Sprout Day 169 (Monday, September 12, 2016)

It was another great day. We took it easy to give our feet and legs a little time to adjust to hiking again. We went around 6 miles today and we're camping at Maupin Field Shelter. Earlier, at a parking lot on skyline drive, a truck pulled up with some trail magic. We met two ladies who had Pepsi, chips and apples. We sat and talked with them for awhile. They had chairs with backs and it felt good to rest and sit.

It's nice to be around bear poles again because it helps save time at camp. The one here seems a little too tall but it was fun to watch everyone try to get their food up that high! It's been nice going south and not having too many people on the trail. It feels like we're the only ones out here.

We ran into one other thru hiker today and he's camping with us tonight. He said he hasn't seen anyone in days. We're with a great group; Bubbles, Whiskers, and now Truth Pick is hiking with us. I'm excited to be going south and can't wait to see some of the best spots along the Appalachian trail.

This might be Rock Point Overlook

Boulder on a Boulder

Another fantastic view

Day: 169
Miles hiked: 6
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 1354
Baby Bear: 1
Bald Eagle: 1
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
Moose: 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

Sprout Day 133 (Sunday, August 7th, 2016)

We woke up early but it was still pretty dark and ended up falling back to sleep until about 7:00. We got on the trail around 8:00.  It was a cool morning which was perfect for hiking but a little too cold before we started moving.  

We weren't even a couple miles into our hike when we came up on some trail magic!  It was perfect.  Right before the end of this steep climb was Route 17.  It's a busy highway with parking and a scenic view.  I was thinking it would be nice to have a can of pop or something and not too long after that I looked up and saw a cooler. It was filled with coke! Perfect!!  There was even a Tupperware container filled with different bags of chips, cow-tails, protein bars, and a bag of peaches! It was all by a bench overlooking Mooselookmeguntic Lake.  This is some of the best trail magic we've had in awhile.  Not too long after the trail magic we hit our halfway point.  It's crazy to think we're halfway done with the trail!  We still have a lot ahead of us but I'm happy we made it this far!  We've been having an amazing time!

We stopped at the Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to, had lunch, and decided to meet at Long Pond.  It was a few miles away and our Guthook app said it had a sandy beach so we thought we better check it out.  When I got there Smudgy was already in the water.  I jumped right in the water.  It was cold but it felt great.  It wasn't what I was expecting because the pond had a soft white sandy bottom.  Bubbles got in as soon as she showed up.

Tomorrow we are going to a hostel to get a food drop and getting a ride into town to get some food from the store.  

Lots of roots on the trail today

Trail magic!  THANK YOU!!

Making funny faces

Day: 133

Miles hiked: 9.4

Total Miles hiked on the trail: 1102.6

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

Skunk: 1

Snail: 1

Snake: 2

Squirrels: 11

Toads: 3

Trout: 2

Turkeys: 4

Turtles: 107

Vultures: 6

Woodpecker: 1

Sprout Day 125 (Saturday, July 30th, 2016)

It was a perfect day for hiking, the temperature was just right and the sun was shining all day.  At the beginning of the day we did the Mahoosuc Arm.  It was a fun climb. For some of the trail we had to walk up long flat boulders.  I'm glad it wasn’t wet or raining because it would have been very slippery.  We went past Speck Pond and climbed Speck Mountain. Speck Mountain had a steep incline and there was a lot of rock climbing. I felt like I was off trail even though I knew that I was going the right way.  The climb was rugged.

We got down to a parking lot during the last couple miles and a lady named Satellite was there offering some trail magic.  It was perfect!  She had sodas, water, fruit, peanut butter, and crackers, and a bunch of little Debbie snacks.  It hit the spot!  We ate so much and drank a few sodas, it was awesome!

The climb up to the shelter was steep, and we probably shouldn't have ate so much and drank so much but I don't regret it, it was exactly what I needed.

Our plan is to get up really early and go into Andover tomorrow.  We have a few packages to pick up from the post office on Monday and want to do laundry and take a shower. There is free camping behind a restaurant and there's a hostel in town. I can't wait to get some town food and see what Andover is all about.  So long for now, I need to get some sleep!

Roots

Speck Pond

Watershed Area Keep Out

Trail

Heading this way

Beautiful view from Speck Mountain

Bubbles coming up Speck Mountain

Trail today

Hiking through the forest

Beautiful day

Stream over rocks

Mushrooms

Grafton Notch State Park

Bubbles at an Appalachian Trail sign

Smudgy Cheeks by the Appalachian Trail sign

Day: 125

Miles hiked: 9.5

Total Miles hiked on the trail: 1062.9

Bears: 0

Bluegill: 2

Butterflies: 8

Chipmunks: 3

Cows: 24

Crawfish: 1

Deer: 20

Donkeys: 2

Grouse:  1

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

Flying Dutchman Day 14 (Saturday, July 9th, 2016)

Today I continued to walk through the woods towards Kinsman Notch.  The weather was rainy but the four mile walk was pretty easy compared to last's nights hike!

A rocky trail

Cascade Brook

Cascade Brook

I stopped and took lunch under the interstate 93 viaduct and waited for Smudgy Cheeks.  After eating I got out my backpacking guitar and played some songs.  While sitting there I met Dhow Boat (pushing boat).  He thru hiked the AT in 2013 with a girl who was slower than him, but he met many interesting people and also encountered generous people.  Before he completed the AT he hiked the Long Trail in Vermont first and then then Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).  He gave me a clementine, a beer, and a can of coke.  He is presently landscaping for a living but hikes in his spare time.

Under the Interstate 93 bridge waiting for Smudgy Cheeks

After waiting for Smudgy Cheeks for awhile I began to get worried.  He was not able to get a phone call from me and I wasn't sure if he was going to hike to where I was today.  I told myself I would wait until 6:00 p.m. for him and then I would have to call the shuttle to come and get me so that I could get to the Notch Hostel in time for my laundry to get done.  Around 5:30 Smudgy Cheeks called me and hiked out of the woods!

We walked together to the Liberty Springs Trailhead.  I called the hiking taxi and we were picked up in about 40 minutes. The ride was $10 per person and they only took cash. 

When we arrived at the Notch hostel we were told there was only one bed left and Smudgy Cheeks asked if he could put his tent in the garden.  He was allowed to this for $20.00 cash.  The hostel is very clean.  We were first given a tour of the hostel.  Before we could enter we had to leave our hiking gear and packs inside of a shed.  This helps them to keep the Hostel clean.  They had other rules also, such as they required that you take a shower and put clean clothes on when you enter the house, to not wear your hiking boots in the house, not use your sleeping bag in the house either.

Breakfast is self serve and the main town is about 2 miles away.  You can pay a taxi, which is $5.00, rent a bike for $5.00, or if you are lucky you can get a ride from a guest that came with their car to the hostel. 

North Woodstock, New Hampshire is touristic and there are several resorts including a touristic train called "The Hobo Train".  The hostel is the busiest during weekends and summer months. 

I also met two elderly men from Georgia.  One of the men finished the AT as a section hiker in the past but decided to walk with his buddy.  We ordered to-go food from Imperial Palace Restaurant. A nice meal after being in the woods for one week!!!!!

I'm clean and full!

Day: 14
Miles hiked: 4.8
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 154.4

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

Flying Dutchman Day 6 (Friday, July 1st, 2016)

Today we celebrated Sprout's 30th birthday.  We went to a general store and the breakfast sandwiches they sold were delicious.  We also met a family from New Jersey who was doing trail magic. The grandmother said she remembers when her daughter, in the 80's, was a flipflophiker.  To call home her daughter had to walk to a phone cabin and back because there were no cell phones.  I also met a second generation flipflop hiker from the same family that did the AT last year.  We also met another daughter who section hikes on the at each year and hopes one day her daughters will do the same thing. 

In the afternoon we were struck by rain and we stayed for a bit in the Thistle Hill Shelter.  I played a couple songs on the guitar.  After the rain stopped we decided to continue to walk. When it became dark I didn't put my headlamp on and got lost in the woods!  Then, Whiskers took by accident hiking poles that were exactly the same as the ones I used.  The only way we could tell the difference was because of the height adjustment.  He had to turn around and bring those hiking sticks back to the shelter. 

I finally found Bubbles.  Sprout, Bubbles, Whiskers, and I decided to set up our camp in a very ancient mud road.  Smudgy Cheeks was ahead of us and he set up his camp up West Hartford next to the library.  Thankfully Whiskers let me sleep in his tent with him!  I'm expecting to get my own tent in the mail tomorrow and I'll be happy for that!!

Trail magic for Sprout's 30th birthday!!
Whiskers, Trail magic daughter, Smudgy Cheeks, Trail magic son, Sprout, Trail magic grandma, and Bubbles

Waiting out the pouring rain at Thistle Hill Shelter.  Going to push on when it slows down so we can get to Hanover, VT by tomorrow.

How's my beard looking?

Day: 6

Miles hiked: 11
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 72.6

Smudgy Cheeks Day 89 & 90 (Friday, June 24th through Saturday, June 25th)

Today I only hiked 1.1 miles to get to the road where my sister and brother-in-law were picking me up.  There are not as many roads here so I wanted to make sure that they could find me.  I met Sprout and Bubbles there too.  We are together again.

I was surprised to see my dad drive up!  He came to surprise us with trail magic.  He brought coney sauce from home and made hot dogs, potato salad, fruit, and cookies.  It was really nice to see that and I know the other hikers who stopped appreciated the food!

Tomorrow I plan on resting during my zero and spending time swimming at the hotel!  Then we will be back on the trail with Freddy!

Days: 89 & 90
Miles hiked: 1.1
Total Miles hiked on the trail:  735.9
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 82 (Friday, June 17th, 2016) (NEED PICTURES)

We went 13.1 miles today and ended our day at Melville shelter. It was a good hike with a lot of inclines. We also passed a few beaver ponds.

We woke up today and had cowboy coffee and Captain Crunch. The trail has been a little more crowded since we hit the Long Trail. Last night and tonight there were more people than usual at the shelters. We still found a good a spot for camping. We were debating on grabbing water and heading down the trail until we found a flat spot to camp but we made it work and found a little hidden spot.

We met a thru hiker by the name of Rain earlier on the trail. He said once we got to Route 9 to look for a Windstream pull-along camper and his wife would be there with cold drinks. I made it there and found the camper! His wife Sprinkles was there and so was Rain with a few other hikers. Sprinkles had cold drinks and a few snacks, it was perfect. We were all sitting there for awhile and they asked if we wanted to go get something to eat, we decided on Chinese food because there was a restaurant a few miles down the road. It was nice to sit down and eat, just having a chair to rest on with a back support was amazing! Last year Rain and Sprinkles set off to complete the Appalachian Trail, however, Sprinkles got hurt. They still managed to finish half of the trail. This year Rain wanted to come back and finish it but Sprinkles didn't feel up to it. They came up with the idea of Sprinkles driving down the trail and Rain meeting up with her at different parking spots along the trail. They offer trail magic along the way. They were the sweetest couple and definitely made our day! She stopped at a gas station on the way back so we could grab some snacks and anything else we needed. Thank you so much Sprinkles and Rain! We had a great time getting to know you guys and the Chinese food was exactly what we needed.

We got back on the trail and had 1.3 miles to the next shelter, which wasn’t bad. The problem was that we just ate a bunch of food and the incline was pretty steep. I was so happy to make it to camp but realized it was kind of filled up. Whiskers went down the trail to scope out a spot for a couple of tents but we decided we were good where we were. Everyone found a good place to set up for the night and we hung our bags and got ready for bed. We were sitting at the picnic table and I started to hear a drum off in the distance. As soon as we laid down a concert started down over the mountain somewhere. It’s still going on and it sounds like they’re having a great time. I don't think the music will keep me up because I’m tired after today but what are the chances that a concert would be going on so close to where we're trying to sleep?

Today was great and I'm thankful for each and every day on the trail. We are lucky and truly blessed to be out hiking and experiencing all the different sceneries and emotions that come along with the hike. I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and begin a new day! A guy staying at the shelter saw a Momma bear and her two cubs earlier so I'll be keeping an eye out for some wildlife tomorrow.

Day: 82
Miles hiked: 13.1
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 737.8
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 Days 78-81 (Monday, June 13th through Thursday, June 16th)

I woke up this morning pretty tired.  I was only able to sleep about five hours last night because I was pretty worried about what was going to happen today.  I had a long journey ahead of me to get to the clinic and then I was also worried about what the result of my ankle would be.

The clinic was really great.  They took an X-Ray of my ankle and made sure that there were not any broken bones.  I have a sprained ankle and I also have cellulitis.  I was given an antibiotic that I need to take for ten days and also a pain reliever that will help with the swelling.  The doctor also told me that I needed to take a 5 to 7 day break from hiking and allow my ankle to heal.  The problem with this is that I had no where to stay.  The church does not allow hikers to stay more than one night.  I began to consider going back to Tom Levardi's house to recover there.

After leaving the clinic I found a CVS and was on my way there to pick up my prescriptions.  This is when karma was good to me.  On the way to the CVS I stopped at a mechanic shop to get directions.  The mechanic there told me that he always wanted to set up shop near the trail where he could host hikers and allow them to get off of their feet for a bit.  I showed him my ankle and told him my situation and he immediately asked me what I was going to do.  I told him that I didn't know what I was going to do, that I had to pick up my prescriptions and get back to the next town over (10 miles away) to pick up my food drop, and then find a way to lay low and heel.  He gave me his number and told me to call him after I went to CVS.  He told me that I could stay at his place until I recovered!!  I looked at him like I had seen a ghost and almost started to cry!  I asked him if he was sure and he said it would be no problem, to just call him when I was done and he would take me to get my food drop and then I could help him with something.

I called him after CVS and he did drive me to the next town to get my food drop and also told me about Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the town where the clinic was.  He also shared a bit about his life and he is such a good man.  He was part of the Peace Corps in Honduras and is still going down there to help people today.

He took me to where he is a mechanic and is working on a car.  I helped him to pay for my stay.  I helped to remove a drive shaft and am going to finish this by the time I leave on Friday.

Mechanic Shop

Working on cars!

Looking for parts

This bus has seen better days!

Having a lot of fun

My ankle

Gathering in Pittsfield

I was on the front page of the Pittsfield paper.  I'm standing to the left of the flag in black.

On Wednesday we took a wrong turn and had to turn around.  Walking across the street we saw Bubbles and Sprout!!!  Crazy!!!!  We stopped for a picture.

My guardian angle!  This is real trail magic!!

Days:  78-81
Miles hiked: 0
Total Miles hiked on the trail:  645.1
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