8-21-2009 Fri

Start point: Congdon Shelter
End point: Bennington, VT

miles hiked: 4.3

Blink was out first, then Beeman and Willow, then I finally made it out. When I got down to VT9 I caught up to Beeman and Willow. We only stood there for a minute or two and then a regional bus pulled up to drop someone off, so we were able to get a ride to town without having to hitch. I was just going to go into town to eat and re-supply, but after I got all my groceries it started pouring. I tried to wait it out but it was supposed to be raining all night. Just before I went in the grocery store a guy had told me he has space at his place for hikers if I knew anyone who needed a place to stay in town, so I headed over there. Turns out it was a couple named Arla and Chris who have a place right near downtown. They had a really nice barn/garage that Chris had made into his man room, with a pool table, dart board and couch, so thats where they let the hikers sleep. They are also nice enough to let us in their house to shower and Arla even set up the internet on her laptop and let me use that. Really great folks. Dah Wah He was there and he and I played pool and darts for a few hours while it rained. Beeman eventually showed up and stayed as well.

8-20-2009 Thur - Welcome to Vermud, er I mean Vermont!

Start point: Sherman Brooks Primitive Campsite

End point: Congdon Shelter

miles hiked: 12.3

Slept in reeeallly late. I got up early but just decided to stay in my tent and went back to sleep. That went on till around 10am, then I sat there and read for awhile. Finally got out around noon. After a few miles of tough (well it was tough on me) climbs I passed into Vermont. Not a whole lot of excitement today other than that, finally made it to the shelter and hung out at the fire with Beeman and Willow again, as well as Blink. We all were on the opposite side of the creek from the shelter tenting out.

8-19-2009 Wed

Start point: Cheshire, MA - St Mary of the Assumption Church

End point: Sherman Brooks Primitive Campsite

miles hiked: 16.4

Climbed Mt Greylock today, actually had some better weather today than the last time I climbed it. It was also waaay easier climbing it going northbound, further proof that going southbound is never good. When I got to North Adams I got a pizza at Dominos and took it to the park, got there just as it started raining. Luckily they had some covered areas in the playground, so I ate there and waited for it to stop. When I finally got to the campsite I found Beeman there, and he introduced me to his friend Willow. They had a little fire goin and we just sat around talking till dark.

8-18-2009 Tues

Start point: Dalton, MA
End point: Cheshire, MA - St Mary of the Assumption Church
miles hiked: 9

Didn't leave Dalton, MA till late in the afternoon. When I got to Cheshire it was around 8pm and I went by the church hoping someone was around, it said in my guidebook you could stay there but must talk to the pastor first. Luckily someone was just leaving when I got there and I was able to talk to the pastor, he let me in the parish hall and showed me around. Only 1 other hiker was there so we each got our own little room. The pastor was very nice and I was amazed at how generous they were to let us stay there.

8-17-2009 Mon

Didn't get back to Dalton till late, missed the early bus out of NYC so I had to wait there till 5pm when the next bus left.

8-15 & 8-16 - Sat and Sun

Started feeling better Sat afternoon, and by Sun I felt back to normal. Had a great time at the wedding and it was really great to get to see my friends, alot of whom I hadn't seen in a really long time.

8-14-2009 Fri

Well there is really no good time to get Lyme disease, but I got it right before my trip I had planned to the NYC area for my friends wedding, so basically the worst timing ever. Rob dropped me off at the bus stop in Pittsfield where I caught a bus to NYC, and my plan was to get to a clinic as soon as I got there. My friend Stacy (thanks Stacy!) helped me find a place and I was able to navigate the transit system to Hoboken, NJ to an urgent care clinic. They were great, got seen fairly quickly, the doctor told me what I already knew (yep, Lyme disease) and gave me a prescription for the antibiotic doxycycline.

8-13-2009 Thur

Since I didn't hike yesterday I finally broke down and agreed to my first ever south-bound slack-plack. Lots of people do these all the time, I never have though, just seems weird to me. My whole hike is north, why would I do ANY miles southbound. But anyway, the premise is this; you get dropped off north of where you are, in this case 23 miles north of Dalton in North Adams, you leave your pack behind and with a small day-pack containing just some snacks and water you hike back to your starting location. Everyone loves it because you can really fly since you are carrying hardly any weight. The next day you get dropped off up in North Adams again and continue like normal from there.
I got about 5 miles into the hike, at which point I was at the top of Greylock Mtn, then called it quits. I felt terrible, had no energy and a pounding headache. Got a ride down the mountain from some kids and took a bus back to Dalton. Turns out I had a fever, and I was pretty certain all these were symptoms of Lyme disease. I had a pretty big red spot on my hip that showed up maybe a day ago, but up until then I was hoping it was just some kind of spider bite, or another insect, anything but a bite from a deer tick.

8-12-2009 Wed

I was gonna hike out after I got my ipod charged, then it started raining. Then it kept raining off and on all day and I didn't feel like hiking out in the rain. Watched "Enemy at the Gates" and then we all went to the Misty Moonlight diner in Pittsfield, MA. They have an omelette called the Godzilla omelette, made with 12 eggs and 12 fillings, with home fries and toast. If you finish it in 30 mins you get a t-shirt that says you conquered the Godzilla omelette. No one was going to try it so I stepped to the plate. 30 mins later I left defeated, my ego badly brusied. I never would have accepted the challenge if I knew what I know now. That thing is huge, and to make things harder, everything in the omelette if freakin scorching hot! There is really no room to move things around and let it cool off because it takes up the whole plate. I took the leftovers home and it was a full breakfast the next morning. To give myself a little credit I think I ate about 3/4ths of it in 30 min.

8-11-2009 Tues

Start point: Finerty Pond
End point: Dalton, MA (the Birdcage)
miles hiked: 15.9

Saw this cool bug near the pond as I was hiking out this morning. Looked like its stinger was at least an inch long, would NOT want any part of that.

Bald Top Mtn was not bald. Stopped at the Cookie Lady's house on Washington Mtn Road to eat lunch, didn't think I was gonna get any cookies because when I got there no one was home, then she showed up before I left and came out with some for me. Not alot to talk about till I got to Dalton, the Library there sucks. Tried to get on the internet before they closed but apparently they shut down the computers 30 mins before the actual library closes, which was just when I was getting there. This Library has some f'd up hours too, and I generally think the people who work there have nothing better to do than to make it hard for people to use the internet. I hope to give Rob a working computer with internet someday so no one will ever have to stop at that library again, and the old ladies who work there won't have any dirty hikers to yell at. Met Ice Man and Cattywampus that night, they are a cool couple.

8-10-2009 Mon

Start point: Jerusalem Rd - Tyringham, MA
End point: Finerty Pond
miles hiked: 12.8

So I missed the 2.1 miles between Fernside Rd and Jerusalem Rd.. I was getting dropped off by Rob and he had already driven me 30 mins down here from Dalton, didn't want him having to bother trying to find this other little country road that none of us could really remember how to get to. Later that day I ended up re-hiking those miles I did in the dark between Goose Pond Rd and the cabin, so I figure I hiked the same amount of miles. Had lunch on the bank of Upper Goose Pond, that was nice. Beckett Mtn kicked my butt, I wanted to make it to the October Mtn Lean-to but it got dark so I just set up my tent near Finerty Pond.

8-9-2009 Sun

We got a ride from a very nice couple back to MA, they dropped us off at the mall in Pittsfield. We saw the G.I. Joe movie and then decided to go to Dalton, MA. Rob Bird has a house there (the Birdhouse) and he takes in hikers, he actually picked us up at the mall as he was dropping off a van full of hikers so they could go hang out there for awhile. Talked to him about needing to get the miles done between Tyringham and Dalton and he offered to take me the next day! This is only the beginning of Rob's amazing generosity. Crashed on his couch that night, he had room for about 5 in his basement, lots of room in his garage/attic, about 4 can fit in the front room, etc, etc.. He can house alot of hikers..

8-7-2009 & 8-8-2009 - Fri and Sat

We got up and hiked a few miles to US 20 where we got a ride to Lee, MA. This is where its gets complicated. We took a bus from Lee (DB just happened to be on the bus we got on, he was taking the bus to Willamstown, MA where a friend was picking him up and taking him to Bennington, VT) and then ended up riding to Willamstown and getting off with DB so we could get a ride to Bennington. At Bennington we split up with DB and me, Lion King and What took a regional bus to Rutland, VT (where the Long Trail Festival was). All told we made it 146 miles from Lee, MA to Rutland, VT for $9. The festival wasn't till Sat, but for $5 you could tent from Fri night till Sun afternoon, so thats what we did. Saw lots of folks I hadn't seen in a long time, and had a great time being in Vermont for my first time. The festival on Sat was fun, lots of good live music. I was able to get my trekking pole fixed from a Leki guy at the EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports) tent, and got a great pair of free wool socks from Keen. Having my pole fixed was worth the trip alone. Hanging out later in the day I got to hear one of the bands jamming out before their set, that was another highlight for me. All in all it was good to get off the trail for a few days but still be around hikers.

8-6-2009 Thur

Start point: US 7 near Great Barrington - Dolls and Dwellings
End point: Fernside Rd
miles hiked: 17.3

Didn't get out as early as I wanted to, was trying to dry my shoes out and had alot of breakfast to eat (did some pan fried pancetta that I put on bagels, yum, made a mess of my cookware though). Not fifteen min after leaving I get to a spot on the trail that was impassable without getting your shoes wet. Great, glad I spent so much time getting them dry. I come across DB about 3 miles after that and he was not doing too good. Said he thought he might be done. Just wasn't having fun anymore. I totally understand, the weather had been shitty, the bugs had been really bad, and it just wears on ya. What I told him was this, its not gonna be fun all the time, its gonna be tough, but thats part of it, and you have to get through this to get to the good stuff. He also told me himself that he would kick himself if he quit after going this far, so I tried to remind him of that. He said he was gonna sit and think about things for awhile. When I got to the next shelter, the Tom Leonard Lean-to, he showed up and told me his plan. He was gonna get off the trail and go hang with some friends in VT for a few days and think about things, but he would probably be back early next week. I hiked on, got to Benedict Pond which was gorgeous, as were some other ponds in the area, then stopped at Mt Wilcox South Lean-to for lunch. There were some spots in the woods past there that were very serene, no sounds of anything but wind blowing the trees, not even any birds. When I got to Fernside Rd I came across Lion King and What, and to make a long story short decided to go with them to the Long Trail Festival in Vermont. We got off trail and walked down Fernside Rd toward Tyringham, MA where we eventually met a couple walking, they offered to give us a ride.

then:

Start point: Goose Pond Rd
End point: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
miles hiked: 3.2

We got a ride to Goose Pond Rd because we wanted to stay at the cabin but would have never made it without skipping that 7.5 miles between Fernside Rd and Goose Pond Rd. It was aleady dusk by the time we got to Goose Pond Rd, and we did those 3.2 miles to the cabin in the dark with our headlamps on. The Appalachian Mountain Club - Berkshire Chapter maintains the cabin and has a resident volunteer caretaker in the summer months (who makes pancakes every morning for the hikers who stay there).

8-5-2009 Wed

Start point: Riga Lean-to
End point: US 7 near Great Barrington - Dolls and Dwellings
miles hiked: 13.5

Got out fairly early and got to the next shelter (just 1.2 miles away) where DB was. We climbed up Bear Mtn and then got to the Conn/Mass state line together. Right after getting into Mass you go through Sages Ravine, which is a very cool little area where the trail runs next to Sages Ravine Brook. The climb up Race Mtn then Mt. Everett was pretty tough. Met Dug-Out and Dizzy Bat around that area. Took a couple pics of Guilder Pond then it started raining, then poured for about 15 mins, just enough to soak me to the bone. Sat at The Hemlocks Lean-to and pondered how I could have missed the rain if I had just gotten there 10 min sooner. Came upon Dug-out and Dizzy Bat again near Elbow Trail and talked to them, they said they could give me a ride to Great Barrington to re-supply, so I hiked with them for most of the way to their car. They had started a thru hike, but decided around Maryland that they weren't gonna do the whole thing, and for the rest of the trip just do section hikes in each state. Can't blame em' for that. After I re-supplied they gave me a ride back to where the trail crosses US7, and there was a business there that lets hikers camp behind their store, so I tented there. DB showed up later. Got a great moon-rise over the mountain ridge that night.

8-4-2009 Tues

Start point: Sharon Mtn Campsite
End point: Riga Lean-to
miles hiked: 17.4

Got out pretty early and did 3 miles down to US 7 where me and DB took a break by an auto shop with a soda machine out front. The trail was re-routed there because of road construction there were doing on a bridge over the Housatonic River. I was told by a sobo that I could still cross the bridge if I just went up and asked them, so thats what I did, and they let me cross. DB took the re-route. I walked a couple miles down the road to Falls Village where I just happened upon the library (wasn't in my guidebook), so I used the internet for awhile. Duckman, George and Logan, Alan and Magic were all around, said hi to them. Just north of town is an Iron Bridge over the Housatonic and the very impressive Great Falls that gives Falls Village its name. I've heard the falls are not impressive at all normally, but after all the rain we've been getting it was freakin ragin'. Some pretty spots near Prospect Mtn, then another drop down to US 44 and Conn 41 where the trail goes near Salisbury, CT. Then a climb up Lions Head, got a great sunset right after I climbed that. Decided to stop at Riga Lean-to instead of trying to go farther, it was a good choice. Lion King and What were there and we had a great time cracking each other up till it was time to sleep.

8-3-2009 Mon

Start point: near Conn 341, Kent, CT
End point: Sharon Mtn Campsite
miles hiked: 18.1

Got packed up as quick as I could this morning, the mosquitoes attack you if you stop moving, so I was walking back and forth as I put my stuff up. At the first sunny spot I came to (Caleb's Peak) I hung out for awhile trying to get my shoes and socks to dry. DB passed me but I caught up to him at Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-to where we ate lunch. Had a 2nd lunch at Cornwall Bridge where I hiked 9/10ths of a mile into town to get a sandwich, and some more bug spray at the outfitter. Didn't get into camp till just after dark.

8-2-2009 Sun

Start point: Wiley Shelter
End point: near Conn 341, Kent, CT
miles hiked: 14

Got out around 8am, passed into Connecticut after just a few miles. Ten Mile River was flowing like crazy, well over its bank. Started raining on me going up Schaghticoke Mtn and got worse as I was going up Mt Algo. Drenched again.. :( Schaghticoke Mtn was tough, 1000 ft climb in 1.7mi. Snapped one of my trekking poles going down Mt Algo, slipped on a wet rock. That pretty much ruined my already crappy day. Stopped to rest for a second and the mosquitoes still are biting me, in the rain. These little devils just don't let up. Walked into Kent and found DB at the laundromat, washed my clothes and waited for the rain to stop. Hiked out of Kent and found a good spot on the top of the ridge, found DB up there, he was already in his tent. Insane amounts of mosquitoes up there, actually everywhere since NJ, but these last few days they've gotten really bad. After getting in my tent they still just fly around all night, stalking me..

8-01-2009 Sat

Start point: Morgan Stewart Shelter
End point: Wiley Shelter
miles hiked: 16.5

Slept in pretty late, even though it wasn't really raining anymore the trees were still dripping water for most of the morning. I was in the mindset that I wasn't going anywhere till I could leave dry. When I finally got up and out of my tent I found I was the last one there. Tried to dry some of my stuff, the sun was out but there was too much tree cover around the shelter to get anything properly dried. Near Nuclear Lake there were some nice sunny spots and I got everything completely dry (for now at least). Met a hiker named Cleancut doing Harpers Ferry, WV to Maine, hiked with him for the last 8 mi.

7-31-2009 Fri

Start point: NY 301 Clarence Fahnestock State Park
End point: Morgan Stewart Shelter
miles hiked: 16

Got up early and ate, was just finishing packing up as it started to rain. A state park employee gave us a ride back to the trail. Then it starts pouring.. Got drenched right away. Continues for at least the next 4 miles. Had lunch at RPH Shelter, somber mood. Got soaked again after lunch. Walked .3 off the trail at NY 52 for some slices of pizza and then next door to the pizza shop I got a sandwich from the deli to take with me for dinner. Luckily the rain stopped so we hiked to the shelter and set up our tents.

7-30-2009 Thur

Start point: Hemlock Spring Campsite
End point: NY 301 Clarence Fahnestock State Park
miles hiked: 16

It poured pretty hard last night so we were in no hurry to pack up all out wet stuff. I got out of camp a little before DB and made it to US 9/NY 403 where I stopped at a gas station/convenience store. The sun had come out so I dried my shoes and socks and ate a bunch of junk food for brunch. Me and DB probably ended up spending nearly 2 hrs there. Flatlander showed up so we talked to him for awhile. It got pretty humid again, and there were not very many good water sources, all the creeks don't look good. They don't look terrible, just not nice and clear like we're used to. We were talking about going to the state park because they let thru hikers tent out for free and use their facilities (hot showers). It was 1 mile off the trail but a couple from Brooklyn gave us a ride. They were staying there as well, really nice people (thanks Craig and Martha), ended up giving us some of their firewood they bought, and a couple of beers. After we got our tents set up a guy pulls up and as us if we were thru hikers, then offers us a ride to town for groceries. So we got to go the store in Cold Springs, NY (a ten mile round trip, thanks Steve!) He section hikes around the area and tries to help out thru hikers every year when they come through. Had alot of trouble keeping the fire going, but eventually got it going good enough to cook on. Hispanic neighbors at the next site over let me have some shampoo since I was out, they came back later and asked us if we needed anything else. Lots of hospitality today!

7-29-2009 Wed

Start point: Surebridge Mtn
End point: Hemlock Springs Campsite
miles hiked: 17.5

Got out after packing up around 6:30am. Made it to Fingerboard Shelter where I found Dragonbreath packing up. Went down to Lake Tiorati where I got water and ate breakfast. Picked blueberries on Goshen Mtn. Passed by Willam Brien Memorial Shelter, a stone shelter built in 1933. Started raining on me just before I started climbing Bear Mtn, and soaked me by the time I was at the top. Passed through the Trailside Museum and Zoo, they have many native species including black bears (which I could not see, sleeping I guess), an eastern coyote, porcupine, bobcat, etc.. It was pretty sad, all the cages were really small (even for a zoo). Crossed the Bear Mtn bridge that goes over the Hudson River. No energy at all after that, rain and fog and some big climbs just sucked it out of me today. I picked a crappy tent location, it looked flat, but around dark when it started pouring again, all the rain just pooled up under my tent. The waterbed effect would be cool, however with that much rain there is no way to keep it from getting in, so it was kind of a miserable night.

7-28-2009 Tues

Start point: Wildcat Shelter
End point: Surebridge Mtn
miles hiked: 13.2

Dragonbreath got out of camp 1st, then Zen, I was last. Tough day, like a mini-rollercoaster, just kept going up these mountains, coming right back down, then right back up another one, back to back to back. Hot day, sweat ALOT. There weren't hardly any good water sources, thank goodness 2 different sets of people left water caches at 2 different road crossings. Afer climbing Arden Mtn and coming down the other side I set up my tent because of thunder. Really did not feel like getting rained on. Of course then it cleared back up, so I re-packed my tent and continued on. Crossed over I-87 and into Harriman State Park, very beautiful. Funny how the landscape changes so drastically sometimes. Wanted to make it to Fingerboard Shelter, but it got dark so I just set up on a flat spot on the side of the trail.

7-27-2009 Mon

Start point: Wawayanda Mtn
End point: Wildcat Shelter
miles hiked: 14.6

So yesterday I had just missed Dragonbreath, must have been about an hour behind him all day. I figured I'd take my time packing up this morn and he would prob catch up (right before the climb up Wawayanda Mtn he prob got a ride into Vernon, NJ and went to the church hostel). After waiting around for most of the morning I finally got up and left but hadn't got but 10ft when he yelled at me from behind. We stopped at the Wawayanda Shelter for lunch, then hiked a few more miles before crossing into New York. For the most part it was a pretty tough day, very humid which can really suck the energy out of you. At NY 17A we came across Y-Knot, Goodwill, Beeman, Jersey Girl and her husband Ron who was there with his truck, picking them all up from a slack-pack. They gave me and Dragonbreath a ride into Greenwood Lake where we went to Pizza Planet and had dinner. Got a ride back to the trail from a very nice lady (Ms Johansen from Iron Forge Inn). Hike a few more miles to Wildcat Shelter, I got there right at dark. Zen passed me on the way there, we both tented out in the shelter. The mosquitos were really bad so its nice to have your tent to use as a bug net.

7-26-2009 Sun

Start point: Unionville, NY - the Outhouse, formerly "the Mayor's house"
End point: Wawayanda Mtn
miles hiked: 14.4

So I was taking my time getting ready and eventually Spoonman comes in from just going to the store, he said that Dragonbreath was just up there getting a sandwich. So I hike out and try to catch up to him, but never see him all day. I think I bought too much food, my pack was sooo freakin heavy. Made the day really tough. Stopped at Pochuck Mtn Shelter for lunch. The Pochuck Boardwalk was cool, it is a mile long boardwalk that goes between the Pochuck and Wawayanda Mountains, extending over a 3000-foot wide floodplain. My pinky toe blister still hurts, but its getting better. Found a nice flat spot to tent next to a creek on the north side of the mountain.

7-25-2009 Sat

Took a zero at the Outhouse. Got a ride with the (former) Mayor to Sussex, NJ to re-supply. Spent most of the day just hanging out, working on my blog, napping and watched a little bit of The Hudsucker Proxy with Lion King. Decided to break my no-drinking thing and had a few beers. Alot of us just hung out talking after dinner.