Reg Spittle’s wife, Sue, talked him into hiking Spain’s Camino de Santiago and taking a High Sierra trek; his latest book about their experiences is ‘Hoofin’ It on the John Muir Trail’

By Lee Juillerat for Ashland.news

Reg Spittle considers himself “the Reluctant Pilgrim.”

That’s because when Reg’s wife, Sue Spittle, suggested they hike the John Muir Trail, a 246-mile trail through California’s high-elevation Sierra Nevada, he staunchly resisted.

“The idea of not having showers, not having toilets, being in a tent — all these things I thought were impossible. I thought it was just absurd. We couldn’t do that.”

But Reg eventually acquiesced, remembering words Sue had spoken several years earlier when she cajoled him into walking the Camino de Santiago, a network of trails in northwest Spain — “What if we can?”

So in 2021, when he was 69 and Sue was 64, they joined nine other hikers for a 30-day mule-supported hike along the trail, known as the JMT, from Horseshoe Meadows near Bishop, California, to Yosemite National Park.

‘I knew this was a book’

“After a few days,” said Reg, who will celebrate his 73rd birthday in April, “I knew this was a book. The JMT almost writes itself.”

The book Reg — or Reginald — wrote is “Hoofin’ It on the John Muir Trail,” a memory of days spent with a cross-section of other hikers, people they met along the trail, and of the challenges of day-after-day hiking. It was published in January.

“Going in, I was nervous about going a month without showers, toilets and beds,” Reg said, laughing, in retrospect. “I thought why did I worry about all this stuff,” referring to pre-hike concerns that quickly vanished once on the trail. “All that matters is that you’re outside walking one step at a time. I’m totally addicted to it.

And, as he learned, “Toilets are highly overrated, showers are highly overrated, beds are highly overrated,” he laughed, adding wistfully, “If there’s a heaven on Earth, that was it for me.”

Peak experiences, peak challenges

The days were often blistering hot, some nights below freezing. Because they were supported by a mule team led by four packers, the hikers’ meals were prepared. Camps were routinely made near alpine lakes and cascading rivers, often with views of spectacular mountain peaks. There were challenges, climbs that included 14,505-foot Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the Lower 48 states, and mountain passes as high as 13,200 feet.

“It’s serious stuff. You just don’t know if you can do it until you get out and try. It was really hard,” Reg says of completing the JMT, adding with a sense of satisfaction, “There’s no place in the world more beautiful than the High Sierras.”

Along the way, Reg, Sue and the others — identified in the book as Hummingbird, Big Heart, Garment Girl, Jester, Knee Deep, Dozer, Fast Track, Sunbeam and Fluster Free — developed friendships.

Meeting new friends and hiking distance trails is something the Spittles have made a habit. Since they retired, Reg and Sue have walked eight distance trails, including seven in Europe, covering more than 2,000 miles. According to Reg, the “simplicity and unpredictability of hiking” has taught them the joy of hiking. As he puts it, “Staying in shape makes everything feel better.”

Some of their earlier travels have been chronicled in Reg’s previous books, “Camino Sunrise: Walking With My Shadows,” and “Trippin’ Through My 60s: When Adventure Calls, the Trails of Europe Answer.”

A teacher and journalist

Hiking and writing are things Reg and Sue have done since retiring from teaching. Reg won a yearlong Fulbright scholarship that resulting in spending a year teaching in Scotland. He taught all seven elementary school grades during 20 years in California then taught political science for 11 years at a California community college.

During many of those years he worked part time as a journalist for five newspapers. He and Sue, who have been married 40 years, met when both were working at the Santa Barbara News-Press, where she was in the advertising department. She designed the covers, titles, maps and illustrations for all three books.

Potential material for a new book will come later this year when the Spittles take more overseas hiking adventures. “I’ll take my journal,” Reg said, adding, “I’m feeling like I’m done with hiking and adventure books.” But he may consider writing about outings in their RV — they’ve made five cross-country trips covering 12,000 miles in 46 states.

Although he takes pleasure in writing about his experiences, Reg noted that writing, editing and rewriting each of his three books has taken nearly three years to complete.

Still, he said, “I’m addicted as much to writing as I am to hiking.”

Email freelance writer Lee Juillerat at [email protected].