Bear Mountain

April 13 - 14, 2012 Bear Mountain AT Hike

We got out on the trail again.  This time we stayed in NY.  We parked the car by the police station in Bear Mountain State Park and took a taxi to the Elk Pen on Arden Valley Road to start our hike.  After 1.7 miles, we reached the Lemon Squeezer.  It's a rock formation with an opening about 2 feet wide... very fun!  Then there is a rock formation that requires a short but fun climb.  When we reached this climb, there were 3 hikers headed southbound.  One of them attempted to convince us that he was "re-routing the trail and we should go around and take the easy way to avoid this particular precipice." I offered to go that way to tell him what it was like but then said I would still go the official AT route.  He seemed bothered so Daddy Long Legs and I just continued up the climb on the AT.  We then continued on past an old coal mine and eventually past the Fingerboard Shelter.  We ate lunch when we reached Arden Rd.  A delicious peanut butter sandwich and a Chunky candy bar.  Just before crossing the Pallisades Parkway, we were able to see the NYC skyline from the summit of a small mountain.  What a beautiful, clear day!  We ended our hike about a mile past the parkway at the West Mountain Shelter.  Another beautiful night on the AT!  In the morning, we packed up camp, summited Bear Mountain and ended our hike at the trailside zoo.  It was very interesting to see these animals that live freely along the AT living in captivity in the zoo.  It seemed more unnatural than ever to see animals living in captivity.

Along the two hikes we have done this week, Daddy Long Legs and I have decided that we are more concerned with enjoying every day of our adventure this summer than we are about where we end up.  We will still aim for Katahdin, but we are open to the idea of hiking the AT over 3 summers rather than 2.  After our two trips this week, we realized how easy it can be to get caught up in the schedule of where we "have" to be if we try to complete it in 2 summers.  One of the major things that draws us to to the AT is the idea that we have no where to be except where we are in that present moment.  We want to be able to enjoy the freedom, spend time in towns along the trail, take in every moment, and have nothing but amazing memories when we finish.  For these reasons, 3 summers is sounding much more appealing than 2.  That's the great thing about the AT... we can just see where it takes us!

AT Prep Hike - PA (video by Daddy Long Legs)

Pennsylvania Prep Hike

April 9-10, 2012

Rocks, Rocks and More Rocks!!!  After our 20+ mile hike on the AT in Pennsylvania, we now know that people are not kidding when they call the state Rocksylvania!  We started Monday morning at Lehigh Gap.  We immediately started the steep climb out of town while battling sustained winds of 30 mph with 40+ mph gusts!  The climb itself is nearly 1000 ft. in just over a half of mile.  Once we reached the top of the climb, we continued on the AT on the Superfund Detour Trail.  The was the only part of our hike that did not have rocks!  We ended the day with a 16.1 mile trek to the Leroy Smith Shelter.  Daddy Long Legs started a fire, we set up camp, and I cooked my first dinner with my Caldera Cone alcohol stove.  The mac and cheese was delicious after such a treacherous but enjoyable day!  As the sun went down, we were able to see Mars, Venus, and Saturn among many, many stars!  I even wrote in my first trail register!  We settled in around 10 pm.  We woke up with sore legs and lots of blisters!  After some breakfast, lots of Vitamin I, and even more Moleskin, we packed up camp and started off.  We continued northbound for 4.5 miles to Wind Gap.  Once we reached town, we got a ride back to the car. Being that this was a prep hike, what did I learn?  Well, aside from learning just how rocky PA is, I learned how challenging, freeing and enjoyable this summer will be.  I now know that I will definitely need to pack M and M's and that's not the candy (Motrin and Moleskin)!  I had a pack weight of about 27 lbs (with food and 4 liters of water) for this trip.  I will end up with more food and some extra clothes this summer, but I am very happy with my pack weight and with the way I've packed and organized my pack.   Prior to this trip, I read Appalachian Trials by Zach Davis (Badger- GA-ME, 2011).  His book is about the psychological preparation of hiking the trail.  He urges hikers to determine the reasons behind their hike BEFORE starting.  While hiking, I thought about this in great detail.  So far my reasons are to give myself the greatest challenge I've ever faced, to remind myself to appreciate the simplicity of life, to live within the beauty of nature for over 2 months, and to have the most unbelievable experience I could imagine with my husband.  This was a great weekend for the mental, emotional, and physical preparation that this summer will require.  Even though we are SORE and definitely have the "hiker hobble," we are still counting down the days... 74!!!!

April 1, 2012

We have been bit by the AT bug!  It was finally a beautiful weekend and we needed to get out on the trail.  Daddy Long Legs and I woke up on Saturday morning and decided to drive five hours to Harpers Ferry and do some hiking.  We drove down on Saturday and visited the ATC on Sunday morning.  We then started our hike northbound on the AT.  We climbed Weaverton Cliffs and continued to the Ed Garvey shelter.  What a beautiful shelter!!!  We had lunch and talked to a group of boy scouts that were out doing a weekend backpacking trip.  After lunch, we headed back southbound and stopped to enjoy the view from the cliffs.  It was a gorgeous day.  Nice easy hiking with just a day pack.  It felt GREAT to be out on the trail again.  We are really looking forward to June 23rd when we will be starting our adventure!