Day: 78

Day mileage: 23.4

AT total mileage: 1,523.7

Time: 9 hours 

--

I got an exceptionally short night of sleep. By the time the shelter was quiet and conversation had ceased it was after 12:30 AM, leaving me with only four and a half hours until my eyes would undoubtedly open. Sleeping quickly, I woke to a rather chilly morning in the Northeast. It actually was cold enough that I put my North Face jacket on and sent a text home asking my folks to send out the pair of tights I had returned to them after getting through the Smokies back in April. The further north I get the colder the mornings will be, so I figure now is a good time to get that gear back with me. People in our group were slow to get moving, a result of the amount of beer consumed the night before, but the majority of us were on the trail by 07:30. The climb from the shelter would take us up Bear Mountain (the second Bear Mtn - not to be confused with New York's) before sending us on a bit of a roller coaster through the ridgeline. A few miles into the day, we would also cross from Connecticut into Massachusetts - not only my home state, but also the 11th state of the 14 that the Appalachian Trail passes through. 

The climb up and over Bear was relatively easy, and a few of us reconvened atop the stone 'tower' at the summit. The so called tower was actually just a very tall pile of rocks which, according to a plaque placed at the base, had been assembled in the late 1800s by a guy with too much time on his hands...  at least that was how I read it. Descending Bear Mountain I hiked with Deep Blue, talking about our planned summits of Katahdin and what that will be like. We dropped down into a gap between peaks that was home to a dark forest floor and a massive river running through boulders carved out by the rushing water. Crossing over a footbridge made of fallen tree, we came across the 'Welcome to Massachusetts' sign I'd been waiting to see. It's exceptionally cool to think that I've practically walked home. From the state line gap we had a few steep, rocky, and challenging climbs, made worth it only by the views attained at the end of each, which we would stop at to admire the view.  The last severe climb was a rock face mountain that required 700' of elevation gain over half a mile. For this part I hiked with Finn, a guy who keeps an exceptionally good pace, and we simply focused ob the terrain, doing very little talking. From the summit we descended down to a grassy park area with picnic tables alongside a lake. Despite having only done 8 miles at this point, mainly due to the terrain it covered, we stopped for lunch. Setting up shop next to the tables which were home to gallons of ice cold water labeled clearly for thru-hikers, we ended up staying here for an hour or so. After eating everyone laid out under the sun, talking about movies and all other sorts of things. I'm pretty sure that with my Sox hat over my eyes and the warm sun shining down on me, I nodded off once or twice during the time there. Just before 1300hrs we packed up and moved on, still with 15 or so miles to hike before we would be done for the day. In this moment I felt an twinge of dissatisfaction, likely due to the fact that 8 miles before noon is not my style. If it's lunch and I have 15 miles to go, I'd usually have already hiked 12-16 miles. Regardless, new adventure, new things to become accustomed to. 

From the lake picnic area we would hike for 5 or 6 miles across relatively calm terrain, then drop down into the valley where MA Route 7 drives through. I kept pace with Deep Blue, Finn, and Santa for a while before stopping to make some phone calls. My timing and location is about 60 miles off where I expected to be in light of recent events, so my dad's visit this weekend needed to be shuffled a little bit. Originally I was going to be on the VT border tomorrow, so my aunt Joy in Williamstown, MA was going to be able to assist with shuttling me and my dad around. Due to being so much further south, I've asked for help from a friend to transport us after we hike together tomorrow. Orchestrating this from the trail meant stopping for a bit, and after things got settled and I was packing up my maps, Legs came upon me with Dorothy and Rocket Girl. We ended up hiking together for a while before Legs and I got ahead, talking about family and home for a long while before stumbling upon the rest of the group who had stopped for trail magic. Enjoying a soda, orange, and a Dum-Dum lollipop, we hiked on, the entire group shuffled up again. It's quite fun to always end up hiking with the same people but in completely different configurations. We hiked into the valley, where a half dozen miles would be spent traipsing across more level terrain, through pine forests and across farm fields. We crossed more roads than I can remember crossing in recent times, eventually coming to a footbridge that marked the beginning of a long ascent up to the next mountains where the shelter would be. There would be a 1,200 foot climb up before a few roller coaster elevation changes spread over the remaining 5 miles. The climb seemed to take forever, and finding the shelter took even longer. My bag was weighted down more than usual, as Naila the pup had a cut on her foot that was making her walk uncomfortably. To alleviate any additional pain, I offered to carry her dog-backpack, which added a good twelve pounds to my bag. Not uncomfortable, just a lot more weight than I'm used to, likely jumping my bag up over the 40 pound mark. Regardless I hiked on, and with Santa catching up we chatted for a while about his schooling and my work. He's going to be an audiologist so you can see we'd have a lot to talk about. We eventually found the shelter, marked only by two blue blazes painted on a tree, with no sign to be seen. Had he not caught the tin roof in the distance, we'd have likely walked right past it. 

Eating dinner at this gorgeous shelter, I set my sleeping back up in the loft over the picnic table. You could easily fit 30 people in this shelter if you needed to in a pinch. Post and beam style construction, it's a beautiful building with a large stone fire pit where a Ridgerunner who is spending the night here had a blazing fire going. We hung out as a group, and as the sky became dark I put on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon album through the wireless speaker. Many fell asleep with the music playing before I shut it off for the night. 

My dad will meet me in the morning, and we'll get to spend the day together hiking. With the date tomorrow being the 21st of June, summer solstice, it's also a famed day on the Appalachian Trail known as Naked Hiking Day. Hikers of all ages, sizes, etc. will undress for a mile, or their entire day's hike. I warned my dad of this beforehand, and personally intend on wearing clothing throughout the day. I also explained to the group that they might just need to meet my dad tomorrow when they've got some fabric on their bodies. Another adventure on the Appalachian Trail. 

Off to bed. Hopefully to get more sleep than the night prior. Hope you all had a good week, and also a huge welcome to the international readers of the blog. There's been a big surge in overseas readers from around the globe, which I think is pretty cool. Oh, and one cool thing for fans of Red Sox Nation... Deep Blue and I had this great idea of buying a 'Fear The Beard' Red Sox flag, and writing 'Don't' in spray paint atop it to hold up while trying to hitchhike throughout New England. I think it'd increase our likelihood of getting picked up. 

Onward & upward, four states left to go. 

Tex

Day: 77

Day mileage: 21

AT total mileage: 1,500.3

Time: 8.8 hours 

--

If ever there was a sign from the world that slowing down was the right decision, today was every ounce of proof I'll ever needed. But we'll get to that. 

Around 3 AM the skies opened up and a steady rain began falling. The pitter-patter on the tin roof of the shelter made the perfect ambient noise and as the world around us became damp, 8 tightly packed hikers stayed dry and slept soundly in the shelter. In the early morning alarms started going off intermittently to wake people up, and every one was dismissed with a snooze button. Even hikers don't like waking up in the rain. It took me until 8:30 to be hiking this morning, a welcome change for someone who spent quite a while trying to be on the road 1 to 2 hours earlier on a daily basis. Despite the size of the group I actually hiked alone for the first 8 miles as the rain blew through, clouds burned off, and blue skies started intermittently appearing with occasional rays of sunlight piercing through to the forest floor. With wet rocks as the only hazard, I maintained a slower than normal 2.5 mph pace across the ridgeline from the shelter until I was down in the valley where Village Falls, CT was situated. Passing by farmlands, in front of the high school, and through a bit of recreational trail, I hiked out past a hydroelectric station alongside a river. Crossing a very old iron bridge over the river, I noticed Finn and Rocket Girl upstream sitting on large rocks by the water. I hiked on a few minutes to meet up with them, and we sat together eating a late morning snack for quite a while. As we sat together the idea of going into the next town, Sailsbury, located 8 miles further down the trail, came into play. Rocket was hesitant but Finn and I played convincing arguments and we decided we would venture in for a quick stop. 

Stopping for a few minutes at a waterfall located just upstream of the hydro turbines, we pressed on towards the 900' climb up Mt. Prospect. Hiking at somewhat different paces, Finn and I made it to the top and further down the ridgeline before stopping to wait for Rocket to catch up. We ate lunch together before moving on at a group friendly pace, talking about music, cars, movies, and life in general. It's so nice to have a new variety of people to talk to and learn to know. We arrived at the road crossing of US Rt. 44 around 1445hrs and began our 0.8 mile hike into town, thumbs out trying to hitch a ride as we went along. Just when it seemed like nobody would be willing, a blue Jeep Grand Cherokee pulled over and we hustled to get our gear in. No sooner did the driver open the door then we were asked 'are you hungry?' and presented with a tray of cold cut wraps from a real estate open house our driver had just come from. Susan, said driver, said she tries to be a bit of a trail angel locally, and drove us the rest of the way into town joking with us and asking questions about our hike. As she dropped us off outside the market in the center of the cute little town, she made the offer for us to head to her house after we finished our errands for an afternoon of swimming in her pool and relaxing. We gratefully accepted her offer, and asked if we could let our friends know, to which she said of course. We parted ways, thanking her profusely, and after getting Rocket Girl some fuel for her cooking stove, made the phone calls and text messages to those we spent the night with at the shelter the night before. We secured a ride back out of town to the trailhead, as Susan had said she lived almost directly across the street from where the Appalachian Trail was. We met up with Deep Blue, Legs, and Dorothy, beginning our trek down the driveway we believed to be the right one. We were greeted by a resident of the home at the end of the driveway, who after some quick explanation of our presence was delighted to inform us that 'Mom always invites hikers over' and gave us the tour of the place, ultimately bringing us around to the gorgeous stone swimming pool behind the house. Overlooking what I later found out to be in excess of 100 acres of property, practically across the valley to the next ridgeline, we swam in the picturesquely blue pool as more of our group trickled in, and our electronics charged at outlets we had been offered around the property. 

We would end up being at her house for nearly 4 hours, listening to music, swimming, and talking with Susan and her daughters about each of our treks. She brought out some beer and we mutually enjoyed each others company as the afternoon continued on. I spent quite a while floating around the pool (only after making a stereotypical first dive into the pool, one the YMCA swim instructors from my childhood would have been proud of) and watched the multiple dogs of the house run around the property playing with Naila. We were secretly informed by her kids that it was Susan's birthday, and sang happy birthday in unison the next time she came outside. Despite an invitation from her adult son to came on their property, we decided it was best that we move on the remaining 5 miles to our intended destination, eventually heading back to the trail around 1930hrs. Thanking her again and again for her hospitality and generosity toward us, she snapped a few photos of the group before we moved on completely, heading for the mountain ridge visible from their pool deck. The next 5 miles wouldn't be too difficult, a 1,000' climb to Lion's Head peak followed by a meandering hike past the 1,500 mile mark to the Brassie Brook shelter. The climb happened quickly with our caravan of 8 hikers moving along together. Music was playing on the portable speaker that has secured a role in this story, and we kept a great pace, laughing and joking as we went along. More than a few beers were in backpacks, being carried up to enjoy at the vista atop Lion's Head. Reaching the summit we watched the end of sunset, hanging around until dusk when we eventually deemed it important to press on the last 3 miles to the shelter. Though I've tried to swear off night hiking, the flat terrain and doing it as a group made it a bit easier. We pressed on, eventually finding the entrance trail to Brassie Brook around 2200hrs. Making a somewhat loud entrance, we came across the hiker Kamikaze in the shelter, who woke up to be a part of the rather loud cooking of late dinner that would subsequently occur around a packed picnic table. We stayed up as a group until 2330 or so before I headed for my sleeping bag in the shelter, while most of the group is cowboy camping under the unthreatening sky. 

Legs and I talked for a while as I emailed Susan in reply to photos she had sent me, thanking her yet again for her kindness and doing my best to explain the immeasurable happiness she imparted on us. I think we were a bit more than she had expected (both in numbers and general atmosphere, though we were phenomenal house guests who went so far as to take a trash bag around before leaving the house) but she replied and told me she truly enjoyed having us. I don't know the last time I was up past midnight in a shelter was. For someone whose eyes automatically open at 5, it's not a great thing, but the experience of the day called for it. 

I kept thinking, sometimes even saying aloud, that this was the kind if day I'd not have if I maintained my normal pace. I'd not have had the time to stop and swim, relaxing with friends. Day one of this new mentality has already showed the potential number of roses available to smell. Many in the group have voiced their happiness about my sticking around, which I'm glad to hear. First thing tomorrow morning we'll enter into Massachusetts. I'll be home, sort of... With 655 miles to go, I'm excited to see what other adventure awaits. A 'longer' day at 24 miles will be nice to hike, and Saturday I'll look forward to hiking with my dad. Good things are happening, and thank you for the outpouring of support after yesterday's blog post. 

Onward & upward in the cool of tomorrow's morning. 

Texaco

Day: 75

Day mileage: 13.5

AT total mileage: 1,463.2

Time: 4.5 hours 

--

Life is about adventure and the excitement of the sometimes unplanned. As we've discussed I'm a big fan of schedules and plans, but today I let the Trail be an adventure of its own dictation. I had initially planned a 30 mile day, and was set on that number as the appropriate distance to hike. Getting an early start, I'd have easily been on track to do the mileage. Though a few left before me to attempt to make it to the post office in Kent, CT before they closed at 1300hrs, I leisurely hit the trail around 7:30, making it a quarter mile before I realized I had the wrong trekking poles and had to return to the shelter to get them exchanged with their rightful owner. Underway for the second time I descended the small ridge and crossed over the Connecticut border unceremoniously at a sign posted 15' up in a tree. Welcome to state #10. 

The morning would begin with a silly 800' up & over type climb, dropping the trail back down alongside a gorgeous wide river. Had it been a little later in the day I would have considered swimming, but at 8:45 it wasn't reasonable. I passed a few day hikers, each of whom told me I was just minutes behind 'my group' and could easily catch them. In this moment I was torn... I knew they were heading into town which would undoubtedly net a short day while I was aiming for a long one. On the flip side, spending more time with them would absolutely be awesome, so I agreed with myself to hike at an pace that was comfortable, if I came across them again I would reconsider town, and if I didn't see them I'd simply keep hiking. The trail followed along a gravel road after leaving the riverbed, then began a 1.5 mi, 1000' climb up to a ridgeline that would extend 6 miles before dropping down to the next road crossing. I began my climb up and found myself frequently taking short breaks, having already soaked my bandana through with sweat by 9:30 AM. It was supposed to be unbelievably humid, and I cringed at the thought of uncomfortable and sticky hiking. I took my sweet time beginning that climb, with no need to race myself or overexert any energy. It was a great surprise when I came across Deep Blue, Rocket Girl, Legs, Dorothy, and Finn sitting around a trail magic cooler drinking beers halfway up the climb. The cooler is left and resupplied daily by Dora The Explorer, a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hiker who now does local Appalachian Trail magic. I had a beer and a soda, and then continued on with the other 5 hikers I've spent the last day with. We hiked at a good pace, my iPod synced wirelessly with Rocket Girl's Bluetooth speaker allowing music to be heard by everyone. 

Hiking as a group is something I'm not used to. I'd honesty say the last time I hiked with more than one person was when Papa Doc, Keegan, Crusoe and I were together before the Smokies (mile 70-160 for those keeping track). It's quite difficult to maintain an even stride when the person in front of you doesn't maintain one either. I ended up leaving a little space between myself and Deep Blue, and our pace as a whole picked up. The ridgeline would include two very steep climbs of a few hundred feet, which exhausted almost everyone in the early summer heat. Eventually reaching the road crossing for Kent, situated 0.8 miles east, Legs, Deep Blue, and the puppy Naila got a hitch in a pick up truck. The rest of us arrived in scattered groups over the next 10 minutes and after attempting to hitch, decided it was better to cut our losses and hike into town. Kent seems to be an absolutely gorgeous place, old pastel colored Victorian style homes lining a quaint Main Street opposite small shops and boutiques. We passed an antique shop with an old sign post still standing in the driveway, which I immediately noticed was once home to a Texaco sign from the late 60s. Rocket Girl thought this was ironic and took a photo of me under it. We met up as a group at the grocery store and I bought a deli sandwich, having no need for new food as I'll see my dad this weekend. I took a half hour nap under a tree with Naila the pup while the others visited a thrift shop. We were invited to stay in the yard behind a store on Main Street, which raised a big moral debate for me. Did I want to go back to the trail and A) hike the 17 more miles I'd planned on, B) hike 7 miles to the next shelter, or C) spend some more time with this great group I've found. In the end I'm staying here in Kent for the night. The miles will always be there, the people may not be. 

We pulled out some lawn chairs and sat in the lawn for quite a while, utilizing the outdoor shower and clean towels that the store 'Country Clothes' owners Carol & David leave in a shed for hikers to use. Cleaned up and in comparatively clean clothes, Rocket Girl, Legs, Finn, and I headed to the ice cream shop across the road. We stayed there for quite a while enjoying the air conditioning and comfortable chairs. I ordered strawberry ice cream and a grilled cheese, with both disappearing far too quickly. I got to have a great talk with Rocket Girl, a blonde in her early 20s, who left a job at NASA to hike. As I've said before, the variety of people out here is amazing. We settled up our bill and headed back into the humid outdoors, taking everyone's laundry and tiptoeing to the laundromat. Per hiker word of mouth and many newspaper articles, this laundromat bans hikers due to foul language, smell, carelessness, and the occasional nudity scandal. Not everyone on the trail carries 'town clothes' to change into during laundry times, so some strip down and wash everything they've got. Luckily Legs and Rocket made friends with the owner, and were permitted to do laundry. I was simply there for moral support, and got verbally 'kicked out' a few times by the owner, though she never did anything about it. As we were leaving and she noticed my presence, she yelled out 'didn't I kick you out a few times already?!' After the laundry was finished we went back to the yard and cooked dinner as a group, fighting the surge in mosquitoes. 

We talked for a few more hours, watching the stars emerge and the occasional satellite fly by above (Rocket was quick to point these out). Instead of cowboy camping, we fit 5 of us inside the shed due to the threat of violent lightning storms overnight. Deep Blue set up his hammock. In the morning I'll carry on, getting back into the swing of the mileage I'm used to. For the first time in a long time I exchanged phone numbers with most of the group, and will look forward to keeping in touch with them as time goes by. Hopefully the rain will bring down the temperatures, though tomorrow is supposed to be equally as hot and humid. I'm not sure how that will impair my hiking, but I'll have to be extra cautious to up my water intake. 

In the end I'll remember these two days fondly. It's amazing how much you can connect with people having known them for such a short time. I wonder how much influence the trail has on this, stripping us down to sweaty and grimy hikers all out here challenging ourselves in a way many will never understand the extent of. There's no time or care for bullshit or fake fronts, you are only who you truly are. I'll miss that part of this when all is said and done. 

Onwards & upwards with the suppressive humidity. 

Tex