Gene Ruhl, of Monkton, celebrates finishing his hike of the Appalachian Trail in September. (Submitted photo)
After hiking trail, retired teacher ready for faster adventure
He wore out three pairs of boots
By Pat van den Beemt
pvdb@comcast.net
Posted 11/20/08
Gene Ruhl wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail in 1966 after he graduated from Hereford High School, but he had no money, so he got a summer job instead.
He wanted to hike the 2,175-mile trail after getting out of college in 1971, but he fell in love and got married instead.
So when he retired in 2005 after 20 years of teaching vocal music at Hereford Middle School, Ruhl knew just what to do.
He went for a long walk.
He hiked 1,000 miles in early 2006, from the trail’s start in Georgia to West Virginia. The next year, he picked up where he left off and hiked about 600 miles to Connecticut. Instead of hiking in 2007, he stayed home and replaced the kitchen in his Monkton house.
Determined to complete the hike, he drove to Connecticut on Aug. 4 of this year and headed for Maine on foot.
On Sept. 22, he celebrated with a bottle of champagne when he reached the northern end of the trail at the top of Maine’s Mount Katahdin.
In all, he spent 161 days on the Appalachian Trail and became one of about 10,000 people who have traveled its length since it was completed in 1937.
“I’m called a section hiker and it was hard doing it that way,” said Ruhl, 59. “It’s easier if you do it all at once because you get in shape and stay in shape. It was hard to take that first break after 1,000 miles because my feet were finally used to all the hiking, I had lost 20 pounds, and I was used to walking 15 or 20 miles a day.”
Ruhl said his duties as scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 485 as well as a summer job prevented him from being a through-hiker in 2006 and doing the trail without a break.
It’s all about preparation
His three trips were well planned. Ruhl would figure out how far he could hike in five days — anywhere from 60 to 80 miles — drive his car that far, get a ride back to the trail, and start hiking toward his car.
After arriving at his car, he found the nearest town, did laundry, took a shower and restocked his food supplies.
He carried a 25-pound pack that held his tent, sleeping bag, food, extra clothes and camera. He also carried a small notebook and faithfully recorded each day’s highlights.
Ruhl frequently called his wife, Susan, on his cell phone, and she drove south and visited him during his 1,000-mile segment.
He kept a list of animals he saw that included wild pigs, bear, bobcat, two rattlesnakes, other snakes, wild turkeys, grouse, skunks, opossums, deer, raccoons, porcupines, moose and many birds.
The humans he met on the trail included a lot of fellow retirees as well as younger hikers who had just finished college or had just completed military duty.
“For the most part, the people were great,” he said. “Sometimes you’d hike along with somebody for a while, but everybody has their own pace, so most of the time, I hiked alone.”
His strangest encounter occurred in the White Mountains in New Hampshire when he ran across a group of naked hikers.
“They were from Tufts University and all they had on was their boots and their packs,” he said. “I wanted to take a picture, but I didn’t want them to think I was some sort of dirty old man, so I didn’t.”
Ruhl said people who hike the entire trail either give themselves a trail name or are given one by other hikers. He decided to call himself Puff Turtle.
“I huff and puff going up hills and I go at the speed of a turtle,” he said.
During his 2,175-mile venture, Ruhl experienced every kind of weather. He hiked through 18 inches of snow.
One snow storm dumped three feet of snow that sent him home for a week.
He hiked when it was 10 degrees. He hiked when a 50 mph gust of wind spun him around like a top.
He slogged through two and a half weeks of rainy weather in Vermont, but the appearance of black flies that
bite through clothing caused him to come home for a break.
Ruhl went through three pairs of hiking boots. The titanium tips on his hiking poles wore down to nothing and had to be replaced.
Ruhl suffered few injuries. He tripped once and cut his head. He twisted his ankle and had to walk slowly for several days. He treated plenty of blisters.
“The most dangerous thing about the hike was when I had to cross roads,” he said. “Some were like (Interstate) 83, and you can’t believe how wide they are when you’re on foot.”
Now that he’s been home for more than a month, Ruhl is beginning to get a little antsy.
“I want to do some biking,” he said. “There are a lot of bike paths I want to ride, and the best part is that you can cover ground so much faster than walking. Right now, that sounds good to me.”
He wanted to hike the 2,175-mile trail after getting out of college in 1971, but he fell in love and got married instead.
So when he retired in 2005 after 20 years of teaching vocal music at Hereford Middle School, Ruhl knew just what to do.
He went for a long walk.
He hiked 1,000 miles in early 2006, from the trail’s start in Georgia to West Virginia. The next year, he picked up where he left off and hiked about 600 miles to Connecticut. Instead of hiking in 2007, he stayed home and replaced the kitchen in his Monkton house.
Determined to complete the hike, he drove to Connecticut on Aug. 4 of this year and headed for Maine on foot.
On Sept. 22, he celebrated with a bottle of champagne when he reached the northern end of the trail at the top of Maine’s Mount Katahdin.
In all, he spent 161 days on the Appalachian Trail and became one of about 10,000 people who have traveled its length since it was completed in 1937.
“I’m called a section hiker and it was hard doing it that way,” said Ruhl, 59. “It’s easier if you do it all at once because you get in shape and stay in shape. It was hard to take that first break after 1,000 miles because my feet were finally used to all the hiking, I had lost 20 pounds, and I was used to walking 15 or 20 miles a day.”
Ruhl said his duties as scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 485 as well as a summer job prevented him from being a through-hiker in 2006 and doing the trail without a break.
It’s all about preparation
His three trips were well planned. Ruhl would figure out how far he could hike in five days — anywhere from 60 to 80 miles — drive his car that far, get a ride back to the trail, and start hiking toward his car.
After arriving at his car, he found the nearest town, did laundry, took a shower and restocked his food supplies.
He carried a 25-pound pack that held his tent, sleeping bag, food, extra clothes and camera. He also carried a small notebook and faithfully recorded each day’s highlights.
Ruhl frequently called his wife, Susan, on his cell phone, and she drove south and visited him during his 1,000-mile segment.
He kept a list of animals he saw that included wild pigs, bear, bobcat, two rattlesnakes, other snakes, wild turkeys, grouse, skunks, opossums, deer, raccoons, porcupines, moose and many birds.
The humans he met on the trail included a lot of fellow retirees as well as younger hikers who had just finished college or had just completed military duty.
“For the most part, the people were great,” he said. “Sometimes you’d hike along with somebody for a while, but everybody has their own pace, so most of the time, I hiked alone.”
His strangest encounter occurred in the White Mountains in New Hampshire when he ran across a group of naked hikers.
“They were from Tufts University and all they had on was their boots and their packs,” he said. “I wanted to take a picture, but I didn’t want them to think I was some sort of dirty old man, so I didn’t.”
Ruhl said people who hike the entire trail either give themselves a trail name or are given one by other hikers. He decided to call himself Puff Turtle.
“I huff and puff going up hills and I go at the speed of a turtle,” he said.
During his 2,175-mile venture, Ruhl experienced every kind of weather. He hiked through 18 inches of snow.
One snow storm dumped three feet of snow that sent him home for a week.
He hiked when it was 10 degrees. He hiked when a 50 mph gust of wind spun him around like a top.
He slogged through two and a half weeks of rainy weather in Vermont, but the appearance of black flies that
bite through clothing caused him to come home for a break.
Ruhl went through three pairs of hiking boots. The titanium tips on his hiking poles wore down to nothing and had to be replaced.
Ruhl suffered few injuries. He tripped once and cut his head. He twisted his ankle and had to walk slowly for several days. He treated plenty of blisters.
“The most dangerous thing about the hike was when I had to cross roads,” he said. “Some were like (Interstate) 83, and you can’t believe how wide they are when you’re on foot.”
Now that he’s been home for more than a month, Ruhl is beginning to get a little antsy.
“I want to do some biking,” he said. “There are a lot of bike paths I want to ride, and the best part is that you can cover ground so much faster than walking. Right now, that sounds good to me.”
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