17.9 miles, 2063.8 total.
early start today because we were excited about making our last official trail town stop. town time is always exciting!
the trail was awful again today. very muddy and wet. several times my poles sunk into the ground up to their handles. I'm surprised I haven't snapped them in half yet.
nothing spectacular today other than the fact that of didn't rain until we were done hiking. very nice.
staying at Shaw's, a famous hostel - among hikers. they offer a $7 all you can eat breakfast. you order by giving them one number - 1,2,3,4,5,etc. the number is how many of each item you will receive. if you order 3: you get 3 eggs, 3 blueberry pancakes, 3 pieces of bacon, 3 sausage links, and 3 scoops of hash-browns. wow.
tomorrow I will begin the 100 mile wilderness. it's touted as the most remote stretch of the entire trail. then it's just about 15 miles to the finish!
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
Showing posts with label trail towns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trail towns. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
caratunk, me
14.0 miles, 2027.1 total, 151.2 to go.
another very cool night with bugs buzzing outside my tent. left camp at 8:30.
trail was flat, flat, flat. hiked next to pierce pond river for a couple hours and saw several beautiful waterfalls. also got to go across the AT famous Kennebec river. we had to wave to the "ferry driver" who waits on the other side of the river. he paddles across in his canoe and takes back two hikers at a time, and the hiker in front is required to paddle. it's about 50 yards wide, 8-10 feet deep, and flows very very fast. cool.
right after the river is caratunk, where we had mailed extra food for the next few days. we got the packages from the post office and someone offered to drive us to a nearby restaurant for a late lunch. it turns out it is also a hostel/river rafting lodge...and it's really cheap. so we're staying here tonight. $12 per person with all the usual offerings. here with the amigos. this doesn't change the schedule and plan for the rest of the trip. at this time, looks like the five of us will summit Mt. Katahdin, Baxter Peak (end of the U.S. AT) on July 28th. that's 5 months and 2 days after I started this journey. wow. amazing.
the amigos are the 4 guys from cincy. they're all very athletic, in much better shape and younger than I am (by about 13 years!), but it's great to hike with them.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
another very cool night with bugs buzzing outside my tent. left camp at 8:30.
trail was flat, flat, flat. hiked next to pierce pond river for a couple hours and saw several beautiful waterfalls. also got to go across the AT famous Kennebec river. we had to wave to the "ferry driver" who waits on the other side of the river. he paddles across in his canoe and takes back two hikers at a time, and the hiker in front is required to paddle. it's about 50 yards wide, 8-10 feet deep, and flows very very fast. cool.
right after the river is caratunk, where we had mailed extra food for the next few days. we got the packages from the post office and someone offered to drive us to a nearby restaurant for a late lunch. it turns out it is also a hostel/river rafting lodge...and it's really cheap. so we're staying here tonight. $12 per person with all the usual offerings. here with the amigos. this doesn't change the schedule and plan for the rest of the trip. at this time, looks like the five of us will summit Mt. Katahdin, Baxter Peak (end of the U.S. AT) on July 28th. that's 5 months and 2 days after I started this journey. wow. amazing.
the amigos are the 4 guys from cincy. they're all very athletic, in much better shape and younger than I am (by about 13 years!), but it's great to hike with them.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
Thursday, July 16, 2009
gull pond lodge - rangeley, me
9.4 miles, 1958.3 total.
left camp at 8:00 knowing we only had about 10 miles to go to rangeley. I ran out of water treatment last night, my pole bent a little more while I was trying to keep from falling into a giant mud hole, and I'm almost out of insect repellent, so I need to go to an outfitter. rangeley is the last trail town with anything close to an outfitter. they also have a big grocery store, so we're going to buy extra groceries and mail them ahead to a post office on the trail. that way we don't have to go to another town until monson.
stating at this hostel that is completely filled with NOBO hikers. looks like I'm in a big pack - that hasn't happened much.
getting closer. have two really tough days coming up - big climbs - then things flatten out a bit.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
left camp at 8:00 knowing we only had about 10 miles to go to rangeley. I ran out of water treatment last night, my pole bent a little more while I was trying to keep from falling into a giant mud hole, and I'm almost out of insect repellent, so I need to go to an outfitter. rangeley is the last trail town with anything close to an outfitter. they also have a big grocery store, so we're going to buy extra groceries and mail them ahead to a post office on the trail. that way we don't have to go to another town until monson.
stating at this hostel that is completely filled with NOBO hikers. looks like I'm in a big pack - that hasn't happened much.
getting closer. have two really tough days coming up - big climbs - then things flatten out a bit.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
Friday, July 10, 2009
gorham, nh
this entry actually covers July 9&10. it will probablybe long and I will ramble a bit. quit now, if you want.
I left galehead hut at 5:00 AM to get an early start to what was planned to be a 21 mile day. long compared to others recently. the first 1/2 mile was straight up south twin mtn - 4902 ft - and then the next 7 mile were downhill. I flew. it was cloudy but not too wet. I got to the next hut in time for their breakfast leftovers. yummy pancakes with lots of syrup. then the next 8 miles were a combo of flat with no rocks (yea!) and downhill. again, I flew.
after that, it was back up. up to mt webster, mt jackson, (wow, that's weird. didn't michael jackson like that little kid from the show webster?). then I got to the next hut. it was still early and I was still moving at a good clip, but it began to rain. I needed to get over mt pierce and mt franklin to get to the next hut. it was very dark and rainy...and I fell on a big boulder. it's a little hard to describe. my feet both flew out from under me and I landed on my side, sliding down the boulder about 50 feet. when I got controll of everything I noticed my hands were bloody. I cut the heel of each palm, the outside of my right hand under the pinky, and the big one - my right ring finger was missing a whole lot of skin from just under the nail to the first knuckle. it was the one bleeding significantly. I cleaned up everything and took off for the last shelter; still about 2 miles away. when I got there the bandage in my finger was very bloody and the hut master thought I should have somebody look at it. so we cleaned and bandaged it again, and I set of for the top of mt washington - about 1.5 miles away. I hiked with two others who were already planning on going there. got there and a nurse looked at my boo-boos and bandaged them all up. no stitches needed but the cut goes almost to the bone. cool. also, my entire shoulder is bruised, I have cuts/scrapes from my elbow to my wrist, and a cut and lump between my eyes - where my glasses slammed into my pretty little face.
anyway - it turned out to be a 27 mile day. somehow. then...there's nowhere to stay on mt washington and it was late, so I had somebody drive me to a hostel in gorham.
I stayed at the hostel and decided to slack pack on the 10th to just get the whites done and over with. the hostel gave me a small pack and I only carried a tarp, emergency bivy, rain jacket, snacks, and water. it was less than 8 pounds. the hostel held the rest of my stuff and gave me a ride to and from the trail. I did 2 sections. one in the morning from 5 to 11 and one in the afternoon from 12:30 to 8. that's one heck of a double shift. I got a total of 34+ miles done during the day - carrying very little and moving quickly with no rain; although, it was still overcast with low clouds so I couldn't see any of the mountains. ugh.
that leaves me at 1880.4 miles total with 297.9 to go!!!
I think that's all for now.
-- Post From My iPhone
I left galehead hut at 5:00 AM to get an early start to what was planned to be a 21 mile day. long compared to others recently. the first 1/2 mile was straight up south twin mtn - 4902 ft - and then the next 7 mile were downhill. I flew. it was cloudy but not too wet. I got to the next hut in time for their breakfast leftovers. yummy pancakes with lots of syrup. then the next 8 miles were a combo of flat with no rocks (yea!) and downhill. again, I flew.
after that, it was back up. up to mt webster, mt jackson, (wow, that's weird. didn't michael jackson like that little kid from the show webster?). then I got to the next hut. it was still early and I was still moving at a good clip, but it began to rain. I needed to get over mt pierce and mt franklin to get to the next hut. it was very dark and rainy...and I fell on a big boulder. it's a little hard to describe. my feet both flew out from under me and I landed on my side, sliding down the boulder about 50 feet. when I got controll of everything I noticed my hands were bloody. I cut the heel of each palm, the outside of my right hand under the pinky, and the big one - my right ring finger was missing a whole lot of skin from just under the nail to the first knuckle. it was the one bleeding significantly. I cleaned up everything and took off for the last shelter; still about 2 miles away. when I got there the bandage in my finger was very bloody and the hut master thought I should have somebody look at it. so we cleaned and bandaged it again, and I set of for the top of mt washington - about 1.5 miles away. I hiked with two others who were already planning on going there. got there and a nurse looked at my boo-boos and bandaged them all up. no stitches needed but the cut goes almost to the bone. cool. also, my entire shoulder is bruised, I have cuts/scrapes from my elbow to my wrist, and a cut and lump between my eyes - where my glasses slammed into my pretty little face.
anyway - it turned out to be a 27 mile day. somehow. then...there's nowhere to stay on mt washington and it was late, so I had somebody drive me to a hostel in gorham.
I stayed at the hostel and decided to slack pack on the 10th to just get the whites done and over with. the hostel gave me a small pack and I only carried a tarp, emergency bivy, rain jacket, snacks, and water. it was less than 8 pounds. the hostel held the rest of my stuff and gave me a ride to and from the trail. I did 2 sections. one in the morning from 5 to 11 and one in the afternoon from 12:30 to 8. that's one heck of a double shift. I got a total of 34+ miles done during the day - carrying very little and moving quickly with no rain; although, it was still overcast with low clouds so I couldn't see any of the mountains. ugh.
that leaves me at 1880.4 miles total with 297.9 to go!!!
I think that's all for now.
-- Post From My iPhone
Thursday, July 2, 2009
hanover, N.H.
6.5 miles, 1737.2 total.
was on the trail by 7:30 and in town by 10:00. and completely soaked. it rained all night and all day. the last 2 miles were along a busy highway and trucks were flying by...drenching me with huge splashes from puddles. nice.
crossed into new hampshire just before getting to town, as I crossed the bridge over the connecticut river.
a couple of dartmouth students offered to let me stay for free in the basement of their frat house, but their frat president said it wasn't allowed. the house looked like the one from animal house. it was really crazy. worse than any I've ever seen before.
so I'm staying at the hanover inn. nice and dry insde while it pours outside.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
was on the trail by 7:30 and in town by 10:00. and completely soaked. it rained all night and all day. the last 2 miles were along a busy highway and trucks were flying by...drenching me with huge splashes from puddles. nice.
crossed into new hampshire just before getting to town, as I crossed the bridge over the connecticut river.
a couple of dartmouth students offered to let me stay for free in the basement of their frat house, but their frat president said it wasn't allowed. the house looked like the one from animal house. it was really crazy. worse than any I've ever seen before.
so I'm staying at the hanover inn. nice and dry insde while it pours outside.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
Thursday, June 25, 2009
manchester, vt
10.7 miles, 1640.6 total.
salt lake city couple was up at, drum roll please, 5:30! so I was up by 6:00 and on the trail by 7:00. rained again all night and was drizzling when I left. by the way, the gnats were absolutely terrible last night they were biting me through my clothes and leaving holes in my skin! seriously!
I was on the trail for about an hour when I looked up and saw a HUGE moose walking right toward me! it saw me at the same time and took off running into the woods. it's so funny, because we had been talking about moose last night at the shelter. we had all been seeing strange "droppings" and hoof prints on the trail and were arguing about what was responsible for them. two of us were right. moose.
the trail was a nice gradual descent to the road crossing to Manchester. I wasn't sure if I wanted to come into town, so I sat by the side of the road taking inventory of gear and food. I was just sitting there when a woman pulled over in her minivan and asked if I wanted a ride. easy hitch - sure!
did laundry, bought groceries, and exchanged my bent hiking pole for a new one at EMS (eastern mountain sports). then I looked at my shoes; caked in mud and stinky with one sole peeling off halfway. enough. they lasted me over 600 miles including rocky PA and almost daily rain since NJ, so I bought a new pair to get me through the last 500 miles.
decided to stay the night and probably an extra day when I looked at my feet. good thing I still can't figure out posting pics to this site from my phone. they're swollen and have red blotches and streaks all over them. going to soak and treat them...somehow. staying in a room at Sutton's Place (suttonsplacevermont.com). frank sutton, former NYC resident rents out rooms/beds in his georgeous old Manchester home to hikers and tourists for very little money. very cool. oh yes, and it's still raining. forecast is for thunderstorms tomorrow and intermittent showers the next 5 days going north. FUN!
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
salt lake city couple was up at, drum roll please, 5:30! so I was up by 6:00 and on the trail by 7:00. rained again all night and was drizzling when I left. by the way, the gnats were absolutely terrible last night they were biting me through my clothes and leaving holes in my skin! seriously!
I was on the trail for about an hour when I looked up and saw a HUGE moose walking right toward me! it saw me at the same time and took off running into the woods. it's so funny, because we had been talking about moose last night at the shelter. we had all been seeing strange "droppings" and hoof prints on the trail and were arguing about what was responsible for them. two of us were right. moose.
the trail was a nice gradual descent to the road crossing to Manchester. I wasn't sure if I wanted to come into town, so I sat by the side of the road taking inventory of gear and food. I was just sitting there when a woman pulled over in her minivan and asked if I wanted a ride. easy hitch - sure!
did laundry, bought groceries, and exchanged my bent hiking pole for a new one at EMS (eastern mountain sports). then I looked at my shoes; caked in mud and stinky with one sole peeling off halfway. enough. they lasted me over 600 miles including rocky PA and almost daily rain since NJ, so I bought a new pair to get me through the last 500 miles.
decided to stay the night and probably an extra day when I looked at my feet. good thing I still can't figure out posting pics to this site from my phone. they're swollen and have red blotches and streaks all over them. going to soak and treat them...somehow. staying in a room at Sutton's Place (suttonsplacevermont.com). frank sutton, former NYC resident rents out rooms/beds in his georgeous old Manchester home to hikers and tourists for very little money. very cool. oh yes, and it's still raining. forecast is for thunderstorms tomorrow and intermittent showers the next 5 days going north. FUN!
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
Sunday, June 21, 2009
mark noepel lean-to
13.7 miles, 1572.5 total.
I had a nice, and much needed, zero day yesterday. watched The Outlaw Josey Wales on cable. i've always loved that movie.
it has continued to rain so I'm still a little down about that. left the shamrock inn of dalton this morning at 9:30 and got to this shelter around 3:00.
I was quite surprised how much the condition of the trail had improved - even with the additional rain. there were still huge puddles and it was very muddy, but my feet and pants stayed relatively dry today. I fell once while trying to get around one of those massive trail puddles. cut and bruised my shin pretty bad, but I cleaned and bandaged it so...should be okay. it's quite swollen right now, though.
in the shelter now. listening to the rain and talking to two young local hikers who say they want to go all the way to Maine. I think they're really just out for a few days, but they're carrying enough equipment for a whole village. one has a hack saw and the other has a pocket fishing pole.
have a big climb tomorrow morning and then I should be in Vermont by mid-afternoon. 3 states and less than 600 miles to go by tomorrow evening. very cool.
I miss NYC.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
I had a nice, and much needed, zero day yesterday. watched The Outlaw Josey Wales on cable. i've always loved that movie.
it has continued to rain so I'm still a little down about that. left the shamrock inn of dalton this morning at 9:30 and got to this shelter around 3:00.
I was quite surprised how much the condition of the trail had improved - even with the additional rain. there were still huge puddles and it was very muddy, but my feet and pants stayed relatively dry today. I fell once while trying to get around one of those massive trail puddles. cut and bruised my shin pretty bad, but I cleaned and bandaged it so...should be okay. it's quite swollen right now, though.
in the shelter now. listening to the rain and talking to two young local hikers who say they want to go all the way to Maine. I think they're really just out for a few days, but they're carrying enough equipment for a whole village. one has a hack saw and the other has a pocket fishing pole.
have a big climb tomorrow morning and then I should be in Vermont by mid-afternoon. 3 states and less than 600 miles to go by tomorrow evening. very cool.
I miss NYC.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
Friday, June 19, 2009
dalton, massachusetts
20.6 miles, 1558.8 total.
left the cabin at 7:45. still raining and the trail was still in horrible condition.
about 2 miles into the hike there was a cooler full of sodas and little debbie snacks. trail magic! it made the mud a little easier to handle. again, several times had I cross water that was knee and waist deep. was like that all day long. I was also chased by a crazy bird of some sort. it came out of some bushes and fluffed up its feathers, screamed, and chased me down the trail. must have had some babies in there or something.
everything else was just wet and muddy. my pants, shoes, and shirt were all covered in mud when I got to town at 5 tonight. cool thing is that even though I looked like a mud monster and the town is right on the trail, a guy pulled over in his pickup and gave me a ride to the motel. motel clerk offered to do my laundery for me while I showered and cleaned up. very nice people. forecast is still for more rain, so I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow. I had planned on a couple more 20+ mile days to get into Vermont by Sunday afternoon, but I'm not sure if I'll make it. the trail is too bad and the rain is starting to slow me down. also, my feet and toes are starting to hurt. everyday they're shriveled because of all the water, which is making them really sensitive...and two toe nails came off completely when I took off my socks today. yuck.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
left the cabin at 7:45. still raining and the trail was still in horrible condition.
about 2 miles into the hike there was a cooler full of sodas and little debbie snacks. trail magic! it made the mud a little easier to handle. again, several times had I cross water that was knee and waist deep. was like that all day long. I was also chased by a crazy bird of some sort. it came out of some bushes and fluffed up its feathers, screamed, and chased me down the trail. must have had some babies in there or something.
everything else was just wet and muddy. my pants, shoes, and shirt were all covered in mud when I got to town at 5 tonight. cool thing is that even though I looked like a mud monster and the town is right on the trail, a guy pulled over in his pickup and gave me a ride to the motel. motel clerk offered to do my laundery for me while I showered and cleaned up. very nice people. forecast is still for more rain, so I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow. I had planned on a couple more 20+ mile days to get into Vermont by Sunday afternoon, but I'm not sure if I'll make it. the trail is too bad and the rain is starting to slow me down. also, my feet and toes are starting to hurt. everyday they're shriveled because of all the water, which is making them really sensitive...and two toe nails came off completely when I took off my socks today. yuck.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
Saturday, May 30, 2009
palmerton, pa municipal bldg
sunny, sunny, sunny!
woke up early and sun was out so I hung all my stuff to see if I could dry it a little.
hit the trail at 8:15 with dry but stinky clothes.
the trail got worse. very rocky, including a 1/4 mile section called the Knife Edge. it was a high ridge of pointy jagged boulders. was so happy I made it over the Edge that I fell on smaller rocks and tore up my shin. good job! cleaned it up and. key going.
met a southbounder who said next two days are even worse.
got to he highway leading into Palmerton and hitched a ride to the police station. the city runs a free hiker hostel in the basement of their city hall/court building. we get to sleep under the court room and shower in the locker room of the police gymnasium. how cool is that? everyone in town has been really friendly and helpful. anyway, did laundry and bought groceries. should be ready for the next few days.
here with the cincy boys and the brit.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
woke up early and sun was out so I hung all my stuff to see if I could dry it a little.
hit the trail at 8:15 with dry but stinky clothes.
the trail got worse. very rocky, including a 1/4 mile section called the Knife Edge. it was a high ridge of pointy jagged boulders. was so happy I made it over the Edge that I fell on smaller rocks and tore up my shin. good job! cleaned it up and. key going.
met a southbounder who said next two days are even worse.
got to he highway leading into Palmerton and hitched a ride to the police station. the city runs a free hiker hostel in the basement of their city hall/court building. we get to sleep under the court room and shower in the locker room of the police gymnasium. how cool is that? everyone in town has been really friendly and helpful. anyway, did laundry and bought groceries. should be ready for the next few days.
here with the cincy boys and the brit.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Windsor furnace shelter
14.7 miles, 1213.3 total.
up and on the trail by 7:30. still wet out and the trail is still rocky. over 8 miles to the town of Port Clinton where I took a break. visited the outfitter to lurk around like any good stinky thru hiker. the owners could sense my hunger like the emperor could sense luke skywalker's anger. :) so they gave me two cheeseburgers and an ice cream sandwich. very nice. I, in return, made a couple of purchases and then moved on. had 6 more miles to get to this shelter.
just as I got back on the trail I saw a 4 foot long black snake draped over a log. cool. I was able to snap several pictures before it became annoyed and slithered off. about 1 mile from the shelter I ran into a couple from Philadelphia who were lost and going the wrong way. I pointed them in the right direction and let them study my map for a little while. they were thankful and gave me a bag of starburst candies and an airplane sized bottle of red wine. very nice. red wine with my instant mashed potato/tunafish dinner. I'm the classy hiker now. wow, my wet clothes really stink. I think I'll be without laundry facilities for at least 3 more days. nice and ripe.
here with a group of guys from cincinnati (spelling??) who are hiking with a guy from England.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
up and on the trail by 7:30. still wet out and the trail is still rocky. over 8 miles to the town of Port Clinton where I took a break. visited the outfitter to lurk around like any good stinky thru hiker. the owners could sense my hunger like the emperor could sense luke skywalker's anger. :) so they gave me two cheeseburgers and an ice cream sandwich. very nice. I, in return, made a couple of purchases and then moved on. had 6 more miles to get to this shelter.
just as I got back on the trail I saw a 4 foot long black snake draped over a log. cool. I was able to snap several pictures before it became annoyed and slithered off. about 1 mile from the shelter I ran into a couple from Philadelphia who were lost and going the wrong way. I pointed them in the right direction and let them study my map for a little while. they were thankful and gave me a bag of starburst candies and an airplane sized bottle of red wine. very nice. red wine with my instant mashed potato/tunafish dinner. I'm the classy hiker now. wow, my wet clothes really stink. I think I'll be without laundry facilities for at least 3 more days. nice and ripe.
here with a group of guys from cincinnati (spelling??) who are hiking with a guy from England.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
Monday, May 25, 2009
peter's mtn. shelter
11.3 miles, 1148.6 total.
memorial day 2009.
I took a day off yesterday and stayed at the Doyle hotel in duncannon. had a great time hanging out with fellow hiker, john from east Tennessee. back on the trail this morning at 8:00. ran into nick and sara early - they took off Sunday too. about 3 miles before this shelter there is a privately owned cabin whose owners were having a memorial day party and placed invitations to hikers all along the trail. so we stopped. there were about 12 hikers and 40 - 50 people belonging to the owner's family. they had 3 long tables of food - basically anything you could think of eating. stayed there for about 4 hours before heading out. just when I got back on the trail...I came around a switchback and the was a guy standing on the trail naked!!! yes, now I've seen a naked guy. he looked like maybe he was taking some drugs that he shouldn't have been taking. he was wearing only sneakers and in one hand he held a cigarette while holding a pair of shorts in the other hand. standing there just staring off into space. when he saw me, I said, howdy! and he mumbled something, quickly put on his shorts, and ran down the trail in the opposite direction. odd. other hikers also saw naked guy, so I'm not crazy. fun trail. here with about 7 others tonight. forecast is dr rain tonight and next 3 days. ugh.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
memorial day 2009.
I took a day off yesterday and stayed at the Doyle hotel in duncannon. had a great time hanging out with fellow hiker, john from east Tennessee. back on the trail this morning at 8:00. ran into nick and sara early - they took off Sunday too. about 3 miles before this shelter there is a privately owned cabin whose owners were having a memorial day party and placed invitations to hikers all along the trail. so we stopped. there were about 12 hikers and 40 - 50 people belonging to the owner's family. they had 3 long tables of food - basically anything you could think of eating. stayed there for about 4 hours before heading out. just when I got back on the trail...I came around a switchback and the was a guy standing on the trail naked!!! yes, now I've seen a naked guy. he looked like maybe he was taking some drugs that he shouldn't have been taking. he was wearing only sneakers and in one hand he held a cigarette while holding a pair of shorts in the other hand. standing there just staring off into space. when he saw me, I said, howdy! and he mumbled something, quickly put on his shorts, and ran down the trail in the opposite direction. odd. other hikers also saw naked guy, so I'm not crazy. fun trail. here with about 7 others tonight. forecast is dr rain tonight and next 3 days. ugh.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
Friday, May 22, 2009
Cove Mtn. shelter
25.5 miles, 1133.2 total.
Last night was okay, but very buggy. Indiana Jones showed up around 8:00 so we ate together and chatted before calling it a night. Nick and Sara (from Texas and Kansas) showed up this morning just before 8:00 and we hit the trail soon after. The elevation profile looked really flat so we decided to have some fun. We were about 30 miles from Duncannon, PA, so we thought it appropriate to have our own Duncannon-ball Run. I played the part of Sammy Davis, Jr. :)
We took off at a pace somewhere between 4.5 mph and 5.5 mph, and we completed the first 4.8 miles in just over an hour. We spent an hour in Boiling Springs to rest, snack, and refill water. Then left there at the same blistering pace. Nick and Sara dropped back a bit, but Indy and I kept up the speed. Flying through farmers' fields and cattle pastures, across highways and interstates, and next to slow moving stagnant streams chased by mosquito swarms. Late in the afternoon it became apparent that we were not going to be able to complete it. sad. :(
The trail went back into the woods and straight up several very rocky sections and we (I) lost steam. Finally made it to this shelter around 7:30, just in time to set up camp and have something to eat before it started getting dark on this side of the mtn. Here with Indy and a group of recent grads from Temple U. They don't hike much and are having a rough time with their food, tents, and water.
So I failed at completing/winning the Duncannon-ball Run. Nobody won. We're all tired and sore...but tomorrow we only have 4+ miles to get to town. Nice. Can't wait to do laundry and shower. By the way, once again the weather was very nice. Forecast is for rain in the next couple of days, but I couldn't have asked for better weather for the past week. Very nice.
Later,
L.
Last night was okay, but very buggy. Indiana Jones showed up around 8:00 so we ate together and chatted before calling it a night. Nick and Sara (from Texas and Kansas) showed up this morning just before 8:00 and we hit the trail soon after. The elevation profile looked really flat so we decided to have some fun. We were about 30 miles from Duncannon, PA, so we thought it appropriate to have our own Duncannon-ball Run. I played the part of Sammy Davis, Jr. :)
We took off at a pace somewhere between 4.5 mph and 5.5 mph, and we completed the first 4.8 miles in just over an hour. We spent an hour in Boiling Springs to rest, snack, and refill water. Then left there at the same blistering pace. Nick and Sara dropped back a bit, but Indy and I kept up the speed. Flying through farmers' fields and cattle pastures, across highways and interstates, and next to slow moving stagnant streams chased by mosquito swarms. Late in the afternoon it became apparent that we were not going to be able to complete it. sad. :(
The trail went back into the woods and straight up several very rocky sections and we (I) lost steam. Finally made it to this shelter around 7:30, just in time to set up camp and have something to eat before it started getting dark on this side of the mtn. Here with Indy and a group of recent grads from Temple U. They don't hike much and are having a rough time with their food, tents, and water.
So I failed at completing/winning the Duncannon-ball Run. Nobody won. We're all tired and sore...but tomorrow we only have 4+ miles to get to town. Nice. Can't wait to do laundry and shower. By the way, once again the weather was very nice. Forecast is for rain in the next couple of days, but I couldn't have asked for better weather for the past week. Very nice.
Later,
L.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
fayettville, pa
22.8 miles, 1072.3 total.
another cold night, but we built a big fire and put the tents nearby. it burned all night and gave off a little heat. it also illuminated a small fox that was walking around our tents at about 3:00 am.
got started around 8:30. 5 miles into the day I crossed the mason-dixon line and into Pennsylvania. pa has a reputation for being really really rocky, and it has already started living up to it. all day I was climbing or hopping over and around rocks/boulders. ugh.
so, one reason for my weight loss is probably lack of food. I'm still not eating enough. so I've been trying to do better. the result: I'm not as hungry all the time but I'm also out of the food that I had planned to have for 5 days. it's only day 3. so I had to hitch into fayettville to restock. I found a really cheap motel that only takes cash. uh-huh. but it is next to a market and a restaurant that serves pizza, Italian, and Mexican fare. what a combo. staying in town tonight and then hitting the trail again tomorrow with a full food bag.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
another cold night, but we built a big fire and put the tents nearby. it burned all night and gave off a little heat. it also illuminated a small fox that was walking around our tents at about 3:00 am.
got started around 8:30. 5 miles into the day I crossed the mason-dixon line and into Pennsylvania. pa has a reputation for being really really rocky, and it has already started living up to it. all day I was climbing or hopping over and around rocks/boulders. ugh.
so, one reason for my weight loss is probably lack of food. I'm still not eating enough. so I've been trying to do better. the result: I'm not as hungry all the time but I'm also out of the food that I had planned to have for 5 days. it's only day 3. so I had to hitch into fayettville to restock. I found a really cheap motel that only takes cash. uh-huh. but it is next to a market and a restaurant that serves pizza, Italian, and Mexican fare. what a combo. staying in town tonight and then hitting the trail again tomorrow with a full food bag.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
Thursday, May 14, 2009
harpers ferry, wv
20.3 miles, 1013.4 total.
only a few instances I can think of that put one in the situation I was in today. maybe I'm odd...but at mid-morning I was cheering with, high five-ing, congratulating and hugging a complete stranger. that was as we passed the official 1000 mile mark on the trail. in 2 1/2 months I've walked over 1000 miles up the east coast's beautiful Appalachian region. I think it's cool.
received some trail magic, about 7 miles from harpers ferry, from fellow thru hikers who are a day ahead of me - they took the day off to hand out fruit, soda, water, and other goodies to people behind them. very nice.
here in harpers ferry at a hostel tonight. Kandra is scheduled to arrive tomorrow and spend a couple days here with me before I move on. HF is considered the half-way town on the AT. the Appalachian Trail Conservancy has their main office here, and all thru hikers stop there to register and have their picture taken for the official registry. that book is matched up against the Maine registry to get official numbers of successful hikes each year. they also have a scale there. man, I've now lost 31 lbs. don't think I can lose much more. don't have much fat or muscle left. I shaved most of my head and beard in front royal, so maybe that was a few pounds! :)
back in a few days.
L
-- Post From My iPhone
only a few instances I can think of that put one in the situation I was in today. maybe I'm odd...but at mid-morning I was cheering with, high five-ing, congratulating and hugging a complete stranger. that was as we passed the official 1000 mile mark on the trail. in 2 1/2 months I've walked over 1000 miles up the east coast's beautiful Appalachian region. I think it's cool.
received some trail magic, about 7 miles from harpers ferry, from fellow thru hikers who are a day ahead of me - they took the day off to hand out fruit, soda, water, and other goodies to people behind them. very nice.
here in harpers ferry at a hostel tonight. Kandra is scheduled to arrive tomorrow and spend a couple days here with me before I move on. HF is considered the half-way town on the AT. the Appalachian Trail Conservancy has their main office here, and all thru hikers stop there to register and have their picture taken for the official registry. that book is matched up against the Maine registry to get official numbers of successful hikes each year. they also have a scale there. man, I've now lost 31 lbs. don't think I can lose much more. don't have much fat or muscle left. I shaved most of my head and beard in front royal, so maybe that was a few pounds! :)
back in a few days.
L
-- Post From My iPhone
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Paul c Wolfe shelter
29.5 miles, 847.5 total.
had no idea this morning when I woke up that I would hike 30 miles today. my feet are mad right now.
got up around 6:00 to the same mist and fog that was here last night. distances of shelters were 7.5, 13.7, and 29.5. not much to choose from, and it turns out there weren't any camping spots (or any spots without rocks) during the last section. so I just walked and walked. about 25 yards from the last shelter I was crossing a stream/river and fell into it! I tried to stop my fall and snapped my hiking pole as I crashed onto the water. I bruised my frorearm and cut my leg...and got really wet. ha. tough day for 30 miles. up and down and up and down all day. only 5 miles into waynesboro, va tomorrow where I'll take 2 days off. I need to rest my feet. the new shoes I bought in daleville are great, but the higher mileage days are still rough on the feet.
later, L
-- Post From My iPhone
had no idea this morning when I woke up that I would hike 30 miles today. my feet are mad right now.
got up around 6:00 to the same mist and fog that was here last night. distances of shelters were 7.5, 13.7, and 29.5. not much to choose from, and it turns out there weren't any camping spots (or any spots without rocks) during the last section. so I just walked and walked. about 25 yards from the last shelter I was crossing a stream/river and fell into it! I tried to stop my fall and snapped my hiking pole as I crashed onto the water. I bruised my frorearm and cut my leg...and got really wet. ha. tough day for 30 miles. up and down and up and down all day. only 5 miles into waynesboro, va tomorrow where I'll take 2 days off. I need to rest my feet. the new shoes I bought in daleville are great, but the higher mileage days are still rough on the feet.
later, L
-- Post From My iPhone
Friday, April 17, 2009
pearisburg, va
16.6 miles, 625.9 total.
another beautiful day. was up and out of camp by 7:45. really big 1500 ft climb right at the start. ugh. it was tough; really rocky and steep. no gradual inclines today. at times I was hopping from big rock to big rock walking the trail. saw several turkey hunters ON the trail today. that's illegal. and scary. didn't see any turkeys. gobble gobble!!
after the climb I walked a ridge the rest of the way. had some great views of the valleys with farms and small towns. then it was straight down into p-burg. really, straight down. very tough on the knees. but I made it.
here at the plaza motor inn. $37 a night and some lady comes by each day, picks up my laundry, and brings it back clean. cool. like living with my parents again. already stopped at dairy queen for a blizzard! tomorrow I'll get groceries early and decide if I will hang out another day or hit the trail again.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
another beautiful day. was up and out of camp by 7:45. really big 1500 ft climb right at the start. ugh. it was tough; really rocky and steep. no gradual inclines today. at times I was hopping from big rock to big rock walking the trail. saw several turkey hunters ON the trail today. that's illegal. and scary. didn't see any turkeys. gobble gobble!!
after the climb I walked a ridge the rest of the way. had some great views of the valleys with farms and small towns. then it was straight down into p-burg. really, straight down. very tough on the knees. but I made it.
here at the plaza motor inn. $37 a night and some lady comes by each day, picks up my laundry, and brings it back clean. cool. like living with my parents again. already stopped at dairy queen for a blizzard! tomorrow I'll get groceries early and decide if I will hang out another day or hit the trail again.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
Monday, April 13, 2009
knot maul branch shelter
14 miles, 552.3 total.
got up early and went to the atkins post office to get my new backpack. the motel owner, originally from NJ, drove me the 4 miles and back. packed up and was on the trail by 10:30. feet are still killing me. took it slower today. a lot of hiking up and over some rocky areas, but it was sunny all day. nice. saw a couple of snakes, non-poisonous, a muskrat, I think, and a bunch of trash on the trail...including a mattress. this week will have to have some big mile days if I want to get to pearisburg before running out of food.
here with a father/son team and two section hikers from TN who call themselves the karma police.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
got up early and went to the atkins post office to get my new backpack. the motel owner, originally from NJ, drove me the 4 miles and back. packed up and was on the trail by 10:30. feet are still killing me. took it slower today. a lot of hiking up and over some rocky areas, but it was sunny all day. nice. saw a couple of snakes, non-poisonous, a muskrat, I think, and a bunch of trash on the trail...including a mattress. this week will have to have some big mile days if I want to get to pearisburg before running out of food.
here with a father/son team and two section hikers from TN who call themselves the karma police.
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Erwin, TN
3/27/09
17 miles, 340 total.
I made it into Erwin in the pouring rain...well pouring for the last 4 miles. really nice hike through some very nice looking forest. even saw some deer today in a small clearing as i came down the mtn. long hike, though. met a section hiker named Ken at a shelter about 10 miles into the day. we had lunch and talked about where i should stay in town. he was very helpful..and asked me to autograph his AT Trail Book because I was the first thru-hiker he's met this year. odd. :)
i'm staying tonight and tomorrow at Uncle Johnny's Hostel, which is right on the trail and on the edge of town. it's full but nice. i think my blister will be healed up and i can head out on sunday morning. i went to town and bought a new supply of Knorr rice side dishes, cheese, carnation instant breakfast, granola bars, snickers, and other goodies. same old same old.
so...we'll see if i have coverage this week. i've posted several posts below that took place when i didn't have any coverage over the last week. might end up doing the same this next week. looks like i will be out from sunday to friday again before resupplying. and NO, Rich C., I wasn't eaten by a bear!
enjoy!
L
17 miles, 340 total.
I made it into Erwin in the pouring rain...well pouring for the last 4 miles. really nice hike through some very nice looking forest. even saw some deer today in a small clearing as i came down the mtn. long hike, though. met a section hiker named Ken at a shelter about 10 miles into the day. we had lunch and talked about where i should stay in town. he was very helpful..and asked me to autograph his AT Trail Book because I was the first thru-hiker he's met this year. odd. :)
i'm staying tonight and tomorrow at Uncle Johnny's Hostel, which is right on the trail and on the edge of town. it's full but nice. i think my blister will be healed up and i can head out on sunday morning. i went to town and bought a new supply of Knorr rice side dishes, cheese, carnation instant breakfast, granola bars, snickers, and other goodies. same old same old.
so...we'll see if i have coverage this week. i've posted several posts below that took place when i didn't have any coverage over the last week. might end up doing the same this next week. looks like i will be out from sunday to friday again before resupplying. and NO, Rich C., I wasn't eaten by a bear!
enjoy!
L
Monday, March 23, 2009
spring mtn shelter
11 miles, 283 total.
very tough 11 miles out of hot springs. only thing easy was it was only 11. almost all uphill. feet were killing me all day. new insoles and ankle braces - double ouch. hope tomorrow is better because it's 15+.
here with d'leader and a guy named rick who is hiking with his dog, luke. nice dog. also met chestnut. he's on his 4th thru and is a wealth of knowledge, so I'm asking him a million questions.
later
-- Post From My iPhone
very tough 11 miles out of hot springs. only thing easy was it was only 11. almost all uphill. feet were killing me all day. new insoles and ankle braces - double ouch. hope tomorrow is better because it's 15+.
here with d'leader and a guy named rick who is hiking with his dog, luke. nice dog. also met chestnut. he's on his 4th thru and is a wealth of knowledge, so I'm asking him a million questions.
later
-- Post From My iPhone
Monday, March 16, 2009
double spring gap shelter
late last night the shelter filled up. there were even ppl sleeping on the dirt floor of the covered eating area, but I stayed snug in my bag until 7 am this morning. it actually cleared up from about 9 pm to 3 am, then it started raining again. ALL DAY - it rained off an on. but I was set on making up for the short hike yesterday. d'leader and I broke camp around 8 am behind caveman and two other unknowns. we made the first 6.3 miles by 11, so we had an early lunch at derrick knob shelter. after a tough day of many ups and downs we cruised, in a downpour, into double spring gap at 3:30 (I think) for a total of 13.5 miles. starting elevation was 4900, final was 5500, highest was 5650, and lowest was 4800. just to give you and idea. many signs of bears and other critters but still no sightings. saw stallion today - a southbound thru-hiker who started in Maine on October 25. he's almost finished.
final total mileage after today is 194 miles. tomorrow should break 200 if all goes well. at 5:30 pm there are only 5 of us here and it's still raining. probably won't see others coming in tonight. hopefully I'll get in to gatlinburg, tn tomorrow. I need to do laundry and get food. only have oatmeal and snickers left in my food bag for tomorrow, and I'm wearing my last pair of dry socks and underwear to bed tonight. also, my hiking pants can't hold much more mud!
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
final total mileage after today is 194 miles. tomorrow should break 200 if all goes well. at 5:30 pm there are only 5 of us here and it's still raining. probably won't see others coming in tonight. hopefully I'll get in to gatlinburg, tn tomorrow. I need to do laundry and get food. only have oatmeal and snickers left in my food bag for tomorrow, and I'm wearing my last pair of dry socks and underwear to bed tonight. also, my hiking pants can't hold much more mud!
later,
L
-- Post From My iPhone
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