Sprout Day 148 (Monday, August 22nd, 2016)

Today was our first day in the hundred mile wilderness!  We got a late start leaving from the hostel because there was a lot to do before we got on the trail.  The post office didn't open until 9:15 and it took a little while to organize our food drop. We met three guys from Pennsylvania and two girls at Shaws Lodging and I think we're all going to hike together and hopefully summit Katahdin at the same time. The guys names are lT, Dan, and White Trash and the girls are the monkeys, Wild Flower and Tumbleweed.  The guys from Pennsylvania have fishing rods so hopefully we get some fish for dinner sometime this week.  One of the girl’s mom was in town and she offered to drive to get McDonalds.  It was really far away so we waited around for the treat! It was worth it.  After getting into the wilderness we hiked three miles to Leeman Brook Lean-to.

On our way to the shelter we heard a girl fell and broke her ankle right before the first shelter. When we got there we saw her on a carry out stretcher all wrapped up and she was laying there crying.  Other hikers were around and some helped to carry her out. There were rescue volunteers from town there to help too. The hostel owner, Poet, showed up to help. Smudgy helped to carry her back to the road where the paramedics were.  We recognized the girl because she was at the hostel. I forget her name but she was from Georgia. That would be terrible to fall about 111 miles from Katahdin. It rained last night and the ground is slippery and  full of roots.  She fell on a steep rock with a bunch of roots going down it.  At least she fell close to the road so that she could get help quickly.

We're about to enter a crazy part of the trail, the 100 mile wilderness! I'm excited to get in and just be surrounded by wilderness.  This is going to be epic!

The Three Amigos start the 100 Mile Wilderness!

Crazy that there is no way to get off the trail for 100 miles!

foot bridge

Canoes by the trail

Steep slippery part of the trial

Bubbles conquering the trail

Pretty sure this tree was struck by lightening.  Happy I wasn't under it when it happened!

Day: 148

Miles hiked: 3

Total Miles hiked on the trail: 1216.3

Bears: 0

Bluegill: 2

Butterflies: 8

Chipmunks: 3

Cows: 24

Crawfish: 1

Deer: 20

Donkeys: 2

Grouse:  1

Horses: 15

Hummingbird: 1

Inchworm: 1

Really Big Dog: 1

Mice: 2

Nest of bugs: 2

Newts: 2

Owl: 1

Rabbit: 1

Red Squirrel:  1

Skunk: 1

Snail: 1
Snake: 2

Squirrels: 12

Toads: 3

Trout: 2

Turkeys: 4

Turtles: 107

Vultures: 6

Woodpecker: 1

Flying Dutchman Day 15 (Sunday, July 10th, 2016)

Today we took a zero since it was raining.  You have to be careful on the Whites because of lightening and wind gust.

I decided to go by bike to downtown Lincoln, NH.  I bought some stuff at the family dollar and the Price Chopper which were in a strip mall.  I then stopped at McDonalds for lunch.

Rental Bikes

Tourist Train is crossing the road

The rest of the evening I spent restocking my pack with food and chilling out.  Someone left donuts and coffee from Dunkin' Donuts.  Thanks!!

Yay!  Donuts

I spoke with another hiker "Inside" and was told that it takes between 5 or 7 days to go to Mount Washington from where we are (Franconia Notch.)  The terrain is rough and you are likely to break a leg if you try to rush through.  I also spoke with "Dr. Trail" and he made me aware about an association called Twelve Tribes. They are located in Lancaster, New Hampshire and they offer slack packing from Crawford Notch (mile 1843.7) to Pinkham Notch (mile 1869.7).  This means you would walk 22 miles and hike over Mount Washington without your heavy pack on!!  According to "Inside" the terrain to the top of Mount Washington is like big rock blocks placed by a toddler and you will constantly raise your knees. 

I also met a father and son who recently graduated from high school.  They said they thought it would take them a week to get from Gorham to the Notch hostel. They started the AT and walked 20 miles the first day and were planning on thru hiking the entire AT together. They were from Massachusetts.

Room where I slept

Leave your shoes on the right!

Reservation Lobby

Day: 15
Miles hiked: 0
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 154.4

Smudgy Cheeks Day 104 (Saturday, July 9th, 2016)

Today we hiked 8.8 miles to the Notch Hostel for a food pick-up.  The weather is getting bad so we are going to take a zero tomorrow.  Today I hiked over Kinsman mountain and my legs feel stronger.

Top of South Kinsman Peak

Day: 104
Miles hiked: 8.8
Total Miles hiked on the trail:  883.6
Bear: 1
Chipmunk: 1
Deer: 1
Lizard: 1
Snakes: 4
Toads: 2
Vulture: 1
Zoo Animals: 2 foxes, 1 porcupine, 1 bobcat, 1 turtle, 2 bears

Sprout Day 97 (Saturday, July 2nd, 2016) (NEED PICTURES)

We hiked into town today. We had to hike quick so we could get our food drop box. We had to get there before the post office closed.  It was a tough hike but we made great time! It was wet all day from the rain last night.

We also made it to New Hampshire today and it felt great to pass another state border! There are a lot of people in this town who will host hikers and we found a nice lady who was going to take us in for the night. We realized how many people were staying there and ended up getting a room at a local motel. We wanted to have a bed to sleep in and a place to dry off for the night. It felt good to have our own little spot for the night! We can't wait to get further down the trail in New Hampshire.  The Whites are going to be scary but we are looking forward to the challenge.

Day: 97
Miles hiked: 11.3
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 884.2
Bears: 0
Bluegill: 2
Butterflies: 8
Chipmunks: 3
Cows: 24
Crawfish: 1
Deer: 20
Donkeys: 2
Horses: 12
Hummingbird: 1
Inchworm: 1
Really Big Dog: 1
Mice: 2
Nest of bugs: 2
Newts: 2
Owl: 1
Rabbit: 1
Skunk: 1
Snail: 1
Snake: 2
Squirrels: 11
Toads: 3
Trout: 2
Turkeys: 4
Turtles: 107
Vultures: 6
Woodpecker: 1

Sprout Day 79 (Tuesday, June 14th, 2016) (NEED PICTURES)

We set up our tent at Tom Lenvardi’s house last night in Dalton.  It was great having a place to stay and he was very nice.  He has had problems with hikers the past couple years.  It's been so bad that he took his name out of the guidebook!  He is very weary and hesitant to let just anyone camp at his house and he is very cautious while you are there.  He stressed how important it was to be quiet and respectful of the neighbors.  It's sad that a few bad apples have ruined the name of other hikers and have turned small towns along the trail against all hikers.  I don't know why someone would camp behind someone's house in the middle of a small town and not be respectful. Why would anyone steal or treat such a nice person like garbage?  He told us that he bought three new Thermarest sleeping bags for hikers to use while they stayed on his property and last year they all came up missing.  He bought those for hammockers to use while they were there, not for someone to steal!  He said that some of these people feel entitled and did whatever they wanted.  I hope things start to change because other hikers in the future should be able to come and experience the Appalachian Trail.

We had an easy day into Cheshire.  I made really good time because I wanted to get to the post office and pick up our food before it closed.  The post office was right by this little ice cream shop so I killed two birds with one stone on that stop!  Our food package was loaded with all kinds of good treats!  

There's a church in town that lets hikers stay for one night, we are so lucky and thankful to have a spot for the night.  When we arrived we heard Disco and Chicken Foot were here! We've been wanting to catch up with them since New York. They got back from the city and started feeling great and crushed some big miles.  We were so happy to see them.  They were at the post office when we got here.  It was like a little reunion seeing them, they are wonderful people!  Chicken Foot got Lyme disease last week and hasn’t been feeling well.  They caught it quick enough and all she has to do is take antibiotics, it's just scary to know she caught it.  She didn't have a rash or anything from a tick.  She just woke up and started feeling horrible one day last week.  

Day: 79

Miles hiked: 9

Total Miles hiked on the trail: 716.2

Bears: 0

Bluegill: 2

Butterflies: 8

Chipmunks: 3

Cows: 24

Crawfish: 1

Deer: 20

Donkeys: 2

Horses: 12

Hummingbird: 1

Inchworm: 1

Really Big Dog: 1

Mice: 2

Nest of bugs: 2

Newts: 2

Owl: 1

Rabbit: 1

Skunk: 1

Snail: 1

Snake: 2

Squirrels: 11

Toads: 3

Trout: 2

Turkeys: 4

Turtles: 107

Vultures: 6

Woodpecker: 1

Smudgy Cheeks Day 69 (Saturday, June 4th, 2016)

I hiked 3.1 miles to Salisbury Connecticut today.  I need to pickup a food box to resupply.  

It's totally a NERO and I'm going to relax for the rest of the day.  I'm almost done with things like laundry, shower, and putting my food away.  It feels good to be clean!  I am staying at Vanessa's house tonight.  She is a lady that houses hikers and has been for 19 years!  She is a very nice lady who washes your laundry for you!  She doesn't feed me until breakfast though.  I'll be happy to get a good meal to give me the energy to get going tomorrow morning.  

It was a beautiful hike today

Trees are changing to more evergreens

The Thumb Rock

Trail today

Had to climb up these

Vanessa's House

Day:  69

Miles hiked:  3.4

Total Miles hiked on the trail:  564.3

Bear: 1

Chipmunk: 1
Deer: 1
Lizard: 1

Snakes: 3
Toads: 2

Vulture: 1

Zoo Animals:   2 foxes, 1 porcupine, 1 bobcat, 1 turtle, 2 bears

Sprout Day 53 (Thursday, May 19th, 2016)

Today was a long, but great day.  We walked the boardwalk section in New Jersey and headed for Thomas Episcopal Church.  We had a food package at the post office so I went ahead of Bubbles to make sure we got our package before the post office closed.

We were heading towards the town of Vernon, which is a couple miles off the trail.  I had planned on hitchhiking into town so I could get there as quick as I could.  The road leading into Vernon is busy and I’d rather be in a car than walking!  I got to the road and decided I better go to this little farmers market that sells food to gather my thoughts and possibly see if someone there would give me a ride into town. I ate one of the best chicken wraps I've ever had and washed it down with a coke.  

I decided to start walking towards Vernon because I needed to get to the post office!  I wasn't walking for too long when a van pulled up and asked me if I wanted a ride. I was so happy!  I immediately threw my bag off and jumped in!  A husband and wife were happy to give me a ride. They asked the normal questions a thru hiker gets asked, how many miles, where I started, how long, and my best experiences. On the way into town they pointed out all the spots I wanted to go to and were very helpful.

As soon as I walked out of the post office I sat my box on the blue mail drop box and was putting my pack on when a heating a cooling work truck pulled up.  The guy asked me if I wanted a ride!  Really, two rides and I didn't even have to try to hitchhike!  He dropped me off at the church.  I was feeling good and felt like I had a lot accomplished earlier than expected so I went over to Burger King to grab a couple sandwiches.  The church hostel was a great place, plenty of room to sleep, a shower, washer and dryer and a kitchen with all the equipment anyone could want.  It was close to a store, restaurants, and a CVS right next door.  We all ended up ordering pizza from next door later that night.  It was some of the best pizza I've ever had!

Excited that Smudgy Cheeks saw a bear today!!

Trail magic!!

It was great to find this on the trail

Swamp

Beautiful views

Boardwalk

Makes me wonder whose property this used to be!

It was a beautiful day!

Part of the trail today

I thought this was beautiful, spring on the trees and autumn on the ground

Boardwalk

Suspension Bridge

Suspension Bridge

Church Hostel had a great sitting area (Smudgy Cheeks on his phone!)

Awesome bathroom!!

Free washer and dryer!

Pizza!!

Full moon

Day:  53

Miles hiked:  11.8

Total Miles hiked on the trail: 495.7

Bears:   0

Butterflies:  8

Chipmunks:  3

Cows:  24

Crawfish:  1

Deer:  20

Donkeys:  2

Horses:  12

Inchworm:  1

Really Big Dog:  1

Mice:  2

Nest of bugs:  2

Newt:  1

Owl:  1

Rabbit:  1

Skunk:  1

Snail:  1

Snake:  1

Squirrels:  11

Toads:  2

Trout:  2

Turkeys:  4

Turtles:  107

Vultures:  6

Woodpecker:  1

Smudgy Cheeks Day 53 (Thursday, May 19)

I hiked 11.2 miles to Vernon, New Jersey today.  First thing in the morning, while hiking, I had my first bear sighting!!  I was pumped!!  The bear was far from me and ran off after I started yelling!  It was funny to see it walking down the trail like a hiker though!  

Bear on the trail!!!

I also got to walk across a pretty cool board walk.  This was my favorite walk in New Jersey so far.  

View today from the trail.

Board Walk

Hidden Hazards!!

Just kidding.  I'm not bored on the board walk!

Our next food drop was in Vernon, New Jersey so I had to stop there.  I was going to continue hiking but this awesome hostel had free laundry, free showers, and free ice cream in the freezer!!!  We also didn't finish splitting up the food drop until it was almost dark and I didn't feel like walking in the dark, especially with a scraped up knee!

Since I'm no longer with Bubbles and Sprout I get my own animal/mile count!  For any previous animal sightings see Sprout's Day 1-52.

Day:  53

Miles hiked:  11.8

Total Miles hiked on the trail:  422.1
Bear: 1 (WOOT!!!)

Sprout Day 46 & 47 (Thursday & Friday, May 12th & 13th, 2016)

We stayed at Church on the Mountain Hostel, which is a great place for hikers to stay in Delaware Gap. The hike in was steep but I swear I could smell town food from a mile away!  

I made it to town and went straight to the church.  The bunk room was nice but it smelled like dirty hikers and the bunks were close together.  I decided to set up our tent since there was plenty of room outside and there wasn't any chance of rain in the forecast. The people who ran the hostel were nice and said we could set up the tent anywhere there was grass. The hostel had a shower and it felt so good to get cleaned up.  We were glad the post office was right next to the hostel because it was easy to pick up the food drop box.

After I set up the tent and got settled in I made my way to the ice cream shop for a chocolate milkshake.  That evening we went to the pizza shop and got some pizza and subs with Mountain Man and Karma. The subs were about 2 feet long and only $11!  The town is known for great apple pie so we picked one up and ate some of it.  It was delicious.

We took a zero the next day, which was nice, because there really wasn’t a place to do laundry close to the hostel.   We got a ride to the next town and did all of our laundry.

Views from the trail today

Rock Climbing

More rocks!

Trail into the forest

Farms

Loving the trail!

Campsite fire ring

Marker on Mount Minsi

Cool ruins along the trail

Mt. Tammany

The trail today

A beautiful hike

Hit the rocks again

More climbing

Cool climb

Eureka Creek

Great hike today!

There are so many bugs

Smudgy Cheeks enjoying his sub

I thought this was really funny.  It was pouring down rain and there was a man in his car with long gutters hanging out of the car.  The man wanted the woman to come to the car to talk to him (she wouldn't have been able to get into the car it was too full with gutters) but she didn't want to walk to the car in the rain.  He kept laying on the horn until she went out in the rain.  I'm happy it wasn't me helping this guy with his project!

Day:  46 & 47
Miles hiked:  6.4 & 0
Total Miles hiked on the trail:  428.3
Bears:   0
Butterflies:  8
Chipmunks:  3
Cows:  24
Crawfish:  1
Deer:  20
Horses:  12
Inchworm:  1
Really Big Dog:  1
Mice:  2
Nest of bugs:  2

Newt:  1
Rabbit:  1
Skunk:  1
Snail:  1
Snake:  1
Squirrels:  11
Toads:  2
Trout:  2
Turkeys:  4
Turtles:  107
Vultures:  6

Woodpecker:  1