By Kate Devaney
Continued from July 15th edition:
Mike’s lighthouse training sessions do not go unnoticed by those he meets along the winding stair case in the tower. Some people look curious as he passes them; he is covered with sweat, has a water pack strapped to his back, and is huffing and puffing as though he has been climbing for a long time. When they realize that he has been going up and down for as many as 8 times they sometimes become curious enough to ask why. Mike is happy to explain about his quest to hike part of the Appalachian Trail in each of the 14 states it passes through, and how he is using the lighthouse to train for his upcoming second attempt to reach the more treacherous northern end of the trail at the Katahdin summit.
Mike has been training at the lighthouse for nine weeks now, and every time he steps off the 228th stair into the light keepers watch room at the top, a lighthouse volunteer is there to greet him. He has gotten very familiar with them and looks forward to their conversation and encouragement. Everyone who reaches the watch room is greeted by a friendly volunteer who gives out a congratulatory “You just climbed the tallest lighthouse in New Jersey” card. They are very knowledgeable about the workings and history of the lighthouse. It is quite interesting and their enthusiasm makes it easy to get caught up in imagining what it might have been like to be a Light Keeper.
Back in 1854 when the light house was built it was lit by a mineral flame (kerosene) that was focused through a 36 plate lens. It shone 19.5 nautical miles out to sea as a warning to mariners of dangerous shallows and as a guide to get vessels safely in and out of the Absecon Inlet. If you look out from the top of the 171 ft. high lighthouse on a warm sunny day when the platform is dry and the breeze is a refreshing relief from the heat, besides the climb, being a Light Keeper might not seem like a tough job. But, imagine a dark stormy night, the wind is gusting at 60 knots, the rain is slapping against the bricks, powerful waves are crashing onto the shore, the tower of iron and brick is actually swaying under your feet, and you alone are responsible for keeping the light!
Besides the rather perilous stormy nights, historically, lighthouse keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning lenses and windows. They were also responsible for the fog signal and the weather station, and played a major role in search and rescue at sea.
Over the years science advanced and changes were made to the workings of the light. In 1910 a change was made to incandescent oil vapor lamps and fifteen years later, in 1925, electricity was used for the first time.
The volunteers that Mike has gotten to know during his training, Buddy, Bayard, Mandi, and Milton have given Mike a good education on the light house, and as people tend to do when they see each other on a regular basis, some have shared a bit of their personal history, wisdom, and humor with Mike. The same kind of thing happens on the hike. The people that Mike, Ed, John, and Jack meet on the trail, or at a camp site, all have the trail experience in common. In that sense no one is a stranger, so sharing stories, offering wisdom, or making a joke happens naturally.
Since this August 27th hike to the Katahdin summit is a second attempt for the group, they will be more pig headed… I mean, determined than ever to make it there. Thankfully, there is a new addition to the group this trip. Joe, Mike’s and my brother-in-law and friend, has made the cut. He just turned 60 so he is the youngster of the group. Since he is a volunteer fire fighter and an EMT. I am very glad he is joining the other idiots, woops, I mean guys, on this particularly difficult hike!
As I write this, Mike’s hike is only days away, ready or not!
To be continued….
Kate Devaney is a proud wife, mother and grandmother and a resident of Northfield for 34 years.
She recently retired from Atlantic County Service School where she was a classroom aid to special needs students for 18 years.
