http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Arts/Entertainment/2011-05-07/article-2485436/A-walk-to-remember/1

A walk to remember

GUARDIAN PHOTO BY MARY MACKAY
Faye Gillis, widow of the late Linus Gillis of Miscouche, Linus’ brother John Gillis and walking friend Bill McFadden remember the avid Island walker as the one-year anniversary of his death approaches. Faye will be wearing the backpack that Linus wore on the Appalachian Trail and the Camino in Spain on the first day of an 11-day memorial walk for him.
Published on May 6, 2011
Mary MacKay

For Linus GIllis, the Camino trail in Spain was to be another monumental walk to remember.

After completing a multi-day hike of the Confederation Trail in 2003 and a six-month trek of the Appalachian Trail in 2008, this Miscouche man was looking forward to his next challenge in the spring of 2010 — the 780-plus kilometre Camino de Santiago path which stretches across the whole of Spain.

No one doubted he could do it.

“Linus was the type of person that if he took something in his mind, no matter what it was, there was no stopping him. It was a 110 per cent commitment,” says his brother, John Gillis of Miscouche.

Tragically, the only thing that could stop him did — a heart attack midway through the Camino that abruptly ended his life’s journey.

Now, one year later, a tip-to-tip walk of the Confederation Trail is being organized for May 14 through to May 24 as a memorial to this well-known walker and P.E.I. businessman.

“It’s a great memorial for him. I think it’s wonderful,” says Linus’ widow, Faye Gillis.

“It’s what he loved doing.”

Walking wasn’t always what Linus loved doing. In fact, at one point he was overweight and unfit.

“(A few months) before he made the Island walk in 2003, Linus said to me, ‘I can’t even walk to the end of the driveway.’ And he was complaining that he had no wind and stuff . . . . And he decided to do something about it,” John remembers.

Linus started walking with his wife, but her practiced pace proved a bit to quick for him at first.

“I took him one night for a walk with me around the block and, of course, I walked too fast and he said, ‘I’m not going with you again,’” she smiles.

“And I looked out the window one night and here he was going out the driveway and I never said a word. This was in January . . . . Each night he’d go up the road a little farther and that’s how he started.”

They and fellow walking friend Alan MacKenzie started a weekly Saturday walking club that met in Summerside and headed out to walking destinations across the Island.

The idea to walk across the Island soon popped up.

“The next thing Linus and Alan were sleeping down in the woods in tents on March 10 or something like that to get ready for this walk,” John remembers.

They and a number of other walkers completed the Confederation Trail in 2003.

Then came the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine in 2008.

“He really thought about it a lot for a long time, made a lot of decisions and preparations and, of course, he had to know that he had my support, too,” Faye remembers.

“I said, ‘If it’s something you want to do, you do it,’ because this was after my son died and I just said, ‘We don’t even know if we have tomorrow, so you just go do what you need to do and I’ll be here.’”

MacKenzie walked with Linus for a portion of the 3,500-kilometre (2,175-mile) journey.

“We ended up not walking together that much during the day,” MacKenzie remembers.

“We would meet in the evening. And then our walking styles and our social styles were slightly different. I preferred life on the trail all the time. I was kind of an extremist that way, camping every night. And he liked the opportunity to get into town and have a good meal and a night in accommodations. So we just agreed to disagree on that,” he laughs.

Six months after Linus began, the formerly super-charged Summerside building contractor, who earned the nickname “Serene” on the trail, climbed to the top of Mount Katahdin in Maine on Sept. 30.

“That was quite an experience for him. He said, ‘You’ve got nothing to do but walk and think. You do a lot of soul searching,’” Faye says of his Appalachian Trail journey.

“It changed his life. It really did. He just was a different person when he came home. Much more serene and he just took life a little easier. He didn’t get so rattled up over things like he used to.”

By 2010, Linus was ready to tackle the Camino with a hiker he’d met on the Appalachian Trail. But whether it was going to a foreign country or that he wouldn’t be able to speak the language, things were quite a bit different from his departure for the Appalachian Trail two years before.

“Even when he was going in through customs, of course the tears were coming, and he looked at me and he said, ‘It’s OK. It won’t be long. It’s only two months this time.’ He came back three times to give me a hug because I was sitting there (crying). It was almost like we knew,” Faye remembers, tears welling that that memory.

Despite the fact that the Camino is fairly level compared to the mountainous Appalachian Trail, Linus was surprised that he was having difficulty.

“And he said, ‘I seem to have a lot of anxiety.’ And I just kind of talked him through: ‘Are you anxious because you’re in a foreign place, you don’t know the language? Or is it that you’re just not feeling up to par?’ And he just couldn’t pinpoint it,” Faye remembers.

On Linus’ final day, May 17, 2010, he wrote in his hiking journal: “We hiked 28.6 (kilometres) into Terradillos (de los Templarios). It was the longest hike yet and even though it was flat most of the way I found it hard and I was beat when I got in. It was sunny and hot today and the trail had long stretches with nothing but fields. Hope I find tomorrow a better day.”

Tragically, tomorrow never came. Linus died that night of a heart attack at the age of 61. Faye received the shattering news by phone from his walking friend the next morning.

“(It) was completely out of left field. I had just turned the computer on to check the blog. If I’d had time to read it I would have seen that he wasn’t feeling well that day because he made the comment that he was nauseous, but he still did his 28 kilometres, which was Linus. Determination big-time or stubbornness, I don’t know which,” she smiles at the memory of her beloved husband.

He was returned home and is buried in the Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Wellington.

As the one-year anniversary of his death neared, another of Linus’ walking friends, Bill McFadden, broached the idea of a memorial walk.

With the family’s blessing, plans were put in place for an 11-day walk that starts on May 14 at North Cape and ends at East Point on May 24, with a special gathering in Miscouche on the May 17 anniversary of his death.

“There’s something very mesmerizing about walking for long periods of time. It’s all you really have to be doing. You’re just there. You don’t have all those other worries or cares,” McFadden says.

“You also get a chance to review your life and think about what’s important without any of that outside (distraction) going on. It can be very addictive to walk.”

A passage from Linus’ Appalachian Trail journal describes how he and others feel about their walking passion.

“We live it. We love it. We do it . . . . ,” he wrote.

“Remember it’s the journey to be enjoyed not the destination until it’s reached.”

FAST FACTS

Here is the Linus Gillis Memorial Walk schedule:

Leave North Cape May 14 at 9 a.m., stay in Alma area that night and end in the O’Leary area, May 15.

In Ellerslie, May 16.

Miscouche, May 17.

Emerald, May 18.

Hunter River, May 19.

Brackley, May 20.

Mount Stewart, May 21.

St. Peters, May 22.

New Zealand, May 23.

May 24, finishing at East Point in the afternoon.

The group members are going to visit Linus’ gravesite as they pass through Wellington. An event is planned in the Miscouche area on May 17, which is the anniversary of his death.

The walk is purely a memorial one for Linus. However, if people wish to, they can contribute to the International Children’s Memorial Place (www.icmplace.com) at Scales Pond in Freetown in memory of Linus, where Faye Gillis has memorials in place for her late husband and her son.

People are welcome to join the memorial walk for any or all of the trip. Feel free to cheer the walkers on with a friendly smile, a drink of water or whatever else along their way.

For more information about the walk, email billmcfadden@excite.com or call him at 218-5657.

~*~

Past posts about Linus Gillis and his hikes

http://www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2011-05-04/article-2478810/Walking-in-Gillis%26rsquo%3B-footsteps/1

Walking in Gillis’ footsteps

Linus Gillis hiking on the Appalachian Trail.

Published on May 4, 2011

Stephen Brun
The Journal Pioneer

SUMMERSIDE - Friends of Linus Gillis have organized a memorial tip-to-tip walk in his honour this month.

Gillis, a native of Miscouche, began long-distance walking in 2003 when he trekked from North Cape to East Point on the Confederation Trail.

In 2008 at age 60, he took on the ambitious challenge of hiking the 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail, which travels through 14 American states between Georgia and Maine.

Gillis passed away at age 61 in May 2010, as he was attempting to conquer another long-distance trail in Terradillos de los Templarios, Spain.

One year later, Gillis' family and friends have put together a memorial walk to commemorate his 2003 tip-to-tip voyage.

The journey begins May 14 at 9 a.m. in North Cape, and culminates May 24 in East Point.

The group will also have a celebration of Gillis' life when they arrive at the home of his widow, Faye, on Kelly Drive in Miscouche on May 17.

Gillis' friend Bill McFadden said the walk is intended to be a memorial and not a fundraiser but, if participants wish to donate money, they can do so to the International Children's Memorial Place in Scales Pond.

More information on the event can be found at www.islandtrails.ca. Those interested in participating can contact McFadden at billmcfadden@excite.com

Mountains man

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=179639&sc=100

Mountains man
Linus Gillis of Miscouche scaled great heights during his six-month, 3,500-kilometre hike along the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine

Related video-on-demand :Mountains man (News Coverage)

MARY MACKAY
The Guardian




Linus Gillis is a changed man after completing a six-month, 3,500-kilometre (2,175-mile) march of the Appalachian Trail.

In fact, he lost about a fifth of his weight and gained a new Grizzly Adams-style beard and hairdo doing this 14-state hike, which the official guidebook says is the equivalent of going from sea level to the summit of Mount Everest and back more than 16 times.

“It’s a triumph in my life really to do that,” says this Miscouche contractor, who celebrated his 60th birthday near the end of his Georgia to Maine Appalachian Trail journey.

“He’s amazingly healthy for someone who (about 10 years ago) couldn’t walk from here to (the end of the room) without puffing and panting. He's amazing, he literally is,” says his wife, Faye Gillis.

Gillis did this journey of a lifetime for the health of it. Although he had quit smoking years ago, his weight kept rising to its pre-walk scale of 109 kilograms (240 pounds), putting him at risk for health issues, such as diabetes and heart disease.

About six years ago he began hiking on a short distance scale. Then a few years ago he hiked the Confederation Trail from tip to tip. However, that 11-day 300-plus-kilometre endeavour would prove to be a walk in the park compared to the six-month 2,175-kilometre Appalachian Trail.

With some winter gym and outdoor camping time under his belt, he stepped onto the trail in Georgia on March 31 of this year, carrying a weighty backpack with camping gear, clothing and enough food to get him from one re-supply spot to the next.

He wasn’t alone. Friend Alan MacKenzie of Travellers Rest was along for the walk until mid-June when until a financial commitment forced him to end his hike in Virginia.

These Islanders were two of approximately 4,000 hikers from all walks of life and all corners of the globe to set out this year on the Appalachian Trail. Only about one-tenth did the full Monty.

“It’s called a thru-hike; you do the whole continuous trail in one season. That’s what I had planned to do but whether I could do it or not I didn’t know at the time because I knew it was a long challenging journey,” Gillis says.

“It’s 2,200 miles roughly and that’s just the trail itself. Altogether you’re hiking about 2,600 miles because there are (places) where you have to get off the main trail at different times to go in to shelters, to go get water or to go into towns.”

The first day was a quick introduction to some of the difficulties to come.

“It was about five or six o’clock when we finally got to the top of the mountain at the rock where you had to register. It was raining and half snowing, a miserable, miserable day, so it was kind of an eye-opener to start with,” Gillis says.

“Thankfully, I had worked at the gym so was half prepared anyway. But as time went by the weight was coming off and you’d start to get in shape and the first time one mountain leads into another. . . . It was a gradual thing.”

As the physical challenges became easier, the mental fatigue of doing the same thing day in and day out became the next obstacle for him to overcome.

“You’d walk 10 or 15 miles and think I still have another 2,000 to go, so then you’ve got to take it one mountain at a time, one day at a time — break it up into small, little segments,” he says.

“Every now and again you get to a milestone, you leave one state and go into another state. The worst one of all was Virginia because it was 500-and-some miles so you're in Virginia for what seems like forever.”

Virginia also stands out in MacKenzie’s mind. It was his place of departure after two-and-a-half months on the trail, during which time he developed friendships with others who were doing the same personal challenge.

“There’s quite a bond that develops among hikers. There’s more than your hiking partner looking out for you,” he says. “(Most) begin the hike total strangers to each other and then the bond develops regardless of age, sex or where people are from and it increasingly gets stronger and stronger.”

By happenstance, Gillis met up with North Carolina artist James Davis, better known on the trail as Brushstrokes, who hiked with him to the end.

“Everybody that hikes has a trail name,” explains Gillis, whose trail handle was Serene.

“Serene means peaceful and quiet. Because I’m self-employed I’m gung-ho all the time, got to get this done and that done. And every time I’d go out hiking or walking I’d settle down some. And so my buddy, Alan, stuck that on me, Serene.”

Of course, being an extensive wilderness trail, there were dangers to consider.

“Bears are the least of your worries on the trail. As soon as they spot you, if you’re lucky to see one, they’re gone before you get anywhere close to them,” Gillis says.

Rattlesnakes, however, were another slithering matter in certain areas.

“I was hiking with (Davis one day) and he hollered, ‘You just stepped on a snake!’

“Of course he didn’t know what it was. So when I came back it was all coiled up and ready to strike and it was a rattlesnake.”

As it turned out, it was the unpredictable human factor that Appalachian Trail hikers had to fear most. This year, there were a number of crimes involving hikers. In fact in May two people were allegedly shot by a man who had previously been convicted and served time for murdering two people on the trail in 1981. The latest victims survived but the suspect died in custody in a Virginia jail cell.

Injuries could also hit a hiker great distances from immediate medical help.

Gillis was held up in Pennsylvania for a week as he fought a lower leg infection. There were plenty of on-trail falls but fortunately nothing that prevented him from finishing his personal trek.

Thru-hikers are always on a timetable of sorts because the end point of Baxter State Park in Maine closed in mid-October and hiking past that time can become dangerous due to weather.

In June, his wife and one of his sons, David Gillis, made the first of a number of trips south to give a boost of family support. It was their first look at Gillis’ slimmed down and increasingly bearded appearance.

“The first time David and I went down to see him, we walked right by him,” Faye Gillis remembers.

“. . . . I recognized this ugly green shirt he used to wear and when I looked there he was. I barrelled over to give him a big hug . . . and I said, ‘Where’s the rest of you?

“And David turned around thinking ‘What is she doing? She’s awfully friendly with those hikers’ and then he realized it was his father. (We’ve) never known him to have a beard.”

Family and friends were also in Maine when Gillis and his friend, Davis, reached the summit of Mount Katahdin on Sept. 30. That nine-hour hiking day was 8.4 kilometres (5.2 miles) straight up the mountain and the same distance back again.

“It was quite a feeling to think that this is it, I’m going to go home after I get down off this mountain,” he says.

“ ‘My son had hiked up the mountain with us and unbeknownst to me he had a birthday cake with candles so we lit that up on the mountain and had a birthday party.”

Gillis goes down in history as the 345th person to finish the Appalachian Trail in the 2008 season.

“I was glad it was over because I wanted to get home to my family and my grandchildren and all that. But I was kind of disappointed that the end had come because it becomes a way of life.

“Every day you’re out there and you’re with these people. Your main responsibility was to hike so many miles and that’s about it. It just seems to become a way of life after six months,” he says.

Gillis is now somewhat settled into home life again, albeit the beard and lengthy hairstyle remain intact for now. As for future hiking adventures, they will be on a much smaller scale than the Appalachian Trail.

“I wouldn’t want to do another long hike like that, but I’d go hiking tomorrow.”



Fast facts

The number of people hiking the entire trail has risen dramatically over the years. From 1936 to 1969, only 61 completions are recorded. In 1970, the numbers began to rise. Ten people completed the trail in 1970, including Ed Garvey, whose thru-hike was well-publicized. The trend was further fueled by the release of Garvey's popular book, Appalachian Hiker: Adventure of a Lifetime. The term "2,000-miler" was coined in the late 1970s to help identify this growing group of hikers.

By 1980, the total number of 2,000-milers had increased more than ten-fold. The total had doubled by 1990 and again by 2000. More hike completions were reported for the year 2000 alone than in the first 40 years combined. The 10,000th hike completion was recorded in 2008.History

2,000-milers by decade

1930s 8

1940s 3

1950s 14

1960s 37

1970s 749

1980s 1,410

1990s 3,275

2000-present 4,600

Total: 10,096

Conquering the Appalachian Trail

http://www.journalpioneer.com/index.cfm?sid=177744&sc=118

Conquering the Appalachian Trail

STAFF
The Journal Pioneer

Jim Brown/Journal Pioneer

Linus Gillis, 60, (above), said it was one of the greatest experiences of his life conquering the 2,175 mile Appalachian Trail, winding through 14 American states. Gillis arrived home after six months to a birthday party and celebration bash organized by his wife, Faye Gillis, and many friends. The party was held Saturday night at the Summerside fire hall, drawing as many as 100 wellwishers. Gillis said he was happy to return home and join his friends and family and had no immediate plans to tackle any long-distance walking challenges.

http://www.journalpioneer.com/index.cfm?sid=178547&sc=118
Danger on Appalachian Trial nothing to do with wildlife: hiker

JIM BROWN
The Journal Pioneer

MISCOUCHE – In a 2,175-mile hike through 14 American States, sometimes the most lethal threat isn’t wildlife, or the weather, or rock-strewn trails.
A man who had just returned to Miscouche from his six-month adventure on the Appalachian Trail, said he encountered several hikers who were afraid for their lives.
“In Virginia, there was a person who had murdered two hikers in 1981 and he had done his time and they let him out of prison. He came back on the trail and shot two more... and some of the people I hiked with had a run-in with this particular person,” said Linus Gillis.
“They avoided trouble with him, but along the way he had shot these people.”
A massive manhunt was mounted in Virginia to catch the deranged man before he could target any more hikers.
“I happened to be in the area at that time,” said Gillis.
As a precaution police arranged busing for hikers walking in the danger zone, to get them to safer ground.
The assailant was arrested by police shortly after Gillis arrived.
“He died in jail the day after they arrested him.”
On Saturday Gillis, who turned 60 last month, was given a belated birthday party he will never forget.
Approximately 175 people attended a bash at the Summerside fire hall Saturday to celebrate his accomplishment. The event was organized by his wife, Faye Gillis, as well as friends and family.
“I’m not down to earth yet,” laughed Gillis.
Will he do it again, anytime soon?
“There will be no more six-month hikes for awhile, that’s for sure,” he said.
He fell several times and as a result, “I ended up walking for a couple of weeks with a very sore hip.”
One of his legs also became infected on the trip.
“That was probably my low point because I didn’t know whether I would be able to continue my hike or not. After a few days with heavy doses of antibiotics, the doctor gave me a free bill of health to get back on the trail.”
Gillis travelled from Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Maine, arriving on Sept. 30. At approximately 6,000 feet, climbing Mount Katahdin at the end was the longest single climb on the trail, said Gillis.
“Needless to say, I’m happy to be home,” he said.

Update on Appalachian Trail hiker Linus Gillis

http://www.journalpioneer.com/index.cfm?sid=170330&sc=118

Update on Appalachian Trail hiker Linus Gillis

The Journal Pioneer

The following photo and caption information was submitted by Monette Burnett:

"On Sept 2 /08 RON MURPHY & ALLAN MAC KENZIE Leaving To meet our hero LINUS GILLIS being on the Trail for 6 months now.
300 miles left to do. Destination Gorm New Hampshire On Thursday afternoon Ron went looking for Linus On a turn to the trail LINUS happend to see RON first and a big shout came off Linus :(EH are you lost?????) the 2 was so happy to see each other big embraces and one more was to be deliver for FAYE Linus s wife Linus doing super good.
Linus is doing good encounting his long hr of hiking and his body full of sores and bruises looking to be back soon to SUMMERSIDE back where he belong with friends and familly."

Summerside man takes break from Appalachian Trail walk

http://www.journalpioneer.com/index.cfm?sid=151369&sc=118

Summerside man takes break from Appalachian Trail walk

JIM BROWN
The Journal Pioneer

SUMMERSIDE — Alan MacKenzie hasn’t had to worry about poisonous snakes or black bears these past couple of weeks.
But he’ll be encountering these risks again soon.
MacKenzie, 60, has taken a break from walking the world-famous Appalachian Trail — resting his feet in Summerside while visiting friends and family.
But he’s driving back to resume a remarkable odyssey that will take him through 14 American States by the time he’s done.
“It’s hard to put into words the reason why I’m doing it. The trail is a powerful force that goes to work on you.”
So far, so good.
MacKenzie has seen just one bear during the first third of his journey. He also nearly trod upon a venomous copperhead snake, but managed to move it off the trail with a stick.
MacKenzie is about 300 miles behind his travelling companion and friend, Linus Gillis, 59, who also lives in Summerside.
But he’ll catch up in a hurry when he returns. MacKenzie is driving down to join his friend on the trail.
Doing that will allow him to finish weeks earlier in Maine before cold weather, heavy rains and snow strike in the mountains.
“In October the streams rise so high it’s almost impossible to wade across them.”
It’s a grueling six-month journey and MacKenzie plans to complete every last foot of 2,175 mile odyssey, even if he has to double back and complete the southern stretch he bypassed at a later date.
While in Summerside, he hasn’t stopped walking altogether. Every Saturday morning he and members of a Summerside walking club take 10- to 15-kilometre walks in picturesque locales throughout the Island.

Trail blazers
Two Summerside men embrace the challenge of the Appalachian Trail

Trail blazers - Two Summerside men embrace the challenge of the Appalachian Trail

http://www.journalpioneer.com/index.cfm?sid=125611&sc=118

Trail blazers
Two Summerside men embrace the challenge of the Appalachian Trail

Alan MacKenzie, left, and Linus Gillis
at the start of their Appalachian Trail odyssey.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

SUMMERSIDE
JIM BROWN
The Journal Pioneer

Faye Gillis doesn't expect to see her husband until late August or early September. Linus Gillis, 59, is hiking the famed Appalachian Trail, which winds 2,175 miles across 14 American states and through mountains and other rugged terrain.

He left March 31, accompanied by fellow hiker and Summerside resident Al MacKenzie. The two started in Springer Mountain, Georgia and are working their way to Maine's Mount Katahdin.

"He calls when he can," said Faye. His last call was Wednesday evening.

"We've got a map at home, and each time he calls I mark the map and that way I can keep track of his progress."

Gillis and MacKenzie aren't carrying a cell phone and have to make calls from communities along the route.

One of Faye's biggest fears is the wildlife they could encounter - notably bears and snakes.

"The main thing is avoiding injuries," she said.

Faye isn't entirely cut off from Linus. There are places along the trail, including little country stores, where mail can be forwarded from family and friends.

He's sending back socks and other gear because it weighed down his packsack.

"That's what happens, walkers drop stuff as they go along," said Faye, who is preparing to pack a pair of sneakers for Linus in time for warming weather.

Gillis and MacKenzie are treading a well-worn path. Thousands of hikers test their mettle every year on the Appalachian Trail. MacKenzie's daughter conquered the trail with her husband in 2001.

Gillis and MacKenzie aren't novices. They recently travelled from one tip of P.E.I. to the other.

They spend most nights sleeping on the trail in a small tent.

"They take with them only what they can carry on their backs. They've got a little tiny stove and noodle packages and coffee, porridge, chocolate bars, wafers, anything that is light," said Faye.

That meager diet will likely be supplemented along the way, thanks to a little "trail magic."

People who live near the trail often leave bottles of water and soft drinks on the trail, as well as snacks.

"Some churches have basements you can go to during the day to clean up and rest. "And if you are at the right place at the right time you'll get a free barbecue," said Faye.

There are no plaques, certificates or other honours for completing the journey, just "the satisfaction of knowing they've done it, they've fulfilled their dream," she said.

---

Happy Trails to you

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a public footpath that follows more than 2,100 miles of Appalachian Mountain ridgelines between Maine and Georgia. It takes five million adult footsteps to hike the entire trail.
The Appalachian Trail stretches through 14 eastern states.
Approximately four million visitors hike a section of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail each year.
Volunteers monitor and maintain the Trail and its shelters and help with operations at headquarters. There are thirty volunteer trail-maintaining clubs associated with the Appalachian Trail.
The trail is marked with two inch by six-inch vertical white paint blazes. A double blaze, one above the other, is placed before turns, junctions, or other areas that require hikers to be alert. There are approximately 165,000 blazes along the Appalachian Trail.
Conceived in 1921 and first completed in 1937, it traverses the wild, scenic, wooded, pastoral, and culturally significant lands of the Appalachian Mountains.