AT Prep and Plan: Presentation to College Mates

The above video does not contain live introduction and Question-Answer session to protect the privacy of the participating individuals. Those questions and answers are listed below in textual form for your review.

Q: (To Dadhi’s family ) How are you feeling about Dadhi’s thru-hike? How did you agree and absorb this project?
A: (by Anjali, my wife) Throughout our lives, we have vetted out each other’s risky ideas within the family and walked into such ideas with eyes wide open. Nitin assured me that he will train himself well, he will be safe and he will listen to his body. We pray to the God for his safety. We, as a family, will live in this journey vicariously too. Besides, Aarti (daughter) is joining her dad in the 100-mile wilderness section and Tejas (son) is joining in the southern Maine.

Q: How did you prepare mentally for this journey?
A: I initially jumped in without knowing what is mentally involved in such endeavor. But I have relied upon my training from other mountaineering friends over the years. Over time, I have also overcome challenges, such as heart attack or a surprise interaction with the animals on the trail by visually imagining the incidences in my head. The key learning is that I need to think about my potential difficult experiences as an enjoyment rather than as a challenge. I walk through such thoughts consciously in my mind to prepare myself mentally.

Q: When did you think about doing AT, before heart attack or after heart attack?
A: It was way after my heart attack. My first year after heart attack went in working hard physically and mentally to overcome various issues, from not being able to stand in the shower to walking extensively on the treadmill, having defibrillator around my chest to freely driving on the road and from trying to block off thoughts such as “why me?” to blocking off heart attack entirely from my mindset. I always wanted to do a long-distance trail. But eventually, after recovering from the heart attack, idea of a thru hike crystalized. It was still a slow process to reach at appoint where it stands today.

Q: Will you carry weapons or pepper spray with you?
A: No, I will not. I am not expecting any attack on me. Besides, this is a pilgrimage. I will rely on my intuition to save myself. Besides, if I have weapons, I somehow feel that I will be afraid of “something”. If I do not have weapons, I think I am not going to feel afraid of anything. Of course, I will have my trekking poles with me. Hopefully, their sharp front end can deter animals, if at all required.

Q: Will you join us for the zoom call with friends in this group while you are on the trail?
A: Yes, I will definitely be interested in joining such a call.

Q: Will you consume any fruits and vegetables from the forest around the trail?
A: There are probably berries and vegetables in the jungle along the trail. But since I do not know about them, I will not eat them. Incidentally, the first woman (Grandma Gatewood) who walked the entire trail at the age of 67 in 1957 used to eat berries along the way.

Q: Will Appalachian Trail Conservatory (ATC) consider yours to be a “through hike”? (despite starting from center, going to the northern terminus, flying back to center, and going to the southern terminus)
A: Yes, in fact, ATC encourages this approach, also referred as “Flip flop”.

Q: Will you purify water along the way? If so, how?
A: I carry a water filter that filters dirt and even removes bacteria (2 oz) (Sawyer Mini). As a plan B, I also have a few water purifying tablets with me.

Q: How many times will you see your family during the 9 months?
A: Anjali and Tejas will see me off at starting point in Waynesboro, VA, Tejas will continue to meet me over the next three weekends (since he stays within the driving distance). Tejas will accompany me in hiking the southern Maine, and Aarti will accompany me in the 100-mile wilderness in central Maine They all meet me at the northern terminus at the Mount Katahdin and then at the southern terminus at the Springer Mountain, where I finish my trail.

Q: Dadhi, do you expect to lose weight while on the trail 🙂 ?
A: Average weight loss for thru hikers is approx. 30-35 lbs. Hopefully, I will loose at least 30 lbs. of my weight.

Q: Are you planning on inviting friends to join you on day hikes?
A: YES, YES, YES. That is a great opportunity for me to meet as many of you as possible. Please let me know. I can then add you in the WA group, where such hiking will be coordinated by my friend from Detroit. For those of you who want to host me (instead of hiking with me) for an evening, that would be great too.

Q: Will you do regular health checks from physicians?
A: My cardiologist suggested that I do not need to do regular health check-ups. However, I plan to check my ECG every day using a watch and do detailed check-up before I leave.

Q: Do the cicadas bite?
A: No, Brood-10 cicadas do not bite. They do make a huge noise as mentioned in the above presentation.

Q: What precautions would you take for covid-19 at smaller towns?
A: I will be fully vaccinated before I go. Hence, I do not expect any Covid-19 issues. In any case, I will take all precaution as prescribed by ATC (such as mask, social distance etc.) to protect others on the trail and in towns where I replenish my food.

Q: How would you measure success on this trip?
A: Extremely important question! In this trip, “Journey” is more important than the “Goal”. The fact that I get to do this itself is a blessing. So, every day on the trail is a success for me.

Q: Will you be travelling alone or in a group??
A: This is a solo trip. I will encounter campers in the evening (on many days) and few hiker friends will accompany me on a few occasions. Some other friends also plan to host me. They will pick me up from the trailhead in the evening and drop me off again at the trailhead next morning.