Days 137 – 142 (7/15/15 – 7/20/15)

Day 137, 7/15/15

Start: Greenwall Shelter
Finish: Rutland, VT
Miles Hiked: 25.2
Miles To Go: 488.3
Overall Miles Hiked: 1700.9

I had big miles on my mind for today, so I woke up at 5:30 and packed up in the rain. Within a few hours, the weather cleared up and it turned out to be a beautiful day. As I was coming down a steep slope, a rock ledge appeared on my left overlooking a small airport. There was a lawn chair on the ledge, so I sat and enjoyed a quick break. I was still wet from the rain and had to get moving to stay warm. The temperature dropped overnight and it was now in the 60s.

Enjoying the view of the Rutland airport

The big challenge for the day was Mt. Killington and it’s steep 2,500 ft. climb. I ate lunch at the base of the mountain and mentally prepared myself for a hard climb. When trying to pass the time and miles, I try to think of anything besides hiking. I think about family, work and funny things that have happened on the trail. I even do a lot of math. I’ll ask myself how many miles I have left to do and based on my current speed, try to figure out what time I’ll arrive at camp. I know it sounds crazy, but if I just think about hiking the day would never end. I was halfway into solving my 5th math problem when the trail finally flattened out; I had made it to the top of Mt. Killington. The actual summit is over 4,000 ft. and could be reached by taking a .2 mile side trail. I dropped my pack and headed up. The view was incredible. I could see for miles around in every direction. I could even see Mt. Washington, which is in the White Mountains in New Hampshire – I’ll be there soon!  

Mt. Killington

The skies were clear of the rain that soaked me this morning and even though I had 7 miles left to go, I enjoyed Mt. Killington for over 2 hours – I even ate lunch at the ski lodge another short side trail away. There were plenty of tourists on the top of the mountain as well. Most of them took a gondola ride up from the valley below for $20. My view cost me much more than that, but made it all the more worthwhile.

Mt. Killington Gondolas

Having lunch at Mt. Killington Lodge

Around 4:00PM, I finally started hiking again. The rest of the day went by without incident and I checked into the Hiker Hostel at Yellow Deli. It is run by a 12 Tribes spiritual community and I was a little hesitant at first about staying there, but everyone was super nice. I would definitely recommend to any future hikers…just don’t drink the kool-aid!

---

Day 138, 7/16/15

Start: Rutland, VT
Finish: Wintturi Shelter
Miles Hiked: 19.9
Miles To Go: 468.4
Overall Miles Hiked: 1720.8

I got a quick ride back to the trail after eating my free breakfast made by the friendly Yellow Deli staff. After 10 minutes of hiking, I noticed a sharp pain in one of my feet and when I removed my boot I saw I had a thorn in my heel. I got the thorn out with no problem, but my next step was costly. I tripped over a root and went down hard. My knees took the brunt of the impact as did my ribcage, when it hit a rock sticking out of the ground. It could have been much worse, but this was by far the worst fall I’ve taken. My chest seemed okay, but my left knee was throbbing – I couldn’t walk one step. It swelled up immediately, so I took off my pack and sat back down on the same rock where I removed the thorn. It took about 30 minutes before I was able to put weight back on my knee – I had no choice but to keep walking. It hurt for the rest of the day, but I think it is going to be okay.

Small waterfall

My bad luck didn’t end there. Unfortunately, after my first few steps I noticed one of my hiking poles broke during the fall. I mainly use my hiking poles on steep ups to help propel me up the mountain and also on the downs to help take some weight off my knees. Well, since steep ups and downs make up 90% of the trail, I was moving slow without them.

Broken pole

I limped into a shelter for lunch and was surprised to see Roker and Miles there, who I haven’t seen since we went to Six Flags. It was good to catch up with them and I hiked with them, Pork Chop, Lightning and Tic Toc the rest of the day.

Lightning, Pork Chop, Miles, Tic Toc, Roker & PoBoy

Thundering Falls

We arrived at the shelter and setup our tents. I get to see my wife, mom and dad tomorrow and I can’t wait! I’m planning on hiking 17 miles tomorrow, just short of Hanover, NH and they will pick me up on the trail. Should be a fun 3 days!

Midnight update – I heard something moving outside my tent and woke up. It didn’t sound very big, but was close enough to my tent to actually hit one of my tent lines – That kinda freaked me out! There was no moon, so I couldn’t see what it was. I decided it wasn’t a bear, so I am going back to sleep.

---

Day 139, 7/17/15

Start: Wintturi Shelter
Finish: VT 14
Miles Hiked: 16.4
Miles To Go: 452
Overall Miles Hiked: 1737.2

There were no more animal encounters overnight, so I was able to sleep uninterrupted for the rest of the night. Sleeping on the ground in the woods isn’t the most comfortable, so I’m lucky if I get 7 hours of sleep most nights, but it is usually broken up into 1 to 2 hours increments. I think the months of little sleep are starting to get to me as my energy has plummeted recently. I’ve been taking 5 Hour Energy which helps, but I still can’t seem to hike more than a few miles without fighting the urge to take a nap.

Luckily, today I had a pep in my step because I would be reunited with my mom, dad and my wife, Leigh. They are picking me up from the trail at VT Hwy 14 around 3:00, I just had to make it there.

Raspberry Pickin’

I thought about how great it was going to be seeing everyone once again and the miles faded away. Even my third bear sighting couldn’t slow me down; I saw the bear, the bear saw me and we both continued on unfazed. Just after 3:00, I made it to the road crossing where we agreed to meet. I was a little early so I tried to clean up as best I could. A few minutes later a red rental car pulled up, all I could see was the grinning face of Leigh inside. They couldn’t get over how “thin” I was and were concerned I wasn’t eating enough!

Left some trail magic at the intersection where I was picked up

I filled them in on my last few weeks out here as we drove to the hotel a few miles away. I knew I smelled pretty bad, but they didn’t seem to mind. After checking in, we grabbed a quick bite in downtown Hanover, NH at Molly’s Tavern. It felt like I was back home for the first time in a long time, felt pretty damn happy!

---

Day 140, 7/18/15

Start: VT 14
Finish: VT 14
Miles Hiked: 0
Miles To Go: 452
Overall Miles Hiked: 1737.2

I slept until 7:00 and then went downstairs with Leigh for breakfast. We had two full days at our disposal, but I didn’t care what we did as I just wanted to be with my family again. Ultimately, we decided to visit Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory in Waterbury, VT. We took a scenic drive through the back highways and talked the whole way. When we arrived at the factory, we were all shocked at how busy it was. People were lined up 100 deep to buy scoops of ice cream they could have gotten at the store down the street in considerably less time – Madness! The tour itself was underwhelming, but the drive was 100% worth it as we traded stories and laughed the whole way.

Poboy & Mom

Tonight, dinner was at a nice steak and seafood restaurant. Leigh’s birthday was a couple of days ago, so at my request my dad arranged for a cake to be made and delivered to the restaurant. It was brought out after dinner as a surprise – Happy Birthday, Leigh! I love you!

---

Day 141, 7/19/15

Start: VT 14
Finish: Hanover, NH
Miles Hiked: 9.9
Miles To Go: 442.1
Overall Miles Hiked: 1747.1

Well I never thought today would come. Leigh took her first steps on the A.T.!

Leigh on AT

We woke up early and had my dad drop us off at the spot they had picked me up two days ago. We had about 10 miles to hike and with any luck would walk into Hanover, NH around noon, where the trail goes right through the center of town. Leigh was excited about sharing this experience with me; I was nervous she would hate it! In the end, it was great! She made the 1,000 ft. climb with no problems and was right behind me all the way into town. We met my mom and dad in town and then headed back to the hotel to get cleaned up.

White Blaze!

The trail passes right by Dartmouth College

Next, the 4 of us drove back to Killington where I was a few days ago and took a gondola ride up to the mountain top. We still had a quick side trail hike to the summit, but at least the gondola saved everyone from hiking up 3,000 ft.!

Gondola Ride

Gondola

The summit was windy, but just as beautiful as it was the day I climbed up last week. What was even better was that I got to share this with my family. They couldn’t imagine me hiking all the way here from Georgia and seem to be pretty proud of ole PoBoy – I’m just happy to have an amazing family – Love you guys!

Windy on Mt. Killington

PoBoy and Leigh on Mt. Killington

We finished the day at Thundering Falls and had dinner in the quaint town of Woodstock, VT before calling it a day.

Thundering Falls

Oh yeah, I crossed the VT/NH line today also! Only two more states!

VT/NH State Line

---

Day 142, 7/20/15

Start: Hanover, NH
Finish: Hanover, NH
Miles Hiked: 0
Miles To Go: 442.1
Overall Miles Hiked: 1747.1

Leigh and my parents had to leave Hanover around 1:00PM, but before they did, we all had lunch with Rock Boat and Jeopardy. It was fun having these two worlds collide and everyone seemed to have a great time. I hadn’t seen Rock Boat or Jeopardy since I hiked ahead 7 days ago and it was great seeing them again. My parents were excited to meet some of the guys I’ve been hiking with and really enjoyed spending time with us. The time had come to say goodbye and I walked back to the car with Leigh and my parents. I hugged everyone and thanked them for taking the time to come visit. Hopefully, I’ll be home in about a month, I miss the hell out of them. I used the rest of the day to rest and resupply. The last leg of this adventure begins tomorrow morning!

Days 133 – 136 (7/11/15 – 7/14/15)

Day 133, 7/11/15

Start: Mt. Greylock, Bascom Lodge
Finish: Congdon Shelter
Miles Hiked: 20.4
Miles To Go: 582.5
Overall Miles Hiked: 1606.7

With big miles on our minds, we left the lodge early and made the near 3,000 ft. descent into Williamstown, MA. In town we visited a Stop & Shop and loaded up on resupply items like Knorr’s Pasta Sides, tuna, ramen, candy bars, pop tarts and other items. We got enough to last 5 days which will be our longest stretch in between towns in a very long time. I’m going to miss our near daily visits into town for food!

Just next door to the market was a Papa Johns that gave a 50% discount to hikers, so I along with Rock Boat and Jeopardy, ordered a pizza.

Jeopardy eating pizza in Williamstown, MA

It was almost noon and we still had 14 miles to go, the first of which went over 2,000 ft. up… Not fun with a large pizza in your belly! On the way up, we joined forces with Doc and Forward, two hikers we have been crossing paths with for several weeks. We were all delighted when a sign informed us we had just crossed into Vermont!

PoBoy, Jeopardy, Rock Boat, Forward and Doc at VT border

PoBoy made it to Vermont!

The A.T. follows the path of the Vermont Long Trail for 105 miles before going their separate ways – The A.T. to New Hampshire and the Long Trail to Canada. We took some photos then continued hiking through mud for the rest of the day. I fell twice, Rock Boat and Doc once – stupid mud!

At first, we tried to jump from rock to rock or upon sticks to avoid the mud, but by the end of the day, we were so filthy it didn’t matter, so we just walked right through it. I hiked with Doc for most of the day. He is am avid hunter and spear fishermen and at 49 years old, a strong hiker. Back home, he works as a veterinarian and it was nice passing the time with him. We all made it to camp tired and muddy, baths would have to wait, sleep would not!

---

Day 134, 7/12/15

Start: Congdon Shelter
Finish: Story Spring Shelter
Miles Hiked: 23.3
Miles To Go: 559.2
Overall Miles Hiked: 1630

It’s getting harder and harder to get going in the morning. I am usually the last out of camp. Part of the reason is that my body needs more sleep to recover, but I think it also has to do with my lack of motivation to start yet another assbusting day. Long gone are the “easy” days of 1,000 ft. summits and the occasional almost flat hiking. On the bright side, the change in terrain signifies just how close I am to being done with this. It may seem like I don’t enjoy hiking very much and only want it to be over so I can return home; this is precisely the case. But at least I’m not alone with these thoughts. I can honestly say I do not know one other hiker who still wants to be out here. We all curse the trail daily and openly wish the A.T. was only 1700 miles long.

Why are we still out here then? Because we have to. We are all prisoners of the trail and we cannot go home until we climb Katahdin. For most of the day, Doc, Forward, Jeopardy, Rock Boat, and I discussed how badly we want to be done with all this. When asked if anyone has plans to make another long distance hike, we all said, “No!!” Doc said he is giving away all his gear when he’s done and Rock Boat said he is just going to burn it atop Katadhin. I would love to make some smaller hikes in the future, maybe a few days at most, but this long distance thing is over for PoBoy! Rant over, back to today’s hike…

Rock Boat takes a fall

The first 15 miles were predominately uphill as we summited Little Pond Mountain and Glastenbury Mountain. I enjoy hiking in the mountains more than the valleys that we saw from Northern Virginia through Massachusetts. The mountains have higher and longer ascents and descents, while the valleys bring you up and down over and over until your muscles are just shredded. It’s easier to get into a groove who you are going up and down for longer periods of time.

PoBoy & Rock Boat at Glastenbury Mountain lookout tower

Glastenbury Mountain lookout tower

Vermont has some tough trail and it is very muddy, but the woods are some of the most beautiful I have seen along the trail so far. The forest is covered with spruce and fir trees and is more open; I don’t feel as claustrophobic as I did with the states before. It’s still the green tunnel, but at least now it’s a bigger tunnel!

Vermont beaver dam

---

Day 135, 7/13/15

Start: Story Spring Shelter
Finish: Bromley Shelter
Miles Hiked: 23.1
Miles To Go: 536.1
Overall Miles Hiked: 1653.1

We had some uninvited guests last night in our campsite. Around 11:00PM, a section hiker tented just a few yards away from us started making a lot of noise and turned on his flashlight. Apparently some “critters” were after his food bag. He hung it up higher, but that didn’t stop whatever animals were after a free meal from investigating our camp. I heard something scurrying outside my tent, but since it wasn’t a bear, I was able to get right back to sleep. Rock Boat said the noises continued for another few hours.

I remember a few times early on when I would hear strange noises at night and have a hard time trying to sleep. Now, I still hear stuff, but am able to sleep just fine. If it’s a bear that wants to eat me then it’s going to eat me whether I’m sleeping or not. If it’s a bear that doesn’t want to eat me, or any other animal, then I’m good to go. Either way, I’m sleeping!

I got out of camp pretty early and immediately made the climb up Stratton Mountain. It was on this mountain that Benton MacKaye developed his idea regarding the creation of the Appalachian Trail in 1921.

Stratton Mtn

It was a hot climb up and I was drenched in sweat. Thankfully, there was a fire tower on top of the mountain, so I dried my shirt out in the sun while I hung out with Rock Boat and enjoyed the view.

PoBoy and Rock Boat at Stratton Mountain lookout tower

At the base of the mountain is Stratton Pond and it was an absolutely beautiful spot for lunch. I could have stayed there all day, but I have to make some miles over the next few days so I can meet my wife and parents between Rutland, VT and Hanover, NH in just 4 days. 

Stratton Pond

Just before the shelter, Rock Boat and I met a southbounder who started in Maine and is hiking the A.T. South to Georgia. We swapped info on what to expect and wished each other well. We are starting to see southbounders with increasing frequency although there are not nearly as many of them as us northbounders.

Trail sign – Open to hiking/skiing/cross country skiing

---

Day 136, 7/14/15

Start: Bromley Shelter
Finish: Greenwall Shelter
Miles Hiked: 22.6
Miles To Go: 513.5
Overall Miles Hiked: 1675.7

Rock Boat, Jeopardy and I have developed a pattern over the last week or so. Rock Boat leaves camp first, then Jeopardy and I head out around the same time. I hike faster than Jeopardy and catch Rock Boat before lunch. Rock Boat and I hike together until 4-5 miles before camp, then I hike faster and get to camp first. Rock Boat comes in not long after and Jeopardy strolls in just before dark. Now, this isn’t always the case, but it happens more times than not! 

7/14 Bridge

After leaving the shelter, I made it to the top of Bromley Mountain where a ski lift sits waiting for winter. For the next several miles, I was walking through spruce and balsam fir forests and it was beautiful. As promised, I caught up to Rock Boat just before lunch and hiked with him the rest of the day.

Little Rock Pond view

We met 2 section hikers on top of Baker Peak and sat and chatted with them for about an hour before making it downhill to Little Rock Pond Shelter.

PoBoy & Rock Boat at Baker Peak

From here, we had 5 miles left to go and plenty of time to do it, so I took advantage of the lake stretched out before me and went for a swim. It was cold at first, but it felt great to get several days of sweat off me. The dip in the lake gave me the boost I needed to hike the remaining miles. I’m sure I smelled a lot better as well!

Little Rock Pond

PoBoy taking a dip in Little Rock Pond

Days 129 – 132 (7/7/15 – 7/10/15)

Day 129, 7/7/15

Start: US 7
Finish: Tom Leonard Shelter
Miles Hiked: 6.4
Miles To Go: 661.8
Overall Miles Hiked: 1527.4

By the time we checked in, did laundry and ate it was after 1:00AM. We requested a late checkout and used every bit of our extra time, finally leaving the hotel around noon. We drove back to the small town of Sheffield, MA where we rented the car. We ate and resupplied before returning the car which officially brought our off-trail adventure to a close.

Just as we were about to get going back on the trail, we heard thunder in the distance. According to the radar, it looked like we were about to get nailed, so we waited out the storm in a nearby garden center. Well, the storm skirted just north of us and waiting for it to pass cost us 2 hours. We finally started hiking around 5:00PM!

The first mile of today’s hike was one of the hardest on the trail so far. It wasn’t due to the rocks or a steep incline, it was because of the biggest swarm of mosquitoes I’ve ever had the displeasure of encountering. At one point, I slapped and killed four on my right forearm alone. It was misery. We were getting bit left and right. We were practically running to avoid them! Once we started going uphill, the mosquitoes lessened, but we weren’t completely free from them until we were in our tents. I even had to eat dinner in my tent, which was a first. Misery!

---

Day 130, 7/8/15

Start: Tom Leonard Shelter
Finish: US 20
Miles Hiked: 22.7
Miles To Go: 639.1
Overall Miles Hiked: 1550.1

The mosquitoes were still really bad in the morning, so I broke camp pretty quickly and got moving. It had rained overnight, so the trail was pretty sloppy. In fact, I slipped twice right off the bat, but thankfully landed on my butt both times. Trying to avoid the worst of the mud pits that now dominate the trail takes a lot more time and energy to successfully navigate, but it keeps my feet dry which is very important. I try to walk along the edges of the trail or on top of roots and rocks to keep my feet out of the thick mud, but sometimes there isn’t any option other than to trudge on through.  By the end of the day, my legs are caked in mud and my boots weigh a ton. Vermont is supposed to be much worse. It’s nickname among hikers is “Vermud” and June 2015 was the wettest month on record in the last 150 years. Lovely! Maybe the mosquitoes will be so thick they will just carry me over the mud!

As I was nearing the end of my day, I came to a small bridge. As I was crossing it, I was stung by 2 yellow jackets – one on each leg. They burned pretty intensely for a minute or two and then the pain subsided. I had already been bitten by 20-30 mosquitoes over the last 2 days and now the yellow jackets want a PoBoy too!

A mile before my intended shelter, I fell a third time, only this time I didn’t fall on my butt. I was navigating over a small stream when I lost my footing and started going down. Trying to avoid falling in the middle of the stream, I pushed hard with my right leg to try to at least hit dryer land. The only thing I succeeded in doing was covering the left half of my body in nasty, rancid mud and straining my right quad. I cursed myself and the A.T. as I tried to wash myself off. Another mile past my intended shelter was a road crossing and motel. I really needed a shower and booked a room with Rock Boat and Jeopardy. As I write this, I am not a happy hiker.

---

Day 131, 7/9/15

Start: US 20
Finish: Dalton, MA
Miles Hiked: 19
Miles To Go: 620.1
Overall Miles Hiked: 1569.1

I’ve been hiking with Rock Boat and Jeopardy for several days now. Most of the time we go at our own pace and meet up around lunch and again at camp each night. Sometimes we hike together and crack jokes at each other’s expense! Today, I hiked with Jeopardy in the morning and Rock Boat in the afternoon. After yesterday’s events, I needed the company!

7/9 Trail

Right around lunch, I came to a road crossing and was surprised to see some awesome trail magic. Pooh Bear thruhiked the A.T. last year and was spending a week doing trail magic. He handed me a cheeseburger and soda and told me and the four other hikers gathered there a brief recount of his A.T. experience. He was such a nice guy! We bid him farewell and moved on.

Pooh Bear’s Trail Magic

Rock Boat and I arrived in Dalton, MA just before the rain and set up our tents in the backyard of Thomas Levardi, a local trail angel. He’s allowed hikers to camp behind his home for 36 years. It rained heavily all night, so I was stuck in my tent for about 13 hours. My tent is a single wall tent as opposed to a double wall. It is much lighter than a double wall, but is prone to condensation buildup on the inside walls, especially while it’s raining. I had to use my camp towel every few hours to dry the walls down so I wouldn’t get soaked. At least it doesn’t rain often – yeah right!

---

Day 132, 7/10/15

Start: US 20
Finish: Mt. Greylock, Bascom Lodge
Miles Hiked: 17.2
Miles To Go: 602.9
Overall Miles Hiked: 1586.3

The rain finally let up around 3:00AM. I packed up a wet tent and headed out of camp around 8:00AM. The trail is progressively getting worse. It’s extremely muddy, which makes it easy to slip and fall and hikers must exert more energy to try and stay on the trail. There have been sections over the last few days where I am walking through mud for several miles – I have forgotten what color my boots are! 

Jeopardy

Today was my first day hiking back in some real mountains since Virginia and it felt good to know that I would be rewarded with great views after making the climb up. For too long I’ve made hard hikes uphill hoping for a view, only to descend without much of a glimpse of anything other than trees…The green tunnel indeed. The mountain today was Mt. Greylock, which is the highest peak in MA at 3,491 ft. and was the first mountain over 3,000 ft. in a very long time.

Mt. Greylock Cabin

Frog at Mt. Greylock

The climb up wasn’t too bad. Actually, after 4 hours of steady climbing, I finally reached the summit. The view from the top was beautiful and Rock Boat, Jeopardy and I sat for a while and enjoyed it.

Mt. Greylock view, Highest peak in MA

At the top of Mt. Greylock is the Bascom Lodge built in the 1930s. Hikers can stay in a bunk room there and that sounded just fine after our 2,500 ft. climb up! At this altitude, it was actually a little cold. Just ahead lay the White Mountains of New Hampshire where snow can fall on several of its peaks year round. I’ll be needing my winter gear back soon.

---

Days 125 – 128 (7/3/15 – 7/6/15)

Day 125, 7/3/15

Start: Kent, CT
Finish: Kent, CT
Miles Hiked: 0
Miles To Go: 722.1
Overall Miles Hiked: 1467.1

We woke up with every intention to hike, but…we didn’t. The weather was beautiful and Kent is an awesome town. We went to the grocery store and purchased our resupply items and then spent the rest of the day throwing frisbees and footballs. Oh, and we ate. A lot.

I wanted to take some videos on things that a few people have had questions about, but I am having issues with them. I will try to get these uploaded at a later time.

Taking advantage of power

Charging up!

---

Day 126, 7/4/15

Start: Kent, CT
Finish: US 7
Miles Hiked: 22.6
Miles To Go: 699.5
Overall Miles Hiked: 1489.7

I awoke at 5:00AM to the sound of a car alarm going off. I peered out of my tent to see if anyone was stirring in camp. It was all quiet, so I went back to sleep. When I woke up and checked again an hour later, I was one of the last hikers remaining! Hikers move quick! I powered down a pop-tart and a protein bar my brother had sent me and moved on.

The trail followed the Housatonic River for several miles and it made for a very enjoyable hike. Apparently, the Housatonic has some good white water rafting and some hikers choose to aquablaze this section of the trail. Aquablazing is when you skip hiking certain sections of the trail that are close to rivers in favor of floating down them in a raft or canoe. While I don’t consider this hiking, who am I to judge?

Since it was July 4th, Miles, Rock Boat, Jeopardy, Roker and I had our eyes on Belters Campsite. The trail book said it had a view and we just hoped it faced Falls Village, CT in the valley below. We were told the town puts on an amazing fireworks show and we wanted to watch it from the mountain.

We arrived at the campsite only to find the view facing the wrong way. We now had a decision to make. We were exhausted from a long day of hiking, but fireworks usually means food and we really like food…and fireworks! We moved on in hopes of finding out where the show would be.

When we got to a road at the bottom of the mountain, we saw a sign promising trail magic to hikers. It was about a mile ahead and we went for it without hesitation. When we arrived at the house, we were excited to see about a dozen hikers we knew already there! Burgers were on the grill and there was snack food everywhere!

July 4th Trail Magic Feast

The homeowner, Lisa, had won a grant from the Awesome Foundation and was using the funds to put on this party plus several others in the weeks ahead. We joined Peacedog, Turbo, Kaptain K, Lightning, Pork Chop, Don Vito, Pig Pen, Feed Bag, Wye Knot, Black Bear, Bud, Bud Light and a few others and celebrated the 4th hiker style!

The icing on the cake was that the fireworks show was right down the street. The whole group of us tried to get in around dark, but we were told it was $5 per person. That’s about 10 Snickers bars each, so no one wanted to pay the fee! We went across the street in hopes of scoring a free view, but about 10 minutes later, the guys at the gate waved us over and said we could go for free! We thanked them as we ran to find good seats on a hill with about 2,000 others and anxiously awaited the show. It lasted 30 minutes and we said many Oohhss and Ahhhs, not long after we made many Zzzzs!

Fireworks

July 4th Fireworks

---

Day 127, 7/5/15

Start: US 7
Finish: Race Brook Falls Campsite
Miles Hiked: 21.5
Miles To Go: 678
Overall Miles Hiked: 1511.2

We left Lisa’s house early and walked the mile back to the trail. The A.T. went through a neighborhood for a few miles before finally returning to the woods, just after a massive waterfall.

Overcast waterfall

We had stayed up late, about 11:00PM and were pretty tired. In a unanimous decision, Roker, Miles, Rock Boat, Jeopardy, Lightning, Pork Chop and I agreed we should walk about a half mile off trail to a deli and treat ourselves! I ate a 12 inch meatball sub and some fresh fruit and took a power nap in some shade. The pit stop did the trick as the next several miles melted away.

Swimming in a cold river

The trail gained elevation all afternoon and atop Bear Mountain, we finally got a view. We haven’t had many decent views since Virginia, but now that we are back in the mountains we can expect great views regularly. We took a long break and chatted with several day hikers before moving on.

Hanging out with Pork Chop, Lightning, Rock Boat

Just before the campsite sits Mt Rare. The last half mile of our climb up was on an exposed cliff. It was very similar to Tinker Cliffs and gave us 180° view. When you are climbing uphill for hours, views like this make it all worth it. We sat for several hours and took it all in before pressing on to our campsite for the night.

Mt. Race – Jeopardy, Rock Boat, Pork Chop, PoBoy Lightning

Oh yeah, we made it into Massachusetts today, so another state down! Only 4 more to go! From what we have heard, they get progressively harder.

CT- MA border

---

Day 128, 7/6/15

Start: Race Brook Falls Campsite
Finish: US 7
Miles Hiked: 9.8
Miles To Go: 668.2
Overall Miles Hiked: 1521

I was the last one out of camp this morning after having slept in to the late hour of 7:00AM. We had camped at the base of Mt. Everett and it was not going to be a fun climb. It only went up 650 ft., but it was one of the steepest and rockiest hikes I have made. When I reached the top I was huffing and puffing, but the view made it all worth it. I was on the peak of the highest mountain around; clouds blanketed the valley below. Views like this make tough hikes worth it.

Mt Everett view

I took off my pack and sat down and was just finishing an orange when Rock Boat walked up. We hiked the next several miles together and passed the time swapping stories. We have similar interests and I really enjoy hiking with him. The A.T. crosses many roads and as we were walking across MA 41, a car pulled up and asked us if we knew Jeopardy. We said we did and asked her if he was okay. He was more than okay and was currently waiting for us at a diner up the road. Penny said she would be more than happy to drive us as she had with Jeopardy to the diner. We instantly accepted and within minutes the three of us were stuffing our faces with omelets. We won’t have as many opportunities to take these side trips to calorie-up in the future, so we have been taking advantage of them as often as possible. We got a quick hitch back to the trail and sluggishly started walking. It was hot and nobody was looking forward to hiking the next 12 miles we had scheduled today. We crossed US 7 and entered the woods.That’s when our day took an unexpected turn…

Rock Boat thought he saw a Hertz Car Rental at the road crossing and jokingly suggested we do something fun for a change. I instantly turned around and said, “Let’s do it!” We checked our phones and unfortunately there were no Hertz locations around. There was, however, an AA Car Sales and Rentals just 1 mile down the highway. We looked at each other and it was painfully obvious there would be no more hiking today. Jeopardy asked, “Are we really doing this?” as we were walking down the highway. “HELL YES!” was our reply! Now that we were all onboard, we had to decide what to do. Rock Boat said he thought there was a Six Flags in Massachusetts and as luck would have it, there indeed was and it was only an hour drive away! We crammed all of our gear in the back of a blue Dodge Neon and started navigating our way to Six Flags New England.

Driving to six flags

We arrived an hour later and we all high fived our spontaneity. Side trips like this is a big part of what the trail is all about. Jeopardy, Rock Boat, and I spent the next 5 hours riding roller coasters and frolicking in the water park. It was awesome to feel human again! For once, we weren’t looked upon as homeless, smelly hikers. We were just 3 friends having and great time and fit in with everyone else. We closed down the park at 9:00PM and checked into a Holiday Inn – sleep came upon us instantly!

Bizzaro roller coaster

Days 121 – 124 (6/29/15 – 7/2/15)

Day 121, 6/29/15

Start: William Brien Memorial Shelter
Finish: Fort Montgomery, NY
Miles Hiked: 10.2
Miles To Go: 785.6
Overall Miles Hiked: 1403.6

The rain finally stopped around 3:00AM. I may have been dry, but I did not sleep well. The good news is that I will be hiking with a very light pack today since I am completely out of food. Town wasn’t very far away, so at least I didn’t have to hike hungry for long. Just before town is Bear Mountain and as we reached the top, we had an incredible view. About 35 miles away stood New York City! I stood there and named some of the notable buildings including the Freedom Tower and Empire State Building. Very cool!

NYC Skyline

On the way down, Jeopardy and I ran into a large group of trail volunteers who were busy installing huge steps into the trail to make it a little easier to navigate. From the base of the mountain to the top is about 1,100 ft. and it has taken them 3 years to get to where they are now, 1 more year and the entire trail up the mountain to the viewing point will have steps. A lot of work goes into the process and it is all done by volunteers, absolutely amazing!

Trail club installing steps

We finally made it down the mountain and into the Bear Mountain Recreational Area and Zoo. The trail goes right through the zoo and it is free for hikers to enter. At the center of the zoo is the bear cage, which has the honor of being the lowest point on the A.T. at 124 ft. above sea level.

Bear cage, lowest point on AT

Jeopardy, Roker and I walked around the zoo and eventually met up with Rock Boat and Miles. Most of us needed to resupply and we all needed to do laundry, so we got a room at the Holiday Inn Express and called it a day. They had a pool and a sauna – It was an easy decision!

Pool at the Holiday Inn Express

---

Day 122, 6/30/15

Start: Fort Montgomery, NY
Finish: RPH Shelter
Miles Hiked: 25.2
Miles To Go: 760.4
Overall Miles Hiked: 1428.8

We left town early and crossed over the Hudson River before heading back into the woods. Our goal for the day was 20 miles and free camping at the Clarence Fahnestock State Park. Since we were “only” doing 20 miles, we hiked slower than normal and enjoyed our day. When we reached the park at 6:00PM, we were instantly disappointed. The grill was closed and the one vending machine was out of order. Oh well, no big deal. We decided we will just setup our tents and cook Ramen. We asked a park employee where the campground was and he said it wasn’t far up a service road. We got moving.

View from trail on 6/30

About a mile later we reached the campground and were told by a park ranger that A.T. hikers are welcome to camp at zones 1-3 for free. If we wanted to stay in any of the other 20 unoccupied zones, we would have to pay. Well, zone 3 was taken up by non-A.T. hikers, zone 2 was extremely small and on a slope and zone 1 had low power lines directly overhead and there was severe weather forecasted for later this evening. Geez, thanks a lot!

We were all a little pissed and made the hard decision to hike on. The next shelter was 5 trail miles away, but first we had to hike the 1 mile back to the trail, which doesn’t count towards A.T. mileage since it was a side trail. The A.T. is 2189.2 miles long this year and any hiker that makes it all the way can add several hundred more miles onto their trip total due to side trails.

Hardly anyone spoke as we marched on to the shelter. By the time we got there, we had just enough time to set up our tents before nightfall. Ramen never tasted so good!

---

Day 123, 7/1/15

Start: RPH Shelter
Finish: NY 22
Miles Hiked: 19.9
Miles To Go: 740.5
Overall Miles Hiked: 1448.7

Around midnight the storms moved in and dropped buckets. The lightning was so bad at times the whole campsite was awake. I’m not sure how much sleep I got, but I know it wasn’t enough.

The rain finally stopped around 9:00AM, so I forced myself to get out and pack up my soggy tent. Right off the bat, I had 2 steep climbs and I definitely felt the extra pounds of water weight from my wet tent. For much of the morning, the trail followed open ridge lines and forced me to hike on the slippery backbone of the mountain. There was one 60 ft. section that was sloped toward the edge of the mountain. I had already fallen twice and had I slipped on this section and went over the edge, this PoBoy would have met its expiration date!

I had my headphones in and had my playlist on shuffle. I was trying to concentrate on every step, but all I could think about was how embarrassing it would be if I died while listening to Miley Cyrus!

It’s a good thing I prevailed because a few short miles later I was walking around Nuclear Lake. Weird name, but definitely beautiful! Sights like this make up for the endless miles of nothing but trees and shrubs that give the A.T. its nickname of “The Green Tunnel.” I sat down on a boulder and appreciated just how beautiful mother nature could be.

Nuclear Lake

Nuclear Lake

I was still thinking of the lake when I reached my goal for the day and arrived at NY 22. Just off the highway is Native Landscapes Garden Center where hikers are allowed to camp for free. The only drawback is that the tenting area is between the highway and railroad! Oh well, looks like it may be another night of little sleep.

---

Day 124, 7/2/15

Start: NY 22
Finish: Kent, CT
Miles Hiked: 18.4
Miles To Go: 722.1
Overall Miles Hiked: 1467.1

The trains passed by every 45 minutes until 2:00AM; it was another night of little sleep.

Jeopardy, Miles, Rock Boat, Roker and I slowly made it out of camp and didn’t really speak much until a magical sight perked us up. We had just crossed the NY-CT border! Another state down, just 5 more to go! We took a few pictures and continued trekking.

Connecticut State Line

CT border

Several miles later, we reached the wealthy town of Kent, CT. Miles and I each had packages waiting for us at the Outfitters and everyone else was low on food. We made our way down to Country Clothes which is an upscale women’s clothing store, but the owners love hikers and let us camp for free behind their home. There is even an outdoor shower and port-o-potty. Even better is that there are no train tracks or busy roads in sight.

Lunchtime tomfoolery

After I setup my tent, I went over to the Outfitters to get my packages. I had 2 waiting for me, one from my brother, Zack, and another from my great friend, Gary. Zack sent me some energy chews, Oreos and a really nice card. Gary sent me some candy bars, an assortment of drink mixes, an inspirational handwritten note and an Ebony magazine! Thanks guys, your encouragement and care packages are just what I needed to get to the next state! Thanks a lot, love y’all and can’t wait to see you again.

We all bought bandanas! Roker, Rock Boat, Jeopardy, PoBoy, Miles

We still had a little time before bed, so we made our way over to a local pizza place and ordered 5 large pizzas – Rock Boat was the only to finish. They also had a trivia game that started just as we arrived. Our team, Team Stroganoff (named for the Knorr’s Pasta Side we loathed the most) took 1st place of course!

Trivia Winners!

Days 118 – 120 (6/26/15 – 6/28/15)

Day 118, 6/26/15

Start: High Point Shelter
Finish: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles Hiked: 23.9
Miles To Go: 827.5
Overall Miles Hiked: 1361.7

Not long after leaving the shelter, we spotted a giant tower on top of a hill. It was 220 ft tall and sits atop the highest point in New Jersey. Since it was a little ways off trail, we decided to skip it – We had bigger plans in mind.

High Point, NJ – Highest point in the state

For the second morning in a row, we made a quick pit stop into town to grub up. This time, pizza was on the menu and after 7 quick miles, it was amazing! Big shout out to the staff of Annabelle’s in Unionville, NY. Thanks for taking care of us! While the pizza we gorged on was in NY, the trail was about 1 mile away in NJ and we were back on it in no time.

After about a mile we hit the Wallkill Game Reserve where the trail meandered through for 2 miles. The reserve was mostly shallow flooded fields and was currently home to ducks, cranes and two swans that were close enough to get a few pictures of. It was a really fun hiking along the reserve and reminded me of the flat, boardwalk style trails back home in NOLA.

Wallkill Reserve

Wallkill Reserve

Even after we were out of the reserve, the boardwalk style trail continued until we hit Vernon, NJ. We only had 5 miles left and plenty of time on the clock, so we made a quick pit stop at Heaven Hill Farm for some fresh fruit and some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had! Seriously, even if I hadn’t just hiked 20 miles, the ice cream here has got to be in the top 3 of all the ice creams I have ever had, including my Uncle Mike’s homemade blueberry, apricot and whatever concoction he would try to get me to eat as a kid! Sorry Mike! I really wished I could just camp here. Part of it was the good food, but mostly it was due to the fact that we were about to go up the “Stairway to Heaven” leading up to the top of Wawayanda Mountain.

Resting before “stairway to heaven” and Wawayanda Mtn

It was a steep ascent with many stone steps, but the view from the top was well worth it. I sat with Miles, Samaritan and Roker and soaked it all in.

View from Wawayanda Mtn

Far off on the horizon we could make out the tower we saw this morning. It was rewarding to see just how much ground we covered after a long day.

Back in the distance is high point monument where we walked from in the morning

A few more miles brought us to the shelter where we were greeted by about 15 other hikers we know pretty well. This is the most people I have seen at a shelter since Georgia!

---

Day 119, 6/27/15

Start: Wawayanda Shelter
Finish: Greenwood Lake, NY
Miles Hiked: 10
Miles To Go: 817.5
Overall Miles Hiked: 1371.7

New Jersey view

The weather was supposed to get bad this afternoon, so I left camp early with intentions of making it into town just 10 miles away. After a few miles, I made it to the NJ-NY border. After only 3 and a half days, I was out of New Jersey. For the most part, New Jersey was great. There were a few rocks here and there, but the woods were beautiful and fun to walk through. It was also nice being so close to many small towns and their food! I hope this trend continues into New York.

NJ/NY state line

Roker and I made it to town and started looking for a place to stay. Everything was booked with weekenders, so we gave up hope of staying dry and turned our attention to food. Roker, Jeopardy, Forward, Doc and I sat outside Murphy’s Tavern and waited for them to open. It was just beginning to rain when the two owners opened up and invited us inside. After ordering a round of drinks, we told them our trouble with finding a room. Then, the most amazing thing happened. They invited us to stay at the bar! It turns out that the second story of the building used to be a hotel, but they haven’t had anyone stay since they bought the place 8 years ago. We gladly accepted their offer and didn’t move from our seats until bedtime!

---

Day 120, 6/28/15

Start: Greenwood Lake, NY
Finish: William Brien Memorial Shelter
Miles Hiked: 21.7
Miles To Go: 795.8
Overall Miles Hiked: 1393.4

Even though the bar below us was rockin’ until 2 AM, we turned in early and were asleep by 10:00PM. It rained all night and was still raining when we woke up. Hiking in the rain isn’t fun, but we didn’t have a choice. By 7:30AM, we were back on the trail. One positive thing about the rain was that Fitzgerald Falls was just gushing with water when I reached it. It is one of the bigger waterfalls on the A.T., so I took a few moments to check it out.

Fitzgerald Falls

Over the course of the next few hours, the rain came down harder than anything I have had to hike through yet. What was worse though was that I had to go up and over slippery boulders for most of the day. In good conditions, this terrain must be passed over slowly, today it was going to be a crawl.

Rock climb

Even though I was going slow, I slipped and fell several times. Each time I cursed the A.T. for making me hike over rocks in the rain. Yep, the A.T. and I were not on speaking terms for most of the morning, but things improved once I reached Island Pond. The rain had dissipated to a light mist and visibility improved enough for me to see a few miles ahead. As I descended the mountain, I could see a small pond stretched out before me. The trail brought me right to its edge and for the second time today I sat down to enjoy a great view.  I wish I could have tented right on the shore, but I had more miles to go and was running out of daylight.

Island pond

Not far after the lake was a rock formation called the “Lemon Squeezer.” It started off with a cave entrance that got narrower and narrower until I could just hardly fit through. After 20 ft. or so, it opened up but got even harder. The trail went up an 8 ft. vertical ledge. Well, it may shock you to hear this, but I don’t have the strength to pull myself up and over a fence, much less what was before me! I studied my foe for several minutes and decided on a plan of attack. The left side was lower but made of smooth rock. The right side was higher, but much more jagged and even had a tree root or two sticking out from the ground.

Lemon squeezer

I took off my pack and threw it, along with my poles, up and over the left side. Then, I slowly found some good holes I could use to position my hands and feet on the right side and inched my way up. A small cut on my finger and a scraped knee later, I was up! You would have thought I just summited Everest! It was the first time I have actually had a great time while hiking in a while and the last few miles passed without incident. Oh, you may be thinking, “How do they expect everyone to get up that ledge?” Well, just off to the left was a blue blazed trail that you can take to avoid the climb. So far, I haven’t taken any of the blue blazed trails. Yes, they are easier and would save me some time and energy, but they aren’t the official A.T. – Hike your own hike!

I made it to the shelter and setup my tent just in time, as the heavy rains moved back in. It’s going to be a long, wet night!

---

Days 114 – 117 (6/22/15 – 6/25/15)

Day 114, 6/22/15

Start: Wind Gap, PA
Finish: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles Hiked: 15.6
Miles To Go: 895.8
Overall Miles Hiked: 1293.4

It is a 2.6 mile hike from the trailhead to the Travel Inn and yesterday we were lucky enough to get a quick hitch. Our luck did not continue this morning. We walked the full length back to the trail. Miles and Oliver are faster hikers than me, but I can keep up with them if the terrain is relatively flat. Leaving Wind Gap, the trail goes up for about 600 ft. and they pulled ahead.

The trail continues to fight us with every step as rocks litter the ground. For miles, hikers must carefully step from one pointy rock to another. Ankle and knee injuries are especially common on the PA section of the trail, so most hikers are forced to slow down their pace and reduce their daily miles. Over the last few days, I have rolled my left ankle several times. It is swollen and a little sore, but not bad enough to keep me from moving.

More PA Rocks

I stopped at the Kirkridge Shelter for lunch and joined Miles and Oliver in our daily gluttonous ritual. Just a few days ago we were all capable of hiking 20-25 mile days, but are now happy making 10-15; the rocks do not discriminate and we are all hurting. We finished eating and headed out together.

Just a few miles before Delaware Water Gap, our day turned much more interesting. Standing in the middle of the trail was a bear! He didn’t seem to care about us hikers and slowly walked into the woods. We watched him for about 5 minutes and were able to get some pictures – Very cool!

Bear sighting!

Bear in PA

This was the second bear I have seen, but the first I really got to watch for more than a second or two and the experience was one I will remember for the rest of my life. We were still talking about the bear when we spotted another great sight. An ice chest sat just off the trail with a note congratulating us on making it this far. It was loaded with soft drinks and Gatorade! I took a lemon-lime Gatorade and guzzled it down, the other two grabbed cokes.

We walked the remaining miles to Church of the Mountain Hostel for a free night’s stay. I was surprised to see several hikers I knew already there and it was great being able to catch up with them. Just before bed, I noticed a scale in the corner of the room. I’ve lost exactly 40 lbs. I now weight 187 and haven’t been under 190 in close to 10 years!

Cards with Swahili, Scout and PeaceDog

---

Day 115, 6/23/15

Start: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Finish: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles Hiked: 0
Miles To Go: 895.8
Overall Miles Hiked: 1293.4

Sooooo…I was totally planning on hiking today, but quickly lost motivation when a fellow hiker read the weather report. A storm system that had already dumped inches of rain and spawned a few tornadoes would be bearing down on us around lunchtime. It was 25 miles to the next shelter and 0 miles to my warm, dry bed – No brainer!

Loading up on calories!

Of the 20 hikers here, more than half rolled over and went back to sleep. Today was my first zero in about a month and I spent the time resting, eating town food and playing cards. Oh, and when the storm finally arrived, several trees came down along with a power pole and that was just on our block. I think we definitely made the right call. Hopefully everyone out on the trail was able to find shelter because that was one nasty storm. I’m pushing for 25 miles tomorrow and hope to leave pretty early. Night night!

Rainy Day at the hostel

---

Day 116, 6/24/15

Start: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Finish: Brink Shelter
Miles Hiked: 24.8
Miles To Go: 871
Overall Miles Hiked: 1318.2

Miles, Jeopardy, Rock Boat and I left the hostel early and after only .3 miles we stopped and took off our packs, we had just hiked out of PA! Pennsylvania has the third most miles of the A.T. and in just over two weeks I was out!

I was now in New Jersey, home of the highest population of black bears along the A.T. After walking across the Delaware River, the trail enters the woods and immediately goes up. Due to all the rain we’ve been having, the path looked like a river and it was nearly impossible to keep our feet dry.

The trail finally dried up once we climbed the Kittatinny Ridge and arrived at Sunfish Pond. This body of water is the first glacial pond along the A.T. and is one of the 7 natural wonders of New Jersey. We stopped for a quick snack and moved on.

Sunfish Pond

Kittatinny Mountain

Just before a steep uphill climb, the trail crossed a road and we were delighted to find a former thruhiker named Irish hosting a trail magic feast of soda, cookies, fruit, beer, water and several other wonderful items. Irish is actually a triple crowner, meaning he has completed the A.T., P.C.T. (Pacific Crest Trail) and C.D.T. (Continental Divide Trail.) Only about 200 hikers share this designation of Triple Crowner. Irish said the A.T. is the most physically demanding and hardest of the three trails even though it is the shortest! We thanked him for his hospitality and got busy hiking.

Trail Magic

All day, we crossed endless blueberry patches. At first we stopped at nearly every one, but we knew we would never make it to the shelter if we continued on like this. So, we instituted a rule: One blueberry stop per 30 minutes. All told, probably a few thousand berries were consumed among the hungry lot of us! Soooo good!

Blueberry pickin’

Blueberries

Just before we reached the shelter, we ran into a group of kids out for a 3 day camping trip. They were part of an Outward Bound program based out of New Jersey and they all seemed to be having a great time. It’s good to see younger kids out here enjoying themselves in the outdoors.

We made it to camp and called it quits on a long day.

---

Day 117, 6/25/15

Start: Brink Shelter
Finish: High Point Shelter
Miles Hiked: 19.6
Miles To Go: 851.4
Overall Miles Hiked: 1337.8

Miles, Rock Boat, Jeopardy, Roker (formally Oliver – I’ll get back to that in a minute!) and I headed out early and set our sights on Culvers Gap where a quick side hike would bring us to Jumboland Diner. We gorged ourselves on three-egg omelets and ice cream and returned to the trail feeling quite satisfied!

Two nights ago, the night the bad weather came through, Oliver had his eyes on the weather all day. He would keep us updated, but every time he would say it was about to get bad, the skies would clear up. It got to the point where several of the hikers would just assume the weather would be the opposite of what Oliver relayed to us. It wasn’t long until Rock Boat began calling him Al Roker – Now, it’s just Roker. It took him 1300 miles, but he finally got his trail name!

High Point, NJ – Highest point in the state

We may be out of PA, but we are not out of the rocks! They are still scattered about the trail and continue to wreak havoc on my feet. Just when I decided I couldn’t go any further, we noticed a side trail on our maps leading to a beach with a concession stand. The best part was it was only a mile up the trail. I sucked it up and hiked on. The lake is in High Point State Park and offers a full concession stand, free showers and a beach with lifeguards. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast and that was 15 miles ago. I ordered a chili cheese dog, double cheeseburger, mozzarella sticks, chili cheese nachos, two sodas, Gatorade and ice cream. I ate everything except for the nachos. I didn’t go swimming for fear that I would sink, but I did take a shower as it was much needed!

It was only another mile to the shelter, so I managed to stay relatively clean. When we arrived at the shelter we met Hunterdon County Parks and Rec campers out for a 2 day hike. Rock Boat and Jeopardy were both former camp counselors and told the campers some corny jokes, it made for a fun time before bed.

Happy campers