The best laid plans…

With a clear destination and start date in mind, we went to planning out the details by studying the AT Guide to locate shelters and campsites where we would stay, and plotting water sources and potential options to enjoy a hot meal in a town.  As in years past, Jim and I both continued to fine tune our gear, looking for the most functional and at the same time, lightweight options that we could afford and/or justify.  At one point we calculated the cost to reduce ounces in our pack and decided not to fixate on “Necessary” costs. Several conversations and trips to outdoor stores later, our backpacks were loaded with gear and 6 days of food supply. It was time to hit the trail.   We met on a Sunday afternoon at the northern end parking spot and left Jim’s car there.  We then headed south to Waynesboro, PA for one more night of hot food and a comfortable hotel night’s sleep.  Monday morning, after taking advantage of the “All you can eat continental breakfast”, we made the 4 mile drive to the trailhead we had visited two years prior, grabbed our packs and took our first steps on the AT for 2023.  As in years past, walking away from a perfectly good vehicle on foot knowing that you have 93 miles between you and the end point always kicks in a healthy dose of adrenaline, as the reality of what is to come sets in.

Off to a good start…

Our first day on trail was going to be a short one.  In 2022, we had learned that attempting a 20 mile day before getting some trail legs is a bad idea.   With only 13 miles between us and the Quarry Gap shelters, we made our way through the relatively gentle terrain of southern PA.   We did have a pretty good climb coming out of Caledonia State Park, but aside from that it was really pretty easy going.   With my new state of being a single kidney owner/loaner, hydration was going to be more of an issue for me than in years past.   Because of that, we did not pass up too many opportunities to top off our water bottles.  We did learn that in this section of trail, the trusty FarOut app was a bit more pessimistic on the water sources than what we actually experienced.   We passed several water sources that were not even mentioned in the app.   Not that we were complaining, it was just the first year we noticed this discrepancy…or maybe we were just paying closer attention…and the inaccuracy did cause us to take an unnecessary .5 mile steep downhill trek (thus a steep uphill back to trail) to fill up at a documented spring.  What’s a mile or two between friends. Detours aside, we strolled into camp just before 2PM to be greeted by the nicest shelter we had ever experienced.  It had a rocking swing, easy access spring, planted flowers and hidden gnomes around just to make it interesting.  Over the next several hours, many more hikers showed up to make this on trail resort of sorts their home for the night.   We spent a bit of time with a hiker, whose trail name we both forgot, but said folks think he looks like John Lennon, a section hiker by the name of ADK, and a father/daughter duo by the names of Hatchet and Hobbit.  It was a fun first night and set our moods high as we looked to the days ahead.

Stretch goals…

Day two was planned to be just under 14 miles.  But Jim had been doing some map studying and saw that there was a state campground only 3 miles past our planned stopping point. Adding that extra distance would take day three’s 19 planned miles down to 16.   We did not immediately commit to extending our day, but planned to reassess as we reached the 14th mile.   When mile 14 arrived, we felt pretty good and pushed on to Pine Grove Furnace. To AT Hikers this is known as the home of the half gallon challenge….where hungry thru hikers attempt to eat a half gallon of ice cream in record time, marking the midway point on the AT.  Being only section hikers, Jim and I each downed a pint of ice cream and got ourselves a site at the state campground.   Unfortunately, it was another mile walk into our tent site from the trail.   Again, what’s a mile or two between friends. Shortly after setting up camp, our camping neighbors asked if they could park a car in our site as they were exceeding the vehicle limit per site.  Turned out it was a Mom and her Son from Maryland and a section hiker from Virginia that had met on trail and teamed up to slack pack a few sections together.   Jim, being the quick thinker that he is, agreed to allow them to park at our site in exchange for a shuttle the next morning to the trailhead.    Feeling proud of our negotiation skills there was not much that could dampen our spirits, that was until a crow snagged one of my bright red packaged granola bars from the picnic table and flew off with it as a prized possession.   My spirits were clearly dampened…while Jim seemed to find the experience altogether hilarious.

The Smokies…

We were awake quite early on day three, and after a shuttle from our camping neighbors, we were back on the trail for another day of hiking.  Up to this point, we had beautiful weather.  Mostly sunny and in the 70’s.   We had a brief sprinkle the night before, but not even to the point of needing to dry out our gear.   On this day, we started to notice a haze in the air and a smoky smell.  It was later that night that we learned about the smoke from Canadian wildfires that was overtaking much of the north east.  The hiking on day three was once again pretty mellow, traversing dense forests, the occasional farm field, and the very fun Rock Maze as we made our way to the Alec Kennedy shelter.  That night, we were joined at the shelter by a real nice thru hiking married couple from Austria that went by the trail names Nutella and Bane.

The Beatles…

Day four was going to be a big one, with eighteen planned miles, and a large portion of that going through open farm land and along hedge rows.  A few miles after leaving the shelter we descended to the first field section, and the sky was noticeably hazy still.   In short time we found ourselves in the quaint little town of Boiling Springs, PA.   We spotted a diner, Caffe 101, only about a football field’s length from the trail.   It was breakfast time and we decided we had earned a hot meal.  We sat outside as to not offend the cleaner patrons with our all-natural hiking scent.  Before we had even ordered, John Lennon, the hiker we had met on night one, came strolling up in his familiar straw hat and we invited him to join us and treated him to breakfast.   It was fun to get to know him a bit more and hear his story and what had brought him out on the trail.  After breakfast we continued north covering mile after mile of farmland.  At lunch time, we walked by a Mennonite farm stand that had drinks and snacks for sale, along with fresh veggies and eggs.   We took advantage of the picnic table outside the stand and made that our lunch stop, enjoying the ice cold Gatorades and even having a chat with the boy that was responsible for stocking the stand.  With full bellies and renewed optimism, we continued on our way to the Darlington shelter.  Once again, this spot proved pretty popular with the hikers, and there were probably close to a dozen thru hikers set up in their tents.  Jim and I were surprised we had the shelter to ourselves, well, until we were introduced to the three 6’ long black snakes that were living under a stump just outside the shelter. They slithered easily up and down the trees making us and the birds a bit nervous.  Fortunately they stayed in their stump, and we stayed in our bunks, and our paths did not cross in the dark hours of night.

Eight slices of heaven…

With our longest hiking day behind us, day five looked to be a fun one, with a walk through the town of Duncannon and about 16 miles to our next shelter.  This was our first day of some really nice views, which should have been a warning…there was going to be some climbing.   The descent into Duncannon was slow and steep and by the time we got there, we had worked up quite the appetite.  Fortunately, we came across a small pizza parlor was right on ‘trail’, and we felt it our civic duty to help support the local economy.   A large supreme pizza later, we were back on trail, which happened to be sidewalks for the next couple miles, followed by the toughest climb of the week.  After the big climb and some great views, the trail leveled out for a short bit.   We were just about to reach the Clarks Ferry Shelter for the night, and that’s when we met a guy that was leaving the gift of trail magic at the shelter.   He offered us each a lollipop…we first declined, but then he proclaimed they were the world’s best lollipops, so we each took one, and indeed, based on my sample set of lollipops consumed, they were the world’s best lollipops.   Later that night we were joined by a shelter guest who supposedly had been on trail for over a year and was heading north with his wife. She was oddly not present and there were plenty of reasons to not ask questions.   Weird circumstances aside, our last night on trail was relatively uneventful, and we were now only 13 miles from Jim’s car.

Light at the end of the tunnel…

Jim and I are usually pretty motivated to get off trail in good time on our final morning of hiking each year, and this year was no exception.   We were up early and back on our way by 6AM.  The morning trail followed a forested ridgeline for much of the way and then dropped down into the valley to the parking lot.  It took us a speedy 5 hours to put the last 13 miles behind us, and we were happy to see Jim’s car still sitting there, ready to carry us back south to Waynesboro for a celebration dinner.

…and that was it, section hike number 5 behind us.  Hiking the Appalachian Trail is always an adventure.  Between the physical and mental challenges, the great people you meet, the views, the trail magic, the towns, and the pain, it’s a love-hate relationship of epic proportions. With an accumulated total of five weeks on trail and 513 total miles behind us, the 1,680 miles remaining continue to lure us back year after year.  Every section we hike we look forward to reaching the end, and every day after we reach the end of that section we can’t wait to get back out there and do it all over again. 

I’ll take packs and things that fill them for $1000…

For those that are not obsessed with hiking gear, feel free to go back to your regularly scheduled programming. I won’t be offended.    If you’re still with me, let’s talk about gear tweaks I made for my 2023 section hike.

With 51 weeks between hikes, it gives plenty of time to revisit my gear selection, and this year followed suit.  I had been pretty happy with my gear from the prior year, but there’s always room for improvement.  I planned to hike with my REI Co-op Flash 55 pack again this year.   I finally decided that that top lid was no longer a necessity.   Top lids are a convenient place to store things you want quick access to, but they always flop over the pack awkwardly when you have to get in the pack itself, and dropping it saved a few ounces.   I can say for certain that I did not miss having it one bit.

The hip belt pockets that came with the REI pack always seemed a bit too small, so I replaced them with a couple larger pockets from Zpacks.  I also added a shoulder strap pouch from WEBO Gear to carry my phone.  

All of these mods, though relatively small, made a noticeable difference in the convenience of the pack.

The rest of my gear lineup had remained the same.

After this year on the trail, I identified a couple tweaks for next year.  I think I’ll be dropping my inflatable pillow and just using my clothes sack for a pillow.  I also need to look for some different meal choices.  The Mountain House Freeze dried meals are pretty good, but I think some variety would be nice.

…time to start planning for next year!

Planning…

I’ll admit that I take great joy in planning my various adventures in life.  Whether it’s figuring out the gear I’ll need, the route I’ll take, or the food I’ll snack on throughout the day, planning an event like a section hike is fun for me.  With only a little more than 300 miles of the 2200 miles the AT has to offer under our belt and having more life in the rear view mirror than we have through the windshield, we have come to realize that if we only tackle 100 miles each year, we’re gonna be mighty old by the time we get this thing wrapped up.   Given that sobering detail, we decided to up our game this year and tack on an additional day and about 20 more miles of trail to our week-long adventure.  After studying the trail maps for shelter and water locations, we decided that straying from our traditional southbound trajectory worked better for both our starting and ending days, and the days in the middle would work out the same no matter which way the compass pointed.   There were no convenient resupply options on this 120 mile stretch of trail, so we were going to have to start our week with all the food we’d need for the entire hike.

Getting there…

Friday morning I headed south from NY and Jim headed north from GA and we met on Friday afternoon at the north end parking lot in Rockfish Gap, VA and then drove south to Roanoke, VA, where we’d get one more night of running water and a non-freeze dried meal.   Saturday morning, with a good night’s rest, we made our way to the Blackhorse Gap Parking on the Blue Ridge Parkway by 7:30AM, where we’d pick up the AT and start our northbound trek.     

I guess I should have tested that…

In year’s past, we did our car shuffling the day we started our hike, which usually meant we’d be hitting the trail late morning.  Because of this, most of our first day distances were around 10 miles or so.   With the car shuffling already complete, we got an earlier start this year. Due to the shelter locations and amenities (ie. a water source), our first day on the trail would be 18.4 miles, with some descent climbing along the way.   The morning started off cool, but an early season warm spell meant temps would be reaching the mid 80’s.   Adding to the challenge of this already challenging day, we knew we had a 10 mile stretch with no available water, so a few miles in, we stopped at a small stream to top off our water bottles.  It was at this moment I realized I had not tested all my gear for this year’s hike.  I filled up my water filter bag and as I tried to squeeze some dirty stream water through my Sawyer Squeeze filter to fill my bottles, nothing was flowing through, not even a single drop of water.  At the same time, Jim’s filter bag burst at the seams.   Fortunately he had a spare filter bag.   As I borrowed Jim’s filter, he proceeded to try all sorts of tricks to get my filter flowing again, with little success…though it was starting to let a few drops of water through.  I’ll admit that I was a little uneasy knowing we’d have to go the next 116 miles with only one water filter between us.   The other mistake I made was to attempt to conserve my water from that moment of the day on…which would turn out to be a very bad decision and caused a bit of dehydration. 

The first day seemed like a longer day than it probably was, the result of the temps, the climbs, and a pretty big distance for not having built up any trail legs yet.  Before your trail legs kick in you climb a hill and mental and physical weakness coaxes you to stop where only your will keeps you going. Most hikers get their trail legs somewhere near week 2, but we have found the hike getting easier by day 3 or 4, either from reduced food weight in our packs or from warming up to the daily abuse. We ended up arriving at the Bryant Ridge Shelter just before 4PM, where we met a woman that was only two sections away from completing the entire AT.  …and then the miracle happened.  Jim and I were talking about my water filter issue, which still had not been resolved, when this woman said she had an extra filter that I could have…for free.   I was so relieved, this free filter was well worth paying for and I quickly grabbed a twenty dollar bill and did a ‘Buy It Now’ right there in the woods.  With that issue solved, I breathed a sigh of relief and started to enjoy our evening at camp. A girl from Michigan, who was thru hiking, showed up just before dinner time, and we all enjoyed some high quality freeze dried meals and random chit chat around the picnic table before the sun went down. Despite a less than perfect start, it was still great to be back on the trail.

Big miles and big climbs…

Day two is where we started to realize that this stretch of Appalachian Trail was not like the others we had tackled to date.   We had made the decision to cover about 23 miles on our second day.  This would be the longest single day for the week, and I think the idea of getting it done this early in the trip sounded appealing.  Well, where we went wrong was not looking carefully at the elevation profiles.   Not only was this a big mile day, coming right off a long first day on the trail, but we’d be starting our day with a 3,000’ climb and adding several other climbs to it throughout the day.  There’s not a lot of good I can say about this day of hiking.  It was hot, I was still paying for my bad decision to conserve water the day before, and we were on trail for about 11 hours by the time we arrived at Matt’s Creek Shelter, our stop for the night.  There we were greeted by a Dad, his daughter and her husband, and their two four legged hiking companions who were all out for a week long section on the trail as well.   We enjoyed the rest of the evening getting to know them a bit, while we attempted to recover from a very tough day on trail.

Short and Steep, and not so Sweet…

We started the next day with an ounce of optimism because we were only planning to cover about 13 miles to our next shelter and we already had 41 miles under our belt.   Once again, we failed to pay attention to the terrain, and shortly after crossing the James River, we were greeted with about 3500’ of climbing before we’d make our descent to the Punchbowl shelter.  It was high 80’s that day, but we were treated to several great views along the way and we arrived at camp with plenty of time to relax a bit.  The water source was great, so we took advantage of that to do some laundry at the campsite.  An Air Force retiree set up camp there for the night as well.  We chatted with him a bit about the next day’s wet weather forecast, where he assured us the storm would be brief, if it even hit us at all.

The odds of a trail tragedy…

The first few shelters we stayed at did not have bear poles or bear boxes for our food bags.  The night before, the other hikers hung their bags on the assortment of hooks and cords already in the shelter.  I admittedly was not completely sure of this technique and the next night Jim and I debated our options…well, I debated them, where Jim was convinced that hanging the food bags on the shelter hooks was more than safe and a visit from a curious black bear was very unlikely.  Jim seemed more concerned with hiking through a lightning storm the next day on trail.  Given the complete lack of suitable trees to hang a bear line on, I gave in to Jim’s way of thinking, though I wasn’t nearly as worried about hiking through a little lightning.

Jim was right…

Day four was going to be a 15.5 mile day.   We would start with some rolling climbs, followed by a 1500’ drop into a valley, and then we’d have a 3000’ climb before we’d reach our destination.   The day started out quite warm and sunny.  We stopped at about mile 9 at the Brown Mountain Creek Shelter for lunch.  This was the last stop before our big climb.  While we were eating a hiker came through, we exchanged a hello, but we didn’t really engage in much conversation.  He continued on his way as we finished up lunch. 

With full bellies, full water bottles, and a little over 6 miles to go til camp, we started making the steep climb up Bald Knob mountain.   2 miles into our climb, the skies started to get dark and the winds started to pick up.  We stopped quickly to throw our pack covers on in case it rained, but did not throw rain gear on, cuz it usually just makes us overheat.  It started to sprinkle a bit, then rain a bit…  As we gained elevation, the winds got stronger, the rain picked up, lightning strikes got closer, and it started to hail.  I chuckled to myself as I remembered Jim’s concern with carrying metal trekking poles through a lightning storm.   The 80 degree temps we had experienced earlier in the day had been replaced by temps in the low 30’s at best.  At this point we were completely soaked, and it was getting tough to stay warm.   There was very little shelter on the mountain, but we finally found a large rock we could hide behind long enough to get our rain jackets on.  We were both starting to get very cold and with a mile and a half to go wondered if we should set up a shelter or push on.  We decided to keep going.   Even with my rain jacket on, I could not get warm.  My teeth were chattering and it was the first time in all my years hiking that I actually realized just how quickly conditions can go from good to bad.   Jim knew we had to warm up, so once we crossed the peak, he started to run.  We are both trail runners, though not typically with a 30lb pack strapped to our backs.  Jim asked if I was OK running, and I was quick to say yes.  The faster pace was helping to warm things up.  We probably got down off that mountain in less than 15 minutes and soon found ourselves at the Cow Camp Gap shelter.  

Austin, the hiker we had seen at lunch, was already there and hunkered down under his quilt in an attempt to warm up.   The rain had brought with it a cold front, and we would not see temps get out of the 60’s for the rest of the week.  A girl, an accountant from northern VA who went by the trail name Star Gazer, was also section hiking and would show up shortly after us…equally soaked from the storm. The harrowing experience bonded us quickly and we knew that the climb and weather change was somewhat of a shared victory. On a nice sunny day I’m not sure any of us would be too chatty, but that gave us some laughs.  The four of us did our best to get dried out and warmed up as the already dark skies slowly faded to black for the night.

Hiking with Austin…

When you awaken to the sight of your breath rising in the morning air in front of you, it does not motivate one to crawl out from under a cozy quilt and hit the trail.  However, after a serious dose of procrastination, it was finally time to gather up my soggy clothes from the day before and start to tackle the 17 miles that were between us and our next night’s destination.   Though the clouds had receded, and the sun was shining bright, it was still pretty cold and very windy as we started our hike.   The day’s hike was going to take us up and over a half dozen 500’ climbs, but far easier than the last few days.  Despite the cooler temps, our pace warmed us up pretty quickly, and we took a quick break to drop some layers of clothes. 

At about that time, Austin caught up with us.  He was a thru hiker from PA and had been on the trail since early March.  We thought he’d hike right past us, but he decided to hike with us for the day.  As we chatted with our new hiking buddy, the day and the miles went by very quickly and we reached The Priest Shelter by mid afternoon.  It was a fun day on the trail, with temps never really getting much out of the 50’s.  The only downer to the day was seeing a big sign at our shelter declaring that the privy was CLOSED because it was…um…full!   I’m not saying that I’m ever really excited to have to visit the privy while on trail, but it sure beats the other options available.  A couple hikers showed up after us and took tent spots, and a hiker from the UK also joined us in the shelter for the night.   At an elevation of 3900’, it was probably the coldest night we had on trail.

Three Ridges…

Day six was going to be another short one, with only 14 miles planned, but they were not easy miles.  Austin was going to hike with us again, but was going to continue on beyond our planned stopping point.   The day started out with a couple hundred foot climb, followed by a steep 3000’ descent.  As soon as we reached the ‘bottom’, we immediately started to climb back up another 3000’ over a mountain called Three Ridges.  This was a tough and rocky climb with several ‘false peaks’ on the way to the summit.  We were rewarded by great views, and temperatures in the 60’s made it a pretty nice day. 

We arrived at the Maupin Field Shelter mid afternoon, and Austin decided to also call it a day.  This was a neat camping spot with several tent sites, a nice 6 person shelter, and a fully functioning privy.   A section hiker who went by the trail name of Nog already had a shelter spot claimed and a couple thru hikers, K Greenie and Lightning showed up a little later and took the last 2 spots.  Jim and I were sharing with them that we were classmates from a small town in the Catskills, and we were surprised to learn that both Nog and Lightning had lived not too far from there at points in their lives and were very familiar with our hometown and even hiked some of our local peaks.  It was a fun connection and reminder that in a big old world, we’re not as far apart from each other as we sometimes think we are.  It was a warmer night and we really enjoyed getting acquainted with our fellow hikers.

Making Tracks…

At this point we were only about 21 miles from the end of our hike, but we had planned to stop at mile 16 for the night and finish out with a short morning hike the next day.  Austin once again decided to hike with us, but he was going to cover the whole 21 miles and get a shuttle into a hostel and a resupply.  Jim always leads on trail and he must have been trying to get Austin to his destination quickly because we covered the 16 miles to the Paul C. Wolfe shelter in about 6 hours of moving time, arriving early in the afternoon.   We said goodbye to Austin as he continued north and we made our way to what was probably the coolest shelter site we had seen all week…a multi level shelter with a covered porch, overlooking a nice stream.  It was a great setting to just hang out after our last full day of hiking.   We were later joined by three ladies that were section hikers from Cape Cod, and the loft was taken by a bunch of thru hikers that arrived after sundown.

Ninety minutes to pancakes…

We have learned that a short hike on the last day on trail leaves a lot of time to celebrate before we both head back to our homes.   Our morning plan was to get on trail early and make quick work of the last 5 miles and find a place to get some pancakes and real brewed coffee.   We knocked out that last 5 miles in about 90 minutes and by 9AM we were sitting in a Cracker Barrel eating blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup.  With bellies full, we drove the hour and a half drive back to the trailhead where I had parked my truck and headed to our hotel for the final night.  We rounded out the day with a delicious meal at the Wasena City Tap Room, a cool pub in downtown Roanoke, where we reflected on the highs and lows of our week on the trail.  We had done it…one more section of the Appalachian Trail, 120 miles in one week, about 30,000 feet of elevation gain and loss, and nearly 20% of the AT now complete.   There was a lot to celebrate!

How soon we forget…

When it comes to section hiking and backpacking in general, forgetfulness may be a good thing.   Trail struggles are real…aches, pains, blisters, fatigue, stinkiness, all of it…it’s real and it’s not easy.  Every hike, there are moments where the idea of becoming a retired hiker crosses my mind…perhaps this year more frequently than other years.   But, usually during my car ride home, it seems the only trail memories I have are the highlights, the great views, the good laughs, the fun conversations, the people we’ve met…and I’m soon ready to sign up for the next one.   With only 420 out of the total 2,193 miles of the AT completed, there will have to be a lot more next ones.   As Charles Dickens wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”  So far, the bests far outweigh the worsts and I’m just excited to get to the next of times.

Shifting gears…

This is the part of the article where those interested in the story but not the hiking hobby will probably want to tune out.  Every step of every backpacking trip, we are keenly aware of the weight on our backs, and the gear we’re wearing.   In fact, talking gear consumes quite a bit of trail time and a lot of the time between trail times.  It’s the never ending process of looking for that next lighter, better, more comfortable gear item.   This year was no different and I started the trail with a couple new pieces of gear.

Backpacks:  The last two years I have hiked with the Osprey Atmos AG 50L pack.  I’m a big fan of the Osprey packs and their anti gravity design features and the Atmos has been a solid and very comfortable pack.  But, the Atmos is no ultralight pack and I had been looking to shave a little weight.  After trying the Osprey Exos 58, the Gregory Focal 58, and the Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor, I finally landed on the REI Flash 55 and it was a phenomenal choice.   It comes in about 1.7 lbs lighter than my Osprey, has more accessible water bottle pockets, a very convenient roll top design, and a pretty lightweight brain for additional organization.  I added some shock cord to the front panel for carrying wet gear and I was very happy with this pack.  I was a little worried because some reviews talked about the hip belt either being too big or coming loose, but neither of those problems became a reality for me.  For a pack that you can often pick up for under $160 during the REI sales, it’s a pretty tough pack to beat.

Tents:  This year I left my Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1 at home and carried my new Durston X-Mid 1P tent.  The X-Mid 1P is a trekking pole tent that dropped my tent weight ½ lb and added a ton of vestibule room for my gear.  All that said, I did not use my tent once on this section hike, and I was pretty happy about that.   I’ll always carry a tent, because you can’t rely on finding a spot in a shelter, but if I never once have to set up a tent on trail again, I’m completely good with that.

For the next section hike, aside from buying a new Sawyer Squeeze filter, I don’t anticipate making many gear changes.  I might fine tune my clothing options, but that will vary each year depending on the weather we anticipate.  I do plan to change up my food options.  Fewer Clif Bars and more salty snacks will be on next year’s hiking menu.

We both enjoyed the 100 mile’ish distance, so we looked for a section of the trail that would accommodate that distance and was located somewhere centrally between my home in upstate New York and Jim’s home in Georgia. After some fancy Googling, we ended up picking the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.   

The cost of an ounce…

After starting out my first backpacking trip with a loaded pack weight of nearly 40lbs, I had made it my winter goal to reduce weight, at nearly all costs…  A new tent, different headlamp, smaller pocket knife, lighter water filter, fewer clothing items, cutting straps off my pack and a handful of other changes and I had reduced my base weight from 22lbs to just under 19lbs and brought my total pack weight to just under 34lbs.

With my pack, and wallet, significantly lighter, we had settled in on a mid May hike.   Well, until COVID hit and the world shut down, including Shenandoah National Park.   After a few other hurdles, we finally locked in on a week in October for our next hiking adventure.

Oh Shenandoah…

Shenandoah National Park straddles the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia.   The Appalachian trail through the park runs from Front Royal on the northern end to Rockfish Gap on the southern end.   Sticking strictly to the main trail, the distance between these two points is 107.7 miles… but side excursions to huts, water, and waysides will quickly get you up over 110 miles of total hiking.

We started at the Front Royal end, hitting the trail mid morning on a Saturday.  Greeted by a cool morning, we made our way along the predominantly uphill trail from Rt. 522 to our first campsite, about 14 miles from our starting point.  A few things we quickly learned about hiking this section of the trail.   Lean-tos or shelters are called huts in this neck of the woods.   There are also limited places to pitch a tent at the designated campsites.   Our experience the prior year was that the campsites had lots of wide open space around the shelter for tenters.   Given COVID concerns, we had planned to use our tents on nights where we couldn’t have the huts to ourselves.  This meant getting to camp early enough to claim a spot for the night was a necessity.

The Daily Routine…

Backpacking has a routine.   Every morning starts with the clean up, pack up, eat up routine.  Typically done simultaneously to get on the trail.  Hiking in mid October meant limited daylight hours.   We had done a better job this year laying out our nightly destinations to even out daily distances, but with a few days pushing the 20 mile mark, the 11 hours of daylight, didn’t leave a ton of room for hanging around camp in the morning.   No matter how much we attempted to speed up the morning operations, we were usually on trail right at 8AM.   We would typically hike a pretty good clip, and even with stops for snacks, lunch, and filtering water, we’d cover our 18+ miles in about 8 hours, arriving to camp around 4PM each day.

Remote, with conveniences…

The Appalachian Trail through Shenandoah parallels the Skyline Drive, and crosses it from time to time.   Though you never hike through any towns, there are some wayside stores, campgrounds, and lodges that can usually be reached by a short detour off trail.    The Skyland Lodge was one of those stops for us.   We both snagged a pre-packaged sandwich, some chips, and some high calorie candy snacks.  I can’t say that I’ve ever had a pre-packaged sandwich I’ve enjoyed more.   An equal amount of joy was experienced at the Loft Mountain Campstore where they had a ‘mix up your own milkshake’ machine.   Under a covered breezeway, we shared caloric euphoria with several other hikers in varying states of fatigue, achiness, and dirtiness. 

Two of our six nights on the trail, we also took advantage of staying at one of the campgrounds along the trail.   This helped us keep our daily distances a bit more even.   We stayed at Big Meadows Campground on Monday night and Loft Mountain Campground on Wednesday night.   Though, not quite as peaceful or serene as the hut sites, it was nice to have access to running water a couple times through our week.   At Loft Mountain Campground, a fella from New York City who was our campground neighbor took pity upon us and gave us some firewood for a campfire. Later that evening, he joined us around the campfire to solve the problems of the world for a couple hours.

True Colors…

One of the perks of hiking in October is seeing the fall colors.  It wasn’t quite peak yet in Virginia, but many of the trees were exchanging their greenery for hues of red, orange, and brown.   And, though the 24,000 feet of elevation gain through Shenandoah National Park was a challenge, many of the summits provided never ending views of the autumnal display.

Chasing Seth and Amy…

I’ve read that thru-hikers on the Appalachian trail end up seeing the same hikers or groups of hikers along their journey on the trail.  As section hikers, we had never experienced that.  Our first night on the trail this year, the prime tent spots had been taken, so Jim and I set up our tents practically right on the trail.  A while after we made camp, a couple came in, and faced with a similar shortage of great tent sites, ended setting up camp right near us.  Other than a casual hello, there was nothing significant about our interaction.   They were pretty efficient at their morning routine and hit the trail before us the next day.  Jim and I, despite no longer being able to check the 25-30 year old age box on any customer surveys, hike at a pretty good clip.  We ended up catching this couple mid morning after a grueling climb that seemed to go on forever.   We didn’t see them again while on the trail that day, but once we got to the next hut site, there they were, getting ready to set up for the night.  We didn’t know where they passed us, but likely during one of our water filtering stops.   That night we finally learned that their names were Seth and Amy and they were from Maryland.  We also learned that they were hiking the same section of the trail that we were hiking.   For the next four days, we’d leapfrog each other, oftentimes staying at the same campsite at night.   It became the common theme for the week, we’d be wondering where Seth and Amy were, and they’d be wondering when Craig and Jim would pass them.   The last night on trail, we hung out by the hut getting to know each other a bit more and sharing some hiking stories and laughs from the trail.   The next morning, they got the jump on us and were well ahead of us for our last 8 mile leg.   Somewhere around mile 6 we caught up with them one last time.   We saw them again as we were loading up our car and they were just getting off the trail…we exchanged energetic waves as we each ended our week in the woods and prepared to return to everyday life.   We will likely never see them again, but I finished that week knowing we had made some new friends.

Changing Gears…

For the gear junkies that are following along, the two biggest gear changes for this year were my pack and my tent.  Last year I had hiked with the Osprey Atmos AG 65.   I loved the pack, but it was a bit bigger than I needed for a week long summer hike.   This year I used the Osprey Atmos AG 50.  Dropping 15 liters of capacity only dropped my weight by 5.5oz, but the more compact pack made for a better carry.   I also left my Big Agnes Copper Spur one person tent at home in favor of the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo.   This single wall, trekking pole tent added more interior room and shaved about 12 oz. off my prior year weight.   The downside was that a single wall tent has a lot more condensation.  As much as I enjoyed the extra room and weight savings, the condensation was a hassle.   Some of our nights dropped into the low to mid thirties, so maybe that added to the challenge, but for next year, I’ll probably be going back to my old tent or looking for a new option.

We the people…

Aside from the challenges and the beauty of the trail, I think one of the things I most enjoy is meeting the people on the trail.   We were not sure what to expect, hiking in the midst of a pandemic and all, but if hiking isn’t considered socially distant, I’m not sure what is.  However, we did meet a lot of hikers along the way.   Not much conversation took place during the daily hiking, except at the occasional scenic overlook or water stop, but once we got to camp, things were a little different.  It’s always fun to hear what brings a hiker to the trail, because they all have a story, something that makes them leave the comfort of home to get out and spend some time in nature.  We met a trio of women that became friends through some Meet-Up hiking groups in Florida and they were out doing the same section of trail that we were doing, just northbound.  We met some first time hikers on their first night on the trail, a couple brothers that just realized they were brothers six decades into life and were getting to know each other, some seasoned section hikers, and a couple father and son duos out for a weekend in nature.   We also ran into a few thru-hikers that were trying to beat the cold weather to Georgia, and at the pace they were going, I’m sure they will do fine.   Some hikers keep to themselves, others want to talk gear, some want you to be sure to know they are in the know about all things hiking.  Most would ask how Jim and I got into hiking together, and it was always fun to tell them that we’ve known each other since Kindergarten and a moment of weakness at a class reunion started this new found obsession.   

Speaking of people, someone find me a stump to stand on…

Since there are no soap boxes in the forest, I figure a stump will do.   My week without connectivity to the outside media world was a gift.   …and there’s one thing I learned from it.   On the trail, there are people from all religions, races, genders, ages, economic statuses, educational statuses and political affiliation.   But, you would not know it.  Because, on the trail, we are all hikers, and that one common bond alone is enough to make any other difference not matter.   On the trail, everyone is willing to lend a hand, give a trail tip, warn other hikers about a long stretch with no water, share some food, give up some of their precious filtered water so that a hiker short on water can have a cup of coffee, make room at the picnic table, and lift up and encourage each other.   It does not matter if a person is a day hiker, over nighter, week long section hiker, or a thru-hiker on a 6 month journey.  On the trail, we are all just hikers.   We commiserate together about the tough climbs, and we celebrate together the small victories.  It’s sad to me that as a nation, we’ve lost sight of that common bond of being ‘Americans’, and instead of working together for a greater good, we tear each other down at the earliest chance we get.   Perhaps we all need to spend some time on the trail and learn to embrace what we have in common and learn to appreciate what we don’t.

Happy Trails…

The Appalachian Trail through Shenandoah National Park proved to be a real treat. As we made our way south, the trail would continually change personalities…occasionally flat and fast, other times rocky and steep, with a mix of less technical but seemingly never ending climbs thrown in just to make things interesting. Water was abundant and campsites were close enough together as to not make for unbearably long days. Add to that spectacular views and abundant sunshine, and the end result was a great week of hiking.

Shepherd’s Pie…

This year, we were pretty confident in our ability to get off the trail in 6 days, so we already had a place to stay booked for that last night.   We tried to find something conveniently located to an establishment that would serve some delicious hoppe goodness and pretty much any food that wasn’t prepared by adding boiling water and letting it sit for 10 minutes.   Somewhere along the way, Jim got it in his head that he wanted Shepherd’s pie that last night.  I don’t know why, but it became his weeklong obsession.  Despite my warnings of likely disappointment and as bad luck would have it, the only Irish Pub in Front Royal, VA had gone out of business earlier this year.  Jim handled the news quite well, and finding a micro brewery that served some corned beef, albeit wrapped in rye bread in the form of a reuben, seemed to provide some contentment.   Despite the disappointment, our first real meal in a week was beyond delicious, and gave us some time to reflect on a nearly perfect week of hiking and start planning next year’s adventure.

You probably wouldn’t understand…

Life on the Appalachian trail is pretty special.  It’s fun, but not all fun.  It’s hard, but not too hard to handle.  It’s exhausting and rejuvenating at the same time.   It’s work and play all wrapped up in one package.  It’s three quarters of a marathon up and down mountains with thirty pounds on your back, repeated daily, for six days in a row.  It’s taking that next step when you don’t really think you have another step left in you.   It’s really an experience quite like no other.   I wasn’t home a week and I was already looking forward to the next time I could get back out on the trail.   I’ve tried to explain the experience to my friends and my family, but most of them only hear the words one hundred miles, no showers, bear boxes, freeze dried meals, and they look at me like I’ve lost my mind.   …and perhaps I have, I don’t know.   But, maybe, just maybe, losing one’s mind every once in a while is the perfect way to find one’s soul.

I love to hike.  I guess when you boil it down, a hike is really just a walk with a little more purpose.  There’s something pure about stepping foot onto a trail with an intended destination. Oftentimes, that destination rises above a valley floor reaching towards the heavens in such a way that you can actually see it from where you stand.  Other times, your only indication of your destination is a point listed on a wooden sign with a number indicating how many miles you have to go to reach it. What I also love about a hike is that it is an experience relatively unchanged and undestroyed by technology.  Sure, we may now carry a GPS instead of a compass, and a cell phone instead of an old Kodak Instamatic camera, and our clothes may have fancier properties that the marketing types use to convince us of their worth, but it’s still a hike and the experience is still the same.  I often hike the same trails my grandfather hiked 50 years ago, and I picture him on those trails, and realize that the emotions I am feeling at that exact moment are likely very similar to those he felt decades earlier. If I were forced to give up all my hobbies, I think hiking and music would be the last two I’d hang on to…and if it really came to a final choice, I’d likely choose hiking, cuz I could always sing while out on the trail.

There are a lot of great hikes in the Catskill Mountains.   Many offer challenging climbs, or great distances, or nice views, or cool things to check out along the way.  The Overlook Mountain and Echo Lake hike is one that checks off every box and should definitely be on your “hikes I need to do in the Catskills” list.

Before I go much further, you will see that there are a lot of hike articles out there on the interwebs with detailed mile markers, special instructions, GPS tracks, tips and tricks to guarantee your hiking success, and much much more.   This will clearly not be one of them. Think of this more like story time with Mr. Rogers, minus the cardigan, stuffed animals, and trolley.

The trailhead for Overlook Mountain is on Meads Mountain Road, about 3 miles outside of the village of Woodstock, NY (the actual town…not to be confused with the site of the epic musical festival that took place in 1969).   The great thing about this particular hike, is that depending on your energy level, you can either make the full trek over Overlook Mountain to Echo Lake and make it a 9+ mile hike, or just climb Overlook Mountain, making it about a 5 mile hike. 

The Overlook Mountain summit is at 3,140’ and is home to one of the Catskill Mountain Fire towers.   The climb to the summit is steady, gaining about 700’ per mile, but since it follows a service road the whole way, it is not a very technical hike.  One of the real treats of this hike comes at about the 2 mile mark, the site of the Overlook Mountain House. The mountain house went through several iterations of being built, burning down, and being rebuilt from the early 1800’s through the early 1900’s.  The current ruins were never actually completed (per advanced research on wikipedia) and became the property of New York State in the 1940’s, suffering one final fire in the 1960’s. However, due to its concrete construction, there’s a lot of structure still standing providing some great photo ops.  If you’re interested in more details of questionable accuracy, do a google search on the Overlook Mountain House…there’s a lot to read out there.

Getting back to the hiking, rumor has it, that the next 3 miles or so are home to literally hundreds of Timber Rattlesnakes.  We were hiking on a crisp fall day, and did not have the privilege of seeing any along or on the trail, but the posted warning signs would indicate that the rumors hold some truth.  So, if snakes cause you any stress in life, especially poisonous snakes, this may not be the hike for you. The climb after leaving the mountain house site remains steady to the point where you can continue on to the summit and the fire tower, or head towards Echo Lake.  The day we hiked it, we chose to go to Echo Lake first and leave the fire tower for the way back.

As you head to Echo Lake, the trail descends at a pretty good clip and you lose most of the elevation you gained.  At this point, the trail is a typical Catskill Mountain single track. After a couple miles, you arrive at Echo Lake.   There is a lean-to and a few primitive campsites, and a trail around the lake. As you walk around the trail, there are several downed trees, the handiwork of beavers…and a dam at the outlet end of the lake, also the handiwork of beavers.  Oh, and in case you were wondering, if you let out a yell or even a yodel, you will hear an echo that usually resembles the thing you originally yelled or yodeled. I can’t tell you that Echo Lake received its name based on the reverberating effect at the lake, but if it did, I can honestly say it would not be a lie.

At this point, you have to back track the trail you just came down, and head back up to the junction of the Overlook Mountain trail.  The final ascent to the Overlook Mountain summit is steady, but a little more gradual at this point. As you reach the top, you’ll see the fire tower.   We were hiking later in the season, so the observation deck was not open, but you could still climb just shy of that point….and despite the rickety steps, and the strong wind, the views from the tower were well worth the climb.   One thing about this particular hike, perhaps due to the proximity to Woodstock, or the non technical nature of the climb, is there are quite a few people. So, don’t be surprised if the summit is a bit crowded.

The hike back to the trailhead parking is once again a non technical stroll down the access road, but with 7 miles on your legs by this point, an easier descent to end your hike may be a good thing.

If you do the whole hike, you will have ended up logging 9.4 miles and climbing just a tick under 2,400’.   Though a relatively good workout for an afternoon hike, the great sights along the way really make this one of the more enjoyable hikes in the Catskill mountains.  No, this one won’t count towards the Catskill Mountain 3500’ peak list, but sometimes, it’s just fun to take a hike for the sake of taking a hike.  

A quick trip into the village of Woodstock to check out some of the local shops and grab a coffee is a great way to end a day on the trails and complete the Catskill Mountain experience.

If you’re in the Catskills and looking for an approachable hike that provides all the best a hike can provide, I would highly recommend the Overlook Mountain and Echo Lake hike.   Great climbs, spectacular views, and really neat points of interest make it a tough one to beat.

Yeah, I really like hiking… and if you try this one, you may just find that you might like hiking too!

I’m no stranger to hiking, but I am not, or should I say, was not a backpacker…nor did the idea of becoming one really appeal to me. A year ago that changed. At a high school reunion last October, my buddy Jim was telling us about hiking the Georgia section of the Appalachian trail with his wife.  They had covered the 76 miles of trail over a few multi day hikes. As he was talking about it, I was immediately reminded of the stories my buddy Tom had told me about his time covering 800 miles of the A.T.  …the people he met, places he stopped, and the memories that he would share all with a fondness that I never really understood. Back to my reunion… at some point during the weekend Jim said he wanted to do a larger section of the trail and asked if I’d be interested in doing part of it with him.   Despite my lack of backpacking experience, my thirst for adventure took over reason, and I was all in.

For the next nine months, I started collecting the gear necessary to make such a trek, and Jim and I emailed back and forth trying to figure out the best section of the trail to tackle.   Given my vacation availability, we knew we had seven days to complete our mission. Our first thought was to cover the 100 Mile Wilderness in Maine, but logistics and work schedules quickly let us know that even if we could cover the distance in our allotted time, getting there and back was going to push us over our limit.   After more research, we finally decided on Massachusetts. The distance from the Vermont border to the Connecticut border was just over 90 miles, with a few more miles tacked on to get to trail heads put us right around 96 miles. The way the calendar worked out, it looked like the best week to do this was the last week of June.  The plan was to meet in upstate NY on Sunday the 23rd. We’d get up early on Monday and drop a car at the Connecticut end, drive to northern Massachusetts to drop the other car, and plan to be off the trail by Sunday the 30th.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention, we decided we wanted to hike Southbound, because it only makes sense that heading south should be the downhill direction.   Turns out, that logic was flawed, seriously flawed.

So there’s the backstory to how this event unfolded, let’s start hiking.

False expectations…   

Just around lunchtime on Monday, we started our hike at the Pine Cobble Trail head in Williamstown Mass.  With both of our packs weighing in around 38 lbs with everything we’d need for a week, we started the short, but steep climb up Pine Cobble Trail to reach the A.T. …and backtracked a little over a mile to get to the Vermont border to make the hike an official border to border hike.  The first couple miles were all pretty much uphill, with little or no relief. Jim and I are both pretty active. Jim being a career long military man, physical fitness was part of his regular regime, and being a self proclaimed endurance racer, I wasn’t particularly worried about my physical conditioning. But, this first stretch had us working. We’re also both somewhat obsessed with getting to our destination in short time.   The night before we had planned a couple potential spots to make camp for the first night, one was at mile marker 11, the other was at mile marker 17. At this point in our journey, expectations were running high, and despite the noon time departure, we thought we could make it the longer distance to the Mark Noepel Shelter.    We started out at a pretty aggressive clip, but we soon learned that the A.T. through Mass was no walk in the park. The trails were steep and rugged, and when we reached the Wilbur Clearing Shelter at dinner time, we decided that 11 miles was enough for day one and we were surprised to find the Lean-To empty and quickly claimed our spots on the floor.

Interesting People…

Being our first night on the trail, this was our first chance to interact with other hikers.   The campsite was buzzing with activity. There was what seemed to be, a guided hike group that was taking up several of the tent sites.   Closer to the Lean-To, there was a young couple with a pre-school aged kid and what I assumed to be one of their moms. The Dad was kind enough to let us know that it was a bad idea to pee near the water source.   I took that advice and filed it along with the “don’t eat yellow snow” tip I got in grade school and figured I was better for knowing this. Before too long, an older guy arrived and claimed the far side of the Lean-To floor, and proceeded to tell us his story.   Seems he was in poor health, and his doctor told him he had to change his ways. He decided that hiking the Appalachian Trail was the change he needed, and despite the doctor’s warning that he would not survive such a journey, here he was in our lean-to heading northbound with only a few states to go.  Jim and I were pretty relieved when he was still breathing the next morning. It was that night that we learned that bears actually understand the English language. While I was enjoying a bag of rehydrated beef stroganoff, we heard a clapping routine reminiscent of a birthday celebration at an Applebees followed by chants of “bear, go away bear, bear, go away bear”.   Out of curiosity, I left the safety of my three sided structure and made my way up to where all the commotion was taking place, only to realize that the bear actually did know English, and had run off into the forest.

Then came the rain…

We were looking forward to the next day’s hike.   We were going to summit Mt. Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts and famous for spectacular views.   Our lean-to companion, said there was a restaurant on the mountain, as there is also a road that reaches the summit.  A real breakfast in a mountain top restaurant sounded like a great idea, so we ate a lite snack at camp, and quickly got on the trail.   There had been some rain in the forecast, but we had no idea how much. We had some light rain as we approached the peak, and as we got there, we realized that we were completely immersed in the clouds and there were no views.  In fact, it was hard to see the huge lodge on the mountain top. At that point the rain was pretty heavy. We got to the restaurant and decided to wait out the rain before heading back out. According to the radar, it looked like we would be getting a good break.   After some pancakes and real maple syrup and an hour of killing time, we took advantage of the break in the weather and headed back out on the trail. No sooner did we hit the trail, and the skies opened up…and it rained, and rained, and rained some more. It rained for the next seven miles of hiking, and everything that could be soaked was soaked.   The sun came out as we reached Chesire, MA. All the way down the mountain in the cold rain, I was jonesin’ a grilled cheese sandwich. As luck would have it, we found a neat little ice cream/sandwich shop called Diane’s Twist…and right there on the menu was Grilled Cheese…and at that time, on that day, in those conditions, it may have been the best grilled cheese I had ever eaten.  We changed out our wet socks, thanked the lady at the sandwich shop for her kindness, and started hiking again. We were only about six miles from our campsite, but a missed turn added some excitement as we went off trail for about a mile before connecting back to the A.T. We spent the second night at Crystal Mountain Campsite, which is a tent only site. But, after 16 miles of trail, it was nice to not be hiking and a tent would be just fine.   However, to add insult to injury, just as we were about to enjoy some more rehydrated dinners, the rain came through again and sent everybody to their tents.

Muddy water…

The next day looked to be a nice sunny day, but everything that was wet the day before was still wet as we got ready to hit the trail.   So, after some instant oatmeal and a Starbucks Instant coffee, we put on our soggy socks and shoes and headed out to make the 16 plus mile trek to the October Mountain Shelter.  After a few muddy miles, we ended up in the town of Dalton. After asking some ladies that obviously never passed a math test in their lives, where the nearest convenience mart was, they proceeded to tell us it was a mere five houses down the road we were about to cross.   Five houses turned into about fifty and a half mile later we reached a small grocery store where we grabbed some snacks and quickly downed a couple Gatorades. The next 13 miles were nothing but mud. Some catwalks, but even those were practically under water. Every step was calculated as we tried not to submerge our already wet shoes into deep mud holes, often times failing.   We arrived at the October Mountain Shelter around 4:30PM and took advantage of the sun and put our wet clothes out to dry. The day ended up being just over 17 miles and it was a tough one. The continually wet shoes were taking a toll on my feet, and though I’ve never been one to get blisters, the soggy shoes were just too much. Being the first to the lean-to, we had our pick of spots, and we each grabbed a lower bunk.   The campsite was packed that night, and dinner was fun meeting people from many walks of life. We met a lady in her sixties who was a retired engineer and retired teacher who lives with her husband in an off-the-grid house in the Adirondacks, met a young guy that seemed to be trying to ‘find himself’ and 4 months into his trek, he seemed to be no closer, and we also met our first section hikers.

The longest day…

When we originally planned our week of hiking, we did not realize that there were no camping options except the designated campsites.  Given that, we were not able to do similar miles each day. The longest day we were going to face was day 4, which was nearly a 19 mile hike to get to the Shaker Campsite.  After an early breakfast, we hit the trails. We were happy to see that the further south we were going, the mud we dealt with the day before was nearly non existent. With the sun shining, the shoes still soggy, and a lot of miles to cover, Jim and I pushed a pretty good clip,  It seemed that after a few days on the trail, we had figured out that the trick to covering miles was to take the climbs slow and steady and make up ground where it was more ‘level’ … using that term very loosely. This was the stretch of trail that would cross the Mass Turnpike, a well known landmark for anybody that has driven it.   Somewhere along the way, we talked to some hikers that told us about a trail side stand that had snacks and drinks you could buy. Shortly after a section of trail that crossed through the middle of a cow pasture that was occupied by some mighty fine bovines, we came to a small road. It was there that we saw the little trail side stand, a small shack near a big farm.  We were greeted by packs of oreos, chips, candy bars, sodas, and other snacks…all purchased on the honor system. Great prices and a picnic table in the shade, made this the highlight of the day. A northbound hiker joined us, but the conversation was pretty light as we all devoured our pre-packaged and overly processed treats. We got to the Shaker Campsite around dinner time, where a large group of boys from the YMCA were learning what outdoor life was all about.   As the evening progressed, more and more hikers arrived, and soon it was wall to wall tents. Despite the crowd, things quieted down relatively early, and it was easy to get a good night’s sleep after a long day on the trail.

Carpenter Ants…

The next day was the shortest stretch we would cover between shelters.  We either had to do an 11 mile stretch or a 26 mile stretch, and we chose the shorter.  Though a shorter stretch, there was quite a bit of climbing. Once again we were on the trail very early and managed to get through the 11 miles by lunch time.  Though we entertained the idea of pushing on, the decision to stop for the day was perfect, and this ended up being one of the most enjoyable days on the trail.   Seems the Tom Leonard shelter is the first water stop after an extremely long stretch when heading northbound. So, there were people stopping in all day long. Now, it should be noted, that the water at this stop was nothing to brag about.  The stream was running pretty slow and full of tannins, so despite filtering, it looked like iced tea…and tasted a bit earthy. But it was cold’ish and wet. Throughout the day we met a lot of interesting people. A hiker from Germany with the best trail meal I saw all week, a few thru hikers, a small group of kids from a nearby college, and many more.   At one point a lady showed up with a cooler full of submarine sandwiches and homemade treats. She had hiked up from a nearby trailhead to meet some family members that were thru hiking. Despite my best attempt to look sad, hungry, and pathetic, I was never offered a homemade cookie. We met a young guy that was suffering from PTSD from his time in the service. He was hiking with a companion dog that an outfit in Chicago had provided to him as a therapy dog.    Then there was a guy that stumbled into camp, grunting and groaning, because he was suffering from the ill effects of a Shingles Shot he received the day before in addition to the biopsy he had on his neck that morning. Despite only being a section hiker, Jim and I questioned his logic in choosing this particular day to go hiking. Much to our surprise, he too survived the night. Even with meeting all these great people, the most memorable part of that day was when I realized that the bunk I had chosen was infested with carpenter ants.   I had wondered what the sawdust was from on my bunk when we arrived. But after I swept it off, it continued to fall all over my gear. As I climbed into my sleeping bag for the night, it was then that I then saw that there were literally thousands of carpenter ants crawling around on the frame of the bunk above me. At that point, all the other bunks were taken, so I made peace with the fact that I was going to be killed by ants and fell asleep. I lived!

Playing Santa…

The next day would be our last ‘full day’ of hiking.   It was 15 miles to the Hemlocks Shelter. We knew, from those that we met the day before, that we had a long stretch til the next water stop, so we drank up, and filled up, and headed south.  As we got to the point where water should be found, we could not find it. Fortunately we ran into a group of guys doing trail maintenance and they pointed us down a seasonal use road to a small stream.  After a refill and a quick Snickers Bar snack, we kept heading south. The next leg would be one of the steepest climbs we would encounter during the week. Switchback after switchback, we made our way out of the valley floor, and though the grade lessened towards the top, it was a continual climb all the way to our final stop on the trail, Hemlocks Shelter.  Once again, this ended up being a great day for meeting people. We met a Mom and daughter duo that collectively had hiked the A.T. about one and a half times, just out for a weekend in the woods. We met a retired biologist that went to Alaska to work on the Exxon Valdez spill and ended up staying there, and a younger guy that was between careers and decided to take a 2200 mile hike while he had the time. Knowing that we only had a short 7 mile stretch back to our car the next day, we were pretty relaxed as we had our last trail dinner.   As I was packing up for the next morning, I realized I had far more food than I needed. I decided to lighten my pack and started handing out meals, snacks, and Starbucks coffee to our new found friends. I’ve never seen anybody so excited to get a packet of Maple Almond butter or bag of instant oatmeal. With a bunk void of ants or any other known living creatures, I slept well as I dreamt of a hot meal and a hot shower that was only one day away.

Point of View…

The last seven miles would be the best views of the week.   We made our way over Mt. Everett and then up to Mt. Race where the bald top mountain offered unbelievable views both east and west.  We walked along the spine of the mountain for a ways, where the trail led us next to some pretty big drop offs down to the valley floor.   The trail then meandered down to Sages Ravine where the trail walked along fast running streams with sections of waterfalls and deep mountain pools. Before starting the ascent up Bear Mountain, an unmarked trail took us back towards our car.   To make sure we remembered that Mother Nature was clearly in control, it started to rain about one mile from the car. But, being that close to done, we just picked up the pace and quickly made our way back to the trail head.

Reflections…

As we made the drive back north, neither Jim or I could stop grinning.  We had set out to do a section of the Appalachian Trail and we had done it.  In 6 full days of hiking, we covered 96 miles, took over 229,000 steps, smelled really bad, drank some funky colored water, met some really interesting people, caught up on the three decades of life that had taken place since we had last spent that much time together, and thoroughly enjoyed nature.  We were sore and tired, couldn’t quite walk right, but it was so worth it. As we enjoyed a hearty meal and a well deserved barley pop that evening, the only thing yet to figure out was what section we wanted to cover next and how soon could we do it. I can pretty much say I don’t want to be a thru hiker, but can clearly see how it gets in the blood.   There’s something special about the simplicity of taking a hike, contrasted with the complexity of actually completing that hike. When you are on the trail, everything you have to make it through is in the pack on your back, and there’s something very exciting about that. You don’t have any idea what may come your way, and you have to be prepared to deal with whatever it is.  I only got to taste that for one week, but that’s all I need to know that I loved it and want more of it. 

Things to take, things to eat, and things to know…

Though I’m no backpacking veteran, I will share some info on the Gear, Food, and Resources I used both before and during my hike.

Top Gear…

I’m no gear expert, but this is the gear I used.  I was pretty happy with most of my choices. My MSR TrailShot water filter slowed to a crawl on day 4, so that will be replaced.   I didn’t really need a 65L pack but loved the Osprey Atmos, so I downsized to the Osprey Atmos 50L which will save me some bulk and about 6 ounces.  I also dropped the Cold Steel Finn Wolf for a lighter Spyderco Dragonfly which is a couple ounces lighter and less bulky. My total base weight (all non consumables) was right around 22lbs, which isn’t even considered light weight, let alone UltraLight, but was not horrible and with the changes I’ve already made and more in store, I’m working on ways to reduce that weight by a few pounds.

• Pack:   Osprey Atmos AG 65 with Osprey Rain Cover
• Tent:  Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1 Tent with Big Agnes Ground Cloth
• Sleeping Bag:  Kelty Cosmic Down 40
• Sleeping Pad:  Sea to Summit Ultralite Mat
• Pillow:   Sea to Summit Aeros Pillow Ultralight
• Butt Pad:  Therm-a-Rest Z-Seat Pad
• Stove:  Snowpeak LiteMax Stove
• Cookware:  GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Soloist Cookset
• Spoon:  Toaks Titanium Long Handle Spoon
• Food Bag:  Seat to Summit evac Dry Sack 13L
• Coffee Mug:  GSI Outdoors Infinity Backpacker Mug
• Water Filter:  MSR TrailShot Pocket-Sized Water Filter
• Water Bottles:  Smart Water Bottles
• Battery Charger:  Anker PowerCore 10000 Portable Charger
• HeadLamp:  Black Diamond Spot325 Headlamp
• FirstAid:  Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight/Watertight .5 Medical Kit
• Shovel:  Deuce of Spades
• Hiking Poles:  L.L. Bean Ridge Hiker Compact  [Komperdell]
• Knives:  Swiss Army Classic & Cold Steel Finn Wolf
• Other:  Compass, Zip Lock Baggies, Lighter, Matches, Paracord, Compactor Bag, Carabiner, Bug Spray, Compact Towel, Sun Screen, Cables, Extra Batteries, Toiletries

Food Facts…

My food choices worked out pretty well.   I was a little heavy on ‘meal’ type food and a little lite on ‘snack’ type foods.   I also learned that Tortilla’s are the bomb. Cover them with some PB&J or pre-made Tuna and you have a great meal.   The guy we met from Germany covered a tortilla with sliced cheese and pepperoni and rolled it into the best Pizza Log on the A.T.  That will be in my pack next time. For my next hike, I will bring more smaller items. I’m a big fan of coffee, and the Starbucks Via instant coffee was perfect.   I’d drink it hot in the morning and night, and would often mix it with cold water for an ‘iced coffee’ experience as a midday pick-me-up.

• Tortillas
• Peanut Butter / Almond Butter Packets
• Jelly Packets
• Tuna Packets
• Ramen Noodles
• Mountain House Dinners and Breakfasts
• PopTarts
• Clif Bars (and other assorted energy bars)
• Candy Bars
• Oatmeal
• Dehydrated fruits
• Beef Jerky
• Nuts
• M&M’s
• GNU Tablets
• Starbucks Via Instant Coffee

Resources…

A book that you will see on the trail is the A.T. Guide by David AWOLMiller. It documents the whole trail including landmarks, campsites, water sources, and other useful info.  Just remember to buy the guide that matches the direction you plan to hike (Northbound/Southbound).

Before my hike, I did a bunch of YouTube watching to get ideas from other hikers.  My three favorites were Darwin On The Trail, Homemade Wanderlust, and Dan Becker. They each brought a unique perspective on hiking, food, gear, clothes, and what they learned on their trips. 

Here are the links to their Youtube Channels:  

The Guthook App is a great phone app that uses your phone’s GPS to track where you are on the trail and also has key info like water stops and campsites.   It requires no cell coverage. You do have to purchase the maps for the sections you plan to hike, but it’s not very expensive, and it’s a great app. It was this app that helped us navigate back to the trail when we got off track.

Other Trail Notes…

The campsites throughout Massachusetts are really nice.   The tent sites were nice and flat, or they had pressure treated platforms where it wasn’t.  The Lean-Tos seemed to be in good order. Each site was equipped with a bear box and a privy, keeping both eaten and uneaten food in a safe and contained spot.

What’s in a Trail Name…

I had heard that most hikers on the A.T. have a trail name. Seems a lot of times that is a name given to a hiker from those they hike with, others are self chosen. Being a section hiker, I wasn’t really sure if I was worthy of such a thing, and pretty much went by the name on my birth certificate for the duration of the hike. A mishap that occurred at the first trail head, before we took even one step, where the button blew off my hiking shorts and was replaced by a safety pin for the week almost earned me the name “Safety Pin”…but it seemed to need too much explaining, and I just stuck with Craig.

So, what kind of gear do you need for a successful hike?   

Starting with where the rubber meets the road…or the trail… you are going to want a good pair of hiking boots.  Boots come in lots of configurations ranging from lightweight, low height trails shoes, to heavy duty backpacking boots that will provide the support needed to log mile after mile with a heavy pack on your back.   Look for boots that provide good ankle support, are not too tight, or too loose, and provide protection against the elements with features such as Goretex waterproof linings.   Make sure you pair up your hiking boots with a good pair of hiking socks.  I’m a big fan of Salomon boots and Smart-Wool socks, but there are lots of options.

You are going to want to carry some food and some gear, so you will definitely need a pack.   For shorter day hikes in warmer weather, a very small backpack or even a lumbar pack will work just fine.  Make sure it can carry a couple bottles of water or a hydration bladder, has room for an extra clothing layer, and for some food.   Again, the longer the hike, the more you’ll need to carry.  If your hiking season starts in the early spring or stretches into the fall, clothing layers are definitely important.   You never know how long you’ll be in the woods, and you want to be prepared for temperature changes throughout the day and the elevation.   A list of items that your pack should contain might look like this:   compass, knife or multi-tool, flashlight or headlamp, bug repellant, whistle, moleskin, small first-aid kit, a way to start a fire, and waterproof trail maps.   You may want to consider items like water purification tablets or life-straw, duct tape, some paracord, an emergency bivvy, and if you’re heading off trail, I consider a GPS to be a must have item.   For multi-day backpacking, you’ll need even more gear…but my hiking experience has been limited to day hikes…so I’ll point you to your local outfitters for guidance on mandatory backpacking gear.  My packs include an Osprey 24L day pack and a Mountainsmith Lumbar pack.

Just like good boots, proper clothing is a must.   Avoid cotton and stick with higher tech breathable fabrics.  Cotton can get wet and then makes you cold.   The more modern fabrics breathe well, wick away moisture, and will keep you more comfortable throughout your hike.  Dress in layers..and add and remove as the conditions warrant.  Zip off hiking pants provide a lot of flexibility for handling temperature and trail condition changes.   A hiking oriented rain jacket is a good idea, and if you’re hiking outside of the summer season, remember gloves and a hat.

And finally, don’t forget good nutrition.  Not eating properly is a sure recipe for a painful hike.   I’m a big fan of the PB&J sandwich…but my pack always has a Power Bar, some trail mix, often a Clif bar, bananas, and plenty of water.

Other optional items may include trekking poles, crampons if you’re covering icy terrain, and even snow shoes if conditions warrant them.

Bottom line, it pays to be prepared.  There are lots of single peak hikes that might only be a few miles round trip, and they probably don’t warrant a lot of gear.  But as your hikes get tougher and longer, take the time to bring the right gear.  Much of it will stay in your bag hike after hike, but you don’t want to find yourself wishing you had brought something you need.

Hiking in general, and hiking the Catskills specifically, can be a lot of fun.  Take your time to research your hikes.  Check out some of the resources we’ve shared, and after you’ve caught up on your reading at RelativelyRandom.com, get off the couch, gear up, get outside, and take a hike!

Resources that may come in handy:

http://www.catskill-3500-club.org/

http://www.catskillhiker.net/

http://www.catskillmountaineer.com/

http://www.ems.com/

http://www.salomon.com/us/sports/hiking/_a51818

http://www.ospreypacks.com/

http://mountainsmith.com/

Check our our full series on hiking in the Catskills…

Thirty Five Reasons To Hike The Catskills

The Escarpment Trail – 23 miles of Catskill Mountain Adventure

The Devil’s Path – The toughest hike in the Catskills

No Trails, No Problem… Tackling the Catskill Mountain Bushwhacks

When setting out to hike the thirty-five 3500’ Catskill Mountain peaks, sixteen of these will require taking the trail less traveled.   While many of the 3500’ summits in the Catskills can be reached by well marked DEC trails, there are some that require what is referred to as a bushwhack, either all or in part.

Having spent most of my hiking career being guided by brightly colored blazes on trees and rocks, with very little risk of getting lost, the idea of leaving a perfectly good trail and making my own way through the forest to a peak that isn’t even within sight, was a bit unnerving. …Actually it was a bit more than unnerving, it was frightening.

Every bushwhack hike is a little different. Some of them have a DEC trail that gets nearly to the summit, and there’s only a short off trail excursion required to reach the peak.   Others are nearly entirely off trail…often requiring trudging through miles of thick brush, nettles, creek crossings, and ledges that you have to negotiate to reach the top.   Occasionally a herd path can be found that makes the climb a whole lot easier…but it’s not common to find one until you are very close to the top of the mountain. Unlike hiking trailed peaks, the trailless peaks have a canister somewhere on the summit containing a notebook and some writing implements for you to record your name in hiking history. I’m not saying it makes it all worth it, but it does add some fun to each hike.

Fortunately, coordinates for many of the peaks can be found online. So, if you have a GPS or are really good with a topo map and a compass, the chances of reaching the summit are greatly increased.   There are also some very good sites that give detailed descriptions of each hike, offering tips on finding the best approach and obstacles to avoid.   Catskill Hiker and Catskill Mountaineer are two of the sites I have found to be the most useful.

After several of these trailless adventures, the fear of ending up wandering through the woods for the rest of my days has decreased greatly…and that first step in to the unmarked forest can be quite exhilarating.

When Robert Frost penned the words of his poem “The Road Not Taken”, he lead the reader through the process of choosing between two paths that would undoubtedly have very different outcomes, and the choice of the one less traveled, appeared to have been the right one… when it comes to hiking the Catskill Mountain 3500’ peaks, taking the trail less travelled isn’t just the right choice, for sixteen of these peaks, it’s the only choice.

Check our our full series on hiking in the Catskills…

Thirty Five Reasons To Hike The Catskills

The Escarpment Trail – 23 miles of Catskill Mountain Adventure

The Devil’s Path – The toughest hike in the Catskills

Catskill Mountain Hiking…Gear Up, Wrap Up

On the other hand, there are some items that seem to be named perfectly…and there’s no confusion as to what they when hearing their name… Shredded Wheat, lawn mower, bread maker.  Any questions?  I didn’t think so.

The Devil’s Path in the Catskill Mountains may be one of the most aptly named trails on this planet.  The name describes the trail perfectly.  It truly is the work of the Devil and brings with it all the evil that one would expect.  But despite the name and all the misery that goes along with it, the Devil’s path is a stretch of trail that covers 5 mountains (6 with a short detour to Hunter Mountain) that is truly rewarding.

In total the Devil’s path covers 24 miles and contains over 15,000 feet of elevation gain/loss.   The climbs, both up and down, are steep and rugged.  The idea of a switch back is practically non-existent.  It’s a trail that is probably best suited to the weak of mind and strong of body…. characteristics that most often describe me.   A smarter man would look at a topographic map of this mountain range and simply not even attempt it.   Fortunately, for those who do tackle it, there are breathtaking views at various points along the trail that make it worth the effort.

It is possible to hike the Devil’s path in sections.   There are a couple trailheads that are not too far apart, that make it possible to drop a car at one end and hike from the other.   The trail covers the following peaks:  Indian Head (3,573 ft), Twin (3,640 ft), Sugarloaf (3,800 ft), Plateau (3,840 ft) and West Kil
l (3,880 ft) mountains…and with a 3.6 mile detour Hunter (4,040 ft).   The Jimmy Dolan Notch, Pecoy Notch, and Mink Hollow Notch Trails all provide an escape into the valley below.

We climbed Indian Head, Twin, and Sugarloaf starting at the East end of the trail, taking advantage of the various notch trails to make shorter day hikes. We climbed both Plateau and Hunter Mountain from Devil’s Tombstone parking in the notch on Rt. 214…and both are brutal ascents.  The top of Plateau rewards the hiker with a nice, long, generally level path across the summit through dense evergreens as you make your way to the descent on the other side.   The highlight of hiking Hunter Mountain is taking the 1.8 mile trail to the fire tower on the peak.  You can’t climb into the top of the structure, but you can make it most of the way up before reaching the barricade…and it’s pretty high…and on a windy day is guaranteed to get your heart
rate a notch higher than it was from making the grunt up the mountain.

The Devil’s path is a very difficult and physically demanding trail that challenges even the most experienced of hikers. In addition to the spectacular views, the most compelling reason to conquer this terrain is being able to put 5 3500′ peaks (6 if you include the short detour to Hunter Mountain) behind you.   …and if this section of the Catskills is a precursor to an eternity in hell with the Devil himself, hiking it is likely motivation enough to change the ways of even the wickedest of souls.

Check our our full series on hiking in the Catskills…

Thirty Five Reasons To Hike The Catskills

The Escarpment Trail – 23 miles of Catskill Mountain Adventure

No Trails, No Problem… Tackling the Catskill Mountain Bushwhacks

Catskill Mountain Hiking…Gear Up, Wrap Up

There are many ways to tackle the Escarpment Trail.   Ambitious day hikers may hike the entire thing during the daylight hours of a long summer day.   Many backpackers turn this into a 3 day journey.  It can also be done in sections, but for some sections you will need a couple cars or a friend to drop you off at your starting point.

The trail starts just outside of Haines Falls, near the North-South Lake State Campground.   The first several miles are a pretty easy loop around the North-South Lake Campground area offering spectacular views of the Hudson River Valley from the site of the historic Catskill Mountain House, Artist Rock, and Newman’s Ledge.   After 7 ½ miles, the trail reaches North Point which despite having a relatively low elevation of 3,000’ has great views due to the lack of foliage.   Another half mile of hiking reaches the 3,180’ summit of North Mountain.

One more mile of hiking will bring you to Stoppel Point’s 3,420’ summit.  Near the summit, and within sight of the trail, are the remains of a plane crash from 1983.  It’s a pretty eerie feeling seeing the wreckage for the first time, but certainly makes the summit of this peak quite memorable.

The next 5 miles get pretty tough, especially towards the end as the trail makes the steep ascent to the summit of Blackhead mountain.  The elevation at the summit is 3,940’ making it the 4th highest peak in the Catskills, and the first 3500 footer in this hike.  Despite the temptation, don’t follow the signs towards Black Dome and Thomas Cole mountains.  Though they are two more 3500 footers, adding these peaks to your hike will add several more miles and a lot more climbing.   Instead, follow the trail towards the Windham High Peak and the Route 23 parking area.

The descent off Blackhead as the trail continues on toward Acra Point is very steep.  In wet conditions it can be quite a challenge.   It’s less than 3 miles until the 3,100’ summit of Acra Point. Just past the summit, there are some great overlooks providing views of the Maplecrest Valley to one side, and views towards Albany and the Adirondacks to the other side.  Another mile of hiking leads the trail over the top of Burnt Knob with only a couple more miles to the summit of Windham High Peak.   Windham High Peak has an elevation of 3,524’ and is the second 3500 footer on the Escarpment.

The descent off Windham High Peak is fun, with varied terrain, and perfectly placed stepping stones through dense conifers, the two miles off the mountain go by quickly.   At that point, the trail makes its way past the Elm Ridge Lean To.   This is a great overnight stop for backpackers…and a fun place to grab a quick snack for those passing through.  Another long mile of hiking leads to the end of the Escarpment Trail and reaches the Rt. 23 trailhead.

In total, the 23.9 trail has over 5,100’ of climb, and at the end, there’s no question that you’ve climbed every one of those 5,100 feet.   Despite the strenuous effort required, and despite only checking off 2 of the 35 3500 footers, this trail offers a great challenge that is rewarded by outstanding views, gorgeous landscape, and forests ranging from dense hemlocks to sparse firs to majestic hardwoods.  This is definitely a must do trail for all Catskill Mountain hikers.

Check our our full series on hiking in the Catskills…

Thirty Five Reasons To Hike The Catskills

The Devil’s Path – The toughest hike in the Catskills

No Trails, No Problem… Tackling the Catskill Mountain Bushwhacks

Catskill Mountain Hiking…Gear Up, Wrap Up

I have always enjoyed hiking.  At the age of seven with sleeping bag and toothbrush strapped to my back, my buddy’s Dad as our trail guide, and a half dozen kids all under the age of twelve, I went on my first overnight hiking trip.   After nearly losing our friend Scotty to the current of a mountain stream, sleeping in an open lean-to, having breakfast cooked over the fire, it was an experience I would never forget.  Growing up we’d continue to hike from time to time and probably made our way to the summit of about a half dozen mountains over the years.  Climbing some of them multiple times.   There’s something very cool about looking up at a peak far above the valley floor, and know that in a few hours, you’ll be standing on the top looking back down to where you started.   It’s the perfect mix of adventure and workout, where nature’s obstacles and terrain provide the challenge and the view from the top delivers the reward.

In the late ninety’s, my brother and I started making an annual trek back to our hometown to do a little camping and hiking.  It started out as a pretty casual event, with no real goals, other than to get out in the woods for some exercise, and spend time around the campfire.   After a couple years, a buddy of ours started hiking with us for what was soon to become an annual tradition.  It wasn’t too long before we learned about the Catskill 3500 Club and the 35 peaks above 3500’ that must be climbed to gain membership.   That’s when everything changed.   What was once a casual fall weekend had turned into mission to climb all 35 of the 3500’ Catskill Mountains.   With only 6 of the 35 peaks left, we can see the finish line.

Over the next few issues of Relatively Random, we’ll tell you about the peaks we’ve conquered and the things we’ve learned. We’ll talk a bit about the gear we’ve tried, what has worked, and what has not.

If this ‘peaks’ your interest, pun intended, check in next month as we talk about the Escarpment Trail.

Check our our full series on hiking in the Catskills…

The Escarpment Trail – 23 miles of Catskill Mountain Adventure

The Devil’s Path – The toughest hike in the Catskills

No Trails, No Problem… Tackling the Catskill Mountain Bushwhacks

Catskill Mountain Hiking…Gear Up, Wrap Up