make my 2007 AT/NFCT experience premium!

Regards and Happy Trails,
Jason "Totally Different Subject" Bivin

End of the Trail

TDS is in decompress mode, getting used to walking on concrete and sleeping in a bed.

Stan Bivin shared the photos of the tail end of the hike. It's interesting that it looks like TDS is cross-country skiing!
-rg

December 3, 2007 - FINISHED!

Just got word from TDS - HE HAS COMPLETED HIS THRU HIKE!!!

He'll be posting more info soon -- I'd like to be the first to wish Jason CONGRATULATIONS!

I think it's fair to say that TDS has hiked/canoed more than just about anyone on the planet in the past 8 months! Quite an accomplishment...

-rg

Canoeing.com Story

...just learned there was a note about TDS at Canoeing.com a few weeks ago!

Here's a link: http://www.canoeing.com/news/?p=45

Also, be sure to check out the main site at http://www.canoeing.com/ -- it's a great, with just about everything you'd need to know about anything relating to canoeing! COOL!

-rg

November 26, 2007

Greetings Sportsfans!

I am still heading South towards Deleware Water Gap. Some 110 miles stand between here and finishing my 2007 AT Thru Hike.

The weather has been cold and I am adjusting to Winter hiking. It has not been easy! Now, it just stays cold.

All of Vermont was wet and cold. Mass and Conneticut were beautiful and with much of the leaves on the ground made for some great views.

I am to Bear Mountain Bridge, NY and am zeroing today in light of the foul rainy humid weather. Tomorrow and the following several days I will be slacking big miles to Vernon, NJ where I hope to hike the remaining 60 miles with my Dad.

[ed note - some posts from earlier sections will be coming soon!]

I met Maria McCabe in Salisbury, CT. She was a "feisty brod" and we had a delightful time visiting. She loves hikers and I would highly recommend stopping by on your hike, if not to stay, just to meet her. You will be enriched.

Friends Hungus and Tribes met me in North Adams and we hiked to Dalton, MA together. We had a blast despite the cold, cold below 20 nights. Hungus thru-hiked this year and we hiked together from Franklin, NC to Shenandoah, VA before he pullled ahead. Both are from Jersey and I was excited to have some company after many days of not seeing a sole.

While in Dalton, MA we stayed at the Shamrock Hotel. This is the BEST place to stay in Dalton, MA. You are right next to a bar, liquor store and convenient stores. They are very friendly and love hikers there. Check them out.

I added some clothes to my arsenal and they have helped me stay warm.

Oatmeal, coffee and hot cocoa are big parts of my morning ritual. It generally takes two hours from the time I wake before I hit the trail. The hardest part is getting out of a warm bag.

Hoping for great weather.

Thanks for your comments! I love hearing from everyone. Note to dem Texas Franchise boys...yea, I saw the UT v OSU game (Dick Wizzard) and the outcome was par for the course. As a life long Oklahoma State Univ fan and student I have come to expect the worse and hope for the best.

Thanks for all the care packages you all have sent along the way! Each of them were exactly what the Doctor ordered.

Congrats to all NOBO's and SOBO's this year. You did it!

Jersey, here I come...!

Happy Holidays and Best of New Year.

Quick Update

Just a brief update on the latest news - TDS is really cookin across "The Tri-State Area" (aka Connecticut, New York, New Jersey). He telephoned this morning from Bear Mountain New York, just a stone's throw from West Point.

There are some heavy rains today, so he'll likely take a zero day. TDS's dad Stan is in the area, and he's going to be finishing the trail with him. The next couple of days, TDS will slackpack across New York and the NY-NJ border. In case you're unfamiliar with the tern, "slackpacking" means giving your heavy overnight gear to someone with a car, who meets up with you at an agreed upon place. It makes for a much lighter pack, and increases the number of miles you do in a day.

TDS and his dad are going to jointly hike the last 60 or so miles together. Pretty cool way to end this amazing journey that started WAAAY back in late March. It's amazing to think that he's hiked and paddled almost 3,000 miles in 8 months!

More updates from TDS coming soon!
-rg

Happy Thanksgiving from TDS!

TDS is spending this lovely Thanksgiving at the Wiley Shelter just a few miles inside New York!

He sends his wishes to everyone for a great Thanksgiving!

-rg