Records 51 to 60 of 129

We took advantage of our town visit and slept late this morning, rising at 7:30am. Our stays in town rejuvenate and reinvigorate.

I needed some more food items so I walked across the street to the grocery. While shopping I started to feel a little sick and down in the dumps. As I was checking out the lady at the register asked if I was through hiking the AT. I said that I was and she said with sincerity, "God bless you." I reciprocated and left the store feeling great.

We ate a big breakfast at The Villager restaurant and left town at 9:45am. After the .8 mile walk back we were on the trail at 10:10am.

As most of you probably know we gather drinking water from springs, creeks and ponds. Flaxseed and I purify the water with chemicals. This year, because of all the rain, water has been readily available. We seldom carry over a liter at a time.

At 2:00pm we met a north bound hiker named Main Frame. He asked me if I was on the trail in 2007. I told him I was. He said, "I was too and I remember you. You're the guy that was eating cereal out of a plastic bag and carrying your pack on one shoulder." I told him he was right and that I was doing the same this year.

At 3:40pm we picked and ate some ripe red raspberries. They are delicious.

At 4:19pm Flaxseed took today's photo of me standing beside a sign that says Hoyt Road. The guidebook says this is the CT/NY border. There was no other sign welcoming us to New York.

At 5:00pm we stopped at Wiley Shelter to talk to an older couple that are section hiking the trail. The husband offered me some ripe blackberries he had just picked. I readily accepted.

At 6:10pm we called it a day and pitched our tents.

Today we walked from CT Highway 341, Kent, CT, trail mile 722.4, to a stealth camp, approximate trail mile 736.6, a total of 14.2 miles for the day.

Blessings to all.

We were packed and on the trail at 5:38am today. The weather was cool and clear with low humidity, a perfect day to walk in the woods. And, for the most part, the trail was dry. For that we are thankful.

This morning's walk took us through several pasture fields and swampy areas. The swamps had long bog bridges; two boards, side by side, elevated above the water on posts. After that most of the day was little ups and downs over rocky terrain, one after another.

At 7:30am we reached NY Highway 22 and walked .6 miles east along the highway to Tony's Deli for breakfast. Both of our meals included lots of calories and ice cream.

Immediately upon returning to the trail we crossed the railroad track at the Appalachian Trail Railroad Station (today's photo). Hikers can catch a commuter train for a two hour ride into New York City. We chose to keep on walking.

At 1:30pm we ate our trail lunch at Morgan Stewart Shelter.

At 4:00pm we arrived at NY Highway 52 and replicated our breakfast trip. We walked .4 miles east along the highway to the Mountain Top Market Deli for supper. This time only Flaxseed had ice cream. I had strawberry flavored milk instead.

We were so full when we returned to the trail all we wanted to do was find a place to lay down, which was about a half a mile south of the highway. We pitched our tents at a stealth site at 5:15pm.

Today we walked from a stealth campsite at trail mile 736.6 to another stealth campsite at trail mile 756.0, a total of 19.4 miles for the day. But, if one were to add the two miles going to and from delis we walked 21.4 miles today.

May God bless each and every one of you.

This morning Flaxseed and Ringmaster were on the move at 5:25am. Most of the youngsters don't start as early, nor walk as many hours in a day as we do. And, many enjoy an abundance of off trail activities that diminish hiking time. The young, fit north bounders we are meeting now will be hard pressed to summit Mount Katahdin in Maine before they shut the mountain down for the winter. On the other hand, Flaxseed and I are looking forward to hiking in the Smokies in the fall.

The weather was perfect today; cool, sunny, breezy, and low humidity. Ideal for anything, including a walk in the woods.

At 7:27am we saw a big whitetail doe, the first deer we've seen. She was not frightened by us and meandered around in the woods as if we were not there. I'd say she was habituated to humans.

Today's photo of a farm in the valley below was taken at 8:00am looking to the northwest from the ridge that we spend most of our time on.

At 9:20am we passed a young, French NOBO couple carrying lightweight backpacks. The man, in a thick French accent, said to me, "Hey, you carry your pack like Ray Jardine." I acknowledged the fact that I did, and we had a brief discussion about my homemade "Rayway" backpack and the help Ray and Jenny Jardine provided me. I showed them my ring trick.

At 9:30am we were eating ripe blueberries growing right on the side of the trail. Later in the day we were treated to more ripe red raspberries.

As we walked in a pine forest high above the lake (this may be one of the "finger lakes") at Fahnestock State Park the pine aroma was pungent and sweet. This added to the perfect day.

We are seeing red cedar trees now for the first time.

At 5:30pm we rolled onto Old West Point Road and walked to the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center baseball field where hikers are allowed to camp. I called a pizza delivery place and ordered a large supreme pizza, four cokes, and, you guessed it, two pints of ice cream. It all hit the spot.

Today we walked from a stealth campsite at trail mile 756.0, to Graymoor Spiritual Life Center, trail mile 779.4, a total of 23.4 miles for the day.

May God bless all of you.

This morning we started our walk at 6:11am. It was another gorgeous day, and remained so all day long. We could not ask for better weather.

At 6:15am we saw a whitetail doe and two fawns and minutes later a four point buck. None of them were very wary.

At 6:30am, just .6 miles into our walk, we crossed US Highway 9 and ate breakfast at the Appalachian Market, a new convenience store located right on the trail. Both breakfasts included ice cream.

We walk by hundreds of old rock walls in the woods. Today was no exception. As I said earlier many were built beside farm and logging roads as the road bed was cleared. I have also learned that others were stacked up for fences along pasture fields as the pastures were cleared. This occurred after all the virgin timber had been cut of course. What a rich history our country has.

At 10:30am we crossed the mighty Hudson River on the Bear Mountain Bridge. I've read about the Hudson all my life and always wanted to see it. I was not disappointed. The river, its valley, and its palisades are magnificent. I know that today's photo will not do it justice, but it's the best I've got.

Immediately after crossing the Hudson the trail winds its way through the Trailside Museum and Zoo, part of Harriman State Park. This was an interesting variation, and, we ate lunch at the concession stand. Both lunches included ice cream.

At 1:00pm we summited Bear Mountain where we had a wonderful view of the New York City skyline (with all the tall buildings) thirty miles away. The view of the skyline was even better two hours later on top of Black Mountain. We have had better "views" here in New York than any state except New Hampshire. We both agree that New York is beautiful state, one of our favorites.

The blueberries along the trail continue in abundance. You can pick and eat a handful anytime you desire.

Today we walked from Graymoor Spiritual Life Center, trail mile 779.4, to a stealth campsite a approximate trail mile 798.0, a total of 18.6 miles for the day.

Happy, happy first birthday tomorrow to Remember and Rebekah Arterburn, my beautiful twin granddaughters in Paducah, KY.

God's richest blessings to you all.

We broke camp and were on the trail at 5:50am. It was cloudy.

Today's walk was particularly difficult. There were many big rocks to negotiate and a lot of changes in elevation. Not big changes, but continuous little ups and downs of 150' to 200' as if a guy running a torture chamber laid out the trail. This slows us down and wears us out. It's not easy.

At 9:00am light rain began. We had been on the trail for five days and four nights and both of us were about out of food. We decided to get a room for the night. At 9:15am I called Anton's by the Lake in Greenwood Lake, NY, to reserve a room. We now had a goal for the day.

At 10:45am at East Mombasha Road we were treated to trail magic in the form of several gallon jugs of water along side the trail. Then, about three hours later at Lakes Road there were more jugs of water. It was all provided by the Tuxedo Trail Angels. Thanks guys. You knew what we needed as there is very little water available on this stretch of trail.

At 4:10pm we reached NY Highway 17A and called Robert Anton to shuttle us to his motel by Greenwood Lake. We did our chores, except resupply, which we will do in the morning, and ate big steak dinners at a nearby restaurant overlooking the lake.

Today's photo is a footbridge on the AT. It was taken this morning at the upper end of Little Dam Lake. There are many footbridges on the AT, ranging from a single log or board to more elaborate and substantial structures.

Today we walked from a stealth campsite at trail mile 798.0, to NY Highway 17A, Greenwood Lake, NY, trail mile 816.4, a total of 18.4 miles for the day.

Here's wishing a very HAPPY EIGHTH BIRTHDAY tomorrow to my grandson in Florida, Jackson Arterburn. I love you Jackson.

God bless you all.

We slept in until 7:30am, taking advantage of our motel stay, and waiting for the grocery to open. Then we resupplied at a small grocery with a limited selection of trail food items.

We returned to the motel, packed up, loaded our packs into Robert Anton's van and walked to the Village Café for breakfast. After a big breakfast we called Robert for our free shuttle back to the trail. He was there in a jiffy and we we walking at 10:54am.

At 11:10am Flaxseed said, "Look, wild turkeys, a bunch of them." And sure enough it was a bunch. There appeared to be three hens surrounded by about 15 nearly grown chicks. They meandered back and forth across the trail just ahead of us until we passed them and did not appear to be frightened at all.

Today was our first real scorcher. The temperature must have been in the 90s and it was very humid. Just like being back home.

At 2:21pm we reached the New York / New Jersey border. As today's photo shows the border was marked by white paint on top of a big rock (one of many up here). And, for some reason, as soon as we crossed into New Jersey the rocky ups and downs diminished and the trail became less difficult. The sadistic trail engineer I referenced yesterday must work for the state of New York.

At 6:00pm we spotted a good stealth campsite near the top of Wawayanda Mountain (1,340') and decided to call it a day. If we had hiked on we would have descended to elevations between 400' and 500' and we wanted to camp up high because of the heat.

At 8:00pm as I was typing this a big thunderstorm with thunder and lightning rolled in and pelted us good. I had to quit typing to look after things. It's 9:40pm now and the worst is over so I'll finish up and say goodnight.

Today we walked from NY Highway 17A, trail mile 816.4, to a stealth campsite near the top of Wawayanda Mountain, trail mile 830.0, a total of 13.6 miles for the day.

May the God and Father of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, bless you all.

After last night's soaking we packed our wet gear and were on the trail at 6:00am.

At 9:30am we noticed rhododendron along the trail for the first time. It's not in bloom of course but appears to be the same plant that we see down south.

At 10:00am we stopped at Pochuck Mountain Shelter for brunch. As we ate we dried our wet gear (tents and ground sheets) in sun.

Much of today's walk took us through pasture fields and hay fields (many overgrown in weeds) and swamps. Most of the swamps have bog bridges, but there was one long wooden walkway that ran for at least a half mile through a swamp.

At 12:00 noon we walked through the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. Elegant white swans were in residence there.

It was not as hot today as yesterday, but just as humid. The temperature was probably in the high 80s.

This afternoon we intended to go into Unionville, NY (we are in New Jersey near the New York border), for real food and ice cream, but somehow missed the road, probably because there are many road crossings in this area, and, at the places where we cross, there is no way to identify which road is which. In any case, no ice cream today.

We ended our hiking day at 5:20pm and pitched our tents at a stealth campsite.

Flaxseed had peanut butter, pepperoni and garlic on tortillas for supper. I had a Knorr cheddar and broccoli pasta dinner, some cheese slices, and cherry flavored Crasins. We each had two Chips Ahoy cookies for dessert. Town food is much better than trail food.

Today's photo of the observation tower on top of Bear Mountain in New York was taken this past Saturday.

Today we walked from a stealth campsite near the top of Wawayanda Mountain, trail mile 830.0, to a stealth campsite near High Point Shelter, trail mile 850.3, a total of 20.3 miles for the day.

God bless you all.

Today, once again, we were on the job at 6:00am; walking in the woods. After all that is what we do everyday. We walk in the woods, and in fields, and in swamps, and on roads. What we do is walk.

At 7:00am we reached NJ Highway 23, High Point State Park Headquarters. I picked up a drop box there with three days of provisions and we hiked on. We left the park office at 7:45am. It was partly cloudy and getting hot.

After a ridge walk of about a mile Flaxseed thought he remembered this area as a "dry ridge" from his 2007 hike. We consulted our guide books and he was right. There was no easily accessible water for the next 11 miles, and we only had a liter each as water has not been much of a problem up till now. We made plans to ration for the next 5 hours and were doing so until we found some running water that we thought would pass. It was about the color of apple cider so we gave it a double dose of chemical.

Then, at 10:25am as we neared Deckertown Turnpike, we spotted 10 one gallon jugs of good, clean water sitting right beside the trail. The trail angel was Desperado, a 2003 through hiker. He knew what was needed here. We poured out the brown water, drank our fill of the good stuff, ate lunch, drank some more, and filled our bottles full. Thanks Desperado.

Most of the north bound hikers are behind us now and we almost have the trail to ourselves. However, at 11:20am we met north bound potential through hiker, Pegasus (today's photo). She was slack packing, fanning bugs, and looking to borrow insect repellent. Flaxseed gave her repellent to take with her. She is originally from Burma but lives in New Orleans now. She does not carry a tent, but goes from shelter to shelter each day. She said even without a tent her pack weighs more than a third of her body weight. Whew!

At 3:20pm we came to US Highway 206. Neither of our guidebooks showed a restaurant here so it was a gratifying surprise to see "Kevin's Steakhouse" right across the street. It did not open until 4:00pm but we figured a steak dinner was worth waiting for. It was. We both had big, thick ribeyes, French fried sweet potatoes, slaw, and a salad. And, we topped it off with double ice cream sundaes made with four big scoops of ice cream each. Each sundae was a about a pint and a half. This is not gluttony; it is a necessity. We need lots of calories, particularly calories from fat.

We left Kevin's at 5:20pm and walked until a thunderstorm started to brew at 6:30pm at which time we pitched our tents quickly about a half mile south of the Jacob's Ladder Trail intersection. It's 8:55pm as I type and so far the rain has held off.

Today we walked from a stealth campsite near High Point Shelter, trail mile 850.3, to another stealth campsite at approximate trail mile 869.3, a total of 19.0 miles for the day.

May God richly bless each and every one.

We missed last night's thunderstorm but a light rain started at about 10:30pm and continued all night long. This morning when we hit the trail at 6:00am it was foggy and raining. The rain continued until 2:30pm
 
At 10:23am we met two brothers hiking northbound, Justin and Coleman Conner. They had been attending a music festival in Chicago and decided at the last minute to do a little backpacking. Coleman was a member of Troop 1, Paducah, KY, when I was scoutmaster in the early 2000s. Small world.
 
There continue to be plenty of ripe, juicy blackberries along the trail. With fewer northbound hikers on the trail we have them all to ourselves.
 
We hiked hard over over a  rocky wet trail today.
 
At 6:15pm we crossed the Delaware River and entered Pennsylvania. The border, according to my guide book, is on the west end of the bridge where the sign (photo) identifying the river is located.
 
We immediately walked onto Main Street in Delaware Water Gap, PA. Our destination for the night was The Church of the Mountain Hiker Hostel.  We arrived there at 6:30pm. There was a sign on the door that said "Hiker Dinner Tonight on the Porch." We found the porch and about 30 members of the congregation and pastor Karen greeted us with applause and treated us to a scrumptious pot luck feast. We were the only hikers there. Thanks to all of you.
 
We are bunking at the hostel in the church basement tonight. It's a great place and well known on the trail.
 
Today we walked from a stealth campsite at approximate trail mile 869.3, to Delaware Water Gap, PA, trail mile 894.7, a total of 25.4 miles for the day. Flaxseed and I are very tired tonight.
 
God bless you all.

We were the only hikers in residence at the hostel last night. This made our stay more relaxing. But, there was no laundry facility so most of our clothes are still dirty. And, once again we slept late, rising at 7:30am. Good rest has become as important as good, high calorie food.

We packed our gear and walked downtown to the Water Gap Diner for the "Farmer's Special" breakfast. When we finished the owner of the diner thanked us for our business, complimented hikers in general, and gave us two big muffins to take with us. We left feeling special. We walked back up out of town and resumed our walk where we left off yesterday at 9:43am.

Today's walk gave us a taste of what to expect on the AT in Pennsylvania - sharp rocks. But, once up to the top of the ridge there were very few ups and downs. This makes for a fairly level walk.

It was mostly cloudy and hot today. At about 2:30pm we had a shower that lasted about an hour, just long enough to make the trail a little slick and muddy. By the time we finished our walk the sun was out.

At 5:20pm we descended to elevation 980' and crossed PA Highway 33 at Wind Gap, PA. We then walked about 200 yards west to the point that we will resume our hike tomorrow morning. When we reached this trail head I claimed victory. This is the point that Lyme disease ended my 2007 hike. I have now walked the Appalachian Trail - in two separate years. But, the goal is to complete it all in one year. So, we'll be walking again tomorrow.

We then walked the 1.5 miles to Wind Gap, rented a room at the Travel Inn, did our laundry, cleaned up, and ate big dinners at the Gap Diner (That's two "Gap" diners in one day.). And, as is our norm, we each ate a pint of ice cream before retiring.

Today's photo is of Karen, the pastor of The Church of the Mountain. This church sponsors the hostel where we stayed last night.

Today we walked from Delaware Water Gap, PA, trail mile 894.7, to PA 33, Wind Gap, PA, trail mile 910.3, a total of 15.6 miles for the day.

Many of God's blessings to all of you.

Records 51 to 60 of 129