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