A lot has happened in the past two weeks since our last post. We're now in Massachusetts (ten states down, four to go!!), we were the victims of a theft, I (Mike) may have contracted Lyme disease, we received the best trail magic and we had a very rare and somewhat creepy sighting.
We're both feeling well and are excited to have made forward progress this past week having nearly completed two-thirds of the trail. The light at the end of the green tunnel is starting to become visible!
Hope everyone is having a great summer and we hope you enjoy this post.
Starting: Delaware Water Gap: 1289.6
Ending: Backpacker Campsite 1294.9
Total: 5.3
Our first day back after a long and needed seven day respite from the trail. It was after 5:00 PM when we got back on the trail so we didn't have much daylight left to hike and we were pretty tired after the long drive from Kentucky. It was a good thing we didn't have much time to hike because we weren't feeling that great, it's amazing how quickly you loose your edge from not hiking. It was a great feeling to finally leave PA, it definitely lived up to the hype about being the worst state of the fourteen, we certainly won't miss it.
A very sad New Jersey/Pennsylvania state line.
After an easy hike in light rain, we found a nice camp sight and settled in for the night. It was good to be back on the trail.
Day 100
Starting: Backpacker Campsite 1294.9
Ending: Campsite 1311.8
Total: 16.9
When I woke up this morning I knew it was going to be a long day. I didn't sleep well at all the night before having felt nausea, getting the chills and I had a bad headache. I didn't feel that well hiking yesterday evening too but figured I needed a few days to get back into the swing of things. We planned on doing twenty miles but after sixteen I had absolutely nothing left in the tank. It took everything I had just to stand. So we found a place to camp near a stream. We shared the campsite with Train, a thru hiker from Utah we had flipped flopped with all day.
All of the shelters in NJ have bear boxes, even the campsite where we stayed last night had a bear box, because apparently Jersey is over populated with bears. Who knew, my frame of reference for NJ was the surrounding area of the Newark airport, so I was surprised to hear about the bear population and how pretty Jersey actually is. Since we were staying at a random campsite with no bear box we made sure to hang a bear bag.
It started to rain shortly after we set up the tent so we hunkered down waiting for the storm to pass so we could cook dinner. I took a nap, still not feeling well. The storm eventually passed after a few hours and we made dinner, talked with Train for a bit, then hung our food bag and went to bed.
Day 101
Starting: Campsite 1311.8
Ending: US 206, Branchville, NJ 1318.3
Total: 6.5
It felt like I got about two hours of sleep last night, I felt terrible all night long and could barely sleep. I had flu like symptoms and was afraid I was coming down with something.
Around 5:00 AM I heard two loud thumps. At first I thought it came from Train. He sleeps in a hammock and I thought that maybe one of the trees his hammock was attached to fell down. We had heard of this happening to someone else a while back so that was the only thing I could think of that would make this loud of noise so close to us. But after the thumps, I didn't hear any other noises so I figured if he did fall I would have heard him rustling around or at least cursing the tree. Then I thought it must have been a branch that fell from the tree.
About an hour later I got out of the tent to start our day and looked over at the bear bag and saw this...
As soon as I saw the shredded food bag I knew a bear had gotten a hold of it. Because I wasn't feeling well the night before I didn't put a lot of effort into hanging the bag and ended up hanging it too low. As I walked over to the scene of the crime I noticed our lunch and dinner bag in the distance towards the edge of the woods. When I got to the bags I heard rustling in the woods and saw a bear scurrying off about fifty feet deep into the woods, our prime suspect was on the run. Thankfully he only took one-third of our food so we at least had something to eat. The best part about this incident is that the bear took the breakfast bag, after all it was breakfast time. Even though I was upset about not having my cup of coffee and honey bun to start the day, I couldn't help but laugh about it.
After gathering our food and breaking camp we were on our way. I only made it about three mile before I needed to sit down and take a break. As I was sitting on the ground, leaning up against a tree with my arms above my head, Train caught up and stopped to chat for a minute. As I was telling him how badly I was feeling he asked if I had been tested for Lyme disease. I said no and asked why he would ask. He pointed out a bulls eye looking rash on my tricep. This would explain exactly why I was feeling as bad as I was. Jessica and I very begrudgingly decided to get off the trail again so that I could get tested and treated if it was in fact Lyme disease. Thankfully, there was an Enterprise rental car nearby that was able to pick us up at a trail head only a couple miles away.
Once we got picked up we headed to the clinic to get tested. The doctor suspected it was Lyme disease given my symptoms and put me on Doxycycline. I also asked about my shin splints to get a second opinion and see if there was anything else I could to get them feeling better since they were still bothering me. He told me all I could do was, "ride the rocket" which I translated to, suck it up! After the clinic we headed to a hotel for the night.
Day 102
Starting:
Ending:
Total: Zero
I was feeling a little better today but definitely not good enough to hike so we decided to take another day off the trail. Before we got off the trail for Kentucky we were hiking around a good group of people and we knew the more time we took off, the chances of us catching up would be difficult. So the decision to take more time off was not easy but the best thing for me and for the big picture goal of us successfully completing out thru hike.
I also made another big and very difficult decision today, I decided to trim my beard. It was getting so shaggy the hairs were growing into my ears and I couldn't take it anymore. The barber I found was great, he had been in the same shop in Dover, NJ for 55 years, with the same decor, I presume. I felt like I had gone back in time, it was a neat experience, plus he didn't charge for trimming my beard because I was a tourist.
Day 103
Starting: US 206, Branchville, NJ 1318.3
Ending: High Point Shelter 1334.0
Total: 15.7
I woke up feeling a lot better today so we decided to get back on the trail. The weather today was beautiful, partly cloudy, in the low 80's. We've been very fortunate to have great weather throughout our trip, we've only had four storms that drenched us and a few other light rains. Given we've been hiking for 103 days, this isn't bad at all. We hope it keeps up.
We crossed by the highest point in NJ, aptly named High Point, at 1,610 ft with a 220 ft tower atop.
We crossed by the highest point in NJ, aptly named High Point, at 1,610 ft with a 220 ft tower atop.
Day 104
Starting: High Point Shelter 1334.0
Ending: NJ 94, Vernon, NJ 1352.9
Total: 18.9
We had another beautiful day of hiking. Jessica was really excited about today's hike because we were to walk over a boardwalk for almost a mile. Jessica looks at pictures on Instagram of hikers ahead of us so she knows what's coming up and she's seen a lot of pictures of the upcoming boardwalk. The boardwalk was a nice a change of pace from the trail.
Towards the end of the hike was Heaven Hill Farm & Pitchfork Deli where we planned on stopping to get ice cream and a soda to help us get through the last five miles of the day. As we were paying for our goodies, a nice lady and her husband approached us and asked if we were hiking the AT. After talking for a few minutes, she said she had a log cabin near a lake where we could swim, she would cook us dinner, let us do laundry and stay the night there. Since we were still five miles short of our goal for the day and we had taken off so much time lately, we both were hesitant to take her up on her offer. But our better judgment prevailed and we decided we shouldn't pass up such a generous and gracious offer.
We packed our packs in the back of her car and headed to their house. The house was a cozy log cabin in nice community that has access to five separate lakes, it's also surrounded by a state park so the area is very picturesque.
After getting settled in, Dori, Jessica and I headed for a lake that was within walking distance of their house. It was a nice little lake that didn't allow powerboats so it was very clean and refreshing. After swimming for about an hour we headed back to the house to clean up and eat dinner. Dori made us a delicious dinner and Jessica and Tom looked through pictures of their family. The dinner was fantastic and we had a very nice time sharing stories and laughing a lot. The next morning we ate breakfast and Dori took us back to the trailhead, a short fifteen minute drive.
We were so happy we said yes to their invitation as we had a great time to getting to know them and they were so kind and gracious to have us as guests.
Day 105
Starting: NJ 94, Vernon, NJ 1352.9
Ending: Wildcat Shelter 1370.0
Total: 17.1
Although the forests and landscape in this part of New Jersey are very pretty and scenic, the terrain on the trail is very much like PA, rocky. We heard Jersey's terrain was similar to PA but I think we chose to not want to believe it.
My feet hurt just looking at this picture.
Another state in the books!! We crossed into New York today, it's amazing how quickly the last few states have gone by.
Day 106
Starting: Wildcat Shelter 1370.0
Ending: Beechy Bottom Brook 1392.0
Total: 22
Today we stopped at Lake Tiorati Beach in Harriman State Park for lunch at the concession stand. I never thought I would be so excited about eating at a concession stand but spending so much time in the woods changes ones standards and perspective. For example, any food that isn't dehydrated is considered gourmet and anytime you don't have to collect water from a stream and filter it is considered a luxury.
We also hiked through a large boulder field that has a section called the Lemon Squeezer. It's two large boulders less than two feet apart that you have to squeeze yourself and you pack through. The boulders are also angled making it walk through them a little more difficult. As you can see from the picture below I wasn't able to get through it without taking my pack off.
Boulder field
Me taking my pack off midway through the Lemon Squeezer.
Jessica made it through without having to take her pack off.
There were several veiwpoints that you could see the NYC skyline. Unfortunately, it was a little too hazy to see the buildings clearly but we could make out the outline of the skyline.
Day 107
Starting: Beechy Bottom Brook 1392.0
Ending: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center 1406.1
Total: 14.1
We had another concession stand to look forward to eating lunch at today at Bear Mountain Recreation Area, life doesn't get much better than this. Bear Mountain is located just west of the Hudson River and is a very picturesque park. It was a great spot to enjoy a delicious burger for lunch.
Thru-hikers like to use an expression "hiker trash" when describing certain situations, like when eating outside of a gas station on a curb or on an abandoned semi trailer on the side of the road (both of which we've done) or any situation where you could easily mistake a hiker for a homeless person. At the park, I had a hiker trash moment when cleaning myself at a water fountain that Jessica happen to capture. The best part about this photo is the trash can right next to me....hiker + trash= hiker trash.
As we were leaving the park a gentleman approached us and asked if we were thru hiking. He said he was a photographer and he was compiling photos of thru hikers for a book he was putting together. The vision for his book is to focus only on the hikers so he was taking pictures in his studio in the basement of his house. He also said he would feed us. We've experienced a tremendous amount generosity over the last three months so being approached like this didn't come as a surprise but this time it seemed a little odd. My first that went through my head was from the movie Girl With a Dragon Tatoo, so my initial reaction, was thanks but no thanks. But after talking with him for several minutes we both agreed, why not.
He drove us to his house only about ten minutes away and on the way we learned he went to U of M and lived in Ann Arbor for several years. When we got to his house he showed us pictures of hikers he's already photographed, several of which we knew.
The studio where he photographed us was professional quality and we had a lot of fun taking the pictures. He said he would send us a few in an email in a couple of weeks. We'll be sure to post them when we get them. He then fed us some delicious chili and took us back to where he picked us up, which was right before the Trailside Museum & Zoo.
The trail actually runs through the museum and has the lowest point on the AT at 163 ft.
Two miles before our stopping point for the night the trail crossed by the Appalachian Market where we stopped for dinner. It was a gas station that had a deli and hot food. The food was surprisingly good considering it was a gas station even with our new very low standards.
We camped out at the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center. It's a beautiful property where the Fransican Friars have a drug and alcohol rehab center and let hikers stay on the baseball field. The grounds are very well manicured and very peaceful. We decided to go to bed early to get an early start the next morning as the weather forecast was calling for 90+ degree weather. I was excited to get a good night sleep on the soft grass. Unfortunately, there were two hikers who decided to get intoxicated and stay up all night pouring their hearts out to each other with music blaring. I waited to eleven before I asked them to if they could be quiet and turn the music off, thankfully and surprisingly they obliged and actually went to bed. We planned on getting up at 4:30 so I was thankful they cooperated. Then, around 11:30 eight hikers came into camp from a night hike. Night hiking is popular among thru hikers, especially on the warmer days. Usually, when people come into camp late, which late is defined after 8:30 PM, (9:00 PM is called hiker's midnight) they're typically quiet and respectful of the hikers already asleep in camp. This group was not either. For some reason they thought it was a good idea to turn music on when they were getting ready for bed. So once again, I got out of the tent and asked if they could turn the music off and try to be a little quieter. Thankfully, they were cooperative and we finally were able to get some sleep.
Day 108
Starting: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center 1406.1
Ending: RPH Shelter 1424.9
Total: 18.8
For the third day in a row we had another state park with a concession stand where we could eat lunch, life really doesn't get better than this. :) This was also the fourth day in a row we were able to get ice cream, hiking in New York is great, not to mention expensive.
We stayed at the RPH Shelter for the evening, where you can have pizza delivered to the shelter. So of course we ordered pizza for dinner. That night they were calling for storms so we decided to stay in the shelter instead of sleeping in the tent. This is only the third shelter we've actually slept in during our hike. We're grateful that we did because it turned out to be a bad thunderstorm that poured rain all night. Our tent dry weighs five pounds, when it's wet it feels like the weight doubles so my back and shoulders were very happy we decided to stay in the shelter.
Day 109
Starting: RPH Shelter 1424.9
Ending: Wiley Shelter 1450.5
Total: 25.6
We passed by the largest tree on the AT today. It's a huge oak tree with a 20' 4" girth and is estimated to be over 300 yrs old.
Who knew Jessica was a tree hugger?
We also passed by a commuter train station that takes you to Grand Central Terminal in NYC about 60 miles away.
Day 110
Starting: Wiley Shelter 1450.5
Ending: CT 341, Kent, CT 1463.2
Total: 12.7
We crossed into Conneticut today!
We stayed at the Fife and Drum Restaurant and Inn in Kent, CT tonight. It's been a week since we last showered and the temperature has been in the high 80's, low 90's so we were definitely overdue to get cleaned up.
Kent was a very charming little town, we both wish we could have spent more time there.
Day 111
Starting: CT 341, Kent, CT 1463.2
Ending: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter 1480.2
Total: 17
If I had only one word to describe CT it would be mosquitoes. They've had a wet summer and there's a lot of standing water in the woods so the mosquitoes are awful. We spray bug spray on ourselves a couple times an hour and we're still getting eaten up. It got so bad I wore a bug net over my head while hiking. We're looking forward to getting to higher ground that's less swampy and hopefully doesn't have as many mosquitoes.
We also met our second southbound thru hiker today, he started his hike on June 1st. I'm not sure why but both southbounders were hiking in sandals.
Jessica fording the river. Billy Goat is in the background taking his shoes off.
Day 112
Starting: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter 1480.2
Ending: Brassie Brook Shelter 1500.3
Total: 20.1
We've never seen so mosquitoes at one time, it was awful. We should have known by the name of the shelter that it probably wouldn't be the best place to stay.
Chevy Chafe and Legs where there too. They're part of a group of four guys that have been hiking together since GA. We met all of them in VA and haven't seen them since so it was good to run into them again.
We ate lunch near a large waterfall.
Day 113
Starting: Brassie Brook Shelter 1500.3
Ending: US 7, Great Barrington, MA 1517.1
Total: 16.8
We woke up this morning in about two inches of water under our tent. The bottom of our tent felt like a waterbed, I was impressed no water got into our tent.
The trail was more like a stream with the majority of it underwater. Some parts were as deep as six inches. It was a very rocky section with three large hills that had very slick decents. Unfortunately, my camera was buried in my pack to keep it from getting wet so I couldn't capture the wet climbs and descents. Because of the dangerous terrain we averaged around a mile per hour which is extremely slow going, plus both of us fell which adds to the stress.
Given our slow pace, mosquitoes, falling and being completely soaked we both agreed today was probably the most difficult day we've had thus far. Thankfully, we were heading to a hotel tonight and a zero day planned for tomorrow so this helped keep our spirits up.
Jessica enjoying breakfast in the shelter out of the rain.
Stream or trail?
We crossed into Massachusetts today. Ten states down, four to go!!
Day 114
Zero day in Great Barrington, MA
It's an amazing feeling that we're over two thirds of the way through our journey. It's been a rough couple of weeks but thankfully we're both healthy and in good spirits. We're enjoying our day off today but we're looking forward to getting back on the trail!
Happy Trails!
Z and Gia
