This article was written by Barre resident Cara Clifford Nelson, granddaughter of Catherine Robbins, one of the “Three Musketeers,” the first women to thru-hike the Long Trail. It is part of a month-long series exploring Cara’s connection to the Long Trail over four generations, “Musketeers Across Time.” Read part one, where Cara recalls her close bond with her grandmother and recounts the significance of Catherine’s legendary 1927 thru-hike of the Long Trail. Part two tells of Cara’s own End-to-End hike with her younger sister Amity on the seventieth anniversary of Catherine’s historic hike.
In 2013, for my 50th birthday and as a summer vacation for my 10-year-old son, Carl, I embarked on my second Long Trail end-to-end hike. This hiking journey took on new meanings and challenges as we continued the family tradition of carrying on the Three Musketeers trail name. With a 42-pound, enthusiastic companion, my challenge was keeping my pack near 30 pounds. After all, youth are not to carry more than 10% of their body weight. That left my pack filled with all the food and gear. My husband, Jonathan, met us every three days with food drops to assist my load and day hike with us as part of the family adventure.
Hiking with a child brought a beautiful energy to the trail. I reveled in the chatter and boundless energy that only youth can bring. With its rugged beauty and endless possibilities, the Long Trail held life-long lessons to unfold, but also challenges that would emerge.
Carl’s initial excitement waned, his routine disrupted, and he questioned the unconventional eating and hiking schedule. One particular day, my son’s frustration reached a breaking point. We were afraid we missed the side trail into the next shelter. Sitting on his pack in the middle of the trail, he voiced his concerns with a furrowed brow and heavy heart.
Amidst our uncertainty, a towering figure emerged on the trail, commanding attention as he stopped and looked at us both. Dropping his pack with a sense of ease, he settled onto the ground and pulled out a snack, his actions a testament to the calm confidence of a seasoned hiker.
With a gentle inquiry, he asked, “Is there a problem?” But before I could respond, Carl, fueled by a newfound sense of determination, spoke up, voicing the concerns that had weighed heavy on his mind.
As their conversation unfolded, I watched from a distance, my heart swelling with pride at the sight of my son finding his voice amidst the vast expanse of the wilderness. The AT hiker’s words of wisdom washed over him like a soothing balm, each sentence instilled with the timeless knowledge of the trail.
“First, you have not missed the shelter. You have a half hour until you get there” says the AT hiker.
“What are you sitting on?” the AT hiker asked, his gaze on Carl’s backpack. Carl responded with pride, listing off the contents of his pack with a sense of ownership and purpose. But it was the AT hiker’s next words that truly resonated.
“You have everything you need to survive with you,” the AT hiker continued with gentle reassurance. “You can stop anywhere, anytime on the trail to eat. You listen to what your body tells you.”
His analogy of Carl being like a turtle, carrying his home upon his back, struck a chord deep within my son’s soul. In that moment, the weight of uncertainty lifted, replaced by a newfound sense of clarity and understanding.
Carl absorbed the wisdom of the AT hiker’s words, igniting his independence and excitement. His fully loaded backpack, a miniature version of an adventurer’s arsenal, bore the weight of gear and lessons in adaptability and the beauty of embracing the unpredictable journey ahead. As Carl navigated the steep and rooted sections and his trail miles increased, the ruggedness beneath his feet echoed the resilience passed down from his great-grandmother.
Carl’s lessons mirrored the Musketeers’ journey – adaptability, resilience, and discovering the extraordinary within the ordinary. To this day, as a 21-year-old full-time college student, Carl is self-sufficient and conquers the unpredictable with ease. The Long Trail taught him simple life skills he carries forward with everyday thinking.
The Long Trail, a silent storyteller, narrated tales of resilience, camaraderie, and the indomitable spirit of exploration. My grandmother’s 1927 adventure had left an indelible mark on the landscape and the bonds that tied generations together.
The coast-to-coast media coverage of the Three Musketeers’ 1927 hike influenced women nationwide to seek new opportunities and challenge traditional gender roles. This included reclaiming the right for women to get outside, engage in hiking, recreation, and the simple joy of being themselves.
Once a backdrop to my grandmother’s adventure, the Long Trail is seamlessly woven into our family fabric, binding us across time and space. It is shared footsteps of generations and a commitment to pass the torch of adventure to those following in our wake. The Long Trail is lively with history and provides the perfect experience to learn about oneself. And as my grandmother told me, “It is a good place to think and to get to know yourself.”
For us, retracing the Three Musketeers’ 1927 hike, the Long Trail became more than a physical journey – it transformed into a spiritual pilgrimage connecting us to our roots. This trail imparted invaluable lessons to generations in my family, emphasizing the significance of creating one’s adventure, fostering camaraderie among family and friends, nurturing perseverance and unity, and instilling a profound love for nature – treasures we carry in our backpacks.
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