Out of Vermont and Into New Hampshire-Mile 1742 -July 27

Tom has enjoyed a few days of really ideal weather and continues his Vermont trek. You hardly need any words to enjoy these scenes.        


Vermont field along the trail



Lunch from a farm stand

Lookout cabin Mile 1715

Trail magic-if you can see the writing on the cooler-it reads "You are Beautiful and I love You" It contained bananas and granola bars.
 



It cannot be summer without a few bug bites. Tom crossed over into New Hampshire yesterday afternoon and walked by a fair in Norwich, VT along the way before checking out Hanover, New Hampshire.

 

 

 

His plan is to start his trek into the White Mountains this week then catch a shuttle back to Hanover, VT so that he can fly home for a few family happenings. This all is depending on the weather. The White Mountains are not where a hikers needs to be in thunderstorms...stay tuned!

 



Some Vermont Vistas

Atop Bromley Mountain

 The views have continued to be incredible in Vermont as you can see in these photos. Tom has mostly been sleeping in his tent along the trail the last few days. It has been a few days of very hot humid weather followed by a downpour after which he stayed at an Inn in Killington, VT.  The Gorge pictured below served as a swimming hole on a hot afternoon.


Clearendon Gorge-a rinse off stream

View from Baker Peak , VT

Mound of Cairns along the trail

Rusted farm Implements

Vermont-trekking along mile 1660

Tom is walking through the area in Vermont that the Benton MacKaye walked when he had the inspiration to build the Appalachian trail. Here is a bit of a  history lesson along with Tom's recent photos.

Stratton Pond

Stratton Pond

View from Stratton Mountain

 Benton MacKaye (1879-1975) was the first person to propose the idea of the Appalachian Trail, which he did in October of 1921. He grew up in Shirley Center, Massachusetts, reading the work of American naturalists and poets and taking long walks in the mountains of Massachusetts and Vermont. MacKaye sometimes claimed that the idea for the trail was born one day when he was sitting in a tree atop Stratton Mountain in Vermont.
Throughout his professional career MacKaye worked for a number of Federal bureaus and agencies, which included the U.S. Forest Service, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the U.S. Department of Labor.
MacKaye was responsible for convening and organizing the first Appalachian Trail conference in Washington, D.C., in 1925. That gathering of hikers, foresters, and public officials embraced the goal of building the Trail. They established an organization, called the Appalachian Trail Conference, appointed MacKaye as its “field organizer,” and named Major William Welch, manager of New York’s Harriman Park, as its first chairman. The Appalachian Trail Conference became the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in 2005.
Sources: Benton MacKaye, “An Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning.” Journal of the American Institute of Architects 9 (Oct. 1921): 325-330.


Tom has encountered mud and agrees with the hiker sentiment that the Vermont trails are well known for their ever present mud.

Mud along the trail

 Tom was able to share a meal in Manchester, VT with Diesel this week. The two of them had hiked together earlier in the trek and Diesel was back home in Vermont healing up after a fall. He is about to hit the trail again.

Diesel and Tom

Monday night July 21, Tom stayed at Lost Pond Shelter. It actually has burned to the ground twice and was most recently rebuilt in 2009.

Lost Pond Shelter

At the Vermont-Massachusetts state line the Appalachian Trail joins the Long Trail for 105 miles to the Maine junction. At this point the AT heads toward Maine and Long Trail leads north toward Canada. The Long Trail was completed in 1930 and served as one inspiration for the AT.

Into Vermont he goes...Thursday July 17th

I spoke with Tom midday Thursday as he was resupplying in North Adams, Massachusetts at the Price Chopper Supermarket. He and " Hemlock" had just been able to hitch a ride into town from the trail and enjoyed breakfast at Friendly's. Yesterday was a long day of hiking and they ended up finishing after dark at the Wilbur Clearing Shelter. That made it a 20 mile day ...up and down Mt.Greylock in one day!
Their day started with rain which meant hiking all day in  mud with wet shoes. It had cleared by the time they reached the top and the weather seems to be mid 70'swith some great views.

Wild blueberries



Pond near the top of Mt Greylock

 

War Memorial to state's war dead.



Tom at summit Mt Greylock

View from top
 

 

Entering Vermont July 17 -Mile 1592



Mile 1564 -Tuesday July 15

After a long day of hot hiking Monday, July 14, Tom was looking forward to enjoying some hiking lore with the "Cookie Lady" and maybe some fresh blueberries. What he got was not  quite what he expected. This trail angel is known for sharing home baked cookies and hard boiled eggs with the hikers. Sometimes she and her husband let hikers camp out in the yard also or in a storage building/garage and often other hikers have noted they tell stories.

Cookie Lady's house

The hikers are then are asked to offer to help a bit around the yard or house in return. Simple, right? Well, Tom was quite surprised when he was asked to mow the overgrown weeds out of the rows of blueberries with a very old mower. He set his backpack down ( big mistake) near the side of their garage and started to mow. He noticed that the couple was backing out their car right over his backpack in the driveway as he was working. Yikes! They did not even notice! He says that you can see the tire tread marks on his backpack. Their car tire ended up breaking the bottle of olive oil Tom carried right on top of his food bag. Now everything is covered in olive oil-the tent-sleeping bag-you name it. Tom told me it might be funny later but it sure was not right then. Luckily nothing else appeared to be broken. He chose to sleep out in the yard instead of inside the separate shed/garage they had offered and left very early the next morning. Not sure if he thinks those cookies were worth it...



Extra shed at cookie Lady's house

Tonight Tom is settled in Dalton, MA( mile 1564) tenting in the back yard with several other hikers that he has meet along the way. This hiker angel, Thomas Levardi, has  opened his home to hikers for over 30 years.



 

The back yard at Thomas Levardi home Tuesday night

He allows them to use  bikes so that they can get into town for supplies and take care of the laundry. He had some advice on getting ready for the climb tomorrow.  An awesome guy I am told! Good thing today is looking good...yesterday was at the other end of the spectrum.

Thomas Levardi home in Dalton, MA

On Wednesday Tom and the group of hikers will try to reach the summit of Mt Greylock, the highest peak in Massachusetts at 3,491 feet. It is in the Berkshire Mountain Range.  The 18 mile trek tomorrow will be a challenge for sure with big elevation changes all day.
This mountain is so inspirational that legend has it, Mount Greylock's long, saddle-like shape inspired Herman Melville to write "Moby Dick". He was known to have great fondness for the mountain, even setting up a special observation deck at his home (near Pittsfield) so he could view Greylock whenever he desired.

Mt Greylock

Onward through Connecticut and Massachusetts

The scenery is breathtaking on this part of the trail and Tom got some great photos along the way.  The Housatonic River is the second largest river in Connecticut and flows over a 60 foot ledge. The falls are fed by wetlands which are located in Warren, and empties directly into the Housatonic River, which is across the street from the park

 

Falls over Housatonic

Connecticut lookout

Tom passed through Kent, CT to resupply and their Kent Falls State Park is often called “The Jewel of the Inland Parks” with its scenic view of 17 different waterfalls.

Kent, CT



 

Another scenic lookout and Tom at the top of Bear Mountain, Connecticut photo below.  Bear Mountain near Salisbury has the tallest peak in the state of Connecticut at 2,316 feet. He stayed with one of the local townspeople that has offered rooms for the hikers to stay.


Sages Ravine pictured below tumbles down a beautiful section of forest and rock along the extreme western tip of Connecticut and Massachusetts' borderline. When there has been a lot of rain or snow melt, the series of falls and cascades are breathtaking.   He soon crossed into Massachusetts and stopped in South Egremont for breakfast with another hiker named Hemlock and his girlfriend. This makes state number 11! He is currently about mile 1538.

Sages Ravine pictured below tumbles down a beautiful section of forest and rock along the extreme western tip of Connecticut and Massachusetts' borderline. When there has been a lot of rain or snow melt, the series of falls and cascades are breathtaking.

 

He soon crossed into Massachusetts and stopped in South Egremont for breakfast with another hiker named Hemlock and his girlfriend. This makes state number 11! He is currently about mile 1538.

 

 

 

Into Connecticut he goes!

Tom is resting at Schaghticoke Campsite, mile 1460 as I update the blog. It was a short night; let me show where he slept.

If it looks like he was in the middle of a nursery, well, yes he was. The Native Landscape Garden Center near Route 22 in New York allows hikers to pitch tents on their property. As he got close around 7 pm, a storm blew up and so he just pitched the tent right here. Later that evening he learned that there was a designated hiker spot out of range of the automatic sprinklers. At 3 AM he wished he had moved the tent as he was blasted by the irrigation system, but instead he started hiking.

This is some trail magic from some local New Yorkers who have water and hiker snacks at the end of the driveway.

In New York State the trail goes right by some train stops which could take you right into Manhattan.

                  This is the designation of the state line of New York and Connecticut at Mile 1451.

                                                        Some Connecticut  countryside.

Duncannon Church Offers Food and Fellowship for Hikers. From ABC news Harrisburg, PA

Duncannon Church Offers Food and Fellowship for Hikers.


If you click on the above link you will see a local news program that was filmed as Tom was in Duncannon having dinner at a local church. He is the bearded one with the red bandana on his head! He tells me it was so hot that day and he kept getting the bandana wet to try and stay cool.
  Anne

RPH shelter and Pizza delivery!

 

The RPH Shelter in New York State is unlike anything you'll encounter up and down the trail. It is at mile 1422 and exactly where Tom is taking a break tonight, July 6, 2014..  This is truly a Hiker Hilton with takeout delivery,  lounge furniture, picnic tables, plaster walls, a clean painted floor, working windows, a nice privy, and even a small library. 

The shelter is located right off the Taconic Parkway, and looks a little suspicious on the New York/New Jersey Map of the AT due to it's proximity to a road. But it's in remarkably nice condition and obviously well looked after by local maintainers.

The RPH stands for Ralph's Peak Hikers Cabin and  a 4 walled version of the current cabin had been originally built on the site. One wall was subsequently removed, so that it would match the other shelters on the AT. There are actual bunk beds inside and a clothes line to hang wet tents and clothes.

 

It is unique in that there can be pizza delivery right here! Tom ordered a veggie pizza after a long day of hiking; 17 miles to be exact.

This is the creamery where he enjoyed a quart of butter pecan ice cream during the day yesterday.

This trip has been unique in that you really do not know what is in store the next day. Today we booked a flight from Boston home on August 1 so that Tom could be home for niece Stephanie's wedding and to welcome our new granddaughter in Oregon. It is a bit like a Tetris game to try and figure just where he will be when. Mother Nature seems to play a role in it all.

Some more trail magic, rain and rocks galore into New York!



There was a bit more trail magic as Tom left Vernon, New Jersey and then a bunch of rain! He has been tent camping for most of these last few days this stretch and going slowly.

More trail magic July 2

July 3 turned out to be like the children's book I recall, "Alexander and the no good, very bad day." The day started off with Tom sitting down to rest and setting his glasses beside him then standing right on them as he got up. You guessed it-they are now in pieces. Then the rocks did a number on the hiking pole that was still intact. After calling Black Diamond and sending in this photo a new set will be arriving soon. Thanks to the Black Diamond Company! You guys rock! The trekking poles are really necessary for the downhill stretches of the trails for stability.

Then the rain started a few days ago as it did for most of the southeast  and New England. When that happens along the trail you keep going, pitch your tent or find a shelter if it is lightening. It has been a slow few days. Tom tells me he was not expecting all the rocks to continue in New York and  it has been difficult hiking. The good news is that the rain has stopped.

William Brien Shelter-tent camped here 7/4/2014

 

Tom crossed Bear Den , NY earlier today and is hiking with Dependable Pete-this point is the lowest altitude on the entire Appalachian trail at 124 feet above sea level. There is actually a zoo right along the trail here.  Tom and Dependable Pete were crossing the Hudson River at dusk. Then spending the night on the grounds of Greymoor Spiritual Life center at mile 1405. They allow tent camping on the ball field and offer a cold water shower during the warm months.

Bears Den and Zoo -Mile 1395 with hiker Dependable Pete

 

We are also following the AT blog for Bud Schultz, who is the tennis coach for my sister Mary.  He has been flying along the trail and is in Maine now very close to the 100 mile wilderness. He is raising funds for TENACITY,  an organization that  works with underserved children in the Boston area. You can follow his adventure here:     http://www.tenacitybuddy.org/#

Tom has some information about the Frazee Dream Center on his main page and about the great programs they offer all year long for the children of Greenville.  There is also information on  how you can support their efforts. 



The following Facebook post was done this weekend by The Appalachian Trail Conservancy.  All of you grandparents, parents and teachers out there may want to download their activity book.

Appalachian Trail Conservancy

July 3

The Appalachian Trail Adventure Book uses word games, mazes, and more to engage and inform children about topics such as wildlife, conservation, volunteer work, and community. Dwld it for free at http://tinyurl.com/65dwh5d. How do you engage your kids with the great outdoors?