Thursday, July 31, 2008

Pure Imagination...

6/25/08 - Woke up in the cemetery to people walking their dogs & staring at the two crazies sleeping in the cemetery...

  • Went into Salisbury to resupply at the IGA and then back to the trail to tackle Lions Head.
  • Snack time at Riga Lean-to then up Bear Mtn. - which used to be the highest point in CT - now it's not. But it did have some of the best views they'd seen in a while!
  • Down a giant hill into Sages Ravine... over a creek... and into Massachusetts!!
  • Climbed over Race Mtn where they (Hearts & Tupperware) picked and ate an obscene amount of blueberries.
  • Then way down & way back up Mt. Everett.
  • Walked along MA 41 into S. Egremont but it was late and everything was closed... luckily local hospitality wasn't...
  • Lady driving a Prius (let's call her Lady A) stopped and asked the boys if they needed a ride. They declined but stuck around to chit-chat. Another lady (Lady B - who Amos described as someone who 'could not be more hippie') pulled up an offered to cook them dinner out of her car... which she lives in and which runs solely on fry grease. Lady A then countered with an offer for them to stay at her house for the night.
  • It's decided that a combination of offers will suffice. Lady B agrees to cook at Lady A's house. (It's best to keep in mind that they don't know each other from Adam!)
  • Back at Lady A's house they (Amos & Tupp) took turns taking showers while Lady B cooked up some 'weird hippie food' which was described to me as a salmagundi of any and everything that came straight from the ground & was edible mixed with noodles - which were really the only distinguishable item. It was also mentioned that there seemed to be a bit of a love-connection between Lady B & Lady A as they did A LOT of hugging & also a few awkwardly placed pecks on one another's cheeks... bouw chicka wow-wow!
  • Anyway, they all ate, talked, and then went off to bed. (I know nothing of Lady A & Lady B sleeping arrangements - so don't ask - goodnight!)
  • 18.5 mi.

6/26/08 - Lady A gave the two a really early ride back to the trail.

  • Instead of going directly to the trail they walked down US 7 into Great Barrington to eat breakfast at a local diner then back MA 23 to find the trailhead.
  • Along the way, Tupperware had a #2 emergency and relieved himself in some guy's backyard... I can't believe I just typed that.
  • Once they got back to the trailhead they took a break & ate lunch - then found themselves faced with a 1000 ft climb right off the bat - up to The Ledges.
  • Then they took a big break at Beartown Mtn. Rd and had about an hour-long contest to see who could pelt a little sign with rocks the most (no clear winner). Entertainment should come so easy to the rest of us stuck out here in the real world...
  • Back on the trail between Beartown Mtn. Rd and Jerusalem Rd it was EXTREMELY mosquitoey -loads & loads of them- most they've encountered on the AT!
  • Walked along Jerusalem Rd into Tyringham where they bought brownies and soda from the Cobble View B&B and then caught a ride down to the town pavilion where they settled in for the night.
  • 23 mi.

6/27/08 - Hiked back up the main road and started with another 1000 ft climb up to Webster Rd (still REALLY bad mosquitoes).

  • Arrived at Upper Goose Pond about a mile before the shelter & decided to walk around the whole pond.
  • Hiked into Upper Goose Pond Cabin (about a 1/2 mile off the trail) - Amos said it was a 'sweet' cabin and because they were the 1st ones there, he got to choose his bunk 1st!
  • Met the caretaker, Nancy, who informed them that she would be making blueberry pancakes in the morning - score!!
  • Wandered down to the pond & waded around then Tupperware hiked out to meet his parents in Lee.
  • Right after Tup left, Meltdown rolled in with his "friend" Evan. Followed by Maggie & Furniture and then Memphis Tim (who Amos hasn't seen since the Smokys)!
  • They all decided to go swimming at the pond. So they swam about a quarter mile out to the island where they were met by Furniture who came & picked them up in a canoe!
  • Played some cards, cooked some dinner & then off to bed.
  • A leisurely 8.5 mi day.

6/28/08 - Awoke to the promised blueberry pancakes & coffee! Packed up & hiked out.

  • Down to US 20 where Tupperware's parents showed up with lunch food because Hearts ran out. Tupp's mom brought everything but the kitchen sink - coffee, cookies, fruit, sandwiches, chips, you name it! Wound up packing-out between 7-10 lbs of food!!
  • Of course now that he was good'n fed and completely weighed down, he was immediately faced with a daunting climb up Beckett Mtn.
  • Took a break at October Mtn Lean-to where the mosquitoes were bad with a capital 'B' and the logbook claimed a moose sighting the night before!
  • Eventually made it to Washington Mtn Road which is known for the Cookie Lady's House!! Turned out not to be a lady at all - her husband was there to pass out chocolate chip, walnut (yum!!) cookies. Amos played with their puppy - the one in the photos and the one he describes as being the cutest dog he's ever seen in his life! (now THAT's a distinction!)
  • Hiked up Warner Mtn & picked more blueberries. (I think if Amos were a character in a movie, he'd be the little American girl who ate the Three-course-dinner gum & turned into a giant blueberry - except he wouldn't be a little girl [of course] and he wouldn't incessantly chomp on a wad of gum - yeah, he'd just be a big blueberry.)
  • Walked into Dalton with Meltdown & man-friend, Evan, Maggie & Furniture. Headed toward the Shell Station where they called Rob Bird (an infamous trail angel and pseudo-hostel owner in town) who picked them up to stay at his house - The Bird Cage.
  • Bird Cage had showers, laundry & free beer in the fridge!
  • It was there where he met someone Isaac worked with last year (can't remember his name) and where he slept on the couch with Rob's dog.
  • 20.5 mi.

6/29/08 - Walked back down to the convenience store with Meltdown & Evan for breakfast.

  • Met a 'slightly disturbed' woman with the BRIGHTEST neon green shoes imaginable on his way out of town. Said she would not stop talking to him and that he had a really hard time getting away.
  • Hiked up Crystal Mtn and past a troop of Boy Scouts who looked like the were having the most miserable time.
  • Stopped for lunch on top and then walked around Gore Pond where he spotted moose poop & tracks! Then up to The Cobbles which had a good view of Cheshire.
  • Down into Cheshire to snag an ice cream cone from Diane's Twist. On his way out of town, he felt a random craving for potato salad so he stopped at a nearby convenience store to pack a container out... boy, I remember the good 'ol days when they used to pack-out beer!
  • Once he scored the potato salad he was faced with a good 2000 ft ascent to Mark Noepel Lean-to where he spent the night. (Free Hugs showed up and cooked corn on the cob.)
  • 13.5 mi.

6/30/08 - 1st to leave the shelter in the morning.

  • Passed the 1st legitimate south-bounder on the trail who spent a good portion of their chat spouting off about how awesome he was...
  • Climbed Mt. Greylock - 1st time over 3000 ft since Virginia! Sadly, it was cloudy so there were no views and everything was closed up top due to nearby road construction.
  • Started the long long long, very steep descent into North Adams. Once he arrived, he hit up the Price Chopper for a birthday card and then headed next door to stuff himself silly at the Chinese buffet!
  • Then back to the trail and onto a 2000 ft climb with an extremely full belly - quickly found out that immediately mobilizing after an MSG gorge-fest was a bad idea...
  • Met Meltdown - who seemed a little melancholy because he had just said goodbye to his boyfriend in North Adams - on Eph's Lookout.
  • Crossed the MA/VT state line with Meltdown and took their first few steps into the exceptionally muddy and horribly maintained section of trail that runs through Vermont - go GMC!
  • Slept at the Seth Warner Shelter with the Unknown Hiker (know-it-all) and another guy that had just started hiking the Long Trail and was carrying with him a full sized blow-up mattress!! zowie!
  • 16.5 mi day.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

A very Heartsy Birthday...

6/24/08 - Amos' Birthday!!

  • Woke up & went to Baird's General Store where Tupperware bought him breakfast - and planted a candle in his breakfast sausage... come to think of it, I'm not sure who had the sausage... also not sure if anyone sang 'Happy Birthday,' but Amos did say he made a very special birthday wish on that banger candle...!

  • Decided to spend the day off of the official trail and on the road instead. So, they hopped from town to town as they hiked along US 7.
  • En route, they came across Clarke Outdoors - an outfitter that rents kayaks along the Housatonic - tried to rent boats for the day but were a half an hour too late (they stopped renting at 11:00 am) - the lady in the store refused to run a shuttle for them and so the boys were denied. Birthday bummer.
  • Onward to West Cornwall where they hung out in a coffee shop/restaurant and where Tupp bought Hearts a birthday ice cream. Inside, they waited out a pretty fierce rainstorm while their packs waited under an overhang outside... problem is the gutters drained nearby & created a small pond which they found their packs floating in later...
  • Hiked out on River Rd. - flanked by the Housatonic and a set of railroad tracks. Stopped to yack it up with a few construction workers for about 1/2 hr - you know, trail talk.
  • Next, on to Falls Village where they stopped for snacks & hung out in an old caboose that had been transformed into the town visitors center.
  • Finally, the pair set off on a series of exceptionally scenic back roads up and over a mountain to Salisbury. The walk was highlighted by perfectly placed picturesque old colonial style houses encompassed by enormous, lush fields.
  • Once they arrived in Salisbury everything was closed except for the White Harts Inn where a local man walking his dog escorted them & bought the boys free drinks! They hung out in the Inn till around 11 when they deemed the town sleepy enough to pull off a little stealth camping... in the town cemetery. It's the latest craze among AT hikers - all the cool kids are doing it (actually, I think this may have started the craze). Amos said it was quite peaceful - Tupperware was completely freaked out!
  • 21.5 mi day - not too shabby!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Allow not nature more than nature needs...

6/17/08 - Breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts (chocolate donut!).

  • Creepy guy with the Mystery Machine showed up to shuttle them back to the trail... it reeked! I'm going to go out on a limb and assume it smelled so badly because he admitted to habitually relieving himself... in jugs... in the van. That, and his dog smelled like it was slowly decaying from the inside out.
  • Climbed up Wawayanda Mtn. and hiked along a ridge with views of the NYC skyline and conspicuously expensive homes nestled along picturesque lakes in the valley.
  • Crossed NJ/NY state line which was very fancy in-and-of itself - spray-painted on a rock.
  • Stopped for a tasty homemade ice cream treat at the Bellvale Creamery along NY 17A.
  • Final break at Wildcat Shelter followed by 2 mi hike to Fitzgerald Falls - where they decided to spend the night and where they eventually found nearly every mosquito in the northeast to have converged for the evening...
  • 19 total mi.
6/18/08 - Tupperware joined back up with the group. Mom dropped him off & he initially set-off the wrong way down the trail and had to turn around and hike back!! Eventually caught back up with the group & shared a box of donuts for breakfast!

  • Came across the much talked about, highly anticipated East Mombasha Rd. (the end of Half-brew's hike) - turned out to be your everyday, ordinary roadway. I don't think it quite lived up to the hype.
  • Water sources have been harder & harder to come-by. Most trail angels have been leaving jugs of water as trail magic.
  • Climbed up Arden Mtn.
  • Climbed down Arden Mtn. - described as 'horrible' - steep & rocky.
  • Blue blazed along Arden Valley Rd. (in the rain) - Twiggy's 1st blue blaze! (Spock hiked the trail.)
  • Hiked the last 4 mi to William Brien Memorial Shelter in the rain.
  • Found a really nice father & son duo already set-up in the shelter. The young boy turned out to have terrible night terrors though & broke out into bloodcurdling screams throughout the night. Hearts was lucky enough to have the bunk directly above him but slept surprisingly well in spite of it!
  • 18 mi day.
6/19/08 - Rain stopped. Hiked down to Palisades Parkway where a sign said 30 mi to NYC!
  • Climbed up Bear Mtn. which was a bit of a let-down because the observation tower was locked - but they did come across an operating soda machine!
  • Hearts left early to hit up the post office in Bear Mtn... also closed - really weird hours.
  • Hung out at the entrance to the Bear Mtn Museum/Zoo (the lowest pt. on the entire AT @ 124 ft!). Eventually the group took a walk thru the zoo (free to thru hikers). Said it was really sad & full native animals in small cages... it's a shame bolt & chain cutters add too much pack-weight otherwise those critters could have been free!
  • Crossed Bear Mtn Bridge which spans the Hudson River. Bridge must have a bad track record as it was lined with suicide hotline phones.
  • Arrived at US 9 and hitched a ride into Peekskill from a self-proclaimed 'Shakespeare nut' with tons of Shakespeare website decals all over her van.
  • Ate at local diner & realized there was nowhere to stay... so they headed to the library where they met a police officer who GAVE THEM HIS CAR so they could drive to Fishkill!! Yeah, a police officer GAVE THEM HIS CAR to borrow for the night! You've got to be kidding me - some people are unbelievable! I want to be that trusting & generous someday!
  • Taco Bell for dinner #2, resupplied at Walmart (bought my birthday present - a new iPod), and then shacked up in a sweet Holiday Inn Express with a big HD plasma TV for Twiggy's birthday!
  • 14.5 mi.

6/20/08 - Down to the lobby for a continental breakfast and then back to the room to pack-up.
Stopped at a gas station on the way out of town to load up on food & beer.

  • Took FOREVER to hitchhike back to the trail - eventually someone did stop and they turned out to be another Shakespeare nut! In fact, they were friends with the first Shakespeare nut!
  • Got back to the trail late.
  • Passed Graymoor Spiritual Life Center and were bummed because they realized they had missed out on an opportunity to experience monk hospitality as the monastery allows hikers to stay at their picnic shelter.
  • Hiked up to Clarence Fahnestock State Park & campground only to find the free hiker pavilion overrun with 15 other hikers from a Philadelphia hiking club. So they set up their tarps in their own area & did their own thing... listening to Tupp's radio & beer drinking.
  • 12.5 mi.

6/21/08 - Hiked back to the trail. Around Canopus Lake. And up Shenandoah Mtn.

  • Break at RPH Shelter - which was a little cabin that you could have pizza delivered to - but they didn't know & missed that opportunity.
  • Made up for it. At NY 52 they hiked down to Danny's Pizzeria & Mtn. Top Market where they ate their pizza and packed out more beer & munchies.
  • Hiked over I-84 & climbed Mt. Egbert.
  • Arrived at Morgan Stewart Shelter fairly early so they started a fire & hung out.
  • 16 mi.

6/22/08 - Woke up to rain, but it didn't last long.

  • Crossed NY 55. Hiked around Nuclear Lake - the site of a former nuclear fuels-processing research facility given a clean bill of health but they didn't take their chances with the water anyway - and there were no blueberries nearby for Hearts nibble on so we lucked out there, too.
  • Break at Telephone Pioneers Shelter (odd name).
    Saw the largest oak tree on the AT - the Dover Oak - I believe there is a picture of Amos hugging it...
  • Passed the AT train station - which shuttles day hikers from NYC & only runs on the weekends.
  • Hiked to NY 22 & stopped at Tony's Deli for lunch - bet you're wondering if they packed out more food & beer...
  • ... of course they did.
  • Heading back for the trail they came across a landscaping business and found that one of their fellow thru hikers, Root, got a temporary job there to help finance more of his trip!
    Next section of trail included some scenic field walking followed by pointless ups & downs. (Funny, that's how I see the entire AT!)
  • Break at Wiley Shelter - worst shelter ever - which says a lot if you remember the ones without roofs & running water back in Virginia. Described as small, dirty, crappy, rundown, with lots of mosquitoes.
  • Crossed the NY/CT border with a 'WELCOME TO Connecticut' sign!
  • Climbed up Ten Mile Hill and then back down to Ten Mile River where they took baths & swam for a bit. Amos went skinny-dipping while Tupperware preferred to remain in his skivvies.
  • Well deserved after a 20.5 mi day! Stayed at Ten Mile Lean-to.

6/23/08 - Trail meandered along the whitewater section of the Housatonic River Gorge (future kayaking trip)!

  • At Schaghticoke Rd. they veered off the trail and walked toward Kent to see an Indian Reservation - disappointed to find the residents very poor & living in run-down homes.
  • Arrived in Kent - 1st real New England style town. Upon entry they were greeted with rich Cape Cod influenced homes and a huge boarding school that looked fancier than most colleges... yes, even Muskingum!
  • Outfitter, laundry, grocery store, post office, Pizza Garden (expensive!), then beer.
  • Poured heavily while they were in the laundromat and the attendant shrieked at another thru hiker, Cricket, for being in the bathroom too long... wonder what she thought he was doing in there??
  • Left Kent, walked along the road & saw Kent Falls which was gushing from the recent downpour.
  • Next stop - Cornwall Bridge. Everything was closed except the liquor store and a gas station. BUT good news is that the owner of the gas station upholds a tradition that all thru hikers who stop by get a free beer! He also clued them in on a covert camping locale in town - a secluded spot behind the church.
  • So they snatched up a few snacks from the gas station and camped out behind the church!
  • 19.5 mi.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Zoinks!...

6/15/08 - Slept in. Still soaking wet. Started hiking around 10 am.

  • Beans & Benadryl left early early & didn't say a word to them all morning.
  • Found a coiled & ready-to-strike surprise waiting on the trail just past Sunrise Mtn.
  • Rattlesnake provided a few minutes of what I would deem ridiculous & freakishly unnecessary entertainment complete with photo ops & a video of Spock wrestling it off the trail with a long loooonnnggg stick.
  • Stopped to take a break at Mashipacong Shelter. Beans & Benadryl were there but when they saw our boys (& lady -sorry Twiggy!) coming they split lickedy quick... I wonder what climbed in their sleeping bag??
  • Came across a ridge line absolutely stripped by gypsy moths just before High Pt.
  • Wandered down into Unionville where they encountered a man we'll call 'The Mayor's Henchman' who encouraged them to follow him as he drove his car to the mayor's house through town...
  • Once at the mayor's house, the henchman spoke with the mayor... alone... then led them around back where he opened a hatch leading to the basement... - Let me stop for a brief moment to state the obvious which is that the only way you could have gotten me to shimmy down that dark hatch 'round back of the mayor's house is with a Great Dane & a well timed box of Scooby Snacks.
  • Mysterious hole in the ground turned out to be a tool shed with an attached bunk room for thru-hikers and the henchman wasn't so evil after all- he made them pizza for dinner, gave them free beer, did their laundry, and offered the group showers!! ...Of course he could have been leading them into a false sense of security all along...
  • 20 mi.

6/16/08 - Nope. Henchman made breakfast.

  • Sat around for a good portion of the morning playing horseshoes in the backyard with Spock and waiting for news on whether or not the mayor would/could drive them north for a slackpack.
  • No dice. Mayor wasn't scheduled to return till late afternoon so they hiked out.
  • Down to Wallkill river and then to Wallkill Lake where they saw several large Trumpeter swans.
  • Climbed Pochuck Mtn.
  • Crossed Pochuck Creek Footbridge -kind of neat- it was roughly one and a half miles of boardwalk that meandered through a swamp and then over a small creek.
  • At NJ 94 it started storming really badly so they caugh a ride with some creepy guy who likes to shuttle hikers around in his Mystery Machine. Drove to Vernon to stay at the St. Thomas Episcopal Hostel - which was simply a big church with several matresses in the basement.
  • Watched Independence Day & then drifted off to sleep.
  • Fairly uneventful for a murder mystery. Fred would have been disappointed- and with no word of free food, I imagine Shaggy was, too...
  • 12 mi day.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Hold your breath, here we go...

6/13/08 - I left... which was supposed to mean hiking would take place. Alas, it did not.
  • First, he hit the post office & mailed home all of the stuff I forgot. (Thank you!)
  • Then, they were supposed to hike out & have ChiliMac meet them at Culvers Gap but they didn't get started early enough sooo they decided to jump off a 40ft bridge instead and have Tupperware drive them to the pick-up point. (Which will mean a necessary slackpack tomorrow).
  • Hearts, Spock & Twiggy, Meltdown, ChiliMac & Snoopy all gathered together - in a tiny Courtyard Mariott hotel room - with Half-brew, his wife, and friend for one last Eukre tournament in celebration of Half-brew's last day on the trail!

6/14/08 - Continental breakfast followed by 1st round of horrible diarrhea... (don't bother getting squeamish this early in the game - we're just getting started).

  • Said goodbye to Chili, Snoopy, & Half-brew.
  • Picked up a box of Imodium for the road.
  • ChiliMac drove them (Hearts, Spock & Twiggy) back to the trail where they hiked south from Culvers Gap to County Rd. 602 while Meltdown continued north - I'm sure they were a twinge jealous.
  • Managed to snag a ride back to Culvers Gap with another thru hiker, Nightterror, and then hiked an additional 3 miles north to sleep in Gren Anderson Shelter...
  • On the way, they encountered an amateur ham radio convention on Culver Fire Tower - said it was like walking into a faux WWII control room reenactment... oh those boys & their toys.
  • Get out your TI-83 graphing calculators kids it's time for vector trivia: If Amos hikes 14.5 miles due south, catches a ride back to his original destination and then continues to march an additional 3 miles due north and it pours buckets all day, how far has he traveled??!
  • I refuse to dignify that with an answer. You figure it out.
  • Once at Gren Anderson, they found themselves sharing space with couple called Beans & Benadryl (DYING to know how they got those names) who were less than thrilled to have their new shelter companions show up late & sopping wet but what can I say... thems the breaks.