4 reasons to love LASH

Through hiking, sectional hiking and LASH

The hikers get all the glory, and they should. The physical and mental stamina required to hike the entire Appalachian Trail in one attempt is daunting. Committing time away from work, school, friends, and family can increase stress.

Section hiking is a great option for hikers who can’t commit to hiking. However, section hiking requires a different kind of stamina: lots of logistics, detailed planning, and ultimately more time. A former hiker once advised me not to hike in sections. “By the time you get your trail bits, it will be time to get off trail.” Chastened, I wondered if I would ever climb the AT. A year later, while doing a solo loop in the Smokies, I learned about LASH.

WHAT IS AN EYELASH?

The LASH (Long Ass Section Hike) is a hike lasting several weeks or several months. It’s a Choose Your Own Adventure situation. I spent 7 weeks on the AT last spring.

Why do I love LASH?

1. You can choose the season in which you are going to walk. You can’t control the rain (you’ll get it no matter what), but you can somehow determine the weather. I prefer to hike in cold weather than hot weather, so I started last year’s LASH in mid-March. By TIE-DOWN, I can avoid the intense heat and humidity of summer hikes.

2. You can stop to smell the roses at a LASH. I’ve spent a lot of time on shorter sections of the AT and seen hikers skip interesting things because it was a little out of the way or because they were too tired to climb to a view. At a LASH, I have the time and (usually) the energy to do a side excursion. I saw the wreckage of a small plane crash in North Carolina one night after camping; I took the side branch to visit the stone fire tower of Mount Cammerer in the Smokies. As my friend Cheese Curd says, «Last one to Katahdin wins.» Enjoy the trip!

3. You can incorporate a LASH into your life. I chose LASH last year because I had several important events in my life that I absolutely did not want to miss. Our youngest son was graduating from college in May, my husband and I were celebrating our 30s.^th anniversary in July, and a close friend and I had agreed to walk the Camino Primitivo in Spain. I couldn’t take 5-6 months off to do the hike, but I could get away for a shorter period of time.

4. It gives you something to look forward to! I figured those «Post Trail Depression» pamphlets at the hiker hostels didn’t apply to me since I was just whipping around. I made a mistake. After going off the road, I missed waking up to birds singing, I missed my tram, and I missed the quiet of the forest. I took heart knowing I could do it all again. Since finishing LASH last year, I’ve thought about the trail almost daily and am excited to get back to the AT this spring.

Long live LASH!

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