Day 108: 17.6 miles hiked (trail mile 1408.9)
Garter Snake
We wanted to make it to the trailside “zoo” before last entry at 3:30 and so departed the shelter at 6am. For the first time since northern PA our little tramily disbanded for the hike. It was great fun hiking with Whistler and Gadget from Northern PA to Southern NY. This was the first time that we’ve had friends that match our own pace and mileage so closely, and we enjoyed much conversation and laughter. However, part of the trail experience is meeting new people—as well as finding solitude—so we were all in agreement that it was time to hike our own hikes again.
At one point Ranger overturned a log on accident with his foot on a downhill, serendipitously uncovering a black salamander! We later saw a group of wild turkeys bobbing through the tall ferns in the woods.
Can you spot the wild turkeys?
Finally, we summitted Bear Mountain, which offers a view of New York City from the tower on top (closed to the public right now because of the pandemic). At the bottom of Bear Mountain, we encountered some neat educational signs about trail construction. It is an incredible feat that volunteers from all over the country not only built the Appalachian Trail but have continued to maintain it all these years. Trail building is complex, and we can’t help but stop at times to marvel at the ingenuity involved in constructing a functional footpath through such challenging terrain (and elevation) using only hand tools.
The so called “zoo” segment of trail was a bit depressing but does seem to be more of a rehabilitation center; as all of its animals are either recovering from injury with the goal of releasing them back into the wild or would be unable to survive in the wild due to disability or being born in captivity.
I liked these illustrations explaining the zoo’s mission
We hiked across the Hudson River on a giant suspension bridge and up to Hemlock Springs Campsite where we ended up camping with our whole crew from the last few days: Gadget, Whistler, Baked Potato, Grasshopper, Meta, and a couple of her friends who were joining her for a small section. We also met a thruhiker named Sheep. She is recovering from a broken ankle so is trying to take it slow. Just before retiring to our tent for the night a day hiker with a giant dog named Oso kindly offered to pack out our trash for us.
Ranger and I retired early to our tent, ordered new shoes online for each of us and turned in.
Day 109: 18 miles hiked (trail mile 1426.9)
5:30am start just because we can! At 3.5 miles in we stepped out of the woods and arrived at the Appalachian Market, a convenient store/deli with a reputation for being very hiker friendly. Here we were able to charge our devices for a little bit and resupply for 3 days with Larry and Lenny’s cookies for breakfast, peanut butter, and dried cranberries on fresh baked rolls for lunch, ramen for dinner and of course snacks! We also ordered giant breakfast burritos from the deli and ate them at the picnic tables outside with Deep Friend and Trippin’.
Trippin’ and Deep Fried
When we hiked back out it was raining lightly, and we passed a historic inoculation station where General Washington had his troops vaccinated for smallpox.
We met a couple hikers named Sari and Shadow on trail and later lunched with Whistler and Gadget in a field in a clearing next to a road to try to escape the mosquitos in the woods. The mosquitos are like small hummingbirds but at least they’re big and slow—easy to smack.
Our tenting spot for the night was at Canopus Lake SP, which was a half mile off trail which was really pushing the threshold for how far we’re willing to hike off trail for a spot to sleep. It was well worth the extra hike, however, as the park supplies thruhikers with a large field to tent in and a bathroom with a hot shower and electricity that’s open 24 hours. When we arrived, I showered immediately then dried off with the wall-mounted hand dryer as best I could, pulled on my Smartwool base layers, and walked to camp where Ranger already had the tent set up. Gadget had arrived just before the park concession stand closed and bought me an apple juice—my favorite trail drink!
Day 110: 14 miles hiked (trail mile 1440.9)
Poison Ivy
Around 8:30 we crawled out of our tent and saw that no one else had budged, either. We must have collectively decided on the 14-mile shelter rather than the next one at 22. Besides, the slow start allowed the heavy condensation from the lake/field effect that had collected on our tent overnight to dry off before packing it away.
We enjoyed a relatively smooth trail for much of the day and stopped at the RPH shelter for lunch with Sheep and Gadget. Here we filled up on jugs of trail magic water since this section has unusually poor water quality. Everyone’s filters are nearly shot from this New York section which has heavy tannins and sediment in the water. There are many sections with “filter and treat” warnings on the water sources and we’d just as soon use town water in these scenarios and do bigger water carries.
RPH Shelter had all kinds of quirks like this
Our hike ended at the Morgan Stewart Shelter, which has an old iron pump that must be aggressively cranked over and over to get the water flowing. It is really a two-person job to get the water to flow into the bottle as about ⅔ of the water released from the spout just sprays out chaotically and is difficult to direct into a container. It was certainly entertaining, and fun to get to use a functioning old pump like this.
We chatted with Tie-dye, Gadget, and Whistler awhile and made it to bed nice and early.
Day 111: 10.9 miles hiked (trail mile 1451.8)
At 5am we felt the winds change and the pressure drop. Shortly after we heard a far-off rumble of thunder, so bolted up from out sleeping pads, packed up our (dry) gear and were ready to go before 6. Gadget had the same idea and the three of us went to sit under the shelter and await the storm. The heavy storm came and went in about 15 minutes flat, and we hiked out when the sun started to peek back out from behind the clouds. However, it had been a trick, because about 20 minutes later the skies went black once again and we were instantly drenched in a second wave of storms. Nothing can phase us today, though, since my parents will be picking us up in the evening for a few nights with them in an Airbnb.
We braked for an early lunch at a shelter and Gadget arrived a few moments later. We wrung out our socks (this never stops feeling so hardcore) and let our bare feet dangle off the shelter ledge while we ate so they could dry out a bit.
Once down from the ridge we entered an overgrown boggy area with big sections of plank-walking.
Emerging from the bog we encountered the Dover Oak, the largest white oak in New York, and estimated to be over 300 years old.
A few miles later we walked the lovely Swamp River Boardwalk and exited at the Appalachian Train station. Here, hikers have the option to take a high-speed commuter train into NYC at $50 for a 2 hour ride (including one transfer) to Grand Central Station.
Immediately on the left after the train station, where the trail turns sharply for a short highway walk, is the Native Landscapes and Garden Center. They are a hiker-friendly establishment and sold us drinks from a fridge in the employee break room and let us hang out in the pretty gazebo amidst all the outdoor plants. Gadget arrived moments later and spent some time with us in the gazebo before he pressed on, and we called a shuttle into Pawling to do laundry while we waited on my folks’ arrival.
In Pawling we sat in a laundromat that played great music and took care of laundry while wearing only our rain jackets and a pair of shorts each that we intended to hand-wash and air dry later. Doing laundry in town is quite the ordeal when every item of clothing you have is filthy. Once laundry was finished, we wandered around town a bit, nibbling on various town food as we went.
Mom and Dad showed up around 5:30 at which point we swung by a grocery store for dinner supplies, and Mom and Dad picked up some supplies to do trail magic! Our Airbnb in Sherman Connecticut is a beautiful farmhouse surrounded by woods and horse pastures. Ranger and I each have a cozy twin bed on the second story while Mom and Dad have a beautiful suite. We collaborated on a stir fry with a side of tofu for us and a side of steak for the parents. This will be a wonderful spot to rest for a couple days.
Day 112: 10 miles hiked (trail mile 1462.8)
After a fantastic homemade breakfast at the Airbnb, we headed out for some slackpacking. We started off walking the Swamp River Boardwalk from yesterday with Mom and Dad and saw a muskrat, two garter snakes, a deer, and a lot of birds!
Muskrat
Mom in the “Maine” directional chair and Dad in the “Georgia” directional chair
Dad hiked on with us for seven miles up and over a ridge while Mom did trail magic at Hoyt Road (where we would emerge after our hike) right at the Connecticut border.
Dad and Ranger on a pasture crossing
Dad, Ranger and I took turns carrying the pack and saw a wild turkey on our hike! It was a great sample slice of the AT for dad to experience and included pastures, a decent climb followed by a ridge walk, a shelter, some trail magic in a cooler by a road (dad ate some Oreos), a creek crossing next to a crumbling footbridge, and even crossing into the state of Connecticut!
Dad crosses the creek next to the crumbling bridge
Mom had 13 hikers come through and hang out awhile to eat snacks and drink beer, wine and sparkling water, including Meta and Grasshopper, Sheep, and Jolah. I was so glad my mom and Meta got to meet since we discovered one day that they had the same alma mater!
Mom’s trail magic set up
From there Ranger and I struck off on our own to do four more miles up and over a small mountain called Ten Mile Hill. On the other side we met back up with Mom and Dad at Bulls Bridge, a 19th century covered bridge with views of the Housatonic river.
Back at the Airbnb we had dinner and wound down for the evening.
Day 113: 10.2 miles hiked (trail mile 1473)
This morning Ranger and I set off on our own to slackpack seven miles to the highway road crossing for Kent. Mom and Dad sat this one out to get moved out of the Airbnb, and set up to do some trail magic at the road to Kent while they waited on us. When we emerged on the road, Frogman and three others were hanging out receiving trail magic.
For lunch we met up with Whistler and Gadget at a restaurant in Kent called The Villager, then took care of some town chores. Ranger and I each got a new pair of socks and Ranger bought a bug zapper racquet that he has been talking about wanting for weeks. The mosquitos have gotten so bad I’m pretty much ready to try anything.
Sweet dogs at the fishing shop
After wrapping up town chores we hit the trail again for the last 3.4 miles of the day—this time with Mom leading the way!
We immediately climbed about 1000 feet of elevation and walked along a ridge for the rest of the hike during which we saw two bucks sporting tiny antlers. Dad parked the car at the pickup point and hiked in to meet us. He found us with just a little under a mile left in the hike and we got to all hike together for the last bit.
On our way to the Airbnb in Hilldale, NY, right on the edge of Massachusetts, we pulled off at a Cidery with outdoor seating for dinner. As we were eating, all these fancy, vintage sports cars kept pulling up, seemingly out of complete coincidence. New England has certainly been living up to its reputation as a place with a lot of wealth.
Our Airbnb is beautiful. The Mount Washington House, a 14,000 square foot mansion built in 1882, was originally built by a couple of newlyweds as a summer home gift from the bride’s family. It has served many uses throughout its time, functioning as a tavern, a speakeasy, a ski resort, and even a schoolhouse. We slept in what was once the servants’ quarters.
Winding down for the evening Dad found a tick embedded in his leg. Also, Chris found out he was accepted into UT’s Eastern Languages program! (TBD whether he chooses to attend.)
Day 114: 10.8 miles hiked (trail mile 1483.8)
Chipmunks everywhere!
We got a nice, slow start this morning around the Airbnb. Ranger and I walked to the grocery across the street for a resupply and visited the Hillsdale General Store which had a fantastic assortment of knickknacks, new and vintage. I could have spent all day in there. Back at the Airbnb we took some time spray permethrin on our packs and new shoes. Speaking of shoes, I had to size up a half size!
We had lunch at a little farm-to-table restaurant next door to the General Store and topped it off with a basket of fresh, backyard-grown strawberries from a local family. The strawberries were the juiciest (and most delicious) I’ve ever had and bled a deep red juice.
We said our goodbyes to my folks and were back on trail around 3pm. Mom and Dad left the remainder of the trail magic goodies on the side of the road for other hikers with a note “From Sticks’ Parents!”
Naturally, we had to do a photoshoot with Mom and Dad wearing our packs
Even with the late start we managed to make it a little under 11 miles to an official campsite. Along the way we hiked beside the Housatonic River and ran into Spots and Snapshot. It’s hilarious that without planning it (in fact our two parties often make very different decisions about mileage or where to stay – they are very fast hikers) we have ended up in the same parts of trail at the same time as these two over and over since we originally met just outside the NOC in Georgia at just under 150 miles into the trail.
A few miles out from camp we crossed another creek with an out bridge by managing to find a large, felled tree that spanned the entire creek. We night-hiked into camp at about 9pm, jammed our food into an impossibly full bear box, and turned in.
