Day 123: Killington

Day: 123 Miles: 12.4 Trip:  1699.5 Started: Governor Clement Shelter  Destination:  Rt 4 VT


Not much to say about today but more rain!  I got into the shelter last night and managed to dry off a little.  Today I go over Mt. Killington.  I was hoping for better weather over Killington.  I have skied here many times and I was looking forward to seeing it in the summer.  The cloud cover socked in the views.  I got down off Killington and came to the split in trail where the Long trail continues north in VT and the AT heads north east to NH.  I took a side trail down to Rt4 and caught the hourly bus into Rutland.  There is a hostel in Rutland and I wanted to take the opportunity to dry off.

Day 122

Day: 122 Miles: 19.3 Trip: 1687.3  Started: Little Rock Pond  Destination: Governor Clement Shelter


In the morning I came across a large rock cairn garden.  There were quite a few unique structures.  I'm not sure why but I felt compelled to add my own small addition to the garden and move on.  Just after the rock garden, it started to rain.  The rain would stay light but steady for the rest of the day.  The nice pine needle covered trail kept the mud down a little and going was steady.

The terrain in the northern stretch of the AT in Vermont is definitely getting better and better.  The trail this morning entered a large pine forest and the trail was covered by a soft blanket of pine needles.  The trail always seems better in pine forests.

Day 121

Day: 121  Miles: 19.8 Trip: 1667.6  Started: Manchester Center, VT Destination:  Little Rock Pond

Bromley Peak

Blue skies and temperatures of about 70 greated me this morning, a really good day for hiking.  Ater a steep but brief climb up from VT11 the trail evened out and was in pretty good condition.  This section of the trail has more pines on it and it seems to drain a little better than trail from the past few days.

Baker Peak

Early in the day I climbed up Bromely Mt.  The trail goes right past the ski lifts of Bromley Resort.  It would be fun to come back here in the winter and see this section under different circumstances.   The trail was pretty well graded until a brief rock scramble up Baker Peak.  Resting at the top of Baker Peak, I met a few day hikers that were from Freehold NJ, what a small world!   After a nice even graded stretch I ended up at Big Branch shelter.  It was still only about 5pm so I decided to do another 3.3 miles to get to the next good camping spot, Little Rock Pond.  A pretty good day.  I am getting exited to be closer to NH and my second to last state.

Little Rock Pond

 

Day 120: Stratton Peak

Day: 120 Miles: 18.3 Trip: 1645.0 Started: Kid Gore Shelter Destination: Spruce Peak Shelter

Stratton peak looking south

Last night was finally a good night for sleeping.  The temperatures last night got down to about 50.  This morning I got up early and planned a pretty decent days hiking.  The big highlight today was Stratton Mt.  I have skied at Stratton and it was interesting to see the terrain in the summer.  Stratton peak is not exactly the top of the ski resort, and from the observation tower at the peak I could see the ski lifts.  I was tempted to take a side trail to the resort but the thought of putting in any unneeded miles quickly faded from my mind.  I got up to the peak at about 1pm and it was totally fogged in.  Needing a break, I climbed to the top of the fire tower there and had lunch.  Luckily after about 10 minutes up in the tower the lower cloud cover broke and I was able to at least see some of the view.  I still had about 10 miles to go for the day and rain was slowly moving in.  The rain luckily did not last long at all and I made it down to the shelter by about 7pm.  All and all a pretty good day of hiking.  Even though Stratton was about a 2000' foot climb, I felt great and hope this is a good sign for the higher mountains to come.

Day 119: Cooling temperatures

Day: 119 Miles: 14.4 Trip: 1622.1 Started: Rt 9, Bennington VT Destination: Kid Gore Shelter

I ended up dong a zero in Bennington.  The managers at the Catamount Motel are very hiker friendly and offered to drive me to wherever I needed to go, its a great place to stay.  I took full advantage of this by staying another day to in part let the trail dry out from the the previous rain and also to make a trip to Walmart and the local Price Chopper.  I got a late start out of Bennington, it was about 4pm when I took a break at Kid Gore Shelter.  Just after my lunch I cam across my first fire tower since NJ.  The view was pretty good despite the overcast conditions.

View from the top of Glastenbury lookout tower

I was planning on going another five miles or so, but I got talking to another north bounder named B-line and decided that I would not push things and called it a day.  I am planning on doing a short day into Manchester Center so tomorrow will just have to be a little longer.   The temperatures have come down markedly and I can push up a mountain without being totally soaked at the top.  The cooler temperatures definitely have me in a better mood. 

 One advantage to ending the day a little early is having the time to do things like start a camp fire.

Day 118: Vermont!

Day: 118 Miles: 14.1 Trip: 1603.4 Started: Williamstown, MA Destination: Congdon Shelter, VT

Hello Vermont!   My mood has definitely improved today as I pass into Vermont.  Its a good feeling knowing that I only have three states to go.  The trail enters Vermont at the southern end of the Long Trail.  The Long Trail and the AT coincide for the first 100 or so miles.   The big problem is the mud.  (pictures to follow) Vermont is known by some as Vermud and even before I crossed the border the mud was getting bad.  It rained quite heavy last night and this morning the mud and wet trail were getting worse.  Even so, crossing into Vermont is a great spirit lifter.

Day 117: Mt Greylock

Day: 117 Miles: 14.8 Trip: 1589.4 Started: Chesire, MA Destination: Williamstown, MA

Veterans War Memorial
at the summit

I'm feeling a little better today.  The weather has started to cool, but temperatures are still in the upper 80's.  Today I passed over Mt. Greylock.  It is the highest peak in Massachusetts at about 3500'.  The summit is accessible by car and there are a fair amount of tourists on top of the mountain.  It is always strange to walk for hours and miles to get to a summit just to be greeted by a parking lot full of tourists.

I have come to realize that hikers tend to look down a bit on those that have driven to such a place.  I hike up a mountain for miles pouring sweat for the simple payoff of knowing that I got myself up top unaided and with my own two feet.  Enjoying the view by driving to the top just seems like cheating now.  There is one good thing about touristy places however, they require facilities.  I was able to purchase a cheeseburger and a few sodas as Bascom Lodge before heading on.

It was nice to have a true highlight in Mt Greylock and it picked up my spirits a little for the rest of the day.  The climbs are getting a little steeper and I imagine that the White Mountains will be far more difficult.  I just hope that increasingly difficult terrain comes with equally rewarding payoffs.

Day 116

Day: 116 Miles: 15 Trip: 1574.6 Started: XX Destination: Chesire MA

Not much to report on this stretch.  The trail has been relatively tame with nothing more than about 1000 feet in ups and downs.  The heat as been pretty consistently in the 90's and it somewhat of a struggle to do the miles I want.  I'm looking forward to getting back into higher mountains and better temperatures.  My mood has been a little melancholy as I contemplate how much more trail I have to complete.  Some of this might be due to the lack of any major milestones.  The lower section of New England so far has been a little of a grind with not much reward.  The quaint towns are the true highlight of this section.  St. Mary's church offers a section of there community room for hikers to use for the night, I am here with about six other 'thrus'.

Day 113: More heat

Day: 113  Miles: 11.1  Trip: 1556.3 Started: Upper Goose Pond   Destination: 1556.3

More extreme heat today.  Its is almost 100 today and that is before the heat index.  I am feeling pretty warn down.  I was planning on going all the way into Dalton today, but I could just not get enough motivation together to go all the way.  I got a nice early start but by 10:30 it was already over 90 and by 12 it was over 95.   There was a slight breeze at least today and I took a long break in a nice pine forest and fell asleep for over an hour!  I made it to the Washington Mt. road crossing and headed over to an AT legend, the 'Cookie Lady'. 
The cookie lady was not there, but Mr. Cookie Lady was.  I bought a few sodas and was treated to some free homemade chocolate chip cookies.  I was hoping the break would pick me up, but when I got back to the trail I decided to find a nice camp spot and call it a day.  I will do a short day into Dalton tomorrow and spend another night out of the heat.  The weather is predicted to break this weekend.

Day 112

Day: 112  Miles: 19.1  Trip: 1545.2 Started: 1526.1  Destination: Upper Goose Pond Cabin, MA

Upper Goose Pond

I ended up dong a zero in Great Barrington.  I was truly not feeling well.  I was having some issues with my digestive track, and indicators pointed to possible Giardia.  Giardia can cause poor nutrient absorption and could explain why I was feeling so weak.  After the second day in Great Barrington my symptoms seemed to be getting better and I was pretty confident that it was not Giardia, but probably a short lived bug I had picked up.   I did a short day out of town and played it safe.  Today I felt much better and did almost 20 again.

I stayed at the Upper Goose Pond Cabin.  Its a great place that is staffed in the summer months by volunteers from the AMC.  They have a bunk room upstairs.  Its a great place to stay, they take donations and the pancakes that I had in the morning were well worth a few dollars in donation. 

Upper Goose Pond Cabin

Day 109: The heat is wearing me down.

Day: 109  Miles: 10  Trip: 1517.9 Started: 1507.9  Destination: Great Barrington, MA

The heat is pretty bad today.  Its 98 on the little thermometer I have, and the weather channel website says the heat index is over 105.  I usually do pretty good in the heat, but today it is just wearing me down in a bad way.   

At the top of Mt. Everett

The climb this morning over Mt. Everett was easier than I would have thought, but the top was fogged in by early morning clouds.  On the way down the clouds broke, and the full force of the sun was out on an already hot day.   I was planning on going right by Great Barrington, but I think I will only do 10 miles and get out of the heat.   Crossing some fields this afternoon I was getting a little weak in the legs.  I have been drinking plenty and I don't think it is dehydration.  I will play it safe and beat the heat today.

Day 108: Massachusetts!

Day: 108  Miles: 18.9 Trip: 1507.9 Started: Falls Village, CT  Destination: Race Brook Falls, MA

Another state down!  Finally in Massachusetts!  The progression through the northeast continues and its nice to put Connecticut behind me.  Connecticut was a nice transition from the rocks of New Jersey and New York to the larger mountains coming up.  Just across the border in Massachusetts are Bear Mt. and Mt. Everett.  They are the first taste of things to come.

The descent from Bear Mt. was very steep and with the extreme humidity the rocks were very slick.  I had hoped to get over Everett today also, but it took much longer to get down Bear Mt then I thought it would.  I headed for a camp site just before Everett and tried to sleep in the humid weather.   Even with the warm temperatures the humidity just does not let anything dry.  By the end of the day my cloths are soaked with sweat and with the dew points as high as they are I just cant get anything to dry.

 

Day 107: The bugs!

Day: 107 Miles:  15.1  Trip: 1488.9 Started: Cornwall Bridge CT    Destination: Housatonic River

Steep section near West Cornwall CT

The past few days have been mostly uneventful.  I picked up some new bug spray in Kent and have for the most part worked out a routine that keeps the mosquitos at a barely tolerable level.  Every time I stop it has become a routine to break out the spray and cover my arms, legs and shoulders.   I bought a head net back in NJ and have been using now on a regular basis.  With the heat as bad as it is, the head net has a slightly suffocating effect, but it is better than constantly eating 'noseums' and hearing the buzz of fly and mosquitos in my ears. 

The terrain has been pretty good for the most part and this section would be very enjoyable if it were not for the heat and bugs.  The section by the Kent river was a nice flat change of pace.  The heat is the big challenge and if continues it will definitely slow me down.

I was planning on staying at the Toymakers Café in Falls Village tonight.  According to the guide book, the café lets hikers stay in there back yard.  On they way into town I stopped at a store and the clerk told me that they were no longer letting hikers stay there.  According to the clerk some hikers went to the barn and accidentally knocked over some of the owners motorcycles.  Hoping this was a temporary situation I walked over anyway, but when I got there nobody was home.  It was getting late and I could not afford to wait so I pushed on another mile and found a stealth camping spot just outside of town.  From my impromptu camping spot I was able to see several houses and was reminded of the fine line between being a thru hiker and just simply being homeless. 

Day 104: Another state down, on to Conneticut

Day: 104 Miles: 15.1 Trip: 1459.6 Started: Wingdale NY Destination: 1459.6

Another milestone today, goodbye NY.  The trail has been getting steadily better as far as rocks go, but the elevation profile is starting to look more like a saw blade.  Lots up elevation gain are hidden in seemingly small rolling hills.  The uphills are steep and very frequent.  While not hard, the extra heat is keeping me soaked to the bone pretty much all day.  The high humidity is also a factor as nothing will dry!  My wet cloths from the previous day don't really feel like they have dried at all over night.  I need to do some laundry soon! I got another quick swim in today at the Ten Mile river.  Just a quick one to cool me off and wash some of the funk out of my cloths. I have not seen very many other thru-hikers in a few days, perhaps they are all in a secret air conditioned shelter I don't know about??  Crossing the CT/NY border felt good and another state is behind me.  CT is short and should go by fast as well.  One bad thing is that I have been told by hikers in front of me is that the bugs are actually worse in CT.  I bought some bug spray in Wingdale, I hope it works!

Bulls Bridge, near Kent CT

Day 103: Escape from the bugs!

Day: 103 Miles: 10.9 Trip: 1444.5 Started: Morgan Steward Sh. Destination: Wingdale NY

The past two days have been real hot!  Yesterday I was feeling pretty tired in the legs and generally very lethargic.  I can only attribute this to the weather.  I have been drinking plenty of water, but the heat has a way of wearing you down.  No matter what, in general my legs always feel pretty good, yesterday they just felt weak.

Oh, don't let me forget  to mention the mosquitoes!  They are so bad, I must stop every few hundred feet and swat them off my body.  This combined with the heat has a real debilitating effect.  Yesterday I only did 10 miles into a shelter where I set up my tent and promptly got in to hide from the bugs. By 6pm I was fast asleep and did not wake up until morning, I did not even have time to square away my gear or food, I just pretty much passed out.

The AT passes right by Nuclear Lake.  I tranquil lake not easily accessed by roads.  I decided to go for a swim to escape the mosquitoes.  I took out my Therma-Rest air pad I use for sleeping and used it as raft.  I spent about an hour and a half floating out to the center of the lake where there were no bugs.  One of the best relaxing experiences so far.  I wished at the time I did not have to come back to shore.  As soon as I did the mosquitoes were once again attacking me ferociously.

Today my legs and body in general feel much better, but the bugs are still getting me down in a major way.  The mosquitoes are no surprise when passing through swamp lands.  A Sound of Thunder'.

This stretch of swamp before Wingdale is covered by a boardwalk like the one in NJ.  For some reason these boardwalks remind me of the path in Ray Bradbury's book '

When I got to the Wingdale road crossing I decided I had had enough and made the three mile walk to town to get a room.  Mosquitoes might be the one thing that forces me off the trail, I hope I can find a way to cope with them.

Also at the NY 22 road crossing is the Appalachian Trail train station.  Possibly to coolest little train station ever!  The train only stops here on the weekends, but how cool is to to have a train station right on the trail!
 

Day 101: Getting hot

Day: 101 Miles: 18.8 Trip: 1424.6  Started: 1405.8 Destination: RPH Shelter, NY

What a hot day! According to my thermometer it is 96 at about 12pm.  Slogging it out in 85+% humidity is pretty draining.  About half way through the day I passed by Clarence Fahnestock State Park.  The park has a nice lake (Canopus Lake) with a roped off swimming area and a concession stand.  I could not pass up the opportunity to get something to eat and beat the heat for a bit.  I took a short .5 mile side trail down to the beach area and found some of the crew from the night before.  The park is a little close to NY and was pretty packed with people out to beat the heat just like me.  I got some food from the concession stand and took a short nap on the lawn.  At about 3pm I got up and took a nice long swim in the lake, it felt so good!  Despite the crowds it was a nice break and I ended up hanging out there for another few hours.  By the time I left it was 6pm, and I still had 6 miles to go for the day.  I made it into RPH shelter just before dark, a really great day all and all despite the heat.

911 Memorial on top of Shenandoah Mt.

Day 100: Back on trail

Day: 100 Miles: 6 Trip: 1405.8 Started: Bear Mt. NY Destination: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center, NY

Good to be back on trail after a short break at home.  I have done all of NJ once and a big portion of it twice.  I decided to bump it and take the days off at home instead.  The break at home was a nice change, but it made a few things harder when I got back on.  On trail, you get into a rhythm with the amount of food you have been using and the average miles for the terrain you are in at the moment.  Going home also had an impact on my trail legs.  It took most of the day just to get back into my old stride.   Because of the hour I only did 6 miles into the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center, a nice place where they let you tent at their sports field. They have a shower and power outlets available also,  a real treat.  At the field I met up with Smiles.  I have not seen him since just past Damascus.