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
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
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
Sunday, July 8, 2012
July 8, 2012
Start: AMC Mohican Outdoor Center, NJ
Our feet took a beating today!!! Between the 18 miles we put on them and the rocks (the trail is confused and thinks we're still in PA), our feet are SORE!!! We started the day a little later than usual because the outdoor center had breakfast. I had eggs, a biscuit, oatmeal, cereal, peaches, and orange juice. Delicious!! We left at 9 am and started out for what was going to be a 14 mile day. We walked the .3 miles to the trail head and started climbing. It was about 500 ft in a half mile. Once we reached the ridge, we had some beautiful views!! We had one little descent and ascent, but the first half of the day was mostly on the ridge. That's not to say it was flat though. There were small ups and downs along the whole ridge and of course, rocks. NJ likes to hide the rocks in tall grass so they are hard to see. It makes for some slow going to make sure you don't turn an ankle. There were also tons of ledges. Not the nice flat kind that look like someone placed a sidewalk in the middle of the woods, but steeply slanted ones that take some balance, knee and ankle strength, and luck to walk across. We reached Blue Mountain Rd and took a lunch break. We pumped water and took our boots off for a little while. Thru hiker, Mmrf (pronounced Murf) also stopped there for lunch. He told me that he followed a bear up the first climb and he wasn't too far behind us. That means a bear was in my tracks... YIKES! While we were sitting on the log, with food and boots off, we got the great idea to extend our day by 4 miles and go to Rt. 206 in Branchville, NJ. Why would we decide this?? I don't know. It sounded like a good idea at the time since we want to start increasing our mileage. Now, with 11 miles left to go for the day at 1 pm, it was time to get going. We hiked along a pond and just before I was out of the trees, I heard a big splashing sound. Brian was a little ahead so I asked him what it was. He got to see a deer frolicking in the pond and jump out when it heard us. Wish I was able to see!!! We continued on to a big ascent with some hand over hand rock scrambling, then a descent, and then we climbed Rattlesnake Mountain. No, we didn't see any rattlers on the mountain (although I saw a black snake just before it). There were gorgeous views from the summit! After 14 miles, we reached the shelter where we originally planned to stay. We sat for a half hour to rest our feet and contemplated the idea of staying at the shelter. It was 6 pm and our feet hurt, but we were on a mission! We were determined to finish the 18 miles. 1 hour and 40 minutes later we were at Rt. 206. Mission accomplished! Right next to the trail head was a pub... Perfect! We ate dinner and are now ready for some sleep. Overall, today was a great, long day with tons of amazing views. I never realized New Jersey was so beautiful!
End: Rt. 206, Branchville, NJ
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Our feet took a beating today!!! Between the 18 miles we put on them and the rocks (the trail is confused and thinks we're still in PA), our feet are SORE!!! We started the day a little later than usual because the outdoor center had breakfast. I had eggs, a biscuit, oatmeal, cereal, peaches, and orange juice. Delicious!! We left at 9 am and started out for what was going to be a 14 mile day. We walked the .3 miles to the trail head and started climbing. It was about 500 ft in a half mile. Once we reached the ridge, we had some beautiful views!! We had one little descent and ascent, but the first half of the day was mostly on the ridge. That's not to say it was flat though. There were small ups and downs along the whole ridge and of course, rocks. NJ likes to hide the rocks in tall grass so they are hard to see. It makes for some slow going to make sure you don't turn an ankle. There were also tons of ledges. Not the nice flat kind that look like someone placed a sidewalk in the middle of the woods, but steeply slanted ones that take some balance, knee and ankle strength, and luck to walk across. We reached Blue Mountain Rd and took a lunch break. We pumped water and took our boots off for a little while. Thru hiker, Mmrf (pronounced Murf) also stopped there for lunch. He told me that he followed a bear up the first climb and he wasn't too far behind us. That means a bear was in my tracks... YIKES! While we were sitting on the log, with food and boots off, we got the great idea to extend our day by 4 miles and go to Rt. 206 in Branchville, NJ. Why would we decide this?? I don't know. It sounded like a good idea at the time since we want to start increasing our mileage. Now, with 11 miles left to go for the day at 1 pm, it was time to get going. We hiked along a pond and just before I was out of the trees, I heard a big splashing sound. Brian was a little ahead so I asked him what it was. He got to see a deer frolicking in the pond and jump out when it heard us. Wish I was able to see!!! We continued on to a big ascent with some hand over hand rock scrambling, then a descent, and then we climbed Rattlesnake Mountain. No, we didn't see any rattlers on the mountain (although I saw a black snake just before it). There were gorgeous views from the summit! After 14 miles, we reached the shelter where we originally planned to stay. We sat for a half hour to rest our feet and contemplated the idea of staying at the shelter. It was 6 pm and our feet hurt, but we were on a mission! We were determined to finish the 18 miles. 1 hour and 40 minutes later we were at Rt. 206. Mission accomplished! Right next to the trail head was a pub... Perfect! We ate dinner and are now ready for some sleep. Overall, today was a great, long day with tons of amazing views. I never realized New Jersey was so beautiful!
End: Rt. 206, Branchville, NJ
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Saturday, July 7, 2012
July 7, 2012
Start: Church of the Mountain Hiker Hostel, Delaware Water Gap, PA
It was HOT today!!! Most people at the hostel were zeroing today, but we knew we needed to hike on. Since it was going to be 100 degrees out with high humidity, we knew we needed to get out early! We woke up at 6:20 an left the hostel at 7:40. It was hot already. By the time we walked out of town and over the Delaware River Bridge to NJ (our 4th state!), I was already sweating! Now it was time to climb. We climbed about 1000 feet over 3 miles, so it wasn't overly steep, but it was still hard work in the heat. Just about 1 mile from the top, Brian was rattled at!!! Our first rattle snake (timber rattle). By the time I caught up (he doesn't get the name daddy long legs for nothing), the snake had stopped rattling but I was able to see it... In case I was unsure, I definitely don't like snakes! At the end of our climb, we reached Sunfish Pond. It is the southern most glacial lake. Since there is no camping or swimming at the lake, it looked so beautiful and pristine. The walk around the lake was ROCKY! We stopped half way around and pumped water. We were only about 4 miles in and I already drank 3 liters of water! At the north end of the lake, there are a bunch of rock sculptures that other hikers have made. We've seen pictures and videos of the sculptures, but it was so cool to see them in person. We continued on to climb Kittatinny Mountain. Beautiful views at the top, plus our first huge rock carin. At the top of the mountain is where I really started to feel the effects of the heat. I was sweating, hot, weak, and dizzy. Brian and I took the 2.5 mile descent easy and got to Camp Road. We had already planned to stay at Mohican Outdoor Center (a 10.7 mile day) because of the heat. I was SO happy when we arrived at the road. We walked another .3 miles to the AMC Outdoor Center. They have deli here, so we ate some sandwiches and snacks, got a much needed shower, and relaxed. We cooked mountain house meals for dinner and ate with hiker No Direction Home. Great company. It should be a bit cooler tomorrow, so I am looking forward to that.
End: AMC Mohican Outdoor Center, New Jersey
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
It was HOT today!!! Most people at the hostel were zeroing today, but we knew we needed to hike on. Since it was going to be 100 degrees out with high humidity, we knew we needed to get out early! We woke up at 6:20 an left the hostel at 7:40. It was hot already. By the time we walked out of town and over the Delaware River Bridge to NJ (our 4th state!), I was already sweating! Now it was time to climb. We climbed about 1000 feet over 3 miles, so it wasn't overly steep, but it was still hard work in the heat. Just about 1 mile from the top, Brian was rattled at!!! Our first rattle snake (timber rattle). By the time I caught up (he doesn't get the name daddy long legs for nothing), the snake had stopped rattling but I was able to see it... In case I was unsure, I definitely don't like snakes! At the end of our climb, we reached Sunfish Pond. It is the southern most glacial lake. Since there is no camping or swimming at the lake, it looked so beautiful and pristine. The walk around the lake was ROCKY! We stopped half way around and pumped water. We were only about 4 miles in and I already drank 3 liters of water! At the north end of the lake, there are a bunch of rock sculptures that other hikers have made. We've seen pictures and videos of the sculptures, but it was so cool to see them in person. We continued on to climb Kittatinny Mountain. Beautiful views at the top, plus our first huge rock carin. At the top of the mountain is where I really started to feel the effects of the heat. I was sweating, hot, weak, and dizzy. Brian and I took the 2.5 mile descent easy and got to Camp Road. We had already planned to stay at Mohican Outdoor Center (a 10.7 mile day) because of the heat. I was SO happy when we arrived at the road. We walked another .3 miles to the AMC Outdoor Center. They have deli here, so we ate some sandwiches and snacks, got a much needed shower, and relaxed. We cooked mountain house meals for dinner and ate with hiker No Direction Home. Great company. It should be a bit cooler tomorrow, so I am looking forward to that.
End: AMC Mohican Outdoor Center, New Jersey
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Friday, July 6, 2012
July 6, 2012
Start: Travel Inn, Wind Gap, PA
We woke up this morning well rested and eager to get out on the trail. We were up at 6:45. As we were getting ready, Brian spotted a badger outside of our window. Cool wild life and we weren't even on the trail yet! We were out of the motel room by 7:45. We walked across the street to the Gap Diner because we heard that is a good place to get a ride to the trail from. I stuck out my thumb for the first time ever and within 10 minutes, we had a ride. Jerry dropped us off at the trail head about 2.5 miles down the road. We started the day with a rocky climb. Once we were on the ridge, we had rocks all day. The joke amongst the hikers is that the trail maintenance crew comes out every spring and sharpens the rocks with files. With the amount of sharp rocks that stabbed my feet today, that joke is almost believable. About 3 miles in, we shared a snack break with thru hikers Miles Supertramp, Spot, and Tex. All super cool guys! They joked about inventing a rock chipper... I LOVE that idea!! After the short break, we continued 6.2 miles to Kirkridge Shelter for lunch. I saw my first snake... A baby black snake. Better than a rattle snake, but still yuck! We filled up on water (it was HOT today. It was a challenge trying to drink as much as I was sweating out), took off my boots, and ate a pop tart, a candy bar, and some sour watermelons. All that was left was 6.5 miles to the Church of the Mountain Hiker Hostel. After an hour, we began our hike there. As there was earlier in the day, we had all kinds of rocks... sharp, small, big, and even some boulders we were climbing over. We got to a dirt road bed about 3.5 miles from the hostel. The trail blazes were terrible, but it turned out to be the trail. Someone had written 900 out of sticks because that is all there is left until Katahdin! At the end of the dirt road, we had summited Mount Minsi. We then began the 2.6 mile descent into Delaware Water Gap. It was a rocky descent, but had beautiful views of the gap. I was tired and my feet were sore from all of the rocks, but my knee held up really well. Pretty much no pain. I guess the rest and the braces did it some good. When we reached the road and were on our way to the hostel, I had the highlight of my day!! A van pulled up to us and asked if we were hikers. We replied, "yes!" and they handed us each a minute maid frozen icey!!! Trail magic = pure awesomeness!!! Once we arrived at the hostel, we put our stuff down and walked into town for dinner. We had... You guessed it... Pizza! We made our way back to the hostel, took a much needed shower, and are tenting on the church lawn. There is a bunk room, but it is supposed to be a nice night so we preferred our tent. The total mileage for today was a rocky 15.7 miles and we are tired!!!
End: Church of the Mountain Hiker Hostel, Delaware Water Gap, PA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We woke up this morning well rested and eager to get out on the trail. We were up at 6:45. As we were getting ready, Brian spotted a badger outside of our window. Cool wild life and we weren't even on the trail yet! We were out of the motel room by 7:45. We walked across the street to the Gap Diner because we heard that is a good place to get a ride to the trail from. I stuck out my thumb for the first time ever and within 10 minutes, we had a ride. Jerry dropped us off at the trail head about 2.5 miles down the road. We started the day with a rocky climb. Once we were on the ridge, we had rocks all day. The joke amongst the hikers is that the trail maintenance crew comes out every spring and sharpens the rocks with files. With the amount of sharp rocks that stabbed my feet today, that joke is almost believable. About 3 miles in, we shared a snack break with thru hikers Miles Supertramp, Spot, and Tex. All super cool guys! They joked about inventing a rock chipper... I LOVE that idea!! After the short break, we continued 6.2 miles to Kirkridge Shelter for lunch. I saw my first snake... A baby black snake. Better than a rattle snake, but still yuck! We filled up on water (it was HOT today. It was a challenge trying to drink as much as I was sweating out), took off my boots, and ate a pop tart, a candy bar, and some sour watermelons. All that was left was 6.5 miles to the Church of the Mountain Hiker Hostel. After an hour, we began our hike there. As there was earlier in the day, we had all kinds of rocks... sharp, small, big, and even some boulders we were climbing over. We got to a dirt road bed about 3.5 miles from the hostel. The trail blazes were terrible, but it turned out to be the trail. Someone had written 900 out of sticks because that is all there is left until Katahdin! At the end of the dirt road, we had summited Mount Minsi. We then began the 2.6 mile descent into Delaware Water Gap. It was a rocky descent, but had beautiful views of the gap. I was tired and my feet were sore from all of the rocks, but my knee held up really well. Pretty much no pain. I guess the rest and the braces did it some good. When we reached the road and were on our way to the hostel, I had the highlight of my day!! A van pulled up to us and asked if we were hikers. We replied, "yes!" and they handed us each a minute maid frozen icey!!! Trail magic = pure awesomeness!!! Once we arrived at the hostel, we put our stuff down and walked into town for dinner. We had... You guessed it... Pizza! We made our way back to the hostel, took a much needed shower, and are tenting on the church lawn. There is a bunk room, but it is supposed to be a nice night so we preferred our tent. The total mileage for today was a rocky 15.7 miles and we are tired!!!
End: Church of the Mountain Hiker Hostel, Delaware Water Gap, PA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Thursday, July 5, 2012
July 5, 2012
Start: Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, PA
So the 11 mile day turned into an 111 mile day... By car. The doctor thought it would be a good idea to skip some of the PA rocks for now. Although, we were originally against the idea, we came around to it. We have done a section from Palmerton to Wind Gap, so we decided to get a ride to Wind Gap, go north from here and fill in Duncannon to Palmerton over the weekends in the fall. The doctor seems to think skipping the rocks right now will save my knee for the rest of the trip. After doing that Palmerton section, I think I agree. I'm beating myself up a little bit for this decision, but I guess it does make sense. After all, it is a lot easier to fill in sections in PA over weekends (since we live in NY) than it would be to fill in sections in Maine. So now we are in a motel is Wind Gap, PA and will start early in the am. From what we've heard the worst of the PA rocks will be tomorrow, but it should be the last of them.
End: Travel Inn, Wind Gap, PA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
So the 11 mile day turned into an 111 mile day... By car. The doctor thought it would be a good idea to skip some of the PA rocks for now. Although, we were originally against the idea, we came around to it. We have done a section from Palmerton to Wind Gap, so we decided to get a ride to Wind Gap, go north from here and fill in Duncannon to Palmerton over the weekends in the fall. The doctor seems to think skipping the rocks right now will save my knee for the rest of the trip. After doing that Palmerton section, I think I agree. I'm beating myself up a little bit for this decision, but I guess it does make sense. After all, it is a lot easier to fill in sections in PA over weekends (since we live in NY) than it would be to fill in sections in Maine. So now we are in a motel is Wind Gap, PA and will start early in the am. From what we've heard the worst of the PA rocks will be tomorrow, but it should be the last of them.
End: Travel Inn, Wind Gap, PA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
July 4, 2012
Start: Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, PA
Happy 4th of July!!! We spent our 4th of July with a lazy "zero" day in Duncannon. We woke up early, but I was able to fall back asleep until 9 am. At 11 am, we decided to get pizza for breakfast/ lunch. After pizza, we hung out at the bar in the hotel since it is the only air conditioned place in the whole building. Our room was a scorching 100 degrees (maybe more... My thermometer doesn't always seem so accurate). Eventually, I decided I needed to elevate my knee since that was what today is supposed to be about. We dealt with the heat and went to our room. It wasn't long though, until the heat had us wanting a nap. We slept for a couple of hours and then caught a shuttle to the local food store. We purchased a few things to top off our food supply. We stocked up on mostly snack foods since our resupply in Boiling Springs had our meals. After we got back from the store, Brian and I had some snacks at the bar. We hung out a little more in our room, which had cooled to 97 degrees according to my thermometer. I decided to google if the Doyle is haunted because it sure looks like it could be! Google told me that only good ghosts haunt the Doyle... What a relief! Haha. After a little while, we decided to head to the pizza place again since it is air conditioned and the bar down stairs is closed. We ate some mozzarella sticks and then went back to our room. Time for bed! "Zero" days are nice and relaxing, but I think we are both a bit antsy to get back on the trail. Tomorrow, we are aiming for an 11 mile day.
End: Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, PA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Happy 4th of July!!! We spent our 4th of July with a lazy "zero" day in Duncannon. We woke up early, but I was able to fall back asleep until 9 am. At 11 am, we decided to get pizza for breakfast/ lunch. After pizza, we hung out at the bar in the hotel since it is the only air conditioned place in the whole building. Our room was a scorching 100 degrees (maybe more... My thermometer doesn't always seem so accurate). Eventually, I decided I needed to elevate my knee since that was what today is supposed to be about. We dealt with the heat and went to our room. It wasn't long though, until the heat had us wanting a nap. We slept for a couple of hours and then caught a shuttle to the local food store. We purchased a few things to top off our food supply. We stocked up on mostly snack foods since our resupply in Boiling Springs had our meals. After we got back from the store, Brian and I had some snacks at the bar. We hung out a little more in our room, which had cooled to 97 degrees according to my thermometer. I decided to google if the Doyle is haunted because it sure looks like it could be! Google told me that only good ghosts haunt the Doyle... What a relief! Haha. After a little while, we decided to head to the pizza place again since it is air conditioned and the bar down stairs is closed. We ate some mozzarella sticks and then went back to our room. Time for bed! "Zero" days are nice and relaxing, but I think we are both a bit antsy to get back on the trail. Tomorrow, we are aiming for an 11 mile day.
End: Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, PA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Pictures of Our Journey!!
If you would like to see pictures of our journey, check out Brian's blog. The link is on the left side of my home page. The address is www.appalachiantrail-daddylonglegs.blogspot.com
July 3, 2012
Start: Darlington Shelter
The Pennsylvania rocks have begun!! We woke up at 6:20 am and were out of camp by 7:20. Our fastest time yet!! I guess sleeping in the shelter and not having a tent to take down helps. The hike began with a small descent and then went into some open fields. The trail goes through a lot of cornfields and farms in this area. After the fields, we climbed about 1000 feet over a mile and then ROCKS! We hiked 6 miles over all types of rocks. Small ones, big ones, sharp ones, smooth ones... It was very slow going for those miles! Just before the final descent into Duncannon, PA, we had a beautiful view of farmlands that seemed to go on forever, backed by a wall of green mountains. It is views like that that make the climbs so worth it. After the view, we walked a VERY rocky descent into Duncannon, which was tough on the knee. Once we hit flat ground, we had about a half mile walk on the road into town.
A good friend of mine emailed me and asked, "How does it feel to be so free, Ms. Flicka?" I thought about this a lot while walking today. It's pretty amazing that my only worries are how far to walk and what I want to eat. Although I love my job, it is amazing to not have "work" and deadlines. It feels incredible to only be pulled in one direction (north!). Sure, I miss my family and friends and I am missing out on some fun things this summer by being out here, but I've seen how simple life can be and that is incredibly freeing! Simplify... AT lesson #2.
Once we got into town I saw a doctors office, so I decided to get my knee checked out just to be sure. My knee has some fluid on it and the patellar tendon is strained. The doctor said to rest it for a day and take vitamin I (Motrin), so that is the plan. I was relieved to hear it isn't too serious!
Originally, we were going to stay at a hotel 3 miles out of town even though the Doyle Hotel is literally on the AT. I had seen pictures of the Doyle and was afraid to stay. Haha. We stopped in for lunch and the owners were so awesome, we decided to stay anyway. One of the owners even offered to drive us to the pharmacy to pick up more motrin. The food is delicious and all of the guests are AT hikers. The room is, well, interesting. It is small and old, there are two windows without screens, a fan, and a shared bathroom for the floor. The place definitely has character! Staying there when hiking the AT is an item on the "must do" list.
Today, we hiked 11.3 miles, which puts us at 125 miles total. It seems so unreal that we've walked that far to be where we are... I can't even imagine what it will feel like to get to Maine!
End: Duncannon, PA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
The Pennsylvania rocks have begun!! We woke up at 6:20 am and were out of camp by 7:20. Our fastest time yet!! I guess sleeping in the shelter and not having a tent to take down helps. The hike began with a small descent and then went into some open fields. The trail goes through a lot of cornfields and farms in this area. After the fields, we climbed about 1000 feet over a mile and then ROCKS! We hiked 6 miles over all types of rocks. Small ones, big ones, sharp ones, smooth ones... It was very slow going for those miles! Just before the final descent into Duncannon, PA, we had a beautiful view of farmlands that seemed to go on forever, backed by a wall of green mountains. It is views like that that make the climbs so worth it. After the view, we walked a VERY rocky descent into Duncannon, which was tough on the knee. Once we hit flat ground, we had about a half mile walk on the road into town.
A good friend of mine emailed me and asked, "How does it feel to be so free, Ms. Flicka?" I thought about this a lot while walking today. It's pretty amazing that my only worries are how far to walk and what I want to eat. Although I love my job, it is amazing to not have "work" and deadlines. It feels incredible to only be pulled in one direction (north!). Sure, I miss my family and friends and I am missing out on some fun things this summer by being out here, but I've seen how simple life can be and that is incredibly freeing! Simplify... AT lesson #2.
Once we got into town I saw a doctors office, so I decided to get my knee checked out just to be sure. My knee has some fluid on it and the patellar tendon is strained. The doctor said to rest it for a day and take vitamin I (Motrin), so that is the plan. I was relieved to hear it isn't too serious!
Originally, we were going to stay at a hotel 3 miles out of town even though the Doyle Hotel is literally on the AT. I had seen pictures of the Doyle and was afraid to stay. Haha. We stopped in for lunch and the owners were so awesome, we decided to stay anyway. One of the owners even offered to drive us to the pharmacy to pick up more motrin. The food is delicious and all of the guests are AT hikers. The room is, well, interesting. It is small and old, there are two windows without screens, a fan, and a shared bathroom for the floor. The place definitely has character! Staying there when hiking the AT is an item on the "must do" list.
Today, we hiked 11.3 miles, which puts us at 125 miles total. It seems so unreal that we've walked that far to be where we are... I can't even imagine what it will feel like to get to Maine!
End: Duncannon, PA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Monday, July 2, 2012
July 2, 2012
Start: Allenbury Resort, Boiling Springs, PA
We woke up at 7 am, packed up and left our hotel room by 8:15 am. The hotel had a buffet breakfast for only $6 dollars per person. All it took was the word "Bacon" and I had Brian convinced we should stay for breakfast. We ate and then walked down to the post office to pick up our mail drop. We sat across the street at the ATC regional office to go through it and organize our packs. We even decided to mail some things home, like our Alite camping chairs (I haven't used mine yet). Today's 14.3 miles consisted of 12 flat miles that were in and out of the woods and cornfields. Being flat, we were hoping it would be easier, but being in the sun made it more difficult. After 10 miles we stopped at Scott's Work Farm and ate dinner with Half Left, All Right, and Gaia. We filled up on 5 liters of water because the water in PA is unreliable this time of year. The first 2 miles were still flat with lots of nice footbridges over dried up streams. The last two miles were a 1000 foot climb back up into the mountains. The climb is both of our favorite part because we move quickest on climbs, and for me, my blisters and knee don't hurt when climbing. Just before we arrived at Darlington Shelter, we had a beautiful view from the top of the mountain we just climbed. Such a beautiful payoff for the work. Just after the view, we arrived at the shelter. We are here with All Right, Half Left, and Gaia. We hung out, relaxed, and now we are off to bed.
Today is a big day for us for a few reasons. The first is we have broken 100 miles hiked!! We are up to a little over 111 miles!! Those miles have brought us to a new map, which is the second milestone of the day. Our maps are in sections of about 100 miles, so we are on the second one. And the third milestone is that we are spending our first night in a shelter. We've been camping at the shelters but in our tent. Tonight, we are sleeping in the three walled shelter. This one has bunks though so we are not on the floor. : )
End: Darlington Shelter
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We woke up at 7 am, packed up and left our hotel room by 8:15 am. The hotel had a buffet breakfast for only $6 dollars per person. All it took was the word "Bacon" and I had Brian convinced we should stay for breakfast. We ate and then walked down to the post office to pick up our mail drop. We sat across the street at the ATC regional office to go through it and organize our packs. We even decided to mail some things home, like our Alite camping chairs (I haven't used mine yet). Today's 14.3 miles consisted of 12 flat miles that were in and out of the woods and cornfields. Being flat, we were hoping it would be easier, but being in the sun made it more difficult. After 10 miles we stopped at Scott's Work Farm and ate dinner with Half Left, All Right, and Gaia. We filled up on 5 liters of water because the water in PA is unreliable this time of year. The first 2 miles were still flat with lots of nice footbridges over dried up streams. The last two miles were a 1000 foot climb back up into the mountains. The climb is both of our favorite part because we move quickest on climbs, and for me, my blisters and knee don't hurt when climbing. Just before we arrived at Darlington Shelter, we had a beautiful view from the top of the mountain we just climbed. Such a beautiful payoff for the work. Just after the view, we arrived at the shelter. We are here with All Right, Half Left, and Gaia. We hung out, relaxed, and now we are off to bed.
Today is a big day for us for a few reasons. The first is we have broken 100 miles hiked!! We are up to a little over 111 miles!! Those miles have brought us to a new map, which is the second milestone of the day. Our maps are in sections of about 100 miles, so we are on the second one. And the third milestone is that we are spending our first night in a shelter. We've been camping at the shelters but in our tent. Tonight, we are sleeping in the three walled shelter. This one has bunks though so we are not on the floor. : )
End: Darlington Shelter
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Sunday, July 1, 2012
July 1, 2012
Start: Unmarked Campsite
What a day!!! We woke up at 6:20 am and were out of camp by 7:30 am. Today's profile looked like a mini roller coaster (I say mini because there is a "roller coaster" in VA with 13 peaks in 10 miles!!). We went up, then down, then up, then down, then up, then down, rested for 10 minutes near the Alec Kennedy Shelter, then up, then down, then up, then down. Then the profile looked flat!!! I was excited until I found us walking 1.5 miles in cornfields at noon in the hot sun. Oh, and there were TWO "rock mazes" mixed in there! All of this in 8.1 miles!!! The knee brace that Brian made me REALLY helped! My knee didn't feel perfect, but with all the descents today, it kept the pain to a minimum. That's why I love him! ; ) After the cornfields we were in Boiling Springs, PA. The first thing we did was eat pizza (of course)! It seems that the more miles we walk, the better the pizza tastes! We are spending the night at the Allenbury. The Allenbury is a resort type place that has a pool, a theater, a bar and grill, and laundry facilities. It is usually $159 a night, but for hikers it is $40 a night!!! Awesome deal! So now we are fed, showered, laundry is in and we are relaxing. Ahhhhh, trail life!!!
One last thought.... 2 months from today we will summit Katahdin!!!!!
End: Allenbury Resort, Boiling Springs, PA
What a day!!! We woke up at 6:20 am and were out of camp by 7:30 am. Today's profile looked like a mini roller coaster (I say mini because there is a "roller coaster" in VA with 13 peaks in 10 miles!!). We went up, then down, then up, then down, then up, then down, rested for 10 minutes near the Alec Kennedy Shelter, then up, then down, then up, then down. Then the profile looked flat!!! I was excited until I found us walking 1.5 miles in cornfields at noon in the hot sun. Oh, and there were TWO "rock mazes" mixed in there! All of this in 8.1 miles!!! The knee brace that Brian made me REALLY helped! My knee didn't feel perfect, but with all the descents today, it kept the pain to a minimum. That's why I love him! ; ) After the cornfields we were in Boiling Springs, PA. The first thing we did was eat pizza (of course)! It seems that the more miles we walk, the better the pizza tastes! We are spending the night at the Allenbury. The Allenbury is a resort type place that has a pool, a theater, a bar and grill, and laundry facilities. It is usually $159 a night, but for hikers it is $40 a night!!! Awesome deal! So now we are fed, showered, laundry is in and we are relaxing. Ahhhhh, trail life!!!
One last thought.... 2 months from today we will summit Katahdin!!!!!
End: Allenbury Resort, Boiling Springs, PA
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