Sharing Your Hike

by Bobby Blair 2/17/12

What's 2,180 miles long and travels 14 states?

Bill Bonaparte shared "something I will never forget" with Miller School students on Friday morning, something he's done for the past five years. Playing the part in a bandana and toting a hiking stick, Bonaparte gave a presentation on his hike on the Appalachian Trail as a thru-hiker walking from Maine to Georgia in 1992.

Bonaparte brought along some of the mementos from that six-month hike when he was a younger man of 21 years. Mr. Bonaparte quizzed the kids: What was the most important piece of equipment he took on his trip?  Water -- shouted one kid.  Another student answered -- sunscreen. Bonaparte held up his boots,  just one of three pair he went through on his walk. Did you have to use oxygen? queried one youngster. Having told the kids he hiked the trail by himself much of the time and giving a slide show of the hike with many solo photos of Bonaparte, one inquiring young mind asked -- who took all the pictures?

Bonaparte shared with the students the length of time in between showers (ten days) and the wildlife he encountered along the way (moose, deer, bear and porcupines) during his 15-20 mile daily hikes. How did Mr. Bonaparte get his food and what did he eat? Parcels were mailed to post offices along the trail, and showers were taken at hostels. And when was the Applachian Trail made a National Historic Trail? Why that should be easy to remember, Mr. Bonaparte, -- 1968 -- the year this writer graduated from high school.

Posted in Schools, Green.

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