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FROM GEORGIA TO MAINE!
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JASON AND LAURA HIKE THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL!
Jason "Plant" Croop and Laura "Lindy" Lindstrom are taking one of the longest walks known! They set out on March 29th, 2000 from Springer Mountain Georgia and are heading north to Mt. Katahdin Maine, a distance of approximately 2,160 miles. And they aren't going empty handed. Each is carrying a backpack with approximately 40 pounds of gear. They need to take everything they need to survive along the trail with them, including tents, food, cooking equipment, clothes and sleeping bags.
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Springer Mountain, Georgia weather
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Mt. Katahdin, Maine, weather
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WHY?
Because it's there of course! Jason and Laura prepared for their trip by going on "shakedown hikes" on the Florida Trail, as seen here. They met in San Salvador, an island in the Bahamas where Jason was working as a Dive Master at the time.
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TRAIL MIX
* The Applachian Trail was completed on August 14, 1937, following seven years of work.
* The AT is approximately 2,160 miles long, and is the longest marked, continous footpath in the world.
* The AT passes through 14 American states.
* The first person to thru-hike the AT was Earl Schaffer in 1948.
* Most thru-hikers hike from South to North, moving with the seasons.
* There are two types of thru-hikers, those who do it all in one stretch, like Plant and Lindy, and those who do it in sections, often taking several years to do so.
* Most thru-hikers spend a total of five to seven months on the Trail.
* As of 2/2000, 5,323 people have successfully thru-hiked the AT (including section hikers).
* Most hikers spend the night at AT shelters or nearby in their tents.
* Each shelter has a log for hikers to sign.
* Hikers of the AT often go by nicknames. Nicknames may be given by other hikers in honor of a hiker's victories and/or antics on the Trail.
* The AT and it's shelters are maintained by volunteers.
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WHY PLANT AND LINDY?
What the heck kind of nicknames are Plant and Lindy anyway? Lindy, Laura's nickname, is a tribute to her grandfather, Algot Lindstrom, who got the name as a pilot in WWII. He was an avid outdoorsman and Laura thought it fitting to use as her trail name as she is a lot like her grandfather in many ways.
But what about Plant? Jason took the name of Plant because when he was a child, his alter ego was "James Plant, the toughest guy in the West". He loved to put on a hat, grab his toy rifle and climb on the stagecoach (the sofa) to look for bad guys. Naturally, he figured that if he was going to thru-hike the AT he had better be the toughest, so James Plant rides again!
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WHO ARE PLANT AND LINDY ANYWAY?
Plant grew wp in Northeast Pennsylvania with his mother, two brothers and his sister. His father passed away when he was six years old. He attended Jacksonville University where he obtained a B.S. in Marine Science. He then attended The University of Florida where he got a M.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. He is also a PADI certified Master Scuba Diver Trainer.
Lindy grew up in St. Petersburg Florida with her parents and her brother. She attended Florida State University where she obtained a B.S. in Business. She has worked in the Insurance business for several years and also worked as a wildlife rehabilitator at Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary. She is a NAUI certified Scuba Diver Instructor.
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Favorite Links
Animated Graphics courtesy of Lisa Konrad at The Animation Arthouse
Additional animated graphics by the Animation Factory
Dive into The Riding Rock Inn
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These Boots Were Made For Walkin'
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This page last updated 07/04/2001.
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NEW! IMPROVED GUESTBOOK!
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View My Guestbook
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Unless otherwise noted, all photographs on these pages were taken by Jason and Laura, and are their property. Copyright 2000.
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