Appalachian Trail - Day 097 - US Route 44 to Sheffield-Egremont Road

Day: 097

Date: Sunday, 30 July 2023

Start:  US Route 44 (AT Mile 1507.6)

Finish:  Sheffield-Egremont Road (AT Mile 1527.2)

Daily Kilometres:  31.1 (Ascent 4452', Descent 4462')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2552.3

Weather:  Mild and sunny.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Scrambled eggs

  Lunch:  Pop tarts & trail mix

  Dinner:  Hamburger & fries, ice-cream.

Aches:  Dave - a few niggles; Julie - mosquito bites.

Highlight:  Walking the Mt Race Ledges on a beautiful clear day with splendid views across Connecticut and Massachusetts was special.

Lowlight:  Once again the hiking was slower than anticipated and we ended up hiking much later than hoped.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Our host of last night, Ben (a retired airline pilot), cooked us scrambled eggs for breakfast before driving us back to the trailhead at 7:00am on a cool clear morning.  The storm of last evening had brought a cool change and humidity was low for the first time in weeks. It was wonderful to hike without feeling overheated and being bathed in sweat.

After road-walking a mile or so, we reached the trailhead for the climb up Bear Mountain and found a cooler with soft drinks left there for thru-hikers and helped ourselves to one each - a good omen for the day.  Then, as we climbed up the mountain in the forest, we noticed even the mosquitoes were few and far between. The contrast with yesterday was marked and very welcome.

The climb up Bear Mountain evoked memories for Dave of climbing the same mountain about 25 years ago with his then 9 or 10 year old son, Aaron, who sadly passed away almost exactly two years ago.  It was poignant to meet a father and his young enthusiastic son climbing the mountain as we made the very steep gnarly descent.

The good views from Bear Mountain, soon after which we crossed the border from Connecticut into Massachusetts, were surpassed by the excellent walk along the Mt Race Ledges (see above) which followed.  It really was a special day.

Along with the views went a lot of very slow climbing and ascending on rocky and often wet and slippery trail.  Overall, the trail was also very wet, with frequent boggy patches, large puddles and water flowing down the path, the consequence of lots of recent rainfall. (Sadly, we read yesterday that the body of a missing thru-hiker had been found in Vermont, apparently the victim of drowning while trying to ford a creek two weeks ago following heavy rain.)

The climb up Mt Everett was particularly arduous and slow, fortunately offset by more great views, and we realized we would be lucky to reach out goal, Route 7, from where we planned to hitchhike into Great Barrington where we had a motel room booked.  We continued on, hoping the hiking would become easier and faster, but it did not happen.  The final descent from the mountain ridge was exceptionally slow so when we reached the valley floor we decided to get in touch with a hiker shuttle driver who agreed to pick us up at a minor road crossing, two miles short of Route 7, at 7:15pm.  The last couple of miles to the shuttle was through boggy mosquito-infested forest which made us doubly glad of our decision to get the shuttle.

We checked into the motel in Great Barrington around 7:30pm and bought take-out dinner.  We will have a sleep-in tomorrow morning then buy supplies for the next few days, before getting shuttled back to the trailhead.

Appalachian Trail - Day 096 - Cesar Brook Campsite to US Route 44

Day: 096

Date: Saturday, 29 July 2023

Start:  Cesar Brook Campsite (AT Mile 1488.0)

Finish:  US Route 44 (AT Mile 1507.6)

Daily Kilometres:  31.7 (Ascent 3625', Descent 3547')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2521.2

Weather:  Very warm and humid with a rain shower in the morning and a thunderstorm with rain in the afternoon.

Accommodation:  Room in a private home near Salisbury.

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Trail mix

  Lunch:  Western Omelette & hash browns/Skillet & hash browns 

  Dinner:  Clam chowder, lasagna.

Aches:  Dave - very tired; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  To save time at the end of the day, when we needed to resupply in the village of Salisbury which was about half a mile off the trail, Julie went ahead to go into the village with the plan being for her to get the supplies and rejoin the slower Dave back on the trail.  As Julie reached the road which she was going to follow into town it began to rain as thunder rolled overhead.  A car which had just passed her did a U-turn, came back and the driver suggested Julie hop in and he would take her to his home nearby where could have a feed and stay the night.  She explained that she was with her "husband" who would be along shortly and the driver, Ben, said that was fine and that it was a genuine offer and no "funny business" and that he has done it for other hikers on occasion.  Julie said she needed to get supplies in Salisbury then return to meet Dave, so Ben drove her to the grocery and back to the trailhead where Dave had arrived.  We then went to Ben's big 100-y-o house on a large property by a lake and he gave us dinner and a room with an ensuite and let us wash our wet and smelly gear.  We had anticipated camping in the rain, so felt very lucky.  Ben will drive us back to the trailhead in the morning.

Lowlight:  The first eight miles of the day seemed to take forever with the rocky gnarly trail twisting and turning and going up and down and never seeming to get anywhere. It felt like we were just going in circles.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We were walking by 6:40am on a day when we hoped to do 21 miles to put us in reach of Great Barrington tomorrow night where we have a hotel booked.  Ideally we would reach the village of Salisbury at the end of the day and resupply for tomorrow before going a little further to camp.  However, after yesterday we were becoming a bit wary of the Connecticut trails which were often slow going and hard work.

Our fears were well-founded, and the first eight miles of the day were slow (see above), with few views and some heavy rain.  The mosquitoes were also quite bad, so our mood wasn't that good when we finally came down from a mountain at a road crossing, but it improved when we found a young couple offering "trail magic" treats to thru-hikers there.  We stopped for a while, eating, drinking and chatting before moving on to our planned brunch stop at a cafe a few hundred yards off the trail a mile further on.  There we enjoyed an excellent brunch before resuming our journey with the trail now following the Housatonic River again on a beautiful path through the woods.

Near Falls Village we crossed the river and hiked past the impressive falls before climbing away from the river into the mosquito-infested forest again.  At least the trail was easier going and the scenery and views good.  We made reasonable progress though it was getting late in the day.

To save time we decided Julie would go on ahead and get our supplies in Salisbury, which she did, but not in the manner expected (see above).  Given that it was raining and we were both quite wet, the very unexpected offer of a room in a private home was most welcome.

We didn't get quite as far as hoped today, but should still be able to make it to Great Barrington tomorrow if the Connecticut trails cooperate.

Appalachian Trail - Day 095 - Bull's Covered Bridge to Cesar Brook Campsite

Day: 095

Date: Friday, 28 July 2023

Start:  Bull's Covered Bridge (AT Mile 1466.4)

Finish:  Cesar Brook Campsite (AT Mile 1488.0)

Daily Kilometres:  36.4 (Ascent 4984', Descent 4590')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2489.5

Weather:  Hot, humid and sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  McDonalds breakfast sandwiches & hash browns

  Lunch:  Trail mix, ice-creams

  Dinner:  Italian sub

Aches:  Dave - left ankle and knee giving him problems; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  There was a very pleasant stretch of easy walking on a sun-dappled trail alongside the fast-flowing Housatonic River during the afternoon when the mosquitoes were absent.

Lowlight:  The last four miles were not fun.  We were already later than we had hoped because of a distance miscalculation Dave made but decided to continue on to our target campsite even though we knew we would be late.  We didn't know how late!  Firstly, there was a technical and slow climb away from the river up and over a mountain that offered no views.  Then, after crossing a road, we descended to Guinea Brook which was running fast and at least knee-deep at its shallowest points.  There was a sign suggesting a roadwalk alternative that added a mile (why wasn't there a similar sign back at the road crossing?). At the end of a long day, we didn't fancy a difficult ford so we did the road walk.  Then, when we got back on the trail, there was more slow technical climbing followed by a gnarly long detour around another section of trail that had been washed away.  It was getting late and there were no alternative campsites so we just kept going, eventually donning our headlights when it got too dark to see around 8:30pm.  We finally reached our campsite at 8:45pm.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

The day started well.  Rob drove us from New Haven back to Bull's Covered Bridge and the trail with a stop along the way to get breakfast.  We, including Rob who was going to join us for a few hours, were hiking by 7:45am on an already very warm and humid morning.

Soon we were on the long ascent of Mt Schaghticoke.  Early on, Julie and Rob saw a large unconcerned black bear amble across the trail in front of them, which provided a bit of excitement.  At the top of the climb there were good views in a few places, but also lots of slow gnarly rocky trail that had Dave lagging behind.

Eventually, we descended to a busy road where there was a sign saying a bridge ahead had been damaged by flood water and recommending a roadwalk detour.  This was near the point where Rob was leaving us to walk back to his car via a road along the river but, before he left, he pointed out that the detour would take us close to the village of Kent where we might get an ice-cream.

We took the roadwalk detour and then detoured from that by a quarter mile to buy ice-creams and cold drinks which we ate and drank on a shady spot next to the gas station.

Returning to the detour, we had a long and pretty walk along the Housatonic River before beginning our last four miles of the day which became a bit of a nightmare (see above).

Having arrived so late we set up camp, washed and went to bed.  Dave ate his lunch roll for dinner, but Julie didn't want anything.  Hopefully we'll get to stop earlier tomorrow.

Appalachian Trail - Day 094 - Two days' off at Bull's Covered Bridge (but staying in New Haven)

Day: 093 & 094

Date: Wednesday & Thursday, 26 & 27 July 2023

Start:  Bull's Covered Bridge (AT Mile 1466.4) but staying in New Haven

Finish:  Bull's Covered Bridge (AT Mile 1466.4) but staying in New Haven 

Daily Kilometres:  0

GPX Track:  Click here and here for Julie’s Strava & Photos from her walks around New Haven.

Total Kilometres:  2453.1

Weather:  Hot and partly sunny

Accommodation:  Friend's apartment in New Haven

Aches:  None reported.

Highlight:  None really.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: No pictures

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We've enjoyed two very relaxing days staying with friend, Rob, in his lovely New Haven apartment about a mile from the centre of town and close to some of Yale University's campus.

Yesterday, Rob drove us to REI, an outdoor store, and we bought insect headnets, long-sleeved hiking shirts and stronger insect repellent (100% DEET) to improve our mosquito defences, along with some other supplies.

Today, Dave managed to watch on TV the Women's World Cup soccer match between Australia and Nigeria with Rob, a keen soccer fan, and then took it easy for the rest of the day.

Julie, of course, went on a few local exploration trips to help pass the time.

Rob will drive us back to the trail early tomorrow morning and hike with us for much of tomorrow as a day hike.  There is a heat warning out for tomorrow and Saturday.

Appalachian Trail - Day 092 - Telephone Pioneers Shelter to Bull's Covered Bridge

Day: 092

Date: Tuesday, 25 July 2023

Start:  Telephone Pioneer Shelter (AT Mile 1452.4)

Finish:  Bull's Covered Bridge (AT Mile 1466.4)

Daily Kilometres:  25.5  (Ascent 2113', Descent 2697')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2453.1

Weather:  Very warm, humid and mostly sunny with a thunderstorm in the afternoon.

Accommodation:  Friend's apartment in New Haven

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Egg, cheese & ham/sausage rolls, ice-creams 

  Lunch:  Pastries/Turkey & cheese sandwich 

  Dinner:  Beef stew, rice & veges.

Aches:  Dave - very tired; Julie - mosquito bites.

Highlight:  Friend, Rob, drove up from New Haven, 1.5 hours away, to pick us up from Bull's Bridge and take us back to his apartment for two days of R&R.

Lowlight:  None really (though the mosquitoes were still bad in places today).

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We packed up, fighting off mosquitoes, and were hiking by 6:30am on an already warm and humid morning.  We had a relatively easy day in front of us, starting with a downhill hike and a boardwalk across a marsh to a main road, three miles away, from where we left the trail and roadwalked three quarters of a mile to a deli for breakfast.  Just before the trail met the road it crossed a railway line where there was actually an Appalachian Trail station from where you could catch a train to New York City.

At the deli we had some scrumptious breakfast rolls which we ate outside while chatting to a young thru-hiker we have seen a number of times along the way.  Very pleasant.

After walking back to the trail, we had a mile or so of open meadow walking which was a nice change but warm in the sun.  Then it was back into the forest with the mosquitoes and a few hills.  Dave was complaining of fatigue, but it was hard to know whether it was just the knowledge that a couple of days off beckoned at the end of the day and he couldn't wait to get there but still had about ten miles to go.

There were few views, but the leaf-littered forest and rock ledges were very pretty and, one foot in front of the other, we reached a shelter and took a break, sharing the picnic table there with the same young thru-hiker we had shared the breakfast table.

The last five miles started with a trail relocation that required roadwalking to get around a washed out bridge, though word was that the river ford wasn't too difficult.  We agreed that Dave would do the roadwalk, while Julie would follow the old AT and we would meet where the trails converged about two miles further along.  There were things to see on both routes and the river ford was even easier than we had heard.

After one more climb, the trail descended to Tenmile River and soon passed the two-thirds mark of our journey.  We followed the river to its confluence with the much larger Housatonic River before following that upstream to Bull's Covered Bridge.  The river was raging and impressive.

After crossing the covered bridge we reached the store on the other side where we had arranged to meet Rob (see above).  We bought some food and drink and sat outside with a couple of other thru-hikers while we waited.  The sky was starting to look ominous with thunder audible in the distance and the first spots of rain began falling as Rob arrived.  The heavens then opened and it rained, sometimes torrentlally, for the entire 90-minute journey to New Haven where we will stay, courtesy of Rob, for the next two days and three nights.

Appalachian Trail - Day 091 - Canopus Lake Beach to Telephone Pioneer Shelter

Day: 091

Date: Monday, 24 July 2023

Start:  Canopus Lake Beach (AT Mile 1430.7)

Finish:  Telephone Pioneer Shelter (AT Mile 1452.4)

Daily Kilometres:  35.9 (Ascent 3776', Descent 3829')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2427.6

Weather:  Very warm, humid and mostly sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts

  Lunch:  Calzones.

  Dinner:  Noodles.

Aches:  Dave - a few niggles and left Achilles tendon a bit sore; Julie - tormented by mosquito bites.

Highlight:  Food and drinks again!  Early in the day, after a road crossing, we came across a cooler that contained ice cold drinks and Snickers Bars and we happily treated ourselves.  Later in the day, at other road crossings, water had been left for hikers which was also very welcome.  And for lunch, we detoured off the trail and roadwalked half a mile to a pizza shop where we enjoyed excellent calzones and free refills of cold Diet Coke.

Lowlight:  Mosquitoes again!  For much of the day they were tolerable, but as the afternoon wore on they became increasingly bad and setting up camp was a nightmare.  We ended up eating in the tent to escape them.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We packed up and left our probably illegal campsite by 6:15am before any Park employees turned up to discover us.

The day's hiking involved continuing in a northeasterly direction across New York state, mostly following a series of low ridges through leaf-carpeted and boulder-strewn forest.  Much of the land had once been farmed and we frequently came across old stone fences.  It was also quite populated and we crossed a number of roads and highways and often passed near houses.

For lunch, we detoured off trail to a small industrial estate where there was a pizza shop and deli who, apart from thru-hikers, seemed to mostly serve employees of nearby businesses.  They actually let thru-hikers camp behind their shop, but we still had miles to travel.

Along the way there were some views and the trail was once again a mix of nice walking and gnarly rocky short ascents and descents.  It was warm and humid in the forest and hiking was sweaty work, made more unpleasant by the increasing number of mosquitoes during the afternoon.  Most hikers we saw were wearing headnets and we'll have to get some at the next opportunity.  Instead, we liberally and frequently coated ourselves in repellent, ignoring any cancer risk.

We reached our goal of Telephone Pioneer Shelter soon after 7:00pm, later than we had hoped, but the trail was often slow today.  There were already a number of tents set up, taking the best spots, and we ended up with a sloping site on the other side of a small creek.  The mosquitoes were diabolical, and setting up camp, washing and cooking were miserable.

Thirteen weeks/three months on the trail completed today.

Appalachian Trail - Day 090 - Bear Mountain Bridge to Canopus Lake Beach

Day: 090

Date: Sunday, 23 July 2023

Start:  Bear Mountain Bridge (AT Mile 1410.4)

Finish:  Canopus Lake Beach (AT Mile 1430.7)

Daily Kilometres:  34.2  (Ascent 4662', Descent 3747')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2391.7

Weather:  Very warm, humid and mostly sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Egg, cheese & sausage subs

  Lunch:  Snickers & Mars bars

  Dinner:  American subs.

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - mosquito bites.

Highlight:  As we stopped for our late lunch break, at around 2:15pm, a hiker coming the other way told us there was Trail Magic at a trailhead just under three miles further on.  We needed a break, but were also keen to get some cold drinks and other treats if they were on offer.  The risk was that the Trail Magic could be gone by the time we got there.  So, we shortened our lunch break and headed for the next trailhead arriving about 3:45pm to find there were plenty of cold drinks, along with some food available, including Vegemite sandwiches courtesy of two Australian (former thru-hikers) Trail Angels there.  We enjoyed the treats and conversation.

Lowlight:  The mosquitoes were really bad today.  Julie had a permanent unhappy grimace on her face as she swatted away the pests all day, while Dave was in constant danger of doing himself an injury by swatting while holding his trekking poles or losing his balance while swatting.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

The motel manager kindly drove us back as close to the trail as he could at 7:00am and we soon crossed the impressive Bear Mountain Bridge over the Hudson River and climbed into the forest on a mild calm morning.

Almost immediately we were being bitten by mosquitoes and that continued all day (see above).  It spoiled what would otherwise have been a nice, if a little warm, day for hiking.  We walked out first six miles through peaceful forest on mostly reasonable trail to a road crossing where there was a gas station/store.  The store was very busy with Sunday morning traffic including many motorcyclists.  We bought some breakfast, plus subs for lunch, and ate our breakfast sitting outside watching the passing parade.

The next six miles of trail proved a bit tougher and slower than we hoped.  There were some good sections where we could walk normally but also lots of short sharp climbs/descents and rocky twisting trail.

We took a break for lunch at a road crossing and heard about some trail magic further along (see above) which brightened our mood and gave us something else to think about besides mosquitoes.  The distance to the trail magic seemed to pass slowly, but was forgotten once we saw unlimited cold drinks (Dave disposed of four cans in short order) and met the friendly and interesting trail angels.

It was 4:45pm by the time we left with six miles remaining to Canopus Lake Beach where we hoped to camp.  Apart from a mile where it seemed to follow an old railbed, the trail remained hard work and slow.  It was 7:30pm by the time we reached the picnic area at the beach.  It was a surreal scene, as the area was officially closed at 6:00pm, but thru-hikers were tolerated after that and a number sat at picnic tables chatting and eating their dinner while park employees worked around them cleaning toilets, grounds, etc, and then left.  We ate the rolls we had bought for lunch and then used the shower and the one open toilet to wash.

By this time it was getting dark and the other thru-hikers had left to go to the official thru-hiker camping area a few hundred yards away.  We decided to sneakily camp behind one of the buildings where we were closer to the water and toilet and further away from the other campers.  It was late by the time we got to bed and we'll have to make sure we leave early before the park employees arrive in the morning.

Appalachian Trail - Day 089 - Day Off at Bear Mountain Bridge (but staying at Fort Montgomery)

Day: 089

Date: Saturday, 22 July 2023

Start:  Bear Mountain Bridge (AT Mile 1410.4)

Finish:  Bear Mountain Bridge (AT Mile 1410.4)

Daily Kilometres:  0

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos from her walk/jog today.

Total Kilometres:  2357.5

Weather:  Warm and sunny.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Breakfast sandwiches & hash browns

  Lunch:  American rolls

  Dinner:  Nachos/Chicken burger, ice-cream 

Aches:  Nothing to report.

Highlight:  None really.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

A very relaxing day started with a long social breakfast at the motel's picnic table on a beautiful mild sunny morning with our French-Canadian thru-hiker friends who were delaying their return to the trail today for as long as possible.  Often joining in the conversation was the very "New York" motel owner who is very opinionated and certainly no fan of Joe Biden.  Having said that, he has been totally helpful to us, doing our laundry, picking us up from the trail and doing anything else he can to make our stay a good one.

In the afternoon, Dave spent his time on admin/email while Julie went for a walk/jog to check out the neighbourhood.  Later we had dinner at the BBQ joint across the road again.  We have both eaten too much today!

Back on the trail tomorrow.

Appalachian Trail - Day 088 - Fingerboard Shelter to Bear Mountain Bridge

Day: 088

Date: Friday, 21 July 2023

Start:  Fingerboard Shelter (AT Mile 1392.1)

Finish:  Bear Mountain Bridge (AT Mile 1410.4)

Daily Kilometres:  26.1 (Ascent 2979', Descent 4085')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2357.5

Weather:  Warm, humid and partly sunny with a thunderstorm in the morning and some rain in the afternoon.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts

  Lunch: Mars Bars 

  Dinner:  Pulled pork melts, ice-cream.

Aches:  Dave - very tired; Julie - nothing to report.

Highlight:  We were very fortunate to be able to see the skyline of Manhattan, 40 miles away, from the top of Bear Mountain.  The chances of seeing this are apparently diminishing as time goes by because of pollution and heat haze.

Lowlight:  Our timing was poor packing up this morning.  Knowing that thunderstorms and rain was forecast around dawn we woke at 4:45am to find it was still dry.  We hurried to pack up but, just when we had everything out of the tent, it began to rain quite steadily. The tent and some of our gear got quite wet before we could pack everything.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We made an earlier than usual start in an effort to beat the forecast rain, but were unsuccessful (see above).  We started hiking at about 5:30am in steady rain and very gloomy conditions, unhappy that we were already wet.  It didn't take long for the rain to collect on the trail and create large puddles and occasional bogs.

Our progress was slow, partly because of rocks and trail made slippery by the rain and partly because Dave was still feeling tired from yesterday's tough hiking.  We weren't sure exactly how far we had to hike to get to Bear Mountain Bridge and our booked motel today, because there were two trail detours marked and it was hard to determine how our navigation app was calculating distances, but we assumed we had between 15 and 18 miles to do.

Even after the rain had stopped and the trail had dried out there were rocks and climbs/descents, including some arduous rock-scrambling, that kept our pace slow.  On the other hand it was very pleasant forest and the clearer air allowed some good views.

The first detour we encountered was a temporary re-route of the Appalachian Trail to avoid it crossing a busy divided highway. However, on the map the detour looked a little longer and also missed some of the good viewpoints, so we decided to hike the original AT.  It probably took us longer than the detour because it included a much longer climb, but from the crest of the ridge we had excellent views to the west and to the east, where we could see the impressive Hudson River.

The second detour was because Bear Mountain State Park was hit hard by heavy rain and flooding in mid-July and many facilities, including trails, were badly damaged.  The park is a very popular destination for New Yorkers, so having it closed to all but AT hikers at the height of summer is a big deal.  The AT detour directed hikers down a closed park road, but our crowd-sourced navigation app said that the original AT route over Bear Mountain was still useable so we chose that route.  The trail took us up and around the summit of Bear Mountain and we had great views along the way (see above).  At the summit near the  closed lookout tower there were some vending machines to cater to the many tourists who come to look at the views to NYC and along the Hudson River, but today there were just a few thru-hikers, all of whom we knew, buying much appreciated cold drinks and enjoying a chat and the unusually peaceful scene.

The trail down from the summit is an engineering achievement of which the Park is justly proud, so it was disheartening to see how much damage had been caused by the flash flooding.  Huge rock steps had been washed away and boulders and debris had been dumped on the trail.  It is going to be a long time and a lot of work before the trail is restored.

When we reached the base of the mountain, the vast picnic area and other attractions were deserted apart from squads of workers trying to get things back into shape for what's left of the summer.

Our motel was two miles away from where the trail reaches the Bear Mountain Bridge and we called the motel owner who was known to pickup thru-hikers who were staying there and give them a ride.  However, this was complicated by the serious damage caused to a smaller road suspension bridge linking the Bear Mountain Bridge to towns and the western shore to the north.  It was closed to vehicles, but pedestrians could use the path attached to the closed bridge to get to its northern end, which we did, before the motel owner could reach us with his car and pick us up.  While crossing the bridge it started to rain, but we managed to get picked up before getting seriously wet.

Also staying at the motel is a thru-hiking French-Canadian couple we have got to know and we later enjoyed a very nice dinner with them at the BBQ restaurant across the road.  

Day off tomorrow for us.  We passed the 1400 mile mark today!

Appalachian Trail - Day 087 - NY Route 17A to Fingerboard Shelter

Day: 087

Date: Thursday, 20 July 2023

Start:  NY Route 17A (AT Mile 1375.5)

Finish:  Fingerboard Shelter (AT Mile 1392.1)

Daily Kilometres:  25.8 (Ascent 3947', Descent 3737')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2331.4

Weather:  Very warm, humid and partly sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Cooked breakfast 

  Lunch:  American subs

  Dinner:  Ramen & chicken/Noodles & chicken

Aches:  Dave - very tired; Julie - complaining about mosquito bites.

Highlight:  None really.

Lowlight:  For the second time in two days, Dave dropped his phone and scratched the previously unblemished screen.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We enjoyed our comfortable bed and the excellent breakfast cooked by Peter, the hostel owner, before he drove us back to the trailhead at 7:10am.  Once there, Dave realised he had left his phone back on the hostel verandah where he had been putting his boots on, so the ever-obliging Peter quickly drove him back to the hostel where the phone was collected and then returned Dave back to the trailhead where we started walking at 7:30am.

At the hostel we had heard stories about how relentlessly up and down today's hike would be, so we were mentally preparing ourselves for a tough day at the offce although the first few miles were very nice through the early morning forest.

For the rest of the day, however, we did seem to be either steeply ascending or descending on rocky shelves or even cliffs that required hands for safe progress.  It was very hard work, but the forest, populated with boulders and rock formations all shapes and sizes, was picturesque and pleasant.

It was also very thirsty work.  At one road crossing someone had left some cold water which we gratefully drank, but at a later road crossing a water dump had sadly been emptied by previous hikers.  This was a popular section of trail and we saw quite a few hikers today, many of them thru-hikers.

Later in the day we crossed into Harriman State Park where the lightly timbered forest had a grassy floor and was quite different to that which preceded it.  Initially there were some steep climbs and rocky sections, including the renowned Lemon Squeezer, but the trail gradually became easier though, by this time, Dave was ready to stop.

You are only supposed to camp near shelters in the Park and we reached Fingerboard Shelter just after 6:00pm and found a rare tent spot close by.  There are thunderstorms and rain forecast for tonight and it was tempting to set up our beds in the shelter, there being no other hikers present, but the mosquitoes decided us against.

Later, more hikers did show up and, soon after 8:00pm, a "trail angel" showed up with some welcome treats for hikers staying here.

Appalachian Trail - Day 086 - Louemma Creek to NY Route 17A

Day: 086

Date: Wednesday, 19 July 2023

Start:  Louemma Creek (AT Mile 1356.0)

Finish:  NY Route 17A (AT Mile 1375.5)

Daily Kilometres:  30.2 (Ascent 3140', Descent 2707')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2305.6

Weather:  Warm, humid, hazy and partly sunny.

Accommodation:  Hostel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts

  Lunch:  Snickers Bars

  Dinner:  Sourdough breakfast sandwiches & hash browns, ice cream 

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles and some chafing; Julie - nothing to report.

Highlight:  The early morning walk along the Appalachian Trail boardwalk that wound its way through the vast peaceful marshland bordering Pochuck Creek was magic.

Lowlight:  The first three "Welcome to New York" miles of the AT were some of the hardest and slowest hiking we have encountered.  It took 2.5 hours to do three miles going up and down, this way and that, along rocky ledges, gnarly trail and through boulder fields.  It was almost as if New York was boasting to AT thru-hikers that it can be as tough a state as any on the trail.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We were hiking by soon after 6:00am with the goal of reaching NY Route 17A, 19.5 miles away, from where we would be picked up and taken to a hostel, as early as possible.

The trail wasn't too bad initially and we made good time, particularly enjoying the long boardwalk (see above), but also the beautiful early morning forest.  It was mostly very peaceful apart from the frequent noise of aircraft descending towards New York's LaGuardia or Westchester airports.  We were also conscious that we were close to civilisation as we passed near houses, crossed roads or heard machinery at various times.

Sadly, at one of those road crossings we were an hour too early for the farm store which opened at 9:00am and offered drinks, baked goods and ice-cream - the perfect for a thru-hiker's breakfast.  Instead, starting across the road, we got to climb the exhausting boulder-scrambling "Stairway to Heaven", our biggest climb of the day.  It was tough, though it was "heaven" to reach the top.

Not long after our breakfast break beside a rushing stream we crossed another road to find an esky full of soft drink cans left by a "trail angel" and, despite having just drunk our fill of water at breakfast, we managed to down a few more cans.  It was a treat.

We continued to make good time on a day that wasn't quite as hot and humid as it's predecessors along reasonable trail with plenty of short ups and downs and many boggy sections.  And, of course, still plenty of mosquitoes.  We took our lunch break around 1:00pm high on a rocky ridge at what was supposed to be a viewpoint, though the trees blocked any vistas, before starting our last six mile leg of the day.

The trail wasn't easy, and got even harder when we left New Jersey for the last time and entered New York (see above).  Our hopes for an early finish diminished and we just concentrated on moving forward and enjoying the couple of hazy views we got down over Greenwood Lake.

Fortunately, with two miles to go the trail quality improved and we reached our target highway at 5:15pm.  Dave rang the hostel owner, who turned up a few minutes later and drove us first to a large supermarket where we did our resupply shopping before taking us to the hostel in the village of Greenwood Lake.  After showers and leaving our laundry with the hostel owner, we walked to Dunkin' Donuts, the only nearby food option, to buy a late dinner which we ate back at the hostel.  We are later than we would like, but not too much, and feel like we have had a good day.

Appalachian Trail - Day 085 - Mashipacong Shelter to Louemma Creek

Day: 085

Date: Tuesday, 18 July 2023

Start:  Mashipacong Shelter (AT Mile 1334.3)

Finish:  Louemma Creek (AT Mile 1356.0)

Daily Kilometres:  34.4 (Ascent 2940', Descent 3566')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2275.4

Weather:  Very warm, humid, hazy and partly sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts

  Lunch:  Egg salad subs, ice-creams

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals.

Aches:  Dave - some niggles and very tired; Julie - reporting a lot of mosquito bites.

Highlight:  In mid-afternoon, for several miles, the trail passed through the Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge, a vast marshy area.  It was very peaceful, with birdlife and other animals present.  Julie even spotted a bear as we were leaving.

Lowlight:  Some late afternoon rocky trail, heat, humidity, and mosquitoes were the lowlights today.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We packed up and left the shelter camping area at 6:30am hoping for some easier trail today.  It started well, and we had some excitement when Julie spotted three bear cubs climbing a tree near the trail, though by the time Dave got there only some fleeing black behinds were visible.  That seemed a good omen but, alas, we were soon back on very rocky trail going up and down over ledges and outcrops, and no views.  It was a little irksome knowing that a multi-use trail, the Iris Trail, was paralleling our course and was much easier.

Despite the rocks we made reasonable time to the Highpoint State Park HQ which was our target breakfast stop, arriving by 9:00am.  We purchased some cold drinks to go along with our pop tarts which we consumed on a nearby park bench.  Very pleasant!

After breakfast the trail continued to be rocky as it climbed to a lookout near the Highpoint Tower atop the highest mountain in New Jersey, but the views were very hazy.  From there, after a long descent, the trail became much easier walking and our pace and enjoyment improved.  The terrain became relatively flat and we passed by farms and houses through some meadows and very pleasant forest, though the low-lying trail was very boggy in parts.

Around 1:00pm we reached the road going into the village of Unionville, and detoured to the general store there to buy some supplies and get some lunch and cold drinks.  Other thru-hikers had had the same idea and we were greeted by several we knew who were already enjoying food and drink on the store's verandah.  Soon we joined them and joined the social chat.  There was a German girl there who had been bitten by something while she slept last night and had a massively swollen eye, but was being quite stoic about it.

We had more miles to do, so left before the others, some of whom did not seem keen to walk any more miles today.  We roadwalked back to the trail and then followed it through the beautiful and peaceful Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge (see above), before finishing the day with a long rocky climb over a mountain before descending to a creek where we got some water and decided to camp illegally.  There are roads and houses nearby and we can hear traffic, but don't think anybody can see us.

Appalachian Trail - Day 084 - Fairview Lake View to Mashipacong Shelter

Day: 084

Date: Monday, 17 July 2023

Start:  Fairview Lake View (AT Mile 1313.6)

Finish:  Mashipacong Shelter (AT Mile 1334.3)

Daily Kilometres:  33.2 (Ascent 2772', Descent 2874')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2241.0

Weather:  Hot, humid, hazy and partly sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts 

  Lunch:  Ham & cheese rolls, other snacks and ice cream.

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals.

Aches:  Dave - some niggles and very tired; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  The trail magic that we received when we passed a trailhead at lunchtime.  Unfortunately, there had been a lot of hikers in front of us and the superbly stocked spread had been severely depleted.  In particular, no cold drinks left.  But we did find other things to eat and enjoyed the unexpected treat.

Lowlight:  A toss-up between too many rocky tedious sections of trail and too many mosquitoes.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We were hiking soon after 6:30am on a misty humid morning.  Our tent is pretty good, but the misty night has left things in the tent damp and the constant dripping from the leaves of the trees overhead had left our tent fly quite wet.

The morning's hiking, with a breakfast break atop Rattlesnake Mountain, mostly followed a ridge through a nice mix of deciduous and conifer forest.  It undulated a lot, climbing up and down rocky outcrops and ledges, and was a mix of very good and very bad trail with everything in between.  There were.no views initially because of the mist, but gradually that cleared and we had very hazy views for the rest of the day.

Our morning goal was to reach Culvers Gap and the tiny hamlet of Branchville, 12 miles from where we had camped, in time to have lunch at a pub there and perhaps pick up some insect repellent and a new gas canister at the hunting and fishing store there.  With a couple of miles to go, a thru-hiker told us there was trail magic at the trailhead just past Branchville and that there was a huge spread of food but it would be closed by 2:00pm.  That created a bit of a dilemma for us, as we didn't want to skip Branchville then find slim pickings at the trail magic.  We decided to check out Branchville first, picked up our supplies, decided the food options there weren't great and bought some cold drinks to take with us just in case there were none at the Trail Magic.

This turned out to be a wise move as the Trail Angel had run out of drinks and a lot of other stuff as well (see above), but we found enough to eat and were very grateful.

After lunch we had to climb back up onto a ridge from Culvers Gap in very sweaty conditions and the rest of the afternoon was a bit of a slog, made worse by mosquitoes and some very rocky sections.  There was a nice old pavilion at the top of Sunrise Mountain where we took our afternoon break and Julie did manage to stir up a large black snake she hadn't seen which reared up, but didn't strike.  Subsequently she worked out it was non-venomous.

In New Jersey we are only supposed to camp in designated areas near shelters which is a pain in the butt, so we stopped Mashipacong Shelter around 6:30pm and found a spot to camp amongst a few other tents.  We may not always observe this rule!

Appalachian Trail - Day 083 - Delaware Water Gap to Fairview Lake View

Day: 083

Date: Sunday, 16 July 2023

Start:  Delaware Water Gap (AT Mile 1296.9)

Finish:  Fairview Lake View (AT Mile 1313.6)

Daily Kilometres:  27.6 (Ascent 2657', Descent 1532')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2207.8

Weather:  Very warm and humid, overcast and gloomy with occasional light rain.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Breakfast sandwiches 

  Lunch:  BLT sandwiches 

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals 

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles and a couple of falls; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  Probably our wildlife sightings.  While negotiating the rocks bordering Sunfish Pond we came on two different snakes very close to each other and beautifully marked.  We think one was a Northern water snake and the other was a rattlesnake which was not in a hurry to get out of our way despite the rocks around him being banged repeatedly by Dave's trekking pole.  In the end it got off to the side enough for us to get by and showed no hostility.  The other sighting was a beaver patrolling his beaver pond quite close to shore though we could really only see the snout.

Lowlight:  Still plenty of rocks on the trail today, and many of them exceptionally slippery, making progress slow and tedious for long stretches.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We slept in until 7:00am then packed,  checked out of our motel, and walked down to the town bakery arriving soon after it opened at 8:00.  We bought some breakfast sandwiches to eat on the tables outside and some sandwiches to take with us for lunch.  While we ate breakfast we chatted with the father and daughter thru-hikers we had met a few days ago on the trail.  They hadn't enjoyed their stay at the crowded hostel in town.

Soon after 9:00am on a very gloomy morning we rejoined the trail at the eastern end of town and followed it onto the long bridge across the Delaware River which also carried the freeway and a lot of traffic noise.

Once across the bridge we entered the Delaware Gap National Recreation Area and a trail which followed Dunnfield Creek upstream.  It had rained very heavily in the early morning hours and everywhere was wet and the stream was a loud torrent of white water.  Tributaries were also overflowing and the trail was often a stream itself.  It was impossible to dodge the water so Julie's feet were soon very wet while Dave, with his Goretex boots, remained relatively dry though the water was often almost deep enough to flow into his boots over the top.

The trail was also rocky again, so we haven't quite left the Pennsylvanian rocks behind us even though we crossed into New Jersey as we crossed the Delaware.  The humidity was high and it was sweaty walking as well.  We had hoped for easier walking today but it did become a bit of a slog.

After about six miles we reached the pretty Sunfish Pond and hiked along its very rocky and slippery northern shore encountering a couple of snakes along the way (see above).  Shortly after we took our lunch break and then had a very slow rocky walk following a ridge to the north-east.  It took us about four hours to cover seven miles, which was disappointing, though there were often good views eastwards over the rural valley below and more distant mountains from slippery rock ledges the trail followed.

We took our last break at a fire tower on the ridge which had an adjacent picnic table and then walked our last four miles collecting water for camping along the way.  We found a nice spot on the ridge, marred only by prolific mosquitoes, at 7:00pm and camped.  Didn't see many hikers at all today, which surprised us given the number who had been in town, but that's OK.  It's nice to have the trail to ourselves.  We also passed the 1300 Mile mark today, which gave us a boost.

Appalachian Trail - Day 082 - Delaware Water Gap Day Off

Day: 082

Date: Saturday, 15 July 2023

Start:  Delaware Water Gap (AT Mile 1296.9)

Finish:  Delaware Water Gap (AT Mile 1296.9)

Daily Kilometres:  0

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos from her walk around town today.

Total Kilometres:  2180.2

Weather:  Mostly overcast, very warm and humid with a late shower.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Breakfast sandwich on sourdough, choc chip muffins.

  Lunch:  Chicken salad sandwiches & fries.

  Dinner:  Pizza, apple crumble & ice cream.

Aches:  Nothing to report.

Highlight:  None really.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: No pictures today.

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We slept in and bought a late breakfast from the Dunkin Donuts next to the motel.  Rarely seen such grumpy staff!

We then finished planning our tentative schedule for the next couple of weeks and Julie went and purchased what we need for the next few days from the few local stores (not many in Delaware Water Gap), buying some lunch for us on her way back to the.motel.

Julie went for a walk around town after lunch, catching up with a few more of the thru-hikers we know, then we relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.

Later we got some takeout pizza for dinner.  Thunderstorms and heavy rain forecast for tomorrow morning when we go back on the trail!

Appalachian Trail - Day 081 - Wolf Rocks to Delaware Water Gap

Day: 081

Date: Friday, 14 July 2023

Start:  Wolf Rocks (AT Mile 1287.7)

Finish:  Delaware Water Gap (AT Mile 1296.9)

Daily Kilometres:  16.0 (Ascent 735', Descent 1916')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2180.2

Weather:  Very warm and humid, partly sunny with thunderstorms in the morning and evening.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts 

  Lunch:  Hot dogs, apple pies

  Dinner:  BBQ mess/mix, apple crumble & ice cream.

Aches:  Dave - sore shoulder; Julie - nothing to report.

Highlight:  Finishing Pennsylvania! When we arrived in Delaware Water Gap, the last town in Pennsylvania, and adjourned to its renowned bakery for a celebratory lunch we were soon sharing the joy with a bunch of very happy fellow thru-hikers.  The worst of the rocky trails are behind us, hopefully.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

The forecast pre-dawn thunderstorms did not eventuate and we packed up camp under leaden skies and were on our way before 6:30am.  The trail was soon to cross Wolf Rocks, which were supposed to be difficult, especially when wet, and infested with rattlesnakes.  However, there was a bypass route and Dave decided he would take that and leave Julie to contend with the slippery rocks and snakes, with the plan to meet her when the two trails rejoined a mile later.

About five minutes after we went our separate ways it began raining and soon became torrential.  We were so glad we hadn't left packing up camp any later, as others camped near us had done.  Julie survived the challenges of Wolf Rocks and we met up as planned.  We then continued on along the still often rocky trail under such thick cloud it was quite dark in the dank forest.

We now only had about eight miles to go to reach Delaware Water Gap which marked the end of Pennsylvania and where we had a motel booked for two nights.  The time seemed to pass slowly as we followed the ridge towards town, though we did get some good views here and there.  The often technical and slippery descent from the ridge, with occasional great views of the Delaware River carving its way through the narrow Gap, was also marked by loud traffic noise from the freeway far below.

Eventually we reached the very pretty 200+ year old small town and made our way to the bakery we had heard about for an early lunch which we ate on the tables outside with a bunch of other happy thru-hikers.  We stayed there for a couple of hours since we had been told we couldn't get early check-in to our motel then did wander up to the motel soon after 2:00.and got our room without trouble.

After showers, laundry and some trip planning, we went to a nearby BBQ Smokehouse for dinner which was good.  As were getting ready to leave, a massive thunderstorm arrived with torrential rain and soon the parking lot was flooded and water was coming under the door into the restaurant.  We stayed on higher ground until the rain stopped and water receded a little before returning to our motel, looking forward to a day off tomorrow.

Appalachian Trail - Day 080 - Blue Mountain Resort to Wolf Rocks

Day: 080

Date: Thursday, 13 July 2023

Start:  Blue Mountain Resort (AT Mile 1267.0)

Finish:  Wolf Rocks (AT Mile 1287.7)

Daily Kilometres:  34.2 (Ascent 2096', Descent 1864')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2164.2

Weather:  Hot, humid and partly cloudy.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts, beans & vege sausage

  Lunch:  Trail mix

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals 

Aches:  Dave - a few niggles and sore feet; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  It's Julie's birthday today and when I mentioned it to some fellow thru-hikers we had come to know and one of their supporters, Merlin, when we met them at a road crossing where we planned to take our breakfast break, the latter disappeared into his van and reappeared with a small packet of Oreos as a birthday cake.  Merlin had already cooked us some beans and sausage to augment our pop tarts.  It was at least a good start to Julie's birthday.

Lowlight:  Sadly, for Julie's birthday, this was, perhaps, the most tiresome day's hiking we have had.  It was almost 20 miles of non-stop Pennsylvanian jagged rocks underfoot, making every step hard work in very warm conditions, with very little in the way of views or other points of interest.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Our night passed peacefully with no security patrols disturbing us on a campsite by the beginners ski slope at the Blue Mountain Resort.  Nevertheless, we packed up quietly and were on our way back to the trail by 6:30am with a beautiful sunrise to our backs.

Once on the trail we were again following the ridge of Blue Mountain to the north-east, with jagged edge rocks underfoot, hoping for the occasional break of some smooth trail.  Our pace was OK and we decided to take our first break at a road crossing after six miles.  You never know what you might find at a road crossing (trail magic?) but, in this case, we were at least hoping for a water dump so we could replenish our supplies post-breakfast.  As it turned out, there was a water dump, but also a group of thru-hikers, including some we knew reasonably well.  It was a very social breakfast and we got some extra food (see above).

All the hikers just want to get the Pennsylvanian rocks finished and even the cheeriest person on the trail, Julie, was occasionally complaining today.  The trail continued much the same for the next nine miles before we descended sharply to Wind Gap and a major road.  We decided to detour a quarter mile to a run-down motel reputed to be very friendly to hikers to get some water and cold drinks and found many of the same hikers we had met at breakfast there as well.  More socialising.

The last six miles of the day involved a sweaty climb back up onto Blue Mountain and then interminable rocks until we camped.  Julie went on ahead with a mile to go to get water from a spring and with just a quarter mile to go, Dave saw a large bear about 50 yards off the trail which immediately turned tail and ran off.  Maybe our bear barrels will earn their keep tonight!

Our birthday dinner (same dinner as usual) was spoiled by hordes of mosquitoes so after a wash we ate quickly and retired to the tent.

Appalachian Trail - Day 079 - PA Route 309 to Blue Mountain Resort

Day: 079

Date: Wednesday, 12 July 2023

Start:  PA Route 309 (AT Mile 1246.6)

Finish:  Blue Mountain Resort (AT Mile 1267.0)

Daily Kilometres:  33.2 (Ascent 2881', Descent 2874')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2130.0

Weather:  Hot and mostly sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pancakes

  Lunch:  Trail Mix

  Dinner:  Nachos/Chicken Quesadilla 

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles plus some scratches and bruises from a fall and very tired; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  Making Blue Mountain Resort in time to have dinner at their pub and grill.  It's a ski resort, but the pub was doing very good business when we arrived around 7:30pm with many people dining on its large deck overlooking the valley far below.  The cold drinks were almost as welcome as the food after a long hot day.

Lowlight:  The last hour or so of hiking was not pretty.  Firstly, there was some newly relocated trail which seemed designed to take hikers off the obvious firetrail going to the same place and send them through the forest on gnarly rocky trail.  This was followed by a very steep and sweaty boulder-scrambling ascent while being drained of blood by squadrons of voracious mosquitoes.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We slept well, woke at 6:00am and Julie cooked us some pancakes for breakfast on the hostel kitchen while we chatted with other early risers including a father hiking the trail with his daughter who had just graduated from high school.

It was 7:20am by the time we left the hostel to walk the few hundred yards back to the trail, which was a little later than hoped, but not too bad.  Initially the trail was easy walking but soon we were boulder-scrambling across the Knife's Edge and Bear Rocks, making very slow progress.  On the plus side, the views were excellent.

We took our first break after about six miles at a shelter where several other thru-hikers were talking about getting to the pub at Blue Mountain Resort for dinner which wasn't something we knew about.  After consulting our navigation app we confirmed that the pub was indeed close to the trail and about fourteen miles ahead which was roughly our target distance for the day anyway.  Of course, we didn't know how difficult the trail would be, though we did know of one significant climb to come out of Lehigh Gap.

There was a new trail relocation in the next section which took us out into the open and high along the side of the ridge with great views to the north and west over the rural countryside and small towns while, overhead, eagles rode the air currents.  Out from the forest it was hot and sweaty hiking but it was nice and unusual to have views for so long a period.

We took our lunch break around 2:00pm after a slow section during which Julie saw a bear on the trail ahead, but it ran off before any photos could be taken or Dave arrived.  There were seven miles remaining to the Resort which seemed doable in the time remaining, but depended on how difficult the trail was.  Firstly, we finished our descent to Lehigh Gap and crossed the river, chatting to people in one of the cars held up by traffic crossing the bridge.  Down on the river, people were rafting, which seemed a lot more sensible than hiking on a day like this.

As we started our ascent from the Gap, we found a freezer with water and watermelon left out for thru-hikers, and were helping ourselves as the "trail angel" arrived to pack it all up for the day.  This was the second time today we had found water left for hikers on the trail on this notoriously dry section.  The "trail angel" apologised for how little was left, but we were happy.

The climb was very steep, the steepest yet in our hike, and required the use of hands to haul ourselves up the rock faces.  Then we had to ascend through boulder fields before we reached the ridge top.  Overhead, buzzards circled, waiting for one of us (probably Dave) to fall.

Once on the ridge we had a long walk on sometimes rocky trail which seemed to take forever with some maddening relocations (see above).  By this time Dave was getting very tired and our journey became a plod, made worse by a very steep final ascent (see above).

Eventually, we reached the turn-off to the Resort and got to the pub at 7:30pm.  It seemed surreal sitting there enjoying our meal and drinks amongst people having a night out (see above).

Of course, it was getting dark by the time we left the pub and began our walk up past the beginners ski slope and back towards the forest.  On the way, Dave spotted a small inconspicuous grassy area where we decided to camp, hopefully out of sight and not breaking any laws.

As we were setting up our tent some other thru-hikers passed on their way back to the forest and said that there was a security patrol at the resort and "good luck!".  We decided to stay put and quietly, with no lights, set up, washed, and got into bed, hoping we don't get any nocturnal visitors.

Appalachian Trail - Day 078 - The Pinnacle to PA Route 309

Day: 078

Date: Tuesday, 11 July 2023

Start:  The Pinnacle (AT Mile 1229.3)

Finish:  PA Route 309 (AT Mile 1246.6)

Daily Kilometres:  28.2 (Ascent 1988', Descent 2205')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2096.8

Weather:  Warm, sunny and humid.

Accommodation:  Hostel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts

  Lunch:  New York subs, watermelon.

  Dinner:  Sweet & sour pork & rice, ice-cream.

Aches:  Dave - a few niggles, sore feet and very tired; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  It was a nice surprise to get some excellent "trail magic" - treats supplied to thru-hikers by volunteer "trail angels" - near the end of a hot and hard work day, even though we only had a couple of miles to go to our booked hostel.  We had an excellent New York sub, along with cold drinks and other goodies.

Lowlight:  Again, the Pennsylvanian rocks! Not just the seemingly never-ending jagged rocks to negotiate along the trail, but also massive boulder fields that had to be crossed.  All of the thru-hikers we met during the day were totally over the rocks and just focussed on getting Pennsylvania finished.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Not knowing what the terrain would be like, even though we only had 17.5 miles to our booked hostel for tonight, we got up at 5:30am and were hiking by 6:30am.  Ideally, we wanted to get to the hostel in time to shower and do a load of laundry.

Almost immediately we started hiking we encountered more slow technical rocky trail which seemed a bad omen, but it didn't last long and soon we reached The Pinnacle which gave fantastic views over the rural valleys below in the early morning light, as a reward.

After that, we had a long downhill run on trail that was relatively good and took our breakfast break by a stream in a damp and gloomy valley.

Then began a long climb up onto our next ridge and when we reached the top we were greeted by some unexpectedly reasonable trail through some lovely sunlit forest, but it didn't last (although the forest remained beautiful).  Soon we were clambering over boulders or picking our way carefully through jagged rocks at no more than one mile per hour.  At least there were some good views from Dan's Pulpit at the top of one rocky outcrop.  We met a few other thru-hikers along the ridge and all were complaining about the terrain.  It was a lot of hard work and tough on the feet with few rewards.

We took our lunch break around 12:30pm after about 11 miles and then set out for the last stretch to the hostel.  It was very slow going for the first couple of miles but then the trail improved a little and our speed picked up.  We were on schedule to reach the hostel at about 4:15pm but, when we reached a road crossing, there was some trail magic happening (see above) and we took a half hour break to eat, drink and chat.  Very pleasant and always a boost to the spirits.

Eventually we reached the hostel at 4:45pm and found it very busy.  It's not big, with one private room, which we had booked, and six bunks, but hikers can camp outside.  In total, there are about 16-20 hikers here, some of whom we have met before along the trail.  The entire place is run on an honesty basis, with no manager present.  Just a price list on the wall, a code to get in if you have booked, and a small store and fridge with prices posted.  You are expected to keep a tally of what you purchase and leave cash in a cash box or pay by bank transfer.

The hostel is perched high on a mountain with magnificent views over rural Pennsylvania, and we thoroughly enjoyed our delivered Chinese food sitting outside at a picnic table admiring the view on a balmy evening.

There's only one shower and one toilet, so the place is going to be a zoo in the morning and we will try to make an early start.  Even worse rocks are forecast for tomorrow on what will be a hot day.  Fun!

Appalachian Trail - Day 077 - Black Swatara Creek Campsite to The Pinnacle

Day: 077

Date: Monday, 10 July 2023

Start:  Black Swatara Creek Campsite (AT Mile 1206.8)

Finish:  The Pinnacle (AT Mile 1229.3)

Daily Kilometres:  39.6 (Ascent 3187', Descent 3245')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2068.6

Weather:  Mild and overcast in the morning, warm, sunny and humid in the afternoon.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts

  Lunch:  Dried fruit & chocolates 

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals 

Aches:  Dave - a few niggles and very tired; Julie - nothing to report.

Highlight:  Our visit to the candy store in Port Clinton for lunch was special.  There's not much to the town of Port Clinton and few places to get food, especially since the only hotel in town insists that hikers shower before they are allowed into their bar/restaurant.  The candy shop sold cold drinks which were, of course, very welcome, but also a vast array of candy of all sorts.  It took us a while to make up our minds, but we ended up with some exotic dried fruit, chocolate and fudge.  It was more than we could eat, so we have added to the weight in our packs.

Lowlight:  There seemed to be a sadistic element to the trail planning along some of the trail today.  Although there were places where the trail paralleled little used, or unused, forest roads and fire trails which offered easier walking, the trail instead seemed to seek out the rockiest route it could find.  Three miles on the trail took us nearly two hours when we could have walked the same distance along the the firetrail in less than an hour and probably have seen more.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We woke at 5:30am and reluctantly put on all our wet clothes and shoes on a mild morning and were hiking by 6:30am.  We are booked into a hostel tomorrow night and it is 40 miles away so our plan was to reduce that distance by half by the end of the day and more if we could.

Sadly, this proved tougher than we had hoped.  The Pennsylvanian rocks were the culprit.  We did manage our first 6.5 miles to our breakfast break, the distance chosen because it was halfway to our planned lunch stop at Port Clinton, in three hours, which wasn't bad given much of the trail was extremely rocky and slow.  However, the second 6.5 miles to Port Clinton was even tougher, with a very steep descent at the end and it took over 3.5 hours with Dave looking totally exhausted.  The forest was pleasant and we did see a few deer, but most of the time our eyes were glued to where we were going to place our foot next.  Tiring and tiresome.

Port Clinton lies at the entrance to a gap in the mountains through which flows the Schuylkill River, several roads and several railway lines, the latter of which we had to carefully cross.  We made our way to the candy store for lunch (see above), wishing we had more time but did enjoy our treats sitting on a bench watching the world go by.

After lunch, we followed the river for a while before steeply ascending to another ridge on what was now a warm and sunny day.  Our (Dave's) pace was slow and it didn't look like we were going to get as far as hoped, but we plodded along, collected some water at the last opportunity, and began looking for somewhere to camp around 6:00pm, with 20 miles under our belt, as we began the ascent to Pulpit Rock.  We couldn't find a spot on the way up, but did enjoy some fantastic evening views from the rock before continuing on.

We didn't find a tent site until 8:00pm, much later then we would have liked and were very late to bed.

Appalachian Trail - Day 076 - Green Point to Black Swatara Creek Campsite

Day: 076

Date: Sunday, 09 July 2023

Start:  Green Point (AT Mile 1183.5)

Finish:  Black Swatara Creek Campsite (AT Mile 1206.8)

Daily Kilometres:  38.6 (Ascent 3406', Descent 2352')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  2029.0

Weather:  Warm and overcast in the morning, thunderstorms and rain most of the afternoon.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Egg, cheese & sausage bagels, hash browns.

  Lunch:  Ham & cheese roll, Trail mix

  Dinner:  Trail mix

Aches:  Dave - some niggles; Julie - nothing to report 

Highlight:  It stopped raining in the late afternoon so we didn't have to set up camp in the rain as feared.

Lowlight:  We both got very wet in the afternoon as thunderstorms passed through and it rained continuously for about five hours, often torrentially.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

As we left our motel room at 6:30am, Dave said that if we were smart we would have booked in for another night given the weather warnings we had just seen on the morning TV news - severe thunderstorms, tropical downpours and flash flooding for most of the day in eastern Pennsylvania.  Of course, we weren't smart, so headed back to the trail with the shuttle driver we had booked and were hiking by 6:45am on a muggy overcast morning.

After crossing Swatara Gap and passing under the freeway we climbed steeply up onto Blue Mountain ridge which we followed for the rest of the day.  Although there were some slow rocky sections, as expected in Pennsylvania, there were also long sections of easy and pleasant fern-carpeted forest walking that was relatively flat.

As the morning progressed, almost continuous thunder could be heard to our east and we did get some light rain.  Despite the weather, there were occasional good views to the east and we took our first break at one of them after six miles.

By the time we took our lunch break six miles later the rain had started to set in and thunder was rolling constantly.  Then the rain got heavier and the trail became much rockier and wetter and hiking was not much fun.  We started to regret not staying at the motel as before long we were very wet, particularly our feet.

We were going to have our afternoon break at another lookout, but there were no views and the rain was too heavy so we just kept going.  The next couple of hours were even more miserable as the trail turned into a stream with massive puddles and the rain continued.

Then, around 5:30pm, the rain eased and then stopped and our spirits lifted a little.  We walked another hour and a half, hoping our clothes would dry out a somewhat and that it wouldn't start raining again and eventually set up camp by the trail.  

Given we were wet and a little cold we decided to just set up the tent, get out of our wet clothes and into some dry ones and eat a cold dinner in the tent.  Eating in your tent is a "no no" in bear country but we decided to take our chances tonight.

We passed 1200 miles today. Less than 1000 to go!

Appalachian Trail - Day 075 - Day Off in Pine Grove

Day: 075

Date: Saturday, 08 July 2023

Start:  Green Point (AT Mile 1183.5) but staying at Pine Grove.

Finish:  Green Point (AT Mile 1183.5) but staying at Pine Grove.

Daily Kilometres:  0

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos from her jog/walk around Pine Grove today.

Total Kilometres:  1990.4

Weather:  Mostly overcast and very warm and humid.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Cereal, waffles, toasted bagels and jam.

  Lunch:  Hot dogs

  Dinner:  Meatloaf & veges, ice-cream 

Aches:  Nothing to report 

Highlight:  None really.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: No pictures today.

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We slept late, but not too late to make full use of the motel's complementary buffet continental breakfast.

Dave then had a very lazy day catching up on correspondence and admin with movies on the TV in the background.

As usual, Julie was like a caged lioness when confined to a motel room and ventured out for walks/jogs in both the morning and afternoon on local trails.

Dave did the laundry in the afternoon and we had an early dinner at a nearby diner, anticipating an early start tomorrow.

Appalachian Trail - Day 074 - Clarks Valley Road to Green Point

Day: 074

Date: Friday, 07 July 2023

Start:  Clarks Valley Road (AT Mile 1167.3)

Finish:  Green Point (AT Mile 1183.5) but staying at Pine Grove.

Daily Kilometres:  26.5

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  1990.4

Weather:  Partly sunny, very warm and very humid, with some rain later in the day.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts 

  Lunch:  Trail mix 

  Dinner:  Cheeseburgers and fries, ice-creams

Aches:  Dave - a few niggles and very tired; Julie - nothing to report.

Highlight:  None really.

Lowlight:  Dave was struggling during the morning, though we covered the usual distance.  He felt very tired with a low-grade headache and was finding the hiking hard work.  Maybe it was the continuing heat and humidity and/or cumulative fatigue from the last six days hiking but, whatever the reason, we decided at our lunch break to find a way off the trail in the afternoon for an unscheduled day off tomorrow.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We woke at 5:30am and were hiking by 6:30am after a warm and humid night.  More heat and humidity was forecast for the day with the chance of thunderstorms and heavy rain showers in the afternoon.

We started by crossing the valley floor and Clark Creek along which we could see a number of hikers camped, though apparently it is prohibited there.  Then there was a steady climb up onto the long ridge of Stony Mountain.  It wasn't that steep, but it was warm, despite the hour.  The trail was rocky for long sections, as was the case all day, jmeaning you had to constantly watch your foot placement, but it wasn't bad enough to significantly slow us down.

It was the same story once we reached the crest of the ridge and followed it to the north-east, but Dave was finding it hard work.  There were no views with the trail staying in the green tunnel - sometimes forest and other times rhododendron and mountain laurel groves.  We did see quite a few thru-hikers, all moving faster than us, but probably walking shorter hours since we have seen some of them before.

Our breakfast break at 9:00am didn't do much to revive Dave's spirits and the next six miles seemed to pass very slowly for him.  Originally, we had thought we would hike every day for the next week to reach the end of Pennsylvania without a day off but, with Dave feeling exhausted after six days of heat and humidity and a steady mileage, we rethought our plans at our lunch break and decided to see whether we could organise a day off tomorrow.

Without phone coverage, we couldn't explore our options for another hour or so until we reached the top of our next ridge, Second Mountain, having had to first cross an old beaver dam that had turned Stony Creek into a swamp replete with many croaking frogs.

From the ridge we booked a motel by a freeway interchange at Pine Grove which we could reach via PA Route 443, a couple of miles ahead.  Uber seemed to be available, if necessary.  However, when we reached the road we decided to try hitch-hiking for a while before trying Uber and within minutes a pickup truck which had already passed us returned and the driver offered us a lift to our motel.  There was only room for one of us in the cab, so Julie rode in the tray with our packs.  The driver, an electrician returning home from work, was a really nice guy who was very interested in our hike and peppered Dave with questions all the way to our motel.  Hopefully we have encouraged him to hike some (or all) of the trail himself.  He seemed keen.

It began to rain before we reached the motel but, fortunately for Julie in the tray, not too much.  We reached the motel at 3:30pm and checked in for two nights.  Later we bought dinner from the adjacent McDonalds and are looking forward to an early night.

Appalachian Trail - Day 073 - Duncannon to Clarks Valley Road

Day: 067

Date: Thursday, 06 July 2023

Start:  Duncannon (AT Mile 1149.5)

Finish:  Clarks Valley Road (AT Mile 1167.3)

Daily Kilometres:  30.0 (Ascent 2667', Descent 2313')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  1963.9

Weather:  Hot sunny and humid with a rain shower late afternoon.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Breakfast hash, toast & jam/Omelette, hash browns, toast & jam.

  Lunch:  All American sub

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals 

Aches:  Dave - a few niggles; Julie - nothing to report.

Highlight:  Unusually, the late afternoon rain shower was very welcome on a hot and humid day.  We got a bit wet, but it cooled us down.

Lowlight:  Heat and humidity made it a very sweaty day for hiking.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We had a lazy start to the day, getting up later than usual then having breakfast at diner across the road from the hotel.  Dave then had some last minute admin requiring attention so it was 9:00am before we began the long walk out of Duncannon on what was already a very warm day.

Knowing that water was going to be hard to get for most of the day, we bought plenty of drinks to take with us, then a few more on the way out of town which we drank before beginning the big climb away from the impressive Susquehanna River.  The extra fluids added to the heavy weight of our packs already loaded with 4-5 days of food, and we were not looking forward to the climb to the Peter's Mountain ridge.

Then, when we got to the ridgetop, we found that the trail followed the narrow rocky/bouldery spine of the ridge for a mile which took the best part of an hour.  It looked like being a long day.  Fortunately, the trail became a little easier after that, though still very rocky, and we took our lunch break a little before noon in a nice clearing in the ridgetop forest having only done about five miles.

After lunch we continued on, saturated with sweat, even though the ridge was relatively flat, and were very happy to find a "trail angel" dispensing cold drinks and snacks to some very grateful thru-hikers at a road crossing.  We inhaled a couple of cans of drink and chatted for a while before continuing on, knowing we still had nine miles to go before reaching a spring where we hoped to camp.

The rest of the afternoon was spent following the ridge on slow trail in energy-sapping heat, relieved somewhat by a late afternoon rain shower.

Finally, the ridge ended and we descended until we reached the spring and our planned campsite at 7:00pm.  We both enjoyed a bit of a wash in the cold spring water before eating dinner and retiring to our very warm tent.

Appalachian Trail - Day 072 - Middlesex to Duncannon

Day: 072

Date: Wednesday, 05 July 2023

Start:  Middlesex (AT Mile 1132.2)

Finish:  Duncannon (AT Mile 1149.5)

:  29.1 (Ascent 2372', Descent 2484')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  1933.9

Weather:  Sunny and very warm and humid.

Accommodation:  Hotel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Cereal, toast & jam, waffles.  Later, ice-cream as well.

  Lunch:  Ham & cheese sandwiches 

  Dinner:  Gourmet pizza & fries/Doyle burger & fries, apple pie & rice pudding.

Aches:  Dave - a few niggles; Julie - nothing to report.

Highlight:  After we had been hiking for about 30 minutes this morning, having eaten our fill at the motel's continental breakfast (certainly quantity over quality), and as we passed a small farm gate store, we saw a young Mennonite boy (~10yo) coming flying up the driveway from his farmhouse on his bike and throw open the doors of the store and rush to stand behind the counter.  How could we resist?  Even though it was only 7:15am and we had just had breakfast, we bought and ate some of the homemade ice-cream (made by his sister) on the picnic table outside in the early morning sunshine. Later, his father drove up from the farm to deliver more fresh produce to the store accompanied by two other brothers, all dressed the same.  

Lowlight:  Not just a lowlight for today, but especially bad today, are the little gnats which fly right in front of your sweaty eyes as you walk along in the heat and humidity just waiting for their opportunity to land in your eye.  About the only way to get rid of them is to close your eye and slap yourself across the eye in the hope that you will crush the offending gnat(s).  Of course others immediately take its place.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We woke in time to arrive at the motel's continental breakfast at 6:00am when it opened.  It wasn't a particularly enticing spread, but we ate and drank our fill anyway, before returning to our room and then leaving to start hiking at 6:45am.

Initially, we had to walk along the very busy road (it was near a freeway interchange and there were vast trucking/transport yards) for 0.5 miles back to the trail but, once there, we were soon traversing rural countryside again though we could still hear the traffic noise.

After 30 minutes we emerged on to a road and passed a farm gate store where we decided to have a second breakfast (see above).  We really didn't want to lose another half hour, but the opportunity was too good to miss.

On resuming our hike, the trail paralleled the road through the farm country before following a creek downstream until we reached a point where the trail began to climb up to a ridge.  It was hot sweaty work, rewarded with a break near the top seated on a bench created from slabs of stone by the trail maintainers with a commanding view.

After a descent, we crossed another rural valley before a long climb up onto the Cove Mountain ridge.  We stopped at a viewpoint there and met three volunteer trail maintainers from the Maryland Appalachian Club whose clearing work we had observed on our way up and had a chat.

We had our lunch break in the woods atop the ridge shortly afterwards and then walked our last stretch of the day on a now very rocky trail (Pennsylvania is famous for its rocky Appalachian Trail).  We stopped at the Hawk Rock overlook which had a fine view over Duncannon and the Susquehanna River as well as to the west and southwest.  Then it was a long and steep descent to Duncannon where we followed the trail through town, picking up some cold drinks on the way, to our accommodation at the historic Doyle Hotel.

After checking in and showers, Julie went out in search of supplies for the next five days while Dave visited the nearby laundromat to do our laundry.  Later we had a nice dinner at the hotel.  We didn't see any thru-hikers on the trail today, but there were several at the bar.  This is the same hotel where Dave stayed when hiking the trail in 1986, though it has been renovated.