Monday, 20 August

Monday, 20th August, Day 41, 10.2 miles, Super 8 Motel, White River Junction VT. The feverish ramblings of Crocadilly - At about 0330 am this morning having been woken up for about the fifth time with a horrendous temperature, bizarre dreams and excruciating stomach cramps I decided that I would not be going anywhere fast. So I am still at the Super 8 and super frustrated. Papa Wolf surprised me by coming back to visit for the evening which is just what the doctor ordered. I do feel like we should paint a cross on the door like they did during the plague and shout "bring out your dead!". I am hoping to be better enough to hike tomorrow but it is quite a climb up Mt Moosilauke which I have been looking forward to…seeing as I had to sit down in the shower because showering was such an effort I am thinking I may be missing out yet again - disappointing but I might as well get 100% better as the trail is just going to get tougher. Mt Moosilauke is the first of the big mountains you hit coming into the whites - I was considering it a gateway to the next stage of our hike. Oh well….

By Papa Wolf - Up at 5:45 to catch the sunrise on top of the firetower. Had breakfast and a cup of coffee and was still on the trail at 0730…that has to be a record for me. Today's hike was awesome. A gentle four mile down on a great trail is about the perfect way to start the day. After that warm up we had two sporty and rocky ups and downs. On top of the mountains we were able to look back and see the fire tower were we stayed last night. It’s a nice sense of achievement to see what you have walked the last few hours. We discovered, while on top of the mountains and had phone service, that Mango and Crocadilly were not getting out of bed anytime soon. Rampage asked if maybe Mango and Tailbone could come pick up their beautiful dog, Sammy, as the rocks and climbs will be getting much more difficult and treacherous for the dogs. So…although I am loving these last few days, I took the opportunity to come back to take care of my poor wifey. I know she wants to hike these mountains so I did not want to do too many miles without her so this was a good opportunity to stop and wait for her. This is a good example of how having this support vehicle is excellent and well worth it.   

Looking back at the FireTower on top of the mountain.

Zoomed in...FireTower on left

     

18-19 Aug. Back in the Woods

Saturday, 18 August, Day 39, 8.4 miles, Cool Camp site near Three Mile Road, by Crocadilly - Today we had a relatively easy slow low mileage hike day as poor Rampage is still not feeling very well and it is our first day back on the trail since he got sick. In the morning after a quick resupply at the local co-op and being given some great fresh home grown tomatoes and other goodies from a lovely family taking a holiday in Vermont (gotta love trail magic!) we got going. Again it was great having so many people coming up to us asking us if we were hikers and chatting! We caught up with Weezy and his dog Aisha (we have no idea where the others are other than that they have been sucked into the wormhole that is the marvelousness of Hanover and who knows when they are likely resurface again!). We also ended up catching up with Old Smoke too which was great! The trail took us right from the town and back into the woods again. We met up with everyone for a lunch stop on a road after several miles. We decided to just hike another threeish miles to the next road so as not to push it. I hiked with Rampage and Old Smoke whilst Papa Wolf drove in the car with Tail bone in order to help the ladies find somewhere suitable to camp for the night. The three miles zipped by and before we knew it we had reached the road much to the relief of Rampage. Papa Wolf and the ladies had found a great spot to cowboy camp on an island surrounded by small brooks just off the trail. It was perfect! I knew that I was likely to end up wet somehow here though! We had a great campfire going and as it was a Saturday night I decided to have a couple of New Hampshire's finest beers with my dinner which Papa Wolf had prepared! And yes I did end up in the drink … I was on an island of sorts (no raging rivers or anything) but during one trip across the shallow brook I slid off a rock and ended up with a very wet right foot. Of course it was the first night I had had to wear socks with my crocs and so I carefully put them by the fire to dry and kept a good eye on them as I know many socks have been lost whilst being dried on the campfire! Despite keeping a close eye on them my liner sock still ended up with a giant burn hole in it - I guess that covered two of the four elements. J

Sunday, 19 August, Day 40, 15.0 miles, Fire Tower stealth camp and Super 8 Motel…will explain. J The saga of Crocadilly - I felt okay when I got up but it soon became clear to me that I had come down with the same bug as Rampage. Unfortunately so too had Mango. I suddenly felt really sick and it was all I could do to get my stuff packed up and stagger back to the car. After much deliberation we decided that whilst Papa Wolf and Rampage would continue to hike, myself, Mango and Tailbone would head back to the Super 8 and get a room. It felt like the longest drive and it was all I could do to muster the strength to get out of the car and get a room sorted and climb into bed. And so here I am … back at the Super 8 … again!! I was so frustrated to be missing a day of hiking. But there was nothing I could do about it - this bug has been doing the rounds so it wasn’t really surprising that we are all coming down with it. I was just hoping I would escape it!

Papa Wolf's day - Having had this stomach bug a few months ago, I had much sympathy for Crocadilly and Mango. I did remind them that I did a 20 mile day when I awoke with these symptoms and did a total of 75 miles before I got better…oddly, they did not care and told me to pound sand. J All joking aside, a comfy bed close to a loo was exactly what they needed so the Super 8 was the best idea. After the ladies left, Rampage, Ole Smoke, Wheezy and I headed on our way.  It sounds strange, but hiking with a full pack with no vehicle support was such a wonderful experience. It felt great to be back to the basics…heavy, but great. The trail itself today was a good combination of ups and downs. It also gave us a nice taste of what we can expect from the whites. The last four miles of the day was a relatively steep, rocky assent to the fire tower were we planned to camp. With a full pack it was a difficult, but very rewarding climb with an awesome campsite and sunset as our reward for our efforts. It is nice to be back in the deep woods. With luck, Mango, Crocadilly and Tailbone will join us tomorrow.   

        

16 - 17 Aug, Hello New Hampshire!!

Thursday, 16 August, Day 37, 9.8 miles, The Johnson Family, Hanover NH, by Crocadilly - Walking into NH..officially. J  Today was a relatively easy day and an epic day too marking my own half way point on this adventure and also the crossing of another state. I walked with Rampage, Mango and Tailbone the ten miles into Hanover, New Hampshire. Papa Wolf had dropped us off and walked in the opposite direction towards us with the boys so that Mango and Rampage could walk together for the first time in awhile. It was a lovely leisurely hike and I stuck with Rampage and Mango. It was a beautiful cool day and the terrain was amazing - relatively flat and soft paths through woodland. I really enjoy pushing myself to see how fast I can do miles but other days I just love to take it slower and soak up my surroundings and when you can it is worth doing. We only had a ten mile day and the whole day to do it! The weather is definitely on the turn and I am seeing more and more leaves on the floor that have turned the autumnal hues of red, orange and yellow. After the bizarre winter and spring we have had very dry summer it will be interesting to see how fall turns out! We caught up with Papa Wolf and the furry boys and headed to the Vermont / New Hampshire border. On the way we passed some lovely houses, a couple of which had the hiker boxes out front and had provided snacks for thruhikers, weather information and water and even treats for the four legged hikers! It is wonderful to see how good humanity can be! At one house owned by the Brains' (who are former thru hikers) they had provided lots of goodies and a pair of old hiker boots filled with flowers adorned their lawn - fabulous and something I must remember to do with ours! And so we went down the hill from the woods into town. It is strange hiking with all of your kit through town - the border lies on a fabulous bridge crossing an expansive river and it was glorious despite the heavy traffic! There wasn’t much time to reflect on the passing of another milestone as it was so noisy and busy. We took some photos and headed off to the house where we were staying for the evening. On the way we went to Dan and Whits a fabulous store which provides free sandwiches to hikers. They gave us two free burgers and an assortment of packed Kaiser rolls. Mine was tuna salad which randomly I had been craving for all day! Love how the trail randomly provides! The folks were so friendly and we hung out in front of the store chatting to all the people popping into get their groceries.  The rest of the walk to where we were staying took us through the delightful downtown of Hanover and looking at all the shops and bars I got excited at the prospect of visiting this place at leisure over the next 24 hours. There was quite a troop of us staying at our hosts house, camping in the back yard. We enjoyed a lovely barbecue including burgers, dogs and corn and a relaxing evening.

Friday, 17 August, Day 38, Our first zero day in over two weeks, Super 8 Motel, White River Junction VT, by Crocadilly - Today we had our first zero day since we left Salisbury over 2 weeks ago and it was very much needed. I thought this was a long time to go without having a day off. That was until I started to talking to other thru hikers….many go longer without a down day. Sometimes even whole states!! Makes me feel exhausted just thinking about that! Knowing I have the day off has suddenly made my body stop running and all I want to do is sleep and enjoy the delights of the area. My knees hurt, my body aches and my brain is whirring- I am mentally and physically exhausted but absolutely thrilled and overcome with how far I have made it and that I am out here and overcoming everything that I was struggling with earlier in the year. I must admit to having a lump in my throat at crossing the border between Vermont and New Hampshire yesterday - I have made it across five states, have gone over 400 miles but in myself I feel I have come so much further both mentally and physically!!  Having gone the entire time with just bug bites suddenly spider bites have appeared, I have a burn/rub mark that goes all the way around my waist from my back pack (not an uncommon ailment but one that has taken me by surprise since I have not suffered from such a thing so far) and a heat rash all over my body which is just super itchy and again has come something of a shock especially since if anything I am now sweating less and the temperature and humidity have both decreased substantially! However, last night I slept great for the first time since I got on the trail! I still find myself sleeping restlessly, waking between being too hot and then too cold, fidgety and having the weirdest dreams! Last night I crawled in to bed and barely my head hit the pillow and I was asleep! I woke only once to the painful whining of a couple of dogs down the road from where we are staying! (so glad none of our dogs bark and yap like that - would be highly irritating!) The day didn't go completely as planned, as happens frequently on the trail, so is to be expected and easily handled. I was along with everyone else hoping to walk into downtown Hanover, the home of Dartmouth College and enjoy the small shops, bars, restaurants and boutiques and quaint houses of this pretty historical town, have a good meal and just relax and enjoy the sights. Instead, as wonderful as the Johnsons are,  we felt we kind of overwhelmed our hosts having stayed longer than anticipated…the additional 7 folks in their backyard did not help the situation…eek..poor Johnsons. So we decided to go to a Super 8 motel just down the road, off the thruway where we have decamped for the rest of the day with Mango, Rampage and Tailbone. Trying to find cheap accommodation with dogs on the weekend unexpectedly turned out not to be an easy task. We decided that we should move on as so many of us have been staying at the house and we should probably leave them in peace. So here we are!! I have enjoyed the sleep and the McDonald's for lunch but I was looking forward to the trail town especially as it is one of the most hiker friendly towns on the trail and they supply you with lots of free food! But these things happen! Its fun hanging out with everyone regardless of the location and maybe resting and taking it easy was the best thing for all of us. Especially Rampage who, having been incredibly sick yesterday, is thankfully on the mend now - still not great but we believe over the worst of it! We managed to go to Eastern Mountain Sports and pick up Tailbone a much needed sleeping bag since we will imminently be hitting the whites and much lower temperatures and more variable weather. I also got some calagel which is a welcome relief for the itchy skin and has definitely been the highlight of my day!! So all in all a good relaxing day and able to catch up with parents and bills and the blog!

Wed, 15 Aug, Into Hanover

Wednesday, 15 August, Day 36, 18.8 miles, The Johnson Family, Hanover NH…WOOHOO!!, by Crocadilly - I woke up at 0530 this morning and along with several of the others made coffee and heaved myself up the ladder to the look out to enjoy the sunrise. It was a little cloudy but still stunning and certainly worth getting up early for. Actually I love getting up this early and being awake before the rest of the world. It is amazing though how cold it is starting to get already in the early mornings and evenings - you can tell we are headed towards the autumn and before we know it it will be here. Every time I think about the changing temperatures it brings me out in a cold sweat thinking of all the extra weight I will be carrying with my winter gear! This is why I am determined not to slack pack too much despite having that option because there will be times in the future when it is not feasible and having a full pack again will come as quite a shock!! The morning walk was quite tough going with some steep hill climbs. These are the ones that always take you by surprise. Hiking up peaks like Killington I guess you are mentally prepared or the climb is so high that the switchbacks you walk along are more graded. But with these shorter summits they often feel like you are walking straight uphill as opposed to be taken up gradually. There were quite a few hill climbs today and Papa Wolf was having a day like I had yesterday. I was feeling great and although it was tough going I was enjoying the challenge the walk was providing.  We summited one particularly tough going hill which afforded great views of the valley below and was a great stop for a snack and some photo opportunities. The day was quite hot and very sunny. As we were breaking for lunch, we received a phone call from Thirty Pack saying that he was in Woodstock with Papa Wolfs Mom. So after lunch Papa Wolf decided to head to Woodstock with Tailbone to see his mother. I carried on and hiked with Rampage, Apollo and Weezy. Apollo took the lead and I was third in line and determined to keep up with the guys! This is the first time I have followed someone else's pace and not hiked on my own terms (Papa Wolf and I hike at our own paces or I take the lead and he hikes behind me!) We only had about nine more miles to hike and after one initial climb and few further more gentle climbs the rest of the way was relatively easy going and in the shade of the wood. They introduced me to a great game…"I am going on a trip and I am going to take with me…" you go down the line and have to add an item you are taking after repeating without slipping up what everyone else before you has mentioned in terms of their items. It’s essentially a round robin memory game and you keep going until someone messes up! - this is the type of game that at the best of times I am crap at, let alone when I am hiking and concentrating on keeping up with the pace and not tripping over roots and stones!!! I normally struggle to hold a conversation whilst hiking…not because I am antisocial but because I just tend to concentrate on the job in hand and get immersed in my own thoughts. So here I was hiking with others and having to use my brain but it was a great afternoon and I thoroughly enjoyed hiking with the guys and managed to keep up! And managed to play the game! It was really enjoyable and you can imagine the random stuff we came up with! So I managed to walk and think all at the same time woohoo!! We stopped for a couple of rests, one on top of a hill and the other to gorge on more blackberries! The final 4.7 miles went really fast and we managed to hold down one whole game for that entire length of the hike without dropping a go! Pretty impressive! Tonight we are staying with Tailbone's dads best friend and his family who are kindly putting us all up - several in the garden and us in the house! So we got to the cars and drove to their house which is in the delightful town of Hanover. This is an awesome town and incredibly hiker friendly - a lot of the stores give free sandwiches and drinks and other food stuffs to hikers. Families in the town leave hiker boxes with cookies and drinks and other good stuff at the edges of their driveways and some even provide free lodging! We got to our destination for the evening and walked into Hanover. I was shattered! We were pleased to see some of our friends who we haven’t seen in a while including Yukon and Boomer! We had a great meal at a pizza place which gives hikers a free slice each! I had two on top of that! I have never eaten three slices of pizza that big before - we are talking those big New York slices that you only normally eat one of…sometimes I disgust myself! Papa wolf only managed two as he had had lunch in town earlier. I managed one beer before I felt totally sleepy and had to toddle off to bed at the grand time of just gone ten pm! I had wanted to stay up and see the bars aswell…maybe tomorrow.

Tuesday, 14 August

Tuesday, 14 August, Day 35, 17.5 miles, Lookout Cabin, by Crocadilly - I enjoyed a last delectable shower. Although I knew that soon enough I would have access to another one! What a marvelous thought! Showers are like buses - you don’t see one for ages and then several turn up within days! I had to laugh at the state of my body. I thought I was meant to start looking buff by now what with all the walking and fresh air! All the other women I have passed hiking, seem to be raven haired or classic looking blonde stunners with beautiful tanned legs up to their armpits, not a scratch or bug bite on them. These are the sort of women who are flawless and have impeccable finger nails and even if there was mud under them would still look perfect! A stunning south African southbounder who it has to be said chain smoked when I saw her in particular sticks out … every platinum blonde hair on her head was perfectly groomed and in place, she was barely breaking a sweat and her perfect legs stretched in to infinity. Contrastingly my hair has taken on a life of its own and resembles that of Queen Guitarist Brian May! My legs are road map of various insect bites, scratches and scars and the sweat drips off me whilst I hike. The barely there tan is covered by a layer of dirt that is so engrained that despite vain attempts to exfoliate will stubbornly not be removed! My toenails have taken on various hues of death from a weird purple/red to black (I think only three have a shot of being alive at the end of the trip) and despite washing and purelling my hands continuously the dirt is ingrained in my stubby finger nails!!! I do have the beginnings of some small calf muscles and biceps which I am quite pleased about and I am in truth getting a good hiker tan (yes I slather myself in all sorts of beauty products every morning and evening including lashings of sun block so am getting quite a healthy glow going!!) It makes me laugh - I feel in the best shape of my life yet my diet is the worst it has ever been including whilst at university and I certainly do not look my best!! J

I struggled a bit with this mornings' hike. The day had started off so well too - we were the first down to breakfast and I had another good feast of waffles. We were joined by Thirty Pack and Apollo and enjoyed some good banter.  I was looking forward to another good day but some days just go like that.  Papa Wolf had his turn a couple of days ago and I guess this morning was my turn. We were hiking to meet up with Apollo and Thirty Pack and Tailbone at Thundering Falls. I felt like every step was a struggle but I was determined not to give up. I knew some days I would struggle and part of the reason I am out here is to get over my demons and feel better in myself. The trip at the moment feels very up and down but I guess that is what an adventure is all about - it is about pushing yourself and it would not be an adventure or the hard undertaking that something like this is if it were all easy and straightforward. So I pushed on through my negative thoughts. There were some tough up hills today that seemed to kick my butt but I just tackled them one step at a time and felt happiness and the wonderful sense of achievement on getting through them. We then hit Thundering Falls. A stunning set of waterfalls in a serene wooded area. It was breathtaking and I took some time out by myself to meditate by them - and it had the desired effect! I could have spent the whole day there it was so pretty and relaxing. We spent a good hour at the falls just enjoying watching the water cascading down the rocks, chatting and taking in the setting. Eventually we left taking another path that had been shut due to the hurricane last year. The path had formerly been a lovely boardwalk that took you through a wetland area…the boardwalk was still there just on its side in places which we managed to navigate. The wetland flowers, rushes and reeds were beautiful and I took some time to take some pictures. I love how one minute you are on top of a mountain, the next in a woodland, and then in a field and before you know it in a gorgeous wetland area like this! My favorite areas at the moment are the latter and also fields, especially those in MA as they really reminded me of the rolling Chiltern Hills and fields of home in the UK. In the afternoon, after leaving Tailbone at the car which was parked just beyond the boardwalk we continued forward. The afternoon hike which we did with Rampage, Weezy and Apollo took us up some more hills towards a geocache and a private cabin with stunning views over the mountains in the distance. On the way we gorged on wild blackberries - picking wild berries is a great past time on the trail. The best are to be found in open areas under electricity pylons which is where we found these. Picking and eating wild berries does slow down your progress! Known as the lookout our destination for the evening was a place everyone was looking forward to, having heard of the fabulous sunsets and sunrises it affords. The cabin was an old ramshackle building set on top of a hill that we all set up camp in…there was quite a lot of us in total and it was fun to be all under one roof! We had Rampage, Mango, Tailbone, Weezy, Apollo, Thirtypack, John Wayne, Hobo Joe and Ragweed. Quite the gathering! There was a ladder to a look out on the roof and the views were stunning. The sun was setting and bathed the distant hills and mountains in pinks and purples and greys. The woodland surrounding us was growing a dark green and it all felt very serene! Considering how hard I had found this morning, I now felt like I had had a great day!

13 August, Day 34 Killington!

Monday, 13 August, Day 34, 13.5 miles, Inn at Long Trail, by Crocadilly - Today we woke up refreshed and reinvigorated. The Inn was proving to be the remedy that we both needed and we were both thoroughly enjoying our time here. Papa wolf was full of enthusiasm to walk again and I was ready and raring to go and climb Killington. This is another big moment for us and I was glad we would be tackling it in good spirits. Scott spent a lot of time in this area skiing as a child and so was looking forward to hiking this portion of the trail. I am deeply in love with Vermont. It really is green and just so beautiful and clean and fresh! The inn is quite possibly one of my most favorite places in the world. I woke up feeling better than I have in months! We enjoyed an incredibly hearty breakfast-bacon, eggs, toast and home fries - the sort of breakfast that a mere few months ago I would have had to leave half but due to my glutinous tendencies now can easily finish in half the time!  Tailbone dropped us off at the road we finished on yesterday and were soon on our way. The weather was cooler - temperatures are starting to lower now and there is a nice breeze in the air making hiking much more enjoyable and less sweaty!! Unfortunately though today, unlike yesterday, there was a thick bank of cloud - Papa Wolf's penance for not hiking up Killington yesterday!! ;) But the hike was amazing and I felt super light on my feet and completely happy (aided by the fact we were slack packing!) and it was great to be hiking with Thirty Pack once again. He is a great guy in his mid twenties and someone both Scott and I have grown very fond of. (There are many people we have formed very special friendships with on this journey but he has been with Scott from pretty much the outset and almost seems like a brother to him which is great!)  The poor guy though has had a run of bad luck. Having been bitten on the buttocks by a black widow spider (the doctor wasn’t 100% sure what species bit him but this sounds so much more impressive!) that got infected and having proclaimed quite innocently that he could not imagine anything more painful happening to his butt he was just a few short weeks later to be proven wrong! The poor guy has now been suffering from some form of abscess on his lower back that has also become infected and which had to be lanced in the local hospital a few days ago. He is in quite a bit of pain and discomfort and this is on top of a stress fracture in his foot. We picked him up following a few days of much needed rest and he is certainly not walking as fast as normal! He only managed to hike part of the day as it was. As you can imagine the list of ailments, diseases and accidents that befall hikers along the way is quite long and varied. As well as the expected bumps scrapes and falls, people have come off the trail for any number of a variety of reasons. In just the last couple of weeks we have heard of hikers who have suffered copperhead bites, various spider bites, trench foot, giardiasis, Lyme disease (one chap we have been hiking with recently had 46 ticks removed from his body!), a couple of hikers have been struck by lightning, one has been attacked by a bear and unfortunately one has sadly been murdered. Apologies for the rather miserable digression - back to the hike…The walk towards and up to Killington itself really was stunning - we passed babbling brooks, streams, walked through stunning woodlands. I believe part of the walk took us through Gifford Wood, which contains one of the few old-growth hardwood tree stands remaining in Vermont. There are grand-sized sugar maple, beech, yellow birch, white ash and hemlock. The paths in these areas range between pine straw and soft soil which is delightful underfoot to very rocky and rooty and a bit more tricky requiring much more concentration! Today the devastation left by Tropical Storm Irene was all too apparent. The trail is actually re-routed as much of the old path still needs to be cleared and remediation work needs to be done - most hikers including ourselves still choose to take the old path. It isn’t dangerous… but it was moving to see the damage that the storm had done and how the landscape had been changed. Giant trees were uprooted, others snapped in half like matchsticks leaving the forest floor open to daylight. It will be interesting to see over the years how the vegetation and habitat changes in response if left to its natural devices of course. Bridges were gone and in their place rickety planks and logs - I still haven't fallen in the drink which I am very pleased about! You can see mini landslides and where the streams have rerouted themselves or had new branches formed. I am glad we got to see this. Just shows you the power of nature and how quickly it can change the environment. The climb up Killington was gradual and definitely not as bad as I had expected and there were plenty of other walkers, day and long distance hikers around. The highlight of the day was passing a beautiful carved wooden sign which showed that we were just 500 miles from Katahdin. I can't imagine how it must be to be a thru hiker and see this sign - overwhelming and a great sense of achievement because that’s how I felt and I am doing not even half of the trail! This means for myself I am not far off my half way point! I feel so proud at how far I have come. We climbed an elevation of just over 2000 feet, the trailhead elevation peaked at about 2150 feet. Despite the cloudy conditions we decided to take a blue trail to the summit of the mountain - Killington Peak which is the second highest peak in the green mountain range and in Vermont at 4,241 feet - although a relatively short climb it was straight up over large boulders and involved some serious climbing and effort! Mojo and Skye summited quickly like little mountain goats and that’s when I heard the wail from above me! Apparently they had popped out of the gathering mist unexpectedly and met a rather excitable Jewish lady who HATED dogs and was paralyzed with fear …except apparently she kept sidestepping towards the perilous edge of the mountain and had to be contained by another rather lovely lady who helped me out! We normally have the boys on leads when we know we are going to be entering areas where there are likely to be lots of people but the terrain meant this just was not feasible and the young lady and her mother couldn’t understand this unfortunately! As soon as we were on safe terrain I got the boys leashed up! In the meantime the lady helped me by shielding the manically praying lady from my dangerous beasts as I shepherded them past her on a rather narrow trail made of rock without incident and I thanked her for her help! Having climbed up the mountain whereas all these other people had come up on a gondola as you can imagine I was a little frazzled and this was the last thing I had expected to deal with! Especially as the boys were just sitting, looking at us, paying no attention to the wailing lady and the only thing the boys would likely do is lick someone to death!! So summiting Killington wasn’t exactly what I had anticipated especially as we were now closed in by fog which was shielding the stunning views we had been waiting for! I had to laugh though when who I assume was the young lady's father passed me and said "uh oh let me guess the dogs?" He kind of giggled and rolled his eyes as if to say jeez she does this all the time and I am sorry. So we walked DOWN to the top of the gondola and met Tailbone, Weezy, Rampage, Mango and Thirty Pack at the top of the ski runs - they had all taken the gondola up and much to our joy the clouds parted the sun came out briefly and we got some great group shots of us at the top of the mountain. After a quick lunch and enjoying the views we took the blue trail back down to the Long Trail/Appalachian Trail below. Going down was much scarier and much more difficult than climbing up! At least going up you can't see the valley far below or in other words if you fall or slip where you are likely to end up! The afternoon comprised of an easy six or seven miles towards the Inn at Long trail. It was a lovely walk and went incredibly quickly including a brief walk down a ski run! Before I knew what had happened the trail had spat us out from the woods into the field opposite the Inn to the woops and howls and welcome of my fellow hikers and some Long Trail hikers who had already finished and were making camp and eating pizza. It was then I had an idea - we had reached the Inn as I had anticipated in my daydreams, tired and happy - so I suggested we have some après hike beers just like we do when skiing …still in our sweaty clothes! So we went over to the bar and did just that - Long trail ale après hike beers - delicious and we had so much fun chatting with everyone else at the bar! Riff raff our German friend was there and it was so good to see him again! (Nice to have some European back up!!!!) The People you meet in bars and in town like this make you feel really special doing the Appalachian trail regardless of whether you are doing the whole thing in one go, section hiking or as we are kind of super section hiking and love to chat with you and hear your stories - it gave me a warm lovely feeling inside when we entered through the front door and I overheard a young boy exclaim to his dad…look daddy thru-hikers to which he replied cool! The young boy was looking at us in complete awe - makes you feel so good (okay I am not a thru hiker per se but am going a long way lol!) It was all exactly how I had imagined. We had a great dinner with Tailbone, Mango and Rampage and the others - I had been deciding what to have all day and settled on their delicious Irish stew! After several more beers we crawled into bed to a great nights sleep!

11-12 Aug 2012

Saturday, 11 August, Day 32, 14.4 miles, cool camp site on river near VT 10, by Crocadilly - We had a surprisingly good sleep considering we had pitched our tents by the side of the road. Yesterday Papa Wolf had been complaining of shin splints…by this morning they were infected spiral compound fractures that had possibly severed an artery hahaha!! He decided that he would have a rest day today. It is always wise to avoid making any injury worse when you have the opportunity not to. Having had shin splints the last couple of weeks I thought this was a good idea and so I was faced with the entirely new challenge of hiking by myself for the first time. I was thrilled by the prospect of a solo adventure although knowing my less than brilliant sense of direction a little concerned that I would possibly be the first person to get lost on the trail (the whole thing is marked by white blazes although at times it is confusing and you can find yourself on side trails if you aren’t paying close attention.) That I find quite easy to do as I easily slip inside my head and get carried away thinking. I was sad he would not be with me but I love being challenged and this would be good for both my mental and physical development. The morning was relatively easy as far as the terrain was concerned but the rain from the day before had made the path incredibly slippy - it was very rocky and covered in roots and various things that would do their best to trip me up. A fine film of dew had covered everything and I found myself slipping and sliding all over the place. Crossing wooden planks was particularly treacherous and at one point I did do a comedy slide. But the walk was beautiful and went quickly in the morning. I passed a beautiful pond, groves of christmas trees and two areas on tops of hills where hikers had built hundreds of cairns. These were particularly spectacular and gave the area a magical feel. You find cairns built everywhere but this was the first time I had seen so many in one place. I spent quite a bit of time here soaking in the atmosphere and taking lots of pictures. I loved walking by myself and being able to stop and take pictures. Just as an interesting side note I bumped into a group of archaeologists just before the pond. They were completing their last day of a four year dig just above the pond. It was an Native Indian site - they believed it was a site for cooking and a tool workshop. It was fascinating talking to them and I was invited up to see the site but knew if I went I would never leave so I sadly had to decline the kind offer! I met Scott for lunch half way through my walk and was pleased to discover that pretty much everyone else had struggled a bit this morning due to the slippy conditions - it had made it really difficult to get into a good rhythm! Scott meanwhile had had an enjoyable saturday morning at Walmart - his favourite past time of shopping!!! The afternoon walk was fabulous and went really fast although I had to laugh at the last mile which seemed to take forever! Quite often the last stretch of a walk will take you to a road - you can hear the road and often see the road especially if you are going down hill but the trail will appear to keep taking you further and further away and around and around - it always makes me laugh because it lulls you into a false sense of security that you are so close to finishing!! The last mile was wonderful though despite being quite a steep down a hill but it took me me down towards a gorge where there were families playing in the water and camping on the lovely shady sandy banks of the river. A suspension bridge took me over the gorge and river and to the car park where tailbone and papa wolf were waiting. We decided to camp down by the gorge for the evening and some of the other hikers agreed to do the same which made quite a good group of us. They hadn't crossed the foot suspension bridge either which I told them we must see! So we got ourselves packed up and ready and took off to camp. Mojo did not enjoy the bridge at all and crawled on his belly under my legs the whole length of it - it hadn't helped that there was an impish child at the other side hanging off it and making it bounce more! Poor furry guy but we got him across in the end and he looked very pleased with himself when he got to the other side. We set up camp in a clearing on the river bank. I was tired happy starving and soaking wet from where I had got so hot!

Sunday, 12 August, Day 33, 4 miles, Inn at Long Trail :) by Crocadilly - an unintended nero…just four miles hiked. Hiker notes 101. Never ever camp at a local beauty spot that is easily accessible by road, towards the end of summer vacation on a Saturday night. We should have known we were not in for the quietest of evenings and it was all likely to go hideously wrong when Scott (Papa wolf) whilst waiting with Tailbone for me to surface from my walk yesterday watched a load of teens pour out of three cars complete with vast quantities of alcohol and with a couple of younger kids in tow! The sticker on one car "Royal Bitch on Board" should have told us everything we needed to know! Our soon to be camping neighbours were likely to be less than salubrious!! There were two groups of rivals (who appeared to become friends at the beginning of the evening before too much alcohol had been consumed). After that it was like epic scenes from West Side story were unfolding!! It is true that one of the guys we are currently hiking with got embroiled in the evening's festivities at quite an early stage and quite possibly started everything that ensued. But what was a pleasant, peaceful evening eating and chatting with Otto, Apollo, Perch and Weezy in an idyllic spot beneath pine trees with a carpet of soft sand and pine needles quickly unraveled into chaos as more and more cheap beers and alcopops were consumed by those in the camping spot next to us! Their laughter and chatting eventuallyturned into an incredibly long and what sounded like a very angry brawl with the girls shrieking more violently than the guys! The teens were observed as dusk rolled in rolling around on the floor fighting each other and this continued on into the early hours. We actually pretty much climbed over the fight when we got up at 3am to watch the forecasted meteorite shower. We had decided to get up and decamp back up the hill to the car park and enjoy the early morning show with a coffee before making a dawn start towards the towering peak of Killington. The most dangerous hiking I have done so far was by torch light in the early morning, trying not to trip over flailing legs and arms and items discarded by the band of not so merry travellers! By the time our little troop climbed back up to the car park which was a good five minute trek (one that I ended up doing twice after having to go back over the bridge and down to the campsite where I had stupidly left the camping stove on which we were to make the coffee and I had been accidentally spat on by a horrible little chav), the clouds had rolled in extinguishing the stars and the moon and any of the meteorite shower that may have been going on above us. We all decided to give up and go back to bed. Unfortunately Scott and I had already deflated our mattresses so although we were on a bed of soft sand it was not exactly comfortable and we were definitely not being lulled into a peaceful sleep by the sounds of the angry baying mob next door! That was until the state troopers arrived! The cocophony of noise was shattered by the sudden arrival of a deeper voice, the dance of a flash light and then silence! It transpired that one of the girls from one of the rival gangs had dialed 911 and was threatening to call them when she accidentally did. The operator I would imagine on hearing what was going on tried to ring her back, she accidentally again picked up, more of the fight was overheard and so the operator dispatched four police cars complete with armed troopers! On hearing them arrive I smiled to myself rolled over and drifted off into a light slumber!! Apparently the teens were carted off to the cells and / or hospital for stitches as required. The lack of sleep as you can imagine did not make for a great start to the day and by the time we got up and going it was baking hot and neither of us were exactly feeling like hiking. Every step felt like a monumental effort and Papa wolf in particular was struggling and so after four miles we decided to call it a day and had Tailbone come and pick us up and take us to the Inn at Long Trail near Killington Vermont….via Friendlys of course for lunch! We went via the local town of Rutland and picked up Thirty Pack who had been resting at a hostel there for a few days after a spate of ill health (another tale to tell!). It was great to see him again and he cheered us up no end over lunch. We decided the miles would wait until tomorrow. In a side note a chap materialized from the Yellow deli hostel where thirty pack was staying and approached papa wolf. He was a guy by the name of Spiceman, and it transpired he knew a guy Scott worked with - he already had known this and was looking out for us. He had worked in Ramstein. It wasn’t long before Scott worked out that he had actually slept on Spiceman's couch in his office following the superbowl a number of years ago and had actually been to dinner at his and his wife's house with Spanky their mutual friend! Small world!!!

Sunday 12th August 2012 Part Two. The Inn at Long Trail. I have been waiting for this moment for pretty much the whole trip. We stayed at the Inn whilst on a road trip with my sister and brother in law two years ago when we first moved back to the states and I couldn’t wait to visit it again. I had imagined approaching the inn victorious after a hard days hiking and looking all worn out and ready for a hearty meal and a cold beer chatting about our adventures with other hikers as we had watched the hikers somewhat in awe the August two years before. It was not to be. Instead we entered the inn somewhat mentally and physically beaten for various reasons and me in tears and just wanting to jump in the shower and drown my sorrows in a beer. Papa wolf was not feeling the walking and it felt like our adventure was beginning to unravel a little bit. But walking into the Inn was as Toni Morrison described in her novel Beloved if you have ever read that, like walking back into a memory. I revisited myself walking down the hallways and retraced my steps and imagined myself as I had felt two years ago. Somewhere along the way over the past two years I have lost myself and I am on a journey of self -rediscovery. For the first time in a long time I finally felt like I have recaptured some semblance of my old self at this wonderful inn and felt that I was home and happy. The inn was going to be a good positive experience and help me get back on track. Both of us in fact. It felt somewhat like fate when we looked at the guest book and saw our names signed in two years ago to the very day! I must admit to getting quite choked up to think that my memories were from exactly two years ago. Rampage, Mango, Apollo, 30 Pack, Otto, Perch, Weezy and an assortment of our other comrades had decided to take advantage of the free area for camping opposite the inn. We enjoyed some beers with the vice president of the Green Mountain Club, a guy who is a former through hiker and very knowledgeable and Otto who we have thoroughly enjoyed hiking with. Soon we were relaxed and with some good food in our bellies and a few pints of Long Trail Ale and having a good time with our friends the world was looking a much brighter and happier place. I was beginning to feel like my old self. The Inn at Long Trail was proving to be a cathartic place for us both, and whilst we entered its welcoming doors in a different frame of mind to that anticipated we sank into our comfy bed with a much more positive attitude. Thankfully.

6 - 10 August

Monday 6 August, Day 27 AT v2.0, 9.6 miles, Shamrock Inn, Dalton MA. By Papa Wolf - Well, the monster storm came as forecast so we were glad we were in a hotel room...so good call on cutting it short yesterday. We also decided that this place was way to nice and inexpensive not to stay another night...that vote was unanimous. :) So Today we went back to the cookie ladies house to start off where we left. We were slack packing again and the plan was to do the nearly 10 back to Dalton, have lunch in the room, As we kept it for another day, and then do another 9 to Cheshire. So off we went. The terrain was excellent and before we knew it, 9.6 miles had disappeared in just over 3 hours...for us that Is very good. We met up with Tailbone and went two doors down to a sub shop. Two problems we had...the sub shop was awesome so we ate way too much, and the room was two doors down so when the food coma hit, the future afternoon 9 miles were rescheduled until Tommorrow. :) it actually worked out well as we had yet to resupply or organize Sir Lanch-a-lot to make things more functional as a support vehicle. So we utilized our afternoon wisely and got a lot of the logistical stuff we need to do done. We then ordered pizza and spent the evening watching the Olympics which was great as we had not been able to see any so far...thats a bummer as we all love the Olympics. Anyway, Another great day and night in Dalton MA. 

Tuesday 7 August, Day 28 AT v2.0, 20.4 miles, Shamrock Inn, Dalton MA. By Crocadilly - Oh wow this is by far one of my favourite days so far. I have sumitted my highest elevation so far on the trail and so of course climbed the most feet in the shortest period of time, finally have achieved my golden twenty mile day and achieved a new personal best in terms of my hiking rate. These are all goals I have set myself but I am pretty sure they are very much a staple of the goals that each and every hiker sets themselves! And I am nearly at the end of another state. I can't believe it!  The sun is shining, I feel super fit, I am finally in my stride, everyone seems happy as to how having the support vehicle is panning out and life is good! My poor shoes are already suffering and so the good people at Oboz are sending me another free pair in exchange for my old ones! I so far have only one blister which was actually caused by my ankle support! We had a fairly late start considering our intended plan of doing over twenty miles today! That is the problem of staying at such a comfy motel - there is too much coffee to be drunk and it is hard to get out of bed! We had a good plan having spoken to a few of our friends yesterday. What seems to be the best way to attack mount Greylock which is a significant mountain in this range and certainly the highest I will have climbed so far is if you are headed north bound to actually attack it backwards and also to slackpack to make life easier! The hikers staying at the hostel are offered this option by their hosts and many take it up! So we decided to also do it! It meant hiking southbound but we would still be hiking the whole thing but rather than a slow steady 7 mike slog uphill if you come from the other direction you only hike 3 miles uphill and the rest down! It was a great hike, not too hot which was awesome and a very pretty walk through piney forests which smelled amazing! If fairies and goblins do exist they live in the forests on these mountains! The forest floor is carpeted with spongy mosses, fairytale toadstools and pretty flowers. The towering pines shade you from the sun above and with so many people enjoying the countryside it was a fun place to hike! We saw quite a few friends we hadn't seen in a while, hobo joe and ragweed, Daffy and Hashbrown going the other way! We had a lovely picnic lunch at the summit and enjoyed the views! At the top is a tower which was built as a monument to remember the war dead of Massachusetts- it really was impressive. You can climb to the top but we decided we wanted to crack on and started our descent. On the way down I met a guy from Staines! I was amazed when all of a sudden we only had four miles left to go until we reached our motel room and finished! It was relatively early and we were way ahead of schedule! I was feeling fantastic and determined i was going to complete the homestretch in record time. Scott had us getting in about 2030 to 2100 and I wanted to beat that so I got my pace on! all of a sudden we had reached Dalton! It was 1930!!! I had just done my best ever mileage - 3.7 miles in just over an hour! I couldn't believe it and neither could my feet. The last half a mile was on pavement and my feet were seriously aching and my knees felt shot but I felt great! I was on such a high! I got my 20 mile day in, we finished an hour or so earlier than expected (based on half an hour miles) and I got my hiker legs!!! And Mojo stank because he found a stinky body of water to swim in! We got to the motel room and I felt like collapsing! Got changed and headed to Applebees for dinner where I celebrated my achievements with a big beer and steak and shrimp! The dinner was delicious but didnt even touch the sides! We were both looking forward to big hearty meals but applebees appears to have gone all health conscious which is great but not on a hiker diet! Scotts dinner looked the size of an appetiser and we were both still famished when we were finished. So what else was there to do but hit Friendly's for dessert - I have never been to this restaurant before but I loved it! I never have dessert but the hiker diet is corrupting me - two waffles and ice cream and sauce and nuts later and finally I was full! Needless to say I slept incredibly well that night! What a high of a day!  

Wednesday 8 August, Day 29 AT v2.0, 17.2 miles, Congdon Shelter, By Crocadilly - After the complete high of yesterday I was half expecting to wake up full of aches and pains and stiffness but I felt good! We had a leisurely morning making the most of our last few hours in the Shamrock Inn! It feels like MA answer to the hotel California! Having spoken to many a hiker this town seems to suck you in! There is no way you can just stay one night! It is so hiker friendly and conducive to hiking and getting back to!!! We have spoken to people who have spent nearly a week here! The record for this year is twelve days. There are a couple of free hostels...actually former hikers who have opened up their homes to hikers! I fear if we don't leave now we never will!!! The lady who owns the Shamrock thought this was absolutely hilarious!!! So one final shower for the foreseeable future and goodbye to a comfy bed and tv and Olympics! Mattie dropped us off at Notch road and we started back heading north towards the Vermont border! I was finally feeling happy and relaxed with our new set up and felt like we had got ourselves into a good rhythm! Today was a big day in terms of milestones for both myself and papa wolf. We had a relatively easy ten mile or so hike (we were slack packing) to where Mattie had parked Sir Lanchelot! We hit the Vermont border which felt absolutely awesome!! Lots of pictures were taken. I can't believe I have made it so far! Four states already under my belt and today marked my 300th mile and papa wolf's 1000th and also marked four weeks on the trail for me! A big day and after yesterday's achievements I feel great!  Because we had started so late we didn't get to where Tailbone had parked the car  until gone five pm so the thought of doing another  seven miles after that including hiking in the dark was pretty overwhelming all of a sudden...although I had no doubt we could do it! It's funny, once that would have felt like half a days worth and not even feasible at such a late hour- now all of a sudden it is just another couple of hours of walking after the big miles days we have been pulling! We had just passed a shelter at the ten mile mark and I have no doubt if we had not had the car we would have stayed. Its funny, far from making life easy, having the car if anything makes the logistics of hiking the trail that much harder and the spontaneity of the trail Is now much more difficult to keep!  Figuring out places to stop and meet is not easy and is only going to get harder the further north we go. It does not help that papa wolf's beloved trail maps for this and a few other states are lost in the mail somewhere along the east coast so we are solely reliant on cell phones which don't always have signal, a map which does not have enough fine detail of the smaller roads and our trail guide for the various sections. So all in all a new and very different challenge but I think a good one. However...little sidebar about the car...whilst I think I have turned the corner on my initial Gut reaction to doing this, which was it was going to be hard, i am now a few days in embracing it and loving the new challenge it involves... Especially overcoming the thought that the car is there we could just yellow blaze the next few miles which to me is just not an option and I would never contemplate it. There have been glimmers of a couple of moments Which we have worked through for papa wolf when he wanted to yellow blaze...for example just a mile thru town because it was hiking on pavement! This was something that would never have happened before and because he no longer feels like a thru hiker I think having the car with us is actually in some respects harder for him mentally than it is for me. I have managed to kind of block out it's presence for the most part whilst hiking and am able to treat the trail as if it isn't there at all a lot easier than i thought I would! I so far have only used it to store some fresh fruit avocados tomatoes oranges and apples and some cheese!! I am loving slack packing but have promised myself it will only happen these few days as we try to make the miles up to get back on schedule. So It's moments that papa wolf contrarily have had to my experience of having the car present. having been hiking now for four weeks and understanding the experience better have really shown me the extent to which the burglary has ruined the trail for him as it would for anyone who had set out to complete the whole thing. The loss of property and trust are bad enough, but the loss of a goal is so much worse to me and makes me mad.  Whilst I truly thought I understood and comprehended what a wholly devastating circumstance someone else causing you to not complete the thru hike could be, I have fast discovered that this is not possible unless you have experience of the trail which, with three hundred miles under my belt, I am beginning to appreciate. The thought of someone else ruining any chance I have of finishing my own goal would be gut wrenching and completely unacceptable so for someone to do that to papa wolf and prevent him from completing his goal of twelve years is just mind blowing to me and something that I have been thinking about the last few days.  Not completing the trail due to injury or because it is not the journey you anticipated is something entirely different to someone who, knowing we were away, purposefully set out to do this; a calculated break in to our home and taking advantage of a situation. It is just so upsetting and we will never get this back. Anyway digression over with. We have promised not to yellow blaze and we haven't. We may choose to in the next few days simply because there are a couple of possibilities that may make life easier on all three of us which would be awesome! I have decided that any miles I do yellow blaze I will make up at the end.... Somehow. I will let papa wolf fill you in tomorrow!!! Any way all of that to just tell you we reached the car where tailbone had left it!! She had hiked the 7 Miles already to the shelter where we had planned to stay. Figuring it would be super dark by the time we reached it (of course up hill) I agreed to driving to the next road where we could take the trail back up heading south bound and hike only four miles... So we only didn't really hike three...whilst i wasn't super keen on that, i was less keen on getting into camp gone ten o'clock! :)  As it was, the first part of the hike saw us climb 800 vertical feet, steeply uphill, in just over 0.7miles which was a true test of my hiking power with my pack on for the first time in a couple of days! In the end we didn't get in until gone 9pm anyway since we had a quick snack and had to make sure we had everything we needed in our bags (see having the car you never just pick up your bag and walk... Things get taken out, put back in etc etc etc!). And so I got another first in - my first night hike which despite falling over twice (thankfully not in water) but scraping my knee and rolling my ankle for a fourth time) I really really enjoyed! We set up camp quickly and I had packed out what turned out to be my fave camp dinner so far...mashed potatoes with hotdog sausage, shredded cheese and baked beans all mixed together! What I am eating now deeply disgusts me - I have never eaten so much junk and processed foods but I am loving it and just burning calories!!!  With a full belly and a late ending I was asleep within minutes!!! I didn't even really chat to any of the chaps who were already there! Oh I almost forgot right towards the beginning of the hike today I passed over Pattison road!! Of course I had to have my piccie taken - cheesy I know!!  

Thursday 9 August, Day 30 AT v2.0, 4.3 miles (plus a yellow blaze), Camp site near Manchester Center VT. By Papa Wolf - We have had the support vehicle now for one week, and frankly it has been a mixed bag. Yes it's great having fresh water and carrying a lighter load, but logistically it's a bit of a nightmare. Instead of just waking up and walking, we now have to figure road crossings with parking areas with how far to a shelter, etc. etc. Plus, if you can believe it, we missed carrying our packs. We looked like day hikers, felt like day hikers, we had a vehicle to be driven around, etc...it was starting to take a bit of the experience and magic of the trail away...so something had to change. So yesterday we called for advice from our friends Rampage and Mango whom we stole the idea from and who having been utilizing a support vehicle for months. Initially we were going to meet up with them so Mango and Tailbone would have company during the day, but they got pretty far ahead and we did not want to yellow blaze that far. Thanks to a couple big days for us, and short days for them we discovered they were only one day ahead of us. After talking with them we decided we would bite the bullet and yellow blaze one day ahead to meet up with them.  It was not an easy decision to make. We feel guilty, almost dirty, like we are cheating and letting everyone down. All the other hikers have been great, and a fair few have said "they owe the trail" a few miles themselves, but having walked every foot of the first 700 miles, and all but a few of the last 300, this was a tough pill to swallow for both Crocadilly and I. So for good or ill, that is what we have done with Crocadilly laying down the ultimatum that this is a one off...any more talk of yellow blazing and we're done...i like her style. ;)  We met up with Mango this afternoon and so far We think it was a good decision. Mango will not let Rampage or Apollo yellow blaze one mile so perfect for us. We also decided yesterday the full packs are back on from now on. Dont get me wrong, we wont carry six days of food, but pretty much everything else is walking with us. So we think this will be a good solution which was sorely needed, Plus it gives tailbone and mango company and support which will be really important as we hit the White Mts and there will be a few days without roads and they are on their own.

Friday, 10 August, Day 31, 17.7 miles, camping on USFS Rd 10...literally. :) by Crocadilly -  I am writing todays blog from a very picturesque spot on the above service road! We are camped out with mango and rampage, Apollo, Wheezy and a few others plus a multitude of dogs! We were going to go into the woods to find spots but after large amounts of food no one could be bothered to move so we just pitched where we parked! It was either that or get ripped off at a campsite up the road offering pitches for 19 bucks a night per tent! Erm no! Today has been overcast which has been nice making the weather cooler. The only problem now is when you stop and sit you get cold! There was a few drizzly patches and a couple of claps of thunder but none of the bad weather forecast came to pass.  With the smell of pine and a fine mist in the air as we made our way through the forest and up today's mountains I could have been forgiven for thinking we were hiking in Scotland in the autumn! I had a great morning - we climbed Bromley mountain part of sun mountain ski area - yep actually hiked up a ski run today (skiing down is more fun by the way). The inclusion of sun in the title was a little ironic since visibility was limited, there was no view atall to the valley below and no sign of the sun whatsoever !  There were several other peaks we hiked including Peru.... I really feel like I am getting a good rhythm now and am consistently hiking more than two or three miles an hour including uphill-papa wolf welcomed me to hiking as it really feels like I have crested a peak and have joined the rest of thehikers now I can go this fast!! The day flew by! It was nice - we got up early and had hiked five miles by about ten o clock! By lunchtime we had hiked ten leaving only seven for the afternoon! Despite the afternoon drizzle they went by fast. Today was good fun and had good banter with many other hikers north and south bound along the way!  We had a lovely leisurely afternoon hanging out, chatting with Mango et al and deciding where we were going to camp tonight! Apart from a slight problem with the car battery which was fixed easily we have had a smooth day! Long may this continue! Despite feeling incredible guilt over the lost miles yesterday am so glad we did this. Today has made it totally worth while! Everyone has had fun and I really think we are in a good rhythm set now... Fingers crossed! Plus I got to meet Miss Janet who is something of a trail and trail angel legend! A former thru hiker herself she now spends her summer up and down the trail helping out hikers and providing a shuttle service! She is a wonderful lady and does a lot of good! A trail mommy for all of us hikers! There are good people on the trail and I am so lucky to have met some wonderful people in the month I have been out here! Yep a month tomorrow - the milestones are racking up now I can't believe it. It's flown by but  I feel like I have been out here forever! "normal life", whatever that may be, seems light years away to me out here now! I miss everyone back home terribly but know I am having the journey of a life time...and pushing myself further each day! :)

3-5 August 2012 A New Chapter

Friday 3 August, Day 24 AT v2.0, 10.2 miles, Benedict Pond Campsite MA. Sir Lanche-A-Lot and the Whole-y Trail (copywrite CrocaDilly 2012...she made me give her credit). By Papa Wolf - We used to having a saying in the Air Force…"Flexibility is the key to Airpower"…it appears that is the same with Backpacking. We used to follow that saying with "the key to flexibility is indecision". J Anyway, we were flexible and decisive and with a HUGE thanks and help from my Mom and wonderful Aunt Pat, we were reconnected with Mojo and Skye and my Avalanche…Sir Lanche-A-Lot…after 7.5 years living in England, he was knighted. They arrived in Great Barrington around 1100, and after a nice lunch with everyone, TailBone, CrocaDilly, and I came up with a good plan now utilizing our support vehicle. Just a bit more planning now as we want to make sure we camp within a few miles of a road…fairly simple right now based on where we are in the North East. The key for us is to stay true to the trail. The "All knowing 'They'" say that if you leave the trail for more than 6 days, you will not get back on. I can see how that may play out as having been at home 40 days for the burglary, it was difficult coming back on…a roof, electricity and indoor plumbing are not to be taken for granted. BUT, I proved "They" wrong and have been having a great time since I got back. The new challenge, with the support vehicle, will be for us to not get lazy, not jump off the trail at every rain shower, not get a ride (yellow blaze) just because we can. Frankly, I am expecting it will be a much bigger challenge than we think. With no car, there is no choice so you just get on with it. When you have an option to take the easy way out…that is the challenge. Time will tell how we do but I am confident we will stay true to the trail. As far as slack packing goes, meaning you only carry a day pack and water, I am of two minds. Until today, I only slackpacked approx 50 of the 950ish miles Ive hiked so far. I feel a little guilty, but the lady who set the official Appalachian Trail speed record last year did it carrying virtually nothing really. She had support vehicles and her team at every road with supplies etc. Taking nothing away from her remarkable accomplishment, and maybe using it as an excuse, I figure if the official speed record can be set slackpacking, I can do the last 650 miles with less weight as well. Not to forget either that once we hit the White Mountains and Maine, we won't see a car for days at a time so back to normal full packs. So with all that to consider, we said goodbye to Mom and Aunt Pat, gave a ride to our friend who did find her car…towed and in the next town over…and we hit the trail at 3pm. We did have a good hike and got to our destination before dark. The campsite was deserted except for the three of us, the two dogs, and a hiker friend Miles. I was not sure if I was impressed or a little disappointed in the local youths and it was a beautiful park on a lake and a great summer evening…perfect for a Friday night party to get into mischief and bust curfew. As it was, we had a very peaceful, but hot, night sleep.

Saturday 4 August, Day 25 AT v2.0, 17.1 miles, Upper Goose Pond Cabin MA. By CrocaDilly - Last night I did not sleep well. I don't think having spoken to others today that many people did. It was so hot and humid during the night that it made for a very uncomfortable night's sleep. I think I managed about four or so hours - a good portion of which was after I should have got up! It hadn't helped that one of the puppies had decided to spend most of the night sleeping on me … I love how affectionate they are and how much they love to snuggle but when it is so hot having a 90lb furry being lying on you does not help! So I spent the day very tired and very grumpy. I was also struggling significantly with my conscience and the new set up. I just did not like it. It feels like such a different challenge and I am not enjoying it as much as I was. It doesn’t feel like the challenge it was and I somehow feel less free and that I am carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders again despite the fact that 34lbs has been lifted from them. For the first time I thought about going home. And I did not like that feeling. I came on the trail for many reasons and to push myself to the absolute limit and some of that has now been taken away. Furthermore I enjoyed the exhilaration of being totally in control of my life and free.  I am fully immersed in the here and now and my surroundings and having everything I could possibly need on my back without the distraction of everyday life. I had rid myself of the extraneous artifacts and material goods of the modern world (except my phone) that could interfere with the bubble of freedom I had created - it was just me, my family and my thoughts. Now all of a sudden with the arrival of the car we have this great big reminder with us constantly of "real life" …something that I was happy to leave behind for a bit and not think about. I enjoyed only having my legs as a mode of transport and the odd ride in a car. I was worried we would get sucked into yellow-blazing, have constant access to sodas and this would become just a merry jaunt in the car across New England. I wrestled with my thoughts and feelings all day and each and every step felt sluggish and slow and hard. It should have been the exact opposite considering I no longer had the pack. It actually also takes longer to get ready in the morning too - what do you need to take with you and what can you leave in the car? I prefer to be able to just throw everything in my pack in its proper place as I have been and go. It just all felt wrong. One minute I have a pack and the next minute I don’t. We set off from the campsite without our whole packs - just a day pack and water. We then had to put on the whole packs to hike the rest of the three miles to the campsite we were staying at and it made me feel like I was hiking day 0 again. I had had this issue before on our first day back after slackpacking and swore I would never do it again!! At this point I could have just laid down in the car and gone to sleep! I decided I prefer hiking with my full pack. We got to the Upper Goose Pond and what an amazing set up - when they say pond they mean large lake. A lot of hikers were already hanging out when we got there including our bubble of northbounders. The cabin on the lake shore higher up was already full so we set up camp with Ambassador, Rory, Last Out and Franklinstein on the beach by the water's edge. The water was cool and inviting and swimming whisked my cares away. I decided to see how I felt in the morning about the new set up - I think I was just super tired and quite a few of the others had been grumpy due to a lack of sleep too! We had another sumptuous dinner using the fresh zucchini and cucumbers that Aunt Pat had given us. Truly delicious! The people staying at the cabin that week - caretakers - were awesome and very friendly. We had some banter and sat around.

Sunday 5 August, Day 26 AT v2.0, 11.0 miles, Shamrock Inn, Dalton MA. By CrocaDilly - Last night was the first night that we slept without the rain-fly on and wow what a difference that made to my sleeping experience. The night was cooler anyway but not having the fly on was like having air conditioning suddenly! It was lovely also to look up at the trees and the sky and the moon and stars! I only woke a few times instead of the several an hour which I have been doing consistently (including when in a normal bed). I wake up a lot due to restlessness and fidgety legs which I hear is common and Mojo actually sat on my head at one point in the night, then decided he wanted to snuggle with Scott so scooted in between the two of us before proceeding to then push me off my air mattress!!  I felt so much better though when I woke up at 0630 and thought I would tackle the day more positively. I am still hiking the whole route after all, a goal I had set for myself (how many people can say they hiked 900 miles in one go?) We have the boys back - I missed them terribly and it was very strange hiking without them! We have promised ourselves we are not going to yellow blaze unless it is due to danger, we are not going to have a supply of soda or beer in the car or a cooler - we may buy more food because we can store it including veggies but that will be it. I will also for the most part, unless we need to do super miles, carry my pack. I like the weight and the extra exercise. Also we have the 100 mile wilderness to contend with which is hard terrain in terms of remoteness and the changes in altitude we will expect. I think it would be hard to slack pack for hundreds of miles and then hit that beast. Today though I had my first new challenge - 20 miles (slack packing … and quite a few people were joining us on this venture!) It was also the day we had been waiting for when the trail would cross I-90. This has been a pivotal moment for us in our journey since we have passed under this bridge that carries hikers on their merry way numerous times on our way to Boston and have dreamed of the day when we would ourselves cross it on our own journey! The day started off with fresh coffee and blueberry pancakes provided by our hosts. That is always an incentive to get out of bed early…not a pop tart in sight!! The blueberries are picked fresh from a farm up the road and carried by the southbounders staying at the campsite the night. The lady that owns the farm is known as the cookie lady since she also bakes cookies for hikers and lets them use facilities at her and her husband's farm and stay there for work. Her farm was our first stop at 11 miles today. I could not help feeling a bit Hansel and Gretelish hiking through the woods towards the cookie lady's house lol! The going was good - a short climb followed by miles and miles of soft piney paths through cool woodlands and we ate up the miles and I felt so good, weightless and that I was finally getting into my stride again. I also felt less guilty and that I should be more flexible and go with the flow. I am having too much of a good time and still getting so much out of this adventure - it has changed just a little bit that is all and I will embrace the change. Everything happens for a reason whatever it may be. We saw quite a few people on our travels today. The highlight was passing over the iconic (to us) Appalachian Trail Bridge over I-90 early in the morning. A few people tooted their horns as we crossed and we looked like we were going mad at Disney world what with all the pictures we were taking! I loved it and walking across the bridge felt like such a huge achievement. How could I have ever contemplated getting off the section of trail I have planned to hike without completing it?  I was all set to finish my 20 mile day but lunchtime brought bad news of a flash flood warning and bad thunderstorms. Us and the troops decided when we got to the cookie lady's house (cookies were delicious!) - she also sold fresh eggs and other produce! - that we should take heed of the weather and stop for the day and head into Dalton for the evening. We will back track tomorrow. So here I type after a sumptuous dinner at the restaurant associated with our motel - the Shamrock Inn having had a three course meal, done laundry and reading waiting for the weather to clear. It got really bad around 8ish when we would have been getting into town so glad we decided to bail early. We will do 18 miles tomorrow to include the miles we missed to day. Disappointed yes but no sense putting ourselves in unnecessary danger and walk in wet boots just to say we did 20.