Last Day Deja Vu

1,500 Miles!

Today was our last day of hiking for this round of Trekking. Amicus has to go back to work. I have to move across the state for medical school. Unfortunately, just as spring is arriving on the Trail, begging us to stay, the real world comes knocking and demands that we leave. It was a beautiful day and we hiked 14 miles. One of the longest days this month. Within those 14 miles was the end of the Connecticut section of the AT and the beginning of Massachusetts.

Welcome to Massachusetts. Where hopefully we don't have so many silly rules about where you can and can not go in our State Parks.

We saw a huge owl this morning. It swooped down onto the Trail in front of us and killed something. Then it saw us coming and proceeded to stare us down from a tree right above our heads until we had walked passed it. I think it was worried that we were going to steal its breakfast. Later in the morning, we came across about a mile or a mile and a half of Trail that was completely charred. It still smelled like a campfire, so it had been burned recently. Even more interestingly, there were miles of firehose curled up alongside the trail, and a 500 gallon plastic reservoir (complete with a small pump in a nearby creek that kept it full) in a clearing in the middle of it all. Clearly something happened here. Whether it was a contraband fire (campfires are illegal on the AT in Connecticut) that got out of hand, or a planned, controlled burn for ecological reasons, I do not know. The smell of smoke was still thick in the air though, so I'm very glad we didn't happen to be hiking this section of Trail yesterday.

Scorched Trail

The second half of our hike was pretty difficult. It included two big climbs, one up Mount Everett, which was over 2,000 feet in elevation, and the only time this month that we've climbed that high. The ascents seemed to go on and on. There were lots of false summits, or high points that seem to level off so you think you've reached the top, only to round a corner and reveal that you have several hundred more feet to climb. I have to admit though, some of the views were spectacular. Just like last October, it's almost as if the Trail knows we have to leave today, and was sending us off with something amazing to remember her by.

Last Climb

It took us 9 hours to hike our last 14 miles. We definitely took our time. We stopped at every overlook, pretty view, interesting sign and babbling brook. The fact that I have a small cold probably contributed to the multiple breaks, but I was glad for the chance to savor the day. Somehow, this ending isn't quite as emotional as our last ending. Maybe it's because my Trail Angel isn't with me this time, so I feel like my team is incomplete. Maybe it's because we were here one month instead of five, and hiked 200 miles at once instead of 1,300. Maybe it's because I'm becoming accustomed to meeting the Trail in these spurts. One thing is for sure, it is not for lack of love of what I'm doing. Just like last time, as I stomped down the final hill, there was no epiphany. I still haven't "found myself" on the Trail. But once again, I feel like maybe my "self" was never lost at all. I am so proud to be here. So proud to have done this, to have the ability to do this, to have an amazing family that supports me in doing this. It is time, once again, to thank everyone who follows this for tagging along with me on this incredible adventure. I have absolutely no idea when I will be able to come back out here. Maybe I will have a few more weeks to trek before I start the next great adventure of my life at medical school. Maybe it will be a year from now. But I know the Trail will be waiting. And again, I leave with a promise to return. Like a childhood friend who loves you unconditionally, no matter how much time you spend apart, I know we will greet each other again soon and pick up right where we left off, like nothing ever changed between us. I am blessed. This world is beautiful. Life is beautiful. And I've only begun to dig my toes into the surface of it.

Nano and Amicus. Adventure Friends Always.

Miles from Springer: 1,503.4

Miles from Katahdin: 674.6

Quote of the Month (Paraphrased from a wise man name Whitman)

AFOOT and light-hearted, I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me, leading wherever I choose...

...Mon enfant! I give you my hand!
I give you my love, more precious than money,
I give you myself, before preaching or law;
Will you give me yourself? will you come travel with me?
Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?

Trekking with Zizzle

Nano and Zizzle on the Trail

Today we hiked a little over 10 miles, in the good company of our friend Zizzle, who came all the way from Pennsylvania to hike with us today. It was another beautiful spring day. The Trail was a bit easier than yesterday, with one big hill to climb with relatively flat Trail on either side. We passed a very fancy boarding school (which are apparently very popular up here), a hydroelectric power plant, and a very old, jam-packed cemetery. So there were lots of interesting things to see today. We even walked right by (and up onto) a very beautiful waterfall at a place aptly named Falls Village.

At the Falls. The Trail actually goes up to the top of the waterfalls, which was very neat.

We took our time. We spent almost an hour at the Falls. We stopped for lunch at the top of the big climb. When it's so nice out, it's hard not to dilly dally a bit so you can soak it all in. After we reached our destination for the day and did the dance of the vehicles to get everything in place for tomorrow, we meandered back to the RV and grilled some tasty burgers and roasted marshmallows on the campfire. We wanted to give Zizzle the real wilderness experience. Although we had it so nice today, I'm afraid he just got the impression that we're living the cushy life out here. Which, I have to say, some days I think so too.

To prove it, here's another picture of beautiful springtime on the Trail

Final Push and Company

Crossing Guinea Brook

Today we walked about 14 miles, and a very hard 14 miles it was. It was a section of Trail with no flat sections again, only ups and downs. It took us about 9 hours to go 14 miles. Plenty of breaks included of course. Early in the hike, we had to cross Guinea Brook. There was a sign at the edge of the brook warning hikers of the dangers of trying to cross Guinea Brook when the water levels were high. Dangerous indeed. The water levels weren't particularly high today, but there were very few stepping stones. Certainly none made for Nano-sized legs. We survived, though. I think the Connecticut AT Club should invest in a Guinea Brook Bridge. There were other adventures to be had and interesting sights to see, including a very unusual critters.

Albino Whitetailed Deer. Never seen one with this coloring before.

Things were pretty rocky today. I certainly wouldn't want to be on this section of Trail in a earthquake...

Not earthquake proof

...but I made it without falling down this time. Thank goodness for little victories. Towards the end of our hike, from the top of the hill we were on, we looked down and saw (and more importantly, heard) what appeared to be a test track for a car company. They had soaked down a circular track with water and were wearing two very loud and very fast cars out. Looked like fun. It took us a long time to complete our hike today, so we were pretty glad to see the end of it. Especially since, this evening we were graced with with the presence of one of my college chemistry major friends, Trail Name Zizzle, who will be joining us on our adventure tomorrow. Welcome to the Nano Express, Zizzle.

Nano and Zizzle

Happy Mothers Day from the AT

Airport Mothers Day Surprise

This weekend we got to do something very special. We didn't do any hiking. What we did do was surprise our Trail Angel at the airport for Mothers Day. She was flying home from Texas. She has been with a dear friend who is being treated for cancer in Houston. We decided that we would go be with her this weekend. So we found the nearest airport to us here in Connecticut and snuck down to the Nashville airport to meet the Trail Angel when her plane from Texas arrived.

Mothers Day Dinner

We stayed at a hotel in Nashville and took Mamma out to dinner at a nice restaurant. We brought her some tidbits from really neat places we've found in the small towns up here in Connecticut (a Belgian chocolatier and a glassblower, to be specific), but mostly I was just glad to be with my mother on Mothers Day. Being out here on the Trail isn't the same without my Trail Angel, and I miss her every day. There are not enough words for how wonderful my Mamma is. I hope and pray that I can be half the woman she is someday. Thank you, Mamma, for giving me life. I love you.

Nano and her Trail Angel

Spring is Setting In...

Things are really starting to green up on the Trail...

Yesterday, we hiked about 10 miles. It was an absolutely incredible day. I know I've said that a lot lately, but it seems like things just keep getting prettier and prettier out here. I think it's because everything is turning so green, and green is my absolute favorite color. The whole world looks fresh. I love spring. The first few miles of our hike were pretty difficult. Up a long rocky climb, then plummeting down the other side. The views at the top were great, and we sat and enjoyed them for quite a bit while we ate the piping hot, fresh pancakes with maple syrup that Amicus insisted he packed for us. Which tasted suspiciously like PB & J sandwich, but were delicious nonetheless. The backside of the hill was brutal. It was a near vertical drop, broken up by jagged rocks. I fell and bruised my left knee. It was very slow going, especially for little Nano with her Nano legs.

Easing down the rocks...

At the bottom of the hill, the second half of our hike awaited us. Over 4 miles of nearly flat riverside hiking. You rarely ever get truly flat Trail out here, so this was a real treat. Rather than concentrate on every single step you take, keeping your eyes fixed on the 5 feet of Trail in front of you so you don't fall down and break something, you get to let your mind wander just a bit. You get a chance to look around and really take in your surroundings. And on a day like yesterday, absorbing the springtime was truly welcome. At the end of the day, my legs were a bit sore from working so hard to walk down the steep rocks (as opposed to just ball up and roll down them), but I was a little sad to get in the car. Yesterday was one of those days that makes falling down, or being tired, or getting caught in the rain last week totally, completely, and undeniably worth it.

Watching Earth revive itself...priceless.

More Rain and A Hard Day

Georgia to Maine...via Connecticut...

Yesterday, it rained all day. Literally. A steady drip from the wee hours of the morning until after dark. Hiking in the rain is physically hard, it's true. The rocks, leaves and roots you step on are slick as glass, and there's nothing you can do to keep any part of you truly dry. But the harder part about hiking in the rain is the mental fatigue. I know that sounds silly....mental fatigue?...from rain?...but trust me. When all you see for hours is grey mist, and you are so cold and wet you start to forget what warm and dry are, and your $XXX dollar waterproof hiking shoes are full of muddy water, and the only sound that breaks up the plop of the raindrops on your rainjacket hood is the squeak of not-so-waterproof fabric against your chaffed skin...you start to get depressed. Don't get me wrong. Walking in bad weather is a key part of this experience. I've hiked in rain, thunder, snow, sleet, and high winds. At first it made me feel really hardcore. Then it made me feel a little anxious. After a few days of doing it, it just made me feel like I was making really bad decisions. Needless to say, this go around, Amicus and I had a pact, of sorts, that we would not start hiking in foul weather. If foul weather finds us while we're out, then we will brave it like the intrepid explorers we are. But if the foul weather beats us to the Trail, Mother Nature can have it for the day. Yesterday, the Trail definitely belonged to Mother Nature. We spent the say scouting routes and exploring the area, and amazingly, after a very dreary day, Mother Nature showed us her good side. Today was gorgeous. 65 degrees and barely a cloud in the sky. It was a great day to be out.

Beautiful Trail in Spring

We hiked a little over 11 miles today. And within the first two of those miles, we were very glad we didn't try to tackle this section of Trail in the rain. Today was the hardest day of hiking we've had yet. There wasn't a single piece of level Trail. It was all either up or down. Mostly over rocks and roots. On a gorgeous day like today, it was as challenge. Yesterday, it would've made for a pretty treacherous obstacle coarse. Our pace was pretty slow, but we made it over the rough terrain. There were lots of nice views and we took plenty of breaks to enjoy them. Everything is starting to turn bright green. I love it. It's beautiful. Everything is coming alive again. Not including us, though. 11+ miles of rocks and roots makes us hikers pretty tired. But it's a good tired. We will sleep well tonight.

Nano and Amicus at the River

Goodbye NY

It's really hard to see, but someone scrawled the NY-CT state line into the post of this sign!

Today we hiked the last 7 miles of AT in New York, and passed over into Connecticut. There's only about 40 miles of Trail in Connecticut, but they are a very popular 40 miles. Lots of local people from the area come to hike these bits, even though we haven't seen anyone else on the Trail here yet. There's even a thing called the "Connecticut Challenge," which is where you hike the entire AT in Connecticut (from the New York state line to the Massachusetts state line) in 24 hours. I have no idea how people do that. Even if I ran the whole way I don't think I could make it 4o miles in 24 hours. So we were not preparing for any challenges, just enjoying the last bit of AT in New York...

...which is apparently littered with what appear to be abandoned missile silos.

The hiking was relatively easy today. We hiked through some private farmland, and through some forest. The day was beautiful, but the grass in the pastures was very wet from the morning dew. So wet in fact, that my shoes and socks were soaked after just a mile of hiking. And it wasn't even raining! Luckily, Amicus had his "wet foot" kit, which consists of a pair of dry socks, Purell, and the little plastics bags you use to clean up after your dog. The Purell dries out your skin as it evaporates, the dry socks...well, they are just a nice alternative to soaking wet ones, and the doggie bags go over your feet to keep your new dry socks from getting wet in your damp shoes. Works like a charm. Every self-respecting hiker should have one. We finished our hike for the day in the early afternoon and spent the rest of the day relocating our entourage of vehicles further north. We even found a great little local dive where we had some yummy pasta and cherry pie. A good welcome to Connecticut!

Where they have very nice bridges. Made out of Lincoln Logs.

May Flowers

Waiting for the AT Train

Today was a relatively short hiking day, a little over 7 miles, because we needed to spend some time working on logistics (parking, driving routes, etc.) for the rest of the week. It was another beautiful May day though, and things around here are actually starting to look like spring.

The Dover Oak, the largest tree on the Trail. It is over 400 years old and over 20 feet in diameter. You can't see the top of it in the picture, but it's branches stretch out at least 20 feet. And it is still alive. Big tree indeed.

May Flowers!

May...Skunk Cabbage? It doesn't smell bad like its name implies, but this bright green swamp plant is in full bloom here in NY right now.

We finished our hiking for the day about 12:30 pm and spent the afternoon pondering driving routes through the rest of New York. This section of the Trail runs along a(nother) Parkway that RVs are not allowed to drive on. New York must really not want RVs in their state parks. The "No Fun Parkway" has thrown a small wrench into our day to day logistics, so we drive a lot, but we make do. In our driving today, we found the Red Rooster Drive-In, where we had some awesome burgers and milkshakes. Perfect post-Trail food. I think we have lots planned out now, so hopefully Mother Nature will continue to be kind and we can keep enjoying the AT sights.

NY's "Nuclear Lake." I have no idea where it got its name, but it doesn't look radioactive to me.

Happy May Day

Spring is in the air on the AT

Today we hiked a little over 12 miles. It's the first day of May, and although the May flowers that the April showers are supposed to bring aren't quite out yet, things are definitely looking greener. The weather was beautiful again today. I broke out my highlighter-yellow shirt because today is the first day of turkey season here in New York. I'd hate to be mistaken for a gobbler. The trail was mostly ridge walking with a big hill at either end. Not too many rocks to scramble over, so it was a good hike.

Even a picnic table for lunch

We finished our hike around 3:30 pm. We try to get finished by 4:00 pm every day. First, because we have a lot of driving to do between the trailheads (I really miss my Trail Angel...she was so good at navigation and logistics...) and second because Amicus and I both hit a proverbial wall of energy and willpower about 4:00 pm. We call it the 4 o'clock doldrums. When we were hiking long days and staying out overnight, if we pushed through until about 5:30 pm, the doldrums passed and we got a second wind. But since we aren't doing that this time around, we try to beat them to the end of our hike for the day. So far we've succeeded. We found a yummy local Italian place for dinner. I had baked ziti. It's supposed to rain more later in the week, but I hope it passes us by and we get some more of these great spring days.

Spring in NY

A Turn for the Sunny

Marching Northward

Over the past two days, we've hiked almost 20 miles. And treat of all treats, we've had exceptionally good weather. The sun has been shining, there hasn't been a cloud in the sky, and it's been about 65 degrees. Perfect Trail weather. The terrain has been more of the same. Lots of forests with short but steep New York mountains to climb. Yesterday, we started at the monastery (one of many in the area, I've learned...apparently New Yorkers have a thing for monasteries) and hiked along some ridge lines and rivers. One nice thing about all the wonderful spring weather is that the critters of the forest are starting to come alive again.

Standing in front of a beaver dam

Today, the terrain was fairly forgiving, with only a few significant climbs. However, the climbs we did have to make were well worth it.

AT Art

Even the "mountaintop" vistas don't get you very far above the forest here in New York. But there's almost always a river or lake or budding forest to look at, so the views are still nice. We hiked a little over 10 miles today. Today was once of the first days that we saw someone else out on the trail. Now that the weather is getting nice, I'm sure the Trail will get more and more crowded. Both today and yesterday, we went for sandwiches at the market that's right next to the Trail. I'm on a first name basis with the owner now, apparently. Three days of sandwiches in a row will do that. While we were enjoying our roast beef and chicken melts, a family of lost hikers wandered into the deli. They'd hiked 6 miles of the AT ( a one-way trail) thinking they were on a local 2-mile loop trail in a state park. Needless to say, they were lost as Easter eggs. I was pretty proud of myself, because between my trail map and my handy dandy GPS, we were able to find where they had started and give them a ride back to their car. Our good deed for the day, I suppose. If the Trail keeps showing me her best side, what with the sunny days and trees that get greener by the day, I could get used to this again.

Pretty AT Days

1400 Miles and Counting

1,400 Miles!

Today, we didn't do any hiking. The storms that have been tearing through the Eastern half of the US finally caught up with us, and the weather was pretty horrible. So we opted not to take our chances in the thunderstorms and did laundry instead. I was actually glad for a rainy day. I think my sore hamstring needed the day of rest. Yesterday, we hiked about 8 miles. We started at the Trailside Zoo, which didn't open until 10:00am, so we got a later start than usual. But we said hello to our animal friends and then set out to cross the Hudson River. From the top of Bear Mountain, it was very easy to underestimate the size of the Hudson. Crossing the huge Bear Mountain Bridge, it's size was incredibly apparent. There was even a really neat historic toll house at one end of the bridge.

Trolls live here

After crossing the Hudson (which, interestingly, has suicide prevention signs posted right next to it's warnings about the local nesting perigrin falcons), we climbed the mountain on the other side of the river. Obviously, after having passed through the lowest point on the whole AT, we had to climb a huge hill on the other side. But we made it up and over, one step at a time, and finished our hike just outside the Greymoor Monastery. It was actually very neat. We had parked our car in a grassy patch outside the entrance to the monastery, where the AT crosses. When we leave our car at the Trail, we leave a sign in the window with our phone number in case of any problems. We actually got a phone call from one of the monks, asking if we were ok because our car had been there for several hours. It was a simple act of kindness that I truly appreciated. We stopped at a local market on the way back to the RV for some delicious homemade deli sandwiches. Overall a very satisfying day. Hard to believe we've hiked 1,400 miles. I feel nice and rested after our rain day, so it's back on the Trail in the morning.

See you on the far side of the river

Low on the AT

We'll be in the Hudson...

Today we hiked a little over 9 miles. We had to start our hike about a mile from the actual AT, since the nearest parking area we could get to was a bit off-trail. It was very foggy this morning, so there wasn't very much to see when we got to the top of our first climb. We had another big climb to do later in the morning, though. Bear Mountain is one of the more popular outdoor destinations in the area, especially on a day like today. By the time the fog cleared, it was 80 degrees and very sunny. It was the first day so far that I got legitimately hot. Working to climb Bear Mountain in the heat was worth it once we got to the top though.

Bear Mountain

We spent the rest of the morning and a good bit of the afternoon climbing down the east side of Bear Mountain, the bottom of which hid some very interesting sights. First, the lowest elevation on the entire AT is at the bottom of Bear Mountain, at about 120 feet above sea level. I guess that means there will be a very big hill to climb tomorrow. Secondly, the AT at the base of Bear Mountain walks straight through a trailside museum and zoo. We saw minerals, fossils, historical artifacts, bears, hawks, eagles, owls, coyotes, porcupines, beavers and all manner of reptiles, amphibians and local birdlife. It's not every day something like that appears on the AT, so we definitely took our time strolling through. The only bad thing about it was that I didn't have any change on me to get a popsicle to cool me off in the zoo. After our educational afternoon, we spent a bit of time driving around the area rounding up our vehicles (we rented a car because the NY police officer who almost kicked us out two nights ago informed us the RV isn't allowed on one of the highways we have to drive on to get through this section of AT...thus a rental car), and stopped at a local diner for supper. If we have a few more days as beautiful as today, I just might get used to New York.

Zoo Hiking

Long NY Days

So many places to go, so little time. According to this sign, you can actually walk to NYC from here, down another trail (not the AT). Although I'm not sure I'd want to. I'm not sure how the locals would react to a smelly hiker wandering into Times Square with a pack full of spare socks and dehydrated food.

Today was a long day. We almost got run off from our overnight spot by a park ranger last night, and we got stopped by a policeman at 5:30 am this morning for driving in the lefthand lane. I know everyone is trying to do their jobs, but we were almost treated like petty criminals. I know that we have Kentucky plates and that Amicus has a ponytail, but really, surely these New Yorkers have seen stranger things? They acted liked coming here to hike the AT was very suspicious, even though the most famous trail in the country runs straight through their hometown. Anyway, no one was hurt and I actually am glad that the officers actually patrol the rural areas, which would otherwise probably be a pretty easy place for people who were up to no good to hide. Well done, New York law enforcement. Your backroads are safe from rednecks for another day. We hiked over 13 miles today, but only about 11 of those were on the AT. We had to park a significant distance from the actual trail. It was just the nature of the trail in this area. There were simply no good access points. So we walked two extra miles. It sprinkled a bit this morning, but nothing significant weather-wise, which was nice. The terrain was pretty varied. Flat in some parts, very steep in others. We even went through a section called the "Lemon Squeezer."

Entering the Lemon Squeezer

We've decided that the Trail in New York has a bit of a Napoleon complex. All of the hills we've encountered on the Trail in New York haven't been very high, never going about 1400 feet in elevation, but the climb to the tops of them is always straight up, over huge rocks. They are short climbs, but grueling because of how steep they are. It's almost as if New York is daring you to make fun of it for being the state with the lowest hills on the AT. I have a hard enough time climbing up those small hills, and I know how it feels to be the short one in school, so I'm reserving judgement. Merely observing. We finally made it up and over all those Napoleonic hills and to our destination for the day, even though it took us longer than we wanted (until almost 5:00pm) because of the extra mileage we added on to get to the parking lot. We were pretty tired, so we got ourselves some meat and vegetables at the nearby Outback Steakhouse and called it a day. A very, very long day.

First view of the Hudson River

Happy Easter from the AT

The Easter Bunny visits the AT too.

First of all, a very very Happy Easter to all the followers of Nano. Today was a very special day, because on this wonderful holiday, the sun finally came out. It seems a little divine inspiration was in order on this extra special divine day. It was beautiful and about 7o degrees all day long, which was a nice change from the wet and cold we've been dealing with. We went to the sunrise service at a tiny Methodist church down the road from the parking lot where we'd been staying in the RV, and got invited to breakfast, but didn't stay, and marched off into the beautiful day instead.

The first clear view we've had. Supposedly, on very clear days, you can see the New York City skyline from where I am standing in this picture, in the direction I am looking. It's back there somewhere, and the day was clear, but I didn't see anything I could call NYC with any degree of confidence.

We walked a little over 7 miles today, the other portion of the 12-miler we cut short because of the bad weather. I truly enjoyed the walk today. It's been so cold and nasty out that everything has just seemed glued to the ground by the damp. But today, in the sunshine, everything started waking up.

Easter Salamander!

We got a little bit of everything today. We climbed some rocks, had some panoramic views from high spots, walked through forest, crossed streams, and even came across a waterfall. I'm so glad that the Trail decided to give us this beautiful day as an Easter present. It was hard to not be home with my family. I know that Trail Angel Mamma had an amazing supper cooked, just like she always does, and I was sad to miss our traditional Easter festivities. But it seems fate stepped in with something beautiful for my Easter day, even though I couldn't be at home. Thank goodness for little Easter miracles.

Easter Hikers

Not one of my best days...

We were on the section named "Agony Grind"...that should tell you how our day went...

Before we went to bed last night, the weather was forecasted to be pretty miserable today. When we woke up, it turned out that the weatherman had gotten one right. The worst of the weather was supposed to come in the afternoon, so we got up very early. Even at 5:30am, the sky was grey and misty. We had originally planned on doing 12 miles today, but things looked so bad outside we shaved that down to 5. It was a good thing we did too, because the 5 miles we did do were tough enough.

5 miles of this...in the rain.

Climbing up, over, and down large, steep, slippery rocks is rather difficult. I'm not trying to justify my sloth-like pace of barely 1 mile per hour for the day. I was actually pretty proud of that pace. Going any faster would've been dangerous. One lesson I am relearning the hard was is that the terrain map in the guide book is occasionally deceptive. In my guide, this section looked nearly flat, or like gently rolling hills at best. Obviously that is not what we encountered. The pulled hamstring that was bothering me yesterday was worse today. I know that slowed me down a lot. But the last thing I need is to hurt it worse. I made it to the end just fine.

Resting on Rocks in the Rain

On the plus side, even though it took us nearly 5 hours to go 5 miles, we got finished with our shorter hike around noon. That gave us some time to do some planning, some laundry, and explore the nearby thriving metropolis of Warwick, NY, where I had some BBQ duck for supper. Even the "bad" days have silver linings.

Historic Warwick