Start: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
I felt spoiled today! We woke up to the hut croo playing guitar music and to a breakfast of oatmeal, quiche, bacon, and warm coffee cake. The plan for the day was 14.8 miles back up to the summit of Mt. Washington and then over past Mt. Clay, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Adams, over Mt. Madison and down to Pinkham Notch. The weather report given to us by the croo at breakfast though called for even higher winds than yesterday (over 80 mph) and thunderstorms. Almost our entire day today was along exposed summits and ridges. We decided that we would climb to the summit of Washington and make a decision then. We packed up, left the hut, and I made the 1.5 mile climb up 1200 feet in 45 minutes. It was a difficult climb because the wind was whipping us around like we were rag dolls. I was sniffling the entire way because my nose wouldn't stop running and the wind was blowing the snot across my face... In the words of Brian, "Snot very pretty." Haha. Walking across the summit, I was swaying back and forth, my movements in full control of the wind. I finally blew into the summit building and met Brian (why is he so fast?!??). We sat for a while and kept an eye on the weather. We watched as the thick, dark clouds descended on the top of the mountain. The wind had reached speeds of over 84 mph. We already hiked the 14.8 miles we had planned to do today when we did a section hike in 2010. After taking that thought and the weather into account, we asked ourselves if we really wanted to take the risk and do the hike... The answer... NOPE! We left the summit building and walked the 20 feet up a rock pile to the actual summit sign (which we already have at least 7 or 8 pictures together at, but needed this one because it was the climax of our journey). The wind was brutal. We had to crouch down as we climbed the rocks and then we each had to sit as we took pictures of each other. Coming down, the wind literally took control of my leg and smashed it into one of the rocks. I instantly had a swollen, bruised lump on my leg. We blew over to the hiker shuttle building and purchased tickets for the shuttle that takes hikers down the Mt. Washington Auto Road to Pinkham Notch. It turned out that we were not the only hikers with this idea. A full shuttle went down just as we arrived and our shuttle sold out too! Just as our shuttle pulled out of the parking spot, the rain started, then the thunder and lightening started. I think we made the right choice! We arrived at Pinkham Notch and spent some time in the visitor center. As I looked at the model of the Presidentials with the white blazed AT traversing over and around their high peaks, my eyes filled with tears. Our journey was over for now. Brian and I hugged... Although, we didn't make it to our intended destination of Mt. Katahdin, we made it to Pinkham Notch. We walked over 600 miles this summer and spent 70 amazing days together surrounded by the beauty of nature. I've laughed, I've cried, I sang, I yelled, I've been awed, I've been scared, I've been proud, I've been sad, but most importantly, we have both ended our journey happy and healthy. What more could I possibly ask for?
End: Pinkham Notch - stayed at Top Notch Inn in Gorham, NH
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
I will be writing a reflection of our trip after I gather my thoughts and emotions a bit more. I will also write about the gear I used and what I loved and hated about the gear.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
August 30, 2012
Start: Nauman Tentsite
We woke up to a COLD morning! It had been in the 30s overnight and windy. At 7 am, we were awake, but we didn't emerge from the warmth of our sleeping bags until 9! Once we finally braved the cold (it was somewhere in the low 40s now), we broke down camp and used the hut to get dressed and eat our breakfast in. The weather report at the hut from Mount Washington Weather Observatory called for clear skies and 50-70 mph winds!!! We put on our cold weather hiking gear and headed out. Right out of Mizpah, we had a 500 foot steep climb to Mt Pierce (4,312 feet). The trail then skirted past the summit of Mt Eisenhower on the way to the peak of Mt. Franklin (5,004 feet). Just after Eisenhower, we passed the spot where I broke my leg 4 years ago. We've been on Crawford Path once since then, but it's still amazes me to think I hopped that last mile before Lakes of the Clouds Hut (not as much as I am amazed by the fact that Brian carried me up the last 1.5 miles to the Mt. Washington summit though) especially since its rocky terrain with precipitous drop offs on two feet! Just before Lakes of the Clouds Hut, the trail skirted the summit of Mt. Monroe. Since the AT ALWAYS seems to go up, it surprises me that the trail hasn't been re-routed over all the summits. I assume the history of Crawford Path being the oldest maintained trail in America is the reason the AT remains the way it is. We reached Lakes and dropped some of our things off since we were spending the night there. We then began the 1.5 mile, 1200 foot climb to the summit of Mt. Washington (6,288 feet). It was cold and windy!!! My legs and poles were being controlled by the wind. Each time I picked them up to move, it seemed that I had no say in where they would land. At the summit, I learned that we had climbed in 50+ mph sustained winds with gusts up to 73 mph!!! Once we reached the summit, I was overcome with so many emotions. I was relieved to be out of the wind and eating pizza from the tourist-filled summit snack bar. I felt proud and accomplished that we were standing in the place we have been looking forward to since we took those first steps on the bridge crossing the Potomac River. I felt sad that the journey was coming to an end. I was happy and excited to return home to my family, friends, cats, and luxuries, but worried about the transition to "real life." I have been changed out here. I feel more alive, more inspired, more introspective, and more appreciative of the little things. These feelings have made me a better person and I don't want to lose them when surrounded with faucets to drink from rather than rivers to pump from, and buildings to look at rather than mountains, and a gym to go to for an hour a day rather than a walk to go on for 10 hours a day. The 6.1 mile trek today was a cold, windy one, but it was one filled with happiness, pride, and excitement. It felt good to be "home!"
After we spent some time at the summit, we hiked back down to the hut. We descended in just over a half hour. Dinner at Lakes was pumpkin ginger soup, homemade bread, beef tips, rice, and broccoli with oatmeal cookies for dessert. Delicious! Just after dinner, the sun went down and what a gorgeous sunset it was from 5,048 feet. The pink sun set behind mountains that appeared blue in the distance, but the beauty didn't stop there. The full moon (blue moon) came out and illuminated the lenticular clouds around it! Brian captured some gorgeous pictures of both!
End: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We woke up to a COLD morning! It had been in the 30s overnight and windy. At 7 am, we were awake, but we didn't emerge from the warmth of our sleeping bags until 9! Once we finally braved the cold (it was somewhere in the low 40s now), we broke down camp and used the hut to get dressed and eat our breakfast in. The weather report at the hut from Mount Washington Weather Observatory called for clear skies and 50-70 mph winds!!! We put on our cold weather hiking gear and headed out. Right out of Mizpah, we had a 500 foot steep climb to Mt Pierce (4,312 feet). The trail then skirted past the summit of Mt Eisenhower on the way to the peak of Mt. Franklin (5,004 feet). Just after Eisenhower, we passed the spot where I broke my leg 4 years ago. We've been on Crawford Path once since then, but it's still amazes me to think I hopped that last mile before Lakes of the Clouds Hut (not as much as I am amazed by the fact that Brian carried me up the last 1.5 miles to the Mt. Washington summit though) especially since its rocky terrain with precipitous drop offs on two feet! Just before Lakes of the Clouds Hut, the trail skirted the summit of Mt. Monroe. Since the AT ALWAYS seems to go up, it surprises me that the trail hasn't been re-routed over all the summits. I assume the history of Crawford Path being the oldest maintained trail in America is the reason the AT remains the way it is. We reached Lakes and dropped some of our things off since we were spending the night there. We then began the 1.5 mile, 1200 foot climb to the summit of Mt. Washington (6,288 feet). It was cold and windy!!! My legs and poles were being controlled by the wind. Each time I picked them up to move, it seemed that I had no say in where they would land. At the summit, I learned that we had climbed in 50+ mph sustained winds with gusts up to 73 mph!!! Once we reached the summit, I was overcome with so many emotions. I was relieved to be out of the wind and eating pizza from the tourist-filled summit snack bar. I felt proud and accomplished that we were standing in the place we have been looking forward to since we took those first steps on the bridge crossing the Potomac River. I felt sad that the journey was coming to an end. I was happy and excited to return home to my family, friends, cats, and luxuries, but worried about the transition to "real life." I have been changed out here. I feel more alive, more inspired, more introspective, and more appreciative of the little things. These feelings have made me a better person and I don't want to lose them when surrounded with faucets to drink from rather than rivers to pump from, and buildings to look at rather than mountains, and a gym to go to for an hour a day rather than a walk to go on for 10 hours a day. The 6.1 mile trek today was a cold, windy one, but it was one filled with happiness, pride, and excitement. It felt good to be "home!"
After we spent some time at the summit, we hiked back down to the hut. We descended in just over a half hour. Dinner at Lakes was pumpkin ginger soup, homemade bread, beef tips, rice, and broccoli with oatmeal cookies for dessert. Delicious! Just after dinner, the sun went down and what a gorgeous sunset it was from 5,048 feet. The pink sun set behind mountains that appeared blue in the distance, but the beauty didn't stop there. The full moon (blue moon) came out and illuminated the lenticular clouds around it! Brian captured some gorgeous pictures of both!
End: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
August 29, 2012
Start: Unmarked Campsite (near Zealand Falls Hut)
We woke up with a lot of excitement today! The plan was to end our 14.3 mile day at Mizpah Hut, which was the first hut both of us had been to (on different occasions). Just before the hut, we would pass our first white blaze too. We got an early start because we wanted to get to Mizpah with time to enjoy it. The beginning of the day was relatively flat until the descent to Crawford Notch. We crossed the street and up we went. We climbed nearly 3000 feet and summitted Mt. Webster (3,910 feet) and Mt. Jackson (4,052 feet) along the way. It was beautiful and clear so we had 360 degree views! It left me speechless to look up and see Mt. Washington with it's peak hidden in the clouds. Mt. Washington was my first mountain, my first backpacking trip, my first trip with Brian, and where I broke my leg back in 2008. It's the place where I knew for sure Brian and I would get married (since he carried me to the peak rather than leaving me : ) ). Looking at that mountain, it is still so surreal that we have walked here from West Virginia. I remember back on June 23rd, walking hand in hand with Brian down the C and O Canal Towpath, talking about how we could not wait to get to Mt. Washington and what it would feel like. Now, we are almost there!!! Once I got past the surreal feeling, I felt proud of us for making it this far on our journey. I felt thankful that we had this opportunity. I feel fulfilled, content, and free... Some of the best feelings I've ever experienced. From the peak of Mt. Jackson, we could also see our intended destination, Mizpah Hut. We walked the 1.7 miles to the hut and as soon as we reached it, I let out a loud "Woohoo!!!" We spent the afternoon in the hut eating the delicious baked goods they have for $1 and soup that they have for $2 (for the first bowl, $1 for refills). Nauman Tentsite is right near Mizpah and we are staying there tonight on tent platform 7... The first tent platform that Brian and I ever stayed on together (and the platform that Brian has stayed on numerous times). What a day!!! Good climbs, beautiful views, our first white blaze, our first hut, and our first tent platform.
End: Mizpah Hut- Nauman Tentsite
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We woke up with a lot of excitement today! The plan was to end our 14.3 mile day at Mizpah Hut, which was the first hut both of us had been to (on different occasions). Just before the hut, we would pass our first white blaze too. We got an early start because we wanted to get to Mizpah with time to enjoy it. The beginning of the day was relatively flat until the descent to Crawford Notch. We crossed the street and up we went. We climbed nearly 3000 feet and summitted Mt. Webster (3,910 feet) and Mt. Jackson (4,052 feet) along the way. It was beautiful and clear so we had 360 degree views! It left me speechless to look up and see Mt. Washington with it's peak hidden in the clouds. Mt. Washington was my first mountain, my first backpacking trip, my first trip with Brian, and where I broke my leg back in 2008. It's the place where I knew for sure Brian and I would get married (since he carried me to the peak rather than leaving me : ) ). Looking at that mountain, it is still so surreal that we have walked here from West Virginia. I remember back on June 23rd, walking hand in hand with Brian down the C and O Canal Towpath, talking about how we could not wait to get to Mt. Washington and what it would feel like. Now, we are almost there!!! Once I got past the surreal feeling, I felt proud of us for making it this far on our journey. I felt thankful that we had this opportunity. I feel fulfilled, content, and free... Some of the best feelings I've ever experienced. From the peak of Mt. Jackson, we could also see our intended destination, Mizpah Hut. We walked the 1.7 miles to the hut and as soon as we reached it, I let out a loud "Woohoo!!!" We spent the afternoon in the hut eating the delicious baked goods they have for $1 and soup that they have for $2 (for the first bowl, $1 for refills). Nauman Tentsite is right near Mizpah and we are staying there tonight on tent platform 7... The first tent platform that Brian and I ever stayed on together (and the platform that Brian has stayed on numerous times). What a day!!! Good climbs, beautiful views, our first white blaze, our first hut, and our first tent platform.
End: Mizpah Hut- Nauman Tentsite
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
August 28, 2012
Start: Guyot Shelter
It rained all night long, but we stayed dry. I love our tent! We woke up early, but it was still raining so we decided to wait it out. We got a late start around 10 am, but we only planned to do a little over 4 miles today to Zealand Falls Hut. The forecast was calling for rain all day and we were tired so we were happy to put in a short day and hang out at the hut. We walked the mile long side trail back to the AT and immediately reached the peak of Mt. Guyot (4,597 feet). The trail descended about 2000 feet over the four miles to Zealand Falls Hut. We were supposed to have some views along the way, but the rain and clouds didn't allow that. The rest of the week looks beautiful though, so we are excited. We reached the hut and hung out for a bit. The sky was starting to clear so we decided to hike on. Just a little bit after the hut, we saw an unmarked campsite we stayed in when we did a 50 mile section in 2010. The campsite was the site of my first bear encounter. The night we stayed there, another hiker came in late and didn't hang his food. A hungry bear came into the campsite at least 3 times that night, but I scared Yogi away with my whistle. We really enjoyed that campsite that night (other than the bear) and we were feeling tired, so we decided to call it a day. Hopefully, there will be no bears tonight!
End: Unmarked Campsite a little past Zealand Falls Hut
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
It rained all night long, but we stayed dry. I love our tent! We woke up early, but it was still raining so we decided to wait it out. We got a late start around 10 am, but we only planned to do a little over 4 miles today to Zealand Falls Hut. The forecast was calling for rain all day and we were tired so we were happy to put in a short day and hang out at the hut. We walked the mile long side trail back to the AT and immediately reached the peak of Mt. Guyot (4,597 feet). The trail descended about 2000 feet over the four miles to Zealand Falls Hut. We were supposed to have some views along the way, but the rain and clouds didn't allow that. The rest of the week looks beautiful though, so we are excited. We reached the hut and hung out for a bit. The sky was starting to clear so we decided to hike on. Just a little bit after the hut, we saw an unmarked campsite we stayed in when we did a 50 mile section in 2010. The campsite was the site of my first bear encounter. The night we stayed there, another hiker came in late and didn't hang his food. A hungry bear came into the campsite at least 3 times that night, but I scared Yogi away with my whistle. We really enjoyed that campsite that night (other than the bear) and we were feeling tired, so we decided to call it a day. Hopefully, there will be no bears tonight!
End: Unmarked Campsite a little past Zealand Falls Hut
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Monday, August 27, 2012
August 27, 2012
Start: Franconia Notch, NH
SORE!!!! Is an understatement of how we felt when we woke up this morning! Everything from my fingers (from gripping my poles so tightly yesterday) to my toes was aching. The excitement I was feeling to hike Franconia Ridge (my favorite spot EVER!!!) seemed to ease the aching though. We packed up, checked out of the motel and got a ride to Franconia Notch. We climbed almost 3500 feet to Little Haystack Mountain (4800 feet). Walking across the ridge, we summitted Mt. Lincoln (5,089 feet) and Mt. Lafayette (5,259 feet). The views were amazing! Looking to the left, I could see the mountains we have come from and looking to the right were the mountains we were headed towards. Garfield, North and South Twin and the Presidentials stood tall in the shadow of Mt. Washington in the distance. You can't beat the views along this ridge! We took a break on Lafayette just to soak it all in. The forecast for tonight and tomorrow call for rain so we were happy to have the clear views while we were on the ridge. We descended down Lafayette and then climbed Mt. Garfield (4500 feet). Just as we passed Garfield Ridge Campsite, we literally walked down a waterfall. Beautiful and slippery! We reached Galehead Hut and took a break before taking on the climb up South Twin. The trail literally shot up over 1100 feet in .7 miles before reaching the peak (4902 feet). The clouds were rolling in! We had 2 more miles to Guyot Shelter (plus a mile to the shelter on a side trail) and wanted to make it there before the rain. We continued on, reached the shelter, and set up camp just in time! It is supposed to rain through the night... I like the sound of rain on the tent, but I'm not big on dealing with wet stuff in the morning. Hopefully, we will stay dry along with most of our stuff! Today was another exhausting (15.8 miles), but beautiful day!
End: Guyot Shelter
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
SORE!!!! Is an understatement of how we felt when we woke up this morning! Everything from my fingers (from gripping my poles so tightly yesterday) to my toes was aching. The excitement I was feeling to hike Franconia Ridge (my favorite spot EVER!!!) seemed to ease the aching though. We packed up, checked out of the motel and got a ride to Franconia Notch. We climbed almost 3500 feet to Little Haystack Mountain (4800 feet). Walking across the ridge, we summitted Mt. Lincoln (5,089 feet) and Mt. Lafayette (5,259 feet). The views were amazing! Looking to the left, I could see the mountains we have come from and looking to the right were the mountains we were headed towards. Garfield, North and South Twin and the Presidentials stood tall in the shadow of Mt. Washington in the distance. You can't beat the views along this ridge! We took a break on Lafayette just to soak it all in. The forecast for tonight and tomorrow call for rain so we were happy to have the clear views while we were on the ridge. We descended down Lafayette and then climbed Mt. Garfield (4500 feet). Just as we passed Garfield Ridge Campsite, we literally walked down a waterfall. Beautiful and slippery! We reached Galehead Hut and took a break before taking on the climb up South Twin. The trail literally shot up over 1100 feet in .7 miles before reaching the peak (4902 feet). The clouds were rolling in! We had 2 more miles to Guyot Shelter (plus a mile to the shelter on a side trail) and wanted to make it there before the rain. We continued on, reached the shelter, and set up camp just in time! It is supposed to rain through the night... I like the sound of rain on the tent, but I'm not big on dealing with wet stuff in the morning. Hopefully, we will stay dry along with most of our stuff! Today was another exhausting (15.8 miles), but beautiful day!
End: Guyot Shelter
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
August 26, 2012
Start: Kinsman Notch, NH
We got an early start today since we had a 16.3 mile day planned. We were on the trail by 7:30 am and started the day with about an 800 foot climb over .7 miles. That woke me up better than any amount of coffee! We both felt great. The sun was shining, it was still cool, and we felt strong. We continued along a bumpy, gradually ascending 4 mile stretch to the peak of Mt. Wolf (3,478 feet). It's interesting how a 3000 foot mountain felt huge just a couple of weeks ago and now it feels like a warm up! We had a bumpy descent to Eliza Brook Shelter where we rested and ate lunch. After 45 minutes, we were ready to take on Kinsman Mountain. We had heard from numerous people that it was a tough, strenuous climb and didn't have quite the payoff that the Whites are known for, so I wasn't really looking forward to it. My mindset quickly changed though (sometimes I think I'm better off not hearing what others think about the trail that lies ahead of me). For almost a mile, the trail gradually ascended alongside Eliza Brook. There were beautiful waterfalls and small pools that formed beneath the falls. I love hiking to the sound of flowing water! After the trail left the brook, it shot UP! As we reached the end of the 2000 foot ascent, I found myself letting go of my poles to literally pull myself up and over ledges and rock faces. It slowed me down a bit, but it was fun. We reached the south peak (4,358 feet) and took a small break with Dangerfoot and a southbounder. Looking ahead to Kinsman Mountain North Peak, it seemed like a daunting climb, but it wasn't bad. We descended about 500 feet just to ascend 400 feet to the north peak (4,293 feet), but the view of the Franconia Ridge was spectacular. The tall mountains covered in green with peaks of granite shining in the sunlight literally left me speechless as I looked across at them. We've been on Franconia Ridge before, but I still can't believe we have walked here from West Virginia. Thoughts and pictures of our journey played in my mind in the same way the AT thru hike You Tube videos have played on my computer screen for years, but now the memories, the pictures, the happiness, the fulfillment were mine to revel in. We descended a steep 2.5 miles down rock faces, sometimes with wood blocks (placed by the maintenance crew for assistance), sometimes sitting and sliding down, and sometimes with a combination of careful hand and foot placement and a bit of luck. We reached Lonesome Lake Hut and took a break. Lonesome Lake is one of the two AMC huts we haven't been to yet, so we were excited to check it out. With 3 miles still to go and about 2 hours of day light left, we began our final descent (Whenever we are heading down at the end of the day, I literally say "We are beginning our final descent. Please place your trays and seats in the upright and locked position." It always makes us laugh). It was a nice gradual descent with patches of rock, a bunch of bog bridges and some stream and river crossings. The last crossing was a little tricky for me (the bridge had been washed out by Irene last year) but I made it across without falling in. Brian made it across easily before me and with his long legs, he made it seem so easy... I guess that's a second reason for his trail name along with his speed! When we finally reached the end of our day at Franconia Notch, we discovered that we had a .9 mile walk to the parking lot where the shuttle was picking us up. We were tired, but it was a paved bike trail so we figured it wouldn't be so bad. After .2 miles, we saw a sign pointing to a trail in the woods that said .6 miles to the parking lot. Back in the woods we went, walking quickly over rocks and roots in almost darkness (our headlamps were buried away and we were trying not to miss the shuttle). We reached the parking lot just in time for the shuttle! As we were getting in, we realized the paved bike path lead to the same place... Oh well! 16.3 miles may not be our longest day, but hiking those miles in the Whites definitely made it our toughest day yet. It was a great day, but we are both ready for a shower and food if we can get them in before our eyes close!
End: Franconia Notch, NH - Staying at The Carriage Motel in North Woodstock
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We got an early start today since we had a 16.3 mile day planned. We were on the trail by 7:30 am and started the day with about an 800 foot climb over .7 miles. That woke me up better than any amount of coffee! We both felt great. The sun was shining, it was still cool, and we felt strong. We continued along a bumpy, gradually ascending 4 mile stretch to the peak of Mt. Wolf (3,478 feet). It's interesting how a 3000 foot mountain felt huge just a couple of weeks ago and now it feels like a warm up! We had a bumpy descent to Eliza Brook Shelter where we rested and ate lunch. After 45 minutes, we were ready to take on Kinsman Mountain. We had heard from numerous people that it was a tough, strenuous climb and didn't have quite the payoff that the Whites are known for, so I wasn't really looking forward to it. My mindset quickly changed though (sometimes I think I'm better off not hearing what others think about the trail that lies ahead of me). For almost a mile, the trail gradually ascended alongside Eliza Brook. There were beautiful waterfalls and small pools that formed beneath the falls. I love hiking to the sound of flowing water! After the trail left the brook, it shot UP! As we reached the end of the 2000 foot ascent, I found myself letting go of my poles to literally pull myself up and over ledges and rock faces. It slowed me down a bit, but it was fun. We reached the south peak (4,358 feet) and took a small break with Dangerfoot and a southbounder. Looking ahead to Kinsman Mountain North Peak, it seemed like a daunting climb, but it wasn't bad. We descended about 500 feet just to ascend 400 feet to the north peak (4,293 feet), but the view of the Franconia Ridge was spectacular. The tall mountains covered in green with peaks of granite shining in the sunlight literally left me speechless as I looked across at them. We've been on Franconia Ridge before, but I still can't believe we have walked here from West Virginia. Thoughts and pictures of our journey played in my mind in the same way the AT thru hike You Tube videos have played on my computer screen for years, but now the memories, the pictures, the happiness, the fulfillment were mine to revel in. We descended a steep 2.5 miles down rock faces, sometimes with wood blocks (placed by the maintenance crew for assistance), sometimes sitting and sliding down, and sometimes with a combination of careful hand and foot placement and a bit of luck. We reached Lonesome Lake Hut and took a break. Lonesome Lake is one of the two AMC huts we haven't been to yet, so we were excited to check it out. With 3 miles still to go and about 2 hours of day light left, we began our final descent (Whenever we are heading down at the end of the day, I literally say "We are beginning our final descent. Please place your trays and seats in the upright and locked position." It always makes us laugh). It was a nice gradual descent with patches of rock, a bunch of bog bridges and some stream and river crossings. The last crossing was a little tricky for me (the bridge had been washed out by Irene last year) but I made it across without falling in. Brian made it across easily before me and with his long legs, he made it seem so easy... I guess that's a second reason for his trail name along with his speed! When we finally reached the end of our day at Franconia Notch, we discovered that we had a .9 mile walk to the parking lot where the shuttle was picking us up. We were tired, but it was a paved bike trail so we figured it wouldn't be so bad. After .2 miles, we saw a sign pointing to a trail in the woods that said .6 miles to the parking lot. Back in the woods we went, walking quickly over rocks and roots in almost darkness (our headlamps were buried away and we were trying not to miss the shuttle). We reached the parking lot just in time for the shuttle! As we were getting in, we realized the paved bike path lead to the same place... Oh well! 16.3 miles may not be our longest day, but hiking those miles in the Whites definitely made it our toughest day yet. It was a great day, but we are both ready for a shower and food if we can get them in before our eyes close!
End: Franconia Notch, NH - Staying at The Carriage Motel in North Woodstock
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Saturday, August 25, 2012
August 25, 2012
Start: Kinsman Notch, NH 112
Yesterday, Phatchapp recommended that we hike Moosilauke southbound. He said descending down the north side of the mountain can be dangerous, so that's what we decided to do. We took a shuttle to Kinsman Notch and started the 9.3 mile day with a 3000 foot climb. For the first 1.5 miles, we climbed alongside a beautiful, cascading waterfall. It was a steep, difficult, but fun climb! For the next .5 miles to the shelter, the trail climbed up part of the waterfall that was just trickling, but still slippery. We reached Beaver Brook Shelter and took a break. We were hoping some of the clouds burned off so we could have a view of Franconia Ridge from the shelter, but we were still in the clouds. Towards the end of the break though, we could see the faint outlines of the mountains that are in our near future. Intimidating, but beautiful. We continued up to the summit. The 2.3 miles from the shelter to the summit were not as steep. About .4 before the summit, we left tree cover. It finally felt like we were in the whites! We ate lunch at the summit (4,802 feet, our first 4000 footer of the trip), but with the lack of sun, I was cold. We only stayed about 30 minutes before we started the hike down. On the way down, Brian and I were talking about what we've taken away from our hikes. I think the two greatest lessons I've learned out here are to live in the moment and to simplify life. Before the trail, I was always planning 15 steps ahead of where I was or what I was doing. On the trail, I've learned to live in the moment and the rest will come. This really stood out the other day with the sheep. I knew we wanted to get them to their owner, but I dealt with the situation without worrying what I would do next. As we were walking them down the mountain, I wasn't worried about what we were going to do. That kind of thinking was not characteristic of pre-trail Heather, but it is of Flicka and will be of post-trail Heather. I know some things in life require planning, but I will live in the moment as much as possible, because I now realize that if I'm always steps ahead in my mind, I'm unable to appreciate where I am or what I'm doing at that moment. The other lesson that Flicka has taught Heather is that life is enjoyable when it is simplified. Having my basic needs met and spending time with those who I love are really what make me happy. Everything else is just "fluff," and while fluff is sometimes nice, it isn't necessary to my happiness.
Somewhere during our philosophical (and one of my favorite) conversation, we reached NH 25 in Glencliff and walked to the hostel, where we found Baltimore Jack! Baltimore Jack is a bit of a trail celebrity, being featured in many trail movies and books, and having completed 9!!!! thru hikes. We met him back at the Doyle in Duncannon, so we caught up for a bit before Phatchapp drove us back to the hotel. We REALLY enjoyed our day today. Mt. Moosilauke is a beautiful hike with amazing views!! Tomorrow, we have a big 16.3 mile day from Kinsman Notch to Franconia Notch so I am happy to be in a bed to rest up for that!!
End: NH 25, Glencliff, NH - Staying at the Carriage Motel in North Woodstock, NH
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Yesterday, Phatchapp recommended that we hike Moosilauke southbound. He said descending down the north side of the mountain can be dangerous, so that's what we decided to do. We took a shuttle to Kinsman Notch and started the 9.3 mile day with a 3000 foot climb. For the first 1.5 miles, we climbed alongside a beautiful, cascading waterfall. It was a steep, difficult, but fun climb! For the next .5 miles to the shelter, the trail climbed up part of the waterfall that was just trickling, but still slippery. We reached Beaver Brook Shelter and took a break. We were hoping some of the clouds burned off so we could have a view of Franconia Ridge from the shelter, but we were still in the clouds. Towards the end of the break though, we could see the faint outlines of the mountains that are in our near future. Intimidating, but beautiful. We continued up to the summit. The 2.3 miles from the shelter to the summit were not as steep. About .4 before the summit, we left tree cover. It finally felt like we were in the whites! We ate lunch at the summit (4,802 feet, our first 4000 footer of the trip), but with the lack of sun, I was cold. We only stayed about 30 minutes before we started the hike down. On the way down, Brian and I were talking about what we've taken away from our hikes. I think the two greatest lessons I've learned out here are to live in the moment and to simplify life. Before the trail, I was always planning 15 steps ahead of where I was or what I was doing. On the trail, I've learned to live in the moment and the rest will come. This really stood out the other day with the sheep. I knew we wanted to get them to their owner, but I dealt with the situation without worrying what I would do next. As we were walking them down the mountain, I wasn't worried about what we were going to do. That kind of thinking was not characteristic of pre-trail Heather, but it is of Flicka and will be of post-trail Heather. I know some things in life require planning, but I will live in the moment as much as possible, because I now realize that if I'm always steps ahead in my mind, I'm unable to appreciate where I am or what I'm doing at that moment. The other lesson that Flicka has taught Heather is that life is enjoyable when it is simplified. Having my basic needs met and spending time with those who I love are really what make me happy. Everything else is just "fluff," and while fluff is sometimes nice, it isn't necessary to my happiness.
Somewhere during our philosophical (and one of my favorite) conversation, we reached NH 25 in Glencliff and walked to the hostel, where we found Baltimore Jack! Baltimore Jack is a bit of a trail celebrity, being featured in many trail movies and books, and having completed 9!!!! thru hikes. We met him back at the Doyle in Duncannon, so we caught up for a bit before Phatchapp drove us back to the hotel. We REALLY enjoyed our day today. Mt. Moosilauke is a beautiful hike with amazing views!! Tomorrow, we have a big 16.3 mile day from Kinsman Notch to Franconia Notch so I am happy to be in a bed to rest up for that!!
End: NH 25, Glencliff, NH - Staying at the Carriage Motel in North Woodstock, NH
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
August 24, 2012
Start: Hexacuba Shelter
We hit the trail at 9 am for a 15.7 mile day to Glencliff, NH. Right away, we were climbing to the peak of Mt. Cube. We reached 3 or 4 false summits before finally reaching the real summit at 2,911 feet. We took a short snack break and continued down the mountain. The trail climbed Mt. Mist (2200 feet) and eventually reached NH 25 in Glencliff. The caretaker at the Welcome Hiker Hostel is Phatchapp. He gave us a ride to the Carriage Motel in North Woodstock. We got a room for 3 nights so we can do 2 days of slack packing. We finally did some laundry (it had been a while!) and ate at the Woodstock Inn. Tomorrow, we will take on the 4800 foot Moosilauke!!
End: NH 25, Glencliff, NH - Staying at Carriage Motel in North Woodstock
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We hit the trail at 9 am for a 15.7 mile day to Glencliff, NH. Right away, we were climbing to the peak of Mt. Cube. We reached 3 or 4 false summits before finally reaching the real summit at 2,911 feet. We took a short snack break and continued down the mountain. The trail climbed Mt. Mist (2200 feet) and eventually reached NH 25 in Glencliff. The caretaker at the Welcome Hiker Hostel is Phatchapp. He gave us a ride to the Carriage Motel in North Woodstock. We got a room for 3 nights so we can do 2 days of slack packing. We finally did some laundry (it had been a while!) and ate at the Woodstock Inn. Tomorrow, we will take on the 4800 foot Moosilauke!!
End: NH 25, Glencliff, NH - Staying at Carriage Motel in North Woodstock
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Friday, August 24, 2012
August 23, 2012
Start: Lyme-Dorchester Rd.
We finally pulled ourselves away from Hanover today. It is such a great town, so that's not an easy thing to do! We got a ride to the trail head on Lyme-Dorchester Rd where we left off. We immediately started climbing the 2100 feet up Smarts Mountain. At 2369 feet, we had beautiful views from Lamberts Ridge. We even saw the Smarts Mountain summit up ahead. The last mile of the climb was steep!! We even had rebar and a ladder to help climb the steep ledges! We reached the peak and took a lunch break. A group of Dartmouth students were out for a day hike, and we were also with thru hikers Purple Rain, Kazoo, Hashbrown, and Senator. After an hour, we started the descent down Smarts. The 3.9 mile descent seemed to go on forever, but was not as steep as the ascent. The end of our day was a 700 foot climb to the trail for Hexacuba shelter and then a .3 mile, steep climb to the shelter! We are here tonight with a bunch of section hikers, and thru hikers, Purple Rain, Kazoo, Hashbrown, Senator, Sweet Potato, and Gowser.
Today was only a 9.1 mile day but with all the elevation changes, it felt much longer. I love being on NH trail though! There are some beautiful views that come along with the climbs!
End: Hexacuba Shelter
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We finally pulled ourselves away from Hanover today. It is such a great town, so that's not an easy thing to do! We got a ride to the trail head on Lyme-Dorchester Rd where we left off. We immediately started climbing the 2100 feet up Smarts Mountain. At 2369 feet, we had beautiful views from Lamberts Ridge. We even saw the Smarts Mountain summit up ahead. The last mile of the climb was steep!! We even had rebar and a ladder to help climb the steep ledges! We reached the peak and took a lunch break. A group of Dartmouth students were out for a day hike, and we were also with thru hikers Purple Rain, Kazoo, Hashbrown, and Senator. After an hour, we started the descent down Smarts. The 3.9 mile descent seemed to go on forever, but was not as steep as the ascent. The end of our day was a 700 foot climb to the trail for Hexacuba shelter and then a .3 mile, steep climb to the shelter! We are here tonight with a bunch of section hikers, and thru hikers, Purple Rain, Kazoo, Hashbrown, Senator, Sweet Potato, and Gowser.
Today was only a 9.1 mile day but with all the elevation changes, it felt much longer. I love being on NH trail though! There are some beautiful views that come along with the climbs!
End: Hexacuba Shelter
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
August 21, 2012
Start: Lyme-Dorchester Rd., Lyme, NH
Since we love this hotel so much (the Six South Street Hotel is a beautiful, luxurious hotel that gives hikers a rate of $99 rather than the usual $199 and up rate) and to give Brian another day of hiking without his full pack, we devised a way to do another slack packing day. The end point of the day was a trail head on a remote gravel road and the taxi company was not sure of its location, so we decided to start there and hike south bound for the day. This way, I would be able to give directions to the driver using my phone. The taxi picked us up at 9:30 am and we started our 13.7 mile day at 10:00 am. The first two miles to Grafton Turnpike were relatively flat. We were surrounded by lush, green flora. The NH trail never seems to disappoint with its beauty. Just as we crossed Grafton Turnpike, a man got out of his car and asked us to hold up. Longstride is a local fellow hiker who goes to different trail heads and offers trail magic. He handed us each a cookie bar (graham crackers, chocolate chips, and coconut) that he had baked and wished is well. So nice!!! We started the nearly 1200 foot climb to Holts Ledge. There was a precipitous drop off and unbelievable views of the mountains around us. We continued on and just as we started our descent, we saw a bunch of moose scat. A couple of hundred feet down the trail, I heard a rustle in the woods, looked up and saw something brown run down the hill. It seemed smaller than what you would expect for a moose and didn't have antlers, but I thought I had just spotted a baby moose. I turned to Brian and said "Moose! Moose!" Just then, Brian saw a second one. We started to look up the hill to look for the mother, but didn't see anything. As we walked, we talked about how the animals seemed small and seemed to have bushier hair than a moose, but I was convinced that those were just characteristics of young moose. Brian thought that maybe they were sheep. Of course I made fun of him since sheep are not indigenous to the NH woods. Well, as we walked a little further the animals had stopped to eat and they were... SHEEP! The two brown sheep were grazing on the brush on the side of the trail. We continued to walk toward them and when we were about 5 feet away, they turned and started walking down the trail. They had tags on their ears so I knew they belonged to someone. I wasn't sure what we were going to do with them, but there was a road not too far away so our plan was to get them there and then figure out what to do. We followed the sheep for almost two miles!! They even hiked over the bog bridges!! When we were about 100 feet from the road, I saw a woman and her dog at the trail head. The dog started towards us so I yelled, "There are sheep here!". I didn't want the dog to scare the sheep because we were going to attempt to call the police to see if anyone had reported them missing. The woman replied, "Those are my sheep!" The woman's name is Becky and it turns out that the two sheep, Annabelle and Chocolate Chip, jumped the fence and got out two nights ago!! Becky, her husband, Jeff, and their friend and co-owner of the sheep, Bruce, have been searching for the sheep for days, but figured at this point they must have fallen victim to a bear or a coyote. She was so relieved to see the sheep were alive and healthy! Since I didn't have cell service, Becky rode her bike to a house down the road to use their phone, while Brian and I kept an eye on the sheep and her dog, Prudy. She returned and told us that her husband was on his way. A little while later, Jeff and Bruce arrived. Now the challenge was how to get the sheep to their house. There were six adults now (a friend of Bruce's came to help) so we decided to approach the sheep, who were laying in the brush, from six angles. We started to close in on them and as we got closer, the sheep tried to bolt. Jeff practically dove to grab onto their wool because once you grab them, they are very docile and don't fight. He grabbed them and quickly the five of us helped grab them too. We picked them up (sheep are much lighter than they look!!) and put them in the back of Bruce's van. Layla, Jeff and Becky's 9 year old daughter, was so happy to have her sheep rescued. She kept thanking us. We went back to Jeff and Becky's house and helped get the sheep in their pen (with a higher fence!). We spent about an hour talking to everyone and then Becky offered to drive us back to Hanover. What an adventure!!! How many AT hikers can say they have hiked 2 miles with 2 sheep?!?! We must have been quite the sight... Two hikers herding two sheep down a mountain! It seems that there is always an adventure out here! We had a great day! Not only did Brian's ankle hold up well on bigger ascents and descents, but we also saved two sheep an met an amazing family and made new friends!!!
End: Etna-Hanover Center Road
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Since we love this hotel so much (the Six South Street Hotel is a beautiful, luxurious hotel that gives hikers a rate of $99 rather than the usual $199 and up rate) and to give Brian another day of hiking without his full pack, we devised a way to do another slack packing day. The end point of the day was a trail head on a remote gravel road and the taxi company was not sure of its location, so we decided to start there and hike south bound for the day. This way, I would be able to give directions to the driver using my phone. The taxi picked us up at 9:30 am and we started our 13.7 mile day at 10:00 am. The first two miles to Grafton Turnpike were relatively flat. We were surrounded by lush, green flora. The NH trail never seems to disappoint with its beauty. Just as we crossed Grafton Turnpike, a man got out of his car and asked us to hold up. Longstride is a local fellow hiker who goes to different trail heads and offers trail magic. He handed us each a cookie bar (graham crackers, chocolate chips, and coconut) that he had baked and wished is well. So nice!!! We started the nearly 1200 foot climb to Holts Ledge. There was a precipitous drop off and unbelievable views of the mountains around us. We continued on and just as we started our descent, we saw a bunch of moose scat. A couple of hundred feet down the trail, I heard a rustle in the woods, looked up and saw something brown run down the hill. It seemed smaller than what you would expect for a moose and didn't have antlers, but I thought I had just spotted a baby moose. I turned to Brian and said "Moose! Moose!" Just then, Brian saw a second one. We started to look up the hill to look for the mother, but didn't see anything. As we walked, we talked about how the animals seemed small and seemed to have bushier hair than a moose, but I was convinced that those were just characteristics of young moose. Brian thought that maybe they were sheep. Of course I made fun of him since sheep are not indigenous to the NH woods. Well, as we walked a little further the animals had stopped to eat and they were... SHEEP! The two brown sheep were grazing on the brush on the side of the trail. We continued to walk toward them and when we were about 5 feet away, they turned and started walking down the trail. They had tags on their ears so I knew they belonged to someone. I wasn't sure what we were going to do with them, but there was a road not too far away so our plan was to get them there and then figure out what to do. We followed the sheep for almost two miles!! They even hiked over the bog bridges!! When we were about 100 feet from the road, I saw a woman and her dog at the trail head. The dog started towards us so I yelled, "There are sheep here!". I didn't want the dog to scare the sheep because we were going to attempt to call the police to see if anyone had reported them missing. The woman replied, "Those are my sheep!" The woman's name is Becky and it turns out that the two sheep, Annabelle and Chocolate Chip, jumped the fence and got out two nights ago!! Becky, her husband, Jeff, and their friend and co-owner of the sheep, Bruce, have been searching for the sheep for days, but figured at this point they must have fallen victim to a bear or a coyote. She was so relieved to see the sheep were alive and healthy! Since I didn't have cell service, Becky rode her bike to a house down the road to use their phone, while Brian and I kept an eye on the sheep and her dog, Prudy. She returned and told us that her husband was on his way. A little while later, Jeff and Bruce arrived. Now the challenge was how to get the sheep to their house. There were six adults now (a friend of Bruce's came to help) so we decided to approach the sheep, who were laying in the brush, from six angles. We started to close in on them and as we got closer, the sheep tried to bolt. Jeff practically dove to grab onto their wool because once you grab them, they are very docile and don't fight. He grabbed them and quickly the five of us helped grab them too. We picked them up (sheep are much lighter than they look!!) and put them in the back of Bruce's van. Layla, Jeff and Becky's 9 year old daughter, was so happy to have her sheep rescued. She kept thanking us. We went back to Jeff and Becky's house and helped get the sheep in their pen (with a higher fence!). We spent about an hour talking to everyone and then Becky offered to drive us back to Hanover. What an adventure!!! How many AT hikers can say they have hiked 2 miles with 2 sheep?!?! We must have been quite the sight... Two hikers herding two sheep down a mountain! It seems that there is always an adventure out here! We had a great day! Not only did Brian's ankle hold up well on bigger ascents and descents, but we also saved two sheep an met an amazing family and made new friends!!!
End: Etna-Hanover Center Road
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
August 20, 2012
Start: Hanover, NH - Dartmouth College
Today we decided to set out for a 5.8 slack pack to test Brian's ankle on the trail, but not before we ate our free donut from Lou's Bakery and our free bagel from Bagel Basement (Best hiker town!!). The first .7 miles were a road walk through town. The trail out of Hanover is beautiful! Very green and covered in pine needles in a lot of places. We hiked through an area known as Velvet Rocks. I don't know if it was just this section of trail, being in NH, or just that we hadn't been on trail in a few days, but I just felt like I was surrounded by incredible beauty. About a half mile before Etna-Hanover Center Rd., where we planned to hitch back into town, we met Ann and her dog, Abby, on the trail. Abby is a black lab and when she ran at me with Ann out of sight around a corner, my brain initially thought, Bear! Abby was far from a bear though. She covered me in kisses while we talked to Ann about the trail. She asked questions about our journey and then offered to drive us back to Hanover. The people in NH are just amazing! It was a great, short day and Brian's ankle felt good. There were a bunch of short ups and downs so we were happy he felt so good. Tomorrow, we will tackle some bigger climbs.
End: Etna-Hanover Center Rd., Etna, NH - stayed at Six South Street Hotel in Hanover, NH
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Today we decided to set out for a 5.8 slack pack to test Brian's ankle on the trail, but not before we ate our free donut from Lou's Bakery and our free bagel from Bagel Basement (Best hiker town!!). The first .7 miles were a road walk through town. The trail out of Hanover is beautiful! Very green and covered in pine needles in a lot of places. We hiked through an area known as Velvet Rocks. I don't know if it was just this section of trail, being in NH, or just that we hadn't been on trail in a few days, but I just felt like I was surrounded by incredible beauty. About a half mile before Etna-Hanover Center Rd., where we planned to hitch back into town, we met Ann and her dog, Abby, on the trail. Abby is a black lab and when she ran at me with Ann out of sight around a corner, my brain initially thought, Bear! Abby was far from a bear though. She covered me in kisses while we talked to Ann about the trail. She asked questions about our journey and then offered to drive us back to Hanover. The people in NH are just amazing! It was a great, short day and Brian's ankle felt good. There were a bunch of short ups and downs so we were happy he felt so good. Tomorrow, we will tackle some bigger climbs.
End: Etna-Hanover Center Rd., Etna, NH - stayed at Six South Street Hotel in Hanover, NH
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Monday, August 20, 2012
Pictures!!!!!
Check out Brian's blog for new pictures!!!!
www.appalachiantrail-daddylonglegs.blogspot.com
www.appalachiantrail-daddylonglegs.blogspot.com
Sunday, August 19, 2012
August 19, 2012
Start: Bromley Sun Lodge, VT (VT 11/ VT 30 on the AT)
Since Brian sprained his ankle, we have been at the Bromley Sun Lodge just outside of Manchester Center, VT. He has been resting it in hopes that he can hike on it soon. Today, we made the decision to shuttle ahead to Norwich, VT so that we would be able to finish our journey with our favorite part, the Whites. If we had more time before work, we would have continued from Manchester Center, but we couldn't let this trip end without a Mt. Washington climb. Once we arrived in Norwich, VT, we walked the 1.5 mile road walk (still part of the AT) into Hanover, NH. Just as we paused to take our picture on the bridge over the Connecticut River where the VT/NH border is, we were greeted by Sandy. There was a kayaking event (PowerPaddlers) going on for suicide prevention. Sandy is a volunteer who was standing on the bridge watching her husband paddle. After taking a picture for us, she gave us great big hugs and told us we are such an inspiration to her. She then walked with us to the end of the bridge, telling all the people around,"They're AT hikers!" Everyone congratulated us and wished us well on the rest of our trek. What a way to enter NH!!! As we parted ways with Sandy, she told us that hiking the AT is on her bucket list. I know she'll do it! Once we reached Hanover, it felt surreal. We've been here before, but we've never walked here (well, mostly walked). So many times we have seen thru-hikers or long distance section hikers in this town (and other towns), always wanting to do what they were doing. Now, we ARE doing it. So surreal. For the last two months, we've been looking forward to walking into NH and today, we finally did. We ate lunch at a great restaurant, visited the couple of outfitters and now are just relaxing in the middle of town. Later, we will get our free piece of pizza that the local pizzeria gives hikers and tomorrow, our free bagel that the bagel store gives hikers. What an awesome town!!! Brian's ankle held up well on the road walk into town, so we are looking to hike out tomorrow. With rocks and roots, we will have to take it slow, but with an average of 10.2 miles a day, we will make it to Gorham, NH by our end date.
End: Hanover, NH
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Since Brian sprained his ankle, we have been at the Bromley Sun Lodge just outside of Manchester Center, VT. He has been resting it in hopes that he can hike on it soon. Today, we made the decision to shuttle ahead to Norwich, VT so that we would be able to finish our journey with our favorite part, the Whites. If we had more time before work, we would have continued from Manchester Center, but we couldn't let this trip end without a Mt. Washington climb. Once we arrived in Norwich, VT, we walked the 1.5 mile road walk (still part of the AT) into Hanover, NH. Just as we paused to take our picture on the bridge over the Connecticut River where the VT/NH border is, we were greeted by Sandy. There was a kayaking event (PowerPaddlers) going on for suicide prevention. Sandy is a volunteer who was standing on the bridge watching her husband paddle. After taking a picture for us, she gave us great big hugs and told us we are such an inspiration to her. She then walked with us to the end of the bridge, telling all the people around,"They're AT hikers!" Everyone congratulated us and wished us well on the rest of our trek. What a way to enter NH!!! As we parted ways with Sandy, she told us that hiking the AT is on her bucket list. I know she'll do it! Once we reached Hanover, it felt surreal. We've been here before, but we've never walked here (well, mostly walked). So many times we have seen thru-hikers or long distance section hikers in this town (and other towns), always wanting to do what they were doing. Now, we ARE doing it. So surreal. For the last two months, we've been looking forward to walking into NH and today, we finally did. We ate lunch at a great restaurant, visited the couple of outfitters and now are just relaxing in the middle of town. Later, we will get our free piece of pizza that the local pizzeria gives hikers and tomorrow, our free bagel that the bagel store gives hikers. What an awesome town!!! Brian's ankle held up well on the road walk into town, so we are looking to hike out tomorrow. With rocks and roots, we will have to take it slow, but with an average of 10.2 miles a day, we will make it to Gorham, NH by our end date.
End: Hanover, NH
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Friday, August 17, 2012
August 15, 2012
Start: Stratton-Arlington Rd
At 8 am, No Whistle, Brian and I took a taxi to the gravel road we left yesterday. Our day started with a 3 mile, 1700 foot climb up Stratton Mountain. We were slack packing today, so we flew up the mountain and reached the summit in a little over an hour. At 3,936 feet, we were in the clouds. There is an observation tower at the peak, so we climbed another 55 feet up the staircase and had amazing views of the mountains and valleys that surround us. Beautiful! After about a half hour, we were starting to get cold so we continued on. The descent felt like it took no time, even though it was another 3 miles down. When We came off the mountain, we sat at Stratton Pond Shelter for a short snack break. It was noon and we had another 10.7 miles on relatively easy terrain so we were happy. About .1 miles after we left the shelter, Brian rolled his ankle on a rock. It instantly started swelling and it seemed pretty painful. We were quite a ways from the road, so Brian and I took it slowly while No Whistle continued on. I was happy we were slack packing because we only had one pack between the two of us so I carried the pack for the rest of the day. We finally reached the road and there were some forest service workers who were nice enough to give us a ride. We went to the hospital to have Brian's ankle looked at. Luckily, it isn't broken, but he has a bad sprain. The doctor advised him to rest for a few days.
After getting this news, we contemplated coming home, but we aren't ready to end our adventure. Looking at pictures of the amazing trail that lies ahead, particularly the Whites, we are excited to continue. We are taking a few days off near Manchester Center, VT for Brian to rest.
With two weeks left, the end is starting to sink in. I'm concerned about my transition back into everyday life. It's incredible how easy it was to simplify my life to the basics: walking, eating, and sleeping. Things like a bed, laundry, pure water, and being dry seem like luxuries. One would think that the thought of my own bed every night, any type of food and drink when I want it, TV, car, and, showers would be enough to lure me home. As much as I miss my family and friends, my cats, and my home, my heart, my spirit is home when I'm on the trail.
End: VT 11/ VT 30, Manchester Center, VT
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
At 8 am, No Whistle, Brian and I took a taxi to the gravel road we left yesterday. Our day started with a 3 mile, 1700 foot climb up Stratton Mountain. We were slack packing today, so we flew up the mountain and reached the summit in a little over an hour. At 3,936 feet, we were in the clouds. There is an observation tower at the peak, so we climbed another 55 feet up the staircase and had amazing views of the mountains and valleys that surround us. Beautiful! After about a half hour, we were starting to get cold so we continued on. The descent felt like it took no time, even though it was another 3 miles down. When We came off the mountain, we sat at Stratton Pond Shelter for a short snack break. It was noon and we had another 10.7 miles on relatively easy terrain so we were happy. About .1 miles after we left the shelter, Brian rolled his ankle on a rock. It instantly started swelling and it seemed pretty painful. We were quite a ways from the road, so Brian and I took it slowly while No Whistle continued on. I was happy we were slack packing because we only had one pack between the two of us so I carried the pack for the rest of the day. We finally reached the road and there were some forest service workers who were nice enough to give us a ride. We went to the hospital to have Brian's ankle looked at. Luckily, it isn't broken, but he has a bad sprain. The doctor advised him to rest for a few days.
After getting this news, we contemplated coming home, but we aren't ready to end our adventure. Looking at pictures of the amazing trail that lies ahead, particularly the Whites, we are excited to continue. We are taking a few days off near Manchester Center, VT for Brian to rest.
With two weeks left, the end is starting to sink in. I'm concerned about my transition back into everyday life. It's incredible how easy it was to simplify my life to the basics: walking, eating, and sleeping. Things like a bed, laundry, pure water, and being dry seem like luxuries. One would think that the thought of my own bed every night, any type of food and drink when I want it, TV, car, and, showers would be enough to lure me home. As much as I miss my family and friends, my cats, and my home, my heart, my spirit is home when I'm on the trail.
End: VT 11/ VT 30, Manchester Center, VT
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
August 14, 2012
Start: Kid Gore Shelter
We woke up to a beautiful view this morning! The shelter faces mountains with a lake in the distance and watching the sun come up over the mountains was gorgeous. I caught glimpses of the beauty between falling back asleep. I was really tired since the sound of squeaky, scampering mice had me up most of the night. We moved slow this morning, taking in the view and allowed Brian to walk around on his foot. We hiked out around 11 am and had a 500 foot climb to start the day. After 4.6 miles, we stopped at Story Spring Shelter for lunch. The spring water at this shelter was delicious!! It's amazing how much I appreciate cold, fresh, pure water! It was cold enough for Brian to use to "ice" his foot. We hung out for about an hour in the shelter to avoid the rain. While we were there, Miles Supertramp and Carver caught up to us again! We were happy to have the rest of our trail family back! After 3.8 miles we crossed a gravel road. Brian's foot was hurting and it was still threatening rain so I worked my town magic. We found a taxi that was available to take us to a motel about 20 miles away, but since they were from another town, it was going to cost $120!! I saw a mini van driving down the dirt road in the middle of nowhere and figured this was the perfect chance to put my yogi-ing (asking for something without actually asking for it) skills to work. I waved the van down and asked them if the road was closed in the direction they came from (the taxi had said the road was closed from that direction due to Hurricane Irene and that is why the price was so much). They said that it was and asked if we needed a ride. I explained that we had a taxi coming and why I asked them about the road closure. Their response... "Jump on in. We'll give you a ride!" I called to cancel the taxi and this awesome couple and their 3 kids drove us 3 very smelly hikers 23 miles to the motel!!! We couldn't thank them enough!!! Tonight, it is supposed to rain and thunderstorm so Brian, No Whistle and I are happy to be indoors after our 8.4 mile day.
End: Stratton-Arlington Road, VT - staying at Bromley Sun Lodge
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We woke up to a beautiful view this morning! The shelter faces mountains with a lake in the distance and watching the sun come up over the mountains was gorgeous. I caught glimpses of the beauty between falling back asleep. I was really tired since the sound of squeaky, scampering mice had me up most of the night. We moved slow this morning, taking in the view and allowed Brian to walk around on his foot. We hiked out around 11 am and had a 500 foot climb to start the day. After 4.6 miles, we stopped at Story Spring Shelter for lunch. The spring water at this shelter was delicious!! It's amazing how much I appreciate cold, fresh, pure water! It was cold enough for Brian to use to "ice" his foot. We hung out for about an hour in the shelter to avoid the rain. While we were there, Miles Supertramp and Carver caught up to us again! We were happy to have the rest of our trail family back! After 3.8 miles we crossed a gravel road. Brian's foot was hurting and it was still threatening rain so I worked my town magic. We found a taxi that was available to take us to a motel about 20 miles away, but since they were from another town, it was going to cost $120!! I saw a mini van driving down the dirt road in the middle of nowhere and figured this was the perfect chance to put my yogi-ing (asking for something without actually asking for it) skills to work. I waved the van down and asked them if the road was closed in the direction they came from (the taxi had said the road was closed from that direction due to Hurricane Irene and that is why the price was so much). They said that it was and asked if we needed a ride. I explained that we had a taxi coming and why I asked them about the road closure. Their response... "Jump on in. We'll give you a ride!" I called to cancel the taxi and this awesome couple and their 3 kids drove us 3 very smelly hikers 23 miles to the motel!!! We couldn't thank them enough!!! Tonight, it is supposed to rain and thunderstorm so Brian, No Whistle and I are happy to be indoors after our 8.4 mile day.
End: Stratton-Arlington Road, VT - staying at Bromley Sun Lodge
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
August 13, 2012
Start: VT 9, Bennington, VT
Daddy Long Legs, No Whistle, and I finally escaped Bennington after 3 zeros. On our first zero and for half of the second zero, we spent time with Brian's parents. It was so great to see them! Thanks guys for coming all the way up to Vermont to see us! When they came, they brought the pack I had purchased before we left. The pack is an Osprey Aura 50 so it is lighter and smaller than my Gregory Jade 60. I love my Gregory pack, but I wanted to downsize before we left. Unfortunately, all of my stuff didn't fit in the Osprey, but now that I have sent home a lot of stuff I realized I didn't need, the Osprey is perfect!
We intended to leave town yesterday, but the three of us were so tired and or bodies were screaming for more rest so we took the zero. It was the best zero! We woke up, ate breakfast, took a nap, showered, went to the movies and watched The Campaign (very funny!), went in the indoor pool and hot tub, went to Chilis for dinner and relaxed some more!
Today, it was time to put some miles in! We took a taxi to the trail head on Rt. 9, where we had left the trail. Almost the entire day was uphill! After 2.6 miles, we were up on the ridge which was a gradual uphill until Goddard Shelter at 3,573 feet. We took about an hour break and then continued 4.3 miles to Kid Gore Shelter where we are spending the night. At least most of the last 4.3 miles were downhill. About a mile into it, Brian rolled his right ankle/foot on a rock/root. We took it slow getting into camp. I wrapped his foot for him and he is elevating it. Hopefully, it will feel better in the morning. We have a big day with Stratton Mountain at the end.
We are sleeping in Kid Gore Shelter tonight. There is a beautiful view of mountains and a lake in the distance. The shelter has bunks in it, which is good because I can already hear mice scampering around. Yuck! We were going to tent, but there aren't any good tenting spots available. I guess that's the trade off for being in a mountainous spot with great views! Today was a great 14.4 mile day!
End: Kid Gore Shelter
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Daddy Long Legs, No Whistle, and I finally escaped Bennington after 3 zeros. On our first zero and for half of the second zero, we spent time with Brian's parents. It was so great to see them! Thanks guys for coming all the way up to Vermont to see us! When they came, they brought the pack I had purchased before we left. The pack is an Osprey Aura 50 so it is lighter and smaller than my Gregory Jade 60. I love my Gregory pack, but I wanted to downsize before we left. Unfortunately, all of my stuff didn't fit in the Osprey, but now that I have sent home a lot of stuff I realized I didn't need, the Osprey is perfect!
We intended to leave town yesterday, but the three of us were so tired and or bodies were screaming for more rest so we took the zero. It was the best zero! We woke up, ate breakfast, took a nap, showered, went to the movies and watched The Campaign (very funny!), went in the indoor pool and hot tub, went to Chilis for dinner and relaxed some more!
Today, it was time to put some miles in! We took a taxi to the trail head on Rt. 9, where we had left the trail. Almost the entire day was uphill! After 2.6 miles, we were up on the ridge which was a gradual uphill until Goddard Shelter at 3,573 feet. We took about an hour break and then continued 4.3 miles to Kid Gore Shelter where we are spending the night. At least most of the last 4.3 miles were downhill. About a mile into it, Brian rolled his right ankle/foot on a rock/root. We took it slow getting into camp. I wrapped his foot for him and he is elevating it. Hopefully, it will feel better in the morning. We have a big day with Stratton Mountain at the end.
We are sleeping in Kid Gore Shelter tonight. There is a beautiful view of mountains and a lake in the distance. The shelter has bunks in it, which is good because I can already hear mice scampering around. Yuck! We were going to tent, but there aren't any good tenting spots available. I guess that's the trade off for being in a mountainous spot with great views! Today was a great 14.4 mile day!
End: Kid Gore Shelter
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Saturday, August 11, 2012
August 9, 2012
Start: MA 2, North Adams, MA
Why is leaving town at a reasonable time always so difficult??? We were excited to get on the trail but we still got off to a late start. After we packed up and ate breakfast, we stopped at Subway to get sandwiches to pack out. Brian and I met up with No Whistle and EMT and stuck out our thumbs. With 4 of us, we thought it might be difficult to get a ride so Brian and I walked a little bit down the road to hitch separately, but just after we separated, a nice guy on his way to work pulled over for all 4 of us! We started the day with a 1500 foot climb over 2.7 miles. The last part of the climb was up a steep boulder "wall." After that climb, the trail continued on the ridge for about 4 miles, during which we crossed the border into Vermont! Our 8TH state! We stopped at Seth Warner Shelter for about 30 minutes and ate our subs. Packing out Subway was a great idea! There was a 700 foot climb from the shelter and then a few bumps with a small descent to another ridge. We reached Congdon Shelter at 6:30 pm, took a short 20 minute snack break and continued on. We had 4.2 miles to VT 9 and planned to stay in Bennington. We knew it would get dark so we got our head lamps ready. The first 3.2 miles included 3 small elevation ups and downs. As the sun set, we turned our head lamps on and all of my senses seemed to be heightened. Night hiking is an exciting adventure. By the time we reached the 700 foot steep descent over 0.8 miles, it was DARK out. We took the descent slowly and were happy to see it was made up mostly of rock steps. There was a large tree that had fallen across the trail, which added some extra excitement to the evening. My knee began to ache on the way down and at one point, I came down on my right leg just to have it give out completely. I fell, but landed very gracefully in a seated position on a rock step. First full fall of the hike. Once we finally reached the road, I called a taxi. We thought that was a better idea than trying to hitch 6 miles in the dark. Once again I was able to use my skills to get the taxi driver to make a stop at McDonalds before taking us to the hotel. We ended the night with yummy food, a shower, and a bed. Tomorrow, Brian's parents will be visiting us and we will enjoy a double zero relaxing with them. Overall, today was a great 18.4 mile day!
End: VT 9, Bennington, VT - Best Western
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Why is leaving town at a reasonable time always so difficult??? We were excited to get on the trail but we still got off to a late start. After we packed up and ate breakfast, we stopped at Subway to get sandwiches to pack out. Brian and I met up with No Whistle and EMT and stuck out our thumbs. With 4 of us, we thought it might be difficult to get a ride so Brian and I walked a little bit down the road to hitch separately, but just after we separated, a nice guy on his way to work pulled over for all 4 of us! We started the day with a 1500 foot climb over 2.7 miles. The last part of the climb was up a steep boulder "wall." After that climb, the trail continued on the ridge for about 4 miles, during which we crossed the border into Vermont! Our 8TH state! We stopped at Seth Warner Shelter for about 30 minutes and ate our subs. Packing out Subway was a great idea! There was a 700 foot climb from the shelter and then a few bumps with a small descent to another ridge. We reached Congdon Shelter at 6:30 pm, took a short 20 minute snack break and continued on. We had 4.2 miles to VT 9 and planned to stay in Bennington. We knew it would get dark so we got our head lamps ready. The first 3.2 miles included 3 small elevation ups and downs. As the sun set, we turned our head lamps on and all of my senses seemed to be heightened. Night hiking is an exciting adventure. By the time we reached the 700 foot steep descent over 0.8 miles, it was DARK out. We took the descent slowly and were happy to see it was made up mostly of rock steps. There was a large tree that had fallen across the trail, which added some extra excitement to the evening. My knee began to ache on the way down and at one point, I came down on my right leg just to have it give out completely. I fell, but landed very gracefully in a seated position on a rock step. First full fall of the hike. Once we finally reached the road, I called a taxi. We thought that was a better idea than trying to hitch 6 miles in the dark. Once again I was able to use my skills to get the taxi driver to make a stop at McDonalds before taking us to the hotel. We ended the night with yummy food, a shower, and a bed. Tomorrow, Brian's parents will be visiting us and we will enjoy a double zero relaxing with them. Overall, today was a great 18.4 mile day!
End: VT 9, Bennington, VT - Best Western
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
August 8, 2012
Start: MA 8, Cheshire, MA
We woke up excited today! We were going to be over 3000 feet for our first time this trip! The plan was to do a 14.1 mile slack pack up and over Mount Greylock. EMT, No Whistle, Brian and I headed out to get a 10 mile hitch back to where we left the trail. Within the first 3 minutes a car pulled over with a mother and daughter. The four of us squeezed in the back and they took us all the way back to the trail. The 7.7 miles up the mountain were a nice gradual climb with some short steep climbs mixed in. EMT walked far ahead while No Whistle, Brian and I walked together. I was hiking without a pack and I felt as though I was floating and gliding down the trail. Brian and I reached the summit of Greylock in 2 hours and 50 minutes. It was a gorgeous day so we climbed up the observation tower and had views of the Catskill, Adirondack, Taconic, and Green Mountain ranges. Stratton Mountain stood tall in the distance proudly displaying the climb we will face in a few days. We spent about 2 hours at the summit eating lunch and talking with lots of other hikers, both northbound and southbound. At 3pm we began the 6.3 mile descent to North Adams. It started gradual but the last 3 miles were steep, descending over 1500 feet in elevation. We reached MA 2 and stuck out our thumbs. Two nice women in a Prius pulled over about 100 feet in front of us and backed up all the way to where we were standing. They told us to jump in and they took us back to town. It was a beautiful day on a great trail up a tall mountain with gorgeous views. Amazing!
End: MA 2, North Adams, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We woke up excited today! We were going to be over 3000 feet for our first time this trip! The plan was to do a 14.1 mile slack pack up and over Mount Greylock. EMT, No Whistle, Brian and I headed out to get a 10 mile hitch back to where we left the trail. Within the first 3 minutes a car pulled over with a mother and daughter. The four of us squeezed in the back and they took us all the way back to the trail. The 7.7 miles up the mountain were a nice gradual climb with some short steep climbs mixed in. EMT walked far ahead while No Whistle, Brian and I walked together. I was hiking without a pack and I felt as though I was floating and gliding down the trail. Brian and I reached the summit of Greylock in 2 hours and 50 minutes. It was a gorgeous day so we climbed up the observation tower and had views of the Catskill, Adirondack, Taconic, and Green Mountain ranges. Stratton Mountain stood tall in the distance proudly displaying the climb we will face in a few days. We spent about 2 hours at the summit eating lunch and talking with lots of other hikers, both northbound and southbound. At 3pm we began the 6.3 mile descent to North Adams. It started gradual but the last 3 miles were steep, descending over 1500 feet in elevation. We reached MA 2 and stuck out our thumbs. Two nice women in a Prius pulled over about 100 feet in front of us and backed up all the way to where we were standing. They told us to jump in and they took us back to town. It was a beautiful day on a great trail up a tall mountain with gorgeous views. Amazing!
End: MA 2, North Adams, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
August 7, 2012
Start: Dalton, MA
As is normally the case when leaving the town, the trail went straight up first thing this morning. We climbed almost 1000 feet and then walked along the bumpy ridge. 6.2 miles in we had a gorgeous view of the Hoosic River Valley and Mt Greylock from high outcroppings of marble called The Cobbles. The trail then descended into the town of Cheshire, MA. We were walking with No Whistle and EMT and just as I walked past a tree, it fell down with a thunderous BOOM!!! I narrowly escaped getting hit in the head with a tree as everyone else yelled, "WATCH OUT!!!!!" Crazy!!! After that scare we decided to stop for what we thought would be a quick lunch. We only ordered sodas and a few appetizers but it took FOREVER!! By the time we left it was over two hours later at 4:15 pm. The original plan for the day was to climb up Mt Greylock but now we wouldn't be able to summit it until around 10 pm tonight. The four of us decided to call it quits for the day after 8.8 miles and save Greylock for tomorrow. It was a short day, but after yesterday's 19 mile day, my legs don't mind. We are staying in North Adams tonight so we had to hitch 10 miles to the town. My pretty hitching thumb (as Brian likes to call it) worked well again and I was able to get us there in one hitch within 10 minutes. Thank you Derek! Tomorrow we will start in Cheshire and walk over Greylock into North Adams. Looking forward to the views!!!
End: MA 8, Cheshire, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
As is normally the case when leaving the town, the trail went straight up first thing this morning. We climbed almost 1000 feet and then walked along the bumpy ridge. 6.2 miles in we had a gorgeous view of the Hoosic River Valley and Mt Greylock from high outcroppings of marble called The Cobbles. The trail then descended into the town of Cheshire, MA. We were walking with No Whistle and EMT and just as I walked past a tree, it fell down with a thunderous BOOM!!! I narrowly escaped getting hit in the head with a tree as everyone else yelled, "WATCH OUT!!!!!" Crazy!!! After that scare we decided to stop for what we thought would be a quick lunch. We only ordered sodas and a few appetizers but it took FOREVER!! By the time we left it was over two hours later at 4:15 pm. The original plan for the day was to climb up Mt Greylock but now we wouldn't be able to summit it until around 10 pm tonight. The four of us decided to call it quits for the day after 8.8 miles and save Greylock for tomorrow. It was a short day, but after yesterday's 19 mile day, my legs don't mind. We are staying in North Adams tonight so we had to hitch 10 miles to the town. My pretty hitching thumb (as Brian likes to call it) worked well again and I was able to get us there in one hitch within 10 minutes. Thank you Derek! Tomorrow we will start in Cheshire and walk over Greylock into North Adams. Looking forward to the views!!!
End: MA 8, Cheshire, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Monday, August 6, 2012
August 6, 2012
Start: US 20, Lee, MA - Berkshire Lakeside Lodge
The day started at 9:20 am with a 700 foot gradual climb. The weather today was absolutely perfect. It was 80 degrees, low humidity and there was a nice breeze blowing. Once we were on the ridge, we stayed there for most of the day. We took a short break after 5.3 miles and talked to two day hikers from Brooklyn. The "Cookie Lady" was only 4.2 miles away and I was ready for some cookies, so we got started again. The Cookie Lady is a women who makes chocolate chip cookies for hikers for free and also allows hikers to tent in her yard. She also sells blueberries that you can pick yourself, hard boiled eggs, soda, and ice cream. We took a 40 minute break and enjoyed some soda and snacks. No Whistle was there when we arrived so we hiked out together. It was time to conquer an additional 9 miles to make it a total of 19 miles today. Our biggest day yet! The trail continued to follow the ridge with a few minor climbs until it was time to descend into Dalton, MA. We reached the town at 7:45 pm and had achieved our 19 mile day. We were hungry and celebrated our day with a delicious dinner. Now we are showered and exhausted.
Today was another amazing day on the trail. As the wind blew in my face and I felt the warmth of the sun shining on me, all I could think was how lucky I am to be out here experiencing this! We saw 2 garden snakes, many orange newts, walked a beautiful part of the trail, and were treated like royalty by complete strangers. I'm not sure a day could be better. I'm starting to get a bit nervous about my transition back into "normal life." Six weeks ago, September 1st seemed so far away. Now, it appears to be quickly approaching. I do miss my friends, family, kitties, and bed, but this trail life is exactly what my wild spirit craves. It will be hard to leave the trail. For now though, I will live in the present and enjoy each day, not worrying about the future. Living in the present moment is another trail lesson I have learned.
End: Dalton, MA - Shamrock Village Inn
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
The day started at 9:20 am with a 700 foot gradual climb. The weather today was absolutely perfect. It was 80 degrees, low humidity and there was a nice breeze blowing. Once we were on the ridge, we stayed there for most of the day. We took a short break after 5.3 miles and talked to two day hikers from Brooklyn. The "Cookie Lady" was only 4.2 miles away and I was ready for some cookies, so we got started again. The Cookie Lady is a women who makes chocolate chip cookies for hikers for free and also allows hikers to tent in her yard. She also sells blueberries that you can pick yourself, hard boiled eggs, soda, and ice cream. We took a 40 minute break and enjoyed some soda and snacks. No Whistle was there when we arrived so we hiked out together. It was time to conquer an additional 9 miles to make it a total of 19 miles today. Our biggest day yet! The trail continued to follow the ridge with a few minor climbs until it was time to descend into Dalton, MA. We reached the town at 7:45 pm and had achieved our 19 mile day. We were hungry and celebrated our day with a delicious dinner. Now we are showered and exhausted.
Today was another amazing day on the trail. As the wind blew in my face and I felt the warmth of the sun shining on me, all I could think was how lucky I am to be out here experiencing this! We saw 2 garden snakes, many orange newts, walked a beautiful part of the trail, and were treated like royalty by complete strangers. I'm not sure a day could be better. I'm starting to get a bit nervous about my transition back into "normal life." Six weeks ago, September 1st seemed so far away. Now, it appears to be quickly approaching. I do miss my friends, family, kitties, and bed, but this trail life is exactly what my wild spirit craves. It will be hard to leave the trail. For now though, I will live in the present and enjoy each day, not worrying about the future. Living in the present moment is another trail lesson I have learned.
End: Dalton, MA - Shamrock Village Inn
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
August 5, 2012
Start: US 20, Lee, MA - Berkshire Lakeside Lodge
The weather for today was calling for severe thunderstorms but we planned to hike out anyway. That quickly changed when No Whistle, Miles Supertramp, and Carver were hanging out for the day and when we found out the price for a second night for hikers was $30. A zero it was. This was definitely the best zero we've had on the trail. It all started the night before when Miles, Brian, and No Whistle wanted Chinese and Carver and I wanted McDonalds. I first called McDonalds and asked if they would deliver to hungry hikers for a good tip. The answer was no. Next idea... Order Chinese and ask them if they will make a stop at McDonalds. Success! Everyone in the room doubted my ability to get this done, but I proved them wrong. The next morning, the shenanigans continued. No Whistle and I wanted to go to town to do laundry and resupply. We were going to hitch the 5 miles into town, but Diana, the motel owner offered to give us a ride in. Thank you Diana! We did some much needed laundry and then went to Rite Aid to resupply some food. While we were waiting for laundry to be done, we decided to go to McDonalds. Our packs were full with heavy loads from Rite Aid so we put them in a shopping cart and wheeled them to McDonalds. We must have been quite the sight. The looks we received from the cars driving by were hysterical, but they were nothing compared to the look that the 5 year old girl inside Mickey D's gave us when we wheeled the cart inside. Lunch was delicious and then it was time to get our laundry. When we were done, I asked a guy who appeared to be nice if he would drive us to the motel. It turned out he is a hiker and was happy to help us out. Once back at the hotel, a nap was next on the "To Do" list. We relaxed for the rest of the day and for dinner we all enjoyed pizza together. Brian, Miles and I all took kayaks out on the lake. I had my feet hanging over the side contemplating a swim, but I must have contemplated too far and I capsized the kayak. Swimming it was! After the sun went down and the nearly full moon came out, we decided to do some night canoeing and swimming. We had an awesome time! The reflection of the mountains and the moon on the flat water was amazing. I'm glad we took this zero because we really had a great time with our trail family, shared many laughs, and created memories that will last forever. Tomorrow is a big 19 mile day, so bed time it is.
End: US 20, Lee, MA - Berkshire Lakeside Lodge
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
The weather for today was calling for severe thunderstorms but we planned to hike out anyway. That quickly changed when No Whistle, Miles Supertramp, and Carver were hanging out for the day and when we found out the price for a second night for hikers was $30. A zero it was. This was definitely the best zero we've had on the trail. It all started the night before when Miles, Brian, and No Whistle wanted Chinese and Carver and I wanted McDonalds. I first called McDonalds and asked if they would deliver to hungry hikers for a good tip. The answer was no. Next idea... Order Chinese and ask them if they will make a stop at McDonalds. Success! Everyone in the room doubted my ability to get this done, but I proved them wrong. The next morning, the shenanigans continued. No Whistle and I wanted to go to town to do laundry and resupply. We were going to hitch the 5 miles into town, but Diana, the motel owner offered to give us a ride in. Thank you Diana! We did some much needed laundry and then went to Rite Aid to resupply some food. While we were waiting for laundry to be done, we decided to go to McDonalds. Our packs were full with heavy loads from Rite Aid so we put them in a shopping cart and wheeled them to McDonalds. We must have been quite the sight. The looks we received from the cars driving by were hysterical, but they were nothing compared to the look that the 5 year old girl inside Mickey D's gave us when we wheeled the cart inside. Lunch was delicious and then it was time to get our laundry. When we were done, I asked a guy who appeared to be nice if he would drive us to the motel. It turned out he is a hiker and was happy to help us out. Once back at the hotel, a nap was next on the "To Do" list. We relaxed for the rest of the day and for dinner we all enjoyed pizza together. Brian, Miles and I all took kayaks out on the lake. I had my feet hanging over the side contemplating a swim, but I must have contemplated too far and I capsized the kayak. Swimming it was! After the sun went down and the nearly full moon came out, we decided to do some night canoeing and swimming. We had an awesome time! The reflection of the mountains and the moon on the flat water was amazing. I'm glad we took this zero because we really had a great time with our trail family, shared many laughs, and created memories that will last forever. Tomorrow is a big 19 mile day, so bed time it is.
End: US 20, Lee, MA - Berkshire Lakeside Lodge
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Saturday, August 4, 2012
August 4, 2012
Start: Shaker Campsite, MA
Another great day in the trail life of Flicka. We woke up at 7:10 and were out of camp at 8:20. The trail was flat initially, but quickly gave us a 500 foot climb and descent. Three miles into the day, a trail maintenance crew was out and one of the maintainers, Mother Nature, gave us delicious cookies from a bakery in Great Barrington! Yeah!! Thank you Mother Nature!! The trail magic has been amazing in New England! Those cookies gave us some energy for the almost 1000 foot climb that followed. Once we reached the peak of Baldy Mountain, the trail continued with some small ups and downs. After 10 miles we reached the .5 mile blue blazed trail to Upper Goose Pond. What a hiker haven! The cabin is awesome and the caretakers (Bonnie, Rob, and Max) were great. We enjoyed a couple of hours there and then we moved on. It was 1.6 miles to the road where there was a motel 0.1 miles from the trail and delivery pizza. Last night, I had trouble falling asleep because of thoughts of pizza so we were happy to be able to get some. No Whistle was at Upper Goose Pond Cabin, so she also hiked down for a shower and pizza. Miles Supertramp and Carver are also here tonight. I'm thinking it will be a great night with great company to follow a great day of hiking.
End: US 20, Lee, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Another great day in the trail life of Flicka. We woke up at 7:10 and were out of camp at 8:20. The trail was flat initially, but quickly gave us a 500 foot climb and descent. Three miles into the day, a trail maintenance crew was out and one of the maintainers, Mother Nature, gave us delicious cookies from a bakery in Great Barrington! Yeah!! Thank you Mother Nature!! The trail magic has been amazing in New England! Those cookies gave us some energy for the almost 1000 foot climb that followed. Once we reached the peak of Baldy Mountain, the trail continued with some small ups and downs. After 10 miles we reached the .5 mile blue blazed trail to Upper Goose Pond. What a hiker haven! The cabin is awesome and the caretakers (Bonnie, Rob, and Max) were great. We enjoyed a couple of hours there and then we moved on. It was 1.6 miles to the road where there was a motel 0.1 miles from the trail and delivery pizza. Last night, I had trouble falling asleep because of thoughts of pizza so we were happy to be able to get some. No Whistle was at Upper Goose Pond Cabin, so she also hiked down for a shower and pizza. Miles Supertramp and Carver are also here tonight. I'm thinking it will be a great night with great company to follow a great day of hiking.
End: US 20, Lee, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
August 3, 2012
Start: MA 23, Great Barrington, MA
We had a late start this morning (usual for leaving a town). Once we were packed up, we ate lunch at Subway with Miles Supertramp. After lunch, we ran some errands on our way out of town. As we walked up to where US 7 and MA 23 meet (we thought this would be the best place to hitch a ride back to the trail), everyone seemed to want to talk to us about the trail. Earlier in the morning, I had already spoken to a man at the hotel who was asking about the trail. He told me he could see my love for the trail all over my face. Another older man at the hotel asked, "Why would you want to walk that far?" Now as we walked through town, our waitress from last night, a lady walking to the bakery, a landscaper, and a delivery man for Rite Aid all asked us about the trail and wished us well. As we continued down the main street, a car swerved to the side, causing the car behind her to beep at her. She rolled down the window, asked where we were going, and told us to jump in. Unsolicited rides = trail magic! The lady who picked us up, known as Shamrock on the trail, hiked 175 miles of the trail in 2008 and now spends many of her mornings bringing ice cold water to Guilder Pond Picnic Area for hikers. Turns out, we drank her water just the other day! Thank you Shamrock for the water AND the ride! We started at 11:50 and climbed 500 feet. The trail continued with a gradual ascent and of course, some pointless ups and downs. After 3.3 miles, we reached Mt Wilcox South Shelters. We checked out the new shelter and took a short break. When we were leaving the shelter, another hiker was taking a break in the middle of the trail. Trying to step around him caused Brian to fall. When he got up, he had a large scrape on his forearm. While I was concerned and wondering if he was ok, he was more concerned with getting a picture of the new battle wound. Boys! 1.8 miles later we reached Mt Wilcox North Shelter. We took another short break. We planned to do 9.1 miles today, so we were in no rush. A mile after the shelter we reached East Brook and filled up on water. Massachusetts has been pretty dry and we wanted to make sure we had enough water for the remainder of the day and for the start of tomorrow. We had 2.8 miles left with our heavy, water filled packs. We had to descend about 900 feet in a little more than a mile. There was also a 200 foot climb and extra descent thrown in there... That's how the AT rolls. : ) On the way down to the campsite, the forest surrounded us with lush, green ferns and these beautiful tall grasses. The switchbacks traversed through the beautiful green and before we knew it, we had reached the campsite. We are staying at Shakers Campsite and it is a great spot. There are tent platforms, which means no sloped sleeping tonight. Today was a short day, but a great day. Tomorrow, we will hike 10 miles to Upper Goose Pond Cabin. I've read and heard so much about the cabin and how amazing it is so I am very excited!
End: Shakers Campsite, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We had a late start this morning (usual for leaving a town). Once we were packed up, we ate lunch at Subway with Miles Supertramp. After lunch, we ran some errands on our way out of town. As we walked up to where US 7 and MA 23 meet (we thought this would be the best place to hitch a ride back to the trail), everyone seemed to want to talk to us about the trail. Earlier in the morning, I had already spoken to a man at the hotel who was asking about the trail. He told me he could see my love for the trail all over my face. Another older man at the hotel asked, "Why would you want to walk that far?" Now as we walked through town, our waitress from last night, a lady walking to the bakery, a landscaper, and a delivery man for Rite Aid all asked us about the trail and wished us well. As we continued down the main street, a car swerved to the side, causing the car behind her to beep at her. She rolled down the window, asked where we were going, and told us to jump in. Unsolicited rides = trail magic! The lady who picked us up, known as Shamrock on the trail, hiked 175 miles of the trail in 2008 and now spends many of her mornings bringing ice cold water to Guilder Pond Picnic Area for hikers. Turns out, we drank her water just the other day! Thank you Shamrock for the water AND the ride! We started at 11:50 and climbed 500 feet. The trail continued with a gradual ascent and of course, some pointless ups and downs. After 3.3 miles, we reached Mt Wilcox South Shelters. We checked out the new shelter and took a short break. When we were leaving the shelter, another hiker was taking a break in the middle of the trail. Trying to step around him caused Brian to fall. When he got up, he had a large scrape on his forearm. While I was concerned and wondering if he was ok, he was more concerned with getting a picture of the new battle wound. Boys! 1.8 miles later we reached Mt Wilcox North Shelter. We took another short break. We planned to do 9.1 miles today, so we were in no rush. A mile after the shelter we reached East Brook and filled up on water. Massachusetts has been pretty dry and we wanted to make sure we had enough water for the remainder of the day and for the start of tomorrow. We had 2.8 miles left with our heavy, water filled packs. We had to descend about 900 feet in a little more than a mile. There was also a 200 foot climb and extra descent thrown in there... That's how the AT rolls. : ) On the way down to the campsite, the forest surrounded us with lush, green ferns and these beautiful tall grasses. The switchbacks traversed through the beautiful green and before we knew it, we had reached the campsite. We are staying at Shakers Campsite and it is a great spot. There are tent platforms, which means no sloped sleeping tonight. Today was a short day, but a great day. Tomorrow, we will hike 10 miles to Upper Goose Pond Cabin. I've read and heard so much about the cabin and how amazing it is so I am very excited!
End: Shakers Campsite, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Thursday, August 2, 2012
August 2, 2012
Start: US 7, Great Barrington, MA
Another awesome day! We had decided last night that we would do the 8.4 miles between US 7 and MA 23 and spend the night in Great Barrington again. Since we would be staying at the same place, we just hiked with water and some snacks in our packs... They were super light and I feel spoiled now. We walked out to the road at 9:50 and we were able to get a hitch back to the trail within 5 minutes. As if that wasn't fantastic enough, there was a cooler with ice cold sodas in it at the trail head!! We each took one to drink at the top of East Mountain. The first 1.4 miles were mostly flat and went in between corn fields and tree cover. The next 2.9 miles went UP though... Over 1000 feet! As we were climbing, I just about put my foot down on a baby garden snake. As soon as it slithered out of the way, I made a high pitched, girly, horse neighing type of sound. I'm not sure what the sound was, but we both got a good laugh from it. We reached the peak of East Mountain at 1800 feet and had an awesome view. It was so clear that we could even see Mount Greylock (the highest point in MA about 50 miles away) where we will be in a few days. As we sat admiring the view, enjoying the shade, cool breeze, and pepsis, a golden eagle flew right over us making loud shrieking sounds. So beautiful! After about 40 minutes we decided to get going again. There were some ups and downs along the ridge, but none were over 100 feet high. We came to the Tom Leonard Shelter where we met Castaway and Kleenex. We talked for a few minutes and then continued on. The last two miles were a nice gradual downhill on soft pine needles. My favorite! I was so happy that I couldn't help but sing again (sorry, Wenk!). I started with the usual, "Part of Your World" from "The Little Mermaid," but then I wrote my own lyrics and it went something like this... "There was a hiker and he was fast, Brian was his name-o, B-R-I-A-N, B-R-I-A-N, B-R-I-A-N, and Brian was his name-o. As I continued to sing, I replaced the letters with a clank of my trekking poles rather than with a clap. Brian said that I must have reached a new level of boredom, but I think I was just enjoying the day so much I felt like singing. We reached MA 23 and within 5 cars we got a hitch back to Great Barrington. There is a car show going on in town today with a lot of traffic, so we had the trail angel drop us off at the start of town and we walked to our hotel. The word to describe today would be PERFECT! Two easy hitches, trail magic soda, an amazing view, slack packing (not carrying all your gear with you when you will end up at the same place you started), and some great laughs.
End: MA 23, Great Barrington, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Another awesome day! We had decided last night that we would do the 8.4 miles between US 7 and MA 23 and spend the night in Great Barrington again. Since we would be staying at the same place, we just hiked with water and some snacks in our packs... They were super light and I feel spoiled now. We walked out to the road at 9:50 and we were able to get a hitch back to the trail within 5 minutes. As if that wasn't fantastic enough, there was a cooler with ice cold sodas in it at the trail head!! We each took one to drink at the top of East Mountain. The first 1.4 miles were mostly flat and went in between corn fields and tree cover. The next 2.9 miles went UP though... Over 1000 feet! As we were climbing, I just about put my foot down on a baby garden snake. As soon as it slithered out of the way, I made a high pitched, girly, horse neighing type of sound. I'm not sure what the sound was, but we both got a good laugh from it. We reached the peak of East Mountain at 1800 feet and had an awesome view. It was so clear that we could even see Mount Greylock (the highest point in MA about 50 miles away) where we will be in a few days. As we sat admiring the view, enjoying the shade, cool breeze, and pepsis, a golden eagle flew right over us making loud shrieking sounds. So beautiful! After about 40 minutes we decided to get going again. There were some ups and downs along the ridge, but none were over 100 feet high. We came to the Tom Leonard Shelter where we met Castaway and Kleenex. We talked for a few minutes and then continued on. The last two miles were a nice gradual downhill on soft pine needles. My favorite! I was so happy that I couldn't help but sing again (sorry, Wenk!). I started with the usual, "Part of Your World" from "The Little Mermaid," but then I wrote my own lyrics and it went something like this... "There was a hiker and he was fast, Brian was his name-o, B-R-I-A-N, B-R-I-A-N, B-R-I-A-N, and Brian was his name-o. As I continued to sing, I replaced the letters with a clank of my trekking poles rather than with a clap. Brian said that I must have reached a new level of boredom, but I think I was just enjoying the day so much I felt like singing. We reached MA 23 and within 5 cars we got a hitch back to Great Barrington. There is a car show going on in town today with a lot of traffic, so we had the trail angel drop us off at the start of town and we walked to our hotel. The word to describe today would be PERFECT! Two easy hitches, trail magic soda, an amazing view, slack packing (not carrying all your gear with you when you will end up at the same place you started), and some great laughs.
End: MA 23, Great Barrington, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
August 1, 2012
Start: Sages Ravine Campsite, MA
Today was a hard, long, great day! We did 14.6 miles but it felt much longer with the two big climbs and long, rocky descents we had. We started the day at 8:40 am from the campsite. Walking along the stream in the ravine was beautiful. We were surrounded by rich green, lush flora and the sound of the moving water was calming and captivating. Great way to start the day. We then started the climb up Mount Race and reached the summit and beautiful views at 2365 feet. The walk along the ridge was our first exposed ridge of the trip and the views were worth the climb. In true AT fashion, we descended 400 feet just to climb 700 feet up Mount Everett. It was a steep climb up ledges with the peak reaching 2602 feet. Just before the peak a bird pooped on the back of my neck. Brian was already at the top so I had to wait until I got there for him to wipe it off me. They say it's good luck... Maybe I should go play the lotto?!?! We had a quick snack at the top and then continued on. At the Guilder Pond Picnic Area at the bottom of the mountain, an awesome trail angel left ICE COLD water for thru hikers!! It is incredible how being out here on the trail really makes you appreciate the simple things in life like ice cold water. We hiked on through the afternoon and met up with Miles Supertramp, one of our favorite trail friends. We hiked the remainder of the day with him, enjoying views from Jug End and eventually the relatively flat trail into Great Barrington. Once we reached the road, it took less than 5 minutes of holding out my thumb for a pick up truck to pull over. The three of us loaded into the back for the 3 miles into town. My favorite part of today (aside from the bird poop, of course) was seeing such diverse, beautiful landscapes in 14.6 miles. We started the day in a lush ravine, then climbed into an alpine zone with awesome views and an exposed ridge, then back down into the woods, up into an alpine zone again, down into a cornfield, into a dense red pine forest, through a swamp (the mosquitoes were vicious!), through some more fields, and finally into town. How many people get to experience such varied flora and fauna in one day?!? We decided to spend the night in Great Barrington since we earned it with hiking this time. Miles is staying in town too so the three of us indulged in some delicious town food. We are ready for a good night sleep now!
End: US 7, Great Barrington, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Today was a hard, long, great day! We did 14.6 miles but it felt much longer with the two big climbs and long, rocky descents we had. We started the day at 8:40 am from the campsite. Walking along the stream in the ravine was beautiful. We were surrounded by rich green, lush flora and the sound of the moving water was calming and captivating. Great way to start the day. We then started the climb up Mount Race and reached the summit and beautiful views at 2365 feet. The walk along the ridge was our first exposed ridge of the trip and the views were worth the climb. In true AT fashion, we descended 400 feet just to climb 700 feet up Mount Everett. It was a steep climb up ledges with the peak reaching 2602 feet. Just before the peak a bird pooped on the back of my neck. Brian was already at the top so I had to wait until I got there for him to wipe it off me. They say it's good luck... Maybe I should go play the lotto?!?! We had a quick snack at the top and then continued on. At the Guilder Pond Picnic Area at the bottom of the mountain, an awesome trail angel left ICE COLD water for thru hikers!! It is incredible how being out here on the trail really makes you appreciate the simple things in life like ice cold water. We hiked on through the afternoon and met up with Miles Supertramp, one of our favorite trail friends. We hiked the remainder of the day with him, enjoying views from Jug End and eventually the relatively flat trail into Great Barrington. Once we reached the road, it took less than 5 minutes of holding out my thumb for a pick up truck to pull over. The three of us loaded into the back for the 3 miles into town. My favorite part of today (aside from the bird poop, of course) was seeing such diverse, beautiful landscapes in 14.6 miles. We started the day in a lush ravine, then climbed into an alpine zone with awesome views and an exposed ridge, then back down into the woods, up into an alpine zone again, down into a cornfield, into a dense red pine forest, through a swamp (the mosquitoes were vicious!), through some more fields, and finally into town. How many people get to experience such varied flora and fauna in one day?!? We decided to spend the night in Great Barrington since we earned it with hiking this time. Miles is staying in town too so the three of us indulged in some delicious town food. We are ready for a good night sleep now!
End: US 7, Great Barrington, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
July 31, 2012
Start: Falls Village, CT
Today was great day!! We took a shuttle from Great Barrington to where we left the trail in Falls Village at 9:30 and started hiking at 10. Right away we saw some gorgeous waterfalls! There was a beautiful stealth camping site right beside the falls, but it was way too early to stop. We hiked up and over Prospect Mountain and out to a field with a beautiful field of mountain ridges in the distance. We reached Cobble Rd. in Salisbury, CT, which was 8 miles away, in 2 hours and 55 minutes! We sat on a bench that was just off the road at the entrance to a housing complex and ate lunch and dried our feet out. We then continued on for the 3 climbs that were coming this afternoon. The first was right away and was 400 feet. At the top, we ran into Miles Supertramp who we met back in PA. He is an awesome guy and we really enjoy talking with him. We caught up a bit and then climbed about 500 ft. up Lions Head. There was a stunning view from the top. The climbs are starting to have some playoffs in New England! After Lions Head, there were 2 miles of gradual climbing before we reached the 500 ft. climb up Bear Mountain. This climb reminded me of some of the climbs in the Whites because it had a lot of ledges and the trees were dwarfed as we reached the summit. The climb was just much shorter than those in the Whites. At the top, there was a rock observation tower. We sat there for a while enjoying the view from the highest point in Connecticut. We walked down a very steep .4 miles descent and then a gradual descent of .4 miles in to Sages Ravine and into Massachusetts. Sages Ravine is beautiful! We can hear the streams flowing and we are camping at the campsite which is full of the deepest greens and richest red pine needles. We did 15.1 miles today and I feel great. The time off definitely helped my feet and now I'm ready to get some miles in!
Having such a pain free day allowed me to really pay attention to my thoughts and to the beauty around me. So many times today I felt so lucky to be out here doing this with Brian and to be experiencing these moments with him and with the trail. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow!
End: Sages Ravine Campsite, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Today was great day!! We took a shuttle from Great Barrington to where we left the trail in Falls Village at 9:30 and started hiking at 10. Right away we saw some gorgeous waterfalls! There was a beautiful stealth camping site right beside the falls, but it was way too early to stop. We hiked up and over Prospect Mountain and out to a field with a beautiful field of mountain ridges in the distance. We reached Cobble Rd. in Salisbury, CT, which was 8 miles away, in 2 hours and 55 minutes! We sat on a bench that was just off the road at the entrance to a housing complex and ate lunch and dried our feet out. We then continued on for the 3 climbs that were coming this afternoon. The first was right away and was 400 feet. At the top, we ran into Miles Supertramp who we met back in PA. He is an awesome guy and we really enjoy talking with him. We caught up a bit and then climbed about 500 ft. up Lions Head. There was a stunning view from the top. The climbs are starting to have some playoffs in New England! After Lions Head, there were 2 miles of gradual climbing before we reached the 500 ft. climb up Bear Mountain. This climb reminded me of some of the climbs in the Whites because it had a lot of ledges and the trees were dwarfed as we reached the summit. The climb was just much shorter than those in the Whites. At the top, there was a rock observation tower. We sat there for a while enjoying the view from the highest point in Connecticut. We walked down a very steep .4 miles descent and then a gradual descent of .4 miles in to Sages Ravine and into Massachusetts. Sages Ravine is beautiful! We can hear the streams flowing and we are camping at the campsite which is full of the deepest greens and richest red pine needles. We did 15.1 miles today and I feel great. The time off definitely helped my feet and now I'm ready to get some miles in!
Having such a pain free day allowed me to really pay attention to my thoughts and to the beauty around me. So many times today I felt so lucky to be out here doing this with Brian and to be experiencing these moments with him and with the trail. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow!
End: Sages Ravine Campsite, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Monday, July 30, 2012
July 29-30, 2012
Start: Great Barrington, MA
The plan was to hike out on the 30th, but my toe was still oozing and hurting the night of the 29th so we decided to take one more day. Up until now, I've taken a day to let my foot rest but have hiked out before it was fully healed. I keep having to take off after every few days of hiking, which is becoming very frustrating. I thought if I took off an extra day and then hiked with the new boots and the toe sock liners, my toe will be better shape! Tomorrow, we will hike and I'm excited to get out there. Sitting in town for more than a day makes me feel stagnant.
End: Great Barrington, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
The plan was to hike out on the 30th, but my toe was still oozing and hurting the night of the 29th so we decided to take one more day. Up until now, I've taken a day to let my foot rest but have hiked out before it was fully healed. I keep having to take off after every few days of hiking, which is becoming very frustrating. I thought if I took off an extra day and then hiked with the new boots and the toe sock liners, my toe will be better shape! Tomorrow, we will hike and I'm excited to get out there. Sitting in town for more than a day makes me feel stagnant.
End: Great Barrington, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Saturday, July 28, 2012
July 28, 2012
Start: Inn at Iron Masters, Salisbury, CT
The one good thing about our injuries is that we tend to coordinate them with the really bad, rainy days! It poured almost all day today. We started the day in Salisbury, but the plan was to go to Great Barrington, MA to stay while my foot heals (since the hotels are much cheaper and we are able to stay in the middle of the town). We got some awesome trail magic today! Originally, we planned to take a shuttle to MA, but my high school bio teacher is spending the weekend at his cabin in MA and offered to pick us up and bring us to Great Barrington!! How awesome!! He picked us up and we enjoyed a great lunch talking about the trail, all of our hiking experiences, and just catching up. It was an awesome way to spend the afternoon!
Just a side note about Mr. Wenk... He isn't your typical teacher. He's that kind of teacher that you remember forever. The kind of teacher that creates memories you remember for a lifetime. In fact, he is the reason I love hiking. As a high school senior, he brought our class on a 17 mile, overnight hike (on the Long Island Greebelt Trail). Since that trip, I have loved hiking. Wenk, I know you're reading this so thank you. Not just for driving us today and for lunch, but for teaching me lessons in and out of the classroom and for giving me the opportunity to have experiences that have changed my life. You are the best!
Tomorrow, we will take another day in town. I am hoping to be back on the trail on Monday... I miss the rocks, the climbs, and the filth!
End: Great Barrington, MA for the night but our hike will start from Falls Village, CT
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
The one good thing about our injuries is that we tend to coordinate them with the really bad, rainy days! It poured almost all day today. We started the day in Salisbury, but the plan was to go to Great Barrington, MA to stay while my foot heals (since the hotels are much cheaper and we are able to stay in the middle of the town). We got some awesome trail magic today! Originally, we planned to take a shuttle to MA, but my high school bio teacher is spending the weekend at his cabin in MA and offered to pick us up and bring us to Great Barrington!! How awesome!! He picked us up and we enjoyed a great lunch talking about the trail, all of our hiking experiences, and just catching up. It was an awesome way to spend the afternoon!
Just a side note about Mr. Wenk... He isn't your typical teacher. He's that kind of teacher that you remember forever. The kind of teacher that creates memories you remember for a lifetime. In fact, he is the reason I love hiking. As a high school senior, he brought our class on a 17 mile, overnight hike (on the Long Island Greebelt Trail). Since that trip, I have loved hiking. Wenk, I know you're reading this so thank you. Not just for driving us today and for lunch, but for teaching me lessons in and out of the classroom and for giving me the opportunity to have experiences that have changed my life. You are the best!
Tomorrow, we will take another day in town. I am hoping to be back on the trail on Monday... I miss the rocks, the climbs, and the filth!
End: Great Barrington, MA for the night but our hike will start from Falls Village, CT
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
July 27, 2012
Start: Inn at Iron Masters, Salisbury, CT
So the storms were not nearly as bad as they predicted in this area last night. I was happy to be in town though. I was in pain with my foot for most of the night. The worst pain yet and I wasn't even walking! This morning I decided it was time to go to the doctor. The blisters that are all over my right pinkie toe are infected! The doctor gave me some antibiotics and asked, "Are you planning to continue this hike?" The obvious answer was, "Yes !" He smirked, obviously knowing it would take more than a few infected blisters to take an AT hiker off the trail, and said, "You need to rest these feet for a few days." I was feeling a bit frustrated by this, but hopeful that the few days rest and the toe sock liners with the new boots will make for a pain free second half of our trip. Once we got back to the hotel, we relaxed for a bit until the BEST part of the day. My best friend, Christina, and her husband, Chris, came to visit us! As soon as she got out of the car, the first thing I noticed was how "Incredible" (that's the name of the perfume I wear at home and she had it on) she smelled!! The four of us and No Whistle went to dinner at the Black Rabbit. It was amazing to spend time with Chris and Christina! Thanks for coming to visit us you two!
Tomorrow, we will be going into Great Barrington, MA to stay while I heal. As beautiful as northwestern Connecticut is, it is really expensive. Great Barrington has less expensive hotel rooms and more things in town. We will take a taxi back to Falls Village to hike, hopefully on Monday.
End: Inn at Iron Masters, Salisbury, CT
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
So the storms were not nearly as bad as they predicted in this area last night. I was happy to be in town though. I was in pain with my foot for most of the night. The worst pain yet and I wasn't even walking! This morning I decided it was time to go to the doctor. The blisters that are all over my right pinkie toe are infected! The doctor gave me some antibiotics and asked, "Are you planning to continue this hike?" The obvious answer was, "Yes !" He smirked, obviously knowing it would take more than a few infected blisters to take an AT hiker off the trail, and said, "You need to rest these feet for a few days." I was feeling a bit frustrated by this, but hopeful that the few days rest and the toe sock liners with the new boots will make for a pain free second half of our trip. Once we got back to the hotel, we relaxed for a bit until the BEST part of the day. My best friend, Christina, and her husband, Chris, came to visit us! As soon as she got out of the car, the first thing I noticed was how "Incredible" (that's the name of the perfume I wear at home and she had it on) she smelled!! The four of us and No Whistle went to dinner at the Black Rabbit. It was amazing to spend time with Chris and Christina! Thanks for coming to visit us you two!
Tomorrow, we will be going into Great Barrington, MA to stay while I heal. As beautiful as northwestern Connecticut is, it is really expensive. Great Barrington has less expensive hotel rooms and more things in town. We will take a taxi back to Falls Village to hike, hopefully on Monday.
End: Inn at Iron Masters, Salisbury, CT
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Thursday, July 26, 2012
July 26, 2012
Start: West Cornwall Road, West Cornwall, CT
We woke up at 6:30 this morning to a bad forecast. There was already a thunderstorm going on outside and the forecast was calling for more storms with high winds, hail, and thunder and lightening. The meteorologist said there would be a clearing in between the two storms so we decided to put some miles in. We packed up and got a ride to the road we started at, pack covers and rain jackets on. We started with about a 500 foot climb during which we squeezed between two huge boulders. It was a fun climb. No Whistle and I hiked together again while Brian was way ahead. He was so fast... It must have been the Red Bull he had with breakfast. I hear that stuff gives you wings. We had a lot of slight ups and downs today but the trail was kind. It usually provided gradual inclines and even some soft pine needle covered dirt. The only hazard were the wet rocks. No Whistle fell and the rest of us had many slips. After about 6.5 miles the trail came down to the road. We had a half mile road walk and then 1.5 miles on relatively flat ground into Falls Village. We had a package waiting for us at the post office. I had ordered us some toe sock liners. Another hiker recommended them to us saying they really help with the blisters, especially between the toes. I am excited to try them out because today was still a hard day on my feet. A blister formed under another blister on my right pinkie toe, so the top of the blister is raw skin. My left pinkie toe is covered in a blood blister. Ouch!! My whole right toe is a swollen, oozing, painful mess. The new boots definitely make a difference, but the blisters just need to heal. Once we were into Falls Village we decided to eat at the Falls Village Inn. Delicious!! We checked the weather and saw that the storms were still headed our way, even with tornado warnings. It was time to call it a day and find a hotel after 9.6 miles. Our super awesome waitress offered us trail magic! She drove us to Lakeville, CT to the Inn at Iron Masters so we didn't have to pay for a taxi. Thank you trail angel! We are now safe, dry, and showered and the storms are starting. Severe thunderstorms are always better watching from a dry, safe place!
End: Falls Village, CT
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We woke up at 6:30 this morning to a bad forecast. There was already a thunderstorm going on outside and the forecast was calling for more storms with high winds, hail, and thunder and lightening. The meteorologist said there would be a clearing in between the two storms so we decided to put some miles in. We packed up and got a ride to the road we started at, pack covers and rain jackets on. We started with about a 500 foot climb during which we squeezed between two huge boulders. It was a fun climb. No Whistle and I hiked together again while Brian was way ahead. He was so fast... It must have been the Red Bull he had with breakfast. I hear that stuff gives you wings. We had a lot of slight ups and downs today but the trail was kind. It usually provided gradual inclines and even some soft pine needle covered dirt. The only hazard were the wet rocks. No Whistle fell and the rest of us had many slips. After about 6.5 miles the trail came down to the road. We had a half mile road walk and then 1.5 miles on relatively flat ground into Falls Village. We had a package waiting for us at the post office. I had ordered us some toe sock liners. Another hiker recommended them to us saying they really help with the blisters, especially between the toes. I am excited to try them out because today was still a hard day on my feet. A blister formed under another blister on my right pinkie toe, so the top of the blister is raw skin. My left pinkie toe is covered in a blood blister. Ouch!! My whole right toe is a swollen, oozing, painful mess. The new boots definitely make a difference, but the blisters just need to heal. Once we were into Falls Village we decided to eat at the Falls Village Inn. Delicious!! We checked the weather and saw that the storms were still headed our way, even with tornado warnings. It was time to call it a day and find a hotel after 9.6 miles. Our super awesome waitress offered us trail magic! She drove us to Lakeville, CT to the Inn at Iron Masters so we didn't have to pay for a taxi. Thank you trail angel! We are now safe, dry, and showered and the storms are starting. Severe thunderstorms are always better watching from a dry, safe place!
End: Falls Village, CT
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
July 25, 2012
Start: Fife and Drum Inn - Kent, CT
What a great day!! We left the hotel at 9:30 and started the mile walk to the trail. About half way there, a car pulled over and asked us if we wanted a ride to the trail. Of course we gratefully said "YES!" When they dropped us off, they offered us grapes, cherries, cookies, and cold drinks. We each took some grapes and cherries since fresh fruit is hard to come by on the trail... TRAIL MAGIC.. Perfect start to the day! We started climbing right away. Brian was WAAAAAY ahead but No Whistle and I hiked together for the day. It was a lot of fun hiking with a friend. We stopped 3 miles in and ate some snacks. We then climbed to Caleb's Peak and ate another small snack. The trail took a steep descent to follow along the Housatonic River for a nice flat 4 mile section. We took a short break at Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter and then continued on. We hiked another 3.3 miles to Silver Hill Campsite for a short break and to pump some water. We were warned by some southbounders not to stay at Pine Swamp Brook Shelter where we had planned to spend the night. They said it was extremely buggy and not a great shelter. We took a look at the map and decided to hike another 5.6 miles and stay at the Hitching Post Motel. We left the campsite and continued to encounter numerous PUDS (pointless ups and downs as they are known as on the trail). No Whistle and I found ourselves joking about how the trail should be going down in elevation according to the profile map, yet we seemed to be endlessly climbing. Finally, the trail began it's final descent. On the way down, we saw a family of wild turkeys. We reached the road where Brian was waiting and called the motel. They came and picked us up and brought us back to the motel where we showered, did laundry, and ate pizza. The pizza place doesn't normally deliver this late, but the sympathetic waitress felt bad for hungry hikers. Thank you!! So what word do I use to sum up a day of trail magic, hiking with a friend, 16 miles, a shower, laundry, a bed, and pizza... AMAZING!!! My feet do hurt as I write this, but it makes me feel hopeful that it took 11 miles for them to hurt instead of 3 miles!!
End: West Cornwall Road- Hitching Post Motel
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
What a great day!! We left the hotel at 9:30 and started the mile walk to the trail. About half way there, a car pulled over and asked us if we wanted a ride to the trail. Of course we gratefully said "YES!" When they dropped us off, they offered us grapes, cherries, cookies, and cold drinks. We each took some grapes and cherries since fresh fruit is hard to come by on the trail... TRAIL MAGIC.. Perfect start to the day! We started climbing right away. Brian was WAAAAAY ahead but No Whistle and I hiked together for the day. It was a lot of fun hiking with a friend. We stopped 3 miles in and ate some snacks. We then climbed to Caleb's Peak and ate another small snack. The trail took a steep descent to follow along the Housatonic River for a nice flat 4 mile section. We took a short break at Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter and then continued on. We hiked another 3.3 miles to Silver Hill Campsite for a short break and to pump some water. We were warned by some southbounders not to stay at Pine Swamp Brook Shelter where we had planned to spend the night. They said it was extremely buggy and not a great shelter. We took a look at the map and decided to hike another 5.6 miles and stay at the Hitching Post Motel. We left the campsite and continued to encounter numerous PUDS (pointless ups and downs as they are known as on the trail). No Whistle and I found ourselves joking about how the trail should be going down in elevation according to the profile map, yet we seemed to be endlessly climbing. Finally, the trail began it's final descent. On the way down, we saw a family of wild turkeys. We reached the road where Brian was waiting and called the motel. They came and picked us up and brought us back to the motel where we showered, did laundry, and ate pizza. The pizza place doesn't normally deliver this late, but the sympathetic waitress felt bad for hungry hikers. Thank you!! So what word do I use to sum up a day of trail magic, hiking with a friend, 16 miles, a shower, laundry, a bed, and pizza... AMAZING!!! My feet do hurt as I write this, but it makes me feel hopeful that it took 11 miles for them to hurt instead of 3 miles!!
End: West Cornwall Road- Hitching Post Motel
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
July 24, 2012
Start: Fife and Drum Inn - Kent, CT
We woke up at 7:30 am to the room and bed shaking. The train had just come through town, although it felt more like an earthquake. I was hopeful that my feet would feel better and my new boots would do me good on the trail. I got up out of bed and I had some pain in my feet. I decided to take a walk with Brian in town to see how my feet felt in my boots. I taped up my feet, put my boots on, and went for the walk. I realized that although I have hiked in worse pain, another day of rest would really help. We went back to the room and No Whistle said she was going to zero too. We all walked in town and enjoyed the morning. At 12 we had lunch at The Villager and then went back to the room to relax and put my feet up. We relaxed for the remainder of the day until we went for a walk at dinner time. Waking down the street, I noticed I was walking much more comfortably, faster, and without a limp! Very excited for tomorrow's hike!!
End: Fife and Drum Inn - Kent, CT
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We woke up at 7:30 am to the room and bed shaking. The train had just come through town, although it felt more like an earthquake. I was hopeful that my feet would feel better and my new boots would do me good on the trail. I got up out of bed and I had some pain in my feet. I decided to take a walk with Brian in town to see how my feet felt in my boots. I taped up my feet, put my boots on, and went for the walk. I realized that although I have hiked in worse pain, another day of rest would really help. We went back to the room and No Whistle said she was going to zero too. We all walked in town and enjoyed the morning. At 12 we had lunch at The Villager and then went back to the room to relax and put my feet up. We relaxed for the remainder of the day until we went for a walk at dinner time. Waking down the street, I noticed I was walking much more comfortably, faster, and without a limp! Very excited for tomorrow's hike!!
End: Fife and Drum Inn - Kent, CT
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Monday, July 23, 2012
July 23, 2012
Start: Poughquag, NY
Happy 1 month trail-versary to us! We woke up today at 7 am to a nasty thunderstorm. The storm was supposed to end by mid morning so we planned to hike out anyway, but before I was even standing on my feet, they were in terrible pain. I have been waiting to get to Kent, CT to be able to get new boots at the outfitter store. Even though we woke up about 25 miles from Kent, my feet decided today was the day they wanted new boots or they were not going to walk. We decided to take a taxi to the outfitter, which turned out to be awesome. I purchased a pair of Keens in a half size bigger than my Merrells were. Keens already have a bigger toe box and with the extra half size, I have room for awesome insoles. Within a few days I think my feet will be much happier. They just need some time to heal and these new boots will feel great. The only problem with the taxi ride to Kent was that it cost $75. We felt that since we live so close we could skip paying the taxi again for a return trip and make up the 25 miles on a weekend in September. So we got a room at the Fife and Drum in town, mailed our old boots home (Brian got new ones too), ate some lunch, and walked around this cute little town with our trail friend No Whistle. Eventually we ate dinner and hung out talking to thru hikers Socks and FM. We had an extra bed in our room, so we invited No Whistle to spend the night and we will all hike out tomorrow.
End: Kent, CT - Fife and Drum Restaurant and Inn
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Happy 1 month trail-versary to us! We woke up today at 7 am to a nasty thunderstorm. The storm was supposed to end by mid morning so we planned to hike out anyway, but before I was even standing on my feet, they were in terrible pain. I have been waiting to get to Kent, CT to be able to get new boots at the outfitter store. Even though we woke up about 25 miles from Kent, my feet decided today was the day they wanted new boots or they were not going to walk. We decided to take a taxi to the outfitter, which turned out to be awesome. I purchased a pair of Keens in a half size bigger than my Merrells were. Keens already have a bigger toe box and with the extra half size, I have room for awesome insoles. Within a few days I think my feet will be much happier. They just need some time to heal and these new boots will feel great. The only problem with the taxi ride to Kent was that it cost $75. We felt that since we live so close we could skip paying the taxi again for a return trip and make up the 25 miles on a weekend in September. So we got a room at the Fife and Drum in town, mailed our old boots home (Brian got new ones too), ate some lunch, and walked around this cute little town with our trail friend No Whistle. Eventually we ate dinner and hung out talking to thru hikers Socks and FM. We had an extra bed in our room, so we invited No Whistle to spend the night and we will all hike out tomorrow.
End: Kent, CT - Fife and Drum Restaurant and Inn
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Sunday, July 22, 2012
July 22, 2012
Start: RPH Shelter, NY
We woke up today to beautiful weather. Unfortunately, within seconds of putting my boots on, I knew my feet wouldn't be as cooperative with our plans as the weather. My pinky toe blisters are horrific. Who knew that such a little body part can cause such agonizing pain?!?!
We left camp at 9:30 and started our day. Right away, we started with about a 900 foot climb. I'm not a big fan of climbs first thing in the morning, but something tells me I have to get used to it as we enter New England. We made it just over 5 miles in 2 hours to Stormville, NY. At the road crossing we saw a sign, "Deli .4 -->" Of course we took the .8 mile total detour to eat lunch. I really should start eating the food I've been carrying around, but the temptation from all the NY Deli stops is too hard for me to walk away from. Brian told me I was very philosophical at lunch while I shared my thoughts from the morning with him. A thru hiker from last year that I've been emailing for a while told me just before we left that "It is important to remember even on the bad days, that you will miss the trail when it's all over." Thanks Hover because that advice played through my mind today as my feet were aching. It helped me to not focus on the pain, but to appreciate the beauty around me. JB (our trail friend we met at the Doyle) also told us some great advice. When he was thru hiking 5 years ago, he was climbing a mountain down south. A 9 time thru hiker, Baltimore Jack passed him on this climb and told him "Don't worry. This is the hardest climb on the trail.". JB said that really helped him because when he finished the climb, he felt that if that climb is the hardest climb on the trail, and he completed it, he could complete any climb. Thinking about this today, I realized that the climb I'm climbing is always the most difficult climb on the trail while I'm climbing it, but each climb I conquer makes me feel stronger. After our philosophical lunch, we set out for 7.2 miles to Poughquag (NY 55). Originally, we were headed to Telephone Pioneers Shelter which is another 4.5 miles beyond that, but I was able to convince Brian to stay in a motel in Pougquag for a few reasons. 1. My feet hurt. 2. My back hurt for the first time this trip. 3. We SMELLED BAD and a shower and laundry for us would do the world a lot of good. And 4. We will still arrive in Kent, CT on Tuesday, which is what we are aiming for.
Laying in the hotel after a shower, laundry, pizza, and the bachelorette finale, I feel almost human again. If only these blisters would go away. I'm looking forward to new boots in Kent.
End: NY 55, Poughquag, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We woke up today to beautiful weather. Unfortunately, within seconds of putting my boots on, I knew my feet wouldn't be as cooperative with our plans as the weather. My pinky toe blisters are horrific. Who knew that such a little body part can cause such agonizing pain?!?!
We left camp at 9:30 and started our day. Right away, we started with about a 900 foot climb. I'm not a big fan of climbs first thing in the morning, but something tells me I have to get used to it as we enter New England. We made it just over 5 miles in 2 hours to Stormville, NY. At the road crossing we saw a sign, "Deli .4 -->" Of course we took the .8 mile total detour to eat lunch. I really should start eating the food I've been carrying around, but the temptation from all the NY Deli stops is too hard for me to walk away from. Brian told me I was very philosophical at lunch while I shared my thoughts from the morning with him. A thru hiker from last year that I've been emailing for a while told me just before we left that "It is important to remember even on the bad days, that you will miss the trail when it's all over." Thanks Hover because that advice played through my mind today as my feet were aching. It helped me to not focus on the pain, but to appreciate the beauty around me. JB (our trail friend we met at the Doyle) also told us some great advice. When he was thru hiking 5 years ago, he was climbing a mountain down south. A 9 time thru hiker, Baltimore Jack passed him on this climb and told him "Don't worry. This is the hardest climb on the trail.". JB said that really helped him because when he finished the climb, he felt that if that climb is the hardest climb on the trail, and he completed it, he could complete any climb. Thinking about this today, I realized that the climb I'm climbing is always the most difficult climb on the trail while I'm climbing it, but each climb I conquer makes me feel stronger. After our philosophical lunch, we set out for 7.2 miles to Poughquag (NY 55). Originally, we were headed to Telephone Pioneers Shelter which is another 4.5 miles beyond that, but I was able to convince Brian to stay in a motel in Pougquag for a few reasons. 1. My feet hurt. 2. My back hurt for the first time this trip. 3. We SMELLED BAD and a shower and laundry for us would do the world a lot of good. And 4. We will still arrive in Kent, CT on Tuesday, which is what we are aiming for.
Laying in the hotel after a shower, laundry, pizza, and the bachelorette finale, I feel almost human again. If only these blisters would go away. I'm looking forward to new boots in Kent.
End: NY 55, Poughquag, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Saturday, July 21, 2012
July 21, 2012
Start: Inn on the Hudson, Peekskill, NY - Old Albany Post Road
Today, we woke up to beautiful weather. It was in the 60s and looking like it would be in the low 80s for the day. That seems like air conditioning compared to what it has been! We packed up, ate breakfast, and took the taxi to where we had left the trail. It was 9:30 and we were ready to do some hiking. We tried a new way of hiking today, which seemed to make us a bit quicker. Usually, I walk behind Brian and he is at least 100 yards ahead of me. I thought if I walked in front of him, it might make me walk faster... And it did! The pressure of having him behind me made my legs move faster. We reached a road 5.4 miles away in two hours. Our pace went from about 2 mph to 2.5 mph (depending on the terrain). We rested for 20 minutes at the road and then we were off again. I was on a mission. At the road crossing, there had been a sign for a snack shack at Canopus Lake. The lake was 3.7 miles away and I wanted a snack. Once we reached the road crossing where the lake is, we found a sign that told us to continue 1.5 miles on the AT and then take the green trail to the lake. I was a bit sad that I now had to go 1.5 more miles, but it was better than doing the 1 mile road walk. At least this was 1.5 trail miles. We reached the green trail and made the right. The trail was terribly blazed and maintained, but we managed. We got to the snack shack! We had yummy food and ice cream/ Italian ices. After giving our feet a nice 1.5 hour break, we set off for the RPH shelter. It was a nice 5 mile hike... Not too difficult. We are spending the night with three thru hikers... Nola, Jean Claude Van Dane, and one other (I can't remember his trail name). Today was a great 16.1 mile day. The weather was perfect, there was a snack shack, and we got some good miles in.
It was also a great day mentally for me. Preparing for the trail, I knew about the elevation ups and downs. What I didn't realize was the emotional ups and downs I would experience. I thought I would love every single second of this journey. In some ways, I do. I feel free and get to experience the simple life every day. In other ways, I have a hard time with the aches and pains (my knee still bothers me a little on down hills and my pinkie toe blisters are horrible!), I get bored or tired of walking, and sometimes I just simply want to be in my living room relaxing... But then I have days like today and all the reasons why we are out here come back to me. Today really was a great day!
End: RPH Shelter, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Today, we woke up to beautiful weather. It was in the 60s and looking like it would be in the low 80s for the day. That seems like air conditioning compared to what it has been! We packed up, ate breakfast, and took the taxi to where we had left the trail. It was 9:30 and we were ready to do some hiking. We tried a new way of hiking today, which seemed to make us a bit quicker. Usually, I walk behind Brian and he is at least 100 yards ahead of me. I thought if I walked in front of him, it might make me walk faster... And it did! The pressure of having him behind me made my legs move faster. We reached a road 5.4 miles away in two hours. Our pace went from about 2 mph to 2.5 mph (depending on the terrain). We rested for 20 minutes at the road and then we were off again. I was on a mission. At the road crossing, there had been a sign for a snack shack at Canopus Lake. The lake was 3.7 miles away and I wanted a snack. Once we reached the road crossing where the lake is, we found a sign that told us to continue 1.5 miles on the AT and then take the green trail to the lake. I was a bit sad that I now had to go 1.5 more miles, but it was better than doing the 1 mile road walk. At least this was 1.5 trail miles. We reached the green trail and made the right. The trail was terribly blazed and maintained, but we managed. We got to the snack shack! We had yummy food and ice cream/ Italian ices. After giving our feet a nice 1.5 hour break, we set off for the RPH shelter. It was a nice 5 mile hike... Not too difficult. We are spending the night with three thru hikers... Nola, Jean Claude Van Dane, and one other (I can't remember his trail name). Today was a great 16.1 mile day. The weather was perfect, there was a snack shack, and we got some good miles in.
It was also a great day mentally for me. Preparing for the trail, I knew about the elevation ups and downs. What I didn't realize was the emotional ups and downs I would experience. I thought I would love every single second of this journey. In some ways, I do. I feel free and get to experience the simple life every day. In other ways, I have a hard time with the aches and pains (my knee still bothers me a little on down hills and my pinkie toe blisters are horrible!), I get bored or tired of walking, and sometimes I just simply want to be in my living room relaxing... But then I have days like today and all the reasons why we are out here come back to me. Today really was a great day!
End: RPH Shelter, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
July 20, 2012
Start: Inn on the Hudson, Peekskill, NY
We woke up at 7, looked outside and saw rain... And lots of it! I checked the weather on my phone and the forecast called for 1-2 inches of rain, possible thunderstorms, and 15-25 mph winds. Zero? I think so! Even Brian said, "I'm not going anywhere.". It's one thing to hike in that weather when you are already in it, but it's another thing to leave a nice, dry hotel room to go out into it. We spent the day relaxing and eating... The usual for a zero. We were happy we took the day off because it did rain ALL DAY!
End: Inn on the Hudson, Peekskill, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We woke up at 7, looked outside and saw rain... And lots of it! I checked the weather on my phone and the forecast called for 1-2 inches of rain, possible thunderstorms, and 15-25 mph winds. Zero? I think so! Even Brian said, "I'm not going anywhere.". It's one thing to hike in that weather when you are already in it, but it's another thing to leave a nice, dry hotel room to go out into it. We spent the day relaxing and eating... The usual for a zero. We were happy we took the day off because it did rain ALL DAY!
End: Inn on the Hudson, Peekskill, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Thursday, July 19, 2012
July 19, 2012
Start: Unmarked Campsite, NY
We woke up today with high hopes for less humidity as promised by the weatherman yesterday. I looked at my phone and it said it was 70% humidity. Yuck! We packed up and started our slow journey. Something about the humidity really gets to me and drains my energy. Humidity is the worst of all weather factors for me. We crossed the Bear Mountain Bridge and then we climbed about 600 feet in .7 miles. At the end of the climb, I looked like I had just jumped out of a swimming pool. The temperature today was in the high 70s so at least it wasn't BOTH the temp and the humidity. We continued to US 9 in Peekskill. At the trail head there was an Appalachian Mart so I was able to eat a deli sandwich and drink a huge Gatorade before continuing on. Socks, a thru hiker from Germany ate lunch with us. We hiked to beautiful view facing east. We sat on the rock ledges and contemplated setting up camp at this spot, but the open camp spot was very slanted and I also wanted Brian to get a shower for his leg infection. We decided to hike the .7 to the road and then took a taxi to the Inn on the Hudson in Peekskill. We hiked a little less than 9 miles today. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain, but we are hoping to put bigger miles in.
End: Old Albany Post Road/Chapman Road - Staying at the Inn on the Hudson in Peekskill, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We woke up today with high hopes for less humidity as promised by the weatherman yesterday. I looked at my phone and it said it was 70% humidity. Yuck! We packed up and started our slow journey. Something about the humidity really gets to me and drains my energy. Humidity is the worst of all weather factors for me. We crossed the Bear Mountain Bridge and then we climbed about 600 feet in .7 miles. At the end of the climb, I looked like I had just jumped out of a swimming pool. The temperature today was in the high 70s so at least it wasn't BOTH the temp and the humidity. We continued to US 9 in Peekskill. At the trail head there was an Appalachian Mart so I was able to eat a deli sandwich and drink a huge Gatorade before continuing on. Socks, a thru hiker from Germany ate lunch with us. We hiked to beautiful view facing east. We sat on the rock ledges and contemplated setting up camp at this spot, but the open camp spot was very slanted and I also wanted Brian to get a shower for his leg infection. We decided to hike the .7 to the road and then took a taxi to the Inn on the Hudson in Peekskill. We hiked a little less than 9 miles today. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain, but we are hoping to put bigger miles in.
End: Old Albany Post Road/Chapman Road - Staying at the Inn on the Hudson in Peekskill, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
July 18, 2012
Start: Holiday Inn Express, Fort Montgomery, NY
We finally escaped from the Holiday Inn Express!! We woke up, ate the delicious breakfast at the hotel, and took the shuttle to the Palisades Parkway information center, where we had left the trail. We walked along the parkway for .4 miles and started our climb up West Mountain. It was HOT and HUMID. The news said today was going to be 93 degrees and 60% humidity. We were definitely feeling that! The climb was a nice gradual climb ascending 500 feet over a mile, but with the heat and humidity, we felt our energy draining! Once at the summit, we sat for about 10 minutes to try to regain some energy. Off in the distance, you could hear a lot of gun shots. A southbounder told us that West Point was having some kind of artillery ceremony. It sounded like we were at war! We came down a bit and then started our ascent up Bear Mountain. On our way up, we saw a beautiful doe just to the side of the trail. She let us get within 4 feet of her. It was even too hot for the deer to run! Bear Mountain was a friendly climb with a lot of rock steps. We reached the top with bald ledges and then.... There was loud thunder! The storm was about 10 miles away, but we knew we needed to get off the bald summit. We moved quickly to the nearest tree cover that was slightly lower than the summit. We quickly pitched the tent and jumped in to stay as protected as possible. It was the scariest half hour of my life. Thunder was so loud that the entire ground was shaking. Lightening was striking all around us. I noticed Brian laying there with his fingers crossed, hoping that would deter the lightening from striking us. I was thinking "Please don't hit us. Please don't hit us. Please don't hit us.". Finally, after what seemed to be forever, the storms passed and were off in the distance. We packed up the tent and continued in the rain about a half mile to the Perkins Tower on Bear Mountain. Just before the tower, about a dozen wild turkey crossed the trail. Many of them were young. Very cool. Since the storms seemed to be calming down and we had about 2 miles to get to the Bear Mountain Zoo, we decided to keep moving and skipped the vending machines that were at the tower (vending machines that appear in the woods are a hikers dream!). We started the descent down Bear Mountain. This part of the trail is beautiful and my feet's favorite part of the trail so far. It was made of many smooth stone steps that are spaced like a normal staircase and a gravel walkway. There was even a chair made out of rocks to look out at the gorgeous view of the Hudson River and the Bear Mountain Bridge. Just before we reached the Bear Mountain Recreation Center I spotted a 5 foot black snake on the side of the trail. Brian had walked right over it!! Once we reached the recreation center, the storms started again. We felt much safer at this elevation, so we walked to the zoo. The official trail goes right through the zoo. The lowest point on the AT is at 124 feet above sea level and is right in front of the bear cage. It was a very emotional experience to walk through a zoo. We have encountered many of these animals in their natural habits. It made me sad to see them behind bars. I imagine that they must feel as trapped as I do when I'm not on the trail. They are some gorgeous animals. We saw coyotes, bears, foxes, and many others. After we left the zoo, we decided to call it a day. We had only hiked about 9 miles, but the heat, humidity, and storms wore us out. We set up camp in an unmarked stealth site and are just about ready for bed. Looking forward to a less humid day tomorrow!
End: Unmarked Campsite, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We finally escaped from the Holiday Inn Express!! We woke up, ate the delicious breakfast at the hotel, and took the shuttle to the Palisades Parkway information center, where we had left the trail. We walked along the parkway for .4 miles and started our climb up West Mountain. It was HOT and HUMID. The news said today was going to be 93 degrees and 60% humidity. We were definitely feeling that! The climb was a nice gradual climb ascending 500 feet over a mile, but with the heat and humidity, we felt our energy draining! Once at the summit, we sat for about 10 minutes to try to regain some energy. Off in the distance, you could hear a lot of gun shots. A southbounder told us that West Point was having some kind of artillery ceremony. It sounded like we were at war! We came down a bit and then started our ascent up Bear Mountain. On our way up, we saw a beautiful doe just to the side of the trail. She let us get within 4 feet of her. It was even too hot for the deer to run! Bear Mountain was a friendly climb with a lot of rock steps. We reached the top with bald ledges and then.... There was loud thunder! The storm was about 10 miles away, but we knew we needed to get off the bald summit. We moved quickly to the nearest tree cover that was slightly lower than the summit. We quickly pitched the tent and jumped in to stay as protected as possible. It was the scariest half hour of my life. Thunder was so loud that the entire ground was shaking. Lightening was striking all around us. I noticed Brian laying there with his fingers crossed, hoping that would deter the lightening from striking us. I was thinking "Please don't hit us. Please don't hit us. Please don't hit us.". Finally, after what seemed to be forever, the storms passed and were off in the distance. We packed up the tent and continued in the rain about a half mile to the Perkins Tower on Bear Mountain. Just before the tower, about a dozen wild turkey crossed the trail. Many of them were young. Very cool. Since the storms seemed to be calming down and we had about 2 miles to get to the Bear Mountain Zoo, we decided to keep moving and skipped the vending machines that were at the tower (vending machines that appear in the woods are a hikers dream!). We started the descent down Bear Mountain. This part of the trail is beautiful and my feet's favorite part of the trail so far. It was made of many smooth stone steps that are spaced like a normal staircase and a gravel walkway. There was even a chair made out of rocks to look out at the gorgeous view of the Hudson River and the Bear Mountain Bridge. Just before we reached the Bear Mountain Recreation Center I spotted a 5 foot black snake on the side of the trail. Brian had walked right over it!! Once we reached the recreation center, the storms started again. We felt much safer at this elevation, so we walked to the zoo. The official trail goes right through the zoo. The lowest point on the AT is at 124 feet above sea level and is right in front of the bear cage. It was a very emotional experience to walk through a zoo. We have encountered many of these animals in their natural habits. It made me sad to see them behind bars. I imagine that they must feel as trapped as I do when I'm not on the trail. They are some gorgeous animals. We saw coyotes, bears, foxes, and many others. After we left the zoo, we decided to call it a day. We had only hiked about 9 miles, but the heat, humidity, and storms wore us out. We set up camp in an unmarked stealth site and are just about ready for bed. Looking forward to a less humid day tomorrow!
End: Unmarked Campsite, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
July 16-17, 2012
Start: Holiday Inn Express, Fort Montgomery, NY
We are very happy that we took that second zero on Sunday! Brian had some chaffing on his thigh, but by Sunday evening, it had become inflamed, hot, and extremely painful. It was so bad, we decided to go to the emergency room. Had we hiked out on Sunday, it would have been a very long, painful hike to get to a road crossing to get to the ER (not to mention there were some severe thunderstorms on Sunday that even made the hotel lose power!!). It turned out that he had an abscess on his leg that required the doctor to make an incision to drain the infection. Basically, some bacteria had gotten into the chaffed area and created an infection. I had the pleasure of watching the procedure. I felt TERRIBLE for Brian... It looked very painful!! Once the doctor drained it, he packed the wound with an antibiotic dressing. He directed Brian to come back on Tuesday in order to have the dressing removed and said no hiking until then. He also prescribed Brian some very strong antibiotics.
We spent the last two nights at the hotel and Brian has been taking his medication. We went to the hospital today and had the dressing removed. We will be hiking out tomorrow. We will have to make sure we keep the wound clean. A few times a day, we will have to boil water to put a warm compress on it to encourage the infection to continue draining.
The plan is to hike about 10 miles tomorrow, but then we know we need to put in some big mile days after that. Hopefully, we don't have to deal with any more injuries! We are incredibly antsy to get back out there!!!
End: Holiday Inn Express, Fort Montgomery, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We are very happy that we took that second zero on Sunday! Brian had some chaffing on his thigh, but by Sunday evening, it had become inflamed, hot, and extremely painful. It was so bad, we decided to go to the emergency room. Had we hiked out on Sunday, it would have been a very long, painful hike to get to a road crossing to get to the ER (not to mention there were some severe thunderstorms on Sunday that even made the hotel lose power!!). It turned out that he had an abscess on his leg that required the doctor to make an incision to drain the infection. Basically, some bacteria had gotten into the chaffed area and created an infection. I had the pleasure of watching the procedure. I felt TERRIBLE for Brian... It looked very painful!! Once the doctor drained it, he packed the wound with an antibiotic dressing. He directed Brian to come back on Tuesday in order to have the dressing removed and said no hiking until then. He also prescribed Brian some very strong antibiotics.
We spent the last two nights at the hotel and Brian has been taking his medication. We went to the hospital today and had the dressing removed. We will be hiking out tomorrow. We will have to make sure we keep the wound clean. A few times a day, we will have to boil water to put a warm compress on it to encourage the infection to continue draining.
The plan is to hike about 10 miles tomorrow, but then we know we need to put in some big mile days after that. Hopefully, we don't have to deal with any more injuries! We are incredibly antsy to get back out there!!!
End: Holiday Inn Express, Fort Montgomery, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Sunday, July 15, 2012
July 15, 2012
Start: Holiday Inn Express, Fort Montgomery, NY
Today was the first morning I was up before Brian! I woke up at 6:30 and jumped in the shower. When I got out, Brian had the news on. The meteorologist said a lot but I heard two things: umbrella and air conditioning. He said today was going to be a hot, muggy, stormy day. Now, hiking in the rain is inevitable on this journey and it doesn't ruin my day to hike in the rain, but rain starting while you're already out there and leaving the comfort of a roof over your head to go out into the rain are two very different situations. After hearing that the entire day and night were going to be stormy, Brian said the "Z" word... Zero. He claims he was kidding, but I had the same thought and there was nothing funny about it. Burdened with the guilt of a double zero, we decided to wait a while to make a decision. It wasn't even 7 am and checkout is 11. We went downstairs and indulged on the amazing breakfast this hotel offers. Once we were back upstairs, we went back to sleep. I set an alarm for 10:45 to make our decision. The alarm went off and although it didn't rain yet, the sky looked threatening. I called the desk and we were able to extend our stay until tomorrow. A second night in the honeymoon suite at the hiker rate... Yes, please! We fell back asleep and didn't wake up until after 2. I guess our bodies are exhausted! At about 3 pm, it finally did rain. I was thankful to see the lightening and hear the thunder because Brian would not let me forget that it was my decision to take a zero for the rain that had not yet come. The hard rain only lasted for about 30 minutes and then the sun came out. It is supposed to storm through the night, so we will see if this decision pays off. In the mean time, we are going to dinner at the BBQ restaurant just down the street with No Whistle. She also took a zero today. Tomorrow, we will start early and put in some high mileage. I promised Brian many days of 20 miles to make our date with Mount K.
End: Holiday Inn Express, Fort Montgomery, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Today was the first morning I was up before Brian! I woke up at 6:30 and jumped in the shower. When I got out, Brian had the news on. The meteorologist said a lot but I heard two things: umbrella and air conditioning. He said today was going to be a hot, muggy, stormy day. Now, hiking in the rain is inevitable on this journey and it doesn't ruin my day to hike in the rain, but rain starting while you're already out there and leaving the comfort of a roof over your head to go out into the rain are two very different situations. After hearing that the entire day and night were going to be stormy, Brian said the "Z" word... Zero. He claims he was kidding, but I had the same thought and there was nothing funny about it. Burdened with the guilt of a double zero, we decided to wait a while to make a decision. It wasn't even 7 am and checkout is 11. We went downstairs and indulged on the amazing breakfast this hotel offers. Once we were back upstairs, we went back to sleep. I set an alarm for 10:45 to make our decision. The alarm went off and although it didn't rain yet, the sky looked threatening. I called the desk and we were able to extend our stay until tomorrow. A second night in the honeymoon suite at the hiker rate... Yes, please! We fell back asleep and didn't wake up until after 2. I guess our bodies are exhausted! At about 3 pm, it finally did rain. I was thankful to see the lightening and hear the thunder because Brian would not let me forget that it was my decision to take a zero for the rain that had not yet come. The hard rain only lasted for about 30 minutes and then the sun came out. It is supposed to storm through the night, so we will see if this decision pays off. In the mean time, we are going to dinner at the BBQ restaurant just down the street with No Whistle. She also took a zero today. Tomorrow, we will start early and put in some high mileage. I promised Brian many days of 20 miles to make our date with Mount K.
End: Holiday Inn Express, Fort Montgomery, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Saturday, July 14, 2012
July 14, 2012
Start: Holiday Inn Express, Fort Montgomery, NY
HAPPY 1ST WEDDING ANNIVERSARY TO US!!!
We slept great last night! This hotel is AMAZING! When we woke up, they had a great continental breakfast, including hot food!! Yummy! After breakfast, we packed up and Brian's parents arrived. We were very excited to visit with them for the day. I remember saying "We'll see you in NY," when we left in Harpers Ferry. I can't believe that we are actually seeing them in NY after walking here from WV! We left the hotel and went to eat lunch. After lunch, we resupplied from all of the stuff that Brian's parents brought to us. We had left a lot of extra supplies and food with them. Resupplying from that stash cut down on our shopping list! We still had a few items we needed so we went to CVS. As we were driving back toward Pallisades Parkway to start our hike for the day, Brian and I both didn't feel so great. I had a headache and felt a bit nauseous and Brian's stomach was bothering him. Although we were probably just a bit car sick (since we haven't spent much time in a car), we decided to see if the Holiday Inn Express had a room available for the night. A full day of rest would do us some good and it's our anniversary, so why not? The people at this hotel are some of the nicest people I've ever met! Don at the front desk remembered from our conversation yesterday that today is our anniversary. He gave us the honeymoon suite (probably a $400/ night room) for the hiker rate of $100!! So awesome!!! The room is like a nice studio apartment with a jacuzzi bathtub! Thank you Don!!! It is much appreciated! We have had a very enjoyable day of rest and relaxation. Tomorrow will be a big day and we'll be starting early.
End: Holiday Inn Express, Fort Montgomery, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
HAPPY 1ST WEDDING ANNIVERSARY TO US!!!
We slept great last night! This hotel is AMAZING! When we woke up, they had a great continental breakfast, including hot food!! Yummy! After breakfast, we packed up and Brian's parents arrived. We were very excited to visit with them for the day. I remember saying "We'll see you in NY," when we left in Harpers Ferry. I can't believe that we are actually seeing them in NY after walking here from WV! We left the hotel and went to eat lunch. After lunch, we resupplied from all of the stuff that Brian's parents brought to us. We had left a lot of extra supplies and food with them. Resupplying from that stash cut down on our shopping list! We still had a few items we needed so we went to CVS. As we were driving back toward Pallisades Parkway to start our hike for the day, Brian and I both didn't feel so great. I had a headache and felt a bit nauseous and Brian's stomach was bothering him. Although we were probably just a bit car sick (since we haven't spent much time in a car), we decided to see if the Holiday Inn Express had a room available for the night. A full day of rest would do us some good and it's our anniversary, so why not? The people at this hotel are some of the nicest people I've ever met! Don at the front desk remembered from our conversation yesterday that today is our anniversary. He gave us the honeymoon suite (probably a $400/ night room) for the hiker rate of $100!! So awesome!!! The room is like a nice studio apartment with a jacuzzi bathtub! Thank you Don!!! It is much appreciated! We have had a very enjoyable day of rest and relaxation. Tomorrow will be a big day and we'll be starting early.
End: Holiday Inn Express, Fort Montgomery, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Friday, July 13, 2012
July 13, 2012
Start: 17A, Greenwood Lake, NY
HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY DADDY LL!!!!
Although we intended to wake up early today, we didn't. We woke up at 8:30 and left the motel at 9:30. Matt (the awesome owner) drove us to the trailhead and we were hiking by 10 am. The first 2.1 miles to Wildcat Shelter seemed to fly by. The terrain wasn't too difficult and we seemed to be covering ground. The trail had a lot of ups and downs today, but none were too difficult until Buchanan Mountain. With an elevation of 1,142 feet, it didn't seem intimidating on the profile map... But again, NEVER believe the profile maps! This 1,142 foot climb seemed to be straight up on vertical ledges! We were literally throwing our trekking poles up 6 feet ahead of us and doing hand over hand climbing. Once we reached the top, there was a moment of relief until we realized what goes up, must come down. We finished the descent and reached East Mombasha Road where the Tuxedo Trail Angels had left gallons of water for hikers. I was so happy because I was running low on water and many of the streams and springs have been dry in NJ and NY. I filled up and we continued on. Just when I thought the hardest part of the day was over, we reached Arden Mountain. I knew better than to think this 1,180 foot climb was going to be "nothing." This particular mountain seemed to find enjoyment in ascending a bit and then descending slightly just to ascend again. After it played this trick on us multiple times (I swear I could hear the mountain laughing at us) we reached the summit. We could see the traffic on I-87 and I was so happy to be climbing mountains rather than sitting in traffic. It was a reminder of just how free I am right now. We came down our final descent and then walked a short road walk to the Elk Pen on Arden Valley Road. Back in Duncannon, PA, we met JB at the Doyle. JB has a triple crown (he's hiked the AT, the PCT, and the CDT) and is an amazing person. When we met, he gave us his number and told us to call if we needed anything between Delaware Water Gap and Connecticut to call. Since we have already hiked Arden Valley Road to Pallisades Parkway, I arranged for JB to pick us up at Arden Valley Road and bring us to the Holiday Inn Express in Fort Montgomery, NY. The luxurious hotel stay was my birthday gift to Brian. Although we've stayed in cheap motels and hostels (more so than we thought we would have the opportunity to), we haven't stayed in regular hotel. I wanted Brian to have a nice relaxing night for his birthday (and a nice relaxing morning for our first wedding anniversary isn't bad either). Tomorrow, Brian's parents will be visiting us.... We are very excited to see them.
End: Pallisades Parkway, NY - staying at Holiday Inn Express, Fort Montgomery, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY DADDY LL!!!!
Although we intended to wake up early today, we didn't. We woke up at 8:30 and left the motel at 9:30. Matt (the awesome owner) drove us to the trailhead and we were hiking by 10 am. The first 2.1 miles to Wildcat Shelter seemed to fly by. The terrain wasn't too difficult and we seemed to be covering ground. The trail had a lot of ups and downs today, but none were too difficult until Buchanan Mountain. With an elevation of 1,142 feet, it didn't seem intimidating on the profile map... But again, NEVER believe the profile maps! This 1,142 foot climb seemed to be straight up on vertical ledges! We were literally throwing our trekking poles up 6 feet ahead of us and doing hand over hand climbing. Once we reached the top, there was a moment of relief until we realized what goes up, must come down. We finished the descent and reached East Mombasha Road where the Tuxedo Trail Angels had left gallons of water for hikers. I was so happy because I was running low on water and many of the streams and springs have been dry in NJ and NY. I filled up and we continued on. Just when I thought the hardest part of the day was over, we reached Arden Mountain. I knew better than to think this 1,180 foot climb was going to be "nothing." This particular mountain seemed to find enjoyment in ascending a bit and then descending slightly just to ascend again. After it played this trick on us multiple times (I swear I could hear the mountain laughing at us) we reached the summit. We could see the traffic on I-87 and I was so happy to be climbing mountains rather than sitting in traffic. It was a reminder of just how free I am right now. We came down our final descent and then walked a short road walk to the Elk Pen on Arden Valley Road. Back in Duncannon, PA, we met JB at the Doyle. JB has a triple crown (he's hiked the AT, the PCT, and the CDT) and is an amazing person. When we met, he gave us his number and told us to call if we needed anything between Delaware Water Gap and Connecticut to call. Since we have already hiked Arden Valley Road to Pallisades Parkway, I arranged for JB to pick us up at Arden Valley Road and bring us to the Holiday Inn Express in Fort Montgomery, NY. The luxurious hotel stay was my birthday gift to Brian. Although we've stayed in cheap motels and hostels (more so than we thought we would have the opportunity to), we haven't stayed in regular hotel. I wanted Brian to have a nice relaxing night for his birthday (and a nice relaxing morning for our first wedding anniversary isn't bad either). Tomorrow, Brian's parents will be visiting us.... We are very excited to see them.
End: Pallisades Parkway, NY - staying at Holiday Inn Express, Fort Montgomery, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Thursday, July 12, 2012
July 12, 2012
Start: Barrett Rd., New Milford, NY
It is never easy to leave a hotel, but today was especially difficult! We left with my family at 8 am and went to the diner for a delicious breakfast. All through breakfast, we contemplated taking a zero and having my family stay an extra day. A decision hadn't been made at the end of breakfast, but we still had to go to CVS for a few things. After CVS, the decision was that my family would go home and we would hike. They brought us to the trailhead we left off at yesterday. We said goodbye, which was particularly difficult for some reason. I'm not sure why because I love being out on the trail and I have my husband with me, but I was so sad as we walked away that I literally began to cry. It wasn't long though until the hiking had stopped my tears. We had a nice, comfortable hike for the first 5 miles. There were some ups and downs, but the trail wasn't too rocky. Just at the end of this nice section, we must have just walked by two rattle snakes. Just after we passed by a southbounder we heard him yell at his dog who had come so close to the two rattlesnakes on the side of the trail that they both rattled. Luckily, the dog wasn't bit, but it was crazy to think we just walked right by them. I was always convinced I'd be able to see them through their camouflage. I guess not! At the 6 mile mark, we officially crossed the NJ/NY border. Although the trail has gone back and forth between NY and NJ for a couple of days, we will not be going into NJ anymore after the official border. The next 4 miles were hard!! From the profile map, they looked relatively flat. Don't ever trust the profile map! We scrambled up a bunch of rocks. Sometimes we had to go straight up! There were many times I just threw my poles up on top of the rocks and climbed hand over hand. One spot was so vertical that there was even a wooden ladder. It alternated between these climbs and walking on ledges. This was fun for the first half hour where we had some beautiful views and climbed to the highest point in NY (Prospect Rock - 1,433 feet), but not so much for the next 4 hours! Once we came to the blue blazed Village Vista Trail, we had 2.1 miles to go and no more ledges. We ended our hike at 17A after 11.9 miles. Since the awesome hotel we stayed at last night is on 17A just 2 miles away, we decided to stay there again. Our new trail friend, No Whistle, was also staying there. Matt from the hotel brought us back, we showered (best shower on the trail. Awesome water pressure, soap, shampoo, AND CONDITIONER!!!), and cleaned our laundry from the day (since it is included with the stay). No Whistle went to dinner at Emeralds on the Lake with us and we shared trail stories and real life stories. She also started in Harpers Ferry and is on her way to Maine. We are back at the motel tonight and ready for some sleep. One of my favorite things about trail life is that I am truly exhausted at bedtime.
End: 17A, NY - staying at Anton's on the Lake, Greenwood Lake, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
It is never easy to leave a hotel, but today was especially difficult! We left with my family at 8 am and went to the diner for a delicious breakfast. All through breakfast, we contemplated taking a zero and having my family stay an extra day. A decision hadn't been made at the end of breakfast, but we still had to go to CVS for a few things. After CVS, the decision was that my family would go home and we would hike. They brought us to the trailhead we left off at yesterday. We said goodbye, which was particularly difficult for some reason. I'm not sure why because I love being out on the trail and I have my husband with me, but I was so sad as we walked away that I literally began to cry. It wasn't long though until the hiking had stopped my tears. We had a nice, comfortable hike for the first 5 miles. There were some ups and downs, but the trail wasn't too rocky. Just at the end of this nice section, we must have just walked by two rattle snakes. Just after we passed by a southbounder we heard him yell at his dog who had come so close to the two rattlesnakes on the side of the trail that they both rattled. Luckily, the dog wasn't bit, but it was crazy to think we just walked right by them. I was always convinced I'd be able to see them through their camouflage. I guess not! At the 6 mile mark, we officially crossed the NJ/NY border. Although the trail has gone back and forth between NY and NJ for a couple of days, we will not be going into NJ anymore after the official border. The next 4 miles were hard!! From the profile map, they looked relatively flat. Don't ever trust the profile map! We scrambled up a bunch of rocks. Sometimes we had to go straight up! There were many times I just threw my poles up on top of the rocks and climbed hand over hand. One spot was so vertical that there was even a wooden ladder. It alternated between these climbs and walking on ledges. This was fun for the first half hour where we had some beautiful views and climbed to the highest point in NY (Prospect Rock - 1,433 feet), but not so much for the next 4 hours! Once we came to the blue blazed Village Vista Trail, we had 2.1 miles to go and no more ledges. We ended our hike at 17A after 11.9 miles. Since the awesome hotel we stayed at last night is on 17A just 2 miles away, we decided to stay there again. Our new trail friend, No Whistle, was also staying there. Matt from the hotel brought us back, we showered (best shower on the trail. Awesome water pressure, soap, shampoo, AND CONDITIONER!!!), and cleaned our laundry from the day (since it is included with the stay). No Whistle went to dinner at Emeralds on the Lake with us and we shared trail stories and real life stories. She also started in Harpers Ferry and is on her way to Maine. We are back at the motel tonight and ready for some sleep. One of my favorite things about trail life is that I am truly exhausted at bedtime.
End: 17A, NY - staying at Anton's on the Lake, Greenwood Lake, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
July 11, 2012
Start: Pochuck Mountain Shelter
It was a wet morning!!! It had rained hard most of the night. We were super excited for today though because my parents and my sister, Michele are coming to visit us today. We took our time getting ready this morning since we had 9.6 miles planned for the day. We woke up at 7 am and left camp at 9 am. We started off with a climb up Pochuck Mountain. We had some beautiful views! We continued to NJ 94 in Vernon. We took a break after 6.5 miles in the trailhead parking lot to work out the details of meeting up with my family. We only had 3.1 miles left, but the first part was a 1000 ft climb in a little less than a mile. It was a hard climb with tons of rock steps. My quads were burning! Once we reached the top, we had a couple of small ups and downs and then we were at the road. My parents were still 2 hours away so I called Matt at Anton's on the Lake in Greenwood Lake, NY where we planned to stay. Lucky for us, Matt was in the area so he picked us up and brought us back to the hotel. It worked out great because we were able to get showers and start laundry before my family got here. Once they arrived, we spent some great time together, ate fresh fruit that they brought us (we've been craving that like crazy!), went to dinner at Emeralds on the Lake and are now sitting around a fire pit together. Hiking, good food, shower, laundry, and family... What a GREAT day!!!
End: Barrett Road, New Milford, NY - staying at Anton's on the Lake in Greenwood Lake, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
It was a wet morning!!! It had rained hard most of the night. We were super excited for today though because my parents and my sister, Michele are coming to visit us today. We took our time getting ready this morning since we had 9.6 miles planned for the day. We woke up at 7 am and left camp at 9 am. We started off with a climb up Pochuck Mountain. We had some beautiful views! We continued to NJ 94 in Vernon. We took a break after 6.5 miles in the trailhead parking lot to work out the details of meeting up with my family. We only had 3.1 miles left, but the first part was a 1000 ft climb in a little less than a mile. It was a hard climb with tons of rock steps. My quads were burning! Once we reached the top, we had a couple of small ups and downs and then we were at the road. My parents were still 2 hours away so I called Matt at Anton's on the Lake in Greenwood Lake, NY where we planned to stay. Lucky for us, Matt was in the area so he picked us up and brought us back to the hotel. It worked out great because we were able to get showers and start laundry before my family got here. Once they arrived, we spent some great time together, ate fresh fruit that they brought us (we've been craving that like crazy!), went to dinner at Emeralds on the Lake and are now sitting around a fire pit together. Hiking, good food, shower, laundry, and family... What a GREAT day!!!
End: Barrett Road, New Milford, NY - staying at Anton's on the Lake in Greenwood Lake, NY
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
July 10, 2012
Start: High Point Inn, NJ
We had a great day today!! We were off to a late start because we discovered a pizza place that delivers to the hotel at 10:30 am!! In case you couldn't tell, we LOVE pizza!! After we ate, Ron from the motel gave us a ride to High Point State Park where we had left off last night. The ranger station at the park was giving free sodas to hikers... PERFECT!! We drank our soda and we were off. We climbed to High Point, New Jersey's highest point at 1,803 feet. Just before we took a break, I spotted a bear up on a hill next to us. I called to Brian and he was able to get a quick look before Pooh Bear disappeared into the woods. We hiked 7 miles to the Murray property for some water and a short break. Mr. Murray is a man who owns a beautiful piece of land with rolling hills. He has built a shelter, privies, and showers for hikers and also has a water spigot. So nice of him! We decided to continue another 7.1 miles to Pochuck Mountain Shelter. 3.3 miles before the shelter, the trail is a road walk. It then turns into Wallkill Reserve and we followed the perimeter of the reserve. About half way through the reserve, it began to drizzle with big rain drops. We put our pack covers on and shortly, we were very happy we did. From the reserve, we began a 500 ft., .5 mile climb to the shelter. Just as we started the climb, it started to down pour!! We walked with rain hitting us hard. It was somewhat refreshing, but it was wet!!!! We hung out at the shelter with a bunch of other hikers until we caught the 5 minute break in the rain. When it stopped for a few minutes, we quickly set up our tent and jumped in it to finish all our other camp chores. We are going to sleep and it is still raining. Makes for great sounds, but makes for a messy cleanup in the morning.
End: Pochuck Mountain Shelter
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We had a great day today!! We were off to a late start because we discovered a pizza place that delivers to the hotel at 10:30 am!! In case you couldn't tell, we LOVE pizza!! After we ate, Ron from the motel gave us a ride to High Point State Park where we had left off last night. The ranger station at the park was giving free sodas to hikers... PERFECT!! We drank our soda and we were off. We climbed to High Point, New Jersey's highest point at 1,803 feet. Just before we took a break, I spotted a bear up on a hill next to us. I called to Brian and he was able to get a quick look before Pooh Bear disappeared into the woods. We hiked 7 miles to the Murray property for some water and a short break. Mr. Murray is a man who owns a beautiful piece of land with rolling hills. He has built a shelter, privies, and showers for hikers and also has a water spigot. So nice of him! We decided to continue another 7.1 miles to Pochuck Mountain Shelter. 3.3 miles before the shelter, the trail is a road walk. It then turns into Wallkill Reserve and we followed the perimeter of the reserve. About half way through the reserve, it began to drizzle with big rain drops. We put our pack covers on and shortly, we were very happy we did. From the reserve, we began a 500 ft., .5 mile climb to the shelter. Just as we started the climb, it started to down pour!! We walked with rain hitting us hard. It was somewhat refreshing, but it was wet!!!! We hung out at the shelter with a bunch of other hikers until we caught the 5 minute break in the rain. When it stopped for a few minutes, we quickly set up our tent and jumped in it to finish all our other camp chores. We are going to sleep and it is still raining. Makes for great sounds, but makes for a messy cleanup in the morning.
End: Pochuck Mountain Shelter
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Monday, July 9, 2012
July 9, 2012
Start: Rt. 206, Branchville, NJ
Today was an awesome day!! We had a very late start (1:30 pm) and still got 14 miles in!! After we woke up and packed up, we got a ride into town to Rite Aid. My pinky toe blisters are still not healed and I wanted to get new insoles. I was hoping to get insoles that were thinner to give my feet more room in my boots. This turned out to be an amazing idea! We changed out the insoles and the pain was practically gone! We then got a ride back to the trailhead. Just before we were about to start, we were lured into Gyp's Tavern for lunch. It was a cute little bar on Kittitinny Lake that had country music playing. We ordered some sodas and yummy fried finger foods. At 1:30 we were able to escape and start our hike. Just about a quarter of a mile in, we saw a beautiful deer just off the trail. She didn't seem scared or bothered by us because we were able to just walk on by. After 5.4 miles, we reached the summit of Sunrise Mountain. There is a huge pavilion at the summit and gorgeous views. I imagine watching the sunset or sunrise from there must be amazing. We rested for about 20 minutes. We had some mixed emotions being in that pavilion. Looking around us, we were surrounded by such beauty, but we couldn't help thinking about a story we heard about Sunrise Mountain. In May, we heard Jennifer Pharr Davis speak (record holder for fastest AT thru hike in 46 days). During her first thru hike nine years ago, when she reached the summit of Sunrise Mountain, she discovered the body of a man who had committed suicide in the pavilion. As we sat there, we imagined how she must have felt that day in that very same location.
During our break, we decided to make our day longer again! We had planned for 9 miles after our long day yesterday, but we were feeling great, the weather was PERFECT, and we were having a great time. We took a look at our map and decided to make it a 14 mile day to NJ 23. There is a motel 1.5 miles from the trailhead on that road and they will pick up hikers for free. As we left, I serenaded Brian with Disney songs. I'm sure he thoroughly enjoyed it, but you'll have to read his blog to get the truth! 3.4 miles later, we reached Mashipacong Shelter and discovered potable water left in the bear box by trail angels! We were very excited because all of the streams in NJ seem to be stagnant or dried up! After getting a quick drink, we continued on. Just after the shelter, we ran into someone headed southbound hiking BAREFOOT!!! He was just out for a day hike, but that is still CRAZY!! I read Barefoot Sisters (they hiked the trail southbound, then northbound, barefoot) but to actually see someone doing it was insane. We had 5.5 miles left for the day. With 3.5 miles left, Brian turned his ankle pretty bad on a rock. Knowing that we were headed to a motel where he would be able to ice it, we decided to continue with our plan and bypass a shelter 2.6 miles before the road. For the last 20 minutes of our hike, we night hiked with our headlamps. So cool except the bugs really dive bomb your face because of the light. We arrived at the road and called the motel. Within 5 minutes, Ron picked us up and brought us there. We are now showered, Brian is icing his ankle and we are relaxing. With the exception of Brian hurting himself today, this was my favorite day of hiking so far! The terrain, the weather and our bodies were all perfect!
Looking back to 17 days ago, we've come a long way. When we started, 10 miles seemed like a long day. We would set out with a mileage in our minds and often found ourselves shortening the plan throughout the day. Now, we are increasing the miles planned as we go and 10 miles seems like a half day. I realized this change when we left Mashipacong Shelter and I said, "Only 5.5 miles to go!". It feels great to feel so much stronger, both mentally and physically. My blisters felt so much better after today and my knee is feeling nearly perfect. Brian is feeling great too, with the exception of his ankle. Hopefully, that feels better in the morning!
End: High Point Country Inn, NJ
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Today was an awesome day!! We had a very late start (1:30 pm) and still got 14 miles in!! After we woke up and packed up, we got a ride into town to Rite Aid. My pinky toe blisters are still not healed and I wanted to get new insoles. I was hoping to get insoles that were thinner to give my feet more room in my boots. This turned out to be an amazing idea! We changed out the insoles and the pain was practically gone! We then got a ride back to the trailhead. Just before we were about to start, we were lured into Gyp's Tavern for lunch. It was a cute little bar on Kittitinny Lake that had country music playing. We ordered some sodas and yummy fried finger foods. At 1:30 we were able to escape and start our hike. Just about a quarter of a mile in, we saw a beautiful deer just off the trail. She didn't seem scared or bothered by us because we were able to just walk on by. After 5.4 miles, we reached the summit of Sunrise Mountain. There is a huge pavilion at the summit and gorgeous views. I imagine watching the sunset or sunrise from there must be amazing. We rested for about 20 minutes. We had some mixed emotions being in that pavilion. Looking around us, we were surrounded by such beauty, but we couldn't help thinking about a story we heard about Sunrise Mountain. In May, we heard Jennifer Pharr Davis speak (record holder for fastest AT thru hike in 46 days). During her first thru hike nine years ago, when she reached the summit of Sunrise Mountain, she discovered the body of a man who had committed suicide in the pavilion. As we sat there, we imagined how she must have felt that day in that very same location.
During our break, we decided to make our day longer again! We had planned for 9 miles after our long day yesterday, but we were feeling great, the weather was PERFECT, and we were having a great time. We took a look at our map and decided to make it a 14 mile day to NJ 23. There is a motel 1.5 miles from the trailhead on that road and they will pick up hikers for free. As we left, I serenaded Brian with Disney songs. I'm sure he thoroughly enjoyed it, but you'll have to read his blog to get the truth! 3.4 miles later, we reached Mashipacong Shelter and discovered potable water left in the bear box by trail angels! We were very excited because all of the streams in NJ seem to be stagnant or dried up! After getting a quick drink, we continued on. Just after the shelter, we ran into someone headed southbound hiking BAREFOOT!!! He was just out for a day hike, but that is still CRAZY!! I read Barefoot Sisters (they hiked the trail southbound, then northbound, barefoot) but to actually see someone doing it was insane. We had 5.5 miles left for the day. With 3.5 miles left, Brian turned his ankle pretty bad on a rock. Knowing that we were headed to a motel where he would be able to ice it, we decided to continue with our plan and bypass a shelter 2.6 miles before the road. For the last 20 minutes of our hike, we night hiked with our headlamps. So cool except the bugs really dive bomb your face because of the light. We arrived at the road and called the motel. Within 5 minutes, Ron picked us up and brought us there. We are now showered, Brian is icing his ankle and we are relaxing. With the exception of Brian hurting himself today, this was my favorite day of hiking so far! The terrain, the weather and our bodies were all perfect!
Looking back to 17 days ago, we've come a long way. When we started, 10 miles seemed like a long day. We would set out with a mileage in our minds and often found ourselves shortening the plan throughout the day. Now, we are increasing the miles planned as we go and 10 miles seems like a half day. I realized this change when we left Mashipacong Shelter and I said, "Only 5.5 miles to go!". It feels great to feel so much stronger, both mentally and physically. My blisters felt so much better after today and my knee is feeling nearly perfect. Brian is feeling great too, with the exception of his ankle. Hopefully, that feels better in the morning!
End: High Point Country Inn, NJ
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
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