Category: #pa

15-18: graymoor, RPH, Morgan Stewart, CT

Posted in #NJ, #NY, #pa, Port Clinton to CT, Uncategorized2 Comments

Day 15: west mountain to graymoor friary 
A dang whippoorwill stayed up all night crying out. And Cocoa got up at 5am, along with the rest of the dudes in the shelter. FD and I pretended to sleep until they all left, around 7am. We took our time getting around. 


We believe there are two types of hikers: Sip Sip and Zip Zip. I am a zip zip. Sar tec, gonzo, FD…all of them are sipsips. I like to get up and get going in the morning (generally). I don’t cook, my routine is polished, and I pack quickly. I can be on trail in less than 30 minutes if I want to be. Sipsips like to take their time in the mornings. Either can be a fast or slow hiker, it’s just the people who prefer to get started right away vs the people who need to ease into the mornings. 


We hadn’t even got back on to the trail when we had our first wildlife encounter. The shelter is .5 off the AT, and we looked up and saw a stick in the trail. And then we realized it was a rat snake. We clacked our poles until he slithered off into the bushes. 


The trail was nice and smooth with only a few quick rock climbs. Nothing too crazy. 


We quickly made it to the Bear Mountain climb. It was lovely and clearly used by day hikers– steep bits mixed with flat bits and lots of stairs. 


And also there were day hikers EVERYWHERE. Don’t go here on a weekend. 
But at the top we got…you guessed it. Cokes. 


The climb down was even more crowded. At the bottom they had all these signs about trail maintenance. It was pretty neat. 


What a bunch of nerds. 

We then walked around a lake with people EVERYWHERE grilling food. It was torture. 


So we stopped at a concessions stand and bought lunch. We’re actually getting kind of tired of town food. 
Next was the saddest zoo ever, the trailside zoo. The trail literally goes through a zoo. A sad zoo. 


Here is the captive cousin of the snake we saw earlier. 


Here are sad bears below bear mountain. 


And then we crossed the Hudson! Being in public spaces like this you often feel like you’re kind of an attraction too. It’s weird. In the pictures below, you can see the mountain were about to climb up. It’s the big mountain behind the bridge (not actually that big). 


The climb up towards Anthony’s Nose was…rough. Also packed with day hikers, perhaps the stone stairs get easier without your entire life on your back. I dunno. 


We took a long “socks off” break at a tentsite. I may have dozed off. I’m honestly not sure. 


And in short order we were at the Appalachian Market. A few quick snacks (dinner didn’t appeal — too hot) and we were back for the last .5 to the graymoor friary. This friary has allowed hikers to tent and camp here since the 70s. I’m set up on a picnic table under a pavilion next to a ball field. The evening was spent with some dudes assembling a soccer goal for a game that will evidently take place at 7am. Hooray! 


That’s actually good, because we’re hiking 18 miles tomorrow. That’s the next listed campsite on the guide. 


Oh also I took another shower today. In the outdoor, unheated shower next to the pavilion. It was…brisk. But I feel cleaner! 
Miles: 13.1

MVP: switchbacks 

LVP: feet. 
*****  
Day 16: graymoor to RPH shelter 
We heard these strange sounds last night. Like little isolated raindrops. I kept hearing it all day while hiking, too. Was I going crazy? Can I now hear trees growing or the forest decaying?


As it turns out, it’s the sound of caterpillars munching. Those bag worms are EVERYWHERE. they’re constantly falling on you and appearing in random places and getting their dumb silk all over your face. And now I can hear them eating. Ugh. Nature. 


Here’s the thing about New York: it looks freaking easy. “Oh, just a few quick climbs today, nothing over 500ft of elevation change!” 
But in reality, you’re climbing and descending ALL DAY. It’s exhausting. And those climbs are short but steep! You’re winded and your legs are burning and then the next thing you know you’re going right back down, knees straining, and you haven’t even seen anything cool at the top. PUDs. Pointless Ups and Downs. 
So the day was unremarkable, from a photographic standpoint. Hardly any views, nothing really interesting. 


We did get to take a side trail to a beach concession area. We met up with Discount, Guinness, and Nutz there. We had a nice time eating and chatting and cooling off our feet. 

When we left, a woman yelled out, “are you thru-hikers?” She gave us each a little fruit leather treat from a local Brooklyn company. Delicious. 

We had 4 miles to go. We had originally planned on stopping at a tent site, but with a threat of rain, we decided to go to a shelter just 1.3 down the trail. 


It was rough going, honestly. But we made it to RPH where several NOBOs and a new section hiker were already set up. We decided to tent, and that’s when Guinness and Discount walked up. 


So the four of us ordered a pizza and enjoyed our dinner together. And now I’m listening to caterpillars eat while I’m in my tent. 


All in all, a hard day. But still good 🙂
Miles: 18.9

MVP: Sunkist

LVP: feet. Knees. Back. I’m 31 and totally falling apart. 
*****
Day 17: RPH to Morgan Stewart Shelter
When I woke up to a dreary morning, I smiled. It may be cloudy, but it wasn’t raining. And that meant I’d been right and all of those NOBOs had been wrong. A good start. 


It was a short day. I had 25 miles left. FD just needed to get to Pawling. So, once the rain DID start, we decided to reward ourselves with a short day. Only 9 miles to Morgan Stewart. 


We stopped off at a deli and sat there for 2 hours or so. The deli was incredibly nice. Free water, charging around the side, and a great breakfast. We packed out food for dinner, too. 


That’s also when we said goodbye to Discount and Guinness. They were pressing on in order to make it to Kent by Guinness’s birthday. 


While we sat, an older man stopped to chat. He was so nice and friendly and was familiar with the trail in this area, so we got a blow by blow of what was up ahead. 
We left, FD eating his banana nut muffin that had been toasted with butter. He was in love. 


The trail was pretty nice, just as that man promised. We got to the shelter early, but cocoa had beaten us. Carbo came in, and then Nutz. We napped and ate and massaged our feet. It was good. 


Miles: 9

MVP: deli guy

LVP: rain I guess. Or my poor right foot. 
*****
Day 18: Morgan Stewart to Dutchess Motor Lodge (Wingdale, NY)
I woke up around 5. I slowly ate a small breakfast, unwilling to actually get out of my sleeping bag, despite having decided to get an early start today. 


I did, eventually. It was painfully cold and my feet hurt pretty bad. And on top of that, once I got packed up, I had to say goodbye to FD. He only had 3 or 4 miles today, so he was taking a SipSip morning. I, however, had 18, so it was a ZipZip for me. 


I was on trail by 6:30am. 


Almost immediately I stepped on what I thought was a rock but turns out it was just a pile of leaves that quickly sank down into water. My foot was soaked. 


I walked by Nuclear Lake, the site of a plutonium incident in the 1970s

Just a hiker (soon to be at a nuclear plant) walking by Nuclear lake. 

I stopped in at Telephone Pioneers Shelter for lunch, but nothing I had left sounded good, so I just stretched and dried out my feet and grabbed my only snickers to eat while I walked. 


Next up was Dover Oak, the largest Oak Tree on the AT. Or oldest. Or something. 


The trail today was really pretty nice. Flat and dirt for the most part, it was challenging because the dirt turned in to mud. 


But my feet were still hurting, so I took a break at the Great Swamp boardwalk. 


I crossed the AT railroad tracks. 


Headed in to some pastures. 


Battled some mud. 


I’d been thinking all day that this was the first section where I was really ready to be done. I wanted off trail. It’s not ever been like that for me. But as the miles went by, and the pain in my feet…well, that only got worse, actually. But as I got closer to the end, I was inexplicably sad. I reared up listening to a podcast about Whole Foods, for goodness sake. I was clearly emotional. 
And maybe I wasn’t quite ready to leave after all. I was definitely ready to be dry for a bit, but I don’t know. 


So I made it to the Connecticut state line. I finished Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. 


I hitched to Wingdale and got a truly crappy motel room for the night, hoping I could improve my smell situation before the next day. 
I texted my friends Nikki and Catherine. I basically started out this trip as if I’d never hiked before. That’s how out of shape I was. Pennsylvania made it even worse, with the rocks beating up my feet. The tendinitis I’d been nursing since I broke my toe got worse. My shoes started falling apart, and likely didn’t have enough support left when I started. 


So going back to baseline, when last year I’d been doing 25 and 30 miles…well, that was frustrating. 

I did a lot of thinking about next month, too. I’d planned on hiking the Benton Mackaye trail, but…I don’t know. 

First of all, I need to find an apartment ASAP. And I got an opportunity to go help for a week at the summer camp where I used to work. And I’d like to see my family and feel truly prepared to move when July rolls around. 

So, for now, my June plans are…no hiking. We’ll see how it all works out. 

Miles: 19?


Trip total: 238.4


MVP: west mountain view, birthday


LVP: ROCKS. And feet. And knees. 



Until next time, my friends. I love you all!! 

13-14: wildcat, tuxedo motel, west mountain 

Posted in #boilingspringstoportclinton, #NY2 Comments

Day 13: wildcat Shelter to tuxedo motel (NY17)
Sometimes it’s wonderful sleeping in the woods. The crickets and frogs put you to sleep. There may be a light rain on your tent or the tin roof of the shelter, drowning out most of the noise. 
Sometimes it’s less fun. Bugs flying into your tent walls. Shelter-mates snoring. Feet throbbing. A cold draft through your sleeping bag or a rock under your hip. A precarious slant on the ground that dumps your head off your pillow, or a slant to the entire shelter that moves half of your pad slowly closer to the person next to you. 
Last night was a not great night for sleeping in the woods. F-Stop has a small dog who decided to hop out of her hammock in the night, then periodically stood up to shake himself, jingling his collar. I was somewhere between cold and sweaty. My heels never stopped hurting. I took a Benadryl to pass out but I still woke up several times. 
When I heard the rain start at 4:30am, I knew it was going to be a rough day. 

I stayed in bed, half asleep, until 5:30. It was still raining, and would likely rain until 8pm. FD and I hadn’t quite decided on a destination. The shelter at 14 miles (a good distance in NY with all the rock scrambles) has a really aggressive bear, according to hiker reports. It’s been stealing food and standing up to intimidate hikers, sometimes blocking the path to the shelter. 


The next shelter was in 19.5 miles. We’d had reports from the Wiz that the trail was really terrible and difficult until the 14 miles Shelter (fingerboard shelter) and improved after that. But still…that’s a long day. We halfheartedly talked about maybe tenting somewhere 3 miles before or after Fingerboard, but there was nothing marked on the guides, so it was a total guess if there even was anything. 


We set out in the rain, deciding to figure it out later. 
The trail started off ok, with some rock stairs and some dirt trail. 

We stopped for a break at 4.5 miles. I have a new snack- peanut butter with nestle morsels. 

The rain didn’t let up. If it wasn’t outright raining, the wind was blowing, shaking fat drops from trees. My socks were soaked; I could feel new blisters popping as I walked (when my socks get wet I get lots of blisters. When they pop I feel a sharp, hot pain). 
We made a few rough climbs. There were huge rock scrambles and ridgeline walks. This is ok in good weather (still scary for me! I hate heights!!) but gets dangerous in wet weather. FD slipped. 


FYI, we went straight up those rocks in that picture. Tiny foot holds, no real path. We went back down similar rock faces. 


We made a decision to get off trail at NY17. There was a motel 2.5 miles down the road. We could shower, do laundry, dry ourselves off, and ice our knees and feet. 
In the last 3 miles we had to hike, we found trail magic left by Skyking (we met him…somewhere) and a lost baby deer, crying for its mom. 


For anyone looking to do this section- it took us forever and the descent down to NY17 was rough. 


We eventually got a hitch into town. I showered and we dropped off our laundry and we ordered Chinese. 


I’ve been icing everything I can since we got here. 


And now, clean, dry, and fed, I’m ready for bed. We’ve mapped out the next few days, so I have some sort of plan of attack. 
I feel good about this decision. 
Miles: 10

MVP: ice on my knees

LVP: rocks. And knees. Again. 
*****
Day 14: tuxedo motel to west mountain shelter
Waking up in the hotel was glorious. The room had been silent all night. I woke up slowly and stretched out in my bed. My feet were tight, but nothing hurt too bad. It’s rare that a morning doesn’t begin with hiker hobble anyways. 


We didn’t rush to leave. It was raining but it looked like it would slack off by 9, so we enjoyed the morning. 


We walked down to the gas station for breakfast and called a taxi. Hitching is illegal in New York. 


We had a bit of a climb, but in general, the trail got much better. 


We did go through the lemon squeezer today. I fit through with my pack on, but FD had to take his off. 


We had to throw them up in order to get up this little rock scramble though. 
The trail got nicer. 


We enjoyed a break and I drank a cherry Coke I’d packed out. 


The sun even came out for a bit. 

Lots of water today, which meant lots of stream crossings. I’ll take it, though, if it means I never have to repeat the 4 miles from hell that we walked in PA. 


We stopped for lunch at a shelter (William Brian memorial) with Discount and Guinness. This shelter is built into a rock. 

Saw a little baby snake. 

Climbed up Black Mountain. 

And then down to cross palisades, a super busy road. 

And finally up west mountain to the shelter. It was crowded with a bunch of older men out hiking (flip floppers I think) but they made room for us. We’re watching the lights come on in NYC from bed right now. Pretty sweet deal, if you can climb mountains. 


Miles: 13.1

MVP: this view!

LVP: raindrops from trees. And puddles!

9-12: tent site, Gren Anderson, Jim Murray, tentsite, Wildcat 

Posted in #NJ, #NY, Port Clinton to CT2 Comments

Day 9: tent site to Gren Anderson Shelter 
It was the best sleep of my life. I woke up at 5:30 to the sunrise and the millions of birds. I laid in my tent for a few minutes, enjoying the sensation of slowly waking up with the world. 


And then I went and got the food down from the bear hang. 
Moss and FD and I ate breakfast in our tents (FD is very slow at waking up, so her needs time to eat and make coffee and lay perfectly still with his eyes open). 
I packed up first, so then I played with Disco until FD was ready. 


We had some great trail

And some good views 

But the real excitement was going 15 miles to Branchville, NJ to Gyp’s Tavern. 


Once we got there, it was incredible. A nice biker bar right on a lake, with lawn chairs for relaxing in the sun. I got a Coke 

And ordered food

And settled in for a spell. 

The tavern is VERY hiker friendly. The offer water refills and charging plugs as soon as you walk in. The food was delicious too (chicken fingers with hot sauce and ranch on the side; a giant basket of fries with old bay seasoning). 
We stayed there for quite a while. It was only 3 more miles to the shelter, so we didn’t feel rushed. 
But when it was finally time to leave…moss, FD, Sarah, and I split a six pack of beer. We each carried our cans (1 each for me and Sarah, two for the guys). 
FD and I got to the shelter first, after a quick climb up the fire tower. 

We settled in and cracked those beers, still cold from our packs. 

And then FD and I did our night’s writing and then drifted off to sleep. 


Miles: 18

MVP: chicken fingers

LVP: rocks 
*****
Day 10: Gren Anderson to Secret Shelter
We had all discussed doing a 13 today, on account of the rain that was supposed to start at noon. But when I woke up and saw that the night’s storm never happened…well, I decided to do an 18 instead. 


I told FD he said that sounded ok to him, as long as the weather held. Sarah wasn’t able on account of her injury, and moss was undecided. I set off around 7:30, knowing FD would catch up. 


Here is a dead tree with new flowering branches coming out of it. Never underestimate nature. 


I climbed to the top of Sunrise Mountain, but didn’t have much of a view. I sat and called my mom. 


I headed back down. The trail was pretty ok, but the water sources were all a little…yucky. 


I stopped for a second breakfast. 


And then there were more rocks. 

And more great trail. 


My feet were hurting pretty bad at this point. Only 7.5 miles in and I could feel the throbbing in my feet, the bruising pain on my heel. I sat down and propped my feet up. 


And this is how FD found me. We hiked on together. 


When we got to High Point State Park HQ, we popped in. This park will give hikers a free Pepsi if they sign the register. We did. 

I also took advantage of the carpet to do a bit of stretching. My lower back has been sort of seizing up, and I needed to try and stretch that out. 
I am constantly surprised and humbled by the hospitality and generosity I find on the trail. 
We said goodbye, and set off on our last 6.5 miles. 


We stopped in at High Point Shelter to snack. I tripped and fell and went down hard. I ate until it didn’t hurt anymore (jk it still hurts). 


And then off on the last 5 miles. 
There were some beautiful pasture walks that soaked our feet and gave me new, exciting blisters. And there were sheep. 


We were both hurting pretty badly. One last break and then off on the home stretch. The trail was gorgeous with only a few short (but steep) climbs between High Point Shelter and the Secret Shelter. 
And then we arrived! The cabin was actually pretty full, so we decided to sleep on the porch of a different outbuilding. The sun is slowly disappearing while FD and I write, with birds still busy in the trees around us. Two donkeys wander around, eating grass, and tomorrow I’ll turn 31. 


Life is really quite perfect. Besides my aching feet 🙂


Miles: 18.4

MVP: stretching 

LVP: rocks 
*****
Day 11: Secret Shelter to Tentsite 
There’s something so peaceful about waking up to the birds. They’re so loud when there are no other noises. I woke up on the porch of a locked cabin (the actual shelter was full of damp hikers– no thanks) to the first fingers of dawn and a chorus of a million birds. 


It was only 2ish miles from the shelter to Unionville. A lot of that was on a boardwalk in a swamp, but some of it was up very steep (but short) hills. 


Breakfast was calling, so we booked it straight to Hitler’s General Store. 


A cherry Dr Pepper, a chocolate donut, a bacon egg and cheese sandwich, and a hash brown later, I was feeling pretty good about 31. 

We did a short term resupply, and FD bought my lunch: a turkey sub to pack out. 


We stopped over at the park gazebo to repack our food. You take everything out of bulky containers and put it in ziplock bags. 

We caught two deer in the cemetery on our way out of town. Unionville is a very hiker friendly town. Would recommend. 


We had some beautiful pastures to walk through (and get our socks good and wet).  

We had a gorgeous flat walk around a wetlands. We sat on a bench for a bit, then carried on our conversation as we strolled around the preserve. 


I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, but having a good hiking partner can make such a huge difference in your day. Hiking alone is important too, but spending so much time with a person, really getting to know them, feel close to them, build a friendship as you struggle physically along the trail… well, that’s truly special. FD has been a True friend to me in the short time I’ve known him. 

He helps with the rock scrambles. 

He’s fun at lunch. 


And you both celebrate when you get to the mile long boardwalk. Which SOUNDS great in theory, but in reality, it just meant pounding your feet on wood for way too long. 

The boardwalk ends with some random little dirt paths, not too bad. And then your cross a road with Heaven Hill Farms. 


We stopped in. They had flowers and fresh produce and then…homemade ice cream and cokes. 


It was a great little stop. 

Of course then came stairway to heaven. It starts out ok. 


But do you see that huge mountain in the distance? You go up it. On giant rock stairs. We got to the view (a quick blue blaze) and then pressed on, trying to get to the shelter. 


Buuuuuut we found a little tentsite first, so we stopped about 3 miles early. FD was worried about getting in to the shelter too late. I wasn’t sure why. 
Until we set up our tents and he pulled out a bottle of wine he’d bought at Heaven Hill and carried all the way up that mountain, just for my birthday!! 



We had an incredible birthday dinner together. 


FD French-Dipped the cheese dip can. 


And then we tucked ourselves into our tents as I said goodbye to my birthday. 


All in all, 31 is looking great. I have amazing friends and family. I do and see incredible things. I laugh a lot, I cry when I need to, and so far, no ones told me I’m screwing it all up. It seems like I’m doing pretty well. 

Miles: 15.2

MVP: birthday food!

LVP: knees. And rocks. 
*****
Day 12: tent site to WildCat Shelter
I stretched slowly in my tent. My heels had throbbed into the night, and I’d been a little restless from the pain. 


 I packed up first. FD enjoys his mornings. I like to get started. We sometimes hike separately in the mornings. FD will catch up to me when he’s awake. It’s a good system. 
This morning, my goal was to get 4 miles down trail to a state park HQ to wash out some clothes. 


The trail there was actually pretty nice. 

The water was brown when I rinsed out my shirt. I washed undies and a pair of socks and even my hair with the bathroom antibacterial foaming soap. 


I finished up and got back on trail. I passed some trail magic and a funny way to leave something for a fellow hiker. 


My hair dried well. 


There were more rocks. I ran into FD but hiked on as he wanted a break (I’d been sitting for a while). Most of the rocks here were ridgeline rocks; these are giant sloping slabs that aren’t that hard to walk on, but if you’re scared of heights like I am, then it’s downright terrifying. 


FD and I met up again just before the NY border. We crossed it together. 


The trail was… interesting. Up and down and across and then HEYO a rebar ladder. 


And then a giant rattlesnake rattled at me. I screamed. 


We finally got to the blue blaze to take us into Greenwood Lake. The guidebook said it was steep. 


It was. 
As soon as we got into town we changed into crocs. 


We hit up Murphys for lunch. I also had a side salad with great blue cheese. 


A CVS resupply and a bookstore for reading material, and it was back on trail. 


The last 2 miles to the shelter were actually pretty nice. Some ridgeline walks, but there were bad weather bypasses too. I took one. My knees are shot. 


And now the shelter! The tentsites are all full. Kim and Mix are here (two older hikers we met in DWG), and Fresh, a NOBO we met in DWG but have seen a few times now. F-Stop and her dog are also here. 


Rain tomorrow. A problem bear at the most convenient shelter means we’ll likely have to do big miles. Ugh. 
Miles: 15.8?

MVP: salad

LVP: knees. And rocks. 

Trip total: 156.6

6-8: Field to DWG 

Posted in #NJ, #pa, Port Clinton to CT3 Comments

6: Field to Delaware Water Gap
We all got up to watch the sun rise together. It wasn’t much to see, but just that time sitting in a field with friends, quietly eating breakfast, while we watched the sky change…well, it’s a good way to wake up. 


We packed up quickly and started the walk to town. Six miles would get us into Delaware Water Gap for a plate of hot food and a shower. 
The trail turned beautiful just before DWG. Rhodo tunnels, water, soft trail…the temperature dropped 10 degrees there. 


We saw a sign for trail magic but didn’t go in. Breakfast was calling. 


We dropped off packs and claimed bunks at Church of the Mountain, where they let hikers stay for a small donation. French Dip (Zach) and I headed down into town for breakfast while the others showered. I had skipped breakfast. 



After we ate, we took showers in the tiny (free!) shower. Here’s before and after:


Cleaned up, it was time to check out the outfitter. I wanted new tips on my poles and a tshirt to sleep in. We signed the board there

Then it was back to the hostel for dessert from the bakery. 

At 6pm sharp, the church served us dinner. It was a potluck with tons and tons of food. We sat at tables with the church members and chatted about different things. French Dip and I sat with a family– two little girls, their mom, and her parents. It was nice to be so intergenerational. And it made me miss my parents and grandmother. 


The church had a thriving ministry for hikers. They never planned the food and they never knew how many hikers would come, but they’ve always had enough to eat. 
The night was special to me. I’ve been in the church so long, and I’ve been on the other side of some ministries like that. But to be the one receiving the kindness, and to be the outsider welcomed in…well, that is truly special. I hope y’all remember this next time you’re dreading some volunteer project or potluck dinner. Those moments of fellowship, feeling immediately part of a church family, those are memories I’ll always keep. 

We sat in the lounge after dinner and let our food settle. Disco curled up on my feet as we chatted into the night. 


Miles: 6

MVP: dinner

LVP: rocks 
*****
Day 7: Zero Day
FD and I had decided to zero, along with Moss and a couple of other flip floppers. We started with breakfast, then slowly started gathering our clothes to go to the laundromat. I stopped to play with Disco while Moss gathered up his stuff for us to wash with ours. 


We grabbed a ride with Yes Man and Peacewalker…and their bike. We yoga-ed ourselves into the trunk and set off for Walmart to resupply. 

And then a quick mile walk to the laundromat, where we settled in with snacks and cokes. 


We caught an uber back, and the dude had a tiny decrepit 25 year old dog with him. She was blind and half deaf and completely calm. It was bizarre. 


We bucket washed the clothes we’d been wearing at the hostel. 

And then Moss and I went down to the post office. I decided to send home my puffy and my leggings to try and lighten my pack weight. 

Next was sycamore grill for time with fellow hikers. 

We moved on to Minisink Tavern for dinner and pool. 

And then back to the hostel (another flip flopper, PK, and I stopped off for ice cream). 
And then into bed to sleep. 
Miles: 0! 

MVP: clean laundry

LVP: lost at pool 
*****
8: DWG to Tentsite
It was raining in the morning. FD and I had planned to hit the trail early, but instead we grabbed breakfast and waited out the rain. 


A long bridge walk took us into New Jersey!! I’ve officially finished Pennsylvania! 


Eventually we started the climb up into NJ. It wasn’t bad, but there were lots of gnats and day hikers. 


And there were still rocks. 


But the views got better. 

I’ve been living in the forest for a while now, off and on. It’s finally warm enough to just lay on the ground for a break. So I did. 


I contemplated the views. 

And then I died dramatically. 


A great gravel road down from a fire tower put us at some interesting tent sites. This area was originally going to be developed for houses, but the land was bought before the houses were built. The partially cleared “lawns” made for great tent sites though. We did some stretching and some foot elevation. 


And then I put on my new camp clothes, courtesy of DWG. 


Moss joined us, with Disco, and after a quick dinner I went to hang the bear bag line. I did this hang in only 3 tries! 


Then into my tent. I was asleep in 2 minutes flat. 


Miles: 13.4

MVP: state line!

LVP: rocks. 

3-5: Allentown, George W Outerbridge, Leroy Smith, Field

Posted in #pa, Port Clinton to CT5 Comments

3: Allentown to George W Outerbridge Shelter
I woke up in my tent with a migraine still. The good news is that, though it had rained last night, the wind had completely dried my tent off. No one likes packing up a wet tent. 

As I packed, Disco ran off with my bagel. He didn’t drool on it, and dropped it 20 feet away, so I ate it anyways. 



I stopped to fill up my water. No dehydration for me today!! 

The first 7 or so miles were beautiful. Wide service roads, few rocks, pretty flat. 

Here’s a weird tree! 

The first part of the day was great. 


But then the rocks came. 

I started along Knife’s Edge. I mean, I’m afraid of heights on a good day. This section was terrifying to me. 

But as usual, I survived. There was more butt-scooting than I’d care to admit. 


I met up and hiked with Zach a few times during the day. We chatted and I enjoyed our time together. 


I stopped in a Bake Oven Knob Shelter for lunch and more water. I had it to myself, so I pulled up a book on my phone and enjoyed a real gourmet meal. 

A rock scramble under transmission line

And then on to one of the most beautiful sections of PA yet. There were several great campsites that I would have stayed at if not for the lack of water.


But to the shelter I went, and said hello to Moss and Disco, Zach, the Wiz, Grateful Dad, and Mike from Boston. It was dinner time: an appetizer of spicy ramen soup and then Mexican burritos! 


And also some gold fish for good measure. 

And now? Sleeping bag time while the sun sets in front of us. Tomorrow is a long day, and I’m already hurting 🙂

Miles: 16.8

MVP: getting over Knifes Edge!

LVP: blisters 😦
*****
Day 4: Allentown to Leroy A Smith Shelter
Pennsylvania is a lot of rocks, that’s true; but it continues to come up with new and novel ways to make you walk on those rocks. Big rocks, small rocks, pointy rocks, rounded rocks; rocks in full sun, rocks in puddles, rocks in the shade. Today, I think I walked over all of them. 
I was a little slow getting around this morning. I sat around chatting with Zach and generally being a mess until we both left out at the same time. 

A quick mile put us at the road to Palmerton. I got out my ground cloth and held it out; I’d written “ride to town” and “ride to trail” on different parts. A car pulled over in one minute. 


We walked down to Berts, a cafe, and saw Moss, the Wiz, and Disco the dog already there. 

I ordered an omelette with bacon, cheese, onions, peppers, and spinach. It came with home fries and toast. 

It was delicious. 
And then I ordered a piece of blueberry-peach crumble pie. Even better!


We took care of some errands and loaded up on water. We wouldn’t have any chance to de until we got to the shelter tonight. That’s a big water haul for the AT, where I can usually get by with one liter all day. I carried 3 liters of water and bought 2 24-oz Gatorades. My pack was so heavy. 
We hitched back to trail 


And started the climb out of Lehigh Gap. 


There are a few sections famous in PA. Knifes Edge is one, but when you ask someone about the rocks in PA, they always say “Lehigh Gap is the worst.”
Well they were right. An entire mile of scrambling, crawling, climbing, and scootching along huge boulders all stacked into a mountain. Knifes Edge was more terrifying, but this was more challenging. While you climbed, you gained 1000 ft of elevation, too. 
And of course, you’re doing this with hiking poles and packs…in full sun. Not a bit of shade to be found. 


Zach and I suffered through and endured. 


The real insult is that even after you finish the big pile of rocks, you go through another pile of rocks. And then walk in grass (no shade) for a while…and then climb rock stairs and then another pile of rocks and the another pile of rocks. It doesn’t end. 


I’m sure I’m sunburnt. 

But it did end eventually, and soon we only had 13 miles to go. PA was only done with the big rocks, though. We still had constant small and toddler-sized rocks to walk over. All day. 


And then we climbed out of one gap only to see it was a miniature version of Lehigh Gap. 

It was a rough day. Meanwhile I’m chugging water and Gatorade and massaging my feet. 

Luckily Zach was great company, and we spent the entire day in conversation. 

And soon? Well soon we made it to the shelter. Moss and the Wiz and Grateful Dad were all set up in the tent site, so we joined them. 

A quick ramen and hot sauce dinner, 4 Advil, and a Benadryl later and I’m ready for bed. The weather is perfect for sleeping and I’m ready for a peaceful, headache-free sleep. 
Tomorrow is a 14, then just 9 on Thursday I to Delaware Water Gap. 

And then I’m done with Pennsylvania!!! 

Miles: 16.8

MVP: omelette 

LVP: blisters 😦 
*****
Day 5: Leroy A Smith to A Field 
It’s not often that I’m well and truly done with hiking. I usually love it. But something about Pennsylvania just really gets me down. 
I woke up several times during the night, hearing loud shouts somewhere in the woods. I finally managed to get a good sleep, but I was tired when I finally got out of my tent. 


A long breakfast with Zach set a leisurely tone for the day. 
 


I set out on my short day with Zach behind me. I had a liter and a half of water. I found the source of the loud yelling– two dudes across the trail from our tent site, one on a legit air mattress. 


We stopped for a break just south of Wind Gap. The day was already hot, and it was good to cool off and eat a bit. 

A descent and then a steep climb up was our only major climb of the day…but it was hard. We were both sweating bullets when we got to the top, so we stopped again. The rocks had our feet throbbing. I finished my water and sat with my socks and shoes off, trying to cool down. 


It was 4.5 miles to the next water source. 

The walk was brutally hot. The trees hadn’t leafed out yet, so the entire day was full sun with barely any place to stop in the shade. Zach finished his water quickly into that stretch. The rocks were relentless. We got lightheaded, and focused only on getting to the spring. 
Seeing the sign for the spring gave me chills. We laughed giddily and nearly ran down. We dropped packs and poles and headed straight for the water, gulping down a full liter each without stopping. 

As we cooled off, Zach read that this water specifically was supposed to be treated. Whoops. We treated the next liter. 
We stayed there for an hour almost. I ate some more, trying to replace the salt that now caked my shirt. 
I soaked my bandana and tied it around my neck, going for a French look. 

When we got up to walk again, we took the bypass instead of hiking Wolf Rocks. No regrets. 
We came across Moss, Dad, and Disco shortly after we rejoined the AT. The Wiz had told them there was no water, so they hadn’t gone to the spring. They were desperate, so of course we gave them water. They had a warm coke they shared with us. The trail provides. 
The last 1.8 to the shelter felt quick. The shelter was full, but the water source was a pump up a hill. We hopped up there, Dad behind us, and drank our fill. I even stuck my head under the pump and washed salt and dirt out of my hair. 
Moss and Disco came next, and the. The five (six) of us went another .3 to a big open field to tent. 



We shared food, and Zach got his trail name: French Dip. 


We laughed and chatted and enjoyed the breeze. I went up to bed first, settling in to my tent happily content. 

Friends, it was a hard day. For the second day in a row, I wondered what I was doing on the AT. Pennsylvania just takes it out of me. I wondered if I even wanted to hike in June. It’s so miserable being hot and sweaty constantly, that lightheaded feeling when you’re going uphill. 
Tomorrow is Delaware Water Gap. There’s a free church hostel, and I’m going to take a day or so to get my head straight for New Jersey. I need to let some blisters heal up too. Sometimes we need to reevaluate life, and that’s ok. 

But don’t worry, I’m not quitting the section. I just need to take some time so I can enjoy it again 🙂
MVP: tramily (trail family)

LVP: Pennsylvania 
Miles: 13.9

Trip total: 69.9

1 and 2: Port Clinton to Windsor Furnace to Allentown Hiking Club 

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1: Port Clinton to Windsor Furnace Shelter
How many ways are there to say, “today I was absolutely soaked”?
Anna and I woke up and stopped by BoilLine Coffee before we left Danville. The guy who owns it, Jeremy, seems to know everyone who comes in. It’s delightful! 
We had a soggy drive to Port Clinton, a soggy hug goodbye, and a soggy start to my hike. 

I started the climb out of Port Clinton heading NOBO. It didn’t take long for me to meet my first thru-hiker, Cujo. And I soon met TreeBeard and Buzzcut, too. 


I passed under a bridge, carefully decorated with beautiful graffiti and anarchy symbols. 

The trail stayed wet. Very wet. I tried to keep my socks dry but then gave up. So what if I’m short a pair of the number of socks I’d usually bring; I’ll survive. 

I got up on the ridge line and stopped to re-tie my shoes. As the rain soaked my backside on the cold rock I perched on, I considered the situation. 
Here I was, finally an engineer, doing the thing I love most in the world. Everything I’ve wanted and worked so hard at for the past five years, all coming together. What an incredible set of circumstances!!
I stopped to say hello to the first orange newt of the season. 

And then I checked the map. A 16 mile day would get me to Eckville Shelter. My guide said the caretaker was maybe not super nice. A 6 mile day would get me to Windsor Furnace shelter. 


Friends, I stopped at 6 miles. 


I was cold and drenched and squishing in my shoes and the weather tomorrow looks much better. I could feel my hamstrings and quads tightening, and my foot ached with every crooked rock I stepped on. 
I turned at the shelter sign and met JD. JD, Buzzcut, Cujo, TreeBeard, and I all set up in the shelter and started the tedious process of drying out. Zach soon joined us, and the shelter was full. Moss and his dog Disco came up, as did Tai Chi and…Rob? and they set about finding space for their tents. 
We skipped into the quick friendship of people who are cold and wet and sleeping next to each other in a 3-walled shelter. The crew are all FlipFloppers and only on week 3 of their hikes. 


Around 5, two more men came up. One quickly announced he had no tent. This, my friends, is pure stupidity. I wasn’t going to help him. His friend had a tent (a nice 2 person!) but this dude NEEDED to sleep in the shelter. At some point, we made room for him. 
I will help you if you have lost your tent. I will help you if you run out of food or fuel or everything is soaked and you need my jacket. But to not even BRING a tent on the AT this time of year? Nope. My generosity, it appears, has a limit. 


I am now (have been since 2pm) snug and warm and dry in my sleeping bag. The rain is still drumming on the tin roof, and the birds have given over to crickets and frogs and soft snores from my new friends. 


I am happy. 
Miles: 6

MVP: dry clothes 

LVP: the path to the water was VERY muddy and I went in crocs. Almost died five times. Would not walk again. 
*****
2: Windsor Furnace Shelter to Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
It took me forever to fall asleep last night. I finally woke up, unsure when I’d finally drifted off. Hikers were stirring around me, but it wasn’t my time yet. 
I mean, it was my time like 15 minutes later. I ate breakfast, joked around some, then finally put on my wet things and headed off. 



It was chilly in my wet shorts and wet shoes and wet socks, but a steep climb warmed me up. 



Pennsylvania was back in full force after a brief respite on smooth, flat service roads this morning. 

I stopped for the view at Pulpit Rocks. 

I stood on the cliff and, believe it or not, thought about my mother. For weird, random reasons, but I did. 

Next up was Pinnacle Rocks. 

And then Dan’s Pulpit.

I ran into new friends off and on all morning. Several of us were planning on the 16.5 to Allentown. As the day wore on, I began to regret that. 


I saw two snakes and found a tick crawling on me. Snakes don’t bother me but PA is Lyme country, so I was worried about that tick. I put my Permethrin-soaked hat back on and checked every mile to see if ian tiny itch was a tick. 


I took a misstep and stepped deeeeeep into a puddle. My shoe was soaked even more. 4 miles away from the shelter I knew I was getting blisters from my wet socks. 


2 miles away and I was hobbling over boulder fields, telling myself I couldn’t tent camp if I wanted to because I had no water. And then realizing exactly how dehydrated I was… I was very dehydrated. 
Some of you may recall from my Boiling Sprjngs to Port Clinton section last October that I really struggled with water. PA is all a ridgewalk, and water is few and far between. October was still a drought, so at least I’m not dealing with that now, but I’m going to have to start carrying more than 1 liter up here. 

I eventually made it to the shelter. I was going to sleep inside, but decided I needed a break from people. I set up my tent, walked a quarter mile to get water, ate dinner, and then went to my tent to call my mom. 



After a quick phone call, I settled in to read. The birds are all gone to sleep, and now a light rain has picked up. It’s soothing. I hope my tent doesn’t leak. 


Miles: 16.5

Trip total: 39.3

MVP: trail magic cuties 

LVP: blisters 

1-3: boiling springs to deer lick shelters

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1: boiling springs to tent site 
It’s 5:53pm. I’m in my giant green cocoon sleeping bag, in MY TENT, Not a shelter, and I just put on a second pair of leggings over the first inside my sleeping bag in perhaps what was the most awkward, physically challenging feat of my life. All because I’m lazy. 
Dinner was some cheese and fruit loops. I bought the cheese this morning at a grocery store and the fruit loops I scavenged from the library during finals week when they were handing out free snacks. I cooked ramen noodles for lunch, so I had one nutritious meal today. 
I flew in to Pennsylvania yesterday. My mom and younger sister drove me up from Alabama to Nashville that morning, and dropped me off at the airport. Security was a breeze, although the TSA guy was shocked that I didn’t have a laptop in my giant backpack. 



I flew delta, which meant all of my flights were delayed and everything was terrible, but I eventually made it. My best friend since middle school picked me up at the airport, and we had a nice drive to her house (with a detour to see her work) to catch up. Despite her doctor schedule and my school schedule, we do a good job of talking on the phone, but there’s always more to say. 


I slept like a baby. I’m still not caught up on sleep from finals. And 4:30am came too quick. We hopped in the car and headed to Boiling Springs. 
It was hard to say goodbye to Anna. It was cold and she was my last hope of avoiding the whole thing…but the sun was rising and the ATC guy was just opening up and there was a hiker box to go through. I snagged two super soft bandannas and then set off, south bound. 


I was slow, and my pack was heavy. There were soft snow flurries all day, off and on. I almost stopped at mile 12, when I made lunch, but instead I boiled extra water and wrapped it all up to stick in my sleeping bag at night. I wouldn’t night hike today, but I would go at least 15 miles. That’s what I need to do every day to finish on time. 


And I did it, eventually. I’ll get faster, when I get back in shape and my bag lightens up a little. And I get some sleep 🙂


MVP: hot water

LVP: heavy pack

Miles: 16.9
*****
2: tent site to rock quarry shelter 


I’ve officially had conversations with 3 people today! First I talked to a hunter on the trail (I saw 4 hunters today and heard many more- I stopped and tore a bit of blaze orange tape to tie on my pack since I forgot/lost my orange hat). 
Then I sat and chatted with a section hiker who turned out to be Paul with Bunions! A few months ago I met Bent for a section (I don’t think I ever wrote about this section) and we went through the trail register. Our favorite trail name was Paul with Bunions. And today I met him! He’s out celebrating his birthday, just walking wherever he wants to in the woods. 
And tonight, while I was finishing up dinner at the shelter, a thru hiker walked by. Sleeping Beauty didn’t stay, but we exchanged numbers. She said there are a few more ahead and behind. Maybe I won’t be as alone in the woods as I thought. 
I’m still having a hard time getting my hiking legs. I don’t know if I’m that out of shape or if my pack is that heavy, or if it’s both, but I’m really struggling. 
I did cross the halfway point of the AT today. It’s not my halfway point…yet. But I did do some quick head math, and I’m pretty close to halfway. I’ll be well over halfway by the time I finish this section…if I finish. It’s cold! And my feet hurt. 

I was #blest with a heated bathroom this morning, so I took the opportunity to braid my hair back out of my face. And then I had some truly smooth trail today (and some truly rocky trail), so I am thankful for that. And this shelter is adorable! I will take pictures in the morning. For now, though, perhaps I will…sleep? Sleeping beauty told me it’s supposed to snow Monday 😦 


Miles: 19.6

Trip total: 36.5
MVP: heated bathroom

LVP: feet

*****

Day 3: rock quarry shelters to deer lick shelters

I woke up to snow. Everything was quiet and a soft, gentle snow was falling. I took my time getting ready and made myself a Starbucks vanilla latte, grande, and looked around. This shelter was the definition of hospitality. A swing, board games, an extra notebook for doodles, a sundial, even flowers! Every little touch for hikers who the caretaker would never meet, might not even sign the shelter log, most of whom wouldn’t even stay at the shelter, would just pass through. It made my day, though. 

It reminded me a lot of church ladies, and my mom.  The former, because they put so much work into flowers and curtains and paintings and decorations that most people don’t even notice, but they do it to make a church feel warm and welcoming. And the latter because it’s the sort of thing my mom would do, if she were a caretaker. She’s good at making a space feel special. Even my first college apartment had paintings on the wall…in frames! 


I couldn’t stay there forever, though. The trail was sweet and flat and then gently sloped down to a state park so I sipped my hot coffee as I listened to Brandi Carlisle. Ah, winter hiking!


Another heated bathroom gave me a chance to dry out my damp sleeping bag and fix my hair again. Hat hair is…not going well. I hope you like my giant trapper hat, because that’s all you’re going to see unless you see my Appalachian trail hat if it warms up some. 


A hunter knocked on the door. I happened to be standing in my underwear for reasons that made sense at the time, with my pack COMPLETELY strewn about, so when I said “just a minute” and then took 15 minutes to open the door, I’m sure he thought I was in extreme intestinal distress. Oh well! 
I found a neat little lean-to off-piste (that’s fancy French for “off path” and I learned that while skiing in the Alps so la-ti-da). 


There were some ups and downs and flats and yet again, it was hard to get to my 15 mile destination. I’ve been dreaming, for months, of attempting the 4 state challenge- 43 miles in 24 hours. Y’all know I’ve done 30 and 32 miles several times now. And I’m 5 miles north of the starting point for the 4 state challenge. But I know that I’m not in shape for it. I can feel shin splints starting. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow, maybe freezing rain. I didn’t want to tent at all, and there’s not a shelter at the state line. And yeah, maybe these are all just a lot of crap excuses, but the point is, I’m not going to do it. 


So I had a bit of a break down tonight at the shelter. I’ve always tried to be honest in my blog posts, about the good AND the bad. So here’s the bad: this hike is starting out really rough! Usually I can come out and just crush miles, no problem! But for whatever reason, I just can’t right now. And that’s really hard on me. I can stick to 15 a day, but I know it would be good to finish early or to build in some cushion and I’m really struggling to do that. It’s hard on me that I can’t. 
So I had a pity party and I texted Bent and Honeybuns and I felt better. It will get easier. My legs will figure out what they’re supposed to do (those lazy jerks) and my feet will shape up, eventually (why can’t my toes just go numb again?!) and I’ll bang out some miles in Virginia, I guess. Like a beast. But for now…no 4 state challenge for me. Maybe I’ll drive back up when I finish this section and try it then 🙂


The other interesting bit is that I looked ahead at the weather and on Thursday there’s apparently a cold front with a low of 5! So…i may try to head for a hostel that night. I’m ok with 14 but 5 is…too low. I’ve done 9 before, with Gonzo, and I thought I was dead, so I’d rather avoid that. 
So. 
Miles: 15.8

Trip total: 52.3
MVP: bathroom!

LVP: hunter who interrupted my bathroom time. I was charging things!

5: eagles nest to Port Clinton 

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There’s something to be said for the internal alarm you develop after years of waking up early for co-op work and early morning studying and gym sessions. I can just say, “alright, let’s wake up early!” And I wake up at 4:57am. It’s handy. 
Of course, that doesn’t mean that I’ll actually get UP at 4:57 am. I stayed in bed for another hour or so, toasty warm with my vest and rain jacket spread out over my legs. My entire body was huddled inside my quilt, which was snapped together into a loose bag shape. 
Ahhh, backpacking! 
The other two people in the shelter were still snoozing, so I packed up quickly and silently(ish) and headed out of eagles nest. 8.7 miles to Port Clinton!


So I hauled myself over the rocks and tried to keep up momentum as best I could. Dear Prudence podcast helped with that. Sometimes I would walk slowly, to try to save my feet the pain of the sharp rocks, but then I thought, “ugh, they hurt no matter what. Rip the bandaid off.” And just went for it. 
The only view was, of course, rocks. 



To give you an idea of what I was walking through, here’s the elevation profile. Everything’s flat all right, I went from the water drop on the left to the blue P, So I only had one little bump that was weirdly vertical to get up, and the rocks. And then…


Then we went down to Port Clinton. 


I may have mentioned that I slipped the other day and caught myself on a trekking pole. It bruised my left arm somehow, and made it very uncomfortable to use a trekking pole with that arm. So I’m down to one pole and I’ve got this descent. Well, as Dr Griggs would say, “just differentiate the durn thing.” You could take it slow and cautious or just go for it. I went for it. It hurt! But I made it. 
And then there were more steps. PORT CLINTON!! 


I swear. 
But I made it. The trees and rivers were stoic against my bitter complaints, and soon I gave up. After all, it was a beautiful fall day, and I had food in my future. 


My car was waiting patiently for me, watching the mountain I’d just tumbled gracelessly down. Appropriate. No mice. 


I drove off. I got food. And, despite it all, I was actually a little sad to be leaving. 


Miles: 8.7 

Trip total: 95.9 (+8.8=104.7)
MVP: mcdo 

LVP: left arm



Thanks for joining me on this one, friends! I think it’s time to have some fun, don’t you? 

4: William penn to eagles nest 

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I woke up at the shelter, convinced I was alone now. I heard a “tap, tap, tap” in the dark. I turned my headlamp on quickly, hoping to see what was making the noise. A little mouse was trying to take an acorn between the gap in the boards, down into what I assumed was his hideyhole. The acorn wasn’t going to fit. It was like a scene out of the old-school Disney Cinderella. I laughed. And went back to sleep (well, first I snapchatted my sister and used the temperature filter to see how cold it was. 36F! I had only brought my summer quilt!)
When the sun was up, I decided to start walking. I only had 19 miles to Eagles Nest shelter or 28.8 miles to my car. Either way, no bad. I went with just a little water and figured I’d fill up at 501 shelter in 4 miles. 


Well, an hour or so later I figured I should be getting close. I pulled out my phone to check the GPS and realized I’d hiked 4.4 miles…in the wrong direction. 
Well. 
What can you do? I turned around and 8.8 miles later I was right back where I started. I went .2 off trail to get water only to find nothing but a puddle. I started scooping water, absolutely desperate, and then saw the dead salamander. 


Well. 
What can you do? I filtered a bottle of dead salamander water and walked on. 


I took like 4 pictures all day. Here they are. 
Two snakes and a view:


There was very little water in this section. Well, there WAS some water but it was always off trail and I was already so ticked off about having walked that extra 8.8 miles that I kept refusing to go. I finally got to this old shelter site with a good water source but I just didn’t see the water. I tried to engineer this puddle into some sort of flow, but it just wasn’t working. 


Well. 
Then I looked down the side of the trail and there’s a huge stream. Of course. I scrambled down the hill and filtered bottles full, a beaver warning me off with his tail beating the ground. 
And then I walked 1 more minute and it was like some sort of water oasis and all these flowing little streams crossing RIGHT over the trail. Way to go Lindsey. 
So, I walked some more. I changed my socks. And I night hiked. And eventually I got to the shelter. There were two hikers already asleep at 8pm, so I was quiet and slept. 


Miles: 8.8+19.2=28
MVP: beaver water

LVP: dead salamander water

3: peters mountain shelter to William penn shelter

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Controversial Opinion: I actually think Pennsylvania is blazed better for SOBOs than NOBOs. I keep looking behind me to double check for blazes. 
I woke up early, mostly because I was freezing. I ate until I was warm enough to get going, and then I started hiking. 10 minutes down the trail and I look up at what I THOUGHT was a huge possum only to realize it was, in fact, A PORCUPINE!! It bristled its quills at me and I backed up quickly. Then, the thing had the audacity to actually chase me down the trail. I mean, it chased me kind of slowly, but still. 


Anyways, I kept walking. 
 It was cold. I saw the sun rise eventually. I kept walking. 


I did 9.5 miles by 10am. Not great, but ok. 

I startled two deer- they were right on the trail! They ran off and then stopped to stare at me. Can you see them? 


Standing on these pine needles instead of rocks seriously felt like clouds. It lasted maybe 10 steps. 


I stopped for lunch at Yellow Springs. 


Rausch Creek had a cool diversion well but I couldn’t get a clear picture, unfortunately. The ruins of the village were cool too. 


I love being able to look ahead and see the next mountain I’m going to walk up. So inspiring. Bring it, AT. My cardio abilities are at an all-time high. 


Never say a mechanical engineer can’t appreciate a nice bridge! 


That moment when you’ve hiked 25 miles and it’s only 5 pm. 


That moment when the trail goes straight up. At least I was listening to a podcast about the presidential debate, so I had plenty of political angst to get me through the climb. 


Warning: graphic image. Imagine how startled *I* was to come across this!


So, at this point I was…oh, 28 or so miles in. 


30 miles. 


And here I am at the shelter, at 7:59, after 31.4 miles. From 5:40 am to 7:40. Not too shabby 🙂


I can’t tell if I’m alone or not. There are some boots but it’s awfully quiet. 
So, not a new record like I was going for, but a much faster time than the last time I did 30+. 
Sometimes people ask me how I do such big miles. Um, well, the answer goes like this (for me):
1. Start early

2. Try to get 10 miles by 10am. It’s sort of a mental thing 

3. I like to take lots of little breaks. I change my socks often and rub my feet when I do that. It helps. 

4. Eat constantly. Drink as much as you can. 5 hour energy helps too. 

5. Podcasts and phone calls keep your mind off your feet. My feet always hurt more than my legs. In fact, my feet will hurt so much that I’m basically nauseated most of the afternoon. You just ignore it. 

6. Have icy hot for when you go to bed. Your feet and legs will be throbbing. Also take a Benadryl to help you stay asleep. 

7. Bask in the glory of having accomplished something so amazing. People run marathons all the time. They don’t do it while climbing mountains with 20+ lbs of gear on their backs. And then sleep outside 🙂
I’m kidding. A little. Do big miles, don’t do big miles. I think it’s kind of fun. It does hurt a lot though. And you DO have to eat constantly and that gets old. 
Anyways. There you go. 
Miles: 31.4

MVP: croissants again. Now they’re all gone 

LVP: cold.