Appalachian Trail

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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Camping at Dans Spring 1236.2
July 17, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 19 °C
We started once again slow into the day because we wanted to check if we could do some slackpacking today. But unfortunately it wasn't possible so we started at 9:30 back to the trail. There was also an offer to get a haircut for only 8$ but even though there would be good reasons (ticks, heat, care) to do it, I've decided to go wild :D
There were some leftovers from the day before when a trail angel brought Donuts, Muffins, bananas and bars. So we got some stuff from there for our breakfast which turned out to be quite healthy.
After about two hours of hiking we came to a viewpoint named Pulpit Rock where we enjoyed our lunch. And we even got some more trail magic with an apple, a banana and a box of strawberries from two girls who were on a day hike. Another few miles later we came by "the best view on the AT in PA", the Pinnacle. It was a nice view but nothing extraordinary after about 1250 miles ;)
The rest of the day we just rock hopped to a campsite near a spring.Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
George W. Outerbridge Shelter 1256.8
July 18, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 24 °C
Finally an early start again and headed out at about 6:30. After about half a mile we encountered that we were at a different place than we thought we were. Didn't matter, still miles to do...
We had a breakfast at the next Shelter and met super nice people. Scout, a guy from Boston, and his girlfriend Isabel from Colombia. Julia was happy to talk in Spanish and I chatted with him about brewing beer and traveling. There we also met Rambo, a friendly girl of whom we've already seen the trail logs. It was nice to meet her.
Later we met Turbosnail on the trail and he invited us to take us to New York with him.
The hiking day was rock hopping and ridge walking. Pennsylvania is actually pretty boring to hike so far.Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
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Camping after Smith Gap Rd 1270.2
July 19, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 23 °C
In the morning we hiked into Palmerton, a small city located in the north of Pennsylvania. There I had the passport sent and also the replacement dry sack from sea2summit. Unfortunately only the passport arrived, the sack will be forwarded to Connecticut - this time I'm trying to make sure that it is there by the time we arrive :)
Afterwards we could finally do our laundry, the woman that was working there was so friendly and helpful. She even gave us soap for free. Before we went back on the trail we went to an italian restaurant for the lunch menu. But the food was way too less for two hiker hunger driven souls. So we ordered a large pepperoni pizza to go and almost ate all of it before we were out of town. We saw someone hitchhiking and getting a ride pretty quickly, so we tried it ourselves and fifteen minutes later we were already back at the trailhead.

So we started conquering that beast of a rock pile at noon. Which is probably the worst time as you don't have any cover from the trees... Additionally there are other things that made it hard to get up there:
- Checking that there is no rattle snake where you want to place your hand
- the 40+ pounds backpack
- half of an oily pepperoni pizza

Dehydration was an issue for me today... It was supposed to be a 17 mile stretch without water. So we knew what was coming and Julia did quite fine even though I've hydrated the whole morning with about 4 liters and carried another 3 liters with me... We've been told that there is often water at a gap after five miles but by the time we arrived there, there wasn't any. My water was half empty and even after drinking my throat still felt dry. So I was panicking a bit and asked at a parked car for some water who gave me a small half full bottle. After a thru hiker who went to town gave us another liter I started to feel better.Read more
Traveler Haha, cool! :-D
7/24/17Reply
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Delaware Water Gap 1293.6
July 20, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 21 °C
Today we planned on doing big miles! The terrain looked pretty flat, basically only one elevation change, so it seemed doable. Even though it is Rocksylvannia ;) And as expected it was a lot of rock hopping on the ridge. For lunch we've already had 10 miles but there were still 14 left and the humidity was high.
On the last third of today's section a thunderstorm came up. Of course it wasn't forecasted... But it looked worse than it actually was and we just got a bit wet. But the problem is that the shoes get almost instantly soaked. And if you have to hike for too long with wet feet/socks/shoes you can get trench feet. Been there, don't have to experience it anymore.
Luckily it stopped raining after about an hour. On our way down to the town of Delaware Water Gap we had a snake encounter. This is probably the worst that can happen... Hiking down wet and slippery stones and then there's a venomous snake in the middle of the trail behaving aggressively. In our case it was a pretty small copperhead but it didn't want to move even though we threw rocks at it. So we ended up walking through some bushes around it.

The rest of the hike was downhill and easy so we managed to arrive at the Church of the Mountain Hiker Center before it got dark. Even though we missed the hiker feed, there were still some leftovers which we destroyed almost instantly. Then Julia found some pork skins which we ate with Valentina from a hiker box :D After a shower we relaxed with other hikers and our feet got some well deserved rest.

Oh, and tomorrow New Jersey!! :)Read more
Sabine NoldAmazing photos
7/21/17Reply
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Camping after Millbrook Village 1310
July 21, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 23 °C
We've made it to New Jersey and we reached the 1300 miles mark!! Way to go :)
It took us a while to get moving because we had a quite big breakfast and then I checked out the outfitter in town, which was closed. We met lots of new thru hikers today, amongst them "Dancing bear", another German from the Cologne area and "G.I. Jane" a young woman from Brazil. Most of them passed us on the first uphill but I'm sure we'll see them again.
The first impression of New Jersey is basically the same as we've had in Pennsylvania, just a bit more elevation. And there were some really nice views all day, the pond in the morning and from the fire watch tower in the afternoon.
In the evening we were eaten by the mosquitos, so we hurried up with cooking and then spent some time planning when and how to go to NYC.Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Mashipacong Shelter 1330.8
July 22, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
In the morning we've tackled the Rattlesnake Mountain. Nothing there but a nice view and some rocks. Overall New Jersey has been pretty rocky so far. Luckily it doesn't bother us very much unlike others :)
For lunchtime we shot for a gap about 12 miles after our campsite. That was quite ambitious but we arrived there at about 1. While figuring out where to eat we noticed Gyp's Tavern and decided that it was a good time for a beer. And the food menu wasn't too expensive so we also went for that. We ended up sitting next to the lake, enjoying the ice cold beer, chatting with the locals and getting drawn into the vortex of the internet. Just as we finally made it to head out, Jon arrived at the Tavern.

Probably about half an hour later we were back in the trail. Fortunately we got interrupted again by trail magic from "Backup" and her husband who were doing a bit of hiking. She started thru hiking this year and did a section from Georgia until after the Smokies. They are from the area and she wanted to catch up with some people she met on the trail. They had the back of their car filled with delicious hiker stuff, bananas, Gatorade and even some beer. We talked a bit about the trail and people we both knew. About 5 minutes later we got even more trail magic by an elderly man with the trail name "Snores". He had some soda and a mosquito repellent for us.
Refreshed and happy we went to climb the next mountain together with Jon who caught up to us. On top is another fire watch tower and a picnic table. There we met again our trail angels and took our time talking and drinking beer together. We've really enjoyed their company and conversations.

Back on the trail we managed to make another 6 miles to get to the next Shelter because there is rain and thunderstorms forecasted.Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Camping Wawayanda Creek 1355.5
July 23, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
We both didn't sleep very well at the Shelter so we both were already awake when the alarm went off. Maybe it was just the excitement that we would get free sodas at the High Point State Park Headquarters :D
So that was our first target for the day to have breakfast there. We also met there "Dancing bear" again, whose cap we found at the Mohican Outdoor Center and finally return to him. Directly afterwards we came by the High Point Tower which is the highest point in the whole state of New Jersey. I wonder how long it took them to decide to name it like this... We didn't walk the additional 0.3 miles up to there though. As I mentioned before, thru hikers are lazy off the trail. At least we are :) And we had more miles to go, so we hiked on until it almost got dark... We're not going to do night hiking anymore as long as it is not necessary to get somewhere at a specific time or we know that it will be a nice hike (no stones!!). The additional effort is usually not worth it.
The last part was over a swamp area that was really pretty in the evening. We ended up camping under a footbridge that leads over Wawayanda Creek.

Additionally we have a new date that we are shooting for. The "End of trails" festival in Millinocket Maine from the 15th to the 17th of September. So we want to reach Kathadin latest by the 15th to make it to there. According to the description it's a music festival with a "chili cook-off, more food and plenty of beer".
To make it we need to average almost exactly 16 miles per day, which doesn't sound too bad. But we'll do about two zeros in New York, buying resupplies and then there are the Whites where you make 12 miles on a good day. So I think it's a challenging goal.Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Camping at Wildcat Shelter 1374
July 24, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
We woke up in the morning to the sound of rain on our tent. That always makes it hard to get out of the cosiness and into the cold. But we managed to do it with just a bit delay and we tackled the "stairway to heaven" - really lots of steps up there. And also during another downpour which turned the trail into a stream.
After about six miles we arrived at the Wawayanda State Park Visitor Center where we had a big brunch. We need to finish all of our food supplies. After another four miles we reached the border to New York :) Goodbye New Jersey...
New Yorks greeting started with a whole day of rock climbing and two rattlesnakes :( It'll definitely get better after our short break in New York City!!Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
NY 17 / New York City 1383.9
July 25, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
The upcoming "town", the zero day and the fact that we were out of food really motivated us to wake up at 5:15 and head out after a quick and small breakfast. We quickly made our miles and arrived at the intended road crossing earlier than expected. So we started walking in direction of the next bus stop. After about half an hour a man stopped and offered us to give us a ride to there. So he dropped us off in Tuxedo where we could decide if we take a train or the bus.
On arrival in New York City we first went to the Times Square - which was pretty close to the bus terminal. Because Till needed to accompany a delegation we couldn't get the keys from him. So we kept on being stinky hiker trash in this fashion metropolitan ;) After a little while we just stopped caring but we must have smelled pretty bad according to the faces some people made :x
We successfully shopped a new skirt as a town outfit for Julia and rewarded ourselves with a trip to Chinatown to get some famous soup dumplings. And they are delicious, even though I had some issues eating them. From there we walked a bit through Little Italy and a guy in a suit came by us and asked if we are thru hikers :D He said that he did it last year. A little bit later we saw two other thru hikers in a subway station... The world is a village ;)
Later in the afternoon we went to see the "Charging bull" at the Wall Street, the WTC memorial site and had a cruise to Staten Island and back.

For dinner we stopped by a supermarket and got cheese, grapes and cheese together with a cheap bottle of my favorite wine (Nero d'Avola). Together with Till we had a blast in his apartment and chatted until late at night.Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
New York City 1383.9
July 26, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 19 °C
Our second zero day on the trail! As it should be we slept in until about 9 but especially Julia couldn't switch from our usual schedule. So we started to get very hungry but it still took us until 12 to head out and search for something edible. Not too hard in New York :) So we had a huge breakfast at a nearby Deli for a good price.
Afterwards we had a bit of Sightseeing on our mind, so we went to Moma (just the entrance, I thought it was free), Central Park, Madison Square Gardens and the Flatiron Building. Julia wanted to meet with some friends who had hosted her the first time she was in New York. They were pretty close later in the afternoon so we went with them to a rooftop bar in the Gansevoort hotel. From there we had a magnificent view of the skyline and a really nice conversation with them.

Later in the evening we needed to do our resupply which we figured out was harder than expected because the few supermarkets in Manhattan are all expensive, but some only have organic, BPM free etc etc stuff. Which means that they have almost no selection and it's even more expensive. So we just got the minimum that we needed and switched some things for others.
On the way back we got us two Mac and Cheese meals and a pack of beer which we enjoyed on the rooftop with a beautiful view over Manhattan.Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Camping at Black Mountain 1394.6
July 27, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
The early bird gets back on the trail! At 7:30 we were already done with packing and heading for the bus terminal. There we got a bus perfectly on time and the driver was so nice to drop us off directly at the trailhead :)
Even though we got back so easy and fast, we only managed to move slow. Maybe because we were tired or just a bit exhausted from all the action and walking in New York. So we stopped after about 6 miles for lunch and a Siesta. Both didn't really help much so we decided to have a shorter hiking day and spend quite a lot of time eating blue berries and searching for a good camp spot.Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Camping before Denning Hill 1412
July 28, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
I had planned to get up early to get a good view of the NYC skyline but I was too tired and lazy in the morning :D So we went out at as usual around 7 and there was only fog. The Black Mountain where we camped was supposed to have good views of the NYC skyline.
Relieved that we didn't miss a view (nobody really saw it that day & night) we reached the 1400 miles marker and moved on to the zoo. I've been really looking forward to go there ever since I heard about it. And we were not disappointed... All those animals that we just saw in the wild were suddenly now so close (like the bears, rattlesnake). And there were also some others that we haven't seen so far, like the beaver. So we had lunch nearby the zoo and then moved swiftly some miles until we reached unexpectedly a Deli. We needed(!!!!!) to make a stop there because they had 5 beer for 5$! And also very tasty burgers and ice cream.
But we managed to still move on and made some good miles before setting up our tent.Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
NY 52 / Stormville Deli 1434.1
July 29, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 17 °C
I'm always having trouble to get up in the mornings, to hear the alarm. So when Julia doesn't want to get up, we don't get up :D This happened this morning but not for too long as we had planned to be by the beach around noon to have lunch there and a swim.
We succeeded in arriving there for lunch but we skipped the swimming part. On the way to the beach we found two beers as trail magic :) Nutritional breakfast!! At the beach we met a fellow thru hiker who told us about a possibility to camp near a Deli which is 10 miles away. So we decided to go there as we had still quite a lot of time left. But as we moved more slowly in the afternoon and the elevations got a bit more it took us almost until dawn to arrive there.
With some beer, chips and nacho cheese we rewarded us for the long day.Read more
TravelerJoni, how do you manage to get enough food/calories? I assume that you need a little bit more than usual or? Or do you lose weight?
7/31/17Reply
TravelerI still keep loosing weight, a lot. I'm trying to increase the amount of food I intake but it's hard because we need to carry it ;)
7/31/17Reply
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Camping at Ten Mile River 1458.3
July 30, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 18 °C
Today's plan was to get as close as possible to Kent, Connecticut. There we need to head tomorrow for a resupply and check if the new sea2summit bag is at the post office. We had a great breakfast at the Deli where we stayed with a breakfast sandwich (Bacon, Cheese & Egg) and a Everything bagel with cream cheese. Besides that our own stuff, so we were stuffed and ready for miiiiiiiiles.
In the morning we saw a cute woodchuck just before it hid in the bushes. Although it wasn't on my list, we were glad to see it just a few days after seeing it in the zoo. We figured that woodchucks are like beavers but didn't study engineering so they don't construct dams :D
As usual when we're moving fast in the morning we get a lot slower after the lunch break. So we already stopped an hour later to have a nap at the Garden Center which is hiker friendly. It was tough moving on but after a little bit we came by the largest oak tree on the AT :) Impressive...
As there were no camp spots along the trail (apparently because it's not allowed to camp outside designated areas) we needed to shoot for the Shelter. And we even went by it, so we just set up our tent next to the river as it was already dark and we couldn't move on anymore.Read more
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_much_wood_wou… ;)
8/3/17Reply
Traveler:D
8/6/17Reply
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter 1474.3
July 31, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 22 °C
After getting out of our tent in the morning we noticed the "No Camping" sign directly above our tent :D We swiftly moved the 8 miles on the AT until the road crossing that leads to Kent. It looks like a more upscale town with neat houses and well maintained green areas. Our first stop was the post office to finally get the replacement bag from sea2summit but I was already sceptical about that. And unfortunately I was right, so I forwarded it to Killington, Vermont. I have no clue how this system works!!!
The next disappointment was the resupply at the grocery store next door. As mentioned the town was pretty upscale and so was the store. More expensive than in Manhattan and not much of a selection. I miss the Dollar General stores in the south! Then we went for lunch at a Mexican diner which doesn't have any Mexican food except for Queso de Chihuahua (I guess it's the menonitas cheese). But the burgers were tasty and it wasn't too expensive. The last stop before going back on the trail was the local outfitter/ ice cream shop where I bought a iced coffee for one dollar. Literally coffee from the previous day and ice cubes :D Just when we were about to be vortexed Jon hitched a ride back to the trail. But it was already quite late and we were moving pretty slow so we only managed to make 8 use miles. The Shelter is right next to a river and swampy areas so the bugs were terrible.Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Falls Village 1492.3
August 1, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 20 °C
We've had some nice stops today. The first one was at a Campsite for breakfast which had a swing and a well with delicious water. The next one was at a shelter where we randomly met Claus from Stuttgart. I've had a blast talking swabian with him and exchanging about the trail. It's easy to have to conversations with him so we spend more time with our lunch break than planned.
By the time we hit the trail again we thought we'd be just about 6 miles away from our destination (with a shower!!!). But it was actually more than 8 miles, so we needed to push a bit more. The heat and bugs were crazy today and I was glad to still have Oralpädon left. After surviving the rollercoaster there we road walked into Falls Village which doesn't have much but a liquor store, an inn and a town hall. Luckily there's also a cafe with a hiker friendly owner that lets them sleep in the backyard.
So we did the things you could do there. Resupply on beer in the liquor store, use the free internet at the inn and then set up our tent at the café :) We've met Chef, Jon and Anvil again.
Just as we finished cooking the Chicken Broccoli a girl that is also staying at the Campsite walked up to us with big boxes of food. She said that they weren't able to finish it and that we could take it. So we finished all of it and also our dinner.

At the end we drank beer altogether and chatted.Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Race Brook Falls Campsite 1510.8
August 2, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 15 °C
We were awaken early by a crow screaming right next to our tent. We had an extended breakfast at the Toymakers Cafe before we went back on the trail. There we just hiked for a few minutes and then got a necessary shower at a power plant. It took us until 9 to actually start making miles...
On the way to the 1500 miles mark we met a gardner who was friendly. After a bit of smalltalk I remembered Julias rash and asked him. He confirmed that it is poison ivy. Nothing to joke about but still better than other guesses, like tick bites or chiggers. So it was kind of a relief.
On the way up to the Lion's head (there are longer up and down parts now again) Jon and Claus passed us. They were going about the same pace so they decided to make a hiking couple, at least for the day. You could hear the rumbling of a thunderstorm from the nearby clouds but it seems to be just a bit.
On the way down it suddenly started to pour and besides getting soaked the trail went pretty bad. So we needed to climb down steep, slippery rocks. It felt quite dangerous although the pictures don't look like. But we were relieved when the rain decreased and we moved into less rocky and steep terrain. We managed to make it until a nice little campsite. There we met "not sure" and had a great time chatting before heading to bed at hikers midnight.Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Tom Leonard Shelter 1527
August 3, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
For breakfast we stayed at the campsite and were soon joined again by not sure. Over chatting with him it took us more than an hour to head out. It was even tougher to start as we hit a steep climb up Mount Everett right in the morning. Up there we met Jon again who had camped a bit before the campsite. Together we climbed down and encountered the so far largest rattlesnake we've seen on the trail. Luckily it didn't care too much about us so we could pass quite easily.
For lunch we stopped at the Appalachian Trail Headquarters North. It was very unimpressive, the main features were a spigot and two electrical outlets.
Then Jon encountered that he was almost out of food so he went to the next town. We moved on to the upcoming Shelter after about five miles and arrived there after three hours and lots of swearing on the bugs.Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Upper Goose Pond Cabin 1548.1
August 4, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 19 °C
After a late start on the trail it started raining at about 11 and turned into a downpour. We decided that it doesn't make sense to have lunch in the rain and to shoot for Tyringham. By the time we got there we were super hungry and not sure if the food we have lasts until Dalton. We asked an older couple that we met on the way for directions and if they knew if there is anything like a Cafe or deli in the town. Apparently we must have looked pretty bad because they gave us a bag of pretzels and two yogurts :) At the post office was a hiker box where we found another bag of pretzels and some oatmeals. Lucky us!
After enjoying our lunch, we enjoyed the perks of the internet to catch up with some things. Jon also arrived at the post office an hour after us. He was looking pretty bad, a wound at his leg got worse, he was exhausted and didn't eat anything yet. So we gave him some pretzels and supported him with information/directions to Lee, Massachusetts. He headed there to rest, do laundry and get a proper meal.

In the afternoon we had quite a nice and easy hike to the Upper Goose Pond Cabin. That's a cabin close to a lake with opportunities to swim and canoeing. There are also bunk beds with mattresses but by the time we got there, they were already full so we set up the tent near the lake. Then we went for a great, refreshing swim in the lake. The water was pleasant and it felt good to give our bodies a different kind of movement. For dinner there was "Suddenly Pasta salad" on the menu that we found in the hiker box. Don't do it!! Its probably not as bad when it's cold, but as a pasta dish it's awful!!Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Kay Wood Shelter 1565.7
August 5, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
We had an amazing morning at the Upper Goose Pond Cabin with a freshly brewed hot coffee and blueberry pancakes - classic with butter and maple syrup. This really gave us the energy necessary to make it to the "Cookie Lady" about 11 miles later. According to the thru hiker guide she "puts often cookies outside for hikers" and we hoped for that for lunch. And we were lucky even though she wasn't home her grandson took care of the hikers. He brought cookies and sold sodas and ice cream.
On the way to there we came by a special place. It was a really moving moment when we crossed the I90 a busy interstate leading from Boston to New York State. We've been at exactly this point half a year ago when we drove to the Niagara Falls. We saw the sign back then and it was cool but now we know what it means. This journey that is behind the "Appalachian Trail" and that's not over yet. We were there in the warmth and comfort of the car, now the opposite on our feet.

After a two hour break at the "Cookie Lady" and some blueberry picking we went back on the trail to finish the day. The Shelter we stayed at is just about three miles away from Dalton, so perfect to hike in for breakfast :)Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
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Mary Assumption Church Cheshire 1577.2
August 6, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 14 °C
As we made it already so close to Dalton we had plenty of time to sleep in. And as always when you can sleep in, you can't... This time because of some incredibly noisy teenagers that were hiking around with their Bootcamp group and having their tents right next to ours -.- So we decided to tear down our tent and hike in to Dalton for breakfast. On the way there we met an incredibly cute and entertaining porcupine that was walking along the AT ahead of us. It took ages before it noticed us, so I could do a two minutes video and take some pictures. It ran away and climbed slowly up a tree, so we had plenty of time to pass and leave it alone.
When we finally arrived in Dalton we got a Breakfast Sandwich, Everything Bagel and an Avocado Sandwich. For our trained hiker stomachs not enough so we went to the gas station for muffins. The medium fed ourselves were in need of a shower and laundry. In front of the CRA building I got trail mix bars from a random guy who asked if we are hiking the AT - so not another homeless experience.

Around noon we met with Julias family who came all the way from the Boston area. After all a three hour drive to the other side of the state. So we were super happy that they came, especially the smallest and newest member of the family was the star :) We had a great time and relaxed afternoon. Unfortunately we didn't have more time...
By 3:30 they needed to head back home and we also went back on the trail. It was only about 9 miles to the next town so we went for that. When we were just about to arrive in Cheshire there was a sign catching our attention advertising for "local honey". So we went there, bought a glass (!!!) of honey and got a free tour around the garden and the bee hives.
For the night we camped at the St. Mary of the Assumption Church Parish Hall. They are offering a campsite and restrooms for the thru hikers. On the menu for dinner was today cold ravioli straight from the can :D Proper town food!!Read more
Sabine Nold What a sweet little boy
8/13/17Reply
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Camping before MA/VT border 1596.1
August 7, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 13 °C
We've had an extended breakfast in the morning at the church before hiking half an hour to the second breakfast at Dunkin Donuts. As we also had WiFi there we were vortexed and it took me another hour to get moving.
Luckily we haven't made any proper plans yet so we went up Mt Greylock for the lunch break. This point marks the highest point in Massachusetts and it was supposed to be very touristy but by the time we arrived there, there were just a few.
We made the plan to sleep in Vermont tonight which didn't seem to be an all too tough hike. But as it started raining in the evening we got slower and slower.
So in the end we didn't manage to make it to the borderline but - as we saw the next morning - we were really close. It started getting dark and the rain got heavier so we set up our tent. While setting it up it up it got wet inside so we dried it up with a towel and went to sleep hoping that it will stop raining in the morning.Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Camping Hell Hollow Brook 1613.4
August 8, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌫 13 °C
It rained all night, not too heavy but constantly. When I got out of the sleeping bag I saw that the whole feet part was soaked, same the backpack... There was still some water on the tent floor forming a little pond. Definitely way too much water to be caused just by condensation. So we suppose there could be a leak somewhere. But luckily it stopped raining in the morning so we had a quick breakfast and headed out.
After only about ten minutes we reached the border of Vermont, the so-called "Canada of the USA". Our 12th state and mainly known for its mud on the trail, therefore the nickname Vermud. And 20 miles deep (pun intended) into the state can say that it deserves the name. A girl heading south told us some days ago that she made a wrong step and got stuck down to her hips in a mud hole...
More first impressions, we saw a bear - mainly just its back as it was really thick vegetation. Our first bear sighting since New Jersey to remind us why we hang our food. Just a few minutes later we saw a moose walking for a bit on the trail and then turning into the woods. I think it didn't notice us but it was still too late to get a picture or video.
For lunch we stopped at a really dirty shelter, it didn't even have a picnic table. But the sun came out so it was a good opportunity to dry our stuff a bit. Especially the tent gets super heavy when it's soaked. The hike in the afternoon was again slower, mainly because of a tough elevation change but also because we were tired. We found a pretty nice campspot near the Hell Hollow Brook, the sound of the river always helps sleeping better. It's life a meditative white noise.
There I made a super random encounter with a guy who was at the camp spot. We chatted a bit until he asked me where I'm from, then he said in Swiss German that he is from Switzerland but lives since ten years in India as a Buddhist monk.Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Camping Stratton-Arlington Rd 1633.2
August 9, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Julias iPad got too cold so it turned off at night and we didn't have an alarm clock. When I'm in charge of the alarm clock it usually doesn't work and same today. So we went out of the tent at around 7:30 and then had a slow breakfast with a quick visit from Jon. It took us until almost 9 to get moving, so we couldn't expect a lot in terms of miles for the day. Especially when we stopped for lunch only three hours later at a shelter. But the stop was worth it, except for a great quality spring there was also a day hiker who gave us some dried peaches.
There were many hikers on the trail today, it was almost a little crowded at springs, Shelters and Campsites. Looks like we made it into the bubble. The hike was moderate today, even though there were long uphill parts we still managed to make some miles.
Just as we arrived at our today's goal, a Campsite, we were greeted by some trail magic. A fellow hiker who slackpacks some of his tramily did also some trail magic for the other hikers. The sodas and fruits were really a blessing at the end of the day.Read more
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Appalachian Trail Traveler
Camping on top Bromley Mountain 1653.7
August 10, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
We've finally had a dry night and slept well so it was easy to get up early. The Campsite we've stayed at is at the bottom of Mt Stratton so we had a climb of 1800 ft directly in the morning. Prepared for the worst - muddy, steep uphills - we were surprised by an easy hike with just a little elevation change. So we arrived at the summit earlier than expected and had a beautiful view over the Green Mountains from the firetower.
The hike continued to be pretty easy after lunch. On a woods road we were passed by two fellow hikers who went to Manchester, a town more than 5 miles off the trail. Even though we needed some supplies (we ran out of tortillas today and also not much for breakfast) we had planned to make it to Killington with the stuff we have. But they told us that there is a shortcut on blue blazes into town which leads you in two miles there. So we decided to go there to be safe to make it to Killington. The only problem was that we ended up in the suburbs and it was another two miles to the center with all the groceries. Luckily we got free internet in front of a motel and we googled that there is a farm stand nearby. It was a bit more expensive but we got freshly baked bread and some peaches. We treated ourselves with a Maple syrup creamy, some kind of homemade soft ice.
The way back to the trailhead was another 4 miles of road walking but luckily we got a hitch after about two miles. The last part of the day was a hike up to Bromley Mountain where we planned to stay in a ski hut. But as we arrived there it was pretty dirty and smelly so we preferred setting up the tent. The reward for our efforts was a scenic view over the area and an amazing sunset. Eventually we're going to get up for the sunrise ;)Read more
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