Trains Through Appalachia Take Travelers Back in Time

As vice president of sales and recruitment and a conservative wealth management planner with the insurance product and wealth planning firm DeRosa and Associates in Jamestown, Tennessee, Chester “C. Edziu” Pacana offers conservative wealth management options to clients in Florida and Tennessee. Chester Pacana is also an enthusiastic participant in the sport of rucking and loves to travel. In his home state of Tennessee, one of the most enjoyable ways to experience the natural beauty and rich history of the nearby Appalachian region is by train.

Tennessee’s railroad system dates back to the 1840s. Today, these same railroads continue to offer travelers stunning scenery marked by vivid contrasts: the sweep of farms, grazing lands, and green hillsides alternates with the rush of rivers and a series of soaring mountain passes.

Most of the commercial railroads that offer tourist travel in the Appalachians today focus on historic small towns and mining camps in the mountains and on providing a look at spectacular expanses of greenery like the Daniel Boone National Forest. Some tours even use old-style steam locomotives, but travelers should check carefully in advance, since many others have transitioned to diesel.

Urban “Rucking” Takes Fitness to a New Level

Chester “C. Edziu” Pacana currently serves as the vice president of sales and recruitment at DeRosa and Associates in Jamestown, Tennessee. As a conservative wealth management planner, he focuses on helping clients safeguard their principal investments and secure their retirement. Away from the office, Chester Pacana enjoys traveling, hiking, and the lesser-known sport of rucking.

Rucking is an activity that involves purposeful walking with a rucksack or backpack strapped to one’s back. While rucking through mountain terrain is just hiking, rucking in cities simply goes by the name of “rucking.”

As a sport that improves cardiovascular fitness, it does demand a degree of energy, endurance, and commitment. It can burn as much as three times the calories that walking does. But because the weight of the backpack can vary, rucking is accessible for people of all ages and degrees of fitness and strength.

By increasing the weight of the backpack, a person can experience increased resistance in the shoulders and back, promoting an increase in strength without the addition of unneeded physical bulk. Increasing the pace of movement speeds up these gains even more. People experienced in the art of rucking point out that walking with a weighted pack is actually a core exercise for United States’ military special forces team members.