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.

New York

On Friday (6-24) I started hiking at 7 AM on a very misty and foggy morning.  The trail had lots of swells, meaning the ascents and descents were not steep but there was one right after another.  There were almost no straight or level areas on the trails for even a short time until late in the afternoon.  I had a late lunch at Annabel's Pizza in Unionville.  I set up my tent at Pochuck Shelter at 6:30 PM after hiking 16.6 miles.  I had the shelter to myself so I set up my tent inside the shelter to keep the pesky mosquitoes away from me.  On Saturday (6-25) I got going at 8:50 AM.  I had planned to hike 14 miles for the day but I changed my mind along the way.  When I came to a road that would take me to Vernon, NJ, I decided to go to the St. Thomas Episcopal Church Hostel to rest my feet, use the computer, do laundry, dry out my boots, eat at a restaurant, shower, and enjoy a really nice indoor facility.  This hostel was one of the nicest on the trail to date.  There were about a dozen hikers there.  I ended up only hiking 6.5 miles which was largely through wetlands.  I walked on boardwalks for more than a mile and side by side planks for another mile.  After church on Sunday (6-26) at 8 AM, I was driven by a church member with Pilgrim back to the AT.  We began hiking at 9:30 AM and ate lunch at Wawayanda Mountain Shelter.  There was a 1,000 foot climb to reach the top of the mountain and shelter.  There were many difficult climbs and rock scrambles during the day.  We climbed over Prospect Rock (elevation 1,433 feet) which is the highest point in NY on the trail.  Here I am straddling the NY/NJ line.

We camped at Wildcat Shelter and hiked 17.2 miles.  On Monday (6-27) Pilgrim and I started our day at 8:25 AM.  About ten times we faced a rock scramble up the side of a small mountain.  There were very few flat areas during our hike.  We were repeatedly climbing and then descending over and over and over again.  It was a very challenging and tiring day of climbing.  We took six breaks of 5-10 minutes each time and they were absolutely needed or we wouldn't have made it.  We reached Fingerboard Shelter at 5:45 PM after hiking 14.3 miles.  After 98 days (14 weeks) I have gone 1,378.3 miles for an average of 14.1 miles per day.  This includes 5 zero days of hiking so I have hiked 93 out of the last 98 days.

Entering New Jersey

On Tuesday (6-21) I started out my day after breakfast at a local outfitter to have new pole tips put on my hiking sticks.  The old ones broke off on the PA rocks.  I began my hike at 10:50 AM and by 11 AM I crossed the Delaware River Bridge and I was in NJ.  The rocks were slightly less in number than PA but there were still plenty.  I saw a racer snake which was starting to cross the trail.  Within just a few quick seconds after seeing me, he turned and completely vanished into the underbrush.  A few hikers slightly ahead of me saw a bear cub and a rattlesnake but I missed them both.  I tented at a campsite at 6:15 PM and hiked 13.6 miles.  There was quite a lot of rain overnight into the day on Wednesday (6-22).  My tent was dry on the inside for the most part, but the underside and rain flaps were very wet.  I started hiking at 8 AM and when I stopped for lunch, I ate wild raspberries that I found.  I fell several times on the wet slippery rocks but thankfully my most severe "injury" was a 1/4 inch abrasion below my thumb which happened when I slipped while climbing a rocky area.  I stopped for spring water at a shelter.  I was warned by other hikers about a huge mosquito problem at that particular shelter.  The warnings were accurate!  I got several bites while I was briefly getting water.  I was glad to get out of there.  I arrived at Kevin's Steakhouse for dinner at 4:30 PM.  It was just off the AT in Branchville, NJ.  Tornado warnings and severe rainy weather were forecasted so I got a motel room for the night.  I traveled 14.7 miles.  On Thursday (6-23) the manager of the motel took another hiker and me to a small deli across from the AT.  I had three donuts, a banana, OJ, an egg and ham sandwich, and coffee for breakfast.  I started hiking at 9:00 AM and by 9:45 AM it began to rain heavily.  I was 1 1/2 miles from the next shelter.  I put my backpack cover over my bag hoping my gear would stay somewhat dry.  I got soaked and my feet sloshed inside my boots.  When I reached the shelter I checked my gear and I was pleasantly surprised to see that most things were still dry.  After talking with two hikers at the shelter, I put on dry clothes, ate lunch, blew up my air mattress, and slept for 90 minutes.  The rain finally stopped and I resumed hiking at 3 PM.  At 7 PM I found a grassy campsite since more rain was soon to arrive.  I only went 11.8 miles because of the conditions. 

Three Months

On Saturday (6-18) I reached Baked Oven Knob (a big rock pile, really) by mid-morning.  Other hikers and I complained about the poor signage.  I fell once on some rocks but I remembered what Swamp Dawg told me, "If you are falling, fall on the backpack.  It will absorb the shock."  I did just that and I was fine.  I was met on the trail near Palmerton by Hardy and Elke Kaffenberger from Kennett Square, PA.  I met them on my US Western National Park Grand Circle Tour in May of 2010.  They drove 1 1/2 hours just to get to the trail.  After they took me to dinner, I was back to hiking at 5:30 PM.  The highlight of my day is seeing friends along the way.  I climbed a very treacherous rock face leaving Palmerton.  The AT Guide Book says it's among the most challenging on the AT south of New Hampshire.  I fully agree--it is not for the faint of heart.  It is a long, very rocky, and an extremely steep climb.

I finished hiking at 8:30 PM and hiked 15.0 miles.  Sunday (6-19) I was back to hiking at 7 AM.  By mid-morning I was out of water.  I expected to hike a mile into a town to get water.  Just before the road I would have hiked on to get into town, there were two cousins camping.  I asked if they had any water.  They gave me two liters which they didn't need because they were packing up to go home.  They saved me a lot of time so they were a big blessing.  I had lunch on a flat rock and napped 1 hour and 20 minutes!  One of my longer naps happened on a giant boulder!  I must have been really tired.

I had dinner at Leroy Smith Shelter and pushed on another 3 1/2 miles before finishing at 7:30 PM.  I hiked 16.5 miles.  On Monday (6-20) I had plans to meet a new friend.  I didn't know how long I needed to hike to reach Route 33 which goes to Wind Gap, PA so I began at 6 AM.  I was meeting Jerry Lehman who I met 6 weeks ago while he was section hiking in VA.  He drove about an hour to meet up with me again and help me out.  After breakfast he drove me to the Verizon store, the laundromat, and the grocery store.  I had to buy a new cell charger at Verizon because the old one wasn't working.  It was great visiting with him and I appreciate him carting me around so I could do my errands.  After leaving Jerry, I hiked from 11:15 AM-7:45 PM and tented at the Presbyterian Church of the Mountain Hostel.  I went 16.6 miles.  After 91 days of hiking, I am averaging 14.1 miles a day and have gone about 1,300 miles.  Slowly but surely, I'll keep plugging away.