Month: September 2013

Miles today:
Total miles:

After blogging from the library in Dalton, I returned back to Tom Levardis house to find the boys there. They’ve been hiking with a replacement they found for me–a guy called Blondie from Toronto. The three of them said Tom was cooking dinner for them and he kindly invited me to join them as well. We had such a good meal–salad, pasta with sausage, and the most melt-in-your-mouth corn on the cob I’ve ever had. It was great to have a home cooked meal. Tom also told me he had extra room in his house so I got to sleep in a nice big bed in my own room rather than tent in the yard. I was so grateful for his hospitality. After dinner we watched Blazing Saddles, did laundry, and went to sleep in our comfortable beds. It was a great and much needed unplanned stay in town.

In the morning the hospitality continued when Tom made us coffee and had fresh donuts and bagels for us. Since the boys had slackpacked yesterday they were technically 19 miles ahead of me. Tom drove them to where they left off the trail 19 miles south and I walked up the street from Toms house which the trail followed into the woods.

As I left, it started raining. It was that terrible combination of rain and humidity that made me feel gross and sticky even when the rain slowed up. I trudged through the rain for a few hours and finally it let up around noon. At one point in the day the trail went over the Mass Pike on a sidewalk overpass which was a strange experience–not quite the wilderness one imagines associated with the AT.

My destination for the day was Upper Goose Pond. It was a long 20 miles to get there and then a 0.5 side trail. I hate side trails that are more than like 0.2 miles because the mileage doesn’t actually count as part of the trail. I may be the laziest thru hiker. But I was willing to make the 0.5 detour because of how great I’d heard Upper Goose Pond was.

It lived up to its hype. It was a big red cabin with a front porch, a living room with a big fireplace and a bunk room with real beds and mattresses. It is right on the pond and has a dock, from which I watched mist rise and enjoyed the complete silence and serenity.

There was quite the cast of characters at the cabin. First there was Brett, a guy who has been farming through WWOOFing for the past couple years. He hiked from NY and once he gets to Dalton has no idea where he’s going or what he’s going to do. He may WWOOF in NY or MA. He carries everything he owns on his back. Then there was Sarah, who I later found out wrote a book that she is super proud of and declared “is the best book on tea you will ever read. Ever.” I hadn’t heard of it but apparently it was on NPR and such (here is a link to it if you are interested: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0143118749). She had travelled to china and India to research for the book and later in the night one of the guys at the cabin bought her book on his kindle and she read a chapter to us. There was also a group of four guys in probably their 50s. They were out for eight days–one in their group has hiked the entire AT section by section from GA to MA. The rest of the group were less avid hikers. They were very friendly and interested in my thru hike and asked a lot of questions and advice. The caretaker of the cabin (it switches every single week) was a woman named Bambi who, it turns out, is from the town right next to me-Framingham MA. Small world yet again. Later in the night Delta showed up. A girl he’d met in a town in VT has joined him hiking south indefinitely. Her trail name is Beet. It was an interesting crew and I enjoyed the change from the typical shelter experience.

Miles today: 17.7

Total miles: 620.6

I can’t believe I walked almost 18 miles today. I actually just calculated it several times to make sure it was correct. The day was so easy and the miles just flew by. I feel like I only walked maybe 6 miles. Hooray for easier trail!

I’d planned to get to Kay Wood Shelter tonight, which is about 3 miles past Dalton. I got a text from Cool Blue this morning that said to stop by Tom Levardi’s this evening. I looked in my book and Tom Levardi is a guy who lets hikers camp in his yard for free in Dalton MA. I figured the boys must be staying there and maybe slackpacking for the day (this ended up being the case). I didn’t want to really stay in town and wanted to get more miles in so I figured I wouldn’t see the boys.

But then I surprised myself and got to town by 2:30. I didn’t know what to do! Since the day was so easy, I considered trying to push an extra shelter, making my day almost 30 miles. I really want to try to do a 30 so this seemed like a good opportunity. Buuuut, if I did that then the following day I wouldn’t get to stay at Upper Goose Pond Shelter. I’d been hearing about Upper Goose Pond since Maine. It’s a shelter with real bunk beds and a porch and a canoe and is right on a nice pond and the caretakers make hikers pancakes every morning. I didn’t want to pass one of the best shelters on the trail, so that 30 miler idea went out the window.

I then considered going with my original plan and going 3 more miles to the shelter. But that seemed pointless to go put myself in the woods alone when I could stay at Tom’s for the night and see the boys and also still be able to stay at Upper Goose pond the following night. And then, considering the idea more, I figured I may be able to find a way to shower or do laundry in town. Done deal.

So, here I am, at the library in Dalton MA. I just showered for free in the community center and get to do laundry tonight at Tom’s house. And I think the boys will probably be back from hiking soon. And if I want real food I have it at my fingertips. And Upper Goose Pond tomorrow! Good decision, I think!

Miles today: 5.2

Total miles: 602.9

I woke up this morning excited because I was having a visitor!!! Miss Emily Peterson, kind soul that she is, drove all the way from Boston to come visit me. That is 2 and a half hours driving. She is the best and I am so grateful she came.

I spent the first part of the morning blogging and resupplying at the grocery store. At the store, I ran into Delta again, so we hung out loitering on a bench until Emily came. Emily and I went to brunch, continuing our Sunday brunch tradition from our Boston days. We had some delicious food and caught up about our lives. Then we drove by Williams College to creep on the campus and college kids and then we headed to where else but Friendly’s for some post-brunch ice cream. I am apparently a regular there because they recognized me and said “back again?!”. Ugh. We enjoyed our sundaes and then said our goodbyes. It’s two days later and I’m still happy from her visit–it is such a morale boost to see familiar faces.

With a full stomach, I headed up Mount Greylock, the highest point in MA, at about 2:30. I was expecting a real tough climb–it’s the biggest climb we’ve had since maybe NH? And definitely the biggest since getting back on trail/feeling out of shape. The first day out of town always sucks too because you have a full supply of food so your pack is super heavy. However, the climb was not nearly as bad as I was expecting. The first hour or so was kind of tough, but that was the majority of the climb and once it was over, the remaining hour and a half or two hours was pretty easy.

On the way up, I passed a guy who had thru-hiked in 2006 and was out for the weekend. He warned me about a man staying in a shelter up ahead who he said was the craziest person he’d ever run into on the AT. Great. He said to try to avoid him at all costs–he’s been hanging out at the shelter for two days so probably will still be there. That shelter was where I was considering heading for the night. My other option I had been considering was the summit of Mt Greylock. I’d talked to a northbounder in North Adams who said he stayed in some abandoned shelter near the parking lot on Greylock that you aren’t supposed to stay in. This off-limits shelter became my new number one choice because I did not want to stay with a crazy person.

Once at the top of Greylock, I immediately found the shelter the NOBO had told me about. The doors weren’t locked and it was a nice, sturdy stone building with a big fireplace in the middle. It had signs that said no camping, emergency overnight. I probably would have stayed there even if there hadn’t been a crazy man up ahead, but now I could claim this an ‘emergency’ if a ranger or someone tried to kick me out. Right after that, I ran into Delta at the summit. I convinced him to stay with me in the shelter–he wasn’t too hard to convince as he’d been told about crazy man too.

The summit of Greylock is kind of like Mount Washington in that there is a lodge up top and there is a road to the summit. It was far less crowded than Washington, but still, it’s weird to climb a mountain and then see all these people who drove up. 

It was cold up top so we warmed up in the lodge and even got to charge our electronics. We hung out and ate, chatted with some folks in the lodge. Then there was some poetry reading that started at 6pm. It was very random, but there was a full room of people. Also they had a great local beer selection they serve Weds-Sun 5-7 and since I came on a Sunday at 6ish I took it as a sign I was supposed to get a beer.  This morning I sure didn’t think I’d be on top of Mt Greylock drinking a beer at a poetry reading, but that’s what I was doing.

I took in the awesome sunset with views of the Berkshires all around. I don’t get to see many sunsets because I’m usually in the woods with no clear view through the trees, so I especially cherish the opportunity to take in a good sunset. Delta and I made our way to the shelter as it was getting dark and cooked our meals and went to bed.

We got up early to watch the sunrise and it was amazing. I am definitely causing eye damage with all this looking at the sun, but it is so worth it. The sky was such a deep blue and the horizon such a rich orange, with clouds blanketing the valleys below. It was silent and cold, but I had brought my sleeping bag with me to the overlook so I was nice and toasty as I watched the sun emerge over the mountains in the distance. I wish I could start every day like this.

Miles today: 20.5 Total miles:597.1 I talked to so many passing hikers today that it actually significantly ate into my hiking time. Not that it’s a bad thing but it was surprising how chatty everyone I passed was today! I don’t know if people are more talkative because the boys aren’t in front of me to have the lengthy conversations instead but it was as if I were wearing a sign that said “please, bare your soul to me and tell me whatever is on your mind”. I had an enjoyable day with no real plan of where I’d walk to. I had options of shelters at 13 miles, 17 miles, or walking all the way to town at 20 miles. I took my time and in the end decided to go to town. But before I get to that, I’ll recap some of the lengthier and more interesting conversations/people I talked to. Dixie Grits: a NOBO AT hiker who has taken two weeks of the trail three separate times for various reasons. Baxter State park, where Katahdin and the end of the AT for northbounders is, closes October 15 which gives all NOBOs a deadline to finish (one of the advantages of going north to south is we don’t have a cutoff date). Anyway, Dixie grits was so determined to make the deadline and had a really inspiring outlook on thru hiking. A lot of northbounders seem to be almost jaded by the time they get up north. They are so focused on finishing and making big miles that little else matters. Dixie Grits says he finds some natural beauty he stands in awe of each day and that’s what keeps him going. I really like that and hope i can continue to be as amazed by my surroundings as I have been already. Mac and his dad: when these two first approached I only saw, well heard actually, the dad. He was talking loudly about slaying people and “the kingdom” and I thought he was talking to himself so I got a little nervous. Then as he got closer, a little boy emerged out of the high grass walking in front of him. I felt a lot better. Mac, who I found out was five and a quarter years old, is hiking sections of the long trail with his dad bit by bit as he gets older. This was their first one. They were so adorable and Mac was cute and hilariously described old Bud Ice commercials from the 90s he’d seen on YouTube. He also asked if I was married. I asked if he was married too and he was not. Mac and his dad are from the Bronx and were just so great and made me happy to see a dad sharing his love of the outdoors with his son. Nutty Buddy: he claims to be the last Northbounder (later proved false when I met another). Most notable was he had just washed his hair on top of mount grey lock in MA. before that he hasn’t washed it since PA. he was shocked (and it seemed also slightly disapproved) at the fact that I try to wash my hair as often as possible. Doug: a long trail hiker on his first day out. He was so frazzled and talkative. One of the first things he said to me after discovering I was thru hiking was “WOW your thighs are bigger than mine are probably” to which he then immediately followed up with “oh uh I mean sorry uh I mean stronger, not big. I mean they look great. Not like that”. He was very entertaining. I just stood silently listening while I learned a lot of information about him, not all of which I wanted or needed to know. Most interesting was that he has a 21 year old cat that is his world.

Besides talking to all these people, I did hike during the day believe it or not. All day I was looking forward to crossing the Vermont border into Massachusetts. I was excited to get to Massachusetts not only because it’s my home state, but also because completing Vermont was something I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do once I hurt my knee. So when I finally got to the border it was an exciting moment and I was so grateful to have completed my third state! From the border, it was either 2.5 miles to a campsite or 4 miles to town. I was debating back and forth whether or not to go to town. I was really craving real food (I knew there was a friendly’s in town and I couldn’t stop thinking about all their greasy options), but I didn’t want to pay for a hotel/inn and wasn’t sure if I’d be able to find a stealth site to camp in town. I was worried I’d get to town and then have no where to legally sleep and then have to pay for a room or hike on in the dark. I remembered Shuffle had texted me when she was in North Adams about going to Friendly’s so I quickly texted her asking if she stayed in town. She responded quickly (thank goodness) and said the Community Center let her tent on their property.

I decided to chance it and hope the community center would allow me to do the same. I headed to town and got there by 5:45. I went inside the community center and what do you know! The community center is a bar! Ha. There were a bunch of town folk just sitting around drinking–it was something like an American Legion club (not that I really know what that is), but there were members only signs everywhere. I asked the bartender if he knew a place I could camp and he said it’d be fine for me to camp on their property by their horseshoe pit. Yes!

I went and set up my tent, excited that my risk paid off. As I was finishing setting up, a woman came out and said to come inside for free food. There had been a Texas Hold Em tournament there earlier in the day and I got to devour lots of appetizers and sandwich fixings. As I ate, an elderly man chatted with me, telling me about his dog and family and then asking questions like “Are you hiking alone?”, “so you’re camped all alone back there huh?” and following them up with “you don’t have to worry about me, I don’t mean it like THAT”. Well I hadn’t been worried about him until he mentioned it. Needless to say, later in the night as I was trying to fall asleep all I was worrying about was this elderly man coming to attack me.  

After my free food extravaganza, what else was there to do but… have second dinner! I walked down the street to Friendly’s and had to wait a while for a table–it was a Saturday night after all. If I were a parent worried about my teenager getting pregnant, I would take them to Friendly’s on a Saturday night to ensure they won’t be having kids any time soon. That place was full of screaming, hungry, menu-throwing kids. I did overhear one well-behaved girl say to her mom “Children should be silent.” She knew what was up.

I devoured my sandwich and free sundae that came with it and walked back to my tent hoping the whole way that the elderly man was not inside waiting for me. Luckily I survived the night.

Miles today: 17.4
Total miles: 576.6

The boys wanted to do 23 miles today and right off the bat I was hesitant–I haven’t even done a 20 yet and didn’t want to push it with my knee. The miles flew by though as the day went on and I was feeling pretty good. I did completely wipe out flat on my face for the first time. I tripped over a small root or something and down I went. It was painful but luckily my only injury was a scrape on my pinky.

I was only 15 min or so behind the boys all day but my knees started getting sore by mile 15 or so. I was still debating if I’d stop at the shelter at mile 17 or push on for the one at mile 23 when I got cell service and got a text from my friend Emily. We’ve been planning on meeting up and she said she could do Sunday so this meant I could take my time into town to time meeting her there by Sunday morning. The perfect excuse not to do 23! I think I definitely could have done it if I’d tried–I had plenty of time to get there, as I got to the shelter at mile 17 before 4. Oh well. Stopping early meant splitting from the boys but I figured that is probably inevitable because they both always want to do way bigger miles than I do. Plus it’s good to have a bit of independence on the trail.

I had lots of time to kill once at the shelter. There were two girls, Sarah and Lindsey, at the shelter. They are my age or so and friends from UVM hiking the long trail together. This was night three or them–they’ve been doing really short days. They were entertaining and actually reminded me of myself at the beginning of my hike. They were still getting the hang of everything-they burned their dinner, were going to hang their food bag in a tree rather than in the shelter, etc. Seeing them made me realize how far I’ve come since starting the AT and how comfortable and routine my time in the woods is now. Props to the girls though for sticking with it and being determined to keep going.

Another LT hiker, an older guy named Lynn hiked in later. And then as it was getting dark my reading in my sleeping bag was interrupted by a familiar voice. Who walks into camp but Delta! A southbound friend who started the AT the same day as me and who I haven’t seen since Lincoln NH. Having taken two weeks off I figured everyone I know is way ahead of me. But it turns out he took a week off to go home for a wedding. It was great to see a familiar face and such a crazy surprise.

Manchester Center to Spruce Peak Shelter (2.8), Spruce Peak Shelter to story spring shelter (18.3)

Yesterday we spent the day in Manchester Center. We spent the morning at a coffee shop/bookstore then went to a Thai restaurant for Wolf birds birthday lunch. The food was good but not filling enough for our endless hiker bellies so we went across the street and got two slices of pizza each. I went to resupply at the grocery store and we planned to leave town by 530. We had 2.8 miles to walk until the next shelter. The boys took a little longer to resupply than planned and it was around 6 when we started trying to hitch a ride to the trail head. I was so tired-believe it or not I hadn’t slept well on the fancy beds the night before and also wasn’t excited because leaving so late meant we wouldn’t get to camp until dark. Rather than suck it up, I was cranky and immature about it which was dumb of me, especially on wolf birds birthday. I cheered up once we got on trail and started walking and got even happier when we got to watch the sun set over the beautiful valley below.

We got to the shelter as it was getting pretty much pitch black out but were happy to discover that there was no one in the shelter. It was a cool one, a log cabin with a sliding door and we spread out enjoying the place to ourselves.

Today was a good day. It was one of my longest days milewise but it felt, dare I say it, easy. The first 7 or 8 miles flew by in only a couple hours, with nice rolling trail. I ate lunch by beautiful Stratton pond and talked to some people from PA who are on vacation but are training for ultras by trail running even on vacation.

The next three miles were a climb up to the top of Stratton mountain. But when I say climb I mean the Vermont type of climb I’m learning to love. A nice, slowly ascending barely noticeable uphill. The three miles up were easy and went by quickly. There was a fire tower up top with great views in every direction although it was windy and cold.

The last 7 miles of the day flew by similarly and we got to the shelter by 430. The best part of the day though was that Cool Blue left Reese’s PB cups along the trail for us to find. It was so exciting finding one sitting on a rock up ahead. I literally screamed and squealed.

Miles today: 16.5
Total miles: 538.1

Today was one of my favorite hiking days so far. It was overcast but didn’t rain and there was a slight chill in the air but it wasn’t cold. Leaves that have turned early were scattered all over the trail and the day just felt like fall. The terrain was nice and easy, with some rolling hills but nothing too difficult. The day went by quickly and I was so happy just enjoying the fall weather and looking forward to town.

Originally I had doubted I’d make it to town early enough in the day to make it worth it, but due to the easy terrain, we got to the road crossing before 4. We got a ride into Manchester Center and went to the post office and found a great restaurant where we sat outside and enjoyed their Tuesday special: $1 tacos and $3.50 margaritas. I had 9 tacos. The boys each had 11. I think that’s the first time they’ve ever eaten more than I have. It was an early birthday celebration for Wolf bird who is turning 32 tomorrow, old man that he is.

We stayed the night at Green mountain house, which is heaven on earth. It is the cleanest and nicest hostel we’ve come across. The hikers basically have free reign over the entire house. Each hiker also gets a free pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and a free soda. I enjoyed a hot shower, then watched Zero Dark Thirty with some other hikers while eating my Phish Food ice cream. I was so happy. To top it off, the bed was the softest I may have ever felt. Tomorrow we are spending most of the day in town lazing around and enjoying Wolf Birds birthday and the heading out in the late afternoon to the shelter 2.8 miles from here. Only 54 miles to MA!

Day 49: The Inn at Long Trail to Clarendon Shelter
Miles today: 18.3
Total miles: 504.7

We had a delicious breakfast at the Inn this morning and got a late ish start a little before 9. The boys are used to doing big miles from the Long Trail, so they wanted to do 18 today which I was nervous about, especially feeling so out of shape coming back on the trail. I was willing to try for it though.

I passed the 500 mile mark today! Almost a quarter of the way done! I still have so incredibly far to go, but its encouraging to reach small milestones like this.

We got to a shelter at 13 miles around 430 and I was pretty tired but told the boys id push myself to do the last 6 to the next shelter. When we first set out I actually went the wrong way for a bit but luckily realized it and turned around, only to find Wolf bird had come looking for me. I’m glad I have him and Cool Blue looking out for me.

The last six miles turned out to be super difficult for me. It wasn’t tough terrain, I was just super exhausted and sore and done. I forced myself to keep walking but my morale was really low. Also, it was late in the day so I had the added pressure of having to keep going so I didn’t run out of daylight. When I couldn’t walk another step further, I finally made it to the shelter. It was around 730 and getting dark and I just collapsed for a couple minutes once I got there. I slowly made my dinner and got organized and finally got to bed a little before 9.

Day 50: Clarendon shelter to Big Branch shelter
Miles today: 16.9

We’ve had a lot of rain the past couple days. It stormed overnight and the forecast was for more rain today. What a welcome back to the trail! In the end though, I only got rained on for maybe 30 minutes today so I lucked out.

Nothing too much to report from today. The terrain in Vermont is way easier than in Maine and NH. It’s not easy per se, but its just rolling hills as opposed to giant mountains and steep climbs further north. The day went by quicker and was easier than yesterday and I was so glad to get to the shelter by 5ish rather than the late arrival the previous day.

Miles today: 15.4
Total miles: 486.4

I got up early to see the sunrise from the rooftop this morning. It was beautiful and quiet with fog dispersed in the valleys below. I said goodbye to my northbound friends and set off hiking. It was the first day hiking completely alone since I started. Usually I spend the day hiking alone but stop for breaks and at the end of the day with my crew but today I was totally on my own schedule which was a nice change. Again though, I felt so out of shape and especially like the uphills were far harder than they used to be.

I finally made it the 13 miles to Kent Pond where the boys said they’d meet me. But when I got there they weren’t there and texted me they’d meet me two miles up the trail at the Inn at Long Trail. So I set off, already pretty exhausted but excited to see them. About a half mile up, the trail came to a parking lot and crossed a road. I stopped to take off my raincoat and what do you know, a car pulled up and the boys were inside! Totally by coincidence they got there at the same time as me (they thought I was further ahead). It was so good to see them. Just a note about how amazing they are–they hiked an extra 160ish miles on the Long Trail in just two weeks, some of the toughest terrain around. I’m super impressed by them.

We hiked to the Inn, which is a half mile off the long trail/AT (which are the same trail for 100 miles in southern Vermont). The Inn lets hikers camp for free on their grass across the street. I was pooped so I decided to do that and the boys were so sweet and cut their day short, only walking 1.5 miles, to stay with me. We got delicious food at the inn and stayed dry inside while it downpoured like crazy outside in the late afternoon. Like true hikers, we had a second dinner at around 730 and got to watch live Irish music. It was super crowded and an interesting atmosphere, with a mix of motorcylcers, old people, and hikers. As we were about to pay, we discovered a section hiker at a table near us had paid for all of our dinners. We hadn’t even talked to him! He just did it out of the kindness of his heart. He had left before we could even thank him. I know I say this all the time, but I can’t state it enough. The kindness of strangers along the trail had astounded me. More than that, it’s changed me and made me vow to be more selfless and generous toward others not just on the trail but after and beyond.

After we were full, we headed out to our damp tents and went to bed.

Miles today: 6
Total miles: 471

I’m not actually sure what number day I’m on but I got off trail August 15 which would have been day 46 so ill go with day 47.

I was excited but nervous to get back to hiking. I drove the 2.5 hours (more like 3.5+ with Labor Day traffic) up to Woodstock with my mom. I was picking back up exactly where I left off hiking. I considered skipping a bit and starting again maybe in Western MA so I wouldn’t be at the tail end of all the southbound hikers and potentially alone, but decided against it because I knew realistically I probably wouldn’t be able to make up a skipped section for a very long time.

On the way up to Woodstock I pulled off the highway in Warner NH to use the restroom and stopped at the first place I saw, which was conveniently an ice cream shop. My mom and I obviously had to get ice cream too. It turned out to be a great decision because the woman working there got so excited when she found out I’m a thru hiker. She said it is one of her dreams to do it and even just got knee replacements so her knees wouldn’t be bad. I was flattered by her enthusiasm and many questions. She was so incredibly friendly and genuine and to top it all off she even gave me my ice cream free and tried to give me money, which I politely refused. She gave me her address and I promised to send her postcards along the way. Her excitement got me even more excited to get back on the trail.

Finally we got to Woodstock and I said bye to my mom and was off! My knee felt totally fine especially with the brace, but boy did I feel out of shape. It was only six miles to the cabin where I was staying that night but it was really tough for me. Sitting on my butt for two weeks really took its toll. It was as if I hadn’t ever hiked before, let alone already hiked over 400 miles.

I made it to the cabin by around 715, just in time to climb to the awesome roof deck and see the view as the sun set. There were four northbounders spending the night there too so I chatted with them for a while before bed. I also got a text from the boys saying they’d meet me about 13 miles up the trail tomorrow and they’d wait for me. I went to bed excited to see familiar faces the next day.