Location: Imp Campsite in the Carter-Moriah Ridge I’ve stopped at Imp campsite on the Carter-Moriah Ridge for the day. I only hiked 7 miles, but they were a hard seven miles up steep and long slopes. I stopped short of my intended destination for several reasons, the main reason being that I need to be […]
Archives for August 2013
BJ Bear Needs to Be Saved – AT Thru-Hike Day 41
Location: Rattlesnake River I left Hiker’s Paradise this morning with Stick. The hostel owners weren’t very accommodating, so we had to carry our packs around town while we shopped for groceries. Gorham is sprawled and not at all dense, so walking from one end of town to the other takes about an hour. After resupplying, […]
Zero Day in Gorham and Stick Drops Out – AT Thru-Hike Day 40
Location: Hiker’s Paradise, Gorham, NH I took a zero day today. I had plenty of chores that needed to be completed. I developed my pictures, purchased a new water treatment system, mailed home several pounds of gear, and satisfied every hunger need that arose. Stick spotted me on the street and rushed out of a […]
The Repercussions of Nearly Being Killed by Lightning – AT Thru-Hike Day 39
Location: Hiker’s Paradise Today Stick and I crossed the Maine-New Hampshire state line. I felt a full sense of accomplishment for completing the hardest state on the AT without injuring myself. I had some hard falls, but each time I fell I got back up and continued hiking, taking the blood, bruises, and close calls […]
Bouldering the Mahoosuc Notch – AT Thru-Hike Day 38
Location: Full Goose Shelter My last full day in Maine. Tomorrow I’ll cross into New Hampshire. I only have five miles left in this state. Stick showed up at the campsite this morning before I had fully woken up. He stealthed on top of the mountain last night. He says that Flying Turtle has been […]
Fog Like I’d Never Seen on BaldPlate Mountain – AT Thru-Hike Day 37
Location: Speck Pond The sick boy was able to walk out of the woods with the help of rescue medics. They inched him down the mountain. Heavy Foot and Ketchup followed the group of people in case he collapsed and needed to be carried. They were really spirited about the possibility of carrying him out. […]
Death has his hand on the boy in the woods – AT Thru-Hike Day 36
Location: Frye Notch I left Andover with a full pack today. I had expected to reach Baldpate Mountain lean-to across the open ridgeline of the mountain, but I only reached Frye Notch. I felt sick for most of the morning because of a hangover from the night before with Sean Boyle and his sons. I […]
Slack Packing and Six Pack with New Friends- AT Thru-Hike Day 35
Location: Andover Roadhouse I met Tomato and David downstairs this morning for cereal. They already had their daypacks prepared. I found a note on the kitchen table from the lady managing the hostel. Our shuttle to the trailhead had been cancelled. It was now our responsibility to hitch a ride and still hike the 10 […]
Some AT Friends Come and Go Quickly – AT Thru-Hike Day 34
Location: Andover Roadhouse BJ Bear and I began the ten mile hike into Andover together. The day was hot and humid. I decided that I would hike with BJ for a mile and a half or so to warm up my legs and then I would pick up my pace. As we climbed the first […]
6 Tips for Successfully Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail
Successfully thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail requires physical endurance, perseverance, and, of course, a little bit of luck (or at least the absence of bad luck). I met a thru-hiker in Maine who was the unfortunate victim of bad luck. He had successfully thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and was by all accounts an experienced […]