Day 8 - Johanna Beach

Date: 17/12

As usual, I'd planned to get up for sunrise. Luckily (?) I woke to the sound of rain drops on the tarp over my tent, which told me there was no sunrise to see. Combined with a short hiking day, there was no reason to get up.

Even with a bit of a lie-in, I headed out around 8 under misty rains. This meant keeping the camera hidden for the most part which means I didn't get a lot of shots. It was a beautiful walking day nonetheless, and I still managed to take more than a few pictures. One of the advantages of leaving earlier than everyone else is that I usually get dibs on the wildlife along the track, like these dark black kangaroos I'd never seen before.

The early bird catches the roo. The early bird also gets to walk
into all of the spider webs that have been made across the track.

The highlight of the day, though, was 2 kms of beach walking to get to our campsite. Just as I finished the beach, the clouds were lifting and the rain stopped. The result has been a really nice afternoon at by far the most beautiful campground on the walk. Johanna campground overlooks Johanna beach and the Johanna River. The name isn't hard to remember.

Hard to beat this view for a campsite.

Not far from the campground is a hang gliding launch site and from there, more views of the coast but also views of the farmland that is on the other side of the dunes and ridges.

Farm valleys behind Johanna Campground

Not a bad way to end a relaxing day. This is definitely the campground of choice of you're planning to spend a few days on the walk. A bit of a hill to get between the beaches and the camping, but well worth the effort.

Tomorrow is my longest day of hiking: 27km to Devil's Kitchen. Everyone keeps warning me that this section is much more difficult than what I've done to date so I guess I'll be earning my Snickers tomorrow.

Day 51 - The Red Carpet State (21/8/2016)

This morning I woke up determined to cover the 12 miles to Rutland in a reasonable amount of time. I set out with the goal of keeping 2 miles/hr including any rest time. It turns out that Vermont made this easy. Vermont is essentially a long, soft, red carpet.

The Red Carpet State

My only real delay was for some trail magic (hamburgers)!

Tonight I'm staying at the Yellow Deli & Hiker Hostel. Yellow Delis are run by the 12 Tribes, which is a religious community (read commune/cult). I'd hoped to spend more time finding out about them, but when you have to resupply and you've already lost a few days in Hanover, it's hard to fit some anthropology into your day. I did, however, have dinner at the deli, and I can say with certainty that they make amazing sandwiches and the fruit salad was impressive.

Also, despite being a commune, they are very welcoming and inclusive. Here's the label on the deli bathroom doors (note that they do segregate men and women in the hostel, which is unusual):

 And this card was in my "welcome basket" on my bed:

And everything hostel-related is by donation or work-for-stay.

So whatever else you might hear about them, they are genuine in their desire to support people.

Start: mile 475
End: US 4, near Killington
Distance: 13.4 miles

Upcoming Mail Drops

I now have several packages chasing me down the trail since it turns out that anything from Canada or abroad takes 8-14 business days to get to me. I'll try to start posting addresses further down the trail from now on.

My next locations will be:

Serje Robidoux (trail name Wallaby)
c/o Hiker's Welcome Hostel
P.O. Box 25
Glencliff, NH 03238
ETA: 12/8/2016

Serje Robidoux (Hold for Hiker)
c/o General Delivery
50 S Main St,
Hanover, NH 03755
ETA: 15/8/2016

Serje Robidoux (Hold for Hiker)
c/o General Delivery
2046 Route 4
Killington, VT 05751
ETA: 18/8/2016

As always, if you send something please let me know by email (and include a tracking number if you have one). That way I can bounce things forward if I outrun them. From Canada, XpressPost seems to be very fast (but I assume expensive).

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)

Day 20 - 39 for one more day (21/7/2016)

After a pretty uneventful day and evening in Stratton, we headed out late today fully re-supplied. The challenge was to cover 25miles in the next couple of days to catch up to Trout and Eskimo to celebrate my 40th.

We're fully stocked for a party - Pancake bought brownie mix and a bottle of 12 year old Glenlivet (she wouldn't let me buy them). She's packing the whiskey, I'm packing the brownie. Probably because she knows better than to trust me with fine scotch.

I got to camp to find Trout and Eskimo there. Pancake's ankle has been injured so she's trailing behind a bit. She doesn't expect to make it to the first campsite, but she'll make up the distance in the morning. To make sure she's there, we decided to move the party 4 miles earlier. By nightfall we gave up on seeing her, and just hoped her ankle was ok.

Then she showed up! No headlamp, under cover of dark, she hobbled into camp just as most of us were about to crawl into bed.

Today was a good day of hiking. I got to know Littlefoot a bit better. He's a smart, positive and adventurous teen. I think he'll do some amazing things. I hope to walk with him a lot. Also spent a bit of time with Legs, who is another academic struggling with the uncertainty of Postdoctoral life. All in all a great day, though my hip is acting up again.

Start: Stratton
End: Spalding Mountain
Distance: 12.5 Miles (20 km)

Day 17 - the monotony of trail life (18/7/2016)

Today was pretty quiet. Light walking, a little bit of swimming.

Tomorrow we do our first real peak, according to NOBOs.

Start: West Carry Pond
End: Little Bigelow
Distance: 7.7 miles (12.4 km)

Day 16 - Moose of Tranquility (17/7/2016)

I woke up early this morning and went out to watch the sun rise. It was so tranquil, all I could hear were th frogs and loons.

After a few minutes I started to hear a bit of splashing across the pond. It'd go silent then a little more splashing. I suspected a moose was wading out from a little Cove across the way, so I sat quietly hoping it would eventually emerge. After a few more moments she did. In the distance a dark spot came out moving its head about and drinking occasionally. I assume a cow, since it had no horns but it was a beautiful moment. Sipping and watching, she quietly started her day while I delayed starting mine. After half an hour I got up to break camp and saw that Stephanie was awake so I sent her out to see the moose (her first of the trip I think).

Turns out the pancakes were well worth the short day. We met Santa, Wonder and Snap (all NOBOs) at breakfast and walked away with another dozen leftover pancakes for the next few days. Definitely a highlight.

Stephanie sold so many people on the pancakes that Pancake has become her trail name. She's also convinced me that Taipan doesn't suit me, so I'm now going as Wallaby, which nicely complements my pack's trail name, Pouch. People seem less confused by that, so I think it'll finally stick.

Tomorrow we hit our first real mountains. I so the NOBOs tell us.

Start: Pierce's Pond
End: West Carry Pond
Distance: 9.9 miles (15.8 km)

Day 12 - the better kind of weight loss (13/7/2016)

Back on the trail after the good rest. My base weight is down 12 lbs (5kg) after the hostel owner did a shakedown of my pack. (My bank balance is also lighter...)

The lighter pack and friendly terrain meant nearly 3miles/hr which is not much slower than my city walking pace! Originally planned to just do 9 miles, but I hit my destination before 3pm so it was decision time - press on for another 9 miles, or accept that I'll have covered only 16 miles in 3 days.

There was a note from Trout in the register hoping I'd catch him soon, which felt nice to read. :)

Not So Bad (an American wearing a Canadian Tire hat) showed up and convinced me to press on. There was a river ford coming up in 3 miles and usually that offers a campsite, even if it's not official. I decided to try my luck - if the gamble paid off I'd bed down at 12 miles, otherwise it'd be a long day.

The gamble paid off. Now I'm trying to use my ultralight alcohol stove. Here's a tip for all you kids out there: stay in school, but also make sure the guy who sells you a new style of stove teaches you how to use it *before* you get hungry.

In the end, beef ramen with some chili spice mix (a hiker box score!) makes for a nice meal.

Start: Monson (ME 15)
End: West Branch Pistataquis River
Distance: 12 miles (19km)

Next Destination

My next resupply/mail stops will be Rangeley, ME, Andover, ME and then Gorham, NH. I may skip Rangely depending on speed and food situations, but I should be in Andover mid next week. Gorham might be a better choice if you want to mail something. (And that's right before I hit the White Mountain range, which is meant to b a very difficult section.)

Serje Robidoux
c/o General Delivery
165 MAIN ST
GORHAM, NH 03581-9998

ETA: 31/07/2016

If you do mail something, send me an email with [TopPriority] in the subject line. If I miss your letter/package, I can call the post office and ask them to forward it on.

Days 10 and 11 - strapping on the feedbag (11-12/7/2016)

I lost 5lbs. Now that we're in Monson I made up some calories:

Lunch- 28 inch pizza with sausage (ate every crumb in a single sitting)
Dinner - 9 chicken wings, fries, beer and a juicy red tomato
Breakfast - 3 eggs, bacon, home fries, 4 blueberry pancakes
Lunch - Black Bean burger, large salad
Dinner - French onion soup, side salad, 12 Oz rib eye with crumbled blue cheese, baked potato with sour cream, and an enormous brownie sundae. And beer.

After a nero and a zero, time to prep for the trail.

Poet, the owner of the hostel here, did a shakedown of my pack and helped me cut almost 10lbs of base weight. It wasn't cheap, but then my knees and hips will benefit as much a if I'd seen the physio (and for the next  2100 miles).

Start: Little Wilson Falls
End: Shaw's Hostel, Monson, ME
Distance: 7 miles (11km)

Day 9 - Winged Flight (10/7/2016)

Got up this morning to a day of rain walking... again. Joey (ex military guy now known as Slip 'n Slide) and Trout caught me after about 5 miles and and they were planning to do the full 20 miles into Monson. I didn't think I could handle that, but just before we all set off Slip 'n Slide offered me a caffeine pill.

Holy F---.

It was like someone gave me wings. All the pain in my legs and feet disappeared, and I drove forward like the roots and rocks were there to help not hinder the walking.

I held with them until the hills and descents got the better of Trout and we had to stop. We were well-short of the 20 miles when we stumbled on Cole (young native guy who accidentally ended up with the very un-PC trail name Eskimo) camped down for the night at Little Wilson Falls. We camped down as well and had a nice evening to warm us up for a chill 7 miles in the sun to Monson in the morning. No rain means I'll take it easier and get there when I get there.

Start: Cloud Pond
End: Little Wilson Falls
Distance: 13.7 miles (22 km)

My right hip is getting worse, so I might look into a physio in Monson/Greenville.

Day 8 - Oh deer. (9/7/2016)

After last night's epic meal, I woke up this morning to dry conditions. To steel myself for the coming rains (and we knew they were coming), I decide on a hot breakfast of hot chocolate and oatmeal. While sipping my hot chocolate, Trout nudged me and said "look straight ahead".

A deer was slowly wandering through our site, maybe 10 yards or so from where we sat. We both watched as it placidly made its way through, munching here and there, completely unconcerned about our presence.

The rest of the day was cold, wet climbing. Cloud Pond was very busy so we squeezed 7 into a 6-person shelter, and still there were about the same or more tenting and hammocking. Cloud Pond is a popular location for NOBOs, since it is only 20 miles from the southern entrance to the 100 mile wilderness. (North bounders don't consider 20 miles long.)

Left knee, and now right hip, very, very sore. I'm falling apart, like a Ford hitting it's warranty date. Monson cannot come soon enough.

Start: West Pleasant Branch
End: Cloud Pond
Distance: 15.4 miles

Day 7 - a taste of oz (8/7/2016)

No actual rain today, but the clouds barely lifted. Despite a lot of hard climbing up White Cap Mountain, the views were only of clouds.

I ran into a couple from Perth that I'd been hearing about. Sidetrack and Jules have two huge Alaska Malamutes with them, and they're slowly trudging through the wilderness doing around 5 miles a day. It was nice to hear that accent again and chat about Aussie life.

They're planning to do the whole  trail (minus the dog unfriendly bits), but at their current pace they'll finish sometime in 2018, so I expect they'll leap frog more.

Most of the trip so far has been hiking with Trout, the 18 year old son of a rabbit* from Georgia. Tonight we shared a 3-course meal of Chicken with Rice from a Mountain House meal packet, tuna casserole with mushrooms and "Asian stir fry spices", and fruit gushers. A terrific end to an otherwise pretty boring day.

Tomorrow we're aiming to cross Chairback gap and camp at Cloud Pond. We'll start with a tough climb up to Chairback mountain.

I'm old, so my left knee is really not happy with all this up and down. Luckily we're getting close to a rest day in Monson so that keeps me pushing through the pain.

Start: Logan Brook Lean-to
End: West Branch Pleasant River
Distance: 11.8 miles (19km)

*This should be rabbi, but Trout asked me to leave it uncorrected because students at Rabbinical School are called Rabbits (Rabbi's In Training)

Day 6 - "be out of the rain" (7/7/2016)

"Be in the moment" has given way to "be out of of rain."

All day rainfall has made for fast hiking, low mosquitoes, but cold breaks and night. I could really have done with a warmer fleece. When I get to Monson I think I'll need to swap some of my warmer gear from my bounce boxes sooner than expected.

Camp tonight was a shelter with Trout, Swiss Miss and One-A-Day. Trout and One-A-day have been around a but for a while, but Swiss Miss is a half-hike North bounder (NOBO). She was terrific for chat and advice and we also met a couple of older Canadian guys doing the 100. Overall a good time with some Jack Daniels, dark chocolate and laughs. A nice way to end a cold day.
Rain makes for business-like walking, but I sure hope the weather breaks soon. Right now we're hearing two more days of rain at least. :(

Start: Jo Mary Road
End: Logan Brook Lean-to
Distance: 15 miles (24km)

Day 5 - "be in the moment" (6/7/2016)

After the rough day that ended well yesterday, I'm adopting a new attitude of "be in the moment." This part of the trail is beautiful, so rather than chasing miles I'm going to find nice places and stop and see how far I get. It'd be a shame to get so caught up in making progress that I spend too much time looking at the map instead of the scenery.

I'm also formally adopting the name Taipan as my trail name. Only Beef Jerky and Kangapard know me as Supple Leopard, and I doubt I'll see them again. Those old timers have way more seasoned walking legs than me. Kangapard will be sad I didn't take her suggestion of FlexCat if she ever hears.

On the recommendation of Squirt and Sweetpea from Kentucky I stopped at a beautiful beach on Nahmakanta Lake, where I met Lost & Found, a 72 year old (!) who was completing her last section of the trail after 20 years of section hikes.

Also passed Nathan and Duke, two guys who are carrying 65lb (30kg) packs, because of too much food. They were hunkered down trying to gorge on double and triple rations to lighten the load. Nice to know I'm not the only one whose planning didn't play out as expected.

Today has alternated between threatening rain and blue skies. Should be a warm night, but I'm putting up the fly just in case.

Started: Nahmakanta Stream
Ended: Jo Mary Road
Distance: ??

Day 4 - Nero (5/7/2016)

I felt horrible today. I think the reason the last miles yesterday were so bad is because I'm ill. I took it easy with long beach rests, little food, and only 8.5 miles (a short day is called a nero: near zero).

Now I'm sitting on the banks of Nahmakanta Stream. While I eat my Lipton Cup-A-Soup, the sunset is dancing over the rapids that lead into the swimming hole I was skinny dipping in just a few hours earlier.

This morning I had breakfast over the tranquil pond (Crescent). No sounds but the croaking of a frog, and fish leaping for their meals.

Those are what make the hard times worth while.

Also heard a whole pack of coyotes howling in the distance while Beef Jerky, Kangapard and I broke camp this morning.

A mixed day with discomfort, but so many rewards.

Start: Crescent Pond
End: Nahmakanta Stream
Distance: 8.5 miles

Day 3 - Fourth of July (4/7/2016)

Spent the day walking "with" Beef Jerky and Kangapard.

It's a consensus view that Supple Leopard is out. I think I want to take a piece of Australia with me on this trip so maybe I'll go with Taipan.

The last two miles today were excruciating. I don't think the terrain was so bad, but I hit the wall pretty badly. Then trying to make dinner went sideways when my filtration pump stopped working. Water is pretty important as a rule, so I started planning what happens if I don't have a reliable filtration system (hint: There's no answer that can be described as a win). I can treat up to 24L of water with tablets after which I'm down to boiling every drop. It's hot. I'm going through a lot of water. There's no way to finish the 100 mile wilderness that way.

It turned out that cleaning the filter solved the problem. Luckily the rasp on my Leatherman is perfect for the task, but I'm starting to see why no one else is using pump filtration anymore.

I have to admit I am starting to reconsider this project on Day Two of real hiking. On a scale of 1 to 10, Day 3 gets a 3.


Start : Hurd Brook
End: Crescent Pond
Distance: 15.7 miles ( 25 km)

Next Destination

My next stops will be Caratunk, ME and then Stratton, ME. I should get to Stratton by the 18th. I'll definitely pop into Stratton for a resupply and to check mail, but I might not stay overnight.

I had a delightful surprise package from an old friend that was so unexpected it almost made me cry (it was also food and I was soo very hungry....;) )

Serje Robidoux 

c/o General Delivery 

95 MAIN ST 

STRATTON, ME 04982-9998 

ETA: 18/07/2016

If you do mail something, send me an email with [TopPriority] in the subject line. If I miss your letter/package, I can call the post office and ask them to forward it on.

Day Two - Into The Woods (3/7/2016)

[These journal-style entries will be posted whenever I can get a chance to queue them up, but they will be delayed from th actual dates]

This is my first real day on the trail after the slackpack up and down Katahdin yesterday. Now it's 7-10 days with nothing but me and my pack.

Despite cutting a huge amount of food, I'm pretty sure I have too much. I've decided that in a few days I'll hang a really low food bag as a sort of bear piñata.

It also turns out that the word Supple is not as widely known as I'd thought, so the trail name Supple Leopard is really not working. I'll have to rethink or get a new one.

I'm sleeping in a shelter tonight with Beef Jerky and Kangapard, two older hikers who are doing a flip-flop (they hiked north from Georgia to Harpers Ferry, and are now hiking south from Katahdin). Nice pair, lots of experience and Kangapard and I bonded over our affection for Oz.

Start : Daicey Pond
End : Hurd Brook Lean-to
Distance : 11 miles (17.6 km)
[Ed. note: Apologies for typos, I'm doing this from my phone because the hostel I'm at has terrible wifi.]

Away we go

Day 1 was today. Slackpacking up Mt Katahdin and back.

Not much to say except that I almost cancelled the first day because of the threat of hail and thunderstorms. When you're above the tree line, you make a great lightning rod. In the end, I decided that if I have to die by lightning on a mountain, then I have to die by lightning on a mountain.

I didn't die by lightning on a mountain.

Tomorrow it's on the trail for real (as in with a full pack, and several days of food, and no chance of blackened haddock and a pint of IPA at the end). I'm already tired and craving a burger.

A few people have asked about how to send me things on the trail. I'll try to post mailing addresses that I can pick mail up at. The first one will be Monson ME's post office [Ed: on the 11th of July, if all goes according to plan]. Use the following address:

Serje Robidoux
c/o General Delivery
2 GREENVILLE RD
MONSON, ME 04464-9998

If you do mail something, send me an email with [TopPriority] in the subject line. If I miss your letter/package, I can call the post office and ask them to forward it on.

Some photos of Day 1:

Registered for the climb 

It's official: As of now, I'm heading Southbound
on the Appalachian Trail.

The view on my way up.
If you look closely, there are some people there.

The same view on my way down.
If you look closely, there are still just rocks and a cloud.

Also, I have to thank my dad, who very awesomely drove down here with me and has ferried me about and taken care of errands while I play around in the woods. Best. Dad. Ever.