Sprout Day 127 (Monday, August 1st, 2016)

We woke up today and had to wait on the post office to open so we could get a few packages. I had a new backpack sent here because mine broke about a week ago.  I had to tie the shoulder strap on with a piece of rope.  REI is good about replacing things especially when you’re on the trail, they're very understanding.  We also had a food drop here and a guy named Spoontula sent us a package with candy and cookies. Spoontula also threw in a couple beers from Vermont for us and one broke in the box! It was a cider and it was leaking everywhere!  

We were going to get on the trail right after that but rain was in the forecast and the sky was getting dark so we decided to stay where we were.  It's not too much fun hiking in the rain and setting up camp in the rain, not to mention the rocks get super slippery when they're wet.

We ended up camping behind the Red Hen Diner in Andover.  It's a small restaurant that lets hikers camp out back for free.  Instead of paying to stay at the hostel we decided to save some money and camp instead. It was a nice relaxing day... We sat on the porch and ate sandwiches from the general store across the street. It was nice watching the rain from the porch instead of hiking in it!

We're planning on getting on the trail early tomorrow and getting some miles in. It feels good to rest and recuperate for an extra day but I'm excited to get back on the AT and seeing some more of Maine!

Day: 127Miles hiked: 0Total Miles hiked on the trail: 1070.9Bears: 0Bluegill: 2Butterflies: 8Chipmunks: 3Cows: 24Crawfish: 1Deer: 20Donkeys: 2Grouse:  1Horses: 12Hummingbird: 1Inchworm: 1Really Big Dog: 1Mice: 2Nest of bugs: 2Newts: 2Owl: 1Rabbit: 1Skunk: 1Snail: 1Snake: 2Squirrels: 11Toads: 3Trout: 2Turkeys: 4Turtles: 107Vultures: 6Woodpecker: 1

Flying Dutchman Day 7 (Saturday, July 2nd, 2016)

Today I walked ahead of Bubbles, Sprout, and Whiskers to catch up to Smudgy Cheeks.

Boardwalk trail today

Bridge over White River

As I was walking the Hart family waved at me from a bridge and asked me if I wanted breakfast.  Smudgy Cheeks was there along with a hiker named, Backbone.  The family at the house have been giving free breakfast to AT hikers for the past few years.  Last year they gave breakfast to over 1,000 AT hikers!!

Thank you for the breakfast!

Sign at Trail Magic

Breakfast!!

Whiskers had breakfast too!

Journal to leave a note for the family

Trail magic was in Norwich, Vermont

After breakfast I walked with Smudgy Cheeks to downtown Hanover, New Hampshire!  Welcome to my first new state!!

Connecticut River

Sign walking into New Hampshire on the bridge!

The regular post office closes as noon but the passport part of the post office allows AT thru hikers to pick up their packages until 3:00 p.m.  The post master, Pete, was aware that some hikers would be coming to pick up packages today.

Welcome to Hanover.  We had to get here by Saturday at 3:00 p.m. or our boxes would have been held until after the July 4th holiday!

After we picked up the food drop and my boxes from REI (I got a new tent and a kitchen sink) I serenaded the hiker Marvel's mother with a few songs.  She had to quit the AT because of Lyme Disease but was helping her daughter to get through the Whites.  It felt good to busk a little bit again.

I went to a Circle K station to get a Poplar Pop soda and we had dinner at subway while our phones charged.  I realized while sitting in Subway that I forgot my trekking poles when I went into CVS today!  Luckily, when I went back two hours later they were still there!!!  When Subway closed at 7:00 we walked out of the city because you are not allowed to camp within city limits.  We stopped at the supermarket to fill up our water since the gas station did not have any.

Thank you Subway for your charging station!

Selfie at Subway

We decided to camp at the Velvet Rocks Shelter, which was less than two miles from Hanover.  The shelter had a very low roof and I hit my head multiple times on it!  The shelter looked like students must have used it to party.  That is too bad.

Thankfully and hiker at the Shelter knew how to put up my new tent.  His name was Ghost Walker.  The tent uses my two trekking poles to keep it up!

Day: 7
Miles hiked: 14.2
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 86.8

Sprout Days 58-64 (Tuesday, May 24, 2016 - Monday, May 30th, 2016)

Pictures from Graymoor Spiritual Life Center (May 24 & 25)

Some people camped here too

We zeroed here at the pavilion

Free shower (cold water though!!!)

Great place to have a fire

Back on the trail (May 26)

Can you find the toad?

Beautiful day to hike!

Mountain Man and Karma on the trial

Trail today

Hike to our pickup!!! (May 27)

Can you spot the hikers?

Bubbles drinking some water while hiking on the trail

Incredible roots!!  I think the one in the middle looks like an alligator!

Love Chipotle! (The tortilla couldn't handle my massive burrito!!!)

We had an amazing weekend with the family and we were able to introduce Mountain Man and Karma to some of our family members.  It was a great weekend.  We went to an amazing wedding in Cooperstown, New York and we all had a great time.  It was a two day break and it felt good to be with close people from home and to finally introduce our trail family to some of the people that they have been hearing so much about.  At one point all of us were out on the dance floor dancing, laughing, and having a great time. Jimmy was the best man, it was great seeing him and hanging out for a couple of days.

The food was delicious!

Reception was in a greenhouse!  It was really cool!

Poppa Lip and Bubbles boogieing on the dance floor!

On Sunday Bubbles and Freddy a.k.a. Flying Dutchman went back and hiked 6.5 miles by Bear Mountain.  Bubbles got off the trail last week to have dinner with our cousins and had to make up those miles.  Flying Dutchman wants to be on the trail and was happy to go with her!  I wish I could've been there with them but Mb took Mountain Man, Karma, and me to REI to get some more supplies that we needed for the trail.  Flying Dutchman did a great job, we can't wait to see you back out on the trail whenever you get the opportunity! We wish you were here now!

We were so thankful Mb was able to take us to REI. We got some Merino wool t-shirts and I got a pair of Merino boxers too. Merino wool is a special wool that doesn't hold sweat in like some cheaper fabric and dries quickly.  It’s basically a must have for how hot and humid it's been. We both got an air mattress this weekend and I couldn't be happier.  I wasn't getting the best sleep on my sleeping pad and have been wanting an air mattress for awhile now.  Bubbles picked up some new shoes because the ones she had were worn out from all the rocks.  Our initial plan was to get back on the trail Sunday evening but time went by quicker than we anticipated.

We ended up getting hotel room for the night and got dropped off earlier today where we were picked up off the trail. It's really hard leaving family and getting back on the trail.  Of course we want to be out here hiking and doing what we're doing but we are really close to our family and have a wonderful family. Whenever you see someone from home it makes you miss everyone else.  We are truly blessed to have this problem, we hope we see you guys again soon and hope everyone else from home can come out at some point.

We got to the shelter and started talking to Mountain Man and Karma about their hike and eventually got to the topic of them getting off the trail.  It was devastating because we love hiking with them!  Karma has been having terrible feet and ankle pain and now it might be moving to her knees.  It's going to be hard to keep moving on if they have to get off, it has been great being with them for as much time as we have. I think they are going to try to continue on and I hope they do.  We ordered Chinese food and had it delivered to the road outside the shelter. Mountain Man and I tossed a frisbee around that I bought this past weekend. It was a great evening but still a sad one.  All we could think about was the possibility of them leaving and it's not something we want to happen. I hope we all wake up tomorrow and can continue moving on.

In memory of those lost on 9/11

View from the trial today!

Stream

Memory plaque

Day:  64
Miles hiked:  7

Total Miles hiked on the trail:  567.1

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

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

Guest Post by Mb (May 30, 2016)

We had a great weekend!  Most of our adventure has been covered by other blogs but I thought I would add a few things:

Bubbles at the wedding reception

First of all, Fred and I were going to drive home on Sunday.  However, our trip to REI turned out to be a bit of a disaster.  I’ve always found the people who work at REI to be extremely helpful and knowledgeable about the outdoors.  The REI in Yonkers was a different story.  Usually the people working there have extensive knowledge about their departments.  The guy in the backpack area was sitting on backpack workstation flirting with girls.  When asked a question his answer was either, “I don’t know” or “we don’t sell that here”.  The girl who helped Karma with shoes was pretty nasty and had no idea what she was talking about.  Overall, it was a disappointing visit.  

Secondly, Bubbles mentioned crossing over a highway in one of her blogs.  I thought they were all exaggerating when they spoke about how fast the cars were going.  They were not.  At one point in our travels this weekend we drove down the Palisades Parkway, which the hikers walked over last week.  While Bubbles drove I watched the Appalachian Trail on the map to see exactly when we would drive over it.  I thought for sure there would be a big sign indicating that hikers were crossing the highway and drivers needed to slow down.  Instead there was a tiny sign on the side of the road indicating that hikers might be crossing the road.  I took a picture of the hikers next to a sign that was identical when I dropped them off on Monday. Seriously, if I hadn't been looking for the trail I wouldn't have seen this tiny sign!!!!

This is the sign on the side of the parkway.  INSANE!!!

This is what Bubbles looks like the morning that she is getting dropped off on the trail.

Sprout trying on his new bug net with Bubbles

Fred, Sprout, Bubbles, Mountain Man, and Karma before the four hikers got back on the trial

Guest Blog... Flying Dutchman Sunday, May 27th

Mb and I picked up Bubbles, Sprout, Mountain Man, and Karma on Friday, May 27th near a beautiful lake in New York State.  Several times I wanted to jump in this beautiful lake until Sprout made me aware that swimming was prohibited.  What a bummer!!!!  We also picked up Smudgy Cheeks at Tony’s Deli and we took the opportunity to try a Turkey Sub which was the speciality of the Deli. The food party just started!!  Mb looked at her GPS to find out where the closest Chipotle was located in the area.  It turned out to be located out of state in Connecticut by about 20 miles.  From Chipotle we were on our way to a wedding in Cooperstown, NY where the Baseball Hall of Fame is located.  We met up with my father-in-law and my brother-in-law, who was the best man of the wedding.  They were staying in a room at a house called the 1819 House, which was reserved for the wedding party.  Before we could sleep we needed to stop at Walmart.  Bubbles, Mountain Man, Karma, and Smudgy Cheeks needed to get clothes for the wedding and some miscellaneous things needed for backpacking on the trail.  We ended that evening with Rodeo Burgers, Whoppers, and a couple of cold beers.

The next day, our father-in-law took us to a breakfast place in downtown Cooperstown, NY called the Doubleday Cafe.  The breakfast was nice and big. The interior of the cafe was decorated with pictures of baseball.  After breakfast we headed back to the room we shared with Mb, my father-in-law, brother-in-law, and five hikers!  I serenaded a couple songs (Country Roads and Volare) on my guitar.

Poppa Lip and Bubbles at breakfast

We left for the wedding ceremony around 2:00 in a Catholic church in downtown Cooperstown. The pastor was hard to understand and he sounded sometimes a little bit rude.  After his sermon and ceremony we congratulated the bride and the groom and met at 5:00 o’clock at the Origins Cafe at Carefree Garden for the wedding reception and the wedding party.

I highly recommend this place: http://www.celebrateorigins.com/#about

The Origins Cafe is inside a greenhouse and you can see green peppers growing inside, coffee trees, bananas, and even pineapple.  It was hot and humid inside but the food that was served was the best food I ever had tasted at any weddings.  The DJ that was contracted for the wedding was really good and it seems that he made his music selection by observing his public. I was surprised to hear a couple Indian pop songs, Latin American songs, and also some Benny Goodman songs.

Sprout and Bubbles at the reception

Mountain Man and Karma at the reception

The next day on Sunday, my father-in-law and my brother-in-law left early.  We drove separately in our van and dropped off Smudgy Cheeks at the place where he left the trail. My wife, Sprout, Mountain Man, and Karma went to the REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.)in Yonkers, NY:

https://www.rei.com/

I didn’t go to REI because I decided to give the trail a shot.  I walked with Bubbles six miles that she had to make up.  We were dropped off at Bear Mountain, NY near the Trailside Zoo.  Before getting into the Zoo entrance we walked through a park filled with thousand of families picnicking for memorial weekend.  Many of the animals were sleeping and invisible but I did see one bear.  The weather was a mix of heat with wind but the perfect weather for hiking.  

The bridge over the Hudson was amazing and was the easiest part of the hike.  After this we went onto the trail and then we had to descend and ascend two different hills.  I think the climb was about 400 feet with some rocks and bugs were trying to bugger me at all times.  I also saw many caterpillars on the ground and old autumn leaves.  A couples times I slipped on the leaves.  Luckily, Bubbles loaned me her trekking poles so I didn’t fall.  On our way we saw 2 groups of thru hikers that had already had their camp set up.  Overall, I can say this was my Appalachian Trail baptism and this was visible (all that sweat on my face!!!!) I start now to understand the magic of the trail and wish to walk more often on the trail in the future.

Bubbles Day 63 (Sunday, May 29th, 2016)

Today was a wonderful day.  I made up the 6 or 7 miles I missed when I got off the trail to see my cousins.  It was an awesome feeling to be making up those miles.  What made it even better was hiking with my brother-in-law Freddy.  He offered to hike with me so I didn't have to do it solo.  We talked a lot and he carried all the water and snacks. We hiked about the same pace so it was awesome.  We chatted and laughed and it made the hike go by so quick.

Sprout, Mountain Man, and Karma were going to REI with Marybeth. I know they had an awful experience at the REI in Yonkers, New York.  I was shocked.  I had been telling Karma how amazing their employees have been to us and how helpful.  That was not the case for my friends :( The girl who was helping Karma find shoes scared her when she said she needed to see a doctor for her swollen feet.  Obviously, this girl didn't do any serious hiking and the last time I checked, employees of a recreational store shouldn't be giving medical advice to their customers!!  The shoe girl also told Karma that compression socks wouldn't help with swollen ankles.  The lady didn't seem to care much about her job and I felt really bad for Karma, especially considering I had told her that REI was the bees knees of all gear stores.  They got what they needed and I am praying that this helps Karma with her feet problems.

We ended up staying in a hotel instead of getting dropped off at the state park. It is Memorial Day tomorrow and the park was packed!!!

Freddy and I on the trial

Lovely flowers on the trail

Freddy used my trekking poles to go downhill

Freddy on the trial

Selfie Time!

Happy to make up these miles with Freddy

Guest Blog for Bubbles and Sprout Day 27 by Mb (Saturday, April 23rd) ZERO PHILLY

After FORCING Bubbles and Sprout to catch up on their blogs I told them I would guest blog today and tomorrow.  Dad and I were SUPER excited to pick them up.  Dad was really worried that we wouldn’t be able to find them (he doesn’t understand that smart phones get maps on them… not that I don’t love a paper map… but we can call each other!!)

We headed to a hotel in Morgantown which held a lot of great memories for our family.  Sprout, Bubbles, and Smudgy Cheeks spent the weekend hearing dad and I reminisce about one of our favorite family trips to this hotel.  Dad took Mom and the oldest four kids on the road with him (leaving the three youngest at home with our grandma).  The hotel was connected to a mall!  This was the coolest thing ever because Dad usually dropped us off at a playground, which would maybe have two swings that were operational, with a loaf of bread, a jug of kool aid, a jar of peanut butter, and a jar of jelly!  This hotel also had an incredible indoor pool with a Pacman arcade machine that was the best kind of broken… it wouldn’t accept coins so we could play as many games as we wanted to!!  Also, at some point Dad left us each $2.00 to spend at the mall (even back in the early 90’s this was NOT a lot of money). The four of us pooled our money and bought a HUGE at least 3 foot diameter bouncy ball.  We thought this was hilarious until we left the hotel and the four of us, sitting across the back of a sedan, had to hold the ball in our laps the entire way home!

We spent A LOT of time trying to throw our ball off the fourth story without the front desk seeing us (circa 1990 NOT 2016!)

Bubbles and Sprout had me bring a few things:  a stronger battery pack (which I TOLD SPROUT he needed), clean clothes, and a scale so that Bubbles could weigh herself.  She lost 26 pounds and Sprout lost about 15!

We got up on Saturday morning and headed towards Philly.  We got about 10 minutes down the turnpike before Bubbles realized that she FORGOT her boots at the hotel!!  We had to drive another 15 minutes down the turnpike to turn around and grab them.  They really needed to be replaced because the sole was coming off of them.  Even though they’ve hiked 200 miles the sole should not already be falling off (it started to come apart around mile 100).  

Once we were back on the road to REI we decided that we needed to find a bakery that sold butter cakes, mom’s favorite bakery item from when she and dad lived on the shore in New Jersey.  I found one with the highest rating on google, called them, and reserved the last four for us to pick up (yes, four, hindsight tells me that this was a little overboard!)

We went to REI and Bubbles was so excited to trade in her boots.  She went up a size, to a men’s 13 (hahaha, not going to quit teasing her about that ~ although she doesn’t really care!)  We were all really hoping that this would cure Bubbles incredibly horrible foot (more toe) pain!  Bubbles also found a pair of trail runners.  Those are shoes which have a lot more traction, a deeper sole, and more protection on the front of the shoe for accidentally kicking rocks.  They didn’t have them in her size so we ordered them to be delivered to dad’s house.  We were ready to go but Dad was still searching for something to buy.  They didn’t have any shoes that would fit him that he didn’t already own (size 15 men’s) which really disappointed him (he seriously has more shoes than ANY of us in the family, combined!)  We found him in the clearance section checking out light fleeces, which he REALLY needed!  He was a happy camper!

Bubbles at REI in her new boots

We left REI and headed to the bakery.  We didn’t get out of the parking lot before Bubbles realized she couldn’t find her phone.  Dad turned around and we searched the car looking for it.  Bubbles and Sprout went back into REI to search for it.  Luckily, a good Samaritan found Bubbles phone on a random shelf and turned it in.  Thank you!!  

At this point I want everyone to know that my dad will NOT let me drive him around… As soon as Kathleen (the oldest sister) and Jimmy (oldest brother but still younger than me) get near my dad’s car he hands them the keys.  Apparently he does not trust me so he drove and hates city driving with a gps (my favorite kind of driving!)  After almost getting us killed several times we made it to the bakery.  I stayed in the car to continue editing Bubbles blogs (while dad drove I typed as Bubbles told her story) and dad and Bubbles went into the bakery.  Dad came out with two HUGE bags of baked goods.  Typical!

Dad was so happy, especially because the bakery looked just like the ones on the Jersey Shore!

Butter Cakes, Cheese Cake, cookies!!

We left there and decided that we couldn’t leave Philly without a cheese steak.  We went to the famous Pat’s and Geno’s Cheesesteak stands so that we could compare the two.  We got four of each (for the five of us) and headed back to the hotel.  We really didn’t have a definite winner… they were both really good!

Bubbles got pictures of the Pat's King of Steaks sign.  The oldest Cheesesteak spot in Philly!

Better know how to order a Cheesesteak in Philly!

We were exhausted at this point but knew that we still needed to stop at Walmart for some last minute staples.  We picked up the usual, tuna fish, rice meals, candy bars, and hair clippers!  The plan was to cut Bubbles and Sprout’s hair a bit shorter (not even kidding, Bubbles hair had this little unicorn spot where it stuck up in the middle about an inch longer than any hair around it!)

We made it back to the hotel and started to make sure that everything was plugged in and charging.  Bubbles and Sprout have these awesome flashlights that can be solar powered.  While making sure that everything was charged I plugged one into my computer to chart it and my computer went black.  Because we were in the car and I was typing EVERYTHING Bubbles had just told me was in a Word document NOT BACKED UP!!  I pretty much tried not to freak out!  The hotel handyman and a random person that Bubbles and Sprout met in the laundry room tried to help me find a screwdriver to get my macbook to open.  They didn’t have the correct size so I went to Lowe’s.  Miraculously, when I opened it and followed a few simple directions I found on the internet, the macbook turned back on!  I was so happy (especially since this macbook is only two years old ~ I spilled a bowl of wonton soup on my last one).  I did not want to come home and explain to my husband why I needed another new computer!  Crisis averted!

Bubbles and I continued to catch up on her blogs until the wee hours of the night.