July 25

Woke up later than everyone and still made it to the next shelter in better time than the other hikers! They call me sleepy head and such, but if I can hike faster... I don't care. I get to sleep more. It's good with me.

Sleeping tonight at the Clarendon Shelter. Tomorrow I will reach the 500 miles left mark. I've been hearing rumors that Hanover is trying really hard to get designated as the best trail town. I don't know if they'll get it, but SoBos have been talking about all sorts of free or reduced price food places in Hanover. I'm pretty stoked about that.

Today's hike started with a slow uphill that paralleled a beautiful lake for a while. It entered an alpine forest for a while, peaked at a spot with about 100 cairns placed in random locations, and then headed toward a river. Today had a lot of really neat water features. Most notably were a waterfall and a rapidly flowing river. HillHiker and Jersey elected to stay a shelter south of where I ended. I ate dinner with them, had a small nip of Johnny Walker, and headed on. After a quick rock scramble and some neat trail magic (candy and fruit), I ended at the shelter. Mousetrap, Diesel, and I made a huge fire using pine scraps and the better part of a downed birch tree. Best fire thus far.

I'm trying to make it to Killington, VT tomorrow.

July 24

The Green Mountain Hostel was a nice stay. Twenty dollars bought a night's room, laundry, use of a kitchen, a shower with towel, and a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Even though the storm kept me up most all night, I'm glad I stayed there. I'd rather be inside during a storm of that magnitude than outside. Lightning and thunder were prevalent and close until at least three in the morning. The morning was enhanced by coffee brewed by Sugar.

After eating half a box of cereal and some doughnuts, I started up the trail like a flash in my gaudy trail runners. An hour passed and I found myself in a cloud on top of the Bromley Ski Resort. Visibility was limited due to fog, but it was exhilarating because it reminded me of the Smokies.

The rest of the day consisted of hiking through alpine forests around lakes while dodging the occasional cold rain storm. At one point we ascended along a ridge to find a staggering view of the Taconic Mountains behind us. These are BIG mountains that we were close enough to really appreciate their magnitude.

Tonight I find myself in the Big Branch shelter. We're (Jersey, Hill Hiker, Big Sky, Diesel, and Sugar) listening to a flowing river and hoping to not catch much rain tonight.

July 22

Woke somewhat rested and ravenously hungry after a night in the shelter. It wasn't the bugs that kept me awake, but it might have been the hard sleeping surface. Due to the way the shelter was constructed, the entrance faced directly east. Seeing a sunrise from a sleeping bag is most epic.

Arrived safely at the William Douglass shelter (1640 / 544) after a pretty neat climb over Stratton mountain. Stratton Mountain was that 4k foot mountain I mentioned yesterday. The views from the top were augmented by a fire tower. Usually fire towers are locked, but this one was open to the public. From the top of the tower I could see perhaps the best view of the mountains to come. The caretaker said one could see Mt. Washington from up there... that's right; the Whites are coming! An amateur radio enthusiast was in the tower using its vantage to enhance his reach. His knowledge of the surrounding area proved to be interesting. I'm sure I annoyed him with "What's that?" and "What about that one?"

My legs feel abused. I'm pretty excited about going into Manchester Center to resupply and get some ice cream. If I'm lucky with showtimes, I probably will see the new Batman movie. Can't think of anything I'd rather do for a few hours - feet up, large diet coke, a ridiculous popcorn, and a great movie.

As I flip ahead in the guide book, I can see some pretty big stuff coming. The next month is going to be extremely challenging; I'll try to stay upbeat. The worst of the climbs clear up right before the start of the hundred mile wilderness. In the words of a wise and good friend, "I got this!"

July 21

Thought for this section: Everything looks difficult from far away.

Oh. I guess it really has awhile since my last post. I apologize for that. Since that time though, the trail has turned into what I always dreamed it would be. I'm currently in Vermont at the Kid Gore Shelter (1620.4 / 563.8). For whatever fortuitous reason the trail has matured into heaven. Weather is becoming better - both dry and chilly. I've hit trail magic more than I ever have before. The terrain and views are getting better. The people I've been meeting in town and on the trail are great. Currently, I pass more southbounders than I do northbounders. It's really quite helpful to exchange info about water sources and such.

In the last week, two places I've been really made the previous effort worthwhile - upper goose pond cabin and the Birdcage in Dalton.

Upper goose pond cabin is a small Appalachian Mountain Club owned cabin on Goose Pond. After writing that sentence, I realized the redundant nature of it. The cabin has a caretaker, is free, has a swimming pond, a canoe, and free blueberry pancakes with coffee. It was incredible. I sat on the dock with my feet in the water reflecting on the whole trail. I decided it was places like that that really make the trail fun and help with its completion. This was the place where Mousetrap caught a small-mouth bass with a survival kit. Until that point, I was pretty sure those kits were useless.

The Birdcage is almost a requirement of every through hike. It's basically a free hostel in Dalton, MA run out of Robert Bird's house. His philosophy with regard to the hostel is basically that he'll help hikers in any way that he can. He washes clothes, offers hot showers, gives beds to sleep in, and provides slack packs and other necessary rides. He seems to really enjoy the company of the hikers. He'll allow hikers to stay as long as they need to rest, relax, and heal. It was the first place on the trail that I've felt at home. I really enjoyed a 23 mile slack pack and zero there. It was a good place. It was on my slack pack that I met a southbounder from Plymouth Landing, a subdivision about a quarter mile from my house. It blew my mind. The exchange went like this... I'm from Florida. What part? Orlando. Me too. I'm from a small town called Apopka. ME TOO! I live on Plymouth sorrento rd. Alright, get the heck out!

Today I aim to get 20 miles to a shelter on the opposite side Stratton Mountain. What's climbing a four thousand foot mountain if not pure joy! I am actually really excited.

July 10 - 13

I'm afraid there hasn't been too much to publish about recently. There have been a few funny instances and several observations I will share.

I write this log with a heavy heart after learning that a childhood friend has passed. Robert Foster passed away recently, but I don't know many details. He was a great friend to those that knew him, and I'll always remember the times from TMA. Miss you, bud.

I've been mostly hiking alone during the day. The nights have usually been spent tenting with Jersey and Hillhiker. They seem to be developing a quickness to judge that has not yet been directed at myself. Since they are taking a four day break starting tomorrow, I may not see them again.

It seems like my body is well acclimatized to the heat. I start sweating early and continue all day. Words can't describe how dirty I feel. Even if I start fresh, by the time a single day is done, I am again dirty. My legs seem to be remembering their strength as the hills turn into mountains. I should be in MA by tomorrow and almost into VT not too long after that. Time and miles are flying, but I expect to have some very tough terrain coming my way soon.

Onto animals. Squirrels up here are different. They are the second mist prevalent animal behind the chipmunk. They can come in black. They also have legs as big as a rabbit's. Must be from scampering up the hills.

I used to think black rat snakes were docile, but apparently up here they are different. Connect 4 and I were dancing around a rock while the non docile nature of a rat snake came forth. It was just lying there. We were just passing around. All of a sudden it turned, I swear I heard an evil hiss, and it started chasing and snapping. Stupid snake.

Also, I've been reading a good bit during the hotter times of the day. My current book is Adventure by Jack London. Loving it so far.

July 8 and 9

It seems that your body acts much like a bank. You put in some, and you get out some. Sometimes you can get interest on what you put in such as building muscles. You can also take more out than you put in, but you'll always have to pay it back. The only bankruptcy is death.

The day started early walking past the Bear Mountain Zoo and across the Hudson. I played a while in a spring trying to improve it, but sometimes you just can't fix broken. After hiking some more I ran into Domino and Froth at a roadside deli (probably the greatest things about the North are the delis on the side of the roads). They were eating and soon I was too. I picked up some Ben and Jerry's ice cream, a sandwich, and some pizza. It was awesome. Either Domino or Froth said something about a campground that would let hikers sleep for one night for free. All the stories start benignly. It was a little further than I had intended to hike, but I got some strong legs sometimes.

After hiking and hiking, walking along a road for a mile, and getting directions and a ride to a campground from some nice guys, I find Domino and Froth dancing around a table swatting their bodies. Both have rain jackets on and Froth has his camp mattress wrapped around him. I was standing calmly in shorts and a shirt. My secret was Deet. I asked if they had bug spray and they said no... said they didn't believe it would work... seriously? Two hikers that didn't think bug spray worked, really? I said, "Boys, hold out your hands and rub this on your skin". I just made believers out of them.

The campground facilities were alright but the water had "elevated" sodium levels, the showers looked like they were from shawshank, and there wasn't a single soul working there as far as I could tell.

The next morning, we walked out past this swimming beach on the lake at the campground. It looked run down and abandoned, but it showed a little life here and there. It reminded me of Jurassic Park a few years after the incident (you'll have to bear with me tonight. It's all movies.) After getting back to the trail the life stories of these two individuals began to unfold. Domino and Froth (D and F, respectively) both had known each other for ages. They went to school and college together. It was that sort of thing. D had a degree in information systems and film. He'd moved to LA for a year after school, moved to Korea to teach English, and now was here. His stories are absolutely outrageous. He tells them with such vigor. He'll interject noises and spirit hands when necessary. F is more laid back, reserved, but he was a bouncer for a bit while studying economics. Throughout the day we found ourselves saying "No Hobo" when we were being decidedly more homeless than hiker. For example - drinking a large rolling rock out of a paper bag in front of a deli. No hobo.

At the deli, I met up with Hillhiker, Jersey, Breezy, and Connect 4. We had been separated for a bit, and it was fun catching up. I'm camped amongst that old group of friends at 1431.9. Dinner was like stand up comedy as we each took turns just ragging on each other.

Mom and Dad - I think a good place to meet up would be Dalton, MA on 7/16. There is a Walmart close to make the first night easy.

July 7

21 miles toasted today. Although New York is really pretty, I'm not quite sold on hiking in it just yet. My main complaint is there is not much water. This deficit does bring out the best in people though. I've run into about 4 caches of water in two days. At the caches there are usually many gallon jugs just waiting for a hiker in need. I think it's likely the best trail magic. Also, the shelters in ny are... hmm... no really polite way to say it but terrible. They need some work.

As far as actual hiking is concerned, ny is fun. The mountains are becoming hard again. There are many views. There are even technical rock scrambles. I've even had to remove my pack in a squeeze in a speleological fashion. I've seen more deer here than anywhere else. First time I've ever seen bucks or fawns in my entire life. Saw a pair of each. One buck still had his soft, furry horns. Each buck had two points on each side. Is guess that's a two point buck, but I don't hunt.

Tonight I'll fall asleep just past the Bear Mountain tower to the sounds of artillery fire from west point. Those boys and gals are really letting into something. Tomorrow I will cross the Hudson. We'll see if I'm froggy enough for another 20.

July 6

It's hot, I'm tired, and I'm doing a 20 mile tomorrow. Oh, it's supposed to be hotter tomorrow with a chance of apocalyptic thunderstorms... Oh boy.
Rock scrambles in the open sun were followed by a 1.6 mile walk to resupply in Greenwood Lake, NY. Resupply was followed by more climbing and more heat.

Didn't make the mileage I had hoped (1373.9), but it inspires me to do more tomorrow. It also has me trying to get up earlier tomorrow. Sometimes having a schedule isn't fun, but at least it lets me know if I need to do better.

Night all you AC dwellers ;)

July 5

Today was hottt. Started off the day walking around the catskill national wildlife refuge. This was followed by a mile long walk on an elevated boardwalk through a swamp. The humidity was stifling. It reminded me of summer soccer practices on over- watered grass.Not to say these areas aren't pretty, but sightseeing is a little different than hiking.

After a leisurely lunch which included bananas topped with honey, I sat on a rock next to a spring and made good progress in Lord of the Flies. About getting up time I hear some rustling... Out of I guess the deeper woods comes five bears - a momma and four balls of fur. They were no bigger than cats. That is except the momma. She kept leading the cubs my way, and I started banging on the rock lightly to let her know I was up there. We locked eyes, I told her she had cute babies, and she altered course. Kind of an awesome but unnerving moment.

After pushing past Wayawanda Park, I officially crossed out of Jersey for the last time. It's New York for me for a bit. I'm camped about 0.5 miles past the border. I had planned to camp right at the border but it happened to be a crest line. There are beautiful purple colored rocks splashed with lichen all around. It almost looks martian.

All in all, pretty decent day. Chipping away at the mileage that's left.

July 2

After an exhaustive study, the mosquitoes in NJ are at least as bad as the ones in Florida. Once the sun goes down, you'd better find cover fast! The ticks aren't much better, but deet seems to confuse them enough that I haven't had one bite yet.

Tonight I'm writing from a camp site at the mashipacong shelter (that wasn't an autocorrect fail :b) 1324.8. Recently I've been looking ahead in the guide book to see what's ahead... sometimes you just shouldn't do that. It's a bit intimidating. I won't lie; the elevation profile on a page from Maine made me mutter something under my breath. All in good time though.

Aside from the constant buzz of the winged beasts, the night was very peaceful. I slept very well, much better than in hostels. The reasonable, goldie-locks night temperature helped as well. Since I've been experimenting, I thought i'd mix two hiking styles today - the hike fast and sit long styles. This combination lets me take many breaks and laze about. One of the best parts of the day was sitting on a breezy mountain top, listening to classical music on NPR, and eating a snack.

About halfway through the day, near another lookout tower, I saw a couple from eastern Europe. I had seen them in Deleware Water Gap but just in passing. The female was reserved but friendly and the male was friendly but paranoid about nature. He kept telling me about the "F'ing snakes" and the barrrrrrs. He just hasn't been out here long enough yet. Some comic relief never hurt. I can't be too mean since he gave me a packet of myoplex protein powder. I'm actually looking forward to using that.

After dinner and after convincing myself not to be content with 15 miles, I began to make my way to where I am now. I had to hurry. I didn't have much daylight left. About halfway there I found a gorgeous pavilion at the top of a mountain. The sunsets from up there would have been spectacular. A young couple, a guy in jeans and a t-shirt and a girl in a summer dress with a smile that could light up rooms (reminds me of a couple I used to know not too long ago :D), had the idea to catch one of them. Not wanting to spoil their evening's plans I was off toward the shelter once more. I arrived at the shelter to find some campers and two counselors already there. I don't know too much about them except they have a ridiculous amount of food in the bear box. They seem nice though.

July 1

Today was a pretty awesome day. Not really much I would change if I could do it over again. It was a new month and a new state! I'm currently tenting at 1304.3 in New Jersey (my phone says I'm in Sparta...). Something about today has had me grinning like a little kid all day long.

Taking a zero day at the church's hostel in Deleware Water Gap helped put things in perspective. There were some old AT books sitting on a shelf in the hostel. I almost didn't look through them, but I'm glad I did. One was a collection of memoirs from people that had hiked the trail over the years. A particular narrative by Rybeck? was about a teenager who did the trail during the summer between his junior and senior years of highschool. He had a 70 pound pack with food for up to twenty days at a time was averaging more than twenty five miles a day. Incredible. Just makes me wonder what's my deal is sometimes. This IS an incredible adventure every single day. I'm blessed to have the opportunity, and I'll try to act like it more often :D

The day started kind of late because I was reading the above memoir during breakfast. They say good things come to those that wait... They are correct. Someone popped their head in the hostel right as I was about to shoulder my pack and asks if anybody would like to slack pack ten miles to trail magic. I started singing "These are a few of my favorite things..." I actually didn't, but I said yes please.

The ten miles to the trail magic were inconsequential, but the views in jersey are already better than Pennsylvania. The gentleman that slack packed me put on trail magic once a year right before the fourth of July. They say they like to vicariously through hike. That's alright with me. It was a great time. It really was an absolute blast. There was Ziti, pasta salad, a cake, candy, and drinks. I was there with Connect 4, Bucket, and Breezy. We were all going around swapping hiking stories and laughing. The fun came to an end just before a fast moving thunderstorm rolled in.

After waiting for the lightning to pass, I trekked on further into jersey. About two miles later I came to an abandoned fire tower. Perfect place to take a nap I said. There's nothing quite like napping 75 feet in the air on a platform. It was the most epic nap of my life to date. Rested and refreshed I walked past a swamp and up onto a ridge. That ridge is where I pitched my tent and started a nice fire.

As the sun slipped lower, the winged beasts of the night converged on my camp. By that I mean mosquitos. They might be worse than Florida's. I'll do some statistical analysis to determine which state has worse insects. :)

Regardless, my deet and rain coat combo keep them mostly at bay.

Night, all.