I am currently at the house of the mayor of Unionville, NY. Unionville is about 1,330 miles from Springer and about 845 to Katahdin. I am now close enough that is is worthwhile to start thinking about how much further we have to go. I am also out of PA and into NJ. The trail is on the border of NY and NJ here so we just went into the NY side for a resupply. The mayor here is very hiker friendly and last year set up a hostel in his house. So I am freshly showered and my clothes are currently being dried. I think there are going to be over 20 hikers staying here tonight which beats the mayors previous best of 10.
It has been a while since my last post. PA was not fun. It started out hot and buggy and rocky. Then we added the sounds of cicadas in places and gypsy moths. The gypsy moths were very annoying. They have no natural enemies so they just multiply. For most of PA they were in their caterpillar form. They eat the leaves, so there were tons of partially eaten green leaves on the ground. Then they dangle over the trail. Their fur stings, so after I had one land on me I had the bumps and itching on my arm for almost a week. At night they were pooping so much that it sounds like it is raining. They are now in their cocoons, but there is not very much shade from the trees because most of the leaves are on the trail, not above it. We shall soon see how much a a nuisance they are as moths.
PA was also suppossed to be easy for resupplies since the trail goes through 4 towns and there are many others that are close. However several of the towns that the trail passes through have no supermarket or place to resupply. So you think are are getting it easy and then you still have to get a shuttle or a hitch into the next town. PA was not very easy for getting a hitch. Down south you could almost count on the first pickup truck stopping and giving you a ride. Not so in PA. When we needed a ride it was hard to get. In the town with shuttles, they were overpriced. But we did not always have other options.
I will have to continue my discussions of PA later since there are several other people waiting to use the internet. I will be in NYC from June 30-July 7 so I will be updating my adventures then and adding pictures.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Hot and Buggy
I am now in Duncannon, PA 1,132 miles from Springer. I am relaxing in the Doyle Hotel with a bunch of other thru hikers. I do not think that there are any non hikers staying here. I am starting this post before I go resupply, and will continue when I got back. I have just had a bit of a snack. If I go to the grocery store hungry then I will end up with way too much food leaving town. However I will still eat all of the food before I get to the next resupply anyway. Having too much food is rarely a problem. I am just thinking about what foods I can eat cold. Probably instant mashed potatoes. The last couple of days have been so hot that I have not always wanted to eat a hot meal. The heat has also forced a bit of a schedule change and we have woken up at 4am several times to be at the trail at 5am. This way when can get 6 hours of hiking in before it gets too hot. Then we take a long break and start hiking again between f and 6:30. On the hot days 6:30 - 8 is an ideal time to hike. the day is cooling off and you still have enough light to see. The angle of light at this time also makes everything look better. We are also excited to be in a hotel with laundry today because it has been about 12 days since our last laundry. We have rinsed off our shirts and underwear and socks, but that is not as good as real laundry. One day I spent five minutes rinsing our my socks and they still did not rinse clean. So I am now wearing cleans clothes and very happy for it.
We spent most of the day chilling in the AC at the library and Wal-Mart before leaving Waynesboro. We finally hit the trail around 6:30 as it was getting cool again. We hiked for about an hour and a half and came to a shelter with nice camping by a stream. We set up our tents and then went bathing. Four grown men naked in a stream, glorious. We got up early and were on the trail the next day around 6am. We hiked about 13 miles by 11am to a campground with a swimming pool. We beat the heat of the day by running in and out of the pool. We were there long enough that even with copious amounts of sun screen I reached by sun tolerance. But I did not get burned, only close. Then after dinner we went on to the next shelter, again leaving around 6pm. We continued our early starts with a 4am wake. This had us starting with our head lamps. I was not a fan with the rocks on the trail and started out slow. However we were able to get 15 miles in by 11am. This time Peacock and I stopped for an extended nap while Shadow and Daddy-O continued on to the Pine Grove Furnace State Park and the half way point. We were tired enough that even with the heat we slept for about 4 hours.
At the park there is a general store with the Half Gallon Challenge. All thru hikers are invited to try and eat a half gallon of ice cream. The speed record was broken earlier that day. Someone microwaved the ice cream and then drank it in 2 minutes and 37 seconds. I took a more respectable 55 minutes to eat my half gallon. I am now a member of the half gallon club. It was not as hard as the Wendy's challenge.
The following day another 4am wake up and 5 am start. This put us into the town of Boiling Springs 19 miles away around 2pm. We had planned to resupply here, but had not eaten enough food, so we decided to wait until Duncannon which was another 25 miles down the trail. Boiling Springs was disappointing, no good places to camp in town, or any cheap hostels. We ended up waiting out a rainstorm in the Tavern, the only place in town that served beer. And it was expensive beer too. Then back to a campground next to the railroad tracks. That was a nice wake up call several times during the night.
The 2 miles into Boiling Springs also started about 20 miles of road and field walking. I am not a big fan of either. Too much sun, and not all the fields have a clear path. So I am walking through Alfalfa up to my shoulders. Whatever I have brushing the grass, then breaks out in red spots. So I am walking in my pants and occasionally long sleeves during the 90+ degree heat, and I still need to take benadryl at night to reduce my reactions. Then when we get into the woods and on the ridges we are starting to run into the famed rocks of Pennsylvania. So far I am not happy with this state. the one redeeming quality was a couple of mulberry trees that were starting to bear fruit. I am happy about starting to get into fresh fruit season.
Yesterday we started from Boiling Springs and did 14 miles to the first shelter. The water source was listed as seasonal, and it was coming out at the rate of a leaky faucet, so Daddy-O, Peacock and I decided to go on another 7 to the next shelter. That 7 was much harder than the first 14. We reached the turnoff and debated going on another 4 into town. But the economics of it kept us in the shelter. We slept in and then cruised into town at 9:30 and in for a good breakfast.
On top of the heat the last couple of days, it has also been buggy. So my legs are a combination of cuts, poison ivy, bug bites and pimples from breaking out over not having washed my clothes for 12 days. All in all I was very happy to take an easy day today. The current goal is to have a bunch of beer and sleep in tomorrow. At least the weather is starting to get better. It should not be as hot for the next couple of days. On to Port Clinton.
We spent most of the day chilling in the AC at the library and Wal-Mart before leaving Waynesboro. We finally hit the trail around 6:30 as it was getting cool again. We hiked for about an hour and a half and came to a shelter with nice camping by a stream. We set up our tents and then went bathing. Four grown men naked in a stream, glorious. We got up early and were on the trail the next day around 6am. We hiked about 13 miles by 11am to a campground with a swimming pool. We beat the heat of the day by running in and out of the pool. We were there long enough that even with copious amounts of sun screen I reached by sun tolerance. But I did not get burned, only close. Then after dinner we went on to the next shelter, again leaving around 6pm. We continued our early starts with a 4am wake. This had us starting with our head lamps. I was not a fan with the rocks on the trail and started out slow. However we were able to get 15 miles in by 11am. This time Peacock and I stopped for an extended nap while Shadow and Daddy-O continued on to the Pine Grove Furnace State Park and the half way point. We were tired enough that even with the heat we slept for about 4 hours.
At the park there is a general store with the Half Gallon Challenge. All thru hikers are invited to try and eat a half gallon of ice cream. The speed record was broken earlier that day. Someone microwaved the ice cream and then drank it in 2 minutes and 37 seconds. I took a more respectable 55 minutes to eat my half gallon. I am now a member of the half gallon club. It was not as hard as the Wendy's challenge.
The following day another 4am wake up and 5 am start. This put us into the town of Boiling Springs 19 miles away around 2pm. We had planned to resupply here, but had not eaten enough food, so we decided to wait until Duncannon which was another 25 miles down the trail. Boiling Springs was disappointing, no good places to camp in town, or any cheap hostels. We ended up waiting out a rainstorm in the Tavern, the only place in town that served beer. And it was expensive beer too. Then back to a campground next to the railroad tracks. That was a nice wake up call several times during the night.
The 2 miles into Boiling Springs also started about 20 miles of road and field walking. I am not a big fan of either. Too much sun, and not all the fields have a clear path. So I am walking through Alfalfa up to my shoulders. Whatever I have brushing the grass, then breaks out in red spots. So I am walking in my pants and occasionally long sleeves during the 90+ degree heat, and I still need to take benadryl at night to reduce my reactions. Then when we get into the woods and on the ridges we are starting to run into the famed rocks of Pennsylvania. So far I am not happy with this state. the one redeeming quality was a couple of mulberry trees that were starting to bear fruit. I am happy about starting to get into fresh fruit season.
Yesterday we started from Boiling Springs and did 14 miles to the first shelter. The water source was listed as seasonal, and it was coming out at the rate of a leaky faucet, so Daddy-O, Peacock and I decided to go on another 7 to the next shelter. That 7 was much harder than the first 14. We reached the turnoff and debated going on another 4 into town. But the economics of it kept us in the shelter. We slept in and then cruised into town at 9:30 and in for a good breakfast.
On top of the heat the last couple of days, it has also been buggy. So my legs are a combination of cuts, poison ivy, bug bites and pimples from breaking out over not having washed my clothes for 12 days. All in all I was very happy to take an easy day today. The current goal is to have a bunch of beer and sleep in tomorrow. At least the weather is starting to get better. It should not be as hot for the next couple of days. On to Port Clinton.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Hot and Stormy
I am now in Waynesboro, PA 1,057 miles from Springer Mtn. I couple of hours ago I finally crossed the Mason-Dixon line. Unfortunately I missed the sign marking it. So I was a little disappointed. Crossing into Pennsylvania ended up being fairly anti-climatic. Just hot. It has been hot since we left Harper's Ferry.
We got a late start leaving Harper's Ferry because I was waiting for a delivery of new trekking poles. Those arrived at about 1pm, and then Peacock, Daddy-O and I headed out. Shadow had left earlier since he needed to pick some things up from the hostel where we spent the previous night. So the three of us headed out into the heat and humidity. We knew that there was a potential for thunderstorms but we were not too worried. The trail starts out on the C&O canal and then heads up a ridge. As we started going up, we also started hearing thunder. We put on our pack covers and picked up the pace. It was so humid that we were sweating rivers. Then it started to rain. Peacock did not think it would rain hard enough to wash all the sweat off. He was wrong. As the rain started coming down the wind picked up and the thunder and lightning continued. The wind got so strong that the rain was coming in sideways. It was raining hard enough that the trail became one giant river with puddles above our ankles. We ended up being very lucky. After the wind died down we started coming across trees in the trail. In the last half a mile before the shelter we climbed over 4 or 5 trees in the middle of the trail. When we arrived at the shelter we stripped down, dried off and talked with Shadow and a couple of other hikers who had waited out the storm in the shelter. One tree had fallen about 50 feet away from the shelter. At this point even though we had originally planned on continuing on, we changed our minds and decided to stay.
The shelter was a double decker and the four of us stayed in the bottom that night with Bad Idea, Rhino, and Rhino's dog. Rhino is a fire builder extraordinaire. He even puts PeakAxe to shame. In the wet he gathered logs and stumps and put together a fire that was still going strong the next morning when we left. We had a little kid staying on the top level roasting marshmallows over the fire for us. He became more efficient when we suggested roasting more than one at a time on the stick. However, Rhino's dog was not the most shelter trained dog. When he arrived, the dog went straight to my sleeping pad and lay down. He was quickly removed, but he did spend the whole night cuddling with Shadow, much to his disgust.
On the upper level were two sets of section hikers, a father-son and a mother-son. After dark, as we were getting ready to sleep, we heard a cry for help. We listened and heard it again. We were not sure where it was coming from at first. We thought that it might be someone hurt from a tree falling, or from climbing over one. Then we realized that it was coming from the privy. Shadow went over to the privy and after a couple of minutes was able to open it up for the mother. The next morning we named her Breakout. The privy had a handle that you needed to turn, very unusual for a privy. That was what took Shadow so long to open it. The handle on the inside had broken off, and after Breakout closed the door, she was unable to open it. This made me feel better on a couple of levels. Now I am not the only person who was been stuck in a restroom on this hike. Second, I did not lock myself in, and thirdly, I was able to get out on my own.
The next morning we set out again. The forecast we had seen said this was supposed to be another 85 degree day with a chance of thunderstorms. As we hiked the trail we were able to assess the damage from the day before. Some sections were worse than others, but most had a fair number of leaves or small branches on the ground. Other sections we littered with small to large trees across the trail. One section was so bad that we climbed from fallen tree to fallen tree and briefly lost the trail. When ever we were close to roads or power lines we came across the sounds of chainsaw. The more we saw, the more we realized that we had been lucky the previous day. By the time we stoppped for lunch we were tired of flinging the branches off the trail.
Around 3:30 and about 3.5 miles from our destination for the night we came to the Washinton Mounument. This is not the one in DC, but the one in MD which was the first mounument built for George Washington. From the top we saw a thunderhead to the north and heard some thunder. We decided to play it safe and go back to a day shelter at the base of the mounument and wait out the storm. The water was out in the park because a tree had fallen on the building housing the pump the night before, but the caretaker was able to give us enough water from a 5 gallon jug so we could cook dinner while waiting out the storm. We ate dinner, and the storm didn't arrive. Around 6:30 we decided that we had waited enough and pushed on. The storm never materialized. We pulled into the next shelter around 8, set up camp and went to bed.
The forecast for the next three days was 95 and humid. When we woke up it was foggy and we went back to sleep. We finally hit the trail around 8:45. It stayed foggy for the morning. As we approached the next shleter it was starting to get sunny. Unfortunately our favorite homeless person's stuff was there. So instead of napping for a couple of hours we had lunch and kept going. At this point it was horribly hot. Luckily we can across a nice stream and spent a while lying in it, washing off and cooling down. We had the thought of hiking slowly enough to not builld up a sweat. Once we started going uphill it was hopeless. Part way up the hill was a rock outcrop that Peacock and I checked out. We came across a copperhead resting in a crevice. He was not bothering us, so we decided to not bother him.
This morning we decided to get up early and beat the heat. We were able to do half of it. We were on the trail at 6:30, but by 7 we were sweating rivers. By 9:30 we were at the road and hitched into town. The plan is to stay in AC as long as possible today and then hit the trail again around 5 or 6 tonight when it we hopefully be a bit cooler.
I have not been able to update pictures recently, but Peacock and Daddy-O are also keeping a trail journal that does have a fair number of pictures, including some of me. That is at www.trailjournals.com look for it under Daddy-O's 2008 Appalachian Trail hike.
We got a late start leaving Harper's Ferry because I was waiting for a delivery of new trekking poles. Those arrived at about 1pm, and then Peacock, Daddy-O and I headed out. Shadow had left earlier since he needed to pick some things up from the hostel where we spent the previous night. So the three of us headed out into the heat and humidity. We knew that there was a potential for thunderstorms but we were not too worried. The trail starts out on the C&O canal and then heads up a ridge. As we started going up, we also started hearing thunder. We put on our pack covers and picked up the pace. It was so humid that we were sweating rivers. Then it started to rain. Peacock did not think it would rain hard enough to wash all the sweat off. He was wrong. As the rain started coming down the wind picked up and the thunder and lightning continued. The wind got so strong that the rain was coming in sideways. It was raining hard enough that the trail became one giant river with puddles above our ankles. We ended up being very lucky. After the wind died down we started coming across trees in the trail. In the last half a mile before the shelter we climbed over 4 or 5 trees in the middle of the trail. When we arrived at the shelter we stripped down, dried off and talked with Shadow and a couple of other hikers who had waited out the storm in the shelter. One tree had fallen about 50 feet away from the shelter. At this point even though we had originally planned on continuing on, we changed our minds and decided to stay.
The shelter was a double decker and the four of us stayed in the bottom that night with Bad Idea, Rhino, and Rhino's dog. Rhino is a fire builder extraordinaire. He even puts PeakAxe to shame. In the wet he gathered logs and stumps and put together a fire that was still going strong the next morning when we left. We had a little kid staying on the top level roasting marshmallows over the fire for us. He became more efficient when we suggested roasting more than one at a time on the stick. However, Rhino's dog was not the most shelter trained dog. When he arrived, the dog went straight to my sleeping pad and lay down. He was quickly removed, but he did spend the whole night cuddling with Shadow, much to his disgust.
On the upper level were two sets of section hikers, a father-son and a mother-son. After dark, as we were getting ready to sleep, we heard a cry for help. We listened and heard it again. We were not sure where it was coming from at first. We thought that it might be someone hurt from a tree falling, or from climbing over one. Then we realized that it was coming from the privy. Shadow went over to the privy and after a couple of minutes was able to open it up for the mother. The next morning we named her Breakout. The privy had a handle that you needed to turn, very unusual for a privy. That was what took Shadow so long to open it. The handle on the inside had broken off, and after Breakout closed the door, she was unable to open it. This made me feel better on a couple of levels. Now I am not the only person who was been stuck in a restroom on this hike. Second, I did not lock myself in, and thirdly, I was able to get out on my own.
The next morning we set out again. The forecast we had seen said this was supposed to be another 85 degree day with a chance of thunderstorms. As we hiked the trail we were able to assess the damage from the day before. Some sections were worse than others, but most had a fair number of leaves or small branches on the ground. Other sections we littered with small to large trees across the trail. One section was so bad that we climbed from fallen tree to fallen tree and briefly lost the trail. When ever we were close to roads or power lines we came across the sounds of chainsaw. The more we saw, the more we realized that we had been lucky the previous day. By the time we stoppped for lunch we were tired of flinging the branches off the trail.
Around 3:30 and about 3.5 miles from our destination for the night we came to the Washinton Mounument. This is not the one in DC, but the one in MD which was the first mounument built for George Washington. From the top we saw a thunderhead to the north and heard some thunder. We decided to play it safe and go back to a day shelter at the base of the mounument and wait out the storm. The water was out in the park because a tree had fallen on the building housing the pump the night before, but the caretaker was able to give us enough water from a 5 gallon jug so we could cook dinner while waiting out the storm. We ate dinner, and the storm didn't arrive. Around 6:30 we decided that we had waited enough and pushed on. The storm never materialized. We pulled into the next shelter around 8, set up camp and went to bed.
The forecast for the next three days was 95 and humid. When we woke up it was foggy and we went back to sleep. We finally hit the trail around 8:45. It stayed foggy for the morning. As we approached the next shleter it was starting to get sunny. Unfortunately our favorite homeless person's stuff was there. So instead of napping for a couple of hours we had lunch and kept going. At this point it was horribly hot. Luckily we can across a nice stream and spent a while lying in it, washing off and cooling down. We had the thought of hiking slowly enough to not builld up a sweat. Once we started going uphill it was hopeless. Part way up the hill was a rock outcrop that Peacock and I checked out. We came across a copperhead resting in a crevice. He was not bothering us, so we decided to not bother him.
This morning we decided to get up early and beat the heat. We were able to do half of it. We were on the trail at 6:30, but by 7 we were sweating rivers. By 9:30 we were at the road and hitched into town. The plan is to stay in AC as long as possible today and then hit the trail again around 5 or 6 tonight when it we hopefully be a bit cooler.
I have not been able to update pictures recently, but Peacock and Daddy-O are also keeping a trail journal that does have a fair number of pictures, including some of me. That is at www.trailjournals.com look for it under Daddy-O's 2008 Appalachian Trail hike.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Sleeping in the Bear's Den
I am currently at the Harper's Ferry Hostel. It is not actually in Harper's Ferry, but 2 miles north on the trail in Maryland. I got off the AT at the side trail to the ATC headquarters 1,009 miles from Springer Mtn. But then I skipped about a quarter mile and hiked out to the hostel. So the question on my mind is whether we can get a ride back into town and run our errands and hike our missing 1/4 mile and then get a ride back out here. That would avoid most of the backtracking. We will see. I do not feel like doing the section between town and the hostel three times.
Back in Front Royal we took a zero to recover from the Wendy's and went out to see the new Indiana Jones movie. It was entertaing, but I was sitting with Daddy-O and we both had trouble sitting in one place for over two hours. The next morning we (Shadow, Peacock and Daddy-O and myself) had breakfast with my parents. They were in DC for the weekend visiting my mom's aunt and uncle and were able to come and see me. We feasted on pancakes and french toast and then went back on the trail. We had some extra beer which we took out to the trailhead to leave as trail magic. While my parents and I were waiting for everyone else to get to the trailhead, two hikers came out. My parents were able to experience the absolute joy on a thru hiker's face when they recieve beer trail magic.
We were joined on this section of trail by Bigfoot. Bigfoot is our personal trail angel who lent us his Suburban for Trail Days. We took 3 nice chill days, 9, 13 and 10 miles to give Bigfoot a chance to get his trail legs and to rest Shadow's ankle. This meant late starts, ~8am, and long lunch time naps. Now that it is getting hot out it is very nice to take a long break in the middle of the day when it get hot. We are still waiting for the warm days to coincide with the nice swimming holes.
Those three days put us at the Bear's Den Hostel. Bear's Den is actually a converted castle. For $25 you get a bed, a shower with towel, laundry, a pizza, a soda and a pint of Ben & Jerry's. I had been craving Mint Oreo for about 200 miles and they had it. We got there early, played frisbee, relaxed, ate and then watched Carz. We enjoyed the hospitality of Redwing, Hopeful and Hikelet, and had a salad fresh from the garden.
At Bear's Den we were also joined by Jen, Daddy-O's niece (or Peacock's cousin). She examined Shadow's cankle, pronounced it a high ankle strain, and wrapped it for him. Since it would need 5-6 weeks to heal on the trail or one full week of rest, we went on the next day. It was 20 miles to Harper's Ferry and we pushed on through the heat and made it. So Jen's one and only day on the trail was a twenty miler. Her hiking average of 20 puts my 12.6 to shame. Although mine does include zeros. I am down to a 14 average on my hiking days. I was at 15 when I hit Damascus.
A while back I had an idea. It was one of those ideas that usually occurs while drinking or after hiking for long distances. It was one of those ideas that you kind of regret afterwards, but it will not leave you alone. It was one of thise ideas that once voiced will not go away and that you have to follow through on. It was an idea that ended up with me hiking a $2.72 toilet plunger 10 miles into the woods to place inside the privy. So from now on if anyone needs a toilet plunger in the Manassas Gap shelter privy it is available for their use.
We are now 40 miles from Pennsylvania and the Mason-Dixon line. This is where the Appalatchin trail becomes the Appalaishun trail. So now we say goodbye to sweet tea and hello to vegetarian options.
Back in Front Royal we took a zero to recover from the Wendy's and went out to see the new Indiana Jones movie. It was entertaing, but I was sitting with Daddy-O and we both had trouble sitting in one place for over two hours. The next morning we (Shadow, Peacock and Daddy-O and myself) had breakfast with my parents. They were in DC for the weekend visiting my mom's aunt and uncle and were able to come and see me. We feasted on pancakes and french toast and then went back on the trail. We had some extra beer which we took out to the trailhead to leave as trail magic. While my parents and I were waiting for everyone else to get to the trailhead, two hikers came out. My parents were able to experience the absolute joy on a thru hiker's face when they recieve beer trail magic.
We were joined on this section of trail by Bigfoot. Bigfoot is our personal trail angel who lent us his Suburban for Trail Days. We took 3 nice chill days, 9, 13 and 10 miles to give Bigfoot a chance to get his trail legs and to rest Shadow's ankle. This meant late starts, ~8am, and long lunch time naps. Now that it is getting hot out it is very nice to take a long break in the middle of the day when it get hot. We are still waiting for the warm days to coincide with the nice swimming holes.
Those three days put us at the Bear's Den Hostel. Bear's Den is actually a converted castle. For $25 you get a bed, a shower with towel, laundry, a pizza, a soda and a pint of Ben & Jerry's. I had been craving Mint Oreo for about 200 miles and they had it. We got there early, played frisbee, relaxed, ate and then watched Carz. We enjoyed the hospitality of Redwing, Hopeful and Hikelet, and had a salad fresh from the garden.
At Bear's Den we were also joined by Jen, Daddy-O's niece (or Peacock's cousin). She examined Shadow's cankle, pronounced it a high ankle strain, and wrapped it for him. Since it would need 5-6 weeks to heal on the trail or one full week of rest, we went on the next day. It was 20 miles to Harper's Ferry and we pushed on through the heat and made it. So Jen's one and only day on the trail was a twenty miler. Her hiking average of 20 puts my 12.6 to shame. Although mine does include zeros. I am down to a 14 average on my hiking days. I was at 15 when I hit Damascus.
A while back I had an idea. It was one of those ideas that usually occurs while drinking or after hiking for long distances. It was one of those ideas that you kind of regret afterwards, but it will not leave you alone. It was one of thise ideas that once voiced will not go away and that you have to follow through on. It was an idea that ended up with me hiking a $2.72 toilet plunger 10 miles into the woods to place inside the privy. So from now on if anyone needs a toilet plunger in the Manassas Gap shelter privy it is available for their use.
We are now 40 miles from Pennsylvania and the Mason-Dixon line. This is where the Appalatchin trail becomes the Appalaishun trail. So now we say goodbye to sweet tea and hello to vegetarian options.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Food
One thing that is always on every thru hiker's mind is food. By most estimates we are burning 6-7,000 calories a day. It is virtually impossible to carry that much food if you are going out for more than 2-3 days at a time. So we either to shorter resupplies, or we do not get enough calories on the trail. So when we get into town we overload, like eating the entire Wendy's Value Menu. The pint of Ben & Jerry's is also a time honored tradition. This is usually a light snack and does not replace a meal. They have enough flavors that I have not had to repeat a flavor yet. It is also funny watching a thru hiker in a gorcery store. We are very nutrition conscious. If we are deciding between two comparable products, we will also choose the one with the most fat and most calories (or the cheapest).
Another key is to switch up the menus. Lipton sides can get old very quickly. For breakfasts, I started out with oatmeal, but I hate oatmeal. Then I switched to Poptarts, but I did not get enough energy from them, and I got sick of them very quickly. Then I started with Carnation Instant Breakfast, but that wasn't enough, so I am now adding cereal. However that gets heavy and bulky very quickly. Lunches, I started out just snacking on energy bars and trail mix. But that wasn't satisfying enough. So I have also had bagels with goober (peanut butter and jelly mixed) or cream cheese, but the goober only comes in a glass jar. I have gone through pretzel and Nutella fazes, a hummus faze, and a couple of cheese and jerky fazes and I am currently sick of all of them. So this next resupply I am back to snack bars and now Goldfish.
My dinners have had the most variety. One friend recommended Stove Top stuffing and chicken. I had that once, but it was not for me, sorry Footslogger. I have gone through mashed potatoes, good, but not always a full dinner, and most Lipton sides. I will requently go for the generic version without any noticable taste difference. I tried some Trail Foods at Trail Days, and those are great, but too expensize to eat all the time. I have not paid for a Moutnain House meal, because those are even more expensive. I have tried almost all the generic shells and cheese combination, and found out that paying a little more for the Kraft Bistro Deluxe pasta and sauce is worth the price. Based on the ridgerunner in the Shenandoahs I am trying tortellini on this next section. I am also adding tuna, salmon or chicken to each meal for the extra protein, and that adding cheese or some addition seasoning, Chez Paul's or Mrs. Dash, adds a lot to the meal.
Most of my meals changes come from seeing someone else cook and thinking that looks good, and I am always open for suggestions. So if any of you have some great, or not so great ideas, let me know. Please post all of your favorite backpacking meals so that I can change up my diet.
Another key is to switch up the menus. Lipton sides can get old very quickly. For breakfasts, I started out with oatmeal, but I hate oatmeal. Then I switched to Poptarts, but I did not get enough energy from them, and I got sick of them very quickly. Then I started with Carnation Instant Breakfast, but that wasn't enough, so I am now adding cereal. However that gets heavy and bulky very quickly. Lunches, I started out just snacking on energy bars and trail mix. But that wasn't satisfying enough. So I have also had bagels with goober (peanut butter and jelly mixed) or cream cheese, but the goober only comes in a glass jar. I have gone through pretzel and Nutella fazes, a hummus faze, and a couple of cheese and jerky fazes and I am currently sick of all of them. So this next resupply I am back to snack bars and now Goldfish.
My dinners have had the most variety. One friend recommended Stove Top stuffing and chicken. I had that once, but it was not for me, sorry Footslogger. I have gone through mashed potatoes, good, but not always a full dinner, and most Lipton sides. I will requently go for the generic version without any noticable taste difference. I tried some Trail Foods at Trail Days, and those are great, but too expensize to eat all the time. I have not paid for a Moutnain House meal, because those are even more expensive. I have tried almost all the generic shells and cheese combination, and found out that paying a little more for the Kraft Bistro Deluxe pasta and sauce is worth the price. Based on the ridgerunner in the Shenandoahs I am trying tortellini on this next section. I am also adding tuna, salmon or chicken to each meal for the extra protein, and that adding cheese or some addition seasoning, Chez Paul's or Mrs. Dash, adds a lot to the meal.
Most of my meals changes come from seeing someone else cook and thinking that looks good, and I am always open for suggestions. So if any of you have some great, or not so great ideas, let me know. Please post all of your favorite backpacking meals so that I can change up my diet.
The Day I Joined a Cult
About two and a half months ago I packed my worldly possesions into a backpack and went down to Georgia. A friend and intitiate met me at the aiport and took me to a sacred place, Springer Mountain. He showed me the path and told me to follow the white blazes north to Katahdin and the land of lobster. Since then every morning I wake up and follow the path. I follow even when the path goes south or completely circles something and comes within 100 feet of itself. I follow in the sun, in the rain, and in the snow. Every morning I wake up, pack my bag, and keep going.
Along the way I have met many other people following the path. We help each other in the common goal of Katahdin. We try and keep everyone following the path. We debate the rules of following the path and whether every single inch of the trail needs to be covered. Do you need to backtrach after circle some windfall? Are you still following thw whole path if you take one blue blaze trail into a shelter and leave on another? If you take a blue blazed loop that goes to a lookout and returns further up the trail are you still following the path? Does it matter if that trail is shorter or longer than the white balze? The one answer we have found is that everyone needs to hike their own hike.
In the shelters at night we dicuss the problems we encounter on the path. How to get enough food, what has the most calories, how to lighten your pack, and how to avoid butt itch. We also talk about our pains, for this is a masochistic cult. One of our mantras is "No pain, no rain, no Maine."
Along our path we encounter other people who are not walking the full path. Some of these people are unbelievers. Some do not even know of the path, while others are walking part, or getting ready to walk the full length. Those who do not know of the path, we will talk to them, and enlighten them, but only if they give us food.
Some of the people along the path are enlightened and help out those who are currently walking, these people are angels. They help us out by providing food and drink and rides into and out of town. Many of these people have walked the full path themselves, or they are related to people who are walking. They give comfort to us, and help keep us heading in the right direction.
Every year in mid-May in Damascus there is a gathering of cult members. The former walkers meet up and catch up on news and relive their glories. The curent walkers reunite with people they met a month ago and strategize about meeting again. While future walkers get advice and motivation to follow the path for themselves. This is also a place to see new equipement and learn about better ways of following the path, and learning about other paths to hike.
In about four days I will make it to one of the sacred places, Harper's Ferry. This town houses the cult headquarters, where we will stop in and get our picture taken to be immmortalized with other followers of the path. This town is also sacred for it means we are finally out of Virginia, just about to cross the Mason-Dixon line and almost physically half way. It is the physcological half way.
Tomorrow morning I will wake up, pack my bag, and start hiking north. For Katahdin is calling, and I must answer.
Along the way I have met many other people following the path. We help each other in the common goal of Katahdin. We try and keep everyone following the path. We debate the rules of following the path and whether every single inch of the trail needs to be covered. Do you need to backtrach after circle some windfall? Are you still following thw whole path if you take one blue blaze trail into a shelter and leave on another? If you take a blue blazed loop that goes to a lookout and returns further up the trail are you still following the path? Does it matter if that trail is shorter or longer than the white balze? The one answer we have found is that everyone needs to hike their own hike.
In the shelters at night we dicuss the problems we encounter on the path. How to get enough food, what has the most calories, how to lighten your pack, and how to avoid butt itch. We also talk about our pains, for this is a masochistic cult. One of our mantras is "No pain, no rain, no Maine."
Along our path we encounter other people who are not walking the full path. Some of these people are unbelievers. Some do not even know of the path, while others are walking part, or getting ready to walk the full length. Those who do not know of the path, we will talk to them, and enlighten them, but only if they give us food.
Some of the people along the path are enlightened and help out those who are currently walking, these people are angels. They help us out by providing food and drink and rides into and out of town. Many of these people have walked the full path themselves, or they are related to people who are walking. They give comfort to us, and help keep us heading in the right direction.
Every year in mid-May in Damascus there is a gathering of cult members. The former walkers meet up and catch up on news and relive their glories. The curent walkers reunite with people they met a month ago and strategize about meeting again. While future walkers get advice and motivation to follow the path for themselves. This is also a place to see new equipement and learn about better ways of following the path, and learning about other paths to hike.
In about four days I will make it to one of the sacred places, Harper's Ferry. This town houses the cult headquarters, where we will stop in and get our picture taken to be immmortalized with other followers of the path. This town is also sacred for it means we are finally out of Virginia, just about to cross the Mason-Dixon line and almost physically half way. It is the physcological half way.
Tomorrow morning I will wake up, pack my bag, and start hiking north. For Katahdin is calling, and I must answer.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Shenandoah
I am now in Front Royal, VA 955 miles from Springer Mountain and only about 45 miles to the border with West Virginia. Right now over half of the hike has been in Virginia and in three more days of hiking I will finally get in to a new state. Then West Virginia is 9 miles and Maryland is 40. So we are only about a week away from the Mason-Dixon line and then another 2-3 days to the official half way point. It feels like we are finally starting to make progess again. Coming down from the Shenandoahs we dropped below 2,000 feet and we do not get back above that until Vermont. That does not mean it is flat, just not as high and not as cold. Which is good since I sent my winter sleeping bag home from Montebello, and I have only been using my silk liner and a feece blanket. I have been warm enough, but that has been while wearing everything I still have, including my tent. Although I imagine that very soon I will be longing for the old nights again.
The last 107 miles from Waynesboro was mostly in Shenandoah National Park. This is one of the better maintained sections of trail. The grade is nice and easy and relatively free of rocks. Great for making big miles. We did over 80 miles in four days, and then realized we needed to slow done a bit, so we cruised into town with a 14 and a 13 mile day. Tomorrow we are taking a well deserved rest before I meet up with my parents on Saturday. They will be in DC for the weekend and will make the hour drive to come out and meet with me and take me to breakfast. Then on to Harper's Ferry and the ATC headquarters.
Shenandoah was frustrating for a number of reasons. We managed to hike through the park over Memorial Day weekend. This meant a huge number of day hikers and weekend backpackers. So the trails and shelters were very crowded. Also Skyline Drive which goess through the park is the route of the old AT. When the Drive was put in the trail was moved to go over all of the ridges. However most of the summits are wooded so most of the view points are on the road. It is frustrating that we are now working harder to get less reward. About every two miles the trail crosses over Skyline Drive so in some ways it is hard to feel like you are in the wilderness. Half of the shelters are within Harley earshot of the Drive. Tha is not the sound I like to hear while sleeping in a shelter. Although it did drown out some of the snoring.
On the plus side there actually is a lot of wildlife in the park. Deer too numerous to count and almost tame. I was within 10 feet of several. Everyone I was hiking with, me included, saw black bears. I saw two clubs that skedaddled when they saw me. I spent a minute or two looking for the mom, and when I did not see her, I kept going. Along the road there are several restaurants and waysides and lodges. The waysides have great black berry milkshakes, so after each time I saw a black bear, I atea blackberry milkshake. I thought that it was the only appropiate thing to do.
Since Trail Days I had been talking to Peacock about the Wendy's Value Menu Challenge. Eat everything on the value menu in one sitting and keep it down. Since there is a Wendy's here, after showering that is where we went. Not everything on the value menu is 99 cents, so we capped it at everything under $1.30. This gave us a crispy chicken sandwhich, 5 crisy chicken nuggets, a Jr bacon cheeseburger, a Jr deluxe cheeseburger, a small frosty, small fountain drink, small fries, small chilli, baked potatoe with sour cream and chives, side salad, side caesar salad, a cup of mandarin oranges and just about 3,000 calories for $14.26. It took us a while, but we both finished and we are nowing digesting and thinking about not having dinner.
The last 107 miles from Waynesboro was mostly in Shenandoah National Park. This is one of the better maintained sections of trail. The grade is nice and easy and relatively free of rocks. Great for making big miles. We did over 80 miles in four days, and then realized we needed to slow done a bit, so we cruised into town with a 14 and a 13 mile day. Tomorrow we are taking a well deserved rest before I meet up with my parents on Saturday. They will be in DC for the weekend and will make the hour drive to come out and meet with me and take me to breakfast. Then on to Harper's Ferry and the ATC headquarters.
Shenandoah was frustrating for a number of reasons. We managed to hike through the park over Memorial Day weekend. This meant a huge number of day hikers and weekend backpackers. So the trails and shelters were very crowded. Also Skyline Drive which goess through the park is the route of the old AT. When the Drive was put in the trail was moved to go over all of the ridges. However most of the summits are wooded so most of the view points are on the road. It is frustrating that we are now working harder to get less reward. About every two miles the trail crosses over Skyline Drive so in some ways it is hard to feel like you are in the wilderness. Half of the shelters are within Harley earshot of the Drive. Tha is not the sound I like to hear while sleeping in a shelter. Although it did drown out some of the snoring.
On the plus side there actually is a lot of wildlife in the park. Deer too numerous to count and almost tame. I was within 10 feet of several. Everyone I was hiking with, me included, saw black bears. I saw two clubs that skedaddled when they saw me. I spent a minute or two looking for the mom, and when I did not see her, I kept going. Along the road there are several restaurants and waysides and lodges. The waysides have great black berry milkshakes, so after each time I saw a black bear, I atea blackberry milkshake. I thought that it was the only appropiate thing to do.
Since Trail Days I had been talking to Peacock about the Wendy's Value Menu Challenge. Eat everything on the value menu in one sitting and keep it down. Since there is a Wendy's here, after showering that is where we went. Not everything on the value menu is 99 cents, so we capped it at everything under $1.30. This gave us a crispy chicken sandwhich, 5 crisy chicken nuggets, a Jr bacon cheeseburger, a Jr deluxe cheeseburger, a small frosty, small fountain drink, small fries, small chilli, baked potatoe with sour cream and chives, side salad, side caesar salad, a cup of mandarin oranges and just about 3,000 calories for $14.26. It took us a while, but we both finished and we are nowing digesting and thinking about not having dinner.
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