It seems we are updating the blog about every 10 days or so. At this rate, we will only have a few more updates before Katahdin! We are currently zeroing in Rutland Vermont and should be in New Hampshire by Tuesday/Wednesday. It is crazy to think that we will only have two states left by next week. We got our cold weather gear mailed back to us this week. It is definitely needed as the nights are starting to dip into the low 50's and it's only going to get colder as we continue north. Here is a recap of what's happened the last 10 days:
Start: Great Barrington, MA 1517.1
End: Shaker Campsite, MA 1534.7
Total: 17.6
We left the hotel and got back on the trail around 10am. There had been storms the previous two days but the skies were clear and we were hoping to have a dry day. When we got to the trail head there was a note from the local trail club saying the trail had been temporarily rerouted to the road due to the Housatonic River flooding the trail. We spent the first 1.5 miles of the day walking on the shoulder of a pretty busy road. Thankfully we were rerouted back to the trail relatively quickly and managed to avoid the worst of the flooding.
The rest of the hiking was nice. We had good weather and managed to stay dry.
We got to camp around 6 and there were a few other hikers there that we knew.
One of the hikers, Fiddy Shrimp, had started a dead mosquito pile of all the Mosquitoes he had killed while sitting at the picnic table. He had a pretty impressive pile of well over 75 victims. Mosquitoes have been terrible for us on the trail the last few weeks. They started to get bad (like drive you insane bad) in Connecticut and still haven't let up in MA. We have been going through bug spray like crazy and have been progressively upping the deet percentage in each new bottle we buy. During dinner we helped add to the pile and probably had close to 200 before we went to bed. Nights like this, I am very thankful to be able to zip our tent closed and keep the bugs out!
Day 116
Start: Shaker Campsite, MA 1534.7
End: October Mountain Shelter 1553.4
Total: 18.7
We got an early start and got on the trail by 7. We have been making an effort to get on the trail by 7 or 7:30 each day. Since the days are starting to get shorter, we like to be finished hiking by 7pm. Starting our day by 7, allows us to get off the trail before the sun starts to go down.
Today was another uneventful day of hiking. We passed by more beautiful scenery and had good terrain for hiking. The forests are now mostly made up of pine trees. I love walking on fallen pine needles, they really cushion your feet and smell like Christmas!
One thing we have noticed is that the shelters are pretty poorly marked in Massachusetts. The shelters generally sit between .1 to .3 miles off the trail and there are usually signs on the trail. The last few shelters we passed, including the one we stayed in on this night, were not marked. We almost walked right by it but we heard people talking and decided to walk up the side trail. Thankfully we didn't miss it!
The shelter was pretty full with section hikers and two other thru hikers. One of the section hikers had started at the NH/VT border and was hiking south to spend a month at a Buddhist monastery. He was a very interesting guy to talk to and he gave us some helpful tips about the trail north of us. He also said that the Mosquitoes let up starting in Vermont. It gave us yet another reason to be excited about getting to the state line!
Day 117
Start: October Mountain Shelter 1553.4
End: St Mary's Church Cheshire MA 1574
Total: 20.6
Today was a good day! We went through town during lunch and dinner time and got to eat at two different restaurants! Anytime we don't have to eat tuna fish tortillas and rice sides, we celebrate.
We got on the trail around 7am after a pretty cold night. We are starting to sleep in multiple layers and thick socks. We will definitely be needing our cold weather gear soon.
It started raining when we got on the trail. It had also rained overnight, making the trail a muddy mess. We have been getting pretty lucky about not getting rained on during the day but the nights have been pretty stormy. The trail has been muddy the last few making things a mess!! This is also the exact type of weather that the little orange newts love. We have been seeing them all over the trail lately and it's always exciting when we spot them!
We have come up with a few nick names for Massachusetts: mosquitochusets, muddachusetts, and massanewetts. These are some of the things that I will remember the most about Massachusetts!
It quit raining before we got into town for lunch but we were a muddy mess. We did our best to clean up before going into the restaurant but we definitely looked borderline homeless. Thankfully, since the trail runs right through the town, the locals are used to dealing with smelly hikers. Lunch was great and we got ice cream before getting back on the trail.
We left town a little later than we had hoped so we really booked it to make it to the church. The Catholic Church in Cheshire allows hikers to stay there for free but they want you to get there before 9. We had planned on stopping at a pizzeria for dinner before heading to the church so we had to make sure we made it there in time. It was nice to stay indoors, we were very thankful for the generosity of the church.
Day 118
Start: St Mary's Church Cheshire MA 1574
End: Stealth Campsite, VT 1593.2
Total: 19.2
We planned to leave the church earlier than usual to do our resupply at a local gas station before we got back on the trail. We didn't have very high hopes about what supplies we would be able to get from the gas station, they are usually pretty hit or miss. We only had two days before getting into a bigger town for a real resupply so we were okay with getting a few things from the gas station for just a few days.
When we got to the gas station I felt like it was Christmas morning! It was huge, recently renovated and had a Dunkin Donuts attached! We got an obscene amount of food for breakfast and spent the next hour sitting in the front of the gas station eating breakfast sandwiches and doughnuts and drinking coffee. It was an amazing start to the day. To top it off, they had a good selection for our resupply as well.
Once we finally got on the trail we had a pretty long climb to the top of Mt Greylock, the highest point in Mass. The climb was long but the grade was gradual so it wasn't too difficult. Once we got to the top we realized there was a lodge with a restaurant! We decided that it would be a perfect spot for an early lunch. After lunch we had a couple approach us and ask us if we were thru hikers. When we told them we were, they offered us ice cream. Of course we said yes! They had thru hiked the year before so it was good to hear their perspective of the trail we have ahead of us.
After lunch we still had 10 miles and a big hill to climb to reach the MA/VT border. We were pretty motivated to get out of Mass by the end of the day so we made good time that afternoon. During one stretch on the trail we ran into a south bounder who we recognized to be Grandpa George, a thru hiker we had met in the Smokies. He was quite a character and I was surprised to see him as I had heard he had gotten of the trail shortly after TN. He said he was going south now and was planning on doing two big chunks of the trail. It was good catching up. I definitely never expected to see him again.
We hit the VT border around 6pm and were pretty exhausted after a day with big mileage and big climbing. We decided that we would stop anywhere we found a good spot to set up our tent. Luckily, there was a great site near a stream about .5 miles after the border. We set up camp and slept well that night!
Day 119
Start: Stealth Campsite, VT 1593.2
End: Bennington, VT 1607.1
Total: 13.9
We were heading into town today and had a goal to be finished before 3pm. We were pretty excited to get to the hotel since it had been about 5 days since our last shower.
We got out of camp around 7 and were really excited to start hiking in VT! We have heard good things about this state and I was excited to see it for myself.
The mosquitoes have finally started to thin out and we are using a lot less bug spray on a daily basis. We are also still dealing with a lot of mud but it's more muddy and less swampy so our feet aren't getting as wet.
The final decent into town was incredibly steep and wet. The trail was about a 700 foot drop over .5 miles. It made our progress very slow and a bit dangerous. We both slipped a few times on the way down.
We made it to the trail crossing at 2:45 to meet the taxi as it was pulling into the parking lot. The taxi driver was pretty impressed with our timing and I was just happy to be in a car.
We got dropped off at our hotel and I ate 5 complimentary chocolate chip cookies at the front desk while we were checking in. They were delicious!! We had dinner at a nearby restaurant and resupplied at the grocery store next door.
Our trip to Bennington was quick and we didn't get to see much of the town but we got to do our laundry and shower so it was a successful stop!
Day 120
Start: Bennington, VT 1607.1
End: Kid Gore Shelter 1621.5
Total: 14.4
We got back on the trail around 10:30. It had been raining all morning so we took our time getting ready and heading back.
Most of the morning was spent climbing. We are starting to get back in higher elevations and will soon break 4,000 ft for the first time since southern Virginia. When the climbing is hard I keep reminding myself that it is good training for The Whites in NH.
We had lunch at a steam on the trail and met a couple who was hiking the long trail. The AT and long trail run together for about 100 miles before the AT splits east to head to New Hampshire and the long trail continues north to the Canadian border. The long trail is 200+ miles and seems to be pretty popular among Vermont locals.
We found a great tent site near a shelter to set up camp. We had a good day of hiking and were pretty tired by the end of the day.
Day 121
Start: Kid Gore Shelter 1621.5
End: Spruce Peak Shelter 1644.4
Total: 22.9
We had big mileage planned today so we got on the trail by 7. We also climbed Stratton Mountain today. Benton MacKaye was inspired to propose the creation of the Appalachian Trail from the top of Stratton Mountain. We got there right around lunchtime and climbed to the top of the observation tower. The day was clear so we were able to see pretty far in the distance. The windows in the observation tower were labeled so we could identify the mountains and lakes in the distance.
We still had 11 miles to go after lunch and one of the caretakers at the top of Stratton Mountain said there was supposed to be afternoon storms, so we decided to pick up the pace to get to the shelter as soon as possible. The terrain in the afternoon was really nice. It was relatively flat and we even had a stretch where we were walking on a gravel road. It started thundering when we were still about 2 miles from the shelter which made us pick up the pace even more. We were determined to stay dry! Luckily we made it to the shelter and even got to hang out for an hour before the storms moved in. We decided to sleep in the shelter that night to avoid the possibility of getting soaked in our tent.
There was a section hiker at the shelter who had a homemade didgeridoo. He made it out of plastic and it weighed less than a candy bar! He played a few songs for us after dinner. It was amazing to hear the music coming out of what looked like a crumpled up plastic tube.
It started storming around 9 and continued to rain throughout the night. Mike and I were glad we decided to stay in the shelter so we wouldn't have to deal with a wet tent and clothes the next day.
Day 122
Start: Spruce Peak Shelter 1644.4
End: Big Branch Shelter 1663.7
Total: 19.3
When we woke up the storms had stopped and it seemed like it was going to be a nice day weather wise. I was convinced we would be walking in sloppy mud all day due to the amount of rain we had gotten overnight. Surprisingly, when we got on the trail it wasn't too bad. We talked to a guy who was dropping off some hikers at a nearby parking lot and he said that it didn't rain at all in town. That have me hope that we would have a dry trail for the rest of the day.
Our first climb of the day was actually up a ski slope. It was pretty funny to see a gondola at the top of the hill with a ski cabin and multiple runs. It's hard to imagine these same hills covered with snow.
The rest of the day was spent climbing up and down mountains. We had some pretty great views from the top and even had the opportunity to get our picture taken together! Usually when we get to the top we are by ourselves and we have to take selfies to get both of us in a picture. This time there were a few other hikers and we actually got a nice shot of the two of us!
We got to the shelter and set up camp around 6. The shelter was pretty small and there was only one good tenting spot. We ended up being the only two there that night. That has only happened one other time during our entire trip. There was a big river that ran right in front of the shelter which was like having our own sound machine when we went to sleep that night.
Day 123
Start: Big Branch Shelter 1663.7
End: Rutland, VT 1679.6
Total: 15.9
We got up really early today because we had planned to get picked up at 3 to go into town. We like to give ourselves plenty of time when we have a ride waiting for us because we never know what kind if terrain we are going to run in to.
Mike had gotten up before me to get water and start breakfast and all of a sudden I hear "uhhhh, there is a dead mouse in our dirty water bag." My immediate reaction was that he was trying to make a terrible joke but when I got out if the tent I saw the leaf pile and mouse at the bottom of the bag.
Our water filter is a gravity system where we fill a "dirty" bag with water and hang it so the water filters into the clean bag. The dirty bag is opened at the top so you can collect water. We usually filter all our water before we go to bed but the filter was running so slowly the night before we decided just to hang it outside our tent and let it continue filtering overnight.
Apparently a mouse saw this as a good spot to make a bed and jumped in. We immediately decided that we would not be using the water that was filtered and we would be throwing away the entire system as soon as we got in town. We had already planned on replacing the filter as it was getting pretty dirty, now we had to get a brand new system.
As we were pulling the dirty bag off the tree to pack it we noticed the mouse was not dead and was trying to escape from the bag. Apparently it had gotten into the bag after and the water had filtered and not while it was filtering like we previously thought. We let the mouse go and decided we were still going to replace the system.
Luckily, we had enough water for breakfast and planned on getting more for the rest of the day from a shelter a few miles up. Even after the Mose debacle we were able to get on the trail by 6:30!
We got to the next shelter to get more water and realized there wasn't a spigot like we has previously thought. We keep iodine tablets with us for emerencies but it makes the water taste really bad. Billy Goat, another thru hiker we have been flip flipping with, offered to give us his extra filtered water. He ended up having an extra 2 liters of water which we gladly took.
The rest of the hike was really nice. We walked mostly in pine forests and had some great views of the surrounding mountains. We got to the parking lot by 2:30 and got picked up to go into town.
We got a rental car because we had a lot of errands to run the next day. Once we picked up the car we drove out to a local brewery and had some great food and good beers!
We went back to the hotel and called it an early night.
Day 124
Zero in Rutland, VT
Today was spent running lots of errands. We got our cold weather gear sent to the hotel so we had to sort through that and figure out what we wanted to send back. We also had to get a new water filter and Mike was trying to find a pair of size 15 shoes (a task that proved to be impossible).
We did get a little bit of rest in and were excited to get back on the trail tomorrow!!
Day 125
Start: 103 Rutland, VT 1679.6
End: Sherburn Trail Killington, VT 1698.9
Total: 19.3
We had the brilliant idea to set up a slack pack today. The trail crossed a road with a hotel about 20 miles north of where we were starting. Thankfully, they had vacancy and we were able to drop off our packs there that morning. We got on the trail around 10 and felt great not having our full pack weight.
Today we climbed over Mt. Killington, the highest peak on the AT in VT. Unfortunately the trail didn't take us all the way to the top so we didn't get much of a view from the summit.
Pine forest on the trail
On a positive note, our new filter is amazing! We forgot how quickly it worked when the filter was clean. It filtered 3 liters of water in less than 3 minutes. With our old filter 3 liters took about 25 minutes. We couldn't stop talking about how awesome the new filter was for the rest of the hike.
We got to the hotel around 7 and headed straight to the Irish Pub that was attached to the Inn. It had great food and a live band. We had a great time listening to music and stuffing ourselves!
Tomorrow we will start hiking with our full packs with our winter gear! I'm hoping we will get used to the a additional weight by the time we hit the Whites by the end of the week. We should be in New Hampshire by Tuesday.
Happy Trails,
Z & Gia
Mosquitoes. Dunkin Donuts. A mouse in your water... yuck. Flooding. Periodic food gorging. Continued kindness of people. Your share of beer. Very solid weekly miles - you're doing great. And great memories indeed. I'm sure you're enjoying that new water filter. Wish I could hike some miles with you.
ReplyDeleteI think Jenny has started a countdown til your return, Jess. :-) Sounds like you guys are doing well even with the mud, mice, and mosquitoes! Hope the rest of VT and NH treat you well and then on to Maine!!!! Wow! So exciting!
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