Day 117 - Throw me the idol; I’ll throw you the whip! (26/10/2016)

Flatlander and I had planned to get up early, have breakfast at Bosses, then try our luck with an early morning hitch to the trailhead. Breakfast was foiled by Bosses bring closed on Wednesdays. We made do with breakfast sandwiches from the grocery freezer.

We lucked out on the ride, though. A former thru-hiker who was on his way to do some trail work saw us, turned around, and gave us a ride so we hit the trail at 8am.

Mostly we hiked separately, but met for lunch, and to play on the Guillotine. Flatlander and I are on different schedules, so I imagine she'll dart off ahead eventually, but it was nice to have a hiking buddy again for the day.

Speaking of hiking buddies, Pancake had to have a root canal done today, so cross your fingers that she recovers quickly.

Start: Glasgow, VA

End: Campsite below Floyd Mountain

Distance: 21.5 miles

Day 101 - The Dalmatian of Days (10/10/2016)

I decided on a more modest day today, in part for logistical reasons and in part because I'm still a bit tired. I ran into all of the usual suspects. I'm really beginning to like this cohort of SOBOs. Shakespeare and Flatland, and BXE are too fast for me, but I hope to get more time hiking with Cinderella and Waterboy. So far I've only ever met them while NOBOing.

By far the coolest wildlife experience I've had was today. On the trail, I noticed a large bird on a branch just 30 or 40 yards down the trail. I stopped and tried to get my phone out to take a picture. Just as I was pulling it out, the bird (I think an eagle) flew from the branch and directly at me! It passed with it's wings fully spread out, no more than a foot from my waist, and soared on into the forest and out of sight.

Papa Wallaby tells me that's a good omen. I wish good omens weren't so close to being attacked by a large bird of prey.

Also, I finished Pennsylvania. So that's 8 of 14 states down.

Just as I was ending my hike, I ran into Pancake who had twisted her ankle and was struggling. I offered to give her a ride to Walmart for a resupply, so she and Papa Wallaby met and Papa Wallaby got to play Trail Angel!

Start: Wolfville Rd, Maryland
End: Old Forge Rd, Pennsylvania
Distance: 17.6 miles

Day 99 - The Wayne Gretzky of Days (8/10/2016)

Back to that NOBO life! I headed out for a 30 mile day this morning. I wore my running shoes, which was mostly fine except that my feet have clearly gotten bigger by about a half-size. I even ran for a few kilometers (in the wrong direction for part of it. sigh.). Papa Wallaby spent the day doing Papa Wallaby things (it involves a huge chocolate bar from the Hershey's factory). NOBO ing was just as much fun again - ran into BXE, Pancake, Trout, Chef, Cinderella, Waterboy, Shakespeare, and Flatland. I only just made it before dark.

Most remarkably, I hit the midpoint of the trail! The miles I have left are now smaller than the miles I've done!

Not the real midpoint anymore, but the most impressive sign.

Start: Old Forge Rd.

End: Pine Grove Furnace

Distance: 30.1 miles

Day 96 - Blueberry Pancakes Marathon (5/10/2016)

Our neighbour at the campsite this morning decided to harmonize with the trains by running his diesel engine for about an hour beside my tent. Suffice to say that I didn't sleep well.

Pancake slept even worse and woke to find someone had hacked her iCloud account and was sending Chinese spam messages.

In that mood, we headed into Duncannon for breakfast. Popping into Goodies Restaurant, we found Flatlander and Shakespeare already there waiting for their food. As we sat down, the food arrived and the three biggest pancakes I've ever seen were placed in front of Flatlander, who had unwittingly also ordered two sides.

Her hiker hunger was being tested. Her thru-hiker credentials were on the line.

Immediately I decided to order three blueberry pancakes. I also had Pancake and Shakespeare trying to convince me to try something called "scrapple." Here is how the waitress described scrapple when asked:

"It's all the parts of the pig you don't eat."

I ordered bacon.

Pancake insisted on ordering scrapple so I could taste it. I did. It was as bad as it sounds. Only in PA would that be a normal thing.

My goal had been to do 20 miles or so that but, but Trout pointed out that we were in the Cumberland Valley. That meant everything was private farmland, so camping might be tough. PA is also a stand your ground state, which means that if an owner found me camping, they could legally shoot me. 'merica.

From far enough away, you can't tell how terrible Duncannon is.

I set out anyway. All of PA has been covered in stealth sites. Instead, it turned out Trout was right. There was no camping, and so I decided to just press on to Boiling Springs where there was another train-track-adjacent campsite available. On the way, I picked up with BXE - a recently retired math teacher from North Carolina who had come to the same decision I had, and was about to finish his second consecutive 30+ mile day. BXE had arranged a hostel though, so when we arrived in Boiling Springs, we parted ways. As I wandered campsite-ward, an SUV pulled up and BXE's hostel talked me into staying there for $12, where I could get a hot shower, and a quiet, warm, and comfortable place to sleep.

This would have been both warmer and more comfortable.

I got two of those things. The sleeping quarters at this "hostel" was a small shelter with three walls, two of which were trellis fencing. The beds were a triple-decker bunk bed. But before you go imagining a lofty space with high-ceilings, let me assure you: there was only space for a regular bunkbed. It was as if the bunks were designed by the same engineer who came up with economy class seating on airplanes. Imagine morgue drawers, but without the convenient drawer sliding mechanism. Also, the "mattresses" were just thin foam mats. So after bundling up in all of my clothes, and yoga-folding myself into the middle bunk, I realised that would have been much warmer and far more comfortable in my tent. The hostel was quieter, though. And the shower was hot (though I was about to go off trail for a few days of hotel, so that wasn't worth $12).

Anyway, on a more positive note I have a new "biggest day", and I've now completed the marathon challenge.

Start: Duncannon
End: Boiling Springs
Distance: 26.9 miles.

Days 94 & 95 - Hiker HIITs & Duncannon (3-4/10/2016)

Off trail, there were two things I loved: running and high intensity interval training (HIIT). I'd been missing those, so I decided to create a sort of hiker version. The idea is to walk at a really fast pace (3-3.5 mph) for 60-90 minutes, rest, and repeat. Doing that, I managed around 20 miles yesterday, which meant that I caught up to Pancake again (she'd done a big day the day before).

Trout is doing big miles these days, so he's well ahead at the moment.

Today we headed into Duncannon. I can best describe Duncannon as a Trump-loving shit hole. We camped for $5 beside a train track, Pancake got herself thrown out of The Doyle for daring to visit with Trout, and we generally just had a great time in a small conservative town with friendly people. I won't be sad to leave, but I'll remember it fondly.

I'm also having serious problems with my phone these days. I'm pretty sure it's about to die.

Start: around 1005.8
End: 1041.5
Distance: 35.7 miles (20.6 + 15.1)

Day 92 - Shhh. Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits. (1/10/2016)

It's hunting season! The whole day was punctuated by gunshots in the distance. Like, a lot of gunshots. I've decided it's time to put away my deer impressions and wear orange.

SC and Pancake had planned to head to Hamburg for dinner, then find a stealth site near the road. I decided to join them, and we also met with Shakespeare (who I hadn't seen since Maine) and Flatland.

By the time Pancake finished her laundry, and we got Shakespeare and Flatland back to their shelter, it was 9 pm. That's around midnight HST (Hiker Standard Time). SC dropped Pancake and I off at the trailhead and started for home, while we night-hiked in the rain over rocky ground to find a stealth site.

So after three months, I've done just under 1,000 miles (987.7). Phew.

Start: Port Clinton
End: stealth near PA183
Distance: 14.7 miles

Day 91 - Hamburg, Home For Hikers (9/30/2016)

Another wet day. Rains fell until noon or so, and then cleared a bit. Trout and I went into town for a quick resupply. The Hamburg area may have displaced Hanover NH as the most hiker-friendly town:

• The trail passes by a barber shop where we could sit, have some coffee and cookies, and charge our phones.
• At Walmart, I accidentally put Pouch in front of the power supply for the motorized carts. When I came back to them, the staff were apologizing *to me*, and bent over backwards to find me somewhere else to plug in my phone.
• As we were stuffing our bags with our resupply, a random stranger came over and handed us Powerades and several Mountain House and AlpineAire meals, saying he just liked to help out hikers when he saw them. We saw another customer give some hikers fresh fruit.
• While we were walking over to Cabela's, a red car pulled up and asked if we wanted a ride. Not only did he drive us to the door, but he gave us some beer and then told us to message him when we were ready to get back to the trail and he'd give us a ride. I'm 90% sure he sat in the parking lot waiting as we visited...

THE LARGEST CABELA'S IN THE WORLD

It almost made me wish I was a hunter/fisherman, so I could enjoy it more fully.

On our way back to the trailhead, we found Pancake and SC again, and are now all camped out near Port Clinton.

Start: Eckville Shelter

End: Top of hill outside Port Clinton

Distance: 15.9 miles

Day 90 - Home is where the bunks are (29/9/2016)

Rain. A lot of it. Then mist.

Pouch hangs out outside of Eckville.

Per last night's plan, I set out to do 18-20 miles to get close enough to Hamburg to resupply in the morning. On the way, I popped into the Eckville Shelter because a) it was supposed to be really nice with power, a shower, and real porcelain toilets, and b) because it shared a name with the town of my birth. It really was worth the visit, with padded bunks and a fully enclosed bunk house. Far and away the most luxurious shelter I've seen. I took a quick nap, then headed back on the trail only to run into Trout arriving. He offered to spot me some lunch for the next day so that I could stay at Eckville, which I did. Pancake joined us and we had another good evening followed.

Here's hoping the rain backs off soon, though it is nice to see running streams again.

Start: New Tripoli Campsite
End: Eckville Shelter
Distance: 13.8 miles

Day 89 - and then there was one... (28/9/2016)

North Side Trail

Tim made us all an amazing Mexican breakfast of eggs, refried beans and tortillas then dropped us back at the trail. The three of us (Pancake, Trout, and me) met up at the next shelter, where Trout and Pancake were both feeling pretty down (Trout for illness, Pancake for fatigue and a general malaise). I took a side trail Tim had recommended, and had some beautiful views to carry me through to the next shelter where Pancake and Trout decided to call it a day. I took care of some phone stuff while I had a signal. I had to overcome the draw of a warm fire and Pancake and Trout's campaign to keep me there to get going, but it felt wrong to call it so early without Pancake and Trout's reasons.

Rain and rocky terrain made it slow going, so I only did a few more miles before finding a campsite for the night. At dinner I discovered that I only had one more day of food left... which means a big day tomorrow to make it to Hamburg for a resupply. :(

Start: PA 284
End: New Tripoli Campsite
Distance: 12 miles

Day 88 - Trail Angel Tim, Take 2 (27/9/2016)

It rained all night, making it tough to get out of bed. I headed out to the shelter where I hoped to find Pancake and Trout, and have a quick coffee before braving the wet. They were there, and Pancake and I chilled a bit while hikers came and went. I saw Crunchy for the first time in a long time, and then on my way out I saw Beef Jerky! He'd been off trail for a wedding, and was just getting back.

While I was sitting around, I realised that I was now in the area that Tim from PA had said he could help me out if I needed it. I gave him a call and he offered to pick the three of us up, give us dinner, showers, laundry and a warm place to sleep.

Yep, that's right. Another night off trail. I could get used to this kind of hiking.

The only catch was I had to do 19 miles in about 7 hours, so off I went. Pennsylvania is pretty much as rocky as they say it is, but I was motivated by food and Tim. I was happy to get within a mile of our destination, right until I discovered that most of that mile was one of the more treacherous rock scrambles I've had to do this trip.

Still, I made it, and Tim took us out for dinner, took us to a grocery store for resupply, gave us showers, laundry, and a sampling of his various flavoured vodkas, and then packed us off to bed. All in all is was a great night of examining Tim's ax collection, chatting about travel and hiking, and generally enjoying some good company.

Start: Hahn's Lookout
End: PA 284 (Le High Gap)
Distance: 18.7 miles

Day 87 - Rain. Rain! (26/9/2016)

I needed fuel today, so I popped in to Wind Gap for a brief resupply and battery recharge. Pancake and Trout continued on, and I was hoping to catch up to them. Sadly darkness arrived to early, and the rocky terrain makes night hiking tricky so I camped down. The forecast is for a lot of rain tonight, and over the next few days - which is bittersweet: on the one hand, it means wet camping and walking, on the other it means cooler temperatures and better water sources.

Start: Mt Minski Peak
End: near Hahn's Lookout
Distance: 12.8 miles

Day 86 - Pouch and Pennsylvania (25/9/2016)

This morning, I packed Pouch up to rejoin me on the trail. Pancake's friend Carla (who had done the 100 Mile Wilderness with her) agreed to drive us to the trail and do a day hike with us to Delaware Water Gap. Trout and I were pretty excited to meet her since Pancake had been talking about her for months.

On the way we gave her a trail name that is unfit to print, so I started referring to her as SC. Which seems to have stuck.

The best part of today, though, was crossing into Pennsylvania! NOBOs have been telling us that Pennsylvania was hellish for months. All sharp rocks and dead shoes. I'm dreading it.

SC and Pancake cross into Pennsylvania!

Start: Mohican Outdoor Center
End: Mt Minski peak
Distance: 15.5 Miles

Days 83 through 85 - That NOBO Life (22-24/9/2016)

For the last few days, I've been walking in the reverse direction to my usual southward wandering. On the first day, we picked up Trout (!) and he joined us slacking and relaxing at Pancake's place. Being a NOBO, I kept crossing paths with a whole bunch of SOBOs that were either a bit behind or a bit ahead of me. Every day I'd pass Ducky, Bunchy, Cinderella, & Waterboy, and now I'm hoping to hike with them all more (could be tough... most of them are faster than me).

The best part is that we were able to do 60 miles in three days, and I've got a new "biggest" day: 22 miles.

One of the more embarrassing things, though, is the amount of food we've been eating at McDonald's. My meals have been a Big Mac Meal with a 6 McNugget Happy Meal and an apple pie. On the plus side, I've now got two superheroes attached to my pack to keep me company: Wonder Girl and Super Girl!

Start: NY 17A (sort of)
End: Mohican Outdoor Centre
Distance: 68.3 miles (including about 8.4 yellow-blazed)

Day 82 - Unplanned Zero (21/9/2016)

Pancake talked me into taking a zero day with the words "I have a kayak at my neighbour's* place that you can use on the lake." We also decided to slackpack together for three or four days: I would drop her off at the north end of a section, and then drive around to the south end. She'd walk south, pick up the car, and come get me at the north end. We'd be able to carry lighter packs and do reasonably big miles.

Most importantly, I could chill out and kayak instead of hiking today. Which I did.

The only catch is that since Pancake is 8 miles ahead of me, I'd have to do my first official yellow blazing (when you do a section by car rather than on foot). Which was A-OK by me.

Start: NY 17A
End: NY 17A
Distance: zero

* She said it without the U, but this is a proper english blog.

Day 81 - The Struggle Continues (20/9/2016)

Today became a nero when Pancake offered to pick me up and give me a bed, a shower, and some laundry at her place. She lives in New Jersey and had been visiting with friends for a few days and slackpacking Timber, Legs, Pinky Purple and Foggy. That's right, after just one day on the trail, I got off again.

To kill time waiting for Pancake, I went to the library at Greenwood Lake and updated some blog entries. I also popped into a café (Village Buzz Café) that, was owned by Tortuga, a former thru-hiker! We had some chat, I ate (a lot) of food, and she let me hang out while she closed up. Then she only charged me for a sandwich.

Then I tried to find a place to have a beer. I went into one pub that looked promising. As soon as the bartender saw my pack, he immediately barked that I couldn't have it inside. Which was fine, we rarely bring our packs inside, I had just intended to ask if I could leave it on the patio or if there was somewhere else he preferred. The beer selection was Crappy Beer, Crappy Beer, Crappy Light Beer, or Craft Beer. I asked what the Craft Beer was like and he looked at me like I was an irritant and said "it's beer." I just ordered one because, being Canadian, I figured he had to warm up to me eventually.

Then I saw it. Hanging behind the bar, unobtrusively until you noticed it. A hat. Make America Great Again.

Then I heard it. A lot of casual racism from the two or three other patrons (all the talk was politics).

I finished my beer and left, heading to the second pub in town. Before I got there, though, I saw the Trump sign on the lawn.

So for all my Canadian and Australian (and other) friends who've been wondering who on earth is supporting this guy, I can confirm your suspicions: middle-aged, white racists in small towns.

I just went back to the library and read some Terry Pratchett short stories.

It was also good to hang out with Pancake. We tasted some bourbons and gins, and I had some spaghetti. Pancake agreed to drive me to my mail package in the morning, and then drop me at the trail.

With any luck my motivation will pick up again.

Start: Around the 813 mile mark

End: NY 17A

Distance: 4 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 27 - Money, Tickets, Passport (28/7/2016)

I had a late start out of Andover this morning, so I pushed for 8 mile to get ove at least one ridge before the forecasted thunderstorms hit. Most of these ridges are long sheets of bare rock that are nice and grippy - when dry. When wet they become a hard, bumpy, painful slip 'n slide.

I managed to get to Bald Pate and settle in. Met a German woman living in New Jersey named B-Hiker and had a nice chat about the trail, but decided to turn in early. In my tent I went looking for my journal notebook whence I noticed a missing zip lock bag. A zip lock bag containing:

~$50 cash

1 mobile phone and battery 

1 credit card

1 debit card

1 driver's license

1 Canadian passport

And people thought bears would be the worst thing that could happen to me on the trail.

I begged kindness from B-Hiker who was heading into Andover and promised to call in at the hostel to see if it was there. She also gave me $20 to hold me over in Gorham. With any luck one of the PELT crew saw it and have packed it in for me.

Eep.

At least I still have my whiskey, because tonight I need a drink.

Start: Andover ME

End: Bald Pate

Distance: 8.0 miles

Day 26 - Andover (7/27/2016)

Woke up this morning to find that Trout had hiked a marathon (over 26 miles) to catch up, only to arrive under dark with me already asleep. It was good to hear his voice in the morning, though. We had a short day planned into Andover, where I was planning to take a night and deal with some mail things. Legs and Timber were just coming in for food and then heading out. Trout, Eskimo and Littlefoot were all staying as well.

Surprisingly, Pancake showed up too! Her ankle has recovered enough to keep her walking. I hope to catch up to Timber and Legs in Gorham, but it'll be fun to have the PELT group around (Pancake, Eskimo, Littlefoot and Trout).


Start: Hall Mountain
End: Andover (East B Hill Road)
Distance: 5.4 Miles

Day 22 - The Thing Family (23/7/2016)

I parted ways with Pancake for the time being this morning. Her ankle is going to slow her down for a while, but hopefully it heals quickly and we meet again down the trail.

I kept finding blueberries and beautiful views over the ridges today. I kept 1/2 a cup for breakfast. :)

At camp, I met the Thing Family. This is me under Piazza Rock with Things 1 & 2, who were on their very first overnight hike. We had a great time climbing rocks and exploring caves before sharing gummy bears and marshmallows at camp. A great 40+a day.

Thanks to veggieguy (who sounds like Alan Alda!) for this photo.

Start: Poplar Ridge
End: Piazza Rock
Distance: 8.3 miles (13.5 km)

Day 21 - Moose of Old Age (22/7/2016)

Three weeks on the trail now. I woke up to a light rainfall, but I just waited it out in my cozy sleeping bag. Lots of "Happy Birthdays" as I emerged, and Timber (whom I'd met with his dad on Day 1) gave me a cherry pie. Legs and I shared an early morning shot of whiskey (Canadian Club), since they were heading on further than the party. I hope to catch them again some time.

It was a good day of hiking, and I got to see my 3rd moose. A buck this time who was in the trail as I turned a corner. Trout's beginning to resent my luck, and Pancake thinks I'm a moose diviner.

Camp brownies (omg so good), and scotch with new found friends. I miss my off trail buddies, but this is definitely a memorable birthday.

The brownies are burned into my pan a bit, which means everything will taste like that now.

Totally Worth It.

A great day.

Start: Spalding Mtn
End: Poplar Ridge
Distance: 8 miles (12 8 km)