Injury

On Tuesday (7-26) I took my first zero day of hiking since my family visited 50 days ago in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.  We had breakfast at at local pancake restaurant.  Pilgrim made an afternoon medical appointment for his pulled muscle. We resupplied and did laundry and then parents of a hiker drove two hours to the hostel and brought everyone deli meats and cheese, rolls, pop, fruit, and chocolate bars.  It was an unexpected lunch (trail magic) for all eight hikers who were there.  On Wednesday (7-27) the shuttle picked us up on a cloudy and cool day.  We resumed our hike at 7AM at Kinsman Notch in the White Mountains of NH.  We had a 1,600 foot rocky and steep climb over Mount Wolf.  Pilgrim is better but his leg is still bothering him.  He didn't want to continue climbing since we were about to face a 2,100 foot ascent over the very difficult Kinsman Mountain.   We stopped hiking at 2 PM and took a two hour nap.  We hiked 7.5 miles for the day.  Our day on Thursday (7-28) began on a cool morning.  We had heard how difficult it was to get over the Kinsman Mountain due to the extreme terrain.  We had to use our hands many times but we finally reached the summit by 10:30 AM.  Here is one view.

Unfortunately when I was coming down,  I fell on the steep rock descent and twisted my ankle.  I hobbled down a little ways to Kinsman Pond Shelter and Campsite.  Another thru-hiker (Dead Man) helped me by carrying my backpack.  The caretaker at the campsite gave me cold water for the swollen ankle and she wrapped it in a bandage.  I was able to set up my tent and elevate the ankle for a few hours.  I can walk on it but hiking in rough terrain will be a problem in the near future.  I'm taking Ibuprofen to treat the inflammation.  My ankle was moderately swollen in the morning on Friday (7-29).  I decided to call a retired orthopedic doctor, Dr. Kim Brown, for advice on my ankle.  I met him 10 days ago when Pilgrim and I were in Lake George, New York.  I described the condition of my ankle and Dr. Brown thought I had a moderate to severe strain.  He suggested I walk on a flat surface for several minutes and then gradually increase the duration of the walk as my ankle improves.  He also suggested the Aircast ankle brace to stabilize the side-to-side movement.  I ordered the brace by phone from a pharmacy in Lincoln, New Hampshire.  I’m hoping a thru-hiker who is in Lincoln can bring it to me on Saturday.  I urged Pilgrim to continue his hike this morning since I may not start to hike again for a few days or possibly longer.  He reluctantly agreed.  I am hoping to catch up with him in either northern New Hampshire or southern Maine.  Pray my ankle will heal and I'll be able to continue soon.

On Saturday (7-23) our taxi arrived at the motel at 6:30 PM to take us 2 ½ miles back to the AT in Hanover.  We had climbs of 400, 600, 900 and 1,000 feet.  Our major concern was availability of water as several water sources were dry.  The weather was hot, in the 90’s.  We had lunch at the Moose Mountain Shelter and napped for 50 minutes.  We completed our 16.6 mile hike at 6:15.  We started our day on Sunday (7-24) at 6:40 AM on a great day weather wise – cooler and less humid.  Our main concern again was water shortage.  At the start of the day I carried 3 liters (6 pounds) rather than the 2 liters (4 pounds).  We had climbs of 900, 1,500 and 2,300 feet.  We finished our 19.1 mile hike at 6:30 PM.  Once again we hiked for nearly 12 hours.  We camped at the Ore Hill Shelter.  On Monday (7-25) we began hiking at 6:45 AM.  We went to the Beaver Brook Shelter and refilled our water containers.  I treat non-spring water (creeks, streams, brooks, rivers, ponds etc.) with Aquamira.  It kills bacteria and is widely used by hikers.  After lunch we began a 3,800 foot climb at Mount Moosilauke.  Going up and over the 4,800 foot mountain is a real challenge due to continuous climbing of nearly 3 hours over a steep and rocky terrain.  We made it with just two five minute breaks for water.  As we approached the top, the weather got colder and windier.  At the summit the wind was about 50 MPH. We began our descent on the northern side at 3:00 PM and finally reached the bottom at 6:30 PM.  It was a difficult descent on wet rocks and required the use of hand bars.  An additional problem was that Pilgrim was hurting from a thigh muscle pull that occurred going up the mountain.  He fell twice coming down the mountain and had swelling on his arm and leg.  At the bottom of the mountain we reached Kinsman Notch.  We called for a shuttle and were driven about five miles to One Step at a Time Hostel in Lincoln, New Hampshire.  There were about 20 hikers there.  Most of us slept on the floor of the garage as there were only six bunk beds.  I was thankful for my Therm-A-Rest air mattress.  We hiked 17.0 miles for the day.  After 18 weeks (126 days) I have hiked 1,789.3 miles for an average of 14.2 miles a day.  There is now less than 400 miles to reach Mount Katadhin in Maine!

Hanover, New Hampshire

After a relaxing and fun day on Tuesday (7-19) on Lake George, we were driven an hour back to the AT.  We began our hike at 7:50 AM.  It was a difficult day of hiking with a 2,500 foot climb over endless rocks and tree roots.  In the morning we reached a sign which indicated we were 500 miles from Mount Katahdin, the northern terminus of the AT!  Below the sign was trail magic – lots of ice cold drinks.  At the end of our hiking day, the AT split from the Long Trail.  We tented at Tucker-Johnson Shelter Campsite. We hiked 18.4 miles for the day.  On Wednesday (7-20) we began our hike at 6:15 AM.  We reached Gifford Woods State Park in Vermont by mid-morning.  I heard someone say “Buckeye” and I turned to see two hikers who I had talked with back in Virginia and then in Pennsylvania.  A little while later we reached Thundering Falls.  As you can see, it was beautiful!

We had a 1,200 foot climb over Quimby Mountain before lunch at the Stony Brook Shelter.  In the afternoon we crossed a road and I saw a house nearby.  I went to the house and found no one home.  I was nearly out of water so I filled my CamelBak with water out of their hose!  About 6 PM we reached Winturri Shelter and tented.  We hiked 18.9 miles for the day.  Thursday (7-21) was a 98 degree day with high humidity.  We began our hike at 6:40 AM.  The climbs for the day were moderate with 600, 700, and 1000 foot elevations. We had lunch  just off the AT at a place that sold ice cream and drinks.  We each bought a pint of vanilla ice cream and a bottle of root beer to make root beer floats.  We ate at a picnic table in the shade with a great breeze.  It was the only cool part of the day!  After lunch I called Joe Stagliano, brother of Dick Stagliano.  Dick is a friend who started teaching with me at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) in 1970.  Joe and his wife Mary picked us up at VT 14 in West Hartford, Vermont.  Before I got in their car, I rang out my towel which I used to wipe my face and created a puddle on the ground.  They drove us to their beautiful home about 20 miles south in New Hampshire on a lovely lake.  We were able to shower, do laundry and enjoy dinner with them.  We hiked 16.6 miles for the day.  After a restful night at the Stagliano’s, Mary drove us back to the AT at 6:30 AM on Friday (7-22). We reached the Connecticut River (VT/NH border) at 11am and continued our hike of 9.6 miles into Hanover, the home of Dartmouth College.  Hanover is an upscale town with nice shops.  We visited two outfitters, had lunch, went to the library, and then went to the PO to pick up our warm clothes that were sent to us for hiking in the White Mountains.  At 4pm Amy Vander Kooi, daughter of Verna Vander Kooi, (retired Tri-C faculty), picked us up at the library and drove us to the Hanover Food Co-op (a supermarket) to resupply.  Then she drove us to the Sunset Motor Inn to spend the night in an air-conditioned motel room.

Green Mountain House Hostel

On Friday (7-15) I had heard of a great hostel in Manchester Center, VT called the Green Mountain House Hostel.  We had to hike only 2.8 miles up the trail to get to the road leading into town.  By chance, Jeff Taussig, the owner, had just dropped hikers off who had stayed at his hostel the night before.  He drove us to downtown Manchester Center and we had a great breakfast.  After stopping at an outfitter and the grocery store, we called Jeff and he picked us up and took us back to his hostel.  The hostel is a very nice two-story house with three bedrooms.  Jeff lives next door in a smaller house from early summer through mid September.  Then he returns to his hometown of Richfield, OH.  He has hiked the AT as well as other trails.  He is retired from the paper and printing business.  I asked if he was related to the Taussig family whose name adorns the Taussig Cancer Institute at the Cleveland Clinic.  He said he dad died from cancer and his family donated money to the clinic, thus the Taussig Cancer Institute began!  This hostel is one of the best hostels on the AT and a sure one not to miss if you are hiking along the trail in VT.  Here is our picture from our stay.  Pilgrim is next to me in the tan shirt and shorts.

Jeff's family likes to ski so during the winter they come from OH for excellent VT skiing.  After breakfast on Saturday (7-16) Jeff took us back to the AT.  We started our day at 7:20 AM on a gorgeous day.  We had climbs of 1,400 feet and 1,000 feet.  We went up a fire tower at Bromley Mountain for a beautiful view in all directions.  After lunch at Peru Peak Shelter, we crossed wetlands on boardwalks for quite awhile.  In a few places the boardwalk was under several inches of water.  We very carefully maneuvered over the wet areas and I managed to keep the inside of my Gortex boots dry--no easy task!  In the late afternoon, Pilgrim fell on a descent when he stepped on a tree root.  He tumbled and then fell on a rock.  It stunned him and he was most afraid of a serious injury.  He did have a cut on his forehead but otherwise, he was OK.  We reached Lost Pond Shelter Campsite at 3:45 PM.  We set up our tents and got water out of a stream.  After treating the water, we both napped for an hour.  We hiked 14.8 miles.  Our day on Sunday (7-17) began at 6:40 AM on another very nice day.  Pilgrim stumbled again on a rocky descent but his backpack took the brunt of the fall.  We ate lunch at the Greenwall Shelter and then had a 1,000 foot climb.  We finished early again so we treated ourselves to a nap.  We hiked 14.9 miles for the day.  It began to rain overnight and continued until 6 AM on Monday (7-18).  We packed our backpacks inside our tents and then took our tents down.  We left camp at 7:20 AM and hiked 2.7 miles to VT 103 where Sue Brown, a friend of Pilgram's, picked us up.  She and her husband, Kim, live most of the year in Greenville, SC where Pilgrim lives.  They spend their summers at a lovely home they own on Lake George in the Adirondacks.  After taking us to a supermarket, we arrived at the Brown home at 11 AM.  We dried out our gear, enjoyed lunch and dinner at the Brown's and took a scenic boat ride on Lake George.  It made for a refreshing and relaxing day.  After 17 weeks (119 days) I've hiked 1,673 miles for an average of 14.1 miles.

Vermont

On Monday (7-11) Rob Bird drove us back to Cheshire to resume our hike at 9 AM.  It was a hard day of hiking with the temperature pushing 90 degrees and high humidity.  We climbed Mt. Greylock (elev. 3,491), the highest mountain in MA.  We had lunch at the Bascom Lodge which is at the summit of the mountain.  I climbed the 92 foot tower on Mt. Greylock and had a spectacular view of the area.  In the late afternoon, we walked .4 miles to a Stop-n-Shop for chocolate milk, OJ, and two donuts--yum!  We reached Sherman Brook Campsite at 6:30 PM and set up our tents on a small tent platform.  Both of our tents barely fit on one platform.  I had no cell service.  We hiked 16.4 miles.  After 16 weeks or 112 days, I've gone 1,583.9 miles.  Our day started at 6:30 AM on Tuesday (7-12).  At 8 AM we finished our climb of more than 1,000 feet and entered Vermont.

At the MA/VT border the AT joins the Long Trail for 105 miles.  The AT leads to Maine and the Long Trail reaches the Canadian border in another 168 miles.  The Long Trail was completed in 1930 and served as the inspiration for the creation of the AT.  The AT has endless bogs, rocks, and tree roots.  I fell on a slippery rock but I was OK.  Before we reached Melville Nauheim Shelter where we tented for the night, we had a 1,000 foot very rocky descent and then a 1,000 foot ascent.  Up and down, up and down!  We hiked 18.2 miles.  Wednesday (7-13) was a nice cool day with limited sunshine.  It was an easier day of hiking with climbs of just 500, 700, and then 800 feet.  The biggest problem of the day was the tree roots, although there were plenty of rocks and mud.  For the second day in a row, there was no cell service.  As we approached Story Spring Shelter at 4:45 PM, thunder was heard.  We quickly set up our tents and got water out of the nearby spring.  We just made it into our tents when the rain started at 5 PM.  We hiked 17.4 miles.  Due to rain on Wednesday night, we got a late start (7:15 AM) on Thursday (7-14).  Our only significant climb was 1,700 feet in the late morning to reach the summit of Stratton Mountain (elev. 3,936).  We ate lunch there and dried out our things on the ground and hung things out to dry on the fire tower.  We expected more wet bogs due to the rain but they were no worse than the days before.  Pilgrim slipped on a wet rock and hurt his wrist but not severely.  It is bruised and sore.  We reached Spruce Peak Shelter and expected to tent but there were no good tent sites available.  Instead we stayed inside the shelter.  We hiked 18.3 miles.

Massachusetts

Other than confusion caused by a lack of white blazes on Tuesday (7-5), the morning went well as we reached Salisbury, CT by 11:30 AM.  We stayed at a person's house who rents out three rooms to hikers.  I showered, did laundry, resupplied, and stopped at the library to use the computer.  It was a short day in that we only went 10.5 miles.  We began hiking at 7 AM on Wednesday (7-6) with both of our backpacks weighing an additional 6-7 pounds due to all the food we bought in Salisbury.  The weather forecast was calling for a 90 degree day with possible thunderstorms.  It didn't seem that hot and we didn't have any rain so that was nice.  We had two 1,000 feet climbs and one 700 foot climb over steep and rocky ground.  In the late morning we crossed in to Massachusetts.

Since we weren't near a shelter at lunch, we ate just a step from the narrow path of the AT under a pine tree for shade.  We reached Glen Brook Lean-To (a shelter) at 3:45 PM and set up our tents for the night.  We hiked 14.2 miles.  We hit the 1,500 mile mark so that means there is less than 700 miles to go!  Thursday (7-7) started at 6:40 AM for us.  Pilgrim had arranged for us to meet Steve and Carol Ide.  They picked us up for breakfast in Egremont, MA.  They bought us breakfast (trail magic) at Mom's Country Cafe.  They performed professionally with Arlo Guthrie for seven years.  Steve played the guitar and bass and Carol sang.  It was fun to talk with them.  The trail had two climbs of 900 feet and one 1,300 foot one too.  We also enjoyed trail magic of Gatorade in the afternoon.  The trail had many boardwalks over wetlands.  We finished our day at 5:45 PM and tented at Tom Leonard Lean-To.  We hiked 14.3 miles.  Friday (7-8) was a very overcast day.  Once again we walked through several miles of wetlands.  Pilgrim accidentally stepped off the boardwalk once but fortunately, he was OK.  There were two 900 foot climbs.  It started to rain in the afternoon.  My clothes were completely soaked but thankfully most of my gear stayed dry.  We made it to the Upper Goose Pond Cabin at 5:30PM.  It is a two-story cabin with a fireplace which can house up to 20 hikers.  It is run by a caretaker named Bonnie.  The cabin was full although several people staying there were out-of-state friends of Bonnie.  We hiked 21.2 miles.  On Saturday (7-9) Bonnie prepared coffee and delicious blueberry pancakes for everyone at the cabin.  Pilgrim and I started our hike at 7:30 AM.  It was a difficult day because of tree roots and a great deal of mud caused by the rain on Friday.  There were many boardwalks over the muddy areas, but there needed to be many, many more.  My shoes had mud completely covering the laces.  The good news was that there was not much increase in elevation.  We had lunch at the house of the "cookie lady."  She gives hikers who stop at her house oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  Pilgrim and I devoured four cookies each.  We ate lunch at her picnic table in the shade with a cool breeze blowing.  It was a relaxing and delightful lunch.  Then we hiked into Dalton, MA where we stayed at the house of Rob Bird who opens his home to thru-hikers.  He did our laundry and took us to Walmart and Price Chopper to resupply.  It was another long hiking day and we went 20.6 miles.  On Sunday (7-10) we felt the need to have an easy day since we had gone more than 40 miles over the last two days.  After breakfast at Rob's house (he calls it The Bird Cage) Pilgrim, Badger (a WI grad) and I were shuttled 8.7 miles north to Cheshire.  We then hiked on the trail back to Rob's house in Dalton so we could spend another night at The Bird Cage.  It was an enjoyable stay.  We hiked 8.7 miles.

Connecticut

On Saturday (7-2) Pilgrim and I started our daily hike at 7:30 AM.  We stopped for lunch at Wiley Shelter in NY.  At 2:30 PM we reached the Connecticut state line.
CT is less rocky than NY which is great news.  In the afternoon we had a 600 foot climb and a 1,000 foot climb.  We camped at 6:30 PM at the Schaghticoke Mountain Campsite.  We hiked 18.2 miles.  Sunday (7-3) we were back out on the trail at 6:35 AM.  The terrain was rocky before we reached Kent, CT for breakfast and resupplying at 9:00 AM.  When we started back up at 11 AM, a light rain started up and continued until 5 PM.  We stopped for a late lunch at Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-To and due to the rain, we decided to stay there for the night.  It was only the seventh time I have actually slept inside the shelter.  It was a short hiking day because we only went 10.2 miles.  On Monday (7-4) we resumed hiking at 7 AM on a dry and humid day.  There were numerous climbs totaling about 2,000 feet over a mostly rocky terrain.  Early in the day Pilgrim fell on a wet tree root and later I slipped on a muddy embankment.  Thankfully, neither of us were injured.  We ate lunch, after hiking five hours, at the Pine Swamp Brook Lean-To.   At 4:30 PM we reached Belter's Campsite, our home for the night.  We went 15.2 miles.  Today, Independence Day, marks the end of week 15, day 105.  I've hiked 1,478.1 miles for an average of 14.1 miles per day.

Visiting NY Friends

My day on Tuesday (6-28) started with Pilgrim at 7:25 AM.  I have decided to hike with him for the foreseeable future.  Our pace is quite similar and we get along well.  We experienced trail magic twice.  After crossing two roads there were gallons of spring water available for thru-hikers.  There was no other water source for 12 miles so the water was perfect.  It was nice to fill my CamelBak and water bottle with it and I didn't need to treat or filter the water.  We had lunch at the info center/bookstore of the Palisades International Parkway which was .4 miles off the AT.  Here is a picture of the Lemon Squeezer on the trail.  It is just two feet wide and 17 feet long.  The first picture is blurry but you can get an idea of how tight the squeeze is for me.

We followed the AT right through Bear Mountain Zoo.  Pilgrim continued to the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center to stay for the day.  I was picked up at 5:15 PM by Rosemary Burns and she took me to her house in Cortlandt Manor, NY.  I met Rosemary and Artie in May of 2010 on the Grand Circle Tour of the Western US National Parks.  After a shower and dinner, Artie took me to the grocery store to resupply.  I stayed with them overnight.  I hiked 14.2 miles.  On Wednesday (6-29) Artie drove me back to the trail.  I hiked just 6.4 miles so I could begin hiking on Thursday with Pilgrim from the Graymoor.  In the afternoon Artie took me to West Point to tour the campus.  It is a very impressive facility.  We walked on the football field, went to see the beautiful chapel and Eisenhower Hall Theater, saw the parade grounds, and drove around the whole campus.  Artie was a great tour guide.  In the evening I talked about my AT adventure with several of their neighbors.  They saw my pictures I have taken with my regular camera on a large TV screen.  It was a fun night and I really appreciated all Rosemary and Artie did for me while I was visiting them.  On Thursday (6-30) they drove me back to the  Graymoor so I could meet up with Pilgrim again.  We began hiking at 8:30 AM.  At 9:30 AM we came upon trail magic of cold pop.  We hiked until 5:45 PM when we reached the RPH shelter.  I hiked 18.8 miles.   Friday (7-1) was a cool and dry day.  We had lunch at the Morgan Stewart Shelter.  I decided to nap after lunch and slept for 30 minutes and Pilgrim continued hiking without me.  I enjoyed walking slowly to catch up with him.  One toe on my left foot hurts from the pounding it has taken.  Avoiding as many rocks as possible and walking slower help ease the pain.  There were no great camping spots but we found an area that was adequate at best.  I hiked 16.8 miles.