The Journey is the Destination

I have come 1565.9 miles and today will be leaving Massachusetts and entering my 12^th state. Vermont has been looming over our heads for a while and we finally get to see what it is made of. Today I will also traverse the highest point in Massachusetts at Mount Greylock. Surprisingly Connecticut and Massachusetts have been some of my favorite parts of the trail. True, they are short but in these short miles is such a varying landscape and you can really see the changing of the forest.

I have been with Master Alex and Allgood for about the last three weeks. With them I have really slowed down and learned to enjoy the trail in a different way. I am surprised that I enjoy everyday more than the last. We do exactly what we want whenever we want to. One of our favorite things was our zero at Upper Goose Pond Cabin. I had been hearing about this since Georgia from my friend Wanderer. Well we took the day off and swam, did laundry in the pond, took the canoe out, read, napped. Perfect day. Even got to watch the biggest thunderstorm so far surround us from the covered porch. I missed my friend, Wanderer, being there but by chance I found his number.

So right now I am at his lovely home with his lovely wife. I got dinner, shower, laundry, a bed. It is impossible to describe to you what these are worth to us. (It had been 2 weeks without a shower for me and 3 and half for Allgood). All of this from someone I met my first week. That is another amazing thing you get to witness on the trail. The absolute generosity and kindness of people in every form. There is no way I will be able to the thank my friend for all he has done for me but it is hard for me to even to seem as grateful and appreciative as I am. I don’t think I thank people enough who just give me an orange on the trail. You talk to any hiker and they will tell you stories of the nicest people they have met on the trail. It’s just magic.

But unfortunately this trail has an end and we are approaching it. I only have 610.3 miles left of my journey and then it is over.  We talk almost daily about being afraid of the end. What will we do and how will we describe this to someone? We will try but we have all come to the conclusion that it is impossible. That feeling when you get up. That you want to go hiking. The dreams of food and the comfort and hitching with strangers. The friendships you bond and just the way the forest and mountain tops make you think.

The end is also not guaranteed. Master Alex got off 10 miles back to go to the hospital because he is 95% sure he has lyme disease. Allgood found out two friends got off in Vermont. One do to lack of fun anymore and the other snapped a tibia in the woods. But we trudge on with no certainties.

Just heard from Trill a few minutes ago.  He has not had phone coverage the last few days so it was good to hear his voice.   The last contact we had was the package we received yesterday from Kent, CT sent 6/3.  It was his stove and fuel bottles…no note,  so we were very interested in how and what he was eating.  He said a hiking friend has made him a stove out of 2 Pepsi cans that burns alcohol that he finds available in more places. Cutting weight!  We can’t imagine what is left in his pack, but he says he has one of the heaviest packs of his hiking group.

He is still with Master Alex and All Good near Prospect Mountain, CT . Brandon said that CT is very pretty and they have slowed down and are enjoying the trail.  He thinks Don Juan is a little behind him because he got off the trail to visit some friends.  Dynamite is ahead of him because Trill and MA also took a zero day yesterday at the shelter.  They have had some rain so some days they get big miles, some days they sit out the rain.  He is doing well and will post the next time he is at a computer.  Cell coverage was spotty so we did not get much info but he did say he was doing well and hopes to climb Katahdin between the middle to the end of July.  He is still seeing snakes “oh I see them every day”  but only the harmless varieties.  Also saw a few foxes (I think he meant the 4-legged kind but he did not go into detail) in NY.

We also got a phone message from Roundhouse this week .  He is doing well and encouraged Trill to “finish the trail!”  I am certain that one day RH will pick back up in PA and finish it himself.  The AT will always be there, just like RH’s new found love for hiking in the woods.  If you read this RH which I am sure you will, we can’t remember what those rare plants were we saw in Md.  Some kind of apple or something.  Your horticulture knowledge is sorely missed.

Watch out for the rocks and keep dry socks,

On to Maine!

New Jersey. Been pretty sunny the last couple of days. Got into the high 80’s yesterday which means a lot of water drinking. Still knocking out those miles and moving on up. Spent a couple of days with Dynamite and last night I stayed with Don Juan and Master Alex (a quebecois) in a church hostel here in Vernon. Going to be in Fort Montgomery on the 30th.

Been seeing snakes everyday (non poisonous) and also the ticks are out. Saw my first fox yesterday as well. Just finished resupplying and we are about to head back out to the trail. Pretty short and boring update but I’m on dial up so my patience is thin. Hope all is well with everyone and you’ll hear from me further up the trail.

Trill

Thats right believe it or not today is a beautiful day. Maybe that is nothing new for y’all down south or around the world but it is a great relief here. It has rained something like the last 12 of 13 days I’ve been on the trail. We even got hail a few times and can see our breath every night and morning. I keep trying to explain to my yankee friends that this is not normal for the end of May and I try and remember how hot it is in the dirty south right now.

Also PA is not a very fun trail. Decent views every now and then but the trail is rough. It is either bog, jagged rocks that shread your feet and knees, forest roads that bore you or giant boulders you have to leap to and fro. I’m not complaining. Well yes I am. Everyone is complaining. The shelter registers and everyone you meet on the trail are talking about the rocks. I don’t want to sound like a weenie but it is just much different than what we are used to. One register entry recommended glueing rocks to your shoes so you just constantly stepped on rocks. Lucky for me I only have 15.5 miles left of this state (which I will complete this afternoon) and then it is on to jousey (thats the spelling with the accent).

This weekend is supposed to be a good one which means the trails will probably be crowded. Hopefully my 2 month streak of not having to set up my hammock won’t be broken. Hiked a couple of days with Strides who I met before and after Harpers Ferry. Spent the last 5 or 6 nights with Dynamite. He wakes up and leaves before me and hikes faster than me but he counts on me strolling in late in the afternoon. We are currently in town right before Delaware Water Gap. It is easier to resupply here than there so we just have to carry our RIDICULOUS food bags 15 extra miles. He saw a bear the other day but I didn’t have such luck/misfortune (depending on how you look at it). I did however have the scare of my life.

If you honestly worry about me. Stop reading. I’m serious you will wish you had. Okay I warned you.

Continue reading “Pennsylvania ROCKS ! and The Sun is Shining!”

I talked to Trill yesterday and he was going into Port Clinton, PA (political comments withheld) to shower up and feed at a hostel there. He was with some other hikers so he is meeting up with others along the way. The last few days have been rainy but he has been knocking down some miles. He also commented that Pennsylvania is just as rocky as he had heard so his feet are a bit sore.

He asked me to update everyone on upcoming mail-drops. He is really enjoying finding surprises at the Post Offices. His next drop will be at Fort Montgomery, NY 10922 with an ETA of 5/29. He likes to get news updates and notes from you guys as well as small treats. The pre-season football poll was a big hit! Remember he is having to carry everything so he either eats everything on the spot or takes the light stuff with him. Trill, Jac has sent you a French box to me and I will forward from here. I bet there is some of that French sausage you like if it gets through Customs and maybe a morel, ramp and ramen recipe.

His next pick-up will be Kent, CT 06757 with an ETA of 6/3.

Kyle, if you want to join him for part of the trail, I have found ways you could fly into NYC and take a bus to Mass and hike the 70 miles of Mass with him. It involves flying to Laguardia or Newark, getting to a bus station and having a 2-3 hour bus ride each way. I expect him to be there around mid-June and I will be glad to set up the travel plans for you. I like figuring out all the connections so just let me know off-line if you decide that’s what you want to do. It will probably take 2 days travel and 4 days hiking but he would enjoy your company. You can also do a 30-mile trek for a total of 3 days if you had rather.

Always good news first. We’ll we officially made it halfway. Pretty good feeling knowing you have gone past half way. There is a state park near the halfway point and in this state park is a campstore. The campstore puts on the “Half Gallon Challenge”. Any flavor of ice cream in any time frame. You just half to eat a half gallon of it. The record is just under 4 minutes. Think about that for a minute. Roundhouse took his down in 12 minutes and it took me just under half an hour. Roundhouse amazingly went back and got a second half gallon. Thats right he ate a whole gallon. Also take some time to think about that.

It rained on us for about 5 days which kinda stinks but lucky for us we got picked up by my friends in PA. Ryan and Kyle are two brothers that me and my brothers met last year outside Barcelona. Nice to see them again. Also nice to be in a college town for a couple of days. Tons of restaurants and tons of people your age. I felt like I fit in (minus the beard). Some people would ask us what we were doing and we told them we walked here. From Georgia.

The bad news is that Roundhouse has had to sign off the trial. He has some family issues he has to deal with so I will be tredging on solo. Everyone is real bummed. I’ll admit that I am not as excited as normal to be getting back on the trail. I know a couple of days in the woods and my head will be clear. Best case is I can turn the heat up and catch up to some of our buddies and hike with them. Or maybe some cool cats caught up to me and I’ll be able to hike with them for a while. It is definitely going to be different.

“Plus Twelve” passed on the pictures he was able to take on his recent trip with Roundhouse and Trill.  You can see both of the boys wanted to wish a happy mother’s day to the two moms that are worrying, praying and rooting them on as they have a trip of a lifetime.   Oh and check out those beards!

(right and left arrow keys to navigate, esc key to exit)

I just got back this afternoon from spending 3 days on the trail with the guys and it was great! They met me with 4 other hikers they knew at the station in Harper’s Ferry WV and then to dinner.  Bad Hummus, Todie Bear, Yedi and I can’t remember the other the last hiker’s trail name.

I left the next morning because they had to wait until 9:00 for the ATC to open. That would give me a head-start on them. Started out nice, crossed a river and hit the woods. Met a hiker about 3 miles out and asked him to report to them how far ahead I was. I hiked a few more miles and met a couple who stopped to chat. They asked if this was still W. Va. and I corrected them that this was Maryland. Unfortunately, they had just passed a sign entering W. Va. Anyway, 6 miles southbound from Harper’s Ferry, I realized I had read the map wrong! Luckily, I had phone coverage AND Brandon had his phone on. He said no problem, they would wait at the first shelter 7.5 miles down the trail in the right direction. There we spend the night with the first hiker I met southbound. His name is Strides. I wish he had told me I was going the wrong way.

I had to get that off my chest and now I know you want to know about Roundhouse and Trill. They are doing Great! Their health is excellent. Both have lost about 25 pounds. Their gear is holding up well and their spirits are soaring. They are having the time of their life. They love the trail, the hikers and all the communities and helpers along the way.

Here is a typical day if there is one. They are usually late risers and don’t like shelters facing east and the morning sun. They get up, pack up, hit the privy and brush their teeth (most mornings). Breakfast is a couple of Little Debbie apple pies and a full-purpose vitamin and they hit the trail, maybe with an idea of how far, maybe not. After a few hours, it’s time for lunch at a nice view or maybe a shelter. Lunch is 2 flour tortillas filled with a huge glob of peanut butter and a squirt of honey. EACH! Then they have some trail mix, a candy bar and a slim jim. EACH! Then it’s nap time. They took it easy on this old man but they said they usually roll into the shelter 30 minutes either side of dark. We hit them about 6:00 – 7:00.

At the shelter they have a routine. One goes to the spring for their water, the other sets up the pads and sleeping bags, starts getting ready to cook and sets the mouse traps. They are up to 32 confirmed kills but were 0-for-2 my nights. Dinner is cooked in one shared pot consisting of: 2 Knorr noodle envelopes. Chicken teriyaki being the favorite, 2 ramen noodle packs, 1 pack of tuna or chicken, Sweet and Spicy tuna is the best, and finally a pack of instant mashed potatoes to soak up the extra water. They call it gruel and it is actually pretty good and very good fuel. They sit around and share stories with other hikers at the shelter or read and journal.

They are usually hiking together and playing 20 questions or making Roundhouse identify plants which he is very good at. Sometimes they get a song in their heads and sing until the other one can’t get it out of his. They do want they want, when they want with as few hard plans as possible. They checked in at the A.T. Conservancy and there are only 35 hikers ahead of them so they are making great time.

We ended the week at the PA state line where a very nice couple, “The Rosesniffers”picked us up that I had contacted before I left. They took us to an AYCE buffet to fill up and then to their house to sleep dry and inside and finally get a shower. Bill and I took off at 6:00 a.m. to catch my train to D.C. while the boys slept in and got pancakes and french toast later.

It was a great experience and a wonderful time with the hikers. Beautiful scenery and weather. I can now picture where they are and what they are doing and hopefully you can too. One last thing, Roundhouse was ahead of us and we passed a house that had a register set up with a sign to please sign in. We checked it and sure enough, Roundhouse had signed “Roundhouse, Trill and +12″. I guess I have a trail name ……. or number.

Look for pictures in a couple of days

Not really the best place to update the blog but I’ll let you know that all is well. We got packages from family and a nice little box from AUO. Nice suprise. Thanks to all of you. We love getting packages and just seeing what could be in them. Im currently at the Appalachian Trail Conference HQ here in Harpers Ferry. It isn’t the exact halfway point but it is called the mental halfway point. Two days ago we passed the 1000 mile marker. We were impressed that we had walked through the mountains a 1000 miles but then were overshaddowed a little bit  that more than that awaits us.

We met up with my dad and are hiking about 16 miles today. He got a jump start and we are going to leave right now and catch up with him. Want to say hi to James from New York, New York. You can send us a message on the site and we’ll exchange contact info and maybe hook up around your area of town. Also Kyle and Ryan, we are coming to Penn so you better be ready to handle us.

Trill

Just got a call from the hikers and they are in Front Royal, VA and have made it through the Shenandoah National Park. I thought this section would be one of the prettiest of the trail but they seemed to like the Great Smokies better. It had less roads, more seclusion, higher peaks and nicer views. The rain may have had some influence on their opinion. They got snow as late as April 29th.

They are now 957 miles along the way and looking forward to Harper’s Ferry and the half-way mark. They are having to slow down a little to time our meeting there on Monday but they can get there early and enjoy the Conservancy and get some rest. They will need it to keep up with me when I get there.

They did finally see a bear! It was not a close encounter but were having lunch with some others by a road a saw one cross the road some distance away. Brandon, too bad you can’t top my bear/hiking encounter yet. Hopefully you never will.

They are making good time and have only had 2 hikers pass them that started earlier than March 1. They are well ahead of the big pack and estimate their finish around the end on July. I did not think they could do it that fast but they continue to beat my estimates. They are also meeting lots of cool hikers that are mostly section hiking. One they met had been section hiking for years and finally this year he was completing his last section. He is in his 70’s. How cool is that!

They will have Internet in Harper’s Ferry so they will catch up on all your comments and will be able to post again themselves. I have already told them NO MORE CLIFF SITTING!