All Done

The last week and a half has gone by incredibly fast.  Since my last update, I've hiked the 100 mile wilderness, summited Katahdin and spent 3 days back in civilization.

I stayed in Monson on the 16th because the rain was coming down so hard.  Everyone who was in town the day before stayed an extra day to avoid the rain, so on the morning of the 17th, there was a group of about 10 hikers that all left around the same time and stayed together through most of the wilderness.

Normally, there are a half dozen rivers that you need to ford within the wilderness, but because there had been so much rain, rivers that were normally pretty low were considerably higher.  It was no longer  possible to rock hop across the river.  Instead, you needed to take off your shoes and sock and switch into something that could get wet (in my case, my crocs).  And the rivers that you'd normally need to form became even higher.  There was one river the first day that had such a strong current, that the only safe way to cross was via a tree that had fallen over the river.  The first day was especially stressful and tedious.  After that, there weren't too many fords.

Towards the end of the third day, we arrived at the summit of White Cap Mtn, the last mountain with any kind of elevation.  What made White Cap Mtn special was that is was the first time I was able to see Katahdin.  Apparently, you can also see Katahdin from the Bigelows (some large mountains a few days back), but on the day I climbed those, it was to cloudy to have any good views.  I had to have someone point out Katahdin for me, because I didn't see anything that looked like the pictures that I've seen.  I was also confused because I didn't see any mountains that looked especially big.  The reason it didn't look that big, I figured out later, is because it is still SO FAR AWAY - 70 something miles.  It was a great view, because it helped to give some perspective.  And it also showed me where we would end up.  Epic!

That day was also great because I got some much needed trail magic.  I only carried five day's worth of food into the wilderness, even though I knew it would take six days.  Not only was I not carrying enough food, but the food that I was carrying was very sugar-centric, which I don't normally do (it was all I could find at the gas station in Monson).  All day, I had been thinking about cheese and meat.  And when I got to the bottom of White Cap, I ran into a couple hikers that I had started with who were waiting on some day hikers to return to their car which was parked on a logging road.  These day hikers had indicated that they had brought some food with them and that it was in their car's trunk, available once they had finished their descent.  They had lots of good stuff, including cheese.  One item of food that was especially delicious was chips + salsa.  I've been through lots of towns on my hike, so I'm not completely cut off from non-camping food.  But one food that I haven't had in a very long time was chips and salsa.  It tasted amazing!

The rest of the wilderness was a pretty easy hike.  And we were also lucky with the weather - only a little bit of rain on the fourth day.  When I finally reached the end of the wilderness, I was thoroughly hungry.  Fortunately, they had a camp store there with hot food.  After that, we entered Baxter State Park and settled in at the shelter at the base of Katahdin, five miles from the summit.

It was only five miles from camp to the top, but it was one of the more difficult hikes on the trail.  4000 foot climb over about four miles.  And the climb was not easy either - a lot of hand-over-hand climbing.  I had heard this ahead of time, so I left my hiking poles at the ranger station and I'm glad I did.  The top had an amazing view in all directions, but it was also incredibly windy.  One of the other hikers going to the top that day was hiking with his father who was not in very good shape.  We all waited on the top for them (I was up there almost 2 hours), but the weather started to look a little scary - so, at some point we had to abandon the original plan and head down.

That was the 23rd.  After that, I headed into town (Millinocket, ME) and caught a bus the next day headed for Portland.  (As it turns out, the farm I was headed to is actually closer to Augusta, and I had gotten my Maine towns mixed-up.  It wasn't an issue, though, because the family I'm working for dropped their daughter off at college south of Portland and was able to pick me up on the way back.)

It's been a strange experience so far.  I've gotten so used to hiking all day that I don't know what to do with myself off of the trail.  It's hard to accept that I'm done.  Ever since I crossed the border into ME, I've had my eye on Katahdin, but now that it's over, I'm in a sort of limbo state.  I hope the transition back to normal life is smooth!

Monson, ME

I just arrived in Monson early this morning.  I was planning on doing some eating, loading-up on supplies, doing my internet chores and moving on, but then it started raining.  And then I got pretty wet and cold.  So, it looks like I'm taking the day off.

Monson marks the beginning of the 100 miles wilderness.  Compared to the terrain we've been hiking for the last few hundred miles, it's supposed to be easy.  I'm not too worried about it.  The only thing that makes it a little difficult is that it's super isolated, so you pretty much have to carry a week's worth of food - at least that's what I'm doing.  And then guess what happens.  YOU'RE AT THE END OF THE TRAIL!!!  Yeah, I'm pretty excited.  Er, I would be, but the rain is wearing me down at the moment.

I haven't been able to write much lately because the last few towns have either not had a library or the library has been closed b/c of an event or some bizzare, budget-cutting hours.  That's actually the case here too, but luckily the hostel/b&b I'm at right now is letting me use their computer.  So, here are some thing's I've left out of my last few posts:

Maine is awesome view-wise and feeling-wise.  Compared to previous states, it's very rural.  It actually reminds me a lot of Northern MN - but with mountains.  They've got lots of mosquitos here.  Lots of lakes.  And the occasional moose as well - although, I hear the MN moose aren't doing too well.

Speaking of moose, I saw my fifth moose yesterday.  I had just started hiking, and I snuck off the trail a bit to go to the bathroom.  As I was doing my thing, I heard something off to the side.  Something heavy and moving slow.  I thought it might have been a human or even possibly a manbearpig.  "Oh no.  Caught going to the bathroom - again!"  (Yes, this would have been the third or fourth time.  I'm lazy when is comes to giving myself privacy.)  But, no, it was an antlered moose, moving slowly through the woods and pretty close by too - maybe 15/20 yards away.

On a serious note, I also learned recently about a thru-hiker who died earlier this year.  I had heard a few weeks back about someone who had drowned in a lake in ME, but didn't know too much about the circumstances.  He was just off the shore, near a shelter with a number of other hikers nearby.  Apparently, he was swimming on a full stomach and experienced muscle cramps and couldn't stay afloat.  This was back in June.  They had his picture in the shelter and a memorial next to the lake.  It's really sad.  Since this happened in ME, the ATC awarded him his 2000-miler status posthumously and some other hikers spread his ashes atop Katahdin.  The way I see it, at least he died doing something he enjoyed - and not of a heart attack, in his apartment, alone.  RIP...

Back to a less-serious note.  Monson marks the end of the road for my running shoes.  I've been avoiding it for a long time, but it's time to say goodbye.  I got replacement shoes back in VT (~400 miles back), but couldn't bring myself to throw away my old running shoes.  I've had these guys for 2.5 years and they've been with me on Mt Fuji, hiking around the Himalayas, my one and only marathon, a number of half-marathons and most recently the AT since Connecticut.  At this point, there's almost no fabric left on them, and I have to dump out dirt and trail-debris several times a day.  Not worth it.  Goodbye guys...

From AT 2012

One more week left!

Stratton, ME

Another town with no library, so it's gonna be another short entry.
The past five days have been wet and a little bit lonely.  There's been a virus going around hikers, so I've been trying to avoid shelters and outhouses.  It's worked so far.  From what I hear, the really tough stuff is behind us - so, I'm pretty excited about that.  Until next time...

Slow Going

Maine is tough.  Mahoosic Notch.  Look it up.  It took me two hrs to cover one mile.  That is all for now.  Back to my ice cream...

I saw a moose

Yeah. I saw a mom and two calfs. Sorry, no pics.

Eight-Hundred Pound Beaver

I'm in Gorham, NH right now, which is the last town that the trail passes in NH before it enters Maine.  It's the first town I've been to since my last post.  For the last week, I've been hiking the White Mountains, which has been very tough and very rewarding.

My week got off to a pretty good start as I was leaving Frankin, NH.  I was at a breakfast diner last Thursday, eating with a couple other thru-hikers.  I came into town via Kinsman Notch, but most of the other hikers had come into town via Franconia Notch - which was another 15 miles or so ahead of where I had gotten off of the trail.  The other hikers were waiting for a shuttle to take them back to the trail, and when it arrived, they paid their bills and took off - leaving me there by myself.  I took my time and enjoyed my meal.  I was in no hurry since I was planning on hitchhiking back to my notch.  When it came time to pay my bill, the waitress informed me that it had already been taken care of by a group that had been at one of the other tables.  Unfortunately, they had already left, so I didn't have the chance to thank them.  What a great surprise!  Once I get off the trail and have income again, I'm going to have to make sure I pay it forward.

After that, I walked down the road for a mile or two before I got to a part of the road that takes me to where I got off of the trail.  I set my pack down and stick out my thumb and I've got a ride within five minutes.  That's a record for me, I think.  I get back to the trail and start hiking, and I quickly find out just how hard the White Mtns really are.  The rumors are true!  Even with a belly full of delicious and (somewhat) nutritious food, I am pooped within a few hrs.

The composition of the trail has changed a lot in the last 100 miles or so.  Before, there were stretches of somewhat flat trail, with some soft footing.  When the trail climbed or descended, it was at least somewhat gentle.  There might be some rocks, but they were always arranged in such a way that you could climb them like a staircase.  Now, there's a lot of jumping and sliding.  I've had to take my pack off a few times b/c it's too difficult to descend while I'm still wearing it.  In the last week, I've been averaging one or two falls a day.  It's usually on some slick rock that's just a little too steep for my tread-worn shoes to grip, and before I know it, I'm on my back, cursing the trail maintainers.  Fun times!

There are a few things that make hiking in the White Mountains different from hiking elsewhere on the trail.  Like I mentioned in my last post, the Whites have some pretty hardcore weather, but they also have some exposed ridgeline and some nice views.  Another thing that makes the White Mountains different is that the trail goes by a number of pay-to-stay huts.  These are essentially rustic hotels set up near the ridgeline.  People hike up the side trails and pay anywhere from $40 to more than $100 a night to stay in an enclosed building with running water and hot meals.  There's no TV or internet, so the experience is somewhere between real camping and a real hotel.  Anyway, these huts take the place of the more traditional (i.e. three walls and a roof) shelters that thru-hikers stay in. Thru-hikers aren't too keen on shelling out that kind of money just to sleep in the mountains.  So, as a compromise, the AMC (the organization that maintains the huts and the trails within the White Mountains) has set-up a system where thru-hikers can "work" in exchange for lodging at these huts.  They will usually only take the first couple hikers that arrive, and in cases where the weather is especially bad (and there's nowhere safe to camp nearby), they will accept more.  It's a pretty good deal for us hikers.  Normally, the work is something simple like cleaning dishes or the kitchen and in exchange, you have a warm place to sleep and one or two warm meals.

My first experience with work-for-stay was interesting and hard to top.  It was at the first hut that northbounders pass after they've climbed up and over the two Kinsman mountains.  Normally, northbounders will zip right past the first hut b/c the next road is the best way to get into Franklin, NH to re-supply on food.  In my case, I had already re-supplied at the last road crossing - so, I figured I'd stop by and see if they had any work-for-stay positions available.

Before I had even taken my pack off, there was a hut care-taker (called "croo," they're usually a small group of college students working in the huts for the summer) outside asking if I could work that night.  Absolutely, I said.  "Cool.  Just wait out here until the pay guests have finished their dinner and then you can come in and chow-down on the left-overs."  After the guests had finished their meals, I was invited in and given pasta, salad and cake - and some beer to wash it all down.  Delicious and much-appreciated!  As I was stuffing myself with all of this, they told me what the situation was.  Normally, they'd have me do dishes or something, but they were more or less already taken care of.  Instead, how would I feel about dressing-up as a beaver and having little kids hose me down with water guns.  Interesting.  Sure, why not.

At the appointed time, one of the croo gave a presentation about beavers for all of the guests.  Beavers have big teeth for chipping away at trees.  Beavers have big, broad tails that they use to slap the water when frightened.  Beavers have water-proof fur.  That sort of thing...  Then, to demonstrate all of these qualities, the croo-lady had me don some buck-teeth made of paper, a sweater to represent the fur, a canoe paddle to represent the tail and a transparent poncho to represent the water-proof-ness of the fur.  And the grand-finale of this demo was giving a bunch of enthusiastic kids super-soakers so that they could test just how water-proof my "fur" was.  Turns out the poncho didn't quite cover the bottoms of my pants.  Where do you think those little brats aimed at?  Yup.

So, yeah, that was fun.  The work as silly and different, I got some good food and good beer and later that evening (after the guests had gone to sleep) the croo got together in their bunk room and played music for a couple hours.  Everyone there played some sort of instrument: guitar, ukelele, banjo, fiddle.  Great way to finish an otherwise rough day.

From AT 2012

The rest of the week has gone by pretty quickly.  I got pretty lucky with the weather.  Too many hikers get to Mt Washington and can't see anything b/c the top of the mountain is in a cloud, but I had great views when I was there.  I ran into rain a couple of times and hit some strong winds along some of the ridgelines, but for the most-part I was super lucky with the weather.  The one downside to having good visibility along the ridgelines is that I've got a pretty bad sunburn now.  Yuck!

On the gear front, I've had some pretty bad luck recently.  On my first day in the Whites, I fell and landed on one of my trekking poles and now it's slightly bent.  And then another day, my last remaining water bag broke.  So, now when I want to filter my water I have to simultaneously squeeze the bag and the spot where it's leaking.

This post had been a bit wordy, so if you made it all the way down here, that's cool.  During the presentation, I learned something about beavers that I didn't know.  According to the girl doing the presentation, 12000 years ago there was a species of beaver that weighed 800 lbs.  Wouldn't want to come across one of those guys...  Thanks for reading.

White Mountains

I'm writing this post from the safety of a library in Lincoln, NH.  The trail, which follows a ridge 3000+ ft above me, is about to get pretty rough.

Yesterday, I climbed and then descended Mt. Moosilauke.  I believe it's been the biggest ascent so far on my hike.  (There have been bigger mountains, but the climb has always started from a ridgeline instead of the base of the mountain.)  The climb took almost three hours, but it was rewarded with an amazing view.  For the first time in a while, the trail went above tree line (the point above which trees cannot grow because of temperature, wind and altitude).  I could see every direction, but I couldn't linger too long because the wind was pretty strong - strong enough that I had to walk at an angle to stay standing.  And it's not even the biggest. 

The next few days will have a lot of exposed ridgeline and some relatively high summits.  I've heard a lot from the southbound hikers that I've been meeting over the last couple weeks.  Mt Washington (the highest mtn in the White Mountain range has some pretty bizarre weather.  The highest temperature ever recorded on the summit is 74 degrees.  Seventy-four degrees!  Ever!  That's the highest!  The summit receives snow every month of the year.  The other day, a hiker told me that the wind chill temperature was below freezing.  And this is in July!

So, I'm a little nervous about the next week.  I've heard so much about the White Mtns during my hike.  Yes, they are dangerous and have extreme weather but they are also the most beautiful views on the trail.  This is why we're out here.  The bad news is that it's supposed to rain pretty hard over the next few days.  So, there's a decent chance we won't be getting much of a view.  Bummer.

On a happier note, I've had a pretty good time on the trail since leaving Hanover a few days back.  I had a great time in town with my Aunt and Uncle.  They spoiled me pretty good.  I got some pad thai, lots of desserts, gelato and some trail snacks as well. 

Then, a couple days out of town, I got to meet Ice Cream Man.  The Ice Cream Man (Bill) is a retired guy who lives near the trail and encourages hikers to stop by and get some water and ice cream.  Bill's sons hiked the trail a long time ago and they got a lot of support during their hike, so he feels like he needs to give back to the current generation of hikers.  It was a great afternoon sitting around on Bill's porch and we even got in a game of croquet too.  Good times.

This library's got a time limit on their computer, so I gotta go.  Thanks for reading!

New Hampshire!

Earlier today, I crossed from Vermont into New Hampshire.  I'm currently in the town of Hanover, NH at their library doing some way-overdue internet stuff.  Hanover has been really great so far, but it's also a little overwhelming.  Dartmouth is located here, so it's a very college-y kind of town, but the trail also runs through town - so it's got a little bit of an outdoorsy vibe as well.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately.  I got back on the trail almost 2.5 weeks ago (July 4th), but everytime I've had a chance to get online, I was in too much of a rush to get other things done, that I didn't have time to write anything.  I had a particularly annoying experience in Dalton, MA, where the librarian insisted that I follow the hour limit.  "And what if there's noone waiting for a computer after that hour is up?"  "Doesn't matter.  Them's the rules."  Ug...

So, since my last update, I've crossed the border into MA, then crossed another border into VT and then crossed yet another border into NH.  And each time, the trail has gotten progessively better.  The forest has changed.  It's gotten more and more pine-y, to the point where it smells like Christmas all of the time, and the pine needles on the trail are like little pillows for your feet to land on.  The grey squirrels have disappeared and been replaced with chipmunks and red squirrels.  And the bears seem to have disappeared as well (I hope), and lately I've been seeing evidence of moose.

The attitudes of hikers have changed as well.  It feels like we're almost done, although we still have 450 miles left to go.  Everyone I've talked to has had horrible things to say about their time in NY state and the second half of PA.  And ever since we've passed those places, the experience has gotten more and more enjoyable.  The hikers that I meet are all pumped to be out here.  Earlier on the trail, there was a lot of complaining (and for good reason a lot of times), but that's all been replaced now with a kind of live-it-up-while-you-can and we're-so-lucky-to-be-out-here positivity.  It's really great to be around.

A lot's happened over the past few weeks, so it's hard to summarize or list all of the bigger events.  When I got dropped-off at the trail in Kent, Conn, I had a rough few days.  It was hot and sweaty and I had some painful chafing.  And then soon after that, I started having some issues with the shoes that I brought back with my from Atlanta.  I decided on using my old (600+ running miles) running shoes and seeing if I could finish the trail with them.  The problem is that my feet have grown from hiking and there was some exposed plastic in the back, inside part of the shoe - and this plastic was rubbing the back of my foot raw.  I doubled-up on socks and walked a little more gingerly and after a few days, the skin on the back of my foot hardened-up and stopped hurting.  So, I hope that won't be an issue any more.  Anyway, once I got through those two issues, things have been much better.

From AT 2012

One of the more important chores I needed to take care of while in Hanover today was pick-up a replacement part for my water filter.  The more I've used the filter, the more clogged-up it has gotten.  It's to the point now, where it takes way too long to get a clean bottle of water.  The filter came with a kind of water syringe for cleaning it out, but I left that in storeage in the interest of carrying less in my pack.  I didn't think I would need it on my hike.  Boy was I was wrong!  So, I went into an outdoor store in Manchester, VT to see if I could borrow a syringe from them, but they didn't carry this brand of filter.  No luck there.  So, then I contacted the manufacturer to see if they could mail me a syringe.  Yes, they could, but because they exclusively use UPS, they couldn't send it to a post office (which I would normally use).  So, I give them the address of an outdoor store which I found in my guidebook.  It turns out they went out of business not too long ago.  So, I don't know where my package went!  I'm pretty unhappy about that, but it's my own fault.  Now, it's time to order a new one.

I'm meeting my aunt and uncle in town today and they just arrived, so it's time to sign off.  Thanks for reading!

Shoes!

A bunch of people have asked about the footwear that I use while hiking, so I thought I'd share this...

After more than 1450 miles, my trail shoes have finally called it quits.  A few weeks ago, in the first part of Pennsylvania, the back flaps started coming off.  I went into town and got some superglue to try to get some extra life out of the shoes, but it was not enough.  Once I got into the second, rockier part of PA, things really went downhill (pun intended).  More super-glue, duct tape... nothing was keeping these flaps on.  Then I just cut one of them off so at least they wouldn't be flopping around, but without that rubber pad on the bottom, the foam between my feet and the ground has withered away to the point where my shoes are not really working the way that they're supposed to.  So, I'm tossing those bad boys out and moving onto my next pair.  The question is: what do I use?

From AT 2012

When it comes to long-distance hiking, one of the most important pieces of gear you need to think about is what you're going to wear on your feet.  Footwear generally falls into three categories: hiking boots, trail runners and plain old running shoes.  (And then you have the rare person who uses minimal footware or goes barefoot, but there aren't too many of those people.)  Old-school hikers (or those who want some protection for their ankles) will go with hiking boots.  They're heavy and their stiffness can increase your odds of blisters, but they're also more durable (in theory) than lesser shoes and they can potentially stop you from turning your ankle.  People who want lighter shoes will go with trail runners.  These shoes are a cross between running shoes and boots.  They're pretty light and they roll like running shoes, but they're a little more durable and the base of the shoe is thicker - giving your feet more protection from the trail.  And, finally, there are some people who go with plain old running shoes.  They're the lightest of the three options and they are also the cheapest.

For my hike, I went with trail runners, because in the past I've had issues with hiking boots (blisters) and I wanted something lighter as well.  The less weight you have on your feet, the less work you're doing - and over the course of 2100+ miles, your feet are doing a lot of moving.  So, less is more.  And I don't think I need the extra ankle support because I did quite a bit of running prior to my hike, which should hopefully mean my ankles are decently strong.

My trail runners lasted a long time.  Most other hikers are on their second, third or fourth pair of shoes, whereas I was using the original pair up until now.  I'm considering using an old pair of running shoes I have in storage, but I'm worried they might not make it to ME.  So, the question is: buy a new pair of trail runners or chance it on something lighter that I already have sitting around?

New York: Yuck

I'm in Kent, Conn right now, waiting to get picked-up by a friend who's taking me down to ATL for a wedding.  I just crossed the border into Conn this morning, and I couldn't be more glad to be done with New York.

I ended-up staying in Vernon, NJ an extra night (after my last post) because there was a heat wave going through.  I woke-up, went outside, and immediately decided I wasn't up for hiking.  So, I stay another night, get up early the next day and head back out to the trail.  This was day # 2 of a 3 day heat wave, so I knew it was not going to be fun, but I felt anxious just sitting around, watching the 90's VHS tapes that the church had available (Independence Day was much better when I saw it as a kid).  I climb out of town, sweating like crazy and the hike turns out to be not so bad once I hit the top - lots of shade, lots of cool stream water.  But that all changed once I hit the border with NY.

Immediately after crossing the border, the quality of the trail got pretty bad (lots of overgrown grass / poison ivy), the trail spent a lot of time in the sun and worst of all: almost all of the water sources in my guidebook were either dry, stagnant or non-existant.  Not a good first impression!  And it was the same story for the next few days as well: really hot and not enough water. 

Fortunatly, some really nice (and thoughtful) people set-out gallons of water on the trail where I needed it the most.  And one day when I didn't think I could go any further, I'm crossing the road and a truck pulls over and asks how I'm doing.  Me (zombie-like): thirsty... I am.  Him: want a frozen gatorade?  Me (less zombie-like): uh, yeah!  And that's the story of the most refeshing drink ever drank. I have never enjoyed a drink more than I enjoyed that delicious, delicious frozen slushie of heavenly nectar.  So, yeah, that helped a lot.  And then later that night, the same guy hiked-up to the shelter where a couple hikers and I were sleeping, and he had some oreos and soda.  What a guy!  He had hiked the trail in 2000, and ever since then he's spent a few weeks a year traveling up and down the trail giving trail magic to people when they need it the most.  Thanks Patio (the guy's trailname)!

After climbing Bear Mtn (which was super crowded with people) and crossing the Hudson river, we entered Deli Country.  Every day, the trail would pass at least one road that had a deli within walking-distance (< 1 mi).  That was pretty nice.  It gave me something to look forward to every day.  I ran out of energy-drink powder last week, so the only way I've been able to get my caffeine fix recently has been to get to a gas station or deli and get my coffee on.  Nothing makes hiking easier than a full belly and a good amt of caffeine in your system!

From AT 2012

When I first got into NY, the issue was heat.  Then, two days ago, it became rain.  Rain is normally not an issue recently.  It lowers the air temp and it cools my body as well.  It's refreshing - in small amounts, that is.  I was roughly an hour away from my daily deli visit and this thunderstorm rolls in and unleashes a huge amt of rain.  Within minutes, the trail turned into a river/lake and my clothes and shoes were done for the day.  If I hike vigorously enough, I can dry out my shirt and shorts, but once my shoes and socks get soaked, there's no coming back from that.  It's just: slosh, slosh, slosh.  It feels really gross.  And on top of that, I had a close-encounter with lightning.  I was in the middle of the forest.  I wasn't exposed at all.  But the lightning still found me.  It was maybe 30 yrds away and it really scared the crap out of me.  I saw it and I felt the air-shock from it.  Close call!

So, yeah, I didn't have a great time in NY.  It could be the poor trail maintenance / water conditions, but it's also probably to do with the weather I was experiencing as I was going through the state.  Either way, I'm glad to be out of there.

I've also been experiencing a bit of burn-out / boredom with my hike. The field of hikers has started to thin-out, so I've been seeing fewer and fewer people on the trail.  I'm leaving the trail for a few days, which should let the rest of the pack catch-up.  And it will also give me a chance to appreciate what I have out here.  Perfect timing!

Look What I Just Ate #2

(This was almost two weeks ago, but still worth mentioning...)

Harpers Ferry is considered the psychological half-way point of the trail, but the true half-way point of the trail isn't for another 70 miles after Harpers Ferry, in a PA state park named Pine Grove Furnace.  It is here that hikers can truly celebrate their progress and what better way to do that than by eating a carton of ice cream.

It is a well-known tradition for thru-hikers who make it this far to stop at the state park's general store and pick up a half-gallon of ice cream and attempt to eat it as quickly as possible.  (The store calls the container a half-gallon, but in reality it's only 75% of a half-gallon.  There were a few hikers who went back and got extra ice cream, but I was happy with my fake half-gallon.)  I picked chocolate-chip cookie dough.  I considered getting vanilla because it had fewer calories (only 2000!) and thus would have been easier to consume, but I figured that would get too boring.

From AT 2012

I finished my ice cream and it wasn't too tough, actually.  Another hiker and I timed how long it took us and we both finished in about 37 minutes.  One guy who had passed through before us finished his in 7 minutes.  Another guy had such an appetite for ice cream that after he finished, he went back inside and ate a second "half-gallon".  I had had enough ice cream, but I also figured I ought to eat something else to balance out the sugar - so I went back in and got some fries and a cheeseburger and after some more rest, I was ready to start hiking again.  Yay.

New Jersey: Not That Bad

I'm in Vernon, NJ right now, taking a little time off from hiking.  There's an old church in town which makes their basement available to hikers in exchange for a donation, and they've got shower + laundry + internet.  Bam.

The trail runs about 2.5 miles from town and doesn't have any shoulders so when I got to the road a few hrs ago, I stuck my thumb out.  The last time I tried hitching was in Hamburg, PA.  I stood by a busy road for a good 25 minutes and nobody even slowed down.  It was raining and the visibility wasn't good, so I think that was why I had no luck, but it still made me doubt my hitching chances.  Is it my beard?  Maybe it's reached creepy stage... I don't know.  Anyway, I tried again today and got a ride within 5 minutes.  And it was from a young (20-something) girl by herself.  It was super-nice of her.  I guess I'm not too creepy-looking after all.

I've been in NJ for three and a half days now.  I didn't have too many expectations.  I had heard that there were a lot of bears - but that was about it.  The second half of PA was pretty rough, because the trail was full of lots of sharp rocks, which made walking slow and painful.  I had assumed that the rocks would stop once I got to NJ, but when I got to Delaware Water Gap (where the trail crosses from PA to NJ) I talked to some rangers there and they told me that the rocks would continue into NJ.  Dang!  But the reality is that the trail is quite a bit easier once you cross the river.

It's been different from previous parts of the trail.  Before, you could go long stretches of the trail and really feel like you were in the middle of the wilderness.  Not here.  Instead, you cross a road every mile or so, and you see a lot of backyards with barking dogs.  It sounds not very nice, but I actually welcome the new feel.  I enjoy the diversity that the trail offers.  Today, there was a mile section of the trail that was actually on a boardwalk covering a huge bog.  That was nice.  And yesterday, the trail took us to the high point memorial marker which looks like a miniature version of the Washington monument in DC and stands on the highest point in NJ.



Another thing that's nice about the lack of wilderness here is that it means you're never too far away from food and the comforts of civilization.  Yesterday, I was running out of food and thinking that it was going to be a hungry day and I crossed a road only to look over and see a coffee+sandwich shop.  Yes!  And the same thing happened again this morning: I was out of food and in need of a resupply and there was a general store about half-mile from the trail.

When I arrived at the church earlier, there was a note that said that there was a pizza shop in town which offered all-you-can-eat pizza.  It was a pretty cool place.  It felt very New Jersey.  They had the yankees (vs braves) game on.  Everyone was talking way louder than they needed to.  And there were a few older men who may or may not be involved in the garbage industry / mob.  I liked it.

From AT 2012

Before I sign off, I also want to mention that I met up with my aunt (Joan) and my grandma last week in Palmerton, PA.  They met me there because of scheduling reasons but also because it's somewhat close to where my aunt lives (western NJ).  They picked me up from the trail and stuffed me full of pizza, cannolis, cookies, apples and beer.  When I got back on the trail, I was probably carrying a good 10 lbs worth of food - which was pretty tough b/c the climb out of the gap was one of the hardest climbs on the entire trail.  Once I got to the top, I decided I needed to get my pack weight down and the only way I could do that was to start giving away some of my food.  I couldn't possibly eat any more cannolis and they probably would have good bad soon, so when I finally came across some other thru-hikers, I gave them some of the strangest trail magic you can get: apples and cannolis.  I was happy to drop some weight and I know they were super happy too.  Thanks for everything, Joan and Grammy.


That's all for now.  Thanks for reading!

Updates from a taco bell

Sorry for the lack of updates recently.  I haven't spent much time in town the past couple weeks and when I've been in town the internet situation hasn't been good.  I'm in hamburg PA right now at a taco bell.  It's raining outside and I'm drying off and taking advantage of their wifi.

The past couple weeks on the trail have been really great.  Last week the weather was cool, which made walking much more enjoyable.  Sometimes when its hot out, it feels like work just getting down the trail.  But once I got past harpers ferry and into maryland, things changed.  The terrraine leveled out, the quality of the trail improved and it seems like everyone wass in a better mood (me especially).

I've had a number of humorous (to me and other hikers anyway) encounters with non-thru-hikers recently:

*a couple days ago I passed a few young kids (~10 yrs old) who appeared to be hiking by themselves (their dads were maybe 15 min behind them).  One of the kids stops to chat with me: him- "hi.  Are you a thru-hiker?" Me-"yup" him- "ok.... good job".

*the day before, I was in duncannon at the grocery store and a mom and two little girls passed me.  Very audibly, one of the girls points at me and says "look, mom, there's a funny man".  The mom's jaw drops and she tells me "oh I'm so sorry.  She doesn't usually say things like that".  I guess my hair situation might be getting a little out of control.

*the day before yesterday, I came to a viewpoint where I found three highschool-age kids hanging out.  These guys were very clearly not sober and they were flipping out that I was hiking as far as I was.  "Dude, we thought only like 3 people have ever finished the trail and the rest died trying".  "Man, you're like a national hero or something.  You need to be on the news".  Playing along, I told them that I don't carry any food.  "I catch all of my meals with my bare hands."

* at a chinese buffet last week, I got the following fortune: "tomorrow morning, take a left turn as soon as you leave home".  I did NOT turn left the next morning and I will forever wonder what great fortunes I missed out on.

From AT 2012

I also had an embarrasing accident the other day.  I was walking down side of the road out of the town of Boiling Springs PA.  There was a sign on the side of the road talking about the history of the area and I figured I was capable of walking and reading at the same time.  Apparently not!  The was a chunk of shoulder missing and my left foot landed right in it.  The next thing I knew, I was sprawled out on my chest about 10 ft from the road.  Carrying all the weight on my back meant I had quite a bit of momentum once the falling process started.  After I got up and treated my wounds, I had a good chuckle.  After spending so much time walking over rough terraine, the one time I fall forward is on a road of all places.  No more walking and reading for me!

That's all for now.  I head into NJ this weekend.  The next few days are supposed to be especially difficult, so I look forward to crossing the border. 

Thanks for reading!

Good Bye Shenandoah

Today was my last day hiking in Shenandoah.  I entered the park Friday morning - just as Memorial day weekend was getting started - and am leaving today, a day after the crowds have left the park and gone back to their jobs/regular lives.

I got a wake-up call on my first day.  I heard through the grapevine that another hiker ("Sasha") had been taken to the hospital b/c he had been either bitten or stung by something and had collapsed and temporarily lost his vision.  I had spent some time with him and his hiking partner ("Miss Maggie") over the last few days, and it was scary to hear about something like that happening to someone I kinda knew.  Needless to say, I was watching my steps very closely for the rest of the day.

The next day got off to a bit of a strange start.  About two hours into my hike, I come to an overlook with a truck and some pretty happy hikers behind it.  Apparently, there was a former hiker who has putting together a documentary about thru-hikers, and he wanted to get interviews - and he knew the best way to get people to cooperate was through their stomaches.  He had cookies, bagels, soda and lots of beer.  A few other hikers and I got a little carried away with the beer, and when I eventually left, I had a little bit of trouble hiking straight.

I also saw lots of wildlife while I was in the park.  I lost count of the number of black bears I saw - six or seven, I think.  Tons of dear too.  They were not the normal kind who run off as soon as they hear you.  They lived their lives in a national park, so they are not as scared.  Another hiker said he almost bumped into one while hiking.  And I also saw my first rattlesnake too.  I saw it today.  Fortunately, I heard it before I saw it - but it still gave me a scare.  He was curled-up and not interested in moving, so I had to leave the trail to safely walk around him.

From AT 2012

It was kinda strange hiking in Shenandoah.  There were tons of families and day hikers sharing the trails with us, instead of just the normal crowd of thru-hikers and section-hikers.  And the trail was pretty easy too.  Because the trails get more traffic, I think they are also maintained a little more too.  It made it easier to cover more distance.  Hopefully, the transition to non-NPS trails will not be too difficult!

Look What I Just Ate

A few days ago, I was running out of food and I was still a ways from town (Waynesboro, where I am now).  I checked out my guide book, and it said that there was a small town near the trail with a convenience store and a B&B which served free lunch to thru-hikers.  Done!

So, I eat my normal trail breakfast (in this case, it was summer sausage wrapped in tortillas), head down the mtn early enough where I can hit the grocery store and then go to lunch afterward.  I knew I had a good-sized lunch coming my way, but I had spent the last couple days thinking about milk and cookies.  So, I get to the store and I want to buy everything in the store and consume it at once.  I resisted this temptation, though, and resigned myself to the milk, some Kebler fudge cookies and a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich.

From AT 2012

I ate the sandwich. I ate the cookies.  And I would have had all of the half-gallon of whole milk (gotta load up on the fat and protein!), but I told myself that that would be going too far.  I felt pretty good.  I've never eaten that many cookies in one sitting before - an entire bag!

My mistake was then going on to the B&B and having lunch there.  I finished maybe half of what they gave me and then I experienced some "cookie sickness".  I felt pretty awful after that.  How could food DO this to me?  I learned my lesson, though.  I think...

My Knee's Triumphant Recovery

Almost two weeks ago, my left knee started hurting.  At first, it wasn't too bad: just the downhills.  I could massage it a bit and shake it around and it still got me where I wanted to go.  Then, it got worse and worse and worse.  It started to affect me on the uphills and then eventually on the flat parts too.  When it got really bad, I just had to stop b/c I couldn't take another step without a sharp pain radiating out of my knee.

I thought it would go away, that it was just part of getting into hiking shape - but it didn't go away.  After a couple days, I started decreasing my mileage and when that didn't work, I took a day off.  The next day, I felt better, but I could tell it was still there.  I was guessing that the pain was happening b/c I had been sleeping in shelters for a few days, on the hard floor - which was causing my knee to bend at awkward angles during the night.  So, after some nights back in my hammock and even a night in a hotel bed, when the pain came back, I was truly depressed.  How could this still be happening?!

I started to think worst-case scenarios.  Maybe I've got some sort of arthritis-style joint issue and by gritting my teeth and hiking through the pain, I am causing permanent damage.  This is so foolish!  I should be in a doctor's office right now, getting this looked at.  But my stubbornness wouldn't let me go there yet.  I told myself I had three days to fix this before I took some serious time off from hiking and got some advice from someone who knew what they were talking about.

So, that first day was pretty awful - I barely made it to my intended destination for the night.  The second night was no better - worse, in fact.  I couldn't even make it to the shelter I was aiming for.  I just stopped halfway up the mountain, sat down and limped over to the nearest tree I could hang a hammock on.  I was truly dejected and was planning my escape from the trail for the following day.

The next day, however, went differently than I expected.  I did two things different.  First, I did NOT stretch my legs.  I normally do this to make the walking easier and help avoid injuries (so I thought).  Second, I walked much slower than I normally do.  I got caught walking behind some slower hikers and instead of passing them like I normally would, I matched their pace.  And I felt great.  No pain at all - for the entire day.  I felt so happy. Maybe I will make it after all.

From AT 2012

The day after that, I did the same thing.  I forced myself to walk slower than I wanted to.  I told myself it didn't matter how far I made it - with a hammock, I can camp anywhere that there are trees.  The most important thing to do is walk "correctly."  And even with this slower pace, I still did one of my longest days on the trail: 22 miles.  And, what's more, forcing myself to walk slower gave me the freedom to enjoy what I was walking through instead of just pounding out the miles.  It was a revelation.

So, yeah, I think I'm back on track again.  And I'm also enjoying the experience more too.  Yay!

Where Have I Been?

I'm on a desktop computer (with something newer than IE 5.0) for the first time since hiking, so I've finally gotten the chance to put together a spreadsheet with my progress so far.  If you want to see where I've been this whole time, take a look at it.  It's on the right, under "Progress" --->

Of Mice and Men

One of the things you will hear if you talk to anyone who has spent some time on the AT is that you need to worry about mice more than you need to worry about run-ins with bears.  Up until a few days ago, this didn't really ring true for me.  I had no real experience with mice - if they were around, I wasn't aware of it.   I have heard tons of stories of peoples' food being eaten, their tents knawed-through and their backpacks ripped open, but to me these were just stories.

As I mentioned in my last post, i've been having knee issues - so, the other day, I decided to take a "zero" day, a day in which I hike no miles.  The first night, the shelter was full.  Five other hikers and I, vs the mice community beneath the floorboards.  I didn't hear anything - perhaps it was bc we had a strength in numbers.  But the second night, I had the shelter all to myself.

Just as the sun was setting and my eyelids were getting ready to close up shop for the day, I see a streak of white fly down the wall a couple feet from my head.  What was that!?  I turned my headlamp on and I see the white flash a couple more times before it slows and I can see that it is a tiny mouse.  Where'd you come from and what do you want?  All my my food is tied up and hanging.  There's nothing for you here.  But, apparently, there was.  One of the hikers from the previous night had dropped a marshmello and this guy had found it, along with some other miscellaneous scraps of food which had been dropped.

Despite my knowledge that all of my food was safely tucked away and that there were no scraps to be found on my person, I never felt fully comfortable with this critter sneaking around my temporary home.  Everytime I was about to drift off, I would hear something scurrying nearby and bolt upright to see what it was.  At least once during the night, I felt something crawling on my sleeping bag and my involuntary reflex was to kick and send this inquisitive little fellow flying accross the shelter.

It was a night of little sleep, and it gave me another good reason to sleep in my hammock instead of the shelter.

Growing Pains

The first week of my hike flew by without issue: body was working fine, gear was holding together and the weather was pretty good.  The second week, however, gave me some trouble.

Last wednesday morning, I woke up to a light drizzle.  Nothing too bad: as long as I hike hard enough, my body heat is enough to keep my clothes dry.  Several hrs in to my hike, though, and the amt of rain started to go up and the temperature started to go down.  By the time I finally convinced myself to pull out my rain jacket, it was already too late: my shirt was soaked and my hands were too cold to undo any of my buckles or zippers.  Luckily, the next shelter was only another hr or two away, so when I got there I was able to dry off and jump in my sleeping bag.  Another, older hiker was a little worse off: thinking he was going hypothermic, he sent another hiker ahead to start a fire for him.  He turned out alright, but you can never be too safe.

From AT 2012

Then, a few days later, I ran into another issue: occasional, sharp pain in one of my knees.  I've tried stretching, massaging, advil, and lowering my mileage, but so far it hasn't completely gone away.  I had some knee issues two years ago which eventually went away, so I am hoping the same thing will happen this time as well.  I think it is just my body getting used to the stresses of walking for 8 to 10 hrs a day.

I sure hope things get easier!

Still Alive

I have a lot that I wanted to write, but I cannot because the place that I am staying at has just a single, slow computer and there are a number of people waiting for it.

For now, I'll just say that it's been a challenge so far.  The weather has been a little hotter than I thought it would be, which makes me hike pretty slow most of the time.  I've actually hiked a pretty good distance - something like 140 miles - which is quite a bit further than I was planning on going during this first part.  My feet are still blister-free, but they ache pretty bad - so, I might slow down for the next few days.  Everyone else out here has been hiking for the past couple months, so some people have flown past me.  And when they get to town, they eat quite a bit more than me too.  I haven't developed the hiker appetite yet, although I did manage to finish two double cheeseburgers and fries yesterday - which I was pretty proud of.

From AT 2012

And civilization has been pretty scarce too.  This is the first chance I have had to get on the internet.  The guidebook said this place had wifi, but they've just the one wired internet connection.  I was hoping for more libraries and wifi hotspots, but I'm not too sure about those any more.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Starting Tomorrow

All packed up and ready to go.  Bring it on, nature!

Getting Ready

Preparing for the trail this time is much different from how it was two years ago. On my first hike (GA -> VA, 2010), I had a lot to learn. I had some experience with multi-day backpacking trips, but nothing on the same level as a five-week hike. I did a lot of reading, a lot of thinking and had to get quite a bit of gear (since all I really had at the time was a sleeping bag).

Last time, the whole operation seemed very odd and novel. I was learning a lot, and because of this, I felt that one of the roles of my previous blog was to share some of these lessons with my friends and family (and strangers?) who were following along. This time, there's not as much mystery. To a certain extent, I've got things figured-out. So... this blog is going to be a little bit different from my previous one. It will probably be more concise. Instead of giving background on gear or how things work on the trail, this blog will primarily be a way for people to keep tabs on me while I'm hiking. Who knows? Maybe once I get out there, I'll want to write more. But for now, it'll probably be pretty bare-bones.

I will say one thing about gear, though. Last time, I came away with the impression that I might be better off using an external frame pack (compared to the internal frame I had used back then). My thinking was that the external frame back would work better because it's easier to access things in my pack. With the internal frame pack, if I wanted to get something from the bottom of my pack, I'd have to unload everything that was on top of it. I was also thinking that an external frame pack might give better ventilation for my back. So, that's what I'm using this time. Almost no one uses external frame packs out on the trail. The thinking is that they're too heavy, and minimizing the weight you carry is one of the most important things you can do to improve the experience. So... I don't know how it will turn-out. Hopefully, it won't be too heavy.

I'm planning on leaving on the weekend of the 28th/29th (April). I'll be starting in Damascus, VA - which is where I finished on my last hike.

From AT 2012

Just like last time, the updates will probably be pretty sporadic - maybe once a week.

Wish me luck!!