Days 36-38 Massachusetts

The mileage for each day respectively was 24, 33, 20.  I am writing this on the evening of day 38 (8/30/14). Massachusetts has been gorgeous and hiking through the Berkshires has been incredible.  The weather has been phenomenal but tomorrow that is supposed to end with a storm system moving in for a couple days.  I really enjoy how the AT in Massachusetts goes through the valleys in some parts.  There are many flowery meadows and farmer fields that the AT goes through which I really enjoy seeing.  I will upload photos but will not comment on them for a while nor will there be a blog update for a few more days at least.  I got to keep pushing and save cell battery as long as I can.  This section is very expensive and there are no hostels so I am just trying to keep grinding out miles until Pennsylvania.  I think I will have to get a motel room in about 140 miles in New York though.  I am at mile 676 right now.

Day 34-35: Leaving Vermont

On both these days I did over 30 miles a day.  I crossed the Vermont/Mass border around 5:30 pm on day 35 which was August 27th.  Vermont was an absolutely beautiful state and although it is muddy I had a great time.  I cowboy camped for the first time in my life on top of some peak going up Mt. Greylock which had an incredible view of the town of North Adams and surrounding mountains.  It was absolutely beautiful and one of those memories i hope to remember for a long time.  Tomorrow I get my new shoes in Cheshire so that is exciting.

Status Update on My Feet

What a lovely subject to talk about right? The first thing is the constant slight numbness/tingling in my feet. That is something a lot of AT thru hikers get from what I have read on the subject. There are nerves that run along the bottom of the feet that when pounded on constantly like during a thru hike they lose sensitivity so your feet feel numb all the time and they tingle. From what I understand it will take a few weeks to 6 months for the numbness/tingling to go away after I am done with this journey. I do use very cushioned aftermarket insoles that also have plenty of support so I am not sure if there is anything I can do in regards to this matter. This sensation doesn't really bother me or affect my hiking at all so I am not concerned. The second issue is that every thru hiker on the AT gets swollen feet that is guaranteed. Basically they look like somebody that is developing diabetes... that kind of swelling. Accompany that with the very wet trail conditions I have had so far and constant pounding on the rocks/roots/mud my feet have started to deteriorate. I have always been blessed with very tough feet; I rarely get a blister and have incredibly tough pads on the bottom of my feet. The biggest issue right now is my pads have started to disappear leaving me with very soft skin rather than tough skin in some spots on my feet bottoms. The next issue is the soft skin on the sides/top/ankle areas of my feet are being rubbed raw. There is slight red blotchy discoloration in some areas as well as splitting of the skin in a couple areas on my ankles. The splits are all scabbed over and healing which I am grateful for. My main concern at this point is if the skin were to split on my pads or heels of my feet. It hasn't happened yet but I am trying to be very careful to make sure it doesn't happen. My feet have been my top priority to take care of from day 1. I do my very best to keep them dry which is easy at night all I have to do is apply gold bond powder and they are dry. But during the day on all but a handful of days so far the trail has been sopping wet. Changing socks while hiking hasn't been of any point thus far because they would be soaking wet within a few minutes. Even all the days I have had nice weather the trail is usually wet due to how much rain has been falling each time it rains. Things so far just do not dry out when hiking. I do wear toe sock liners which are very helpful at preventing foot chafing and I wear Merino Wool padded hiking socks. I also wear trail runners which dry quicker than boots but they still are never dry unless I can leave them in the baking sun for half a day. Yes, I do cinch my laces down snugly but not too tight. One thing I have noticed is that on days where my feet are dry when hiking I don't develop issues its only on days where they are soaking wet which is most days. The zero day I took today in Manchester Center, Vermont has really helped so far and they feel so much better. Fortunately the weather is supposed to get dryer and dryer as I head southward more. Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont have a reputation from what I hear to be wetter than a lot of other AT states so I hope that stays true. I know this is off subject but a good resource if you want to read about each state I am traveling through and see how it ranks in difficulty level in comparison to other states go to http://www.appalachiantrail.org/about-the-trail/terrain-by-state then click on the tab on the left for the state you want to look at.

Day 33: Zeroing in Manchester Center, VT

Today is 8/25/14.  My mind wants to keep pushing on to Georgia but it cannot get there without my feet which I have to respect.  Looking at the guidebook I have I do not see any hostels for the next couple hundred miles at least.  So if I have to stay anywhere anytime soon it would be an expensive motel/hotel.  Paying 25 bucks for another night at such an awesome place like Green Mountain House is worth it to me if it helps me avoid paying 70+ bucks somewhere else sometime soon.  The Serta beds here are so comfortable too.  I sat down this morning with a cup of coffee and actually watched the morning news.  Dang the world is screwed up and here on the trail my biggest concern is my feet.  Sure is a whole nother lifestyle on the AT.  The weather is supposed to be nice for the next 5-6 days so giving the state of Vermud another day to dry out before i hit the trail again should help me keep my feet dry after i leave tomorrow.  I should be in Massachusetts after 3 days more of hiking.  Ohhh yeah to answer the comments about my weight.  I officially weigh more than when I started.  I am around 161 lbs and I started at 159 lbs.  Granted most of that is muscle buildup in my legs since I originally lost a lot of fat weight.  Since Gorham and the White's which i got to eat a lot I did gain a few pounds of fat on my belly.  Wooohoo i have a little bit of a gut again!  It actually helps because my hip belt on my pack doesn't have to be cinched down all the way any more.  I did lose about 1lb fat when i ran out of food the past two days.  I am nonstop eating right now though to help gain more weight.  Looking at my diet, the amount of hours I hike, and how I push myself hard I am burning approximately 5500 calories a day on average.

Lessons from the trail: What to do when hiking

So what do i do with myself all day long when hiking?  That is a question everyone asks me.  Number one is I pray.  I pray dozens of times throughout the day for anything I can think of that would pop in my head.  Number two is I think.  This is what takes up the most time.  I would need a printer with 10,000 sheets of paper in it to jot down all i think about every day. Number 3 is I listen to music and even sing with it sometimes.  This is very important to most of us thru hikers the music is.  I personally listen to a lot of real country music like Patsy Cline, Hank Williams  Sr., George Jones, Tracy Lawrence, Chris Ledoux, Loretta Lynn, etc.  If you know me you know I am tone death.  So imagine me flying down the trail lost in my thoughts singing along to Tracy Lawrence's song Texas Tornado.  Yeah its not a pretty sound and I get a lot of weird looks when I dont realize people are around.  I dont give a lick though. 

If there is one thing i enjoy the most its listening to the family life today free downloadable radio broadcasts they have.  My father grew up listening to Focus on the Family broadcasts and I have seen the man he became so ever since i was 16 when i drive my pickup truck to work, school, fishing, or whatever i would try to listen to some Christian radio broadcast so that one day i could try to be as great of a man and father he has been.  Family life today is the only one i know of that lets you download the broadcasts free and doesn't require data/reception to listen so whenever i get to a town i download more broadcasts so i can continue to grow as a man.  Lets face it i aint exactly going to church while hiking so between this and reading the bible i have on my phone every day thats as close to hearing some good preaching as i can get.  I hope that it is God's will and plan for my life to be a future husband and father and I want to do the very best i can to prepare for those days before/if they come.  I encourage everyone reading this to listen to those broadcasts.  If you listen and apply what they discuss to your life it will really strengthen your friendships, marriage relationship, relationship with you kids, and more. 

Day 32: Running on Fumes

I hardly had anything to eat today while hiking.  I underestimated my appetite when resupplying in Killington.  I am eating around 3lbs of food a day (not calorie wise but physical weight).  I did 16.5 miles to the road to get into Manchester Center, Vermont.  Louis, if you read this thank you once again for the hitch.  I apologize I smelt so bad in your car.  I made a reservation this morning at the Green Mountain House Hostel which i cannot say enough about.  I need to take the time to effectively clean and dry my feet, socks, and shoes before pushing on.  I may zero here tomorrow for my feets sake.  I resupplied on food in town today and ate at McDonalds!  This was the first time I have eaten fast food since I started hiking and boy does ordinary people food taste so much better when thru hiking.  The hostel then picked me up in town.  The owners are very nice and this is officially the cleanest,  nicest, and best value hostel I have seen thus far.  It even has actual serta bed mattresses and box springs!  No bunk bed tonight baby!  I could go on and on about this place but it would bore you. 

Day 31: Passed the 500 Mile Mark

31.4 miles that count hiked today.  But to do it I had to hike until 10:30pm.  Thats right, I headlamped it for 3 hours which was really cool.  At one point I passed a pond and you could see the mountains and stars reflecting on the water.  I had to stop for a second to take in the breathtaking scene.  That's one thing I like about being an outdoorsman is i see all these spectacular things you cant quite absorb if you weren't there.  It didn't rain at all today fortunately but was still wet from last nights rain as well as the previous days.  I hiked an additional .4 mile round trip up to the top of Mt. Killington to do some blog posts.  I dont think i ever mentioned that according to Paul (Ole Man) at the AT Lodge in Millinocket the average thru hiker will walk about 2500 miles in the entire journey even though the exact mileage for the trail is 2189 I think for 2014.  It makes sense due to all the extra miles i hike to viewpoints, around towns, to get water, trail detours, etc.  The reason I did 31 miles was because I dont have enough food to get to the next town.  I do not like hiking on an empty belly when I am burning 5000-6000 calories a day.  So I pushed it so I have less miles to do tomorrow when I am running on fumes.  Good news is today is day 2 of hiking with no wrapped up ankles.  They feel great now so thank you for your prayers.  Bad news is my feet cannot stay dry when hiking no matter what i have encountered so much rain/mud thusfar.  They have officially started to fall apart and are becoming painful.  I will do a post just on my feet they concern me that much.  Offical mileage total hiked as of where I am camped is 521.6 miles.

Day 30: August 22, 2014

Uhhh it was a torrential downpour all night long.  Thank God I was in a shelter because it rained about 3-5 inches last night easy.  Add that to rain all day yesterday and all day today and it was like walking through a swamp.  I only made 21 miles i think.  I did do a 1.5 mile roundtrip down a side trail into Killington, VT for a quick resupply and coffee but those miles dont count.  I am sleeping in a shelter again which is nice because it is supposed to keep raining tonight.  More trail magic today in the form of coolers with capri-sun juice and some candy.  I like Vermont a lot but I hope this rain ends...

Day 29: First full day of Vermont

Wow!  The green mountains of Vermont are beautiful.  Thats the easiest way to put it.  The trail here is constant up and downs but it is easy to me.  This morning at 10am there was a guy on his porch ringing a bell at me and waving so I walked over.  Turns out him and his wife are trail angels and cook breakfast for hikers for free (i still made a donation though).  So I got out of the rain and got to eat scrambled eggs, toast, cinnamon rolls, a banana, and coffee.  That really hit the spot.  In talking to them its funny there uncle has a house in Lakeland where I am from.  They and 5 of there friends  from Vermont all own houses in El Jobean and Port Charlotte!  Holy cow i fish there all the time.  They said I was the first hiker to ever know where El Jobean is.  We swapped contact info because they like fishing a lot down there a lot and I know the area like the back of my hand so we are gonna go fishing in their boat when they come down in January.  They knew it was going to rain all day and even offered me a spare bedroom to stay in if I wanted!  I declined because I wanted to make some miles but they are really nice people and I look forward to seeing them again.  Other than that I think I did like 25 miles so not a bad day. 

Lessons from the Trail: Logistics

So I knew before I came out here that there would be some logistics involved but it definitely surprised me how much really is involved.  If you are thinking about a long distance hike listen up.  I constantly have to think about how many miles I will be planning each day and try and figure out food resupplies as well as taking the time to charge my phone/battery pack.  Doing this blog also makes it much more difficult because I have to work around the weather and when i can get data.  Right now i am sitting on top of Mt. Killington freezing my butt off to do this.  But its worth it to me.  Another thing is gear failures.  My trekking pole snapped coming down Mt. Moosilauke so i got in touch with Black Diamond and they are sending me a replacement section free of charge but I had to take the time/effort to make that happen.  Same thing with my newest pair of shoes.  They started falling apart with under 100 miles on them so I contacted Merrell and told them the problem and that I am an AT thru hiker.  I just emailed them some pics from my phone and told them my location in 9 days and they had a brand new pair of shoes in the mail same day.  Thats pretty awesome customer service by both companies.  Having a smart phone has been really handy also.  Otherwise, I would be relying on public library computers.  There are a million other petty things I could talk about but I will leave that up to you to figure out for yourself.  Thru hiking kinda reminds me of painting... planning and prep work is 90 percent of the job and the other 10 percent is actually doing the work.

Funny Story

I heard this story from a NOBO section hiker yesterday.  At Dartmouth it is currently orientation week so all the freshman and there parents are everywhere.  Well the NOBO thru hiker bubble is currently around Hanover.  The bubble is a term used to refer to hundreds of NOBO thru hikers that all hike at the same relative pace in a giant group all within two weeks of each other.  Well behind the Dartmouth soccer fields is a large tenting area for hikers.  The day this section hiker I met was in Hanover he said there were about 40 tents set up and bearded, smelly, ugly thru hikers were everywhere.  The section hiker was in a restaurant and overheard a mother make a comment to her daughter  that she never knew there were so many homeless people in Hanover.  Hahahaha!  Its not what she thinks but I bet if I were paying for my kid to go to any Ivy league school I would have said the same thing.  Technically I am homeless now that I think about it.  I have no house, no trailer, no land, no apartment, no rv, and no camper.  I have a tent or use of the free lean-to's on the trail for a shelter and thats it.  I have a beard growing good, my hair is getting long which is annoying and I am wearing my buff like a skull cap, I reek, I am covered in dirt/grime, and I have a backpack.  What else do I need to look like the picturesque male homeless person?  Sorry, no shopping carts allowed on the AT.  I am not trying to be mean so please dont take this the wrong way.

Day 28: Entering Vermont

Today I did 25.8 miles; it was officially the easiest day on the trail yet.  I am running partway up and most of the way down mountains the terrain is so easy to me.  I slept on top of Smarts mtn last night and woke up to a beautiful sunrise.  I did a quick 6 miles to Bill Ackerly's place right on the trail.  He is an older gentleman that sells cokes for 50 cents, gives ice cream to hikers for free, free water, free croquet in his yard and free tenting also. he was still asleep when I got there but I bought a coke, grabbed an ice cream bar, and watched some NOBO's play croquet for half an hour.  At 4pm I got to Hanover, NH which is the first "trail town" that a SOBO comes across.  Basically a super hiker friendly town.  It also happens to be the home of Dartmouth College which is an Ivy league  school for those that didn't know.  The trail enters right behind the soccer fields and baseball stadium Dartmouth has and then goes for a 3-4 mile road walk through downtown Hanover and then crosses the New Hampshire/Vermont border on a bridge going over the Connecticut River.  The trail then goes through Norwich, VT and down more roads until finally entering the woods where I am camped.  I had to night hike a little but thats ok.  I got trail magic at the trail head behind the soccer fields consisting of a thing of fruit cocktail.  A couple in a brand new Aston Martin car (we are talking150,000 - 300,000 dollar car depending what model which I am unfamiliar with that brand).  But they pulled over and asked if I was a thru hiker which I obviously stand out from the fancy Dartmouth student crowd; I said yes and she handed me a quart Ziploc baggy with 6 fresh out of the oven, still warm, chocolate chip cookies! She also said "welcome to Hanover."  I ate one on the spot and boy was it good.  I packed the rest for tomorrow.  I got my free doughnut for thru hikers at a bakery and bought a vanilla milkshake which i have been craving for about 150 miles.  I also got my free cheese pizza slice at a pizza joint and ordered a calzone for 9 bucks.  I figured I was in no hurry and could charge my phone while I was there so why not order dinner.  Well that calzone was 12" long and boy was it good.  After 2 hours of sitting there i moved on to Vermont and my campsite which is about 2 miles in from the border.  I had to night hike part of the final road walk which stunk because I have trouble navigating road walks already and in the pitch black with just my headlamp is even worse.  At one point I noticed a Styrofoam cooler and 2 Rubbermaid bins at the end of a driveway.  I thought that was odd so I checked it out and inside the cooler was ice and a bunch of sodas!  More trail magic at 8:30 at night in the dark. Woohooo!  Of couse I drank one and moved on until I found a piece of flat ground where I pitched my tent.  2 states down, 12 to go.

Day 27: First Day Out of the White's

Today was an incredible day. I payed 7 bucks for an AYCE breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs at the hostel.  After that I sat around slowly getting ready to leave and finally left at 10am.  I patched my trekking pole using a section of a broken aluminum pole sitting at the hostel  that I cut using a hacksaw.  I then ducktaped the scab over the broken pieces of my pole.  It held for the 20.1 miles I hiked today so thats good.  My right ankle swelled up some after twisting it twice yesterday and I found two ace bandages in the hiker box at the hostel so I wrapped both my ankles today.  Wow did that help and I will continue to wrap them while they heal.  It is incredible how God provides right in my time of need. I packed out a 12" sub and coca cola for lunch today and boy did that hit the spot.  The terrain is so incredibly easy now that I am out of Maine and the White's which are the two hardest parts of the trail.  There are still mountains obviously but they are so easy to climb.  I feel like the trail up to this point required a lot of brute strength to hike and now it will be more of an endurance thing.  It is a lot of dirt, leaves, and pine needles which is so nice.  I could have easily done more miles today but with the ankles healing and the incredible view from a tentsite on the top of Smart mtn I decided to quit hiking at 6:30pm.  The weather was spectacular today and is supposed to stay that way for a long time.  From what I hear the trail from the White's and north through Maine has been bad weather all summer like I experienced.  But the weather to the south of the White's has been really nice all summer.  I cannot emphasize how nice it was to hike today with dry socks and shoes.  I am not sure if I will take as many pictures as much.  I have entered the "green tunnel" and there wont be as much if any alpine style environments like I have had up to this point so not much worth taking pictures of.

Day 26: The White's Part 6 (8/18/2014)

The weather man sure messed up the forecast recently.  Yesterday I never saw the sun like the forecast said.  Last night it poured all night with really strong winds and this morning was insane wind on Moosilauke.  I didn't get out of the tent until 8:45 am I just did not want to get in the cold wet rain.  Right before I got up I turned on my phone real quick to check the weather and I had a very long message from a friend of mine that I only got to look at for 5 seconds before my phone turned off.  I dont know why it did that I had 30-40 percent battery.  I dont know why my battery pack died either because it still had 50 percent charge.  In the 5 seconds I saw the message all I got out were a few words and it looked really bad.  Bad enough that I couldn't stop thinking about that persons situation.  I couldn't focus on hiking at all.  I went over Moosilauke in 80mph winds and looked like a drunk guy walking across the mile long exposed summit in the clouds.  That wind was really howling and it was blowing broadside to me so it just grabbed my pack like a sail.  Somewhere before I summited though (still below treeline) I dropped my smartwool beanie which is a really nice piece of gear so I thought it was gone forever.  On the way down Moosilauke it was really easy trail but I couldn't focus or even think about food since I was going to go through a town.  I twisted my right ankle twice, fell and broke one of my trekking poles, fell again and my left leg got caught on a root uphill while I went downhill which strained it bad, and just beatdown after beatdown.  All on easy terrain.  I was so distraught over what little of the message I had seen I couldn't focus on the trail and I really wanted to get to Glencliff to charge my phone and read the rest of the message.  I never stopped hiking except to add/remove layers... i just kept moving.  After all these beatdowns and with my left ankle swollen I decided to stay at the hikers welcome hostel here in Glencliff.  I only did 8 miles today but I need a day to recoup myself and heal my left ankle as well as charge my electronics.  I pitched my tent here for 15 bucks, did laundry, took a shower, and resupplied on food.  I cleaned/dried my gear after it had gotten covered in clay after my falls and the rain last night.  Overall it was worth the stop and i saw the sun for the first time in days this afternoon.  A SOBO that came here to the hostel after me found my beanie on the trail and gave it back to me.  I read the rest of my friends message and it ended up being a Praise God story although it started on a bad note so I was relieved to see that.  My left ankle is still swollen on the rear part under the Achilles tendon attachment so I will see how that goes.  Thank you to the mens fellowship group on palm island for keeping me on your email list.  I have been praying for those of y'all undergoing health problems this summer and I hope you guys stay safe .  Thanks to everybody praying for me and for the comments you make on my blog i really enjoy reading them.

Day 25: The White's Part 5

So last night at lonesome lake hut i was sleeping between two benches in the dining room and at some point I rolled underneath a bench.  I woke up in the middle of the night and when I went to sit up Bam! I nailed my head on the bench.  Hahaha.  I made a ughhhh sound and fell back to sleep.  I just thought I would share that funny story.  This morning I volunteered to do work if they let me eat breakfast leftovers so I got to sweep the floor in exchange for pancakes, sausage, oatmeal with peaches, and coffee.  I even got to pack out the 4 extra pancakes for lunch!  It rained all last night and this morning which was not fun.  Mt. Kinsman shouldn't be in New Hampshire... it should be in Maine it was that tough and slippery.  I got another trail magic today.  I found a cooler with granola bars, candy, and a water bottle.  I have passed about 5 coolers so far but they are always empty by the time I get there so this was cool.  I only made it 14.8 miles by 5:00pm and my left ankle was really hurting so I decided to stop at Beaver Brook shelter on the side of Mt Moosilauke where I pitched my tent.  I actually had data so I worked on blog posts some before my battery pack died and I only had 40 percent phone battery left so I went to bed.  Tomorrow will be my last day in the White's.  Hopefully my ankle heals up I dont remember anything particular that hurt it.

Day 24: The White's Part 4 (8/16/14)

I slept amazing again having a full belly.  It rained last night so I am glad I was in my tent.  I woke up at 5 am to pack up camp before it got light and before  somebody could see me since stealthing in the White's isn't exactly legal I don't think but the caretaker told us to so whatever.  I woke Hydro up on my way out and told him I would see him at Galehead hut for breakfast.  I got to the hut just a little to late as some NOBO's that felt entitled to the food for free beat me.  They were very rude thinking they could eat the cake and drink coffee for free even though neither was free.  They didn't volunteer to work either.  Well I came in and asked the cook if there was any work I could do in exchange for some food.  She was shocked to see a thru hiker volunteer for that sort of thing and let me do some dishes for some pumpkin spice cake with a blueberry glaze and a fresh cup of coffee.  When the NOBO'S went to leave I heard her telling them they couldn't get away with what they did and she put them to work.  I sat around for an hour total and Hydro never showed up so i moved on.  It was a fantastic day to hike.  I did something like 23 miles today going over a bunch of mountains.  Most notable was Mt. Lafayette and the Franconia Ridge.  I took tons of pictures today so make sure you keep checking those out.  For those of you new to following the blog the web address was listed in multiple posts a couple weeks ago I think.  Or you can click on the button to view my Google plus account somewhere on your screen then click on the photos tab.  I didn't get to Lonesome lake hut (the last hut in the White's by the way) until 5:45pm and I was really concerned i was too late for work for stay.  Well thank God again because I scored it finally and there was only one section hiker Dave doing work for stay.  Dave and I sat around freezing our butts off outside just like every other day until they finally called us in for leftovers at 8:30pm.  The hut staff dont like us work for stays present while the paying guests eat so that involves freezing outside for a few hours.  Dinner tonight was turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, coffee, bread, chocolate cheese cake, salad with dressing, peas, and more!  Three nights in a row of a slap full belly woooohoooo!  Thank you AMC i love your food.  My work tonight was to clean and inventory the deep freezer which took about an hour.  Then I set up my sleeping pad and bag up in the dining room and hit the sack.  Tomorrow (8/17/14) is the last day I will be in the White's if it goes as planned.  Hydro never made it to the Hut like planned so I hope he is ok.

Quick note: Please realize that I am writing this on the night of the 17th.  My phone is about to die and my battery pack is out of juice so I am not sure when the next time I will get to make a post is.  I didn't make it out of the White's which the story will be for another post. I only made it like 13 miles today even though I planned 21.  My left ankle was killing me today so I stopped hiking short of my goal.  I am currently camped on the side of Mt. Moosilauke and will see how far I can make it tomorrow(the 18th).  I got a lot of pics up and will get more up when I find a power source to recharge at.  Thanks for reading.

Day 23: The White's Part 3

Last night was freezing cold at 5100ft elevation sleeping in a stone dungeon but I was snug as a bug in a rug.  Nobody snored or even got up to take a leak and with full bellies we were all nice and toasty in our sleeping bags.  Hydro and I hiked together today again.  We did 19-20 miles today over the second half of the Presidential portion of the White's and all the mtns after that.  At 8:30am we got to Mizpah hut (perfect timing) and I saw a huge plate of blueberry pancakes and oatmeal sitting around.  I asked the cook if we could do dishes in exchange for  the leftovers and I guaranteed she would not have to haul any food down the mountain leftover from breakfast.  Of course she said yes and we did 10 minutes of dishes.  There must of been 40 pancakes and we were full with 5 left so I put them in a ziploc bag for lunch.  Not a bad way to start off the morning.  It was a great day to hike and when we got to Zealand falls hut to ask about work for stay we were denied.  Its ok though the cook said we could do work for dinner leftovers and he told us where a good spot to stealth camp was.  It ended up being there were 3 elderly injured NOBO thru hikers that he knew were heading to his hut and he was saving the work for stays for them which i totally understand.  Praise the Lord again because the paying guests left a lot of leftovers.  Tonight was ginger chicken, salad, coffee, chocolate cake, green beans, bread, mac and cheese, and rice.  This is the second night in a row I am going to bed with a completely full belly... i could get used to this.  After dinner Hydro and I got assigned dishes then we moved on to our stealth camp sites.  Another cold night ahead but my 20 degree down bag is plenty warm. 

Day 22: The White's Part 2

Sorry for the delay in these posts folks.  Data has been hard to come by...  But wow am I glad I zeroed yesterday that was a heck of a storm.  After a big breakfast this morning at the hostel (8/14/14) I got shuttled back to Pinkham Notch to hit the trail.  The day began with a long climb up Mt. Madison with nice sunny weather.  I ran into another SOBO named hydro on the way up.  He moves fast also so we hiked together today.  1.5 miles before the summit you get above treeline and can see forever.  That didn't last long as the wind changed direction, it clouded up, and started lightly raining.  Everything was already soaking wet from the monsoon yesterday but now it was really wet.  Lets just say over the next few miles to Madison springs hut it was on/off snow flurries and rain.  It took forever to cross the super slippery rocks but we got to the hut and warmed up inside.  They had free leftover oatmeal with peaches from breakfast we scarfed down.  I also bought a cup of coffee.  While sitting there the cook for the day asked if we wanted cake in exchange for dishes so we did 15 mins of dishes and we both got 2 pieces of cake!  The bad weather stopped but it was still windy, cold, and cloudy.  We moved on to Mt. Washington which is a long climb over a ton more rocks.  On the way up the cog train that goes up Washington passed and you could see all the people stick there cameras out the windows taking pictures of us while saying, "look, thru hikers!"  It was like hydro and I were animals at a zoo or something it was funny.  At the summit of Washington you couldn't see squat but we took our pics with the sign at the summit.  Wow it was cold!  I then went to the visitors center and saw a digital display that said it was 40 degrees currently with wind chill at 29 degrees.  I bought another coffee to warm up then we moved on to Lake of the clouds hut.  We didn't get there until 5:45 pm and we had only done 14.8 miles.  Work for stay was full but they told us we could stay in the dungeon for 10 bucks and still get leftovers if there were any.  The dungeon is sweet and is basically a 8ft x 10ft stone emergency shelter underneath the hut with a tiny window for light and a heavy duty steel door that belongs on a bank vault.  It has two wooden bunks that are 3 tall so it holds 6 people.  It filled up and with the 4 work for stays that means there were 10 of us to fight over the paying guests leftovers.  Well boy did we feast.  We had a dadgum thru hiker thanksgiving!  They brought out tons of strip steak, salad with dressing, lentil soup, fresh baked bread, a tofu dish, green beans, coos coos, chocolate cake and more that I cannot remember.  Us 10 starving bottomless pits of human beings were about to throw up we were so full.  All that was left was a tiny bit of lentil soup.  The 6 of us in the dungeon hit the sack while the work for stays went to work.  I think we had the better end of the deal because i am too full to move.  I am gonna sleep like a rock tonight. 

Lessons from the Trail: Running the Clock

On this week's episode of Lessons from the Trail I am going to discuss running the time clock.  No, I do not mean diddle dawdling while working waiting for that time clock to run out and then standing in front of it for 10 minutes while jack jawing.  What I mean is working every single dadgum minute from the time you clock in to the time you have to clock out and having to run to the time clock at the end of the day so that you don't go over your time.  That is what I do and I put 110% into all my work and never quit.  I apply the same mentality to hiking.  From the moment the sun comes up to the moment the sun goes down I am hiking and I have a great time while doing it.  Yes I do take a 30-40 minute lunch break, stop and be friendly to other hikers by talking, and do stop to enjoy views but I enjoy staying on the move by hiking.  People ask me how I did the miles I did through Maine or how I got out so fast.  What I tell them is I run the clock and hike as long as I have daylight.  Every single day there is less daylight so I have to take advantage of the long hours while I can before it gets really cold.  There are so many thru hikers (SOBO's and NOBO's) that quit at 4-5pm and just sit around shelters smoking dope or talking.  Or they light up a joint at every single cool view so they never get anywhere.  I usually pull up into the shelter area or campsite around 7:30-7:45pm right before it gets dark so that I can use all hours.  8pm on the trail is called hiker midnight so most hikers are passed out asleep by then.  By pulling into sleeping areas as late as I do all the hikers are starting to fall asleep and have already smoked their dope so I don't have to be around it or see it usually but the smell lingers which is annoying.  The one issue with finish hiking late is I have to be super quiet when rolling in so that I don't wake others up just out of courtesy.  Everybody has to hike their own hike and this is how I do mine.  If drugs weren't such an issue on the trail maybe I would quit earlier in the day or hike with more people to enjoy the trail community more but that doesn't look like its going to change any time soon.  So if you are considering doing a section hike or thru hike think about how many hours a day you are going to hike.  If you do a 5 day hike and you hike those extra 3 hours a day at 2mph for the week you are going to cover 30 more miles in those 5 days than if you had quit earlier in the day each day.  Those miles stack up really quickly when doing a long distance hike like I am so you will want to plan your trips according to how long/fast you hike.

Day 21: Zeroing in Gorham, New Hampshire

I am writing this at 9:30am but I am glad that I stayed because it would be very dangerous going into the Presidential section of the White's in this rain.  I just looked at the radar and there is a ton of rain on the way for later today.  I am really tired of zeroing and staying in hostel's.  I feel couped up after just one night and want to hit the trail so bad.  I realize that I have had some bad weather that it is good to avoid as well as the day I was sick so there is a reason for the zeroes.  One good thing though is I am hiking very fast in comparison to every other SOBO.  I literally make jaws drop every day from both NOBO's and SOBO's when they ask when I started and I tell them that I did Maine in 18 days and have done a 30 mile day already.  All of the SOBO's I am with right now started at Katahdin between the last week of June and the 13th of July right now.  I started on the 24th of July.  That is crazy how much of a difference in hiking pace's.  Please note that I am not treating this as a race I am just doing what I can do.  But what I am getting at is by doing this faster I have less expense in daily food cost.  Up here it is really expensive and I spend $13-$15 a day for food when hiking.  In Florida I can resupply for $8 a day.  So by hiking fast I spend less on food because I am not out as many days which helps offset the cost of staying in all the towns I have so far.  I am not sure what else to talk about other than breakfast was awesome again here at the White Mountains Lodge & Hostel.  Ohhh yeah, my new shoes did great yesterday when slacking.  Yesterday was the first time in weeks where for the entire day my feet and shoes were dry the entire day!  I cannot emphasize how nice that was to have clean dry feet at the end of the day.

Day 20: White Mountains Part 1

Today's date is 8/12/14 for those who are keeping track.  Last night I stayed at the hostel and with this rain coming I decided to stay until Thursday morning.  The White Mountains Lodge & Hostel offers a slackpack option if you stay for two nights or more from Pinkham Notch back to Gorham which is a 21 mile hike through the White Mtns.  That section tackles the wildcat peaks as well as the Carter Dome peaks.  So I made the decision to lose my SOBO purity and be a NOBO for the day.  After an awesome breakfast that the hostel serves they shuttled me to Pinkham notch for free and I started at 8am.  For those that don't know slackpacking is where you take a day pack with just the food, water, and clothes you need for the day.  So I only had a few pounds of weight on my back which allows me to hike really fast.  Usually with slackpacking the hostel will drop you off further down the trail in the morning and you hike back to the hostel so that is why I had to be a NOBO for the day.  Whatever though all I care is that I hike every mile of the trail.  I am not too concerned if I go the wrong direction a few times.  I got dropped off at 8am and began hiking.  I was in a cloud all day so I didn't get any good pictures and never had a view.  I took my time enjoying myself on the easy terrain of the White's and talked to a ton of people.  My family/friends would be amazed at how much I talk to pure strangers out here.  The trail community is so nice for the most part that you can go up to anybody and just talk like you had been buddies for years.  I finished the 21 mile slackpack in just under 10 hours.  They were actually amazed to see me there that early because I guess the average thru hiker slackpacking that section takes way longer.  All the NOBO's I had spoke to said this section I had done was super hard and dangerous.  HA!  This was some of the easiest terrain I had seen since I began.  Yes I had a daypack but it just wasn't that difficult of terrain.  I never once felt like I was going to die if I fell which I felt like almost every day in Maine.  So good luck to the NOBO's when they get to Maine because they are going to be in for a shock.  The hostel was completely full when I got back so I am glad I reserved my bunk for tomorrow before I left because everybody has the same idea about getting out of the rain.  This storm coming tomorrow is supposed to be bad with flash floods so I am glad I will be inside.  The White mountains of New Hampshire are 100 miles long and have some of the worst weather in the U.S.  Until 2010, Mt. Washington in the White's held the record for the highest wind speed ever recorded on the surface of Earth with wind at 231 mph.  When I leave Thursday morning I will be entering the Presidential's of the White's so I am glad the weather is "supposed" to be better then.

Day 19: First Day of New Hampshire

I am in love with New Hampshire already.  Today I was able to count 7 steps on flat ground that didn't contain a single rock, root, mud, or bog bridge.  Just flat dirt with pine needles.  I even got higher than that later and got up to 13 steps on nice ground!  I cannot emphasize how nice just taking those few steps on nice ground felt.  Today was easy sailing from the border to Gorham, New Hampshire where I had a reservation at the White Mountains Lodge & Hostel.  I think it was a total of 16.4 miles and the hostel is actually located right on the trail at a road crossing so I didn't have to hitch hike or get a shuttle!  I actually walked past it but I was really admiring the building as as walking past it I noticed the sign and was like ohh shoot thats where I am staying.  Its definitely the nicest/cleanest hostel I have ever seen.  For $33 plus tax a night you get linens, a comfortable bunk, a pillow, free hot shower with towel and soap, free laundry, community computer, and a big free breakfast.  It also has a flat screen HD tv which is the first I have seen yet.  Every tv I have seen so far in hostels are old 90's tv's.  I got to the hostel at 2:30pm so it was an easy day.  All the staff are awesome people and shuttled a few of us into town for dinner.  I went to a Chinese buffet and pigged out and AYCE (All you can eat) food.  It was soooo good.  While there a guy I met back at Sabbath Day pond lean-to; you remember that guy on my day 14 that was on his 22nd day... yeah it was him.  I asked him, "Dude how did you catch me?"  It ended up that we was still back in Andover and got really sick and had to go to the ER here in Gorham.  They did blood work on him and I think he has lyme disease or something like that.  He has all the nervous system problems, joint pains, and even a rash (not a bullseye but a rash) that some people get so I am praying for him because lyme is not cool.  I had to buy a new pair of shoes today.  I already have a pair back home broken in that I was going to have sent to the other side of New Hampshire but my current pair is falling apart way to fast I wouldn't make it.  I had about 900 miles on them before I came out here so I got my money's worth out of them.  My little and big toe on both shoes are sticking out and every day they rip more.  I would have to duck tape them together after another day and that would eliminate my tread grip on the front of the shoe which I do not want to do while in the white's so I bought a pair of Merrell trail runners at the outfitter in town.  I don't like Merrell's because they are narrow and I have really wide feet.  But when that is the only brand they carry I guess you have to do what you got to do.  The outfitter only had one type that was sort of wide enough for my feet and they were $120 which was actually the cheaper of the merrell's but ouch that hurt to pay that.  Today I checked the weather and I got bad news... tomorrow will be nice but the following day, Wednesday, will be rainy all day with flash flood warnings for the White Mountains of New Hampshire which is where I will be.  So I may be in Gorham a while.  I am actually attaching a picture to this post.  It will also be in the photo albums I have but just look at my feet.  That is what Maine does to you... there was so much mud I am glad that it is over for now.  I felt like I had Hobbit feet while in Maine (if you do not know what I am talking about watch Lord of the Rings movies).  Now they are so clean after a long hot shower you wouldn't recognize me.

Dear Maine...

Dear Maine, I am writing this to inform you of the status of our relationship.  Over the past 18 days I have gotten to know you really well.  Before I met you I had heard of how beautiful you were and how you were such an amazing thing.  Let me say that you do live up to your reputation and are extremely gorgeous especially to a Florida boy like me.  Around every corner there is some type of spectacular scenery and the people I have met while with you were incredibly nice.  But the ooey gooey love I felt for you didn't last... I must say Maine that you are very abusive and I do not appreciate that.  You flaunted your beauty at me for the first three days and then slapped me in the face and kicked me in the balls over and over.  You made me fall many times, poisoned me with your water, tried to kill me on many occasions, and just plain out used me for your own enjoyment.  You threw rain at me almost every day, lighting, deathtrap mud pits, slippery rocks, and ankle spraining roots at me constantly.  This never ending abuse made me grow sick and tired of you which is why I am writing to say that I am breaking up with you.  I met a new woman by the name of New Hampshire and let me say that her reputation far exceeds yours.  (Imagine me jumping across the state border and dancing with New Hampshire while playing the song I Got A Brand New Girlfriend by Steve Holly).   WOOOHOOO!!!! NO MORE MAINE!!!! No more never ending rocks, roots, mud, and rotten bog bridges!!!!  New Hampshire here I come baby!

Sincerely,
Sharkbait

Day 17-18: Last Two Days of Maine

On the morning of the 17th day I was still not feeling 100% but was feeling good enough to hike.  I ate a massive breakfast at The Cabin Hostel in Andover and then got shuttled back to the trail at South Arm Rd. to begin hiking again.  I did 18.1 miles to Baldpate Lean-to.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day to hike and the views from the Baldpate mtn. range are some of the best I have had in Maine.  I slept in the shelter because there were a bunch of guys tenting and they were really loud.  There was a giant bunny rabbit that lived at the shelter which was weird but I didn't hear a single mouse all night so maybe he scares them away.  The guys that were tenting were being really loud until 10pm which stunk and then woke up really early and started beating on a dadgum drum with drumsticks they had hauled up the mountain.  A drum for pete's sake.  They had zero respect for other hikers tenting or those of us in the shelter and that is really annoying.  On day 18 it was another beautiful day for the first half.  On this day I had to traverse through the Mahoosac Notch which is 1 mile of giant boulders wedged between two mountains.  The boulders range from the size of a Volkswagen bug to a two story house.  There isn't any real trail going through there you have to figure it out for yourself.  One second I was going through a cave on my hands and knees in below freezing temps and next I was on top of a boulder sweating.  There is actually ice that is in some of those caves year round which is cool.  My plan was to take my time in the notch and take a lot of pictures but of course that didn't go as planned.  Right as I was entering the notch thunder and lightning started to build up which I wasn't worried about but the rain on slippery rocks was my concern.  I decided to go for it and hope that the rain held off long enough for me to get partway through the notch before it got wet rather than wait it out and go through the entire thing when it was wet.  It only sprinkled while I was in there and did so for about 30 minutes.  Now the typical time for a person to go through the notch from speaking to people is 1.5 hours to 2.5 hours.  I never stopped and did it in 1 hour 3 minutes!  I have yet to meet somebody on the trail that has done it faster.  I was hauling butt trying to get through there asap to get out of the bad weather.  Due to this I only took one picture so I recommend if you are interested in seeing what the notch looks like google it.  After the notch I kept hauling it to the first shelter and hunkered down for 1.5 hours while the downpour and bad lighting commenced.  After that it was already 6pm and I kept hiking another 4.5 miles to the next shelter which I didn't get to until 7:40pm.  I am so glad I hiked because it was a nice cool temperature and some gorgeous views from my last mountains in Maine.  I camped only half a mile from the border and will cross first thing in the morning so I am counting today as my last day in Maine.  Technically from the exact time I started atop Katahdin if you count that as the starting time the morning will still be the 18th day on the trail.  Day 18's total miles was 16.4

Day 16: Zeroing In Andover, Maine

I didn't want to zero here but this sickness determined otherwise.  Last night I slept on the couch here at The Cabin.  The owners are really nice people and are very accommodating.   I was feeling a little better this morning so I actually ate breakfast and am able to digest fluids again.  My bowels are still feeling weird but at least I am not throwing up.  My appetite still isn't there but I will try and eat dinner later.  The hostel is 4 miles out of town and I needed to resupply so I asked if I could get a shuttle.  The manager said yes but he had no idea the next time he would go by so I might sit there awhile.  But he mentioned an old bicycle that hadn't been used all year so I opted for that.  What I found was an old 1970's road bike with only the rear gear shifter working, a ball buster seat, and only 10 percent braking capacity.  I took it anyways down the hilly, bumpy, rural, scenic country road into town and back.  It was definitely an interesting experience.  Its amazing how just 2 weeks into hiking the AT and I have had so many different adventures.  I hope to hike out in the morning even though I'm not feeling 100 percent.  I will probably take it easy and do a lower mileage day. 

Day 15: The toughest day so far...

Today's total miles was 17.  Thank God I am alive after today; that's the easiest way to put it.  Before you read this I am going to go ahead and say I am keeping it as realistic as possible in this journal.  I want y'all to know what it's really like out here on the trail and sometimes its not going to be very positive.  The day started with a very cold morning.  All this rain is part of a cold front so I figured the cold would hit eventually.  It was cold enough today that I was hiking in my fleece pullover (just for the first hour), rain jacket, and sniffling.  It was cloudy and off/on rain all morning with a stiff wind coming out of Canada.  Around 8:30am I first began feeling stomach uneasiness... I figured I just would have to take care of business later.  At 12:45pm the sickness hit me like a ton of bricks on the side of Bemis mtn.  Fatigue, dizziness, stomach and intestinal cramps, loss of color from my skin, on/off fever, and nausea were all symptoms that hit at once.  Its the kind of thing that you just want to curl up in the fetal position and sleep.  But I couldn't do that because I was on the side of a mountain in near freezing rain.  I knew if i stopped I would get hypothermia it was that bad and there were no spots to make a shelter.  With no energy to pick up my feet i tripped on just about every root.  It was a horrible place to get sick.  I kept dropping my trekking poles because i just couldn't hold them.  I needed to get to a spot protected from the elements and where there was plenty of water.  I knew it was 7 miles to a road where I could get to Andover but in those 7 miles there were no campsites or good water sources so I had to keep going if I wanted to survive.  At 2:45pm I finally spilled my guts on the side of the trail but that didn't help at all.  I spent all afternoon trudging over mountains and it was all rocks or mud in those miles.  Trying to stay oriented when going down the rock faces of these mountains was not easy. I fell twice right in the mud.  Everything in my body wanted to just stop and give up but I couldn't do that.  I just kept praying for energy and thinking about everything i have to live for which was the only thing that kept me going.  I must have looked like a zombie with my jaw dropped and eyes drooping... i just didn't have the energy to hold them up.  The up hills were misery even though they weren't that steep.  Every 50-100 ft of uphill I had to stop, lean against a tree, and catch my breath I was so fatigued.  The rain and wind continued to hammer down and one step at a time i eventually made it to an overlook where I could see the road.  I started bawling tears of joy that I was almost there and still alive.  I kept thanking God for getting me through the last 7 miles safely because without him I would have collapsed from exhaustion hours before.  This experience is one of those that you cant fully describe with words or pictures; you have to be there to fully understand it.  I heard before I got on the trail that the AT will bring out emotions you never knew you had and its so true.  Its crazy how much this journey affects you mentally.  I dont want to pretend to be some macho man and say I didnt bawl my eyes out but I told you already that I am keeping it real.  I hope after I am done with the trail this emotional crying thing I experienced today goes away its kinda embarrassing.  After about another mile I finally made it to the road and collapsed.  My shuttle arrived not long later to take me to The Cabin Hostel in Andover where I will stay while recovering.  They were actually full tonight but are letting me stay on the couch for half price so that works.  I overheard some hikers saying here at the hostel that they got sleeted on which I am glad it didnt hit me.  I think I have some sort of waterborne disease from the water at Sabbath pond.  It was clear but I didn't like the looks of it.  I have always had my doubts about the effectiveness of the steripen uv water purifier and now I really dont trust it.  I have been thinking for a while about switching to Aqua Mira and I hope the store in Andover carries it.  Right now I have no appetite and can feel my bowels going crazy so we will see what happens.  I will zero here tomorrow and play it by ear after that. 

Day 14: A Wet and Muddy Day

Last night it dumped rain.  It was a horrible storm but the tent did great.  My total mileage for the day was 20.1 miles.  The first 9 miles would normally be absolutely gorgeous views on the saddleback mtn range but I was hiking in a cloud or in the rain so I couldn't see anything.  On the way down Saddleback the weather cleared up a little and I met a group of day hikers that talked to me for a few minutes.  They even gave me an apple.  Wooohooo trail magic number 3!!!!  After that the terrain leveled out more and it was a mud slog for 11 miles.  I have more mud on me than any other day on the trail so far.  I ended today at Sabbath day pond lean-to.  The guidebook says good swimming but I dont think so.  There was a girl washing the mud off her legs while I was gathering water and she got a bunch of leaches on her.  There is a SOBO thru hiker here around my age that started 22 days ago.  Its not a race and everybody has to hike their own hike but thats crazy he has been out here that long. 

Day 13: I'm Falling for You Maine

So I am falling for Maine... literally folks, I fell 3 times this morning.  Everything was wet and the first two times was both on downhills on a rock and root even though I was being extremely careful.  The third time was funny though.  I was coming down a slope and there was a little stream with a 5ft long 2x10 style bridge across it.  When I stepped on it my feet flew out from under me and I landed hard on my side.  I just busted out laughing because it probably looked exactly like a scene from a movie where somebody slips on a banana peel sort of deal.  It was a good day though and I did 21.5 miles.  I got to climb up the Crocker mtns.  where I had good views of Sugarloaf mtn and its ski slopes.  I then climbed up Sugarloaf which was very tough with very scary vertical rock climbs.  There were a couple more small mountains during the day and I finished up at poplar ridge lean-to.  Everybody here is a SOBO thru or section hiker which unusual and one guy even made a fire which is the first one I have seen yet.  A bad storm is moving in so we will see how the night goes.  So far my tent has held up great.  The seam sealer is wearing off though because it leaks in 3 spots.

Lessons From the Trail: Salt Deficiency

Welcome to the first installment of Lessons from the Trail. This is a mini series I will be doing on this blog to help those of you that are hikers also or may consider doing a thru hike.  The topic this time is salt deficiency.  Before I came on the trail I didn't even consider this to be a factor and I am very fortunate I never ran into big problems.  I never imagined I would sweat as much as I do when hiking.  The temperature is not horrible like Florida but when going uphill or long distances sweating is a factor.  Mix this with days on end of hiking and you could potentially run into issues.  Probably the most common symptoms are muscle cramps and fatigue but can lead to much worse things.  Ive noticed I start to get fatigued when not consuming enough salt and am sweating a ton.  Drinking tons of water which you do when hiking and sweating can worsen the condition also.  After the 100 mile wilderness I recognized the issue and now include lots of salt/electrolytes in my diet.  Things like powder packet Gatorade drink mixes help.  During times of extreme sweating I chew salty sunflower seeds which I am not a fan of but it really helps.  They are dirt cheap and weigh nothing so its good hiking food.  Salted nuts are something else I am going to try.  Be smart when outdoors and realize that for the average person the typical little day hike or whatever this wont be an issue because your body has a stockpile of salt.  Its when doing something for a long time like I am that this is more of an issue.  Please note that I am no expert, although I have a lot of experience outdoors, so you should always do your own research before you embark on an adventure.  Hopefully this helps somebody out there.

Day 12: Neroing in Stratton, Maine

One thing I learned when working at the hospital in Lakeland is to expect the unexpected.  The same concept i apply to everything in life and it is definitely true out here on the trail.  What was supposed to be a partly cloudy possible rain chance day turned into a big pile of manure.   So this morning I woke up at 5am like usual and i could hear rain starting to fall on my tent.  Ok, i will just sleep in and wait it out i figured.  At 6:20 am the rain stopped but i could hear thunder.  I actually had data and cell reception where i was camped so i pulled up the radar... awww man i didn't like what i saw.  Most of western Maine and New Hampshire was covered in red/yellow cell rain and it would hit me any minute.  I literally threw everything in my pack and jogged down the trail the 2 miles to ME 27.  I could have raced Karl Meltzer I was going so fast.  Halfway to the road the rain hit and lighting was getting closer.  I finally made it to the road and stuck my thumb out for 15 mins before somebody finally stopped to pick up this wet, stinky hiker... thats me by the way.  Thats the first time i have ever hitchhiked but it wont be the last.  Fortunately the people here in Maine are all extraordinarily nice (unlike many Floridians) so i had no fear of hitching into town.  I checked into the Stratton motel/hostel for 25 bucks for a bunk.  I ate a huge breakfast at the diner in town.  I took a shower and rinsed my stinky hiking clothes in the shower also because i dont want to pay a bunch of money for the laundromat.  They will all be dirty, sweaty, and stinky again after a few hours hiking so whats the point in paying to wash them.  It rained hard until noon and will storm again later.  I will head out tomorrow morning lord willing but it is supposed to storm again tomorrow afternoon so it wont be a long day.  I will be going back up to over 4000 ft elevation right off the bat and stay high for days so i will have to be very cautious especially now that everything is wet again.  I have a lot of respect for lighting and with these bad storms, treacherous terrain, and high mtns i dont want to die so i gotta be smart and not get in a hurry.  Thanks to everyone for your prayers and comments they are very much appreciated.  Oh yeah, i almost forgot to mention the definition of a nero day is near zero miles hiked.  I think i did a little over 2 today.

Day 11: The Bigelow Mtns

Let me start by saying i forgot to mention two things yesterday.  The first was when I was at the sterling inn for resupply the owner let me eat from the continental breakfast for free and charge my phone which was really nice of him.  The second was during a 0.2 mile road walk on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere a couple in their truck just happened to drive by and gave me two slices of chocolate sheet cake!  I love trail magic. 

But for today it was a very grueling 13.5 miles through the Bigelow mtns.  Future thru hikers reading this take note: this section is extremely difficult.  My plans were to do 23 miles but look how far i actually went...  Also take note the springs in this section are not reliable as all were dried up right now.  So i went 10 miles on only 2 liters water.  By the time i finished the 10 to a shelter where there was water i was on the edge of dehydration.  I also probably sweated out more than 2 liters during that time too.  The bigelow's are absolutely breathtaking but are 100 percent rocks with very steep climbs/descents.  I am camped 2 miles outside of Stratton, maine and will hitch into town for resupply bright and early.  I will then be in Rangely, maine in 2-3 days.  My official mileage completed as of the end of August 3, 2014 is 186.4 miles.  It is about 100 miles to New Hampshire and I will probably be there in 6-8 days.  My legs are really feeling the miles now and are very soar at the end of the day.  All these rocks really twist the ankles and put a pounding on my knees.  I want to avoid taking ibuprofen as long as possible but that thought may not last much longer.  My shoes are starting to fall apart.  On my left foot my pinky toe sticks through a hole and the big toe is almost there.  The terrain here is killer on shoes.  It doesn't help either that my shoes are always wet from the rain or mud.  I am not trying to complain i just like to be honest so you know what its like out here on the trail.  Well, its past my bedtime so thanks for tuning in.  Dont forget to check out the pictures and in case you didnt know i leave a comment on each photo which explains what you are looking  at.  If it doesn't pop up with each photo look for a button with some sort of think box symbol probably.

Day 10: August 2, 2014

Long day today.  I did almost 28 miles.  I got a shuttle this morning to caratunk for resupply at the sterling inn bed and breakfast.  I then got back on the trail and crossed the Kennebec river via the canoe ferry.  For those that dont know the Kennebec is the only spot on the AT you cant hike and the river is so big and dangerous you cant ford it.  So the Maine AT conference hires a ferryman every day to shuttle people across.  The weather held out and it was a gorgeous day i even went swimming twice.  I am now entering into the bigelow mtn range so terrain is about to get very tough all the way to New Hampshire.  We will see if i can keep doing big miles or not.

Day 9: Getting lost can be fun

Today was an interesting day.  On the way up moxie bald i turned onto the wrong trail and went to the north peak rather than south peak.  The AT in maine is not marked well for SOBO's which is annoying and thats how i ended up in the wrong spot.  I had to bushwack to get to the peak but the entire mountain was covered in blueberries as far as the eye could see.  You can tell nobody ever goes out there.  Well i sat on North Moxie Peak for 1.5 hrs before i got concerned.  I hadn't seen a single person and coffee break was supposed to meet me on the summit.  I pulled out the guidebook and realized i was in the wrong spot.  I eventually caught up to coffee and we pressed on over pleasent pond mtn. to do our 19 miles for the day.  My extra mile doesn't count towards total mileage.  Ohh well i did get to pick blueberries for 20 mins and took a nap on top of the second most beautiful mtn i have ever seen.  God is good.  Lots of pics today so dont forget to check them out. 

Day 8: Back on the trail

This morning i woke up and went to Shaws hostel for breakfast.  I am glad to have stayed at Lakeshore instead because the owners have let Shaws turn into a dump.  Its sad because they used to be one of the best hostels on the AT but not now.  They still do breakfast though which was amazing.  I ran into my buddy Auss (the guy i climbed Katahdin with) who had just got in the night before and was zeroing. After that Coffee Break and i got shuttled back to the trail and we are going to hike together for a couple days to caratunk.  He is slower than me which is good because i want to take my time for a couple days but after that i will take off.  We missed a turn off while on the trail and ended up doing an extra half mile each way but thats ok.  The plan was to do 18 to moxie shelter but around 2 we heard thunder so we changed plans.  At 3pm we came to another ford which we knew about and it started raining.  We were hoping there would be some campsites on the other side because there usually are even though the guide book doesn't mention them.  Sure enough there were sites.  We made camp really quick and then the lighting hit.  It was everywhere and horrible.  It basically rained until sunset.  I slept through most of it.  At dark it got really cold but we made dinner and hit the sack again. We only did 12 miles i think so that means tomorrow will be a 19 mile day but whatever. Whats going to stink is with the rain the mud will be bad, everything will be slippery, and the fords will be potentially dangerous.  Oh well... its like they say: no rain, no pain, no Maine.