We got up early since we signed up for the 7:45 am shuttle. We were dropped off at the Liberty Spring trail and visited a pretty section of the Whites (Lincoln and Lafayette Mountains). This part of the Whites is touristic. I even heard French being spoken on the trail.
On top of the mountains there was a fresh breeze and I needed to put a jacket on when sitting down on a rock. We hiked to the top of Mount Garfield. Smudgy Cheeks cowboy camped and set up his tent which I slept in it. Next to me Disco and Chicken Foot camped on a tarp and hammock.
Top of Mount Lincoln
View from top of Mount Lincoln
Summit of Mount Lafayette
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View today of the mountains we are going to hike
Check out my beard
Day: 16
Miles hiked: 10.3
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 164.7
Today we hiked from Melville Shelter to Kid Gore which was 12.8 miles. It was a humid day and there was a lot of incline in some parts but Vermont is beautiful and it makes it all worth it. We got to climb a fire tower today. The view from the top was amazing, mountains in every direction.
One thing that we noticed today was the amount of black flies. It was ridiculous how many black flies were out. There is nothing you can do about them because they swarm and bite you no matter what. They go into your ears and dive bomb right into your eyes, it's a little crazy. The only thing I've found that helps is walking faster, the faster I walked the less I was being bothered.
When I made it to Kid Gore Shelter I found a spot for the tent and immediately started a fire. The fire seemed to keep some of the bugs away. Rain, Disco, Chicken Foot, Whiskers and two Long Trail hikers were at the same shelter as us tonight. We all had a great evening and ate by the picnic table.
The plan for tomorrow is to get up early to catch the sunrise. We've heard the sunrise is beautiful from this shelter. I'm excited to get up early and catch a nice sunrise and begin the day right.
We heard Ox summited Katahdin today! What an awesome achievement. We are so happy he made it and finished his hike. Ox is a great guy and I know he has to feel so good right now. I wish we could've been there to see his face when he made it to the top! Congrats brother, you deserve it!
Day: 83
Miles hiked: 12.8
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 763.7
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
Today was an exciting day of hiking. We made it up Mount Greylock! Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts standing at 3489 feet! It was a great hike and we had an awesome view once we made it to the top. We started our day off at the church in Cheshire. I didn't really sleep too well last night but woke up ready for the day. The church was an awesome place to stay. I think I had trouble sleeping because we were in a large room and sound echoed every time anyone moved or got up to use the restroom. We hit up a much needed Dunkin’ Doughnuts right before the trail, iced coffee, yes please!
After the morning coffee we were heading over to the trail when a car pulled into the parking lot right in front of us. It was Smudgy Cheeks! He has been staying with a really nice guy in Pittsfield while his ankle recovers. It was great seeing him! We were so happy to see his smiling face! He said he's been doing good and is starting to feel a lot better. He was with Eddy. They had just gone to a chicken farm that Eddy used to own to get eggs for a local food kitchen. He popped the trunk and they had a trunkful of fresh eggs! We're really happy Smudgy is with a nice caring person while he is healing.
After saying our goodbyes we got on the trail and started heading north. It was going to be a good day and we were ready for Mt Greylock! It had such beautiful views and we had clear blue skies with not a cloud in the sky. The trail was well maintained and marked pretty well too. We ran into a couple of trail maintainers repainting the blazes and trimming branches.
At the top of Greylock there are benches and a lodge that sells food and drinks. Everything was pretty expensive so we just got some post cards for family and friends and a couple cans of pop. The monument was closed for construction so we couldn't walk up but the view was still amazing where we were.
The shelter was just a few miles from the summit so after resting for a little while we started off for the next shelter. When we arrived at the shelter I started a fire to cook over because our fuel is running low. We are trying to conserve as much as possible and I love having a fire.
We are staying at the shelter with Whiskers, Disco, and Chicken Foot, and two other hikers, Burn and Blow. We were all hungry and tired so we made food and chatted for a few. I think it's going to be a great night if I can sleep tonight.
Day: 80 Miles hiked: 11.7 Total Miles hiked on the trail: 727.9 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
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.
Today is Mb's birthday. Happy birthday sister and thank you for helping out with this blog so all our family and friends know we are still alive and thriving. :) you are amazing. And while I am doing shoutouts a special thanks to my sister Kathleen and my brother-in-law Shane. They are watching our dog Lennon (who I miss more and more every single day). She is not an easy dog to watch. She is high maintenance and can be crazier than me (if that's even possible) without them I don't know what we would do. Thank you, thank you, thank you! We love you!
Anyway back to the woods talk. Today was AWESOME! The hike was challenging but so cool. We walked into New York today and I am so happy about it. We got to climb a ladder that was really just rebar drilled into the side of the mountain. It was exciting and challenging. I did it with my 40 pound pack on and felt like a badass. There was a lot of rock climbing and up and downs but it wasn't too bad. It was exciting to be in a new state.
We stopped 2.6 miles from the shelter at a hotdog stand. The owner Bud wasn't the friendliest, which was an immediate challenge for me. I was going to make this man smile if it killed me. I succeeded and it felt great. He makes a wicked good hotdog sauce. My dad would have loved it. He had a special; two hotdogs with sauce, a bag of chips, and a cold can of pop for 5.50. I was sold. Actually, we ate ice cream first and then hotdogs. We enjoyed some ice cream with Disco and Chicken Foot.
I want to tell you how amazing these two are. They took their shoes off in front of me and I almost cried for Chicken Foot. Her feet were bloody and blistered. And the girl didn't complain. She was still smiling. I think that is incredible and really inspiring. They are always so upbeat when I see them and it makes my heart warm. Disco's feet needed some TLC but again, no complaints. They were doing a really long day too, like 20+ miles! They have to make it to bear mountain by Monday to go into the city. Kudos to them. They are ROCK STARS! I hope we catch them after the wedding we are attending this weekend.
The shelter area was alive with Boy Scouts when we got there. Yayyy! The kids were so friendly and it was great to talk to them. I asked the couple of Eagle Scouts what their final projects were and I was really impressed. One boy showed me that if you chew on black birch twigs it tastes like root beer, and it did! So cool. Thanks for that kids. They are training to go hike 12 days at Philmont, New Mexico. That sounds like the experience of a lifetime. I am jealous! I want to go to Boy Scout camp. :) It reminded me of my dad and the stories he has told me about hiking with his scouts in Philmont. One Boy Scout was hiking with an ax, saw, and a Dutch oven to make monkey bread! He said his pack weighed over 50 pounds. He was awesome!
There were some thru hikers from Georgia, but again most of them aren't worth talking about because they either weren't friendly to us or acted entitled to the shelter and were very territorial or acted annoyed with the Boy Scouts, which I don't put up with. Those kids need to be out in the woods experiencing this. If grown adults can't see that, they can bug off in my opinion.
We put up our home (tent) as we do almost every night. I want to clarify that I've met some hikers that are amazing from Georgia but for every nice hiker there are probably five that I will shortly forget because they weren't nice. Life is too short to be unfriendly, that's why I smile until my face hurts and always look on the bright side of life.
Straight up the side of a rock!
One sprout coming up!
He made it!!
Sprout on the trail
Sprout climbing on rocks
Sprout on the rock
Hotdog special
Mountain Man, Karma, Bubbles, Sprout, Whiskers, Disco, and Chicken Foot
We woke up at the church and slowly got ready. Karma is still experiencing pain and it makes me sad to see my friend in so much pain. Having foot and knee pain can be debilitating and super frustrating. I must say she is a trooper though. She hikes way faster than me and when she smiles we all smile. We need more Karma’s in the world. If I am crying (because of pain) she always comforts me and instantly makes me feel better. Karma and Mountain Man are going through their packs trying to eliminate more unnecessary weight, something we really need to do!
When we finally all got ready and packed up we walked out of the church and a man stopped his car in the church parking lot and asked us if we needed a ride back to the trailhead. We didn't ask or anything. The people in Vernon have been incredible and friendly. We are so thankful for people like this gentleman. When we told him we needed to go to the post office to send some items home he said he'd meet us over there. Sprout and I split up and I went to post office and he went to Burger King to get us all some BK to eat at the trailhead.
We saw Disco, Chicken Foot, Whiskers and M. Worm at the post office too. When we got dropped off we sat under pine trees and ate our burgers and hotdogs (BK now has hotdogs, wow). By coincidence we saw the two section hikers we met at the church the night before. They stopped and talked to us and then when I asked if they would take our BK garbage they said "of course" we are very thankful for that. Nice guys.
When we started hiking we immediately climbed "Stairway to Heaven" a 900 to 1000 foot climb mostly made out of stone steps. It was a toughie but totally worth it. The view at the top was breathtaking and we could see the monument from high point state park. It was exciting to see how far we had walked. There were two ladies drinking a bottle of wine and they kept making me laugh. They had been friends for 40 something years and it reminded me of all my close girlfriends at home and how lucky I am to have such a great group of friends. Blessed beyond belief.
When we got to the top of the mountain there was a trail register with a note from Toesack and HazBen letting us know there was trail magic just past the next shelter that we were heading to. The hike was relatively easy and we only hiked just over 5 miles. After we quickly set up our tent we headed for the magic. We didn't even set up our rain fly.
When we got to the trail magic we were so happy. Trish was an awesome woman who made us all smile with her generous heart and great stories. If I lived close to her I would definitely try to hang out with her. We talked about her garden which made me miss my own. I can't wait for next summer! I want to have a garden bigger than my house. It's one of the most rewarding feelings to grow your own food. Trish works for Campmor. She gave us t-shirts. I didn't want to carry the extra weight but I thought "I love this shirt and this lady and I want to remember this forever" so I took the shirt. She had veggies, pasta salad, brie, apples, wine, beer, and a big smile!! She was there with another woman who was celebrating a birthday! She was also friendly but I can't remember her name! Grrrr. I hate that. She was worth remembering.
Mountain Man, Karma, Toesack, HazBen, Disco, Chicken Foot, Whiskers, M. Worm and Wanna Chair were all here celebrating in this glorious occasion. We all laughed and got to know each other better. My heart was so happy to be surrounded by such lovely people in such a great place. We headed back to the campsite and ate more food and all got to know each other better. Disco, Chicken Foot, and Whiskers are going to New York City for a few days and Whiskers has never been. I hope we see them again so I can hear all about their adventures. :)
Today we hit 500 miles. What a feeling. We are actually doing it! I feel really proud of myself. I am doing this for my momma. I want her to know how much I love her and if she can't walk or adventure I am going to do it for both of us. But I miss her.
We stayed at a wonderful spot today, Murrays Property. It's in between two shelters that are far apart from each other, there's no where to camp in between these shelters and the owner lets people camp on his property for free! It's a beautiful spot tucked down a gravel road right off of the trail. We were all so thankful for the place to camp, it is a beautiful hidden gem.
When we arrived we were happy to see Towsack and Hazben, they were setting up in the cabin. There were a few other hikers in tents and we decided to set our tents up too since there was plenty of room. There's an outside shower on the side of the owners little cabin that anyone can use.
When we first walked up we noticed a couple guys in a truck. One was the owner and the other was a hiker. It turns out the hiker was helping the owner with a couple of things around the property. He helped fix the shower and mowed some of the grass, there's a lot of land on this property. The owner left to go to his house, I think he just stays in the cabin when he needs to get away for awhile.
Later, the hiker explained to us that the owner just got out of the hospital with Lyme Disease and he was trying to give back since he gives so much to all the hikers. It felt good knowing a hiker was trying to give back to someone who has helped us all out. That's what the trail is all about, one fellow human helping out another. If we could do this more everyday the world would be such a better place! There was also a well with clean drinking water on site and a couple of donkeys over by where the guy was mowing.
We also ran into our friends Disco and Chicken Foot. We were happy to see them! The last time we saw them was at Church on the Mountain and since then we have been leaving them messages in the log book, they were happy to catch up to us too! We've had some questions about what a bear box is so we took some pictures!
Today was a lovely hike. The flowers were out of this world beautiful. There were many different types of flowers and different colors. They were vibrant and calling my name. Yellow, purple, pink, and blue. All singing to me! It made my hike very enjoyable.
Flowers
More flowers!!
Makes me happy!!!
We stayed on the Murray property. It's known as "the secret shelter". The property was beautiful and lush. There were two donkeys that were very friendly. If you called them they would come right up to you! I was in love, obviously. There was an outdoor shower with HOT water. I didn't use it but to wash my hands though. A hiker going south fixed the shower and was mowing the lawn for the owner. He said he was paying it forward. What a sweet man to do that!
Donkeys
Such friendly guys!
I was so happy when Disco and Chicken Foot came up! We met them the morning we left Delaware Water Gap. They are a lovely couple that love to sing and be happy. They have such a great attitude about hiking the trail. So, naturally, I loved them! They were hiking with a guy named Whiskers that they met along the way and a section hiker named M. Worm who completed 75% of the trail last year! You go girl :)
HazBen and Toesack were here too. I love these two. They are great people. So friendly and helpful. HazBen sent me a couple of photos on lacing your shoes different ways to alleviate foot problems.
I was so happy to be here with all these lovely friendly hikers.
