I've made really good time through Maine, with good new friends and catching up with old too.
It's hard to imagine that this trip is really winding down! Where I stand is just over 100 miles from the end of the Trail! The hundred mile wilderness stands between me and the end, filled with rocks and roots, hills and river fords. Mountains, except Katadyn, are mostly behind me, the Barren Chairbacks and one other peak that are both much smaller than many already scaled. Hikers are getting all poetic and misty eyed, many are excited to be done, others have slowed way down to enjoy the moments. The south bounders are all so new looking, except the flip floppers that have the thru hiker look about them.
The terrain in the last few days has been fantastic, in my esteem, I did quick miles and made the ferry over the Kennebec just before 4 pm and had a great stay at the Sterling Inn in Caratunk before doing a couple days of hiking to get here. I'm taking a zero here tomorrow to recharge my body for the final push. The Lakeside House where I'm staying has kayaks for use, so I'll be relaxing and playing around on the lake. Another reason to relax tomorrow is to ensure that I arrive at Baxter after Labor Day, as it would probably be madhouse.
Oh! I saw a moose, and she even let me capture her on camera before she gracefully crashed through the underbrush away from me. I've fallen asleep to the sounds of loons singing their mournful song, and the gentle lapping of a mountain lake lolling me to sleep.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Here in Monson
Monday, August 13, 2012
New Hampshire... or not!
After Flip left me in Kent I started some steady days, first a 17 mile than a 21 than a 23... well you get the picture. Even with this pace I was able to stay in a hotel two of those nights. Don't stay in Great Barrington if you're on a budget, even the crappy hiker room was 150, ouch! I covered this briefly in the last post, but to show you where I am I need to show you how I got here!
So I soon passed out of CT and MA, very nice states that just flew by. The treadway was kind and the forest finally beginning to change into the New England feel. The first 1600 miles the forest is nearly indistinguishable, each state has patches that are remarkable, but for the most part the woods are very similar from GA thru CT. Mount Graylocke is topped with a spruce forest and extrordinary views, nice way to end the state. After a few more days of hiking I became in desperate need of a day off, my energy level began flagging and climbing up and over Stratton Mt was way more challenging than it should've been. I took a zero at Bromley Sun Lodge and felt a bit better, especially when I got to take the ski lift half way up the mountain when I began hiking again! Everyday there seemed to be afteernoon or evening thunderstorms, fortunately I was already in the tent or near a shelter when they came through. Then on Tuesday night after a 21 mile day I turned on my phone to see if I had signal enough to talk to Cara that I got a text from my brother, he was on his way to Maine for vacation and wanted to see where I was and if we could meet up. This was a great boon, my left foot has plantar facitis and had been very sore after all the big days. I happened to be on a road walk due to last years flooding from hurricane Irene. We spoke and Kev began making his way to find me in the back roads of VT. I sat on the side of the road and cooked dinner and read while waiting for him to arrive. What a change! From the woods to a hotel in Rutland in a matter of minutes. My foot has really needed the break. The next day I had a decision to make, have him drop me off at the Trail or have him take me to Franconia Notch to rest and wait for Cara on Friday. I flipped a coin and came to New Hampshire. My foot continued to hurt and I hobbled around, it finally began to ease up after 4 days of rest. I was surprised at how long it took for my foot to start feeling better. Plantar Facitis is painful when flared up.
After much deliberation I have come up with a plan, though not what I originally wanted, in the long run I believe this will make me enjoy the last bits of the Trail more than I might otherwise. I've decided to skip the Whites and get dropped off near Gorham, NH. I will have skipped nearly 200 miles of the Trail, so I will be a section hiker - granted the section I will have hiked is just less than 2000 miles, but I will be saving the best section for last. I will be able to not be in quite so much physical dissatisfaction, I will be able to hike with Cara and/or Flip, I will be able to take my time and enjoy the Whites - I feel if I did them now I would be trying to hurry through them. Lastly, the weather is very sketchy, and is typically this variable this time of year but it is apparently more stable in June and early July. But I am motivated to hike all of Maine currently; I am motivated to see Big K and finish the majority of this Trail.
I should be done 20 days after I get back on the Trail averaging 15 miles a day, though I expect to do bigger miles than that and doing some slower days in between. My thought is to get back on the Trail Wednesday morning August the 15th. I have already sorted and mailed the last 3 mail-drops at places in Maine that accept drops and pick-up hikers from the Trail. Maine has some of the longest journeys to get to town that there are! I specifically picked places that do hiker shuttles, I just hope I'll have enough cell service to get a hold of them, I can't walk 11 miles to get the drop-box! I am very forunate to have a place to stop and rest here at Lovett's Inn in Franconia, it was also great to have Cara come and visit, and to see my brother, and to hang out with Jim and Janet. My parents may be able to come see me at Kataydin, Anthony may also, even Flip might. This updated schedule may throw them off, but I hope not.
I will probably not update again until I am done. But after I am done I will be collecting my thoughts and giving a more in-depth trip report along with things I felt I've done wrong/right and gear review about items that actually worked for me. Also I will be posting plenty of photos with descriptions. So stay tuned!
So I soon passed out of CT and MA, very nice states that just flew by. The treadway was kind and the forest finally beginning to change into the New England feel. The first 1600 miles the forest is nearly indistinguishable, each state has patches that are remarkable, but for the most part the woods are very similar from GA thru CT. Mount Graylocke is topped with a spruce forest and extrordinary views, nice way to end the state. After a few more days of hiking I became in desperate need of a day off, my energy level began flagging and climbing up and over Stratton Mt was way more challenging than it should've been. I took a zero at Bromley Sun Lodge and felt a bit better, especially when I got to take the ski lift half way up the mountain when I began hiking again! Everyday there seemed to be afteernoon or evening thunderstorms, fortunately I was already in the tent or near a shelter when they came through. Then on Tuesday night after a 21 mile day I turned on my phone to see if I had signal enough to talk to Cara that I got a text from my brother, he was on his way to Maine for vacation and wanted to see where I was and if we could meet up. This was a great boon, my left foot has plantar facitis and had been very sore after all the big days. I happened to be on a road walk due to last years flooding from hurricane Irene. We spoke and Kev began making his way to find me in the back roads of VT. I sat on the side of the road and cooked dinner and read while waiting for him to arrive. What a change! From the woods to a hotel in Rutland in a matter of minutes. My foot has really needed the break. The next day I had a decision to make, have him drop me off at the Trail or have him take me to Franconia Notch to rest and wait for Cara on Friday. I flipped a coin and came to New Hampshire. My foot continued to hurt and I hobbled around, it finally began to ease up after 4 days of rest. I was surprised at how long it took for my foot to start feeling better. Plantar Facitis is painful when flared up.
After much deliberation I have come up with a plan, though not what I originally wanted, in the long run I believe this will make me enjoy the last bits of the Trail more than I might otherwise. I've decided to skip the Whites and get dropped off near Gorham, NH. I will have skipped nearly 200 miles of the Trail, so I will be a section hiker - granted the section I will have hiked is just less than 2000 miles, but I will be saving the best section for last. I will be able to not be in quite so much physical dissatisfaction, I will be able to hike with Cara and/or Flip, I will be able to take my time and enjoy the Whites - I feel if I did them now I would be trying to hurry through them. Lastly, the weather is very sketchy, and is typically this variable this time of year but it is apparently more stable in June and early July. But I am motivated to hike all of Maine currently; I am motivated to see Big K and finish the majority of this Trail.
I should be done 20 days after I get back on the Trail averaging 15 miles a day, though I expect to do bigger miles than that and doing some slower days in between. My thought is to get back on the Trail Wednesday morning August the 15th. I have already sorted and mailed the last 3 mail-drops at places in Maine that accept drops and pick-up hikers from the Trail. Maine has some of the longest journeys to get to town that there are! I specifically picked places that do hiker shuttles, I just hope I'll have enough cell service to get a hold of them, I can't walk 11 miles to get the drop-box! I am very forunate to have a place to stop and rest here at Lovett's Inn in Franconia, it was also great to have Cara come and visit, and to see my brother, and to hang out with Jim and Janet. My parents may be able to come see me at Kataydin, Anthony may also, even Flip might. This updated schedule may throw them off, but I hope not.
I will probably not update again until I am done. But after I am done I will be collecting my thoughts and giving a more in-depth trip report along with things I felt I've done wrong/right and gear review about items that actually worked for me. Also I will be posting plenty of photos with descriptions. So stay tuned!
Saturday, July 28, 2012
In Mass
Here I sit in a hotel in Great Barrington (a step up from Good Barrington just down the street). I didn't want to be in a hotel again so soon, but lightning and constant rain since this morning and the lure of dry comfort without of fear of slick rocks and electrocution won the day... not a total loss 14 miles today, granted I wanted 20, but gotta roll with it sometimes.
Jim (Flip) came out and hiked the last bit of NY and the first few of CT. The last few states have really flown by! The hills have been mild but numerous. The heat treacherous. As soon as we crossed the border out of NY the streams became drinkable again. I am really glad he came out a second time, a good hiking partner, and great to go and have a day to do errands (ie watch Batman) at the end of his time out here.
The border into MA was a real mountain probably the biggest since Three Ridges in VA. The scenery towards the end of CT began getting pretty but it really got awesome in MA. The pines trees are taking over, the views are getting more grand.
My next mini-goal is to get to NH, I would really like to be in Franconia by the 10th of August... but days like today make me doubt getting there an acheivable goal.
Things are going to become more challenging from here on, from mail drops being further apart, to terrain becoming more difficult (read: fun). I am mostly enjoying myself, the bugs occasionally get to me, the heat is sometimes almost too much, and of course I miss Cara all the time! But I am having fun, I am comfortable with hiking everyday and I enjoy interacting with other hikers. I am ready to be finished, only 668 miles left, so a month and a half or there about.
I will update again when I get a bit further up the Trail, or get driven back inside due to weather again!
Friday, July 13, 2012
Into the 'News'!
I am out of PA and into Jersey!
I hopped off the Trail for the weekend to go to Hershey Park, hopefully the weather will cooperate and allow me to enjoy it!
Pennsylvania was a surprisingly fun and enjoyable hike, much of that has to do with all the friends and family coming out to see me! First Cara dropped me off at PenMar, days later Mark and Evelyn showered me with Trail Magic, laundry, and a bed. Cara came back the next weekend, followed by my brother coming out to hike from Duncannon to Port Clinton where my friend Jon Banks came and met me with a hotel room, a slack pack, a brewery tour, as well as food and spirits! After Jon left I only had a few days left to get to Delaware Water Gap and into Jersey.
PA had some interesting trail; long rocky ridge tops, views southeast into farm land, hard scrambles up a cliff. Mostly though the Trail was about making miles. I kept waiting for the rocks everyone moans about, for nearly 3/4 of the state I found the terrain only slightly rockier than anywhere else on the Trail. There is one 6 mile section after Wind Gap that is horrendeous. That one section, apparently, gives the entire state a bad name! Oh, and NJ has about the same semi-rock strewn treadway that PA had. Just no river o' rocks so far... and from everything I've heard, soon the rocks end halfway through the state.
I am looking forward to the rest of the Trail, really excited about, actually. I am really looking forward to getting into the northeast and getting back into some real mountains.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Thru hiker #579
After the time off last weekend, and wow was it wonderful, I am back in it baby! Looking at the map I'm again filled with anticipation rather than an underlying dread and anger at the Trail... I guess it is all part of the process.
Last weekend was very domestic, and it was what I needed. Cara and I spent quality time together, mowing the lawn, going to Lowes, spreading mulch. I know that might not sound spectacular, but honestly it was very fun. I highly enjoyed myself. It was such a change from walking everyday to just stay in one spot and do some hard work. We also had a yard sale, made friends with the neighbors up the street, and had a BBQ with them and the next-door neighbors. I am learning that, while I really LOVE travel and adventure, there's just something about home that is just incredibly nice too. I feel that is one of the strong lessons the Trail is teaching me.
So early Monday I drove to Harpers Ferry and got a shuttle south to Front Royal to hike back north to my car. This worked out well, but shuttles are always pricey, and I didn't get back on the Trail until 3pm so it was another NERO (near-zero). I wanted to stop early anyway since I brought my hammock and wanted to see about setting up the tarp tent over top of it. It worked surprisingly well - as a test it even rained all night and I stayed comfortably dry and insect free off the ground... there might be something to this hammock thing! As the week progressed I got better at hanging and covering the hammock. With plenty of room to sit on the ground under the tarp and hammock to cook or hang out if the weather is crummy and a comfortable dry place to sleep, I think I will keep this setup. I thought about purchasing the pre-fab Hennesy hammock system, but at over $200 I wanted to make sure it would be worth it. I think I will stick with the setup I have now, however, as I like to have both options, either hang or tent, with carrying no additional weight. Plus I spent a lot on the Black Diamond tarp tent and I'd like to get my moneys worth out of it. I did stop at REI on the way home to return my car yesterday and got a hammock that has an integrated bug net, nice! Better than sleeping with the netting on me like I did last week (in the heat, even that was too much of a 'blanket' on me).
Summer really is here! Going through the Roller Coaster was fun, but wow was it HOT! The last couple days were dangerously hot. In heat like this I must plan for fairly low mileage days, if it isn't as hot and I can do more, well, bully; but you can't expect to hike big days with heat like this. There comes a time where it is no longer just foolhardy to push oneself like that, but it becomes stupid and unhealthy. I moderated my pace well, stopping for sodas and a nice long rest break at Bears Den hostel, I climbed the hills slowly to keep my heart rate down, and I stopped at every water source to refill bottles and pour some over my head. Some guys had setup their hammocks and were waiting out the worst of the heat. The day I made it back to Harpers Ferry it was as hot the previous day, even at 6am when I started to hike I was sweating, but I still beat the worst of the heat (99 degree high) by hiking 10 miles before 9am! That's the way to do it. Hike near 10 before 11am, wait until 3 or 4 and hike another 10... when heat like this is forecast, that is absolutely what I've got to do!
I went to the ATC headquarters and got my picture taken in front of the sign! That is big to me, really big! And encouraging. One of those landmarks on the Trail, probably the most meaningful one as of yet. I felt rejuvenated, and while the first day was again boring, the Roller Coaster spiced things up. And that's when I figured it out - the combination of too easy trail and missing Cara and home made me crank up the miles too much just to get it done. The difficulty, even the heat, made it more challenging and more fun! So after getting to see Cara last weekend and this one, plus the promise of my birthday weekend spent with her, I will be well armed to get through Pennsylvania. With luck, by my b-day weekend when she comes to get me I will be in NJ or possibly right at Delaware Water Gap! Also I have the promise of my friend Jon B to come and visit between now and then... I'm thinking I'll try and get him to come out when I'm close to the Yuengling Brewery...
Photos are still being slowly uploaded, 10 or 20 more are up now in Picasa/Google+.
Last weekend was very domestic, and it was what I needed. Cara and I spent quality time together, mowing the lawn, going to Lowes, spreading mulch. I know that might not sound spectacular, but honestly it was very fun. I highly enjoyed myself. It was such a change from walking everyday to just stay in one spot and do some hard work. We also had a yard sale, made friends with the neighbors up the street, and had a BBQ with them and the next-door neighbors. I am learning that, while I really LOVE travel and adventure, there's just something about home that is just incredibly nice too. I feel that is one of the strong lessons the Trail is teaching me.
So early Monday I drove to Harpers Ferry and got a shuttle south to Front Royal to hike back north to my car. This worked out well, but shuttles are always pricey, and I didn't get back on the Trail until 3pm so it was another NERO (near-zero). I wanted to stop early anyway since I brought my hammock and wanted to see about setting up the tarp tent over top of it. It worked surprisingly well - as a test it even rained all night and I stayed comfortably dry and insect free off the ground... there might be something to this hammock thing! As the week progressed I got better at hanging and covering the hammock. With plenty of room to sit on the ground under the tarp and hammock to cook or hang out if the weather is crummy and a comfortable dry place to sleep, I think I will keep this setup. I thought about purchasing the pre-fab Hennesy hammock system, but at over $200 I wanted to make sure it would be worth it. I think I will stick with the setup I have now, however, as I like to have both options, either hang or tent, with carrying no additional weight. Plus I spent a lot on the Black Diamond tarp tent and I'd like to get my moneys worth out of it. I did stop at REI on the way home to return my car yesterday and got a hammock that has an integrated bug net, nice! Better than sleeping with the netting on me like I did last week (in the heat, even that was too much of a 'blanket' on me).
Summer really is here! Going through the Roller Coaster was fun, but wow was it HOT! The last couple days were dangerously hot. In heat like this I must plan for fairly low mileage days, if it isn't as hot and I can do more, well, bully; but you can't expect to hike big days with heat like this. There comes a time where it is no longer just foolhardy to push oneself like that, but it becomes stupid and unhealthy. I moderated my pace well, stopping for sodas and a nice long rest break at Bears Den hostel, I climbed the hills slowly to keep my heart rate down, and I stopped at every water source to refill bottles and pour some over my head. Some guys had setup their hammocks and were waiting out the worst of the heat. The day I made it back to Harpers Ferry it was as hot the previous day, even at 6am when I started to hike I was sweating, but I still beat the worst of the heat (99 degree high) by hiking 10 miles before 9am! That's the way to do it. Hike near 10 before 11am, wait until 3 or 4 and hike another 10... when heat like this is forecast, that is absolutely what I've got to do!
I went to the ATC headquarters and got my picture taken in front of the sign! That is big to me, really big! And encouraging. One of those landmarks on the Trail, probably the most meaningful one as of yet. I felt rejuvenated, and while the first day was again boring, the Roller Coaster spiced things up. And that's when I figured it out - the combination of too easy trail and missing Cara and home made me crank up the miles too much just to get it done. The difficulty, even the heat, made it more challenging and more fun! So after getting to see Cara last weekend and this one, plus the promise of my birthday weekend spent with her, I will be well armed to get through Pennsylvania. With luck, by my b-day weekend when she comes to get me I will be in NJ or possibly right at Delaware Water Gap! Also I have the promise of my friend Jon B to come and visit between now and then... I'm thinking I'll try and get him to come out when I'm close to the Yuengling Brewery...
Photos are still being slowly uploaded, 10 or 20 more are up now in Picasa/Google+.
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| Max Patch |
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Almost to Harpers Ferry - BURN OUT!
So a lot of good things have happened. I saw lots of cool and rare animals. What I didn't see and haven't seen much of is other hikers, the mythical bubble was right in front of me supposedly, by a day or 2... but then again that has been the case since Woods Hole hostel prior to Daleville. I haven't seen them.
I began doing larger and larger days after Daleville. First a 15 through James Face Wilderness - this was a half day of hiking; then a 24 a 26 a 28 followed by a 22 to get to Waynesboro. I was feeling good and doing big miles. The terrain was completely mundane, with some nice spots going through Three Ridges. Mostly though the scenery was nothing to write about, just head down miles up.
I got to Waynesboro to a waiting box I'd shipped from Daleville when Cara was visiting the weekend prior. Thus loaded, I headed out from the Quality Inn and a ride from a Trail Angel (I think Waynesboro is more of 'The friendliest Hiker town' than Damascus, if possible!) and into the Shenandoah's, promising myself I would slow it down and recuperate. I did that the first day. Eight miles to the first shelter, a less than half day. The shelter was empty and stayed empty. I was incredibly bored in camp. Not much to do but futz with my bug net. No one to talk to, and just one mundane book left in the shelter. Why am I trying to slow it down again? So I can be bored to tears? The longer I daly the less likely I'll ever see the bubble just ahead of me. Why am I at camp when I could've done 20 today to get to the next shelter area? Which brings me to why Shenandoah sucks.
The rule of the 'back-country' (never more than a quarter of a mile away from the Skyline drive) you are allowed to LNT camp anywhere you please if you are 20 yards from the Trail, and a certain distance from roads, structures and water sources. Good rule. Except there are very very rare places like that - and most of those 'apparent' sites are illegal because they are too close to the Trail - if there are other places, well, 60 feet off the Trail is too far to see from the Trail so they go unused. So basically hikers are stuck going to shelter areas, which are unevenly placed. "Shall I go 8 miles today? Or 24?" Another issue with hiking through Skyline - it is designed to suit the motorist, they get the views. Often the Trail will go below an overlook - it's a clearing, you can hear the traffic right above you, but our view... doesn't exist. The Trail couldn't be routed through a couple of these overlooks? Something other than constant green tunnel might be nice!
So I wake up, or rather, decide to get up, early at the empty shelter area. Lonely and a bit frustrated I wasted the previous day. I get it in mind to hike to the first wayside in the park to treat myself to some yummy calories and these great shakes I've heard tell of. Loft Mountain Wayside is 22 miles away and they close at 7pm - I gotta book the whole day. I make it there with plenty of time, I see a bear, I don't worry about the camping situation until later. Maybe I will go to the shelter, another 4 miles beyond the Wayside? I decide to do that rather than backtrack back up the mountain to the paid spots in Loft Mountain or to try and find a legal camp between here and anywhere (there were none anyway). I did see a few benches and the thought of hobo-style camping crossed my mind as well. The Wayside received 25 of my dollars for a soft (hard salt-less) pretzel, a blackberry milkshake, a soda, a bbq pork sandwich, and sweet potato fries. Not cheap! But after 22 miles I was getting my reward, damnit. I make my way to the shelter, a few guys are already passed out in the shelter, a few older gents tending fire. I set up my tent and come back to mingle, they aren't too talkative, I think not wanting to bother the guys already in their sleeping bags.
The next day I wake later than I wanted to. I had taken a Ib-PM and I was too groggy to do anything more than eat and fall back asleep at 5am. I wanted to try and make it to Big Meadows so I could get a room or a tent-site. A shower and/or a bed would be great, as well as a BEER!
I still had the idea of doing the 29 miles as I hiked through the morning, stopping for lunch at the one view of the day. I chatted with a couple ladies for awhile on top and down at the parking lot - human interaction is a wonderful thing, and something I was sorely missing. Cell reception was spotty to non-existent so I wasn't getting as much Cara talk as I needed, on top of feeling isolated from other hikers. The day was good though, I saw a adolescent bear run away from me, I saw a BOBCAT, and a flying squirrel. So the day was giving me good things, if not views. The Trail is so mild, both hills and condition, it is nearly like walking on a sidewalk through the park. I got service on the phone after going close to a gap and half-jokingly asked Anthony and Liz to come see me. He agreed to meet me at Big Meadows the next morning bright and early for breakfast. Now I had a deadline - it was 4pm and I had 13 miles to go. I was going to be hiking into the night.
I jogged and speed walked into the afternoon, determined to get as far as I could before the gloom of night made the travel more difficult. Just as night was falling I jumped on the Skyline drive to skip Hazeltop Mountain and not get stuck on a mountain after dark. While hiking the Skyline the overlooks looking west astounded me - so perfectly gorgeous, the blue hazy mountains melting into the distance, the soft sunset light making the scene magical in appearance - the scene I NEVER would've actually seen from the Trail. The scene that would've been obscured by trees and mountain since the Trail gave preference to the road. A bit after the second awesome scene in under a mile (double what the Trail had in the last 20+) I saw a mother bear and 2 cubs just off the road! I waved down a few motorists and pointed them out before hiking on into the growing gloom, a traffic jam beginning behind me. I made it to where the Trail crossed over the road again and decided roadside hiking was becoming a bit too dangerous even with the flashing red headlamp on. With only 2 or 3 miles left I headed up the dark Trail - seeing nothing but the next step, making noise and talking aloud so I wouldn't trip over a critter. Soon enough, or rather, a time later, I made it to Big Meadows - right at 10 pm, almost 14 hours of hiking and 29 miles later.
I walked to the front desk of the lodge, both lodge and adjacent campground were totally full. Not really caring about where I slept, I went down to the Taproom and had dinner and a few beers getting to listen to some live music. After the place closed down and kicked me out, I walked down the connector trail back to the AT, down below the picnic area I found a viable illegal camping area, I set up my tent and got to bed after midnight. I didn't sleep much, a lot of that had to do with wanting to get up at 5am to break camp before getting caught with the lightening sky.
I met with Anthony and Liz for breakfast. We had a great day of day hiking eating and visiting - so good to be with friends! I was so busy running the day before to get to Big Meadows I literally ran past a blue blaze that went up and over a rocky peak with a great rock scramble and perfect 360 degree views. We went back there to see something I really wanted to do but didn't have time to concern myself with at the time in the name of 'Big Miles' - again, or rather as usual. That is definitely one of my gripes of the Trail, not having enough days in the year to actually stop and look at the cool things the Trail goes past. I had them drop me off at Skyland, hoping they would have walk-in room availability. They did! I got to have in bed sleep. Anthony also gave me a couple cigars - so Knob Creek whiskey, a cigar, a bed, and cell service to talk to Cara? All good stuff.
Apparently one day of rest wasn't enough though. I slept well and got a late start after a good breakfast. I wanted to do another 24 mile day, I wanted to get nearly out of this park, I was sick of it. Tired of being close to the road. Tired of too many opportunities to spend money on over-priced food. Maybe a change of scenery would buoy my spirits? Plus Harpers Ferry was just a few days away over some familiar Trail! I can get there in 3 days, right?! Wrong. By 3pm, after the rain had started and the mist blew in, I was still 14 miles short of where I wanted to be - there was a Wayside that I might make it to before they closed - that whole schtick again! I packed up and started the jog to get there. I made it through the mist and rain by 6:45pm. My mind already made up to take a few days off in Harpers Ferry, to assess whether I was still having enough fun to stay on the Trail, or what I could do or change to make it more fun. I was depressed, disheartened, and lonely. The blackberry milkshake and pork bbq did little to change that. The next designated hut area was 7 miles ahead. At 7pm that would me an hiking into the night with rain and mist and that would be dangerous, my headlamp doesn't do well in mist, I can see nothing! Or I could hike a mile off Trail to get to a NO amenities campsite (Matthew's Arm) and pay $14, not that I had that much cash on me, or I could search for a non-existent LNT camoing spot... or I could go to the PATC cabin a mile up the next hill and hope a)no one was currently using it and b) it had a front porch or and area around it I could illegally camp.
I opted to look for camping spots but head for the cabin. Not surprisingly, no camping spots presented themselves prior to getting to the cabin. No one was there. There was a front porch of a sort. So that is where I stayed. Alone again on a damp misty night, at least a roof over my head and dry unless the wind blew. I woke to more rain, but it was still warm out. I was determined to get OUT of the is park. Somehow some way. I don't know, maybe trumpets and bunnies waited at the border. But wasn't I doing really big miles prior to getting to the park to get here? I'd been asking myself, "Why the big days?" Am I rushing to get to the end of the Trail? rather early for that and completely unsustainable. Am I doing it just because I am now physically able to and it feels good? Am I rushing from one good night sleep to another, since I seem to be getting little sleep on the ground? Am I doing big miles to catch the bubble ahead of me, and because why be in camp if I'm just alone and bored in camp anyway, so why bother stopping early when I could be making miles? All these questions had begun to swirl in my head even before getting into Shenandoah, but they really sunk in through the park. I would've liked to be in a group that had decided to aqua-blaze. But, hell, being in a group at all might be good... or maybe not good at all. I haven't been around enough people to fall into a group. My erratic pace seems to throw off any possibility of meeting and sustaining relationships on the Trail. I will see a couple people one two or three days in a row, then I move ahead or they do, and I've been about doing my own thing , not seeking out the party or seeking out a partner.
So here I am walking through a wet very early morning (5:30am start), determined to somehow get out of this park today. I walk along the Skyline at some points in the mist and rain as it is easier to stay cool, make miles, and keep the feet dryer between where the Trail crosses back over the road. Plus, I refuse to hitch, but maybe some angel driving by will ask to give me a ride. At times I get back on the Trail, other times on the Skyline, they are close, parallel, and much the same in the mist and rain. A pickup truck, the only vehicle I've seen, slows and asks if I need a ride - I let the words come without thinking - my options are "No thanks!", "Sure, take me to Mile marker 10!" (the last time the Trail crossed the Skyline before exiting the park), or "Front Royal, please!" I say the last one, knowing a shower, a cheap room, a bed, and town food wait. Here I am yellow blazing though. As bad and disheartening as the big miles, both basically skip parts of the Trail. Both make it less enjoyable and are just useless ways to get to Maine. This instant decision only reinforces my need to re-assess my approach. At the Quality Inn I check my phone, Cara has sensed my feelings and asks if she should come earlier that Thursday and bring me home instead of coming for the weekend. I tell her I can wait until the weekend if she doesn't want to stay out late on a school night. She insists on coming Tuesday night. Ok, I will take a few days off then.
I want to continue the Trail. I will continue the Trail. But I must enjoy it. I have to find out why I've not been having fun, and what can I do to change that?! For now I am home for a few days. I want to go back on Monday, with my car and get a shuttle out of Harpers Ferry south and hike back to my car. At that point, possibly hike north or shuttle north and hike back to my car again. At this point I will figure out how to get the car back home, or decide if I'm going to drive up to New Hampshire and hike the Whites before heading south. I have the time, I have the will. I just need to find the sweet spot for fully enjoying the Trail. I don't want to zoom past all the fun stuff with "Big Miles" being chanted. I gotta change things up to make me want to finish this. Sheer stubbornness isn't enough if I'm hating every step and running between every town.
I have uploaded 1/3 of the pictures so far. More are on the way over the next several days. Currently they are on my Google+ page, I will link here.
I began doing larger and larger days after Daleville. First a 15 through James Face Wilderness - this was a half day of hiking; then a 24 a 26 a 28 followed by a 22 to get to Waynesboro. I was feeling good and doing big miles. The terrain was completely mundane, with some nice spots going through Three Ridges. Mostly though the scenery was nothing to write about, just head down miles up.
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| 'Old' pic from down south, but still nice! |
I got to Waynesboro to a waiting box I'd shipped from Daleville when Cara was visiting the weekend prior. Thus loaded, I headed out from the Quality Inn and a ride from a Trail Angel (I think Waynesboro is more of 'The friendliest Hiker town' than Damascus, if possible!) and into the Shenandoah's, promising myself I would slow it down and recuperate. I did that the first day. Eight miles to the first shelter, a less than half day. The shelter was empty and stayed empty. I was incredibly bored in camp. Not much to do but futz with my bug net. No one to talk to, and just one mundane book left in the shelter. Why am I trying to slow it down again? So I can be bored to tears? The longer I daly the less likely I'll ever see the bubble just ahead of me. Why am I at camp when I could've done 20 today to get to the next shelter area? Which brings me to why Shenandoah sucks.
The rule of the 'back-country' (never more than a quarter of a mile away from the Skyline drive) you are allowed to LNT camp anywhere you please if you are 20 yards from the Trail, and a certain distance from roads, structures and water sources. Good rule. Except there are very very rare places like that - and most of those 'apparent' sites are illegal because they are too close to the Trail - if there are other places, well, 60 feet off the Trail is too far to see from the Trail so they go unused. So basically hikers are stuck going to shelter areas, which are unevenly placed. "Shall I go 8 miles today? Or 24?" Another issue with hiking through Skyline - it is designed to suit the motorist, they get the views. Often the Trail will go below an overlook - it's a clearing, you can hear the traffic right above you, but our view... doesn't exist. The Trail couldn't be routed through a couple of these overlooks? Something other than constant green tunnel might be nice!
So I wake up, or rather, decide to get up, early at the empty shelter area. Lonely and a bit frustrated I wasted the previous day. I get it in mind to hike to the first wayside in the park to treat myself to some yummy calories and these great shakes I've heard tell of. Loft Mountain Wayside is 22 miles away and they close at 7pm - I gotta book the whole day. I make it there with plenty of time, I see a bear, I don't worry about the camping situation until later. Maybe I will go to the shelter, another 4 miles beyond the Wayside? I decide to do that rather than backtrack back up the mountain to the paid spots in Loft Mountain or to try and find a legal camp between here and anywhere (there were none anyway). I did see a few benches and the thought of hobo-style camping crossed my mind as well. The Wayside received 25 of my dollars for a soft (hard salt-less) pretzel, a blackberry milkshake, a soda, a bbq pork sandwich, and sweet potato fries. Not cheap! But after 22 miles I was getting my reward, damnit. I make my way to the shelter, a few guys are already passed out in the shelter, a few older gents tending fire. I set up my tent and come back to mingle, they aren't too talkative, I think not wanting to bother the guys already in their sleeping bags.
The next day I wake later than I wanted to. I had taken a Ib-PM and I was too groggy to do anything more than eat and fall back asleep at 5am. I wanted to try and make it to Big Meadows so I could get a room or a tent-site. A shower and/or a bed would be great, as well as a BEER!
I still had the idea of doing the 29 miles as I hiked through the morning, stopping for lunch at the one view of the day. I chatted with a couple ladies for awhile on top and down at the parking lot - human interaction is a wonderful thing, and something I was sorely missing. Cell reception was spotty to non-existent so I wasn't getting as much Cara talk as I needed, on top of feeling isolated from other hikers. The day was good though, I saw a adolescent bear run away from me, I saw a BOBCAT, and a flying squirrel. So the day was giving me good things, if not views. The Trail is so mild, both hills and condition, it is nearly like walking on a sidewalk through the park. I got service on the phone after going close to a gap and half-jokingly asked Anthony and Liz to come see me. He agreed to meet me at Big Meadows the next morning bright and early for breakfast. Now I had a deadline - it was 4pm and I had 13 miles to go. I was going to be hiking into the night.
I jogged and speed walked into the afternoon, determined to get as far as I could before the gloom of night made the travel more difficult. Just as night was falling I jumped on the Skyline drive to skip Hazeltop Mountain and not get stuck on a mountain after dark. While hiking the Skyline the overlooks looking west astounded me - so perfectly gorgeous, the blue hazy mountains melting into the distance, the soft sunset light making the scene magical in appearance - the scene I NEVER would've actually seen from the Trail. The scene that would've been obscured by trees and mountain since the Trail gave preference to the road. A bit after the second awesome scene in under a mile (double what the Trail had in the last 20+) I saw a mother bear and 2 cubs just off the road! I waved down a few motorists and pointed them out before hiking on into the growing gloom, a traffic jam beginning behind me. I made it to where the Trail crossed over the road again and decided roadside hiking was becoming a bit too dangerous even with the flashing red headlamp on. With only 2 or 3 miles left I headed up the dark Trail - seeing nothing but the next step, making noise and talking aloud so I wouldn't trip over a critter. Soon enough, or rather, a time later, I made it to Big Meadows - right at 10 pm, almost 14 hours of hiking and 29 miles later.
I walked to the front desk of the lodge, both lodge and adjacent campground were totally full. Not really caring about where I slept, I went down to the Taproom and had dinner and a few beers getting to listen to some live music. After the place closed down and kicked me out, I walked down the connector trail back to the AT, down below the picnic area I found a viable illegal camping area, I set up my tent and got to bed after midnight. I didn't sleep much, a lot of that had to do with wanting to get up at 5am to break camp before getting caught with the lightening sky.
I met with Anthony and Liz for breakfast. We had a great day of day hiking eating and visiting - so good to be with friends! I was so busy running the day before to get to Big Meadows I literally ran past a blue blaze that went up and over a rocky peak with a great rock scramble and perfect 360 degree views. We went back there to see something I really wanted to do but didn't have time to concern myself with at the time in the name of 'Big Miles' - again, or rather as usual. That is definitely one of my gripes of the Trail, not having enough days in the year to actually stop and look at the cool things the Trail goes past. I had them drop me off at Skyland, hoping they would have walk-in room availability. They did! I got to have in bed sleep. Anthony also gave me a couple cigars - so Knob Creek whiskey, a cigar, a bed, and cell service to talk to Cara? All good stuff.
 |
| Look closely, you are being watched! |
Apparently one day of rest wasn't enough though. I slept well and got a late start after a good breakfast. I wanted to do another 24 mile day, I wanted to get nearly out of this park, I was sick of it. Tired of being close to the road. Tired of too many opportunities to spend money on over-priced food. Maybe a change of scenery would buoy my spirits? Plus Harpers Ferry was just a few days away over some familiar Trail! I can get there in 3 days, right?! Wrong. By 3pm, after the rain had started and the mist blew in, I was still 14 miles short of where I wanted to be - there was a Wayside that I might make it to before they closed - that whole schtick again! I packed up and started the jog to get there. I made it through the mist and rain by 6:45pm. My mind already made up to take a few days off in Harpers Ferry, to assess whether I was still having enough fun to stay on the Trail, or what I could do or change to make it more fun. I was depressed, disheartened, and lonely. The blackberry milkshake and pork bbq did little to change that. The next designated hut area was 7 miles ahead. At 7pm that would me an hiking into the night with rain and mist and that would be dangerous, my headlamp doesn't do well in mist, I can see nothing! Or I could hike a mile off Trail to get to a NO amenities campsite (Matthew's Arm) and pay $14, not that I had that much cash on me, or I could search for a non-existent LNT camoing spot... or I could go to the PATC cabin a mile up the next hill and hope a)no one was currently using it and b) it had a front porch or and area around it I could illegally camp.
I opted to look for camping spots but head for the cabin. Not surprisingly, no camping spots presented themselves prior to getting to the cabin. No one was there. There was a front porch of a sort. So that is where I stayed. Alone again on a damp misty night, at least a roof over my head and dry unless the wind blew. I woke to more rain, but it was still warm out. I was determined to get OUT of the is park. Somehow some way. I don't know, maybe trumpets and bunnies waited at the border. But wasn't I doing really big miles prior to getting to the park to get here? I'd been asking myself, "Why the big days?" Am I rushing to get to the end of the Trail? rather early for that and completely unsustainable. Am I doing it just because I am now physically able to and it feels good? Am I rushing from one good night sleep to another, since I seem to be getting little sleep on the ground? Am I doing big miles to catch the bubble ahead of me, and because why be in camp if I'm just alone and bored in camp anyway, so why bother stopping early when I could be making miles? All these questions had begun to swirl in my head even before getting into Shenandoah, but they really sunk in through the park. I would've liked to be in a group that had decided to aqua-blaze. But, hell, being in a group at all might be good... or maybe not good at all. I haven't been around enough people to fall into a group. My erratic pace seems to throw off any possibility of meeting and sustaining relationships on the Trail. I will see a couple people one two or three days in a row, then I move ahead or they do, and I've been about doing my own thing , not seeking out the party or seeking out a partner.
So here I am walking through a wet very early morning (5:30am start), determined to somehow get out of this park today. I walk along the Skyline at some points in the mist and rain as it is easier to stay cool, make miles, and keep the feet dryer between where the Trail crosses back over the road. Plus, I refuse to hitch, but maybe some angel driving by will ask to give me a ride. At times I get back on the Trail, other times on the Skyline, they are close, parallel, and much the same in the mist and rain. A pickup truck, the only vehicle I've seen, slows and asks if I need a ride - I let the words come without thinking - my options are "No thanks!", "Sure, take me to Mile marker 10!" (the last time the Trail crossed the Skyline before exiting the park), or "Front Royal, please!" I say the last one, knowing a shower, a cheap room, a bed, and town food wait. Here I am yellow blazing though. As bad and disheartening as the big miles, both basically skip parts of the Trail. Both make it less enjoyable and are just useless ways to get to Maine. This instant decision only reinforces my need to re-assess my approach. At the Quality Inn I check my phone, Cara has sensed my feelings and asks if she should come earlier that Thursday and bring me home instead of coming for the weekend. I tell her I can wait until the weekend if she doesn't want to stay out late on a school night. She insists on coming Tuesday night. Ok, I will take a few days off then.
I want to continue the Trail. I will continue the Trail. But I must enjoy it. I have to find out why I've not been having fun, and what can I do to change that?! For now I am home for a few days. I want to go back on Monday, with my car and get a shuttle out of Harpers Ferry south and hike back to my car. At that point, possibly hike north or shuttle north and hike back to my car again. At this point I will figure out how to get the car back home, or decide if I'm going to drive up to New Hampshire and hike the Whites before heading south. I have the time, I have the will. I just need to find the sweet spot for fully enjoying the Trail. I don't want to zoom past all the fun stuff with "Big Miles" being chanted. I gotta change things up to make me want to finish this. Sheer stubbornness isn't enough if I'm hating every step and running between every town.
I have uploaded 1/3 of the pictures so far. More are on the way over the next several days. Currently they are on my Google+ page, I will link here.
Friday, June 1, 2012
700 Miles - in Daleville VA
Wow you still follow this blog!?
4/29
Thanks! I truly do apologize for the rare updates, after a long day priorities are basic, and trying to
conserve batteries is one of those. I did 24 miles today, working my way to Daleville where i will spend the weekend with Cara!
To rewind a bit: the night i posted last i got sick and stayed sick for a few days. I zeroed in Damascus before meeting my friend Dan ~ he hiked for a week and we had a great time playing with ponies in the mist and
admiring all the awesome unique trees out here. His trailname is Woodteeth. The weekend of Trail Days I took Dan home and went and saw Cara for the first time in 40 days. Being her birthday weekend it only seemed right to have it not have to do with the AT!
This past week i have been really focusing on maintaining weight, after losing 20 in 40 days i began worrying it could make me get off Trail. Jim sent me protien powder, Cara had some great ideas for supplemental foods, and I am carrying only whats needed, rather than enough to last for weeks! I have began carrying not as much processed bars - I have been carrying bagels, wraps, cream cheese, pepperoni, tuna salad, Snickers, and other good stuff.
4/31
I got into Daleville Va last night and Cara is here now. We are going to do chores and enjoy the weekend before I start back on the Trail on Sunday afternoon.
A word about gear: Less is more!!
I am carrying almost nothing that I started with, I have shed pounds of gear! Some of it has been due to gear failure, either breakage or failure to work. Here's a quick run down:
-Steripen - stopped working after I changed the batteries
-MSR Hubbahubba - It leaked too much and was heavy
-Osprey EXOS 58 - frame began breaking through the webbing
Those three I changed out for Aquamir water drops, a Black Diamond Mega Lite tarp tent, and the Osprey Talon 44. Between those biggies, I have gotten rid of a lot of odds and ends that I haven't ended up using. Also changing to summer gear saved both weight and space. I need to re-weigh, but my pack is in the low 20's with no food and water.
I hope to be able to update more often... but don't hold your breath on daily or weekly updates! I am really enjoying my time on the Trail, I have been learning a lot about everything about me - all I've got is time to think about everything!
Thanks for following
4/29
Thanks! I truly do apologize for the rare updates, after a long day priorities are basic, and trying to
conserve batteries is one of those. I did 24 miles today, working my way to Daleville where i will spend the weekend with Cara!
To rewind a bit: the night i posted last i got sick and stayed sick for a few days. I zeroed in Damascus before meeting my friend Dan ~ he hiked for a week and we had a great time playing with ponies in the mist and
admiring all the awesome unique trees out here. His trailname is Woodteeth. The weekend of Trail Days I took Dan home and went and saw Cara for the first time in 40 days. Being her birthday weekend it only seemed right to have it not have to do with the AT!
This past week i have been really focusing on maintaining weight, after losing 20 in 40 days i began worrying it could make me get off Trail. Jim sent me protien powder, Cara had some great ideas for supplemental foods, and I am carrying only whats needed, rather than enough to last for weeks! I have began carrying not as much processed bars - I have been carrying bagels, wraps, cream cheese, pepperoni, tuna salad, Snickers, and other good stuff.
4/31
I got into Daleville Va last night and Cara is here now. We are going to do chores and enjoy the weekend before I start back on the Trail on Sunday afternoon.
A word about gear: Less is more!!
I am carrying almost nothing that I started with, I have shed pounds of gear! Some of it has been due to gear failure, either breakage or failure to work. Here's a quick run down:
-Steripen - stopped working after I changed the batteries
-MSR Hubbahubba - It leaked too much and was heavy
-Osprey EXOS 58 - frame began breaking through the webbing
Those three I changed out for Aquamir water drops, a Black Diamond Mega Lite tarp tent, and the Osprey Talon 44. Between those biggies, I have gotten rid of a lot of odds and ends that I haven't ended up using. Also changing to summer gear saved both weight and space. I need to re-weigh, but my pack is in the low 20's with no food and water.
I hope to be able to update more often... but don't hold your breath on daily or weekly updates! I am really enjoying my time on the Trail, I have been learning a lot about everything about me - all I've got is time to think about everything!
Thanks for following
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