Day 140 - Sunday, August 29, 2021

We left Turtle Power’s vehicle at today’s ending point yesterday and we intended to just drive my vehicle to the starting point. All very well said and done except we could not get to the trailhead as google maps directed us as the local road became impassable. We then found a secondary route which was longer and came in from VT 12 but we eventually got to the trailhead… 

Today we are hiking from Cloudland Road (1734.0 NoBo) to Chateauguay Road (1718.6 NoBo) equaling 15.4 miles.


We began hiking at 10:15 am  (2 hours late) after we drove around and came down Chateauguay Road from the opposite direction  🥴.




We met “Matty” and “Dragonfly” at the trailhead as we pulled up. They started from Springer on April 16th and they are from Texas. They are planning on getting to Baxter State Park to summit Katahdin the first week of October 🥴. We told them that the Hunt Trail is officially closed for the season on October 15th so they may want to consider going there sooner then flip and go SoBo to hike what they skipped over. 





Except for a few mediocre climbs, today’s trail was very kind to us;  not many roots or rocks biting at our feet. 




A spiders web in a bush next to the trail. 


Crossing a footbridge over a stream by Totman Hill Road. 



More green meadows in the Green Mountain State.



Right after we crossed VT 12 and hiked up the hill we met “Moondog” and “Meteor” who are from North Carolina. They left Springer on April 19th and are planning to summit Katahdin around October 6th. We passed several NoBo thru hikers the past couple days who are getting to Baxter State Park to summit Katahdin around this time. We recommended to them all how they should go ahead and summit Katahdin and get it done before then. 





Almost there, just another 1.8 miles for today  🎉.


We finished hiking at 6:15 pm; not a moment too soon as it was getting dusk with all the low cloud cover. Tomorrow’s a new day … continuing south through Vermont towards Harpers  Ferry. 


Till next time... Happy Hiking  🥾 

😋


“Acts of generosity in this wild and primitive setting…where basic amenities…are intentionally absent–are often received in a heightened sense of wonder and gratitude by hikers. These acts of generosity are referred to as “trail magic.”

                  (Appalachian Trail Conservancy)





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 107A & B - Sunday/Monday, July 18-19, 2021

Image
Sunday’s “Zero” was a nice break. We took  this time to  do laundry and finish our tentative hiking itinerary that takes us through the Whites, over the President’s and into Maine. New Hampshire and Maine have their own system on the AMC website where you need reservations to stay at Huts and Lean-to’s aka shelters. But of course their on-line reservations is not working, let’s blame that on the pandemic, and they are not open on Sunday’s. We have to call tomorrow to finalize our reservations. Hopefully the Huts & Lean-to’s have vacancies for the dates we need?   Out next hike will take us over three days & two nights continuing from Franconia Notch (1820.0 NoBo) to RR Tracks, parking, Ethan Pond Pond Trail (1847.4) for a total of 27.4 miles. Due to the parking logistics we are hiking this section SoBo. This hike will also complete our approach to Mt. Washington.  We wake up today, Monday, and it’s pouring…. still, again 😵‍💫! So we decide to drive to the Ethan Pond Trail entr
Read more

Day 71 - Friday, May 21, 2021

Image
We ended up staying  another night  at the Mountain Inn & Suites... even Turtle Power is a great supporter of  the “Platinum” Slack Packing Package. I was shocked when he suggested that we stay another night in the hotel rather than go camping 🥱. Who am I to never not take advantage of 4 walls and a roof over my head, an actual real and comfortable bed, indoor plumbing and a hot shower; not to mention WiFi, TV and breakfast? My Momma did not raise no fool 😉.  I think we are going to camp at a hostel tonight. Spring is definitely here. Daytime temps are now forecasted to be in the 70’s & 80’s with nighttime temps not dropping below the 50’s. No rain is in sight for the next several days - but that could always change. 🙃 Today we continued  hiking from  Sam’s Gap, US 23, I-26 (319.7 NoBo) to Devils Fork Gap, NC 212 (311.0 NoBo) for a total of 8.7  miles. We began hiking at 10 am and started off with a 3 mile long climb of nearly +1400 feet change in elevation… a real heart sto
Read more

The Final Chapter

Image
My favorite scene on the Appalachian Trail near Petites Gap/Highcock Knob, VA, March 26, 2021 (Day 31). Reaching Springer Mountain, the Southern Terminus, June 13, 2021 (Day 90). Summiting Mt. Katahdin, the Northern Terminus, August 25, 2021 (Day 131). Completing our thru hike at Harpers Ferry on October 9, 2021 (Day 174). In the Beginning … This adventure actually started about two years ago in the fall of 2019 when Jim asked me about how I’d like to hike the Appalachian Trail with him. I gave it a good 2 seconds of consideration before I wasn’t politically correct at all in my answer telling him NO…LOL. I was just getting over an injury with my right Achilles tendon as I ruptured it a couple years prior and long distance hiking was the farthest thing on my mind to do.  Now lets back up about 57 years when Jim and I first met. His dad owned and operated a local campground, Coldbrook Campsites in Port Leyden, New York. Port Leyden was also the home of my father and he knew Jim’s dad an
Read more