Author: mmbowden60

Katahdin At Last

This was a northbound section hike of the Appalachian Trail starting at East Flagstaff Road (NB mile 2025.8 and ending on Mt. Katahdin. This section hike was 176.9 miles over 15 days. I flew into the Portland, ME airport and shuttled to East Flagstaff Road.

Sept 15, 2024

Starting at mile 2025.8. Hiking northbound.

East Flagstaff Road to Flagstaff Campsite (2026.9) – 1.1 miles

I started much later than planned, after 4 PM. My shuttle driver was hours late. He blamed traffic, but admitted to shuttling someone else that morning so I think he was trying to squeeze in an additional fare. I don’t blame him because his $200 price was beyond reasonable given that my shuttle required him to be on the road for at least 8 hours. My original plan was to hike 6 miles to West Carry Pond Lean-To, but with the late start and the long travel day I was beat and didn’t care to push hard and hike in the dark. Besides, I had a great deal of slack time built into my schedule.

A year ago on the first day of my section hike I had a view of Flagstaff Lake from the Bigelows. Here is the view of Flagstaff Lake from my campsite on the my first day of this year’s section hike.

Sept 16, 2024

Flagstaff Campsite to Pierce Pond Lean-To (2042.0) 15.1 miles

Went to sleep last night to the sound of Loons. Woke this morning to the sound of Loons.

Taking a break on the dock at West Carry Pond Lean-To. This was my originally planned destination for the first day.

Last night and this morning I heard the calls of Loons. Today I took time to watch Loons. Sometimes they would pop up suddenly from down below. They are great underwater swimmers.

After pitching my tent at Pierce Pond Lean-To, I walked 0.3 miles to Harrison’s Camp to sign up for breakfast the next morning. I had not seen other hikers, until shortly before I arrived at Pierce Pond. That changed when I enjoyed a delicious blueberry pancake breakfast at Harrison’s the next morning and met several thru-hikers who were to become my occasional hiking companions all of the way to Katahdin, including Scarface, Tinder, Turkish Delight, and ??.

The photo below is my tent is pitched on a platform at Bigelow Col Campsite. There were more daylight hiking hours left in the day, but another brutal climb was ahead and I thought it would be wise to rest and let my legs recover some this first day.

September 17, 2024

Pierce Pond Lean-To Joes Hole Creek stealth spot (2059.1) 17.1 miles

This memorable day started with loads of coffee, scrambled eggs, bacon, and blueberry pancakes and the enjoyable company of a table full of 7 or 8 thru-hikers. The proprietor of Harrison’s Camp doesn’t seem to have a set price for thru-hikers, but if you ask, he suggests $6. With all of the hiker talk and stories, it was getting toward 9 am when I reluctantly pushed back from the table and was the first to set back out on the trail.

This is the Kennebec River crossing. Today, the ferry crossing was a canoe piloted by a certified Maine Guide named Rob. The river was about as low as it gets, but still, the water through the main channel was enough to make Rob work hard to keep the canoe from being pushed downstream too far. I was Rob’s first customer today and I waited quite a while and wondered about my ride. Finally, I saw a man step out of a shelter on the far side of the river. I waved until Rob saw me and I was soon climbing into the canoe and answering questions about whatever other hikers were headed this way.

This was easily the toughest day of hiking and the climb up Pleasant Pond Mountain was the toughest part of a tough day. There were several bigger mountains over the 2 weeks including Chairback, West Peak, Gulf Hagas, Whitecap, and Katahdin; however, climb up Pleasant Pond Mountain took place in the middle of a brutally hot afternoon.

There was only a mile and a half further to go to get to Bald Mountain Brook Lean-To, but I’d made a good distance and with plenty of extra time in my hike schedule, I didn’t need to push on. Besides, I though I had a second wind, it had been an hot exhausting day. The stealth site was too small to hardly qualify as a tent spot, but I pitched one end of the tent over a rotten log and called it a day.

September 18, 2024

Joes Hole Brook to Horseshoe Canyon Lean-To – (2073.7) 13 miles

A lot of hiking along the West Branch Piscataquis River where the trail surface as at turns rocky and rooty to the point that I began to be reminded of Pennsylvania, though nothing could be as rocky as Pennsylvania. There were several water crossings of various difficulty. Near the end of the day, I came to a wide section of the Piscataquis where three women were crossing. Two had taken off shoes and were in the process of walking through the stream. I rock hopped across while keeping my feet dry. I watched as the third woman attempted the same, but ended up slipping into the water. Ironically, with numerous dry foot crossings I eventually managed to step on a small log that rolled my foot into a small muddy puddle.

I was the only person at Horseshoe Canyon Lean-To where I set up my tent and spent a lonely night.

A cave like rock overhang.

September 19, 2024

Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to Route 15 Monson, ME – Shaw’s Hostel (2082.7) – 9 mi

I was up early and speed hiking 9 miles to hot showers, laundry, town food, etc. At Route 15 I called the shuttle for Shaw’s Hostel. Before 10 am I was at Route 15, I had also reached the beginning of the 100 mile wilderness.

By 11:30 AM, after a hot shower, laundry in the washing machine, and a cold beer, I’m already getting settled into town life in beautiful Monson, Maine. My usual Hostel stay involves sharing a room with a number of bunks, but this time I had planned ahead by reserving a private room. Besides having a more restful night, it made it much easier to spread out my gear and 10-day resupply to better organize my pack. As I looked at the piles of food, I wondered how I would fit it all in my pack and how I would manage the weight. Thinking it through, since water would be abundant, I planned to fill only a single bottle of water. I also strapped the tent to the bottom of my pack and my dry sack with sleeping bag and clothing to the top of my pack. Assundries were already in ziplocks that I kept in the webbing on the outside of the pack. Down jacket and vest were stuffed into the stretch sleeve on the lower back of the pack. That left the inside available for food.

I headed to the General Store where I picked up a sandwich and snacks for lunch. That night at The Lakeshore House, Tinder and Scarface who I had first met at Harrison’s invited me to join them. We caught up on each other’s hike and enjoyed the food, live music, and lake view.

September 20, 2024

100 Mile Wilderness – Route 15 (Monson) to Wilson Vally Lean-To (mi 2093.1) – 10.4 mi

Finally, I’m in the 100 mile wilderness which isn’t a wilderness at all, rather it is a 100 mile stretch where resupply isn’t possible. Unless, of course you are willing to pay $80 to Shaw’s or someone else for a drop that you will be required to meet. The money is one thing, but the requirement to be at a specific place at a specific time was also something I didn’t care for. I met a thru-hiker at Shaw’s that was organizing a group for an altogether different plan. Instead of paying for a food drop, hikers would share the cost of a shuttle to slackpack for the next 3 days. I had already noticed this guy from how much he was enjoying the camaradarie, beer, and food of town life; however, no matter how tempting this might be, it wasn’t my idea of hiking the 100 mile wilderness. I didn’t envy their daily hours riding in a van. I politely declined. He found a couple of hiking buddies, so for each of the next 3 days I looked forward to seeing this crew as they hiked south and I hiked north.

A somewhat foreboding message, this sign. It is not as all bad as that.

Here is Wilson Stream. I didn’t carry water shoes so I took off shoes and socks and waded across here. To avoid stepping on slippery uneven stones hidden beneath the water, I moved slowly and carefully.

I had a little crisis last night as I began to prepare my first freeze-dried meal in the 100 Mile Wilderness. The gas canister that I had bought at Shaw’s would cross-thread onto my stove and start hissing gas. After several tries, one of a group of 3 guys from Pittsburgh staying at the Wilson Valley Lean-To offered to try. Thankfully, he managed to thread the stove onto the canister.

September 21, 2024

Wilson Valley Lean-To to Cloud Pond Lean-To (mile 2101.8) – 8.7 miles

I finished early and claimed the choice tent spot with a million-dollar view over Cloud Pond. Ideally, I’d have hiked further, but there isn’t always a reasonable camping spot where you want it. I’m carrying 10 days of resupply where most people are planning for only 7 days. I’ve learned the hard way that sometimes the trail is harder than expected or the weather won’t cooperate so I’ve allowed a lot of time to complete this hike. As hard as it is to travel to this remote spot in Maine, I don’t want to come up short and need to return to finish the last few miles of the AT. I also don’t want to finish the trip too early just to end up spending an extra day in town waiting for my return flight.

2100 miles from Springer Mountain

Thanks to thru-hikers June and Taz who took my photo here. I met them in Monson where I tried the hostel’s slack line. June then gave a nice demonstration on how to move from standing to sitting to standing on a slack line. These cliffs would be a nice spot for a slack line. Don’t you think?

View from my tent at Cloud Pond. Note the stove with the blue and white gas canister. Once again I had trouble threading the stove onto the canister. Finally, after repeated tries, I was able to make it work. Whew! I’ve learned a lesson to check out any new canister with the stove before leaving town. The sad thing was that my old canister still had plenty of gas when I dropped it into the hiker box at Shaw’s. It probably had enough gas to make it through the 100-mile wilderness.

About an hour after I arrived at Cloud Pond, Tinder and Scarface showed up and Tinder began building a campfire. A couple of hours after that, the Pittsburgh Trio arrived. They told me that a couple of them were priests and that they were about to have Mass so I would know what it was and not think they were doing something strange.

Sunset at Cloud Pond

September 22, 2024

Cloud Pond Lean-To to Trailside near Gulf Hagas (2115.5) – 13.7 miles

Nearly every morning I have oatmeal for breakfast, but this morning at Cloud Pond, I treated myself to a breakfast skillet.

On the first major climb north of Cloud Pond Lean-To, I encountered the wreckage from this plane crash on the AT. I never found the story about the plane crash.

The descent off Chairback Mountain including this rockslide was a little long and tedious, reminding me of southern Maine.

View of White Cap Mountain from the descent off Chairback. At 3643 feet, this is the highest peak that the AT crosses in the 100-mile wilderness. It also marks the last long climb in the 100-mile wilderness.

Labeled by PeakFinder, this zoomed-in view from the descent of Chairback Mountain shows the route of the next day’s hike. That route bears to the left and descends to the valley where it continues to the left up the other side of the valley. It continues to the ridge at Gulf Hagas Mountain then follows the ridge over West Peak and Hay Mountain. To the right of Hay Mountain the lower slope of White Cap Mountain is visible. The AT goes over the top of White Cap and leaves the ridge, dropping down the other side.

Seated in the foreground is Extra. Standing from left to right: Stinky, Hemlock, Uphill, Empty Space, and Rebecca.

The 3 guys from Pittsburgh that I first met at Wilson Lean-To two nights ago had told me that they had arranged a resupply at Katahdin Iron Works road. I began hearing that the person doing their resupply had set up major trail magic on Katahdin Iron Works Road while waiting on the Pittsburgh guys. My hunger was kicking up so was began busting it down to the road and hoping that the trail magic would still be there.

I was in for a fantastic reward, but first Empty Space asked whether I’d seen the Pittsburgh trio and I reported that I’d spent the last two nights with them and that they were usually arrived about 3 hours behind me. Empty Space grilled me a hamburger and a grilled cheese sandwich which he served with hot tomato soup. I ate snacks and had a cold beer. Next, Empty Space opened a cooler that had been carefully packed with dry ice and ice cream bars. He said they were for the Pittsburgh guys, but he had a few extras and I could have one. Empty Space warned me to hold off eating because they were frozen as solid as a brick and I would break my teeth.

Later, Stinky and Hemlock’s hiking companion Dying arrived. We still hadn’t seen the Pittsburgh Trio. Dying was more of a hiking purist, having avoided shortcuts on the AT the whole way. Since I had passed Stinky, Hemlock, and Dying early in the day, I had wondered how Stinky and Hemlock had beat me to the trail magic. It turned out that they had taken a shortcut that came out further down on Katahdin Ironworks Road. This had avoided a lot of the Chairback Ridge. It was getting late. With the exception of an overpriced private campground, no camping is allowed for miles through this entire area of the Gulf Hagas. Stinky, Hemlock, and Dying opted to do a road walk to stay at the Gorman Chairback Cabins where they would be fed supper, breakfast, and a packed lunch the next day. It turns out that the 100-mile wilderness isn’t entirely without comforts.

I opted to keep my headlamp handy and I set off on a late-day trek out of the Gulf Hagas restricted area. I had no idea whether there would be a suitable tent spot, particularly since past Gulf Hagas, the trail began to climb and the map didn’t show any level spots. Thankfully, I was recharged with a full stomach and the trail was much smoother than the rockslides of the past few miles. As soon as I passed the Gulf Hagas boundary, I kept an eye out for level spots. I soon spied spots at the bottom of a steep drop-off below the trail. It was nearly dark and I scrambled down and set up my tent in a discreet spot next to the Gulf Hagas stream. (Just in case this spot wasn’t legal.) About 10 minutes later a couple of guys from Quebec that I had passed earlier came up the trail. At first, I wasn’t sure who they could be, but when I saw who they were, I waved them down. They were happy to find this level spot and I was happy to have company. The guys were Kevin and Mark and it turned out that Mark had extra gas canisters. This time, my gas canister would not thread onto my stove. I tried it on Mark’s stove and it worked. I tried Mark’s extra canister on my stove and that one worked. There was something strange about the compatibility of the canister from Shaw’s and my stove. Mark offered me his canister and I offered mine in trade. He wouldn’t take the trade and just gave me his extra canister.

September 23, 2024

Trailside near Gulf Hagas to Mountain View Pond (2131.5) – 16.0 miles

With cooler temperatures, climbing West Peak, Hay Mountain, and White Cap was easier than expected.

Labeled by PeakFinder: Here is the first view of Katahdin from White Cap Mountain.

I planned to hike 14.1 miles to East Branch Lean-To and tent there. When I arrived, it was still early and I expected to be the first hiker. I was surprised when I stepped around to the front of the shelter and saw a small thin man lounging in the lean-to. He was wearing a black mask and a sleeping bag and gear was spread out in the corner of the shelter. I found out he was staying the night. When he asked if I was staying, I told him I was going to set up my tent nearby. With the mask and an accent I couldn’t place his voice was a little garbled. He asked me for food. If it wasn’t already clearly obvious that he was homeless, this gave him away. I told him that I had carefully planned out my food carry to minimize weight so I didn’t have food to spare. I also said that other backpackers would to the same thing. My implication was that this was the wrong place for a homeless person to be begging for food. I was pretty spooked by this man, but not enough to hike to another spot so I began exploring the area for a private spot well away from the Lean-To. One where he was unlikely to bother me. After walking over the area and finding some nice spots out of sight of the Lean-To, I considered my options. I didn’t see other hikers. I might be camping alone with this strange masked man. It wouldn’t matter where I placed my tent because there was no way to hide out here. Checking “Far Out”, my other option was to hike another 1.9 miles to some limited tent spots at Mountain View Lake. Hiker comments on the Far Out App reported that most spots were hard to find or barely suitable for tents. I thought I had time to reach this spot before dark. The forecast called for rain in a couple of days. The extra distance today would make for a short day between Lean-To’s for the upcoming rain day. Also, camping next to another lake sounded nice. My biggest regret was that I wouldn’t have a nice privy.

Here is my tent spot at Mountain View Lake. This was by far the best spot besides being the only obvious spot here. After I claimed this spot, other hikers began arriving. Though tight, I offered the area next to my tent, but other hikers thanked me and wandered off in search of spots. More hikers dribbled in. They were having increasing difficulty finding spots for a tent. All told me that they had planned to spend the night at East Branch Lean-To, but when the man with the black mask begged for either money, food, or fuel they decided to hike on. Some hikers were arriving here as it was getting dark. I asked whether they saw anyone choosing to stay at East Branch Lean-To other than the homeless man. They all reported that the homeless man was the only one staying there. It seemed crazy that the homeless man had the Lean-To and privy all to himself while there were 7 – 10 hikers crowded around an area that was more of a stealth site area than a real camping site.

September 24, 2024

Mountain View Pond to Antlers Campsite (mi 2145.6) – 14.1 miles

Here is the view Cooper Brook from the Cooper Brook Falls Lean-To. Not many Lean-To’s can match this one for being perfect placement on the bank of a creek for the best view. I was making good time and it was such a beautiful day that I decided to take an uber-long break at this beautiful spot. I took off my shoes, rested, and ate lunch. After about an hour, guess who showed up? It was the homeless guy from yesterday. From the beginning and during the course of this section hike, I occasionally heard stories and rumors about this guy, though I never expected to meet him. At first, I didn’t realize it was the same guy I had heard about, but after meeting him yesterday, I realized that I already knew things about him. I had been told that this man was from the Phillipines and that he had been hiking the AT for nearly a year, having started last October. The black mask spooked people out and he had been reported to the police and the Immigration & Naturalization Service. Both INS and police checked him out and deemed him harmless. They said there was nothing they could do since he wasn’t breaking the law.

I decided to extend my long break and visit with this guy for a while and listen to his story. This time he asked for fuel. I had my extra fuel canister that wouldn’t work with my stove so I was glad to do without carrying the extra weight and I gave it to him. I explained that he might want to check it first since I knew it wouldn’t work with my stove, though it worked with other stoves. He was just glad to get it and didn’t bother checking it.

His name was Herman and he confirmed that he was from the Philippines and had started hiking a year ago in October. Now, I knew this was the same homeless person I had heard stories about. He was moving from shelter to shelter, or “lean-to’s” in Maine. I guessed that the fact that he was hiking each day to a new shelter kept him from being picked up by the police for vagrancy. Anyone who permanently moved into a lean-to might eventually be subject to arrest. Each shelter, hut, lean-to, etc. is typically no more than 7 – 8 miles from the last and sometimes much closer. I can see why he had been hiking since October. He told me that he would ask for food, money, or fuel and that he was homeless. I noticed that he varies what he asks for and only asks for one thing, whether it be food, money, or fuel. He said that he didn’t like homeless shelters and where he had things stolen from him. He said that the AT was the perfect place for him. He told me he would like to get a “volunteer” job in a small town somewhere. He talked about getting a job cleaning the offices of a small-town mayor in exchange for which they would feed him and provide a room for him to sleep in. I told him that every government no matter how small had a bureaucracy that wouldn’t allow for such an arrangement. I noticed that he was much older and thinner than I had at first guessed. I tried to pin down his age by talking at length with him, asking about his family and when and how he came to the United States. I guess that he could be as old as 65 or 70. He’s small and probably about 110 pounds and 5 foot 5 inches. He told me about how he hiked up to New Hampshire, but that he had to turn around because the AMC was charging fees for campsites and he had no money. He began hiking south and in Massachusetts met a lady who gave him money and gear. He said he owed everything to her and he wouldn’t be here without her. Having money, he began hiking north again from Massachusetts, through New Hampshire and to this point in Maine. He told me the man at the Kennebec River ferry (canoe) told him the ferry closed for the winter on September 31st. He said that now he was stuck in Maine forever.

Crawford Pond

Antlers Campsite is located on Lower Jo-Mary Lake and very cool. Tinder had given me advice on the best spot at Antlers. I arrived early and claimed this site on the tip of a peninsula overlooking the lake from both the front and rear of my tent. It was very exposed to wind which would be a problem if there were storms. Antlers is huge with plenty of spread-out tent spots. I was early and the sun was out so I took the opportunity to put on my shorts and get in the lake for a bath and laundry. I hung my wet shirt, socks, and pants on branches I could find in the sun.

September 25, 2024

Antlers Campsite to Wadleigh Lean-To (mi 2159) – 13.4 miles

The trail in this portion of Maine is easy. I could have easily walked farther, but if I made today longer, then tomorrow or the next day would be too short and boring. Rain was coming in later tomorrow morning and though still early, stopping here at Wadleigh Shelter would give me a perfect distance tomorrow. I short day in the rain is preferable to a long boring zero rain day spent in a Lean-To. As it was, nobody else was at Wadleigh Lean-To and I quickly grew bored. I explored the area a little. That didn’t help much with my boredom so I gathered firewood and built a campfire.

September 26, 2024

Wadleigh Lean-To to Rainbow Stream Lean-To (mi 2167.3) – 8.1 miles

Ahh, it was a rain day. I knew the forecast so for the last several days I had been planning to make this a short day. My unplanned 16-mile day into Mountain View Pond set up the planning to allow for a very short rain day. The rain was forecast to begin later that morning so I was up early and hiking fast to reach Rainbow Stream Lean-To without having to walk through a downpour. After a couple of hours a light rain started. By the time I reached the Lean-To before lunch, a steady rain was falling. To take the wet chill off, I change from my wet clothes into my dry sleeping clothes and snuggled into my sleeping bag. I was thirsty and needed to fill my water bottles. Rainbow stream was about 40 feet in front of the shelter, but the rain started coming down hard. I didn’t want to leave the comfort of my sleeping bag and get wet so I put off the task of retrieving water. After several hours, Turkish Delight showed up at the shelter. About an hour later, Sigma showed up. Later, the rain let up slightly and I quickly filled my water bottles in the stream. That night, it was the three of us staying dry in the Lean-To.

Nahmakanta Lake in Rain

September 27, 2024

Rainbow Stream Lean-To to Abol Bridge Campground (2182.3) – 15 miles

Rainbow Lake

View of Mount Katahdin from the bridge at Abol Bridge.

My tent at Abol Pines Campsite overlooks the Penobscot River. I gathered around the campfire that night with some of the thru-hikers that I had met along the way. Sigma, Turkish Delight, Scarface, and Tinder. As a section hiker, it was exciting to think about this last stage of my hike. I can’t imagine the excitement of these thru-hikers.

Penobscot River

September 28, 2024

Abol Bridge Campground to The Birches Campsite (2192.1) – 9.8 mile

No matter what reassurance the Baxter Park Ranger had for the Birches Campsite sign-up, I couldn’t help but worry that a bus full of people from town would arrive early in the morning to sign up for all the spots at Birches. We’d seen some southbound hikers who told us that was what happened to them. As stated on the sign-up sheet, only NOBO hikers completing the 100 Mile Wilderness are eligible. This means hikers can’t just be dropped off from town to sign up for the Birches. Even if you hiked the 100 Mile Wilderness, and then went into town for a minute, you would lose eligibility for the Birches. In reality, most of those going through the 100 Mile Wilderness are thru-hikers or long-section hikers and already know each other so they would know legit sign-ups from imposters. They could call them out. (For whatever good that would do.)

In my opinion, there is a great deal more stress than there needs to be regarding the rules and regulations in Baxter State Park. The Park Rangers try to act like everything is chill when they are doing their best given an overly regulated system that doesn’t allow for the expansion of campsites or parking. Baxter Park is enormous and it doesn’t need to be this way. The park was created through a Trust left by Governor Percival P. Baxter which established rules which seem to be used as an excuse to keep unreasonable restrictions and avoid expanding amenities such as parking and camping. It would be simple to increase the capacity of the Birches or add a 2nd camping area for thru-hikers. Thru-hikers take up much less room than car campers. It wouldn’t violate the rules to keep Baxter SP “forever wild” and in a “natural state” any more than the existing facilities violate those rules.

They advise you to take a photo of your sign-up as proof should something go wrong. The ranger at the sign-up kiosk makes sure that the ranger at the Birches Campsite receives a copy of the sign-up information. If no spaces remain, the ranger works to find you a spot at another campground.

I woke up at 3:15 am and walked 0.8 miles in the dark from Abol Pines Campground to the Baxter State Park entrance. After arriving at around 4:00 am, I was the first in line to sign up for Birches. Sign-up is at 7 am, so I laid down on my sleeping pad I snoozed as I waited for the Park Ranger to arrive with the sign-up sheet. As you can see, there is space for only 12 people at Birches Campsite.

I walked 0.8 miles to the park entrance for Birches sign-up, then walked back to Abol Pines to pack up my tent and Abol Bridge for some breakfast snacks and last phone device charging. Here I am after having walked back 0.8 miles a 2nd time to the park entrance for the last leg of my hike.

Stinky, Dying, and Hemlock chose to leave their tents and gear at Abol Bridge Campground and hike all night on a 30.2-mile round trip to the summit of Katahdin and back. They road-walked a portion of the hike so it was less than 30.2 miles, but that was in addition to the 20 or so miles they had already hiked that day. These thru-hikers have a unique way of speaking about themselves. It’s about 5 pm and they are packing up. They’ve already hiked 15 to 20 miles today. The conversation goes something like this. One says, “We’re hiking to Katahdin from here.” Stinky says, “Yeah, we’re doing an all-nighter.” Hemlock groans, “Yeah, we’re crazy”. “Actually, we’re stupid.” “We shouldn’t be doing this.” “We are idiots.”

Big Niagra Falls

Birches Campsite with Trail Magic

Hot Pizza at Birches Campsite. Thanks for the Trail Magic! I couldn’t imagine the work it took to bring in hot pizza and everything else and drive back home for work on Monday morning.

September 29, 2024

The Birches Campsite to Baxter Peak, Katahdin (2197.4) – 5.3 miles

View from Katahdin Climb

Fog and clouds move in as I continue the rocky ascent of Katahdin.

I reached the summit of Katahdin and finished the entire Appalachian Trail at 9:40 am. My AT section hike began 21 years ago. I hiked sections in 11 of those years. I section-hiked from Amicalola Falls to Ceres Gap, Virginia over the first 3 years. In 2 of the intervening years, I hiked sections in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts with my friend Sheffy. After retirement, I resumed in earnest in 2019 and hiked the remainder over the next 6 years.

I celebrate the completion of the AT.

December 26, 2024
AT Section – Maine Bigelows to Gorham, NH

This was a southbound section hike of the Appalachian Trail starting at East Flagstaff Road (SB mile 171.8 and ending at Route 2 near Gorham, NH. (SB mile 298.3). This section hike was 126.5 miles over 11 days. I left my car parked at Rattle River Crossing near Gorham, NH, and shuttled to East Flagstaff Road.

Sept 1, 2023

Starting at mile 171.8. Hiking southbound.

East Flagstaff Road to Bigelow Col Campsite (180.4) – 8.6 mile

I started much later than planned, at around 11 am. I soon realized that my original plan to hike 14.7 miles to Cranberry Stream Campsite was clearly unrealistic. Further into the hike, my pace slowed down as I climbed ridiculous verticals that required difficult up-and-down scrambles. Eventually, my legs began feeling like wet spaghetti. I reluctantly accepted the fact that my backup plan to hike 11.5 miles to Horns Pond Lean-to wouldn’t do either. Feeling dispirited, I continued to hike while I questioned my overly ambitious 14-day hiking itinerary. I had planned 12-plus mile days to reach Gorham in order to allow several days to drive to Salisbury, CT for a 40-mile hike on the AT. I had planned on a Connecticut-Massachusetts section that I had skipped on earlier section hikes. Now, the Salisbury hike couldn’t happen and I wasn’t even sure whether I could cover the distance to Gorham, NH in 14 days.

Above is a view of the Bigelows. The closest is Bigelow Avery Peak and further is West Bigelow. Photo taken from Little Bigelow. The climb to Little Bigelow was hard enough, but I had just gotten started. Below is a view of Flagstaff Lake from the Bigelow.

The photo below is my tent is pitched on a platform at Bigelow Col Campsite. There were more daylight hiking hours left in the day, but another brutal climb was ahead and I thought it would be wise to rest and let my legs recover some this first day.

September 2, 2023

Bigelow Col Campsite to The Maine Roadhouse Hostel in Stratton, Maine (188.4) – 8 miles

With climbs up and down steep ledges the trail was punishing even along stretches where there were no lengthy ascents and descents. In fact, I would have given anything to trade for more long stretches of gradual vertical. With an unplanned stop in Stratton, Maine to stay at the highly recommended Maine Roadhouse Hostel, I only made 8 miles. It was time to regroup because I obviously wasn’t going to make 12-plus mile days, and besides, northbound thru-hikers kept raving about the breakfast at the Roadhouse, and that made a good excuse for a short day.

Below is a view looking northeast toward Horn Pond. There are campsites and a lean-to near the pond.

The Maine Roadhouse Hostel was full so Jenn put me in their motel in Stratton. This turned out to be more convenient since it was an easy walk to everything. The grocery store and a restaurant were directly across the street. It was also a short walk to the general store where you could order sandwiches and hamburgers. Here are 3 backpacking bears in front of Jenn’s motel.

September 3, 2023

Stratton, ME to Spaulding Mtn Lean-to (mi 201.9) – 13.5 miles

After only 16 miles over 2 days, I was worried that I would be starting the morning with an 1800-foot climb up Crocker Mountain. I set off with a steady pace and was pleasantly surprised to find that the climb was unlike the Bigelows. The climb was somewhat normal. The descent down the north side of South Crocker was a beast of drops and ledges as the trail dropped to the Cirque. I had already come to expect that kind of hiking in Maine.

The south side of the Crockers was a welcome break from rock climbing, but the only views were of mushrooms.

Below is the Carrabasset River which might have been a difficult crossing during the heavy rains earlier in the summer. I stopped and soaked my feet as I enjoyed a leisurely lunch of tuna fish wraps. Upon crossing the river the trail began a straight-up ascent. It was hot and as typical this week, my shirt was soaked in sweat. All I can say is that was glad to be climbing than having to go down those treacherous rock faces. Once I neared Sugarloaf Mountain, the trail turned to an easy surface and gentle slope as it continued toward Spaulding Mountain. I chose to bypass the side trail to the peak of Sugarloaf, the 2nd highest mountain in Maine. Some thru-hikers took that side-trail to see the views and the ski resort and most importantly to spend the night in the old gondola building where they could charge their phones. It would be a nice place to stay if the weather was bad. Today I had climbed over or past four 4000-foot peaks including North Crocker, South Crocker, Sugarloaf, and Spaulding Mountains.

Here is the 2nd 2000-mile trail marker that I saw. I had passed the first one about 7 minutes earlier.

Here is where the last section of the AT was completed that linked up the entire trail. I tented at Spaulding Lean-to which was crowded with weekend hikers and thru-hikers. Several thru-hikers staying at Spaulding had accidents earlier in the day. A guy from Germany had fallen and dislocated his shoulder. Another hiker had come along and evidently knew something about medicine and had relocated the shoulder and offered Percoset. I overheard a conversation between the patient and a thru-hiker with medical knowledge. He described different types of shoulder dislocations along with methods for relocating each type. He also counseled about the advisability of taking the Percocet. I believe recommended Percocet only for that night to help him sleep. He recommended switching to Ibuprofen in the morning and said it wouldn’t be a good idea to hike while on Percocet. Another thru-hiker had fallen on her head earlier that day while hiking and talking on the phone. She said that she lay there and wondered whether she would be able to get up. She had a nasty-looking bump and a red mark on the front of her head.

September 4, 2023

Spaulding Mountain Lean-to to Redington Stream Campsite (mi 212.5) – 10.6 mi

Below is a photo of Saddleback Junior. I was ready to hike beyond Redington Stream Campsite, but above Saddleback’s treeline was a no-camping zone. The next possible camp spot was another 6.3 miles at Piazza Rock Lean-to. Redington Stream Campsite was positioned well for an early morning climb of The Horn of Saddleback the next day, but the campsites at Redington were damp, dark, and dreary. I began setting up my tent only to discover that I had left all my tent stakes behind at Spaulding Lean-to. That realization made me feel just a little more dreary. I broke off pieces of limbs to use as tent stakes.

September 5, 2023

Redington Stream Campsite to Little Swift River Pond Campsite (mi 225.4) – 12.9 mi

All morning I thought about a plan to acquire tent stakes. There was an off-the-grid hostel called The Hiker Hut about 8.1 miles from Redington. I thought that I could get a shuttle into Rangely from there or if I was lucky, The Hiker Hut might have a hiker box with some tent stakes.

Here is the Hiker Hut. It was a nice stop a short walk from the trail. I bought 6 nice used tent stakes! I also bought snacks and hand-washed clothes in a bucket filled with creek water. I put on my damp clothes and let them dry as I relaxed in the sun on the porch. As I gazed over the gardens admiring the flowers, I noticed several large plants that were at least 7 feet tall. I quickly realized the familiar foliage of cannabis. The owner of the Hiker Hut needed to leave to shuttle a hiker and asked that if I was going to hang out very long, could I greet any arriving hikers and tell them that he would return shortly. I answered, “No problem” and asked him about taking a shower. I paid $5 for the shower and he explained how to operate the “rustic” shower. The outside shower was fed from a creek and heated with a 5-gallon propane tank. There was a nice view of the creek and the forest from one side of the shower. Tarps provided privacy from the other 3 directions. It felt great to be well-fed and clean.

The owner of the Hiker Hut lives in the Himalayan region of India during the off-season for his Hiker Hut.

The next 13.1 miles from the Hiker Hut / Rangely on ME Route 4 to ME Route 17 at mile 220.6 marks a rare break from the steep climbs and scrambles of southern Maine. This section has a lot of lakes and boggy areas. Canoes with paddles and life jackets that are positioned on 2 of the lakes are evidently made available to passersby. I would return to this 13-mile section on an “AT Highlight” hike.

Here’s a view from when I took a canoe out on South Pond (mile 222.8).

Here is my campsite at Little Swift River Pond. Canoes were available here also. I could see leaches swimming along the bottom of this lake, so I didn’t take a swim. The water source was a slow drip from a plastic pipe coming out of the ground. After a long time gathering water, I was disappointed to find that this water had a strong taste and smell that reminded me of diesel and made it almost undrinkable, even when made into coffee. I threw it out and took new water from the pond.

September 6, 2023

Little Swift River Pond to Stealth Site on Bemis Mountain (mile 239.5) – 14.1 miles

Here is a photo of Sabbath Pond from the southwestern end (AT South End). There is a nice beach here with real sand.

Occasionally I would come across these grouse who weren’t too bothered by my presence.

Here is an older thru-hiker named Old Crow who is carrying a massive hiking stick. I guess it had to weigh close to 10 pounds. I couldn’t imagine carrying that over some of the terrain through NH and ME. I also met a 76-year-old thru-hiker who thru-hiked in 1996 and was back at it again. His trail name was Grits and he was from Thomaston, GA. We stayed in the Barn Door Hostel together the night before I started my section hike. Grits was hiking north, so I ran into him again shortly before I saw Old Crow on Bemis Mountain. There must be something about old men and wooden hiking sticks. Grits also carried wooden hiking sticks, but his were short and skinny.

Here is my stealth site on a peak near the peak that is the official top of Bemis Mountain. The following photo shows the sunset view from this site. Other than the first day, the weather has been hot and humid. That night on Bemis Mountain was at least windy and a little cooler.

September 7, 2023

Bemis Mountain Stealth to Hall Mountain Lean-to (mi 251.1) – 11.6 miles

There must not have been any real highlights today, because I only just realized I took no photos today. The real event today was picking up my resupply delivery at the Andover crossing, then deciding to go into Andover with my shuttle driver. Andover doesn’t have anything other than a General Store that doubles as a cafe. I had a burger and charged my phone, then shuttled back to the trail. I also bought a bottle of Pepto Bismol. I must have gotten some bad water somewhere. I had already taken Immodium which I carry with me, but I was continuing to have some stomach pains and thought the pink stuff could help. into Shuttle to Undermountain Road at Salisbury, CT.

Back on the trail late in the day, I was climbing Moody Mountain and thankful that it was a normal type of mountain climb without rock scrambling and cliffs. It was a significant ascent, but it actually had some switchbacks which must have been an oversight by a Maine trailbuilder.

Once over Moody, the trail dropped to Sawyer Brook at an elevation of 1093 feet, then began climbing again to Wyman Mountain at nearly 3000 feet, then dropping again before another ascent of about 1600 feet before Hall Mountain Lean-to. On the final ascent, I passed one of 3 men that I had been leapfrogging since the climb up Bemis Mountain 2 days prior. He was struggling so I spoke with him to give subtle encouragement. I slowed some and waited for him at the top. These three were an older father and adult son plus a 3rd older man (the one I waited up on). They were also hiking to Gorham, NH, but had started further south than me. They carried packs heavily loaded for 10 – 11 days with no plans for resupply. I tried being friendly, but the dad seemed peeved. He later apologized for a belittling remark he made to me, but I could tell his son and friend were embarrassed. I’ve seen it before. It is hard backpacking and harder still for some people to chill and have a good attitude. Though I no longer saw these men, I thought about them in the days ahead as the trail continued to be tough.

September 8, 2023

Hall Mountain Lean-To to Baldpate Lean-To (mi 265.1) – 14.0 miles

Here is a view from Baldpate Mountain.

Here is my tent site at Baldpate Lean-To. I barely got the tent up before it started raining. Another hiker urged me on to Grafton Notch where they were serving whiskey as trail magic. I passed on the opportunity and was glad that I had because my feet were sore from the descents and the next 2 miles would have finished off my feet, not to mention the rain I would have been caught up in.

September 9, 2021

Bald Pate Lean-To to Unofficial Campsite (mi 274.2) north of Mahoosuc Notch – 9.1 miles

It was only 2.3 miles to Grafton Notch and I was hoping to find trail magic. I was in luck! There was plenty of trail magic and I wolfed down pop-tarts and other unhealthy sugary food while sitting in a circle of camp chairs listening to trail stories. I rinsed out socks and hung them on a tree to dry. I forgot them and had to backtrack about a quarter of a mile to retrieve them.

Next was a climb out of Grafton Notch and up Old Speck. The climb was long with lot of vertical, but it didn’t involve a lot of vertical rock scrambling and ledges. The weather had finally cooled off and by the time I reached the top, I needed my jacket to stay warm. I was glad to finally be out of the heat.

The descent down Mahoosuc Arm was treacherous, but by now I knew the drill. It was toward of the day so I had to take extra care to avoid a wrong move that would have caused a head banging, broken bone fall.

Here is a photo looking down the Arm into what I guess is Mahoosuc Notch.

Here is my campsite right before Mahoosuc Notch. Around 8 other thru-hikers had made it through the notch and were also camping in this site that was spacious enough to accommodate a dozen or so small tents. Just a side note, a couple of days before, I noticed that my chlorine drops had leaked. Without water purification, I started carrying a whole day’s supply of water. I also begged a few iodide pills from a thru-hiker at Bald-Pate Lean-To. Just before the campsite near Mahoosuc Notch, I found a good spring coming out the side of the hill, so I loaded up with untreated water and blessed the water to purify. I saved the iodide for a future spot where the water source wouldn’t be as clean. My strategy was to draw water from as few places as possible so I would be carrying a heavy load of water from here on out.

September 10, 2021

Campsite (mi 274.2) to Genetian Pond Shelter (mi 286.5) – 12.3 miles

Many thru-hikers advised me to take my time through Mahoosuc Notch and enjoy it. They said it was fun. I was starting the notch early in the morning with fresh legs, a full stomach, and a caffeinated brain. When I made it through the notch in 1 hour 7 minutes, I couldn’t believe that much time had passed. I guess my brain had suspended time as I worked out the puzzle of balancing and boulder hopping up and over the rocks. By and large, I took the high route because it seemed faster and easier than crawling through and under rocks. Besides, the higher route enabled me to see ahead so as to avoid dead-ends.

Later in the day, the rain began. The biggest irritation was the trail markers on Success Mountain. Had it not been raining, I would have been able to use the touchscreen on my phone to find myself and the trail using GPS. The wet screen wouldn’t respond. I lost count of how many times I retraced my steps on Success Mountain while trying to puzzle out the trail route and why certain stone cairns led into yellow-blazed nothingness. Finally, I came up with the idea of using my toilet paper to dry the screen and then sticking my phone in the ziplock bag with the remainder of the dry toilet paper. I could operate the now dry screen through the ziplock.

Here is a photo somewhere around Success Mountain.

Eventually, I reached Genetian Pond Shelter. I was wet. The shelter was packed with hikers, some laid out and taking up unnecessary room. Another hiker was arguing with those in the shelter to make room. Those in the shelter only stared blankly back at her while making no move. I didn’t see tent sites. As I stared at the sullen and listless occupants of the shelter, I wondered what to do. Someone was smoking a cigarette. I thought about scouting out the area, but then I might miss out on shelter space. Wet and tired, the obvious thought finally emerged. I loudly asked whether there were tent sites nearby. Someone answered that there were empty tent platforms up the hill behind the shelter. Now that was what I wanted to hear! I never wanted to be in the shelter anyway. I quickly found a vacant tent platform and wondered why those in the shelter hadn’t chosen the tent platform. I didn’t even have to share the platform with another tent.

September 11, 2023

Genetian Pond to US Route 2, Rattle River Crossing (Gorham, NH) (mi 298.3) – 11.8 miles

My last day. I started early. It was more downhill, but as always ups and downs. For some reason, as soon as I left Maine the day before, the trail had gotten easier.

This photo of the state line is from the next to last day. I was literally clambering down rock ledges just a few hundred feet on the north (Maine) side of this sign. On the New Hampshire side, there were no more ledges for miles. Between here and US Route 2 there were some tough spots, but nothing compared to Maine.

October 18, 2023
AT Section – Delaware River to Salisbury

This was a 206.8-mile section hike of the Appalachian Trail between Delaware Gap, PA, and Salisbury, CT. The section was done in 2 parts. The first part was a northbound hike from Delaware Gap, PA to Bear Mountain State Park in New York. The second part was a southbound hike from Salisbury, CT. to Bear Mountain State Park, NY. I used a shuttle for both parts, leaving my car parked at Bear Mountain State Park for the entire trip.

Note: Bear Mountain State Park provides a safe spot to leave your car during an extended hike. Park at the far end of the lot at Bear Mountain Inn, near the state police headquarters. Check-in with the police at HQ to provide information on your car and length of stay. Depending on the time of the year and the day of the week that you leave the parking area, you may need to pay for parking; however, at most, you will pay a single-day price no matter the number of days you are parked.

Sept 20, 2021

Starting at mile 1296.1. Hiking northbound.

Northbound Delaware Water Gap to Tent site – 9.6 miles

At mile 1305.7.

After a late start, I hiked quickly to cover the 10 plus miles to my planned campsite, but I ended up hiking into the dark. I searched for a well-hidden tent site that was supposed to be at mile 1305.7 and gave up, then found it 0.1 miles further up the trail.

Sunfish Pond

Racoon Ridge

September 21, 2021

Tent site to Gren Anderson Shelter – 22.0 miles

At mile 1327.7.

The warm humid weather was disappointing. I had been expecting cool weather hiking this far north. The rocky trail seen in Pennsylvania continued somewhat, but I was glad to be on the trail. I caught up and hiked with a couple of ladies that were slackpacking a section. One had hiked all of the trails in the Smokies. She was in her 70’s and the other was not much younger. They gamely climbed ledges though their hiking pace was a little slower than mine. We parted ways at the Sandwich Lobby where I ordered an enormous turkey sandwich with all the fixings including coleslaw. With coleslaw spilling out, I ate most, then packed the rest to the Gren Anderson shelter. It became humid again and the mosquitoes came out.

I climbed a couple of these fire towers today by willing away fear, by stopping at each flight to steady my nerves. There was nothing but steps and a handrail. With no barrier below the handrail, there was only gaping space between me and the rocky earth.

Gren Anderson Shelter – Sheltered here by myself.

September 22, 2021

Gren Anderson Shelter to Secret Shelter – 18.3 miles

At mile 1346.0

The morning was a little foggy and damp and quickly turned hot and humid. After the strain from 22 miles on the previous day and the continued heat, the hiking became less enjoyable. At least, I took some pleasure with the thought that this would be a shorter day.

Monument at High Point in NJ at 1798 feet.

Jake, the donkey welcomes me to Secret Shelter.

September 23, 2021

Secret Shelter to Wawayanda Shelter – 18.7 miles

At mile 1364.7.

A few miles north of Secret Shelter the trail turned to road walk. As I was approaching a Southbound thru-hiker, I heard a sudden crack and watched as a large tree fell across a driveway. The southbound hiker and I just looked at one another. The tree looked healthy and with no wind, the tree seemed to have fallen spontaneously. A man came out into the yard and walked over to the newly fallen tree. I called over to the man in the yard and said, “I looked at the tree and it fell.” For the next 20 minutes of hiking, I thought about the randomness and danger of falling trees for backpackers. I also wondered whether I had superpower sight or some kind of telekinetic power.

The heat and humidity worsened. Southbound hikers assured me that the mosquitoes would get worse further north. Leaving the road, I began a long hike around the perimeter of an enormous field. Continuing on the road a short while would have been a shortcut that saved a couple of miles and about 10,000 mosquitoes. Fortunately, I had already covered any exposed skin with long pants, long sleeves, and Deet. Upon leaving the field, I entered a truly swampy area where the trail ran along elevated boards and the mosquitoes got worse. Even where the trail steepened and climbed out of reach of the swamp, the mosquitoes were bad. It was humid and the air was still. I kept hoping that elevation gains would allow for the slightest breeze.

Another hiker suggested that I visit a stop at Heaven Hill Farm and Garden to rest and eat ice cream before tackling a climb known as the Stairway to Heaven. Taking his advice, I took a long break where I stuffed myself with a large apple pastry. I lingered as I watched a black rain cloud gather and the wind pick up. When a few raindrops landed, I quickly packed out for the steep boulder climb up the Stairway to Heaven. The rain increased as I climbed. By the time I reached the summit, the rain was soaking through my rain gear and the rain was coming down in torrents. Though not yet 4 PM, it was nearly dark. As I picked up my pace, the already torrential rain turned up the volume. I was completely soaked. At times I could barely see through the darkness and downpour. I turned toward the Waywayanda Shelter and the seemingly impossible happened. The downpour briefly intensified yet further. It seemed intent on drowning me. At that moment, I popped into the shelter and out of the rain. To the one lonely occupant of the shelter, it must have seemed that a ghost had emerged from the dark and deafening storm.

Though I was 3 miles from my itinerary’s destination, there was no question of hiking further. I shed all my wet clothing and changed into dry long johns and dry socks and crawled into my dry sleeping bag. I shared the shelter with a north-bound thru-hiker with the trail name of “Maybe”. There was no maybe about it. He wasn’t going to make it to Katahdin before it closed and he knew it.

Beautiful New Jersey. Somewhere further on, I passed into New York briefly, then back into New Jersey.

September 24, 2021

Waywayanda Shelter to Tent site near Mombasha High Point – 15.7 miles

At mile 1380.4

By the start of the day, I was 3 miles behind my itinerary and I wasn’t enjoying the hot weather, long miles, and rough trail. I chose to drop my overly ambitious hiking plan, cutting 40 miles out of my 250-mile hike. The new plan was to arrive at Bear Lake, NY a day and a half later than planned, then shuttle to Salisbury, CT for a southbound hike back to Bear Lake. Without having to push as hard, I could plan on a more restful hike.

To get back on the original itinerary, I would have had to push 23.8 miles today. Instead, I relaxed with a 15.7 mile recovery day that included a banana split break at BellVale Farm Creamery a short walk from where the trail crosses NY Hwy 17A. The banana split was the best I’ve ever had!

Done with New Jersey! The New Jersey AT was beautiful.

Campsite near Mombasha High Point

September 25, 2021

Mombasha High Point to West Mountain Shelter – 19.3 miles

At mile 1400.1

New York has some harsh trail. There are steep climbs over boulders and deadfall at an unnamed climb at Buchanan Mountain and again where I had a treacherous descent at “Agony Grind”. In between, it seemed like someone had randomly painted white blazes on trees without bothering to have built a trail. It’s obvious that this section of the NY AT received little thought in the building and less care with the maintaining. After climbing down Agony Grind, I took a break with about 5 other AT hikers. We consoled one another by sharing our complaints about the NY trail, particularly, Agony Grind.

Following Agony Grind, I soon entered Elk Park, a beautiful park that I would recommend to day-hikers.

Given the terrain, I was glad that I had cut back my daily mileage. Even so, I was happy to have managed over 19 miles on a tough day.

Lemon Squeezer begins under these boulders.

Lemon Squeezer narrows further up. Before climbing through, I had to take my backpack off and push it through ahead of me.

Fern Grove in Elk Park

Zoomed in view of Manhatten from West Mountain Shelter. This was the view from inside the shelter.

September 26, 2021

(Northbound) West Mountain Shelter to Bear Mountain State Park – 5.7 miles

Shuttle to Undermountain Road at Salisbury, CT

(Southbound) Undermountain Road (SB mile 690.2) to Belter’s Campsite – 10.4 miles

At Southbound Mile 700.6 (Miles from Northern Terminus at Mt. Katahdin)

Today I transitioned from a northbound hike in New York to a southbound hike in Connecticut. My shuttle driver took me by La Bonne’s Market in Salisbury where I bought 2 giant double meat turkey sub sandwiches and a pint of Kozy Shack rice pudding. I ordered the subs loaded up with veggies, pesto, and cheese. They were at least 12 inches long but were also nearly 5 inches wide. They had to weigh 2 pounds each.

My driver dropped me off at Undermountain Road where I ate a late lunch half a sub and a little rice pudding. I loaded the leftover subs and pudding into the top of the pack, adding another 4 pounds to my 6-day resupply. At nearly 4 PM, with no working headlamp and a weighted-down backpack, I needed to shift into high gear to cover the 10 miles to my campsite before darkness.

Appalachian Trail in Connecticut

Great Falls on the Housatonic River was raging. With recent heavy rain, the river was raging. In comparison, the Guthook photo of Great Falls looked like a trickle. I enjoyed viewing the turbulent water while walking along this river.

Made Belter’s Campsite just before dark. I did my best to reduce pack weight by eating as much sub and rice pudding as I could handle.

September 27, 2021

Belter’s Campsite to Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter – 15.3 miles

At mile 715.9.

Not a very memorable day. At the end of the day, I completed a 2nd long walk alongside the Housatonic River.

I believe this is a Chicken of the Woods mushroom. With all of the wet weather over the past several weeks, there was a good mushroom bloom.

Enjoying the scenery.

Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter near Housatonic River. There were mosquitoes, but as long as I kept close to the shelter, they weren’t too bad.

September 28, 2021

Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter to Ten Mile River Shelter – 15.7 miles

At mile 731.6.

With less mileage required, given the easier hike plan, I could have slowed down, but I hiked fast. I started early and moved quickly to beat forecasted rain and to reach the Bulls Bridge Country Store to allow additional time for battery recharging. The rain outran me. After several hours of hiking in a downpour, I was once again wet. At the Country Store, while charging and drying, I lunched and snacked and generally killed time for about 3 – 4 hours. I had to sit outside at the picnic table where it continued to drizzle. The drying didn’t go well and I started to chill. To warm up, I periodically entered the small store and loitered around while examining the merchandise, particularly the interesting assortment of smoke supplies.

After becoming bored out of my mind, I gave up on the charging and hiked the few remaining miles to my shelter.

Bulls Bridge. My hangout for the day, the Country Store is just on the other side of the bridge. The raging Housatonic flows below. Though the river was very high and looked more like a series of waterfalls than a river, some people were actually kayaking this area.

Ten Mile River Shelter – This shelter has a nice view across a meadow.

September 29, 2021

Ten Mile River Shelter to Telephone Pioneers Shelter – 12.8 miles

At mile 744.4.

Not sure where, but at some point, I entered New York. It was a lazy day with a lot of wandering through the woods and walking along boards across muddy areas. Where there were mosquitoes, I kept moving. The weather was cooler, breezier, and less humid. Upon reaching an open pasture, I unrolled my mat and had a long lunch and nap.

Before the final climb to Telephone Pioneers Shelter, I came across wild grapes growing at the edge of fields. They were much larger than I had ever seen in the south. I gorged myself on grapes and picked more to carry and snack upon for the next couple of days. (The next day, near the Taconic Parkway, I found a spot with even larger grapes, in fact, almost as large as those sold in grocery stores.)

This is the view from my lunch and nap spot.

You’ve heard about the billionaire’s rocket ships? Well, here I came across the redneck rocket.

September 30, 2021

Telephone Pioneers Shelter to RPH Shelter – 16.8 miles

At mile 761.2.

Again, I hiked quickly to reach a Deli at mile 756.1 where I could eat lunch and hang out while recharging my cellphone and battery supply. I’m having real trouble getting enough charge in the little time that I am around a power source. On my last section hike through Maryland and Pennsylvania (Spring 2021), I stayed in hostels and a hotel for 4 nights and at a campsite with power receptacles another night. Each night I could fully charge up. That didn’t count a few lunch spots where I could top off the phone. On this trip, the only night with electricity was at Secret Shelter.

After crossing the Taconic State Parkway, I came across spectacularly large wild grapes. I ate a few, then hurried on to RPH Shelter where I planned on delivery from a pizza place.

RPH Shetler was nestled in a neighborhood; pretty much in people’s backyards. It was easily the best shelter I had ever seen. It was the Cadillac of shelters, but it had no electricity. I ordered parmesan chicken for delivery. There is also a Chinese or Thai restaurant that delivers here. This was one of the few really cold nights so, of the 4 people staying at the shelter, only one decided not to tent.

Sign at RPH Shelter

October 1, 2021

RPH Shelter to Canopus Hill Tent site – 15.1 miles

At mile 776.3.

As I was approaching Canopus Lake, I ran into “Maybe” heading north. To only have come this far since our night together in Waywayanda Shelter, he must have taken time off. He told me that 2 nights prior, he stayed at West Mountain shelter. I told him that I also stayed there about a week ago. He told a story about how he hung his food on a low tree branch and how the bear took his food. The bear was choosy and only wanted his energy bars. Like “Maybe”, when I stayed at West Mountain shelter, my food was hung very low and resting against a small tree. I was lucky that the bear was busy elsewhere that night.

After climbing a mountain, I came across this graffiti. Since it commemorated those lost on 9/11 and it is painted in New York, I make an exception to my usual objection of graffiti on natural areas.

I like the way the trail was built up between two hills. That was a lot of trail building work to save a climb of a few vertical feet.

October 2, 2021

Canopus Hill Tent Site to Bear Mountain State Park, NY – 11.0 miles

Finished at mile 787.3

The highlights on this final day were eating 2 breakfasts at the Appalachian Market on Route 9 and walking across the Hudson on Bear Mountain Bridge.

View of Hudson River from Bear Mountain Bridge

December 4, 2021
Kayaking Everglades NP

On January 24th I set out on a 7-day kayaking adventure across Everglades National Park. I camped over the water on wooden platforms called “chickees”, on ground sites built by the Calusa from mounds of oyster shells, and on the beaches of Florida keys.

My original idea was to kayak the 99 miles along the Wilderness Waterway (WW) tracing a route through rivers, bays, and creeks from Everglades City at the northwest corner of the Everglades to Flamingo at the southern tip of the Florida peninsula. Upon researching this idea, I opted for a loop route out of Everglades City. The reason being that this would involve the difficulty and expense of hiring a 2.5 hour $450 shuttle. Besides, I was a novice of remote kayak trips with tidal currents and open water.

I own a 9 foot Old Towne kayak which was fine for overnight trips I had taken on the Suwanee River and on Fontana Lake. This kayak didn’t seem suitable for extended touring trips with difficult conditions, so I began shopping for a “bigger boat”. I settled on the Wilderness Systems Tsunami 140 (14 foot) touring kayak with a rudder. The added length would increase hull speed and the rudder would help hold a line in the cross-currents and winds of open water and would aid on the tight turns of serpentine creeks.

Another concern was simply finding my way. After all, I was going solo. I’m used to hiking where I can easily follow a trail, though sometimes with a GPS assist for snow-covered terrain. The Everglades is an altogether different matter. It is a byzantine maze of mangrove waterways, islands, bays, creeks, and rivers. Though the WW is marked with numbered posts, all water looks the same and it would be easy to wander well off the route. There is no cell phone coverage. Unlike hiking, where camp can be set up nearly anywhere along the trail, missing the official campsite in the Everglades means looking forward to a long sleepless night in a kayak. At the outset, I knew that I needed satellite GPS connectivity. I bought a Garmin Mini and downloaded the companion Earthmate App with it’s nautical charts. As backup, I bought waterproof paper nautical charts and carried a traditional compass. I placed my Iphone 11 Pro on a heavy duty bike phone mount on the front of the kayak cockpit. This served as my map/GPS dashboard. With the Garmin Mini, I could stay in touch with home and in case of an emergency, “hit the SOS button”.

Here is my overall trip track on Earthmate. An aerial map layer is shown; however, I used the nautical chart layer to better see navigational markers and water depths.

Although the Everglades is mostly water, there is no drinkable water on the Wilderness Waterway. The water is brackish so filtering and treatment does no good. It is recommended to carry at least a gallon per day. I carried four 1.3 gallon collapsible containers plus three 2.5 liter collapsible platypus containers and 3 smaller water bottles. Loaded down with water and camping gear, I launched into Chokoloskee Bay out of Everglades City at mid-day.

Here I am approaching Crooked Creek Chickee on the Lopez River. All night I heard fish splashing and skittering across the water. The fishing must be good here, but I didn’t bring my fishing gear.

Below is another view of Crooked Creek Chickee. This is a double Chickee, but I was the only one camping here. As you can see, there is a porta-potty on the Chickee. Every campsite on the Wilderness Waterway has porta-potties.

I kicked back on the chickee, sitting in a deck chair that someone had left behind. I also relaxed in my hammock and read books on my Kindle. With a roof, there was no need to use my tent fly so I enjoyed wide-sky views through this tent’s ample mosquito screens. Among the other purchases I made for the trip was this free-standing tent needed for platform camping. Also, notice how the kayak rests well below the platform. It was a little strenuous, to lean over the edge of the deck to load and unload the kayak, particularly at low tide.

Raccoons are a problem here. Campers are warned that they will chew through water containers for a drink of fresh water. Since I had to carry all of my water in soft containers, I chose to sleep with my water. A raccoon was going to have to crawl over my sleeping body to get at my water.

Much less threatening than raccoons were the Ibis. This Ibis was working the mud next to my chickee in search of yummy crawly things. Other than fish, the Ibis was the most common wildlife.

Here is another Earthmate aerial view of my track. This shows a small portion of my route on the 2nd day. From the bottom the course follows Lopez River into the crooked creek called “Crooked Creek” then into a larger body of water, Sunday Bay.

Lopez River into Crooked Creek and finally, Sunday Bay.

My 2nd night camping was at Darwin’s Place, seen below. For many years, this small island was home to a man named Charles Darwin who claimed to be 5th generation from the better known evolutionist. This hermit lived in a tabby house here and raised rabbits while living to the ripe old age of 112. I set up my tent in the foundation ruins of Darwin’s tabby house.

There were 3 older men from Maine who also camped at this sight. Each had their own flatboat (skiff) and shared enormous tents furnished with tables, chairs, cots, electric, stoves, dry ice coolers, and everything else you could think of to make life comfortable. They could live comfortably while completely sheltered from mosquitoes. Out for a 3 day camping/fishing trip, this was their base. One caught a 36 inch redfish along with a smaller trout. It is safe to say that their fresh fried fish dinner was markedly more delicious than my canned minestrone soup.

Below is the only alligator I encountered. Swimming wasn’t encouraged.

Alligator on Plate Creek

Same Gator, only closer.

On the third day I was making good time so I stopped here at Plate Creek Chickee only a mile short of my camp at Lostman’s Five. I took a long break. I set up my hammock, read my book, and ate lunch.

Plate Creek Chickee

Another view of Plate Creek Chickee

Here is the view from my tent at Lostman’s Five. This is a ground-site with a dock, but I was able to place my small tent on the dock and enjoy the view. This was the 2nd night camping by myself.

Below is a screen capture of Earthmate’s Nautical Map Layer with its low-tide depth numbers. It shows where I passed down Lostman’s River into First Bay and out into the Gulf of Mexico on the 4th day. In order to have favorable tides on Lostman’s River, I set out from Lostman Five campsite in the dark. Kayaking the Everglades before sunrise is an incredible experience. Paddling in the dark through early morning mists and fogs over dead still water made this the best and most mystic day of the adventure.

Kayaking still waters before sunrise.

Hog Key, shown below, was the only official camp area without a Porta-Potty. I was finally in the Gulf of Mexico.

Night 5, I camped on on the beach at Hog Key.

The tide was out over a quarter-mile the next morning, so I waited on the tide until leaving Hog Key around 11 AM. There was a small-craft advisory, high winds and choppy waters. After struggling to paddle only three-quarters of a mile to the next point of land, I stopped to eat my lunch and re-evaluate. Given the waves, I was in danger of swamping my kayak. The wind was ferocious and I was paddling straight into the wind. I considered whether I should hunker down where I was. Would I have enough food? Would the weather improve? I used my Garmin to request a weather report. It didn’t look good. High winds forecasted overnight. Eventually, I decided to set out again with the intention of just reaching the next point of land. As I moved toward the Ten Thousand Islands area, there would be plenty of choices. Before moving on, I dumped water out of my kayak. After another hard crossing, I stopped at another key and again dumped water. Eventually, after fighting wind all day, I reached Mormon Key, one of the park service’s official camping locations. That night I shared the beach with 3 guys who were out with their power boat. The original plan was to make my way up Chatham River to Watson’s Place, but the weather forced me to bypass Watson’s Place and continue north up the Gulf Coast to Rabbit Key where I had planned my 6th and last night. This cut out about 12 miles from my original trip itinerary.

I explored Rabbit Key by walking around it’s perimeter.

Low Tide on Rabbit Key

Conch Shell Graveyard on southwest end of Rabbit Key

Two canoeists relax at sunset on Rabbit Key

At night, this seabird continued it’s loud squawking.

A Full Moon night shot on Rabbit Key

My campfire on beach at Rabbit Key. Campfires should be placed below tide line. The next morning there was no trace of the fire.

On January 30th, I kayaked from Rabbit Key up the pass and into Chokoloskee Bay where I completed my journey. Along the way, the porpoises were putting on a spectacular show. They ripped through the surface, spraying and splashing water. Working in teams, they trapped prey by pushing fish toward the edge of the shore. At times, the speed and acceleration of a porpoise surpassed anything in nature I had previously witnessed, breaking the surface and ripping the water apart with unnatural velocity.

February 6, 2021
Wrightwood – The Perfect Trail Town

It isn’t nice to call any town a trail town because a town needs to be much more than a trail town in order to have the prosperity needed to make it a good trail town. Thru-hikers don’t really bring in much money so when a town is welcoming to hikers it truly comes from the heart. Wrightwood loves thru-hikers even if they aren’t the most profitable customers.

When a thru-hiker arrives in town, usually by a free trail angel ride down Hwy 2 or the Acorn side trail, the hiker first stops at Mountain Hardware where they sign a register and are given a PCT pin. The Book at MH not only contains a register, but is a bible of sorts for town trail angels and town services. Here you can find homes that Angels have opened to hikers. There are also contacts for angel rides, but Wrightwood is so compact that within a third of a mile of the hardware store there is lodging, post office (next door), grocery (next door), restaurants, bars, and library. These services are sometimes miles apart in other towns.

It seems every store whether the corner gas station, grocery, or hardware store has a hiker section with freeze dried meals and an assortment of hiker needs. Early in the morning, I dropped by the convenience store mainly to kill time until the Evergreen cafe opened. The cashier heard that I was thru-hiking and offered me biscuits “on us”.

Wrightwood is more than a trail town. It is a destination for snow skiing and relaxing around beautiful mountain scenery. Visitors can climbi nearby Mt Baden Powell and dreamers can shop mountain real estate.

February 3, 2021
Foothills Trail

The Foothills Trail extends 77 miles as it crosses the highest point in South Carolina and crosses numerous rivers and creeks along its course from Table Rock Mountain State Park to Oconee State Park. Along the way, backpackers see a number of waterfalls including two of the highest east of the Mississippi. There are many opportunities to swim and fish in Lake Jocassee and a variety of frigid rivers and creeks. Many of the improved campsites have signage, benches, and fire pits. Here I describe my 5-day thru-hike of the Foothills Trail over 72 miles from Table Rock Mountain State Park to roadside parking at Jumping Branch Trailhead.

October 6th, 2020. Hiked 13.2 miles.

Sometime after 11 AM, my shuttle driver “Taz” dropped me off at Table Rock Mountain State Park and pointed in the direction of the trail. Taz is one of several people that the Foothills Trail Org lists as volunteer shuttle drivers on their website. Since South Carolina doesn’t offer long-term parking at their State Parks, I decided to leave my car at the first roadside parking short of Oconee State Park. South Carolina should take a clue from Georgia which offers “long-term parking” for multi-day hikers starting from Amicalola State Park. For a one time $6 fee hikers of on the Appalachian Trail can park at Amicalola using a hidden away gravel parking lot.

Taz and others in the area are very dedicated to the Foothills Trail. On the ride to Table Rock, he took time to show me a number of trail crossings. Taz was very recognizable with his red pickup truck, his orange hunting blazer and his Tasmanian Devil tie. As I later learned, he seemed to be constantly roaming the roads and trail crossings between Table Rock and Oconee, dropping off and picking up people and food caches. Thanks Taz for the lift!

Water Dripping from this rock overhang with my custom Waymark Backpack.

Notice the blue foam in the photo above. I also carried a NeoAir mattress. My idea was to get me off the ground some in case I had water running under my tarp.

Near Pinnacle Mountain is a view toward Table Rock.

After 4 miles of climbing, I finally topped out near where a yellow-blazed side trail leads 0.2 mile to the top of Pinnacle Peak (elev. 3425 feet). Since there is no view from the top, I chose not to take this steep side trail.

At old Cantrell homesite is a campsite with campfire ring and stone Adirondack chairs.

At 8.6 miles is one of the nicest campsite on the Foothills trail. The Cantrell campsite has a small stream and an impressive fire ring surrounded by Adirondack chairs. If traveling with a group, this spot is worthy of a relaxing campfire night.

Straddling state line at the highest point in South Carolina.

At 9.8 miles, I crossed the peak of Sassafras Mountain (elev. 3560 feet). This is the highest point in South Carolina. Did you know that the highest peaks in South Carolina, Tennessee, and North Carolina are in North Carolina? Those are Sassafras Mountain, Clingmans Dome, and Mt. Mitchell. The first two share state lines. The highest point in Virginia, Mt. Rogers, is only 5.25 miles from the North Carolina state line and the highest point in Georgia, Brasstown Bald, is only 7.8 miles from North Carolina.

My first night at Chimney Top Campsite.

After 13.2 miles and a lot of climbing with my fully loaded backpack, I was glad to call it a day. I camped at Chimney Top Campsite. Although I regularly met other Foothills Trail thru-hikers coming from the other direction, over my 4 nights, I never shared a campsite.

October 7th. Hiked 14.5 miles.

Impressive Poplar Tree

Example of signage around campsites that provide good info on the distance to the next site.

Virginia Hawkins Waterfall

Several other hikers coming from the other direction advised me not to take the trail closure detour around Virginia Hawkins waterfall. This was good advice. The detour was due to a broken bridge; however the creek was small and easily crossed over rocks without getting my feet wet. In my mind, it was laughable to detour a trail around such an easily crossed creek. I couldn’t help but make a comparison with Wright Creek in the Sierra in June 2019. No closures or detours there. Only prayers.

Before camping, I had a 0.7 mile climb up and down the hundreds of steps that is Heartbreak Ridge. I was soon off the ridge and on the shore of Lake Jocassee where I cooled off with a relaxing swim. After another mile or so of hiking, I reached my campsite.

Campsite on Lake Jocassee

After the 14.5 mile day, I camped early with a beautiful view of Lake Jocassee and a picnic table. This was the only campsite on the Foothills Trail with a picnic table. I took my second swim of the day in the lake and sat at the picnic table enjoying my dinner and the sunset.

Campsite view in early evening.

October 8th, Hiked 15.5 miles.

The next morning it was a short walk to this 225 foot suspension bridge spanning the Toxaway River.

Toxaway River Suspension Bridge

By 11:30 AM, I had reached the Horsepasture River where it flows into Lake Jocassee. I stopped for an early lunch and swim break. Each day lunch is tuna in oil with sundried tomatoes in a tortilla wrap. I add Sun Chips to give it a little crunch and I usually have a cheese stick. The tuna in oil is a real find because it adds more calories without adding pack weight and it has become hard to find tuna in oil. Everything seems to be tuna in water.

It wasn’t long before a pontoon boat pulled up at the boat access here and a couple disappeared on a short hike. I slipped into the river near the bank where lake water mixed with river water, making the cold river more bearable. Swimming into midstream, the river’s frigid water took over.

View of steps with Horsepasture River Bridge Below

The Foothills Trail is all about steps.

The halfway point.

More steps, with a handrail this time.

Night 3 at Whitewater Campsite

The third night I made my 2nd campfire. I found that it was easy to start fires by shaving a stick with my knife. Little piles of curled wood shavings easily caught fire from my lighter. Tonight I ate Idahoan Instant Mashed Potatoes for the 2nd time. I mixed in some vegetarian sausage.

Lower Whitewater Falls plunges 400 feet

October 9th

The next morning (4th day), I found that the spur trail to Lower Whitewater Falls was a short walk from the Whitewater campsite where I had camped the night before. I wished that I had known this because I would have hiked from my campsite to Lower Whitewater Falls and back the day before. Instead, I had sat around my campsite with plenty of time on my hands. The spur trail to Lower Whitewater Falls was 0.9 miles, so with the extra 2 miles off the Foothills route, it didn’t seem like I really got on the trail until about 9 AM. You don’t really get near the falls because Lower Whitewater Falls is viewable from a platform at least a couple hundred yards away.

Bridge over Whitewater River

To cross the bridge you need to leap between boulders, then climb down a wooden ladder.

After a steep climb from the river, you reach a viewing platform for Upper Whitewater Falls. This one drops 411 feet.

Lake Jocassee

After Whitewater Falls, the trail climbs and levels out above 3000 feet where there are a some nice views and a pleasant high elevation walk with rhododendron.

Chattooga River

Dinner was couscous with gravy and vegetarian sausage. My special treat was a cup of hot chocolate. My final night was spent camping in the rain along the Chattooga River. As old as it is, my tarp kept me mostly dry. There was one drip from a seam that occasionally landed on my face. I used window wrap plastic for a ground cover and blue foam kept my sleeping bag further elevated away from any wandering water. On top of the blue foam, my NeoAir mattress put my upper body another 3 inches above the wet ground. It rained all night long.

October 10th

Hiking through the rain using my umbrella most of the time. I met a group of about 15 men who had just broken camp and were going in my direction. I moved ahead because it is hard to pass that many people on a narrow trail. I was surprised to see such a large group. Those numbers can be hard on a campsite. As for me, I hiked this entire trail without ever having shared a campsite. It was actually kind of lonely.

A beach on the Chattooga River

October 22, 2020