Day 77 - New York. New York. (16/9/2016)

Another day, hiking in New York. I do not heart it. I spent a chunk of the day trying to resupply in Fort Montgomery, which has virtually no resupply options.

Start: Hemlock Springs Tentsite
End: West Mountain Shelter
Distance: 9.2 Miles

Day 76 - The Miles that Don't Count (15/9/2016)

Today was a bit of a navigational disaster. Without a guidebook or maps, I feel like I'm walking a bit blind. (I do have photos of some of the guidebook thanks to Half-fool, but using my phone drains the battery so they're emergency use only for now.) At one point I went off-trail for 10 feet, then when I got back on, promptly headed down the trail in the reverse direction. After about .75 miles, I ran into a group of hikers I'd passed going in the other direction. Everyone looked confused, no one more than me.

Later, Half-fool had caught me and we were walking together when suddenly he said "have you seen a white blaze in a while?" I hadn't at. Not in a long while. In fact it turns out that we hadn't seen a white blaze in almost a mile. So another 1.5-2 miles later were back on trail. We set up camp near the top of a ridge that promised some nice views. Half-fool suggested we grab our food and eat with the sunset, so off we went. There was no view. Anywhere. We limped back to our campsite, realising we'd walked another unnecessary mile.

In the end we only got 13 miles that counted.

Start: Dennytown Rd.
End: Hemlock Springs Tentsite
Distance: 12.8 miles (+ around 5 that don't count...)

Day 75 - Mail woes 2: the return of mail woes (14/9/2016)

Still no package, and for some reason the USPS has sent it to New Hampshire for processing. I tried to call USPS, but as is the case a lot these days, it's impossible to talk to an actual human and there was no option for reporting lost mail.

I debated squatting on the post office property in protest, but figured I should get some miles instead. This meant that I'd be walking with no map, and no guidebook for the next little while until my mail drop made it to me. I hit the trail mid-afternoon and it was hot and humid. I decided to keep my clothes on this time, and attempt a new strategy: sleep through the heat and walk at night. I napped for a bit on the forest floor and started hiking, aiming to do 15 miles or more. At the 5 mile mark I stopped at RPH shelter for dinner, where Half-fool caught up to me and decided to join me for the night-hike. It was a great evening - we had some nice moonlit views of lakes from the ridges, had a snack on a beach at night, and I got to meet my first copperhead snake.

We managed the 15 miles around 1 AM and set up camp on a nice little site.

Start: Stormville, NY
End: Dennytown Rd
Distance: 15.3 miles

Day 74 - Mail woes (13/9/2016)

Today I was hoping to pop into Stormville and pick up my missed mail drop.

Today I popped into Stormville for nothing.

I'm sleeping behind a deli with Eskimo, Broadway, Troll and Ser Blue hoping the package will arrive tomorrow.

Start: Nuclear Lake
End: Stormville, NY
Distance: 8.3 Miles

Day 73 - The Origin of WallabyMan (12/9/2016)

I felt much better today. Sleeping on a beach next to a river and waking up cold was a nice antidote to the last few days (that's right, COLD!!). I made coffee and headed out. There was a deli about 10 miles into today's walk, so that was the goal for lunch.

Instead of the deli, I ended up at a Garden Centre that offered an outdoor showerhead (with roughly zero privacy), cold drinks, ice cream, and power supply for charging devices. I stayed on their porch for a couple of hours to eat my own food and lighten my pack, and charge my phone.

As usual these days, I headed back on the trail with no idea where the next water source would be.  It turns out that the answer was Nuclear Lake. I'd been warned not to touch the water here, and my trail guide notably did not include it as a water source. That said, there were no warnings about water or fish toxicity posted anywhere near the lake. Ponds aren't my favourite water source, but these days I'm not very picky. I did what I usually do when faced with a substandard water option - take some with me, but don't use it unless it becomes necessary.

It's a good thing I brought it, since there were no other water sources around. I may be radioactive, but at least I'm not thirsty.

Besides, maybe this is going to be my origin story.

Start: Ten Mile River
End: South end of Nuclear Lake
Distance: 16.2 miles

* At some point today I crossed into New York. New York must just assume we'll feel the difference, because there were no signs.

Day 72 - Kent (11/9/2016)

This morning started with a thunderstorm and a short walk into Kent, CT. I ended up there for a long time, so it's now late. Here are the bullet points:

• Walked two miles into Kent, the richest town I've ever seen. I walked past Kent School whose tuition is probably more than I've ever earned in a year.
• Rich kids are everywhere.
• I bought new socks and a pair of Crocs!
• I found Eskimo!!!! He's back on trail after a short, giardia-induced break
• There were some beautiful views of sunsets.
• I camped on a beach after a few hours of night hiking!

Start: Skiff Mtn Rd.

End: Ten Mile River

Distance: 11.5 miles

Day 71 - My Kingdom for a Glass of Water (10/9/2016)

Another morning where putting the pack on hurt. A bit of rain made the morning temperatures bearable, but I fell hard for the first time since New Hampshire, Pouch's rain cover is now torn, and the tip on one of my trekking poles is broken. I've been walking in the same socks for 6 straight days, lost one of my camp shoes, and messed things up so I won't be able to make my next maildrop. The rain also didn't last and we were back to hot, humid, and water-less. To try and help stay comfortable I spent most of the afternoon walking in just my underwear. I still ran out of water before coming on a really sad source where I fought frogs for access. I called it a day and camped down there.

I have to say that the best parts of the last few weeks of hiking have been the days I wasn't hiking. I'm not sure how much more drought I can [or want to] endure. No one who attempted the Connecticut challenge today made it.

Start: Pine Swamp Brook
End: Skiff Mtn Road
Distance: 14.2 miles

Day 70 - Snake Safety: A cross-cultural study (9/9/2016)

Another slow start today. Long breaks make it tough to get going. Still, I fought the through. The weather is hot and humid, and water remains scarce which means carrying a lot more than I'd like. The word is it'll be like this all the way to Maryland, so if I'm honest, I'll be really glad to get the hell out of the mid-Atlantic.

On the other hand, I'm seeing a lot of new SOBO faces. Who knew there were so many behind us!

Also some familiar SOBO faces! I found Pancake! It's been three whole states since our paths diverged, so it was really cool to finally cross paths again. We'll likely see each other for the next few days/weeks before she takes some time to visit and hike with friends in her home state (New Jersey).

Today also resulted in an exciting first: my first rattlesnake! Here is how I deal with coming face to face with a venomous snake:

Australia: give the snake a very wide berth, and hope that snakes don't have a good memory for faces.

North America: get my camera out and try to get a good picture until it finally rears up into a strike coil and rattles its tail.

I couldn't get a good shot, but trust me: rattlesnakes are kind of ugly.

Start: Streams under Lion's Head
End: Pine Swamp Brook
Distance: 17 miles

Day 69 - Challenge (un)accepted! (8/9/2016)

Farewelled the Colin, Dave & Rebecca crew today after a great coffee, bacon and egg breakfast and a resupply trip. Dave even got to play trail angel to some hikers with some leftover water.

Falling back a week means I'm meeting a whole new set of hikers. A few have decided to do the Connecticut Challenge - hiking all 51 miles of CT in a single day. This typically means starting at midnight, and walking fast-ish for 24 hours. It also usually means several days of suffering and recovery.

Other trail challenges:

12x12: do 12 miles before noon.

Marathon: do 26.2 miles in a day

4 State Challenge: touch 4 states in a single day. Typically this is Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. It works because MD and WV are 44 miles between them.

At the top of Bear Mountain in CT, I met two hikers who gave me bananas and a nectarine that they thought was a pluot (cross between a plum and an apricot). It turns out one is the pastry/pantry chef at Zinc in New Haven - a fancy farm to table restaurant that I'm hoping to visit some day. I'll try to bring her a pluot.

I met a guy who assured me there was water at Riga. Since the area I'm in is suffering a drought, that information is worth gold. He was also a rude opinionated ex-hiker, so I shouldn't have been surprised that he was wrong. (not everyone i meet on trail is great...)

Start: Mt Everett Rd

End: Lion's Head + a bit

Distance: 11.5 miles

 

 

Days 67 & 68 - The Dog Days of Summer (6-7/9/2016)

It was good having Dave and Colin on trail. It was even educational: I learned how to tie alpine and fisherman's knots, and had some really good food (dehydrated baked beans!)

The guys and I all learned that I don't make this sound as hard as it is. By the end of day 2 (9 miles mostly downhill), the consensus was that one more short day would be enough.

We did 6 miles to meet Rebecca, who spent the drive home wishing she was a golden retriever so that she could stick her head out the window.* A particularly harsh reward for someone who had us set up with a campsite, beer, and spaghetti fixings. 

Car camping was good, but I'm looking forward to hitting the trail at full speed again in the morning.

Start: Tom Leonard

End: Mt Everett Road

Distance: 14.8 miles (9 + 5.8)

* which raises the question: is this why dogs do it? Do humans smell awful?

Day 66 - Escape From New York (5/9/2016)

Back on the trail with Colin and Dave today. It's hot, and humid, but we only have 2 miles to do (we went sure when we'd get on trail, so we kept it modest). There are some hills, but it's a pretty light day.

It's particularly nice to be back in the woods without all the creepy people playing Pokemon Go.

Start: East Rutherford NJ

End: Tom Leonard Shelter

Distance: 2 miles

Days 63-65 - NYC Baby!! (2-4/9/2016)

This weekend is all about city livin'. Colin, Dave and Rebecca picked me up Saturday and we drove in to our New Jersey hotel. A cab into Hell's Kitchen (hint: taxis are ridiculous, use Uber) and we were livin' it up Big Apple Style.

The next morning we hit a diner in NJ for breakfast, then back to the city for MOMA, tickets to Matilda, and a nightcap (and chow-fest for me) at Réunion tiki bar. If it weren't for the fact that we'd planned to start hiking the next day, I was ready to put my dancing boots on and party 'til the early hours.

Start: Great Barrington

End: NYC

Distance: 0 miles

Day 62 - I Need A Vacation (1/9/2016)

Today marked the end of my first two months. I woke up early because I'd promised the caretaker I would go get water from the spring. This sounds generous, but really it was just because I'd get to take the canoe out again. Littlefoot and I set out and brought back 24 gallons. God I love canoeing.

I also planned to leave early. I'd heard the rec centre in Great Barrington allowed us to camp for free, so my plan was to race 19 miles into GB. So my plan was water, wolf down some pancakes, and hit the trail by 7:40.

Over pancakes, I chatted with Littlefoot and Bambi (the Caretaker). The conversation was so good I left at 9:30 (after another short chat with Jellybean and Pooh Bear who were having a late morning). 

I half expected I wouldn't make it to Great Barrington, but a lunch at the 8 mile mark with Sphinx and Freefall git me pumped again and I managed to press through.

I've now hit the 30% mark after doing 117 miles in 7 days. My legs and feet are ready for some concrete jungle, so I'm looking forward to Rebecca, Dave, and Colin's arrival Saturday. For tomorrow I need to deal with mail, laundry, and a few gear issues. I'm also loving into a motel for the night. Pro Tip: don't go to a resort town on the last weekend of the summer if saving money is your goal.

At least tonight the camping is free (even if the beer* wasn't).

Start: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

End: Great Barrington

Distance: 19.1 miles

* Barrington Brewery's ESB may be the best beer in its class that I've ever had

Day 61 - Rest Day At The Goose (31/8/2016)

This was a nice easy day, though I still struggled for the last few miles. You know you're tired when 11 miles feels as tough as 18. (Then again, you know you're fitter when 11 miles used to be a big day, and now it's a rest day.)

Upper Goose Pond is every bit as amazing as I was told it would be. The caretaker has a big white wolfhound named Falcor (to go with a small brown mutt named Bella). After pitching my tent, I took a canoe to an island in the pond for lunch. There I had a cup of tea, some lunch, and listened to music on my phone. Truly serene. When I got back, I found out that Uncle Mickey had bought hot dogs and hamburgers for everyone, so I immediately had dinner. Then I went up to my tent to make real dinner (yep, three consecutive meals in a few hours), and met Jellybean and Pooh Bear. They're both former army, and were on their first recreational backpacking trip - and discovering that trail walking with big packs is harder than they'd expected.

We had a great chat, and I gave them lots of reassurance that, indeed, trail walking with big packs is hard. Then we chatted about army life, and Germany (Pooh Bear had been an army brat there as well). They left me with a really delicious hit sauce (Puerto Ricans don't mess around with that).

Canoes, dogs, grilled burgers, and good conversations. It's really hard to explain how much I needed them that day.

Also, at the end of the day, Littlefoot showed up! I feared we'd lost him to the 12 Tribes, so I'm glad he's remained in society (sort of). I also found out that Eskimo, who'd gone to hospital with suspected giardia, was back on trail (and also not a member of the 12 Tribes). Good news abounds!

Start: Cookie Lady's

End: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

Distance: 11.1 miles

Day 60 - in which wallaby's legs get tired. (30/8/2016)

After 70 miles in 4 days, my legs are due for a break. Tomorrow I head to Upper Goose Pond Cabin, where there are bunks, canoes, and pancakes. Fortunately it's only 11 miles away, so I can take it slow and give my body some rest.

Today while walking through Dalton, MA, I came across a house flying the American flag (no surprise) alongside the Canadian flag (much more rare!) I called out to the woman on the porch that I liked her flag, and that led to a conversation. Not only was Suzanne Canadian, but her father lives 20 minutes from my parents (and thus me, I suppose). In fact, he had been the police chief in my parents' town! It's a long trail, but a small world.

She somewhat grudgingly let me take a photo before forcing me to carry a large zucchini the rest of the day. Nothing without its price.

It was a tough, dry, final 7 miles today so it's time for bed. Zzzzzzz

Start: St. Mary's

End: The Cookie Lady's yard

Distance: 18.5 miles

Day 59 - A Visit from Legs (29/8/2016)

Another day that started low but ended high.

It poured last night, so I had to pack up my wet tent this morning, load up Pouch with far too much food, and trudge out of my lair slowly. I struggled through, eventually finding myself at the summit of Mount Grey lock, which had the nicest views I've seen since the Whites.

With a Powerade in hand, followed by coffee,

I'd just checked Facebook to find someone chatty, 

when out on the terrace there arose such a clatter. 

I sprang from my bench to see what was the matter. 

Away to the window I flew like a flash, 

when what to my wondering eyes should appear, 

but Legs! And Foggy! (sadly, no reindeer) *

I hadn't seen Foggy since the 100 mile wilderness, and thought Legs and friends were well ahead of me. Timber and Pinky Purple followed. The meeting of friends once again rejuvenated me, and I managed the next 7 miles at a better than 3 mph pace.

Now I'm bunked down in the Parish Hall of a Catholic Church in Cheshire.

‎

Start: My secret lair

End: St Mary's, Cheshire‎

Distance: 15.6 miles‎

* To the descendants of Clement Clark Moore: I'm sorry.

Day 58 - Wily Wallaby (28/8/2016)

So I've now finished Vermont, and entered Massachusetts. Vermont started with beautiful gentle terrain, and descended into a muddy hellscape*. I had my rainiest experience there, but also my biggest miles. The people were the nicest, but also the craziest. Here's a list of conspiracies that featured in my interactions here:

• Contrails
• Fixed elections
• Bigfoot

And my personal favourite:

• Lyme disease is because of chemicals the government is putting in the water

Massachusetts from Vermont

So far, Massachusetts has been like someone flipped a switch. The mud disappeared as soon as I crossed the line, to be replaced by piles of rock reminiscent of New Hampshire. Definitely the most abrupt change across state lines that I've experienced so far.

Vermont from Massachusetts

My plan had been to get to North Adams as early as possible, get dinner and food resupply, then camp down. It turns out that most of the trail near town is in the watershed, so camping is prohibited. I camped down illegally about a mile in from the road. I found dinner and food, and then, under cover of darkness, I slinked back to my tent.

 To the list of "hard things" I'll add "finding a bear hang in the dark".

My next stop will be Great Barrington, where friends will collect me for a weekend in NYC, and then some hiking in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

* hellscape might be an exaggeration ‎

Start: VT 9

End: my secret lair

Distance: 17.5 miles

Day 57 - Trail Training (27/8/2016)

Still really focused on miles. I have to get to the other side of Massachusetts by the 2nd of September, so it's all go, all the time now.

I've been thinking a lot about how my running background contributes on the trail. You might think that it would make me relatively fast. The thing is, running gives you good cardio, but it doesn't prepare your body for 8-12 hours of walking on rough terrain with 25-40 lbs on your back. Cardio is useless if your muscles, tendons, and joints can't keep up. This is why a lot of runners find themselves with overuse injuries on the trail.

That said, I have noticed a few benefits (I think).

1. Injury detection and prevention
   Running has taught me how to know that a problem is forming and when to ease off. Between my running injuries and physio, and my crossfit years, I have a pretty good arsenal of stretches to help head off injuries before they get serious.
2. Mental vs physical weakness
   Some days, it's hard to put in miles. Sometimes that's because I'm physically exhausted and my body genuinely needs a break. Other times, it's more psychological and I'm really just being a weenie. Training for runs seems to help me know which is which.
3. Willpower
   When I'm just being a weenie, you just have to get over it and get the job done. Treating training as work has helped me get through the weenieness 90% of the time. (The other 10% of the time is ok - sometimes you need a mental break too.)

Just some random thoughts as I put in miles. I haven't been immune to injuries, but I think running has helped me deal with them.

Start: Story Spring + 1.5 miles

End: VT 9

Distance: 16.6 miles

Day 56 - The Brown Carpet State (26/8/2016)

Vermont went from being a beautiful carpet of red pine needles, to a messy bog of mud on the trail. Admittedly, it just rained, but it seems that southern Vermont is very different from northern Vermont.

Since I've been so focussed on miles lately, there haven't been a lot of great interactions. Either that, or the great interactions are beginning to feel commonplace. In any case, I thought I'd take this opportunity to tell the apple story.

Way back in the 100 Mile Wilderness, most of us were craving some real food pretty badly. Being a week from any chance at a hamburger will do that to a person. Most people craved burgers, pizza, that sort of thing. Not me. Me, I craved a tomato. Or an orange, or something fresh, fruity, and juicy.

So on this day, I was walking in the rain and generally just thinking about tomatoes. I came upon a sandy beach, and went and looked out over a pond on a misty, rainy day. It was really very serene. Glancing up the beach to my left, I noticed something round and yellowish red at the edge of the water. "Taipan," I said to myself (since I was still going as Taipan then), "that appears to be an apple."

I looked at it for a long, long time. I eventually decided that I should at least go and throw it in the bushes so that it didn't sully the wilderness feel of the beach. I wandered over and picked it up. In my hand was the most perfect apple I had ever seen. It had a small bruise less than the size of my thumbnail, and only lightly brown. This imperfection only highlighted how perfect a piece of fruit my eyes were gazing upon. I looked at it for a long, long time again. "Taipan", I said to myself, "this is a perfectly good apple that someone has just accidentally dropped, probably moments ago." And then "Are you really going to throw this away?"

And I looked at that apple for a very long time. And I brushed away some small sandy pebbles that the beach had decorated it with.

And that was the most delicious apple I have ever, or will ever eat. I refuse to apologize for eating a dirty beach apple, for it would have been an insult to all of the apple, nay all of the FRUIT, kingdom, had I simply tossed it in the bushes for the worms. That apple ended its existence as nobly as any apple ever has.

And apparently that story has become well enough known that my name is now synonymous with being the "apple guy."

Start: Spruce Peak + 1 mile
End: Story Spring + 1.5 miles
Distance: 19.5 miles

Day 55 - Bear Safety (25/8/2016)

When I mentioned this project to a lot of people, they usually started out asking me about bears. Bears are a serious concern on the AT, no question. As a result, I'm kind of a stickler for bear safety:

1. I always hang my food, including cookware, at least 60 yds from my tent.
2. A good bear hang is 10' above the ground, 5' away from any tree trunks, and 5' down from a branch that would not support the weight of a bear.
3. My cooking area is 60 yds from my tent and also 60 yds from my bear hang.
4. Toothpaste smells like food to a bear, so it goes in the bear hang as well.

I do as many of those things as I can, as carefully as I can.

When it's dry.

When it's raining hard, my rules become more like this:

1. I haven't seen a bear in a couple of days. That one isn't near here. Probably.
2. Bears probably hate the rain too.
3. I've smelled like pepperoni before, so if bears were really a threat I'd be dead already.
4. Bear hangs are a stupid idea. If the food is with me, at least I have some chance of defending it.
1. Don't get wet for stupid ideas.
5. If toothpaste were food, hikers would already have eaten the whole tube.
6. Having dinner inside your tent puts a barrier between your food and the bears. Besides, bears know how stupid it is to eat in the rain, so they won't bother you. Don't be dumber than a bear.

Tonight it's raining, and it turns out macaroni makes a nice pillow. Like a bean bag.

Start: Bromley + 1 mile

End: Spruce Peak Shelter + 1 mile

Distance: 4.8 miles (with a stop in Manchester Center)