There are many memories I could share from late August -- early September 2007, when my father and I hiked the Long Trail from North Adams to Appalachian Gap - for starters, I hiked (quite comfortably and happily) barefoot the entire time, and he carried his original frame backpack from the 1970s when he first hiked the LT -- but here's just a little snippet that VPR folks might enjoy.

One of our pastimes on the trail was singing. It helped keep spirits up when they threatened to sink, helped the miles go by, and was a way to share the exuberant and silly moments, too. Both my dad and I have always had a penchant for making up new words to songs, especially ludicrous or timely ones, and so somewhere along past Bromley, I wrote some new verses to the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

 

Long Trail Song

CHORUS:
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Long Trail hikers are peculiar!
If hiking every day would thrill ya
Then come and march along!

We're marching over rocks and roots and puncheon in the woods
We've walked up over many a mountain just because we could
And we're probably not getting as many showers as we should
The Long Trail marches on!

CHORUS

We read and write in registers, in lovely shelter logs
"We woke up up on Bromley and the summit was in fog!"
We're far away from iPods, from computers, and from blogs
The Long Trail marches on!

CHORUS

We're marching up to Canada o'er many a raging brook
As we pass by other hikers, North Star's feet get funny looks
And we might get sick of oatmeal, but there's other stuff to cook
The Long Trail marches on!

CHORUS

 

Shared by Dana Dwinell-Yardley, Montpelier VT