"Ndakasimba Kana Makasimbawo."
-Zimbabwean for "I am strong if you are strong."
Start: Holiday Inn Express
Finish: Holiday Inn Express
Today: 0 mi
Total: 229.4 mi
To zero or not to zero, THAT is the question. Although we did not intend for this day to become one, there were so many things that contributed to its coming: My parents came to visit us, it was our 1 year anniversary and Don at the front desk said he would upgrade us to the really expensive Honeymoon Suite for the hiker room price! It was the perfect storm of reasons to take a zero!
My parents arrived at about 10:30 AM. I asked my mother to bring the hair buzzer and we cut my hair really short so I can stay cooler in the summer heat. We all got in my parents car and took a ride along the windy roads of Harriman state park and ate lunch at the restaurant on Greenwood lake. My parents brought a few boxes of supplies I had left with them so we topped off our food, fuel, and I even replaced some socks that seemed to have a permanent stink attached to them.
On the way back to the trail head, the windy road felt like a roller coaster. The combination of not being used to driving in a car, just eating and my Dad possibly going a bit over the posted speed limit made Heather and I feel sick. Heather already had a bad headache and I was falling asleep at lunch because I was so tired so we decided to go to the hotel and see if they had a room. Don, who helped us yesterday, remembered it was our anniversary so he upgraded us to the Honeymoon Suite for the lower hiker rate!
I'm so tired I'm going to take a nap now...
~Daddy Long Legs
Jul 15, 2012
Jul 14, 2012
Day 21 (July 13th) - Brian's Day
"Don't look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone. And don't be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering."
Start: 17A, NY
Finish: Arden Valley Road, NY
Today: 12.4 mi
Total: 229.4 mi
I woke up to Heather wishing me a happy birthday. What a cool thing to be doing as I enter my 30s - hiking the Appalachian Trail! The freedom of the forest and simple beauty within is incredible! Most of the time I have no idea what day it is and don't care. We wake to the sounds of birds, filter ice cold water from the streams and give our bodies such a workout each day.
While packing my bag this morning I noticed how careful, if not obsessed, I am about making sure I have everything. I'm always scared of leaving something behind but have so few things that if something weren't packed, I would probably notice. We woke up late this morning so by the time we got to the trail and began hiking, it was nearly 10am. Shortly after I looked down at my watch while hiking and saw it was 10:12am - I officially turned 30 years old at that moment. I looked at the trail ahead. Looks like it isn't all downhill after 30!
We walked through the forest and every once in a while we would scramble up some exposed bedrock above the trees for a fantastic view just before descending below the canopy. After almost 8 miles we came to a tough section. Even though it was much smaller than some of the mountains we've climbed up north it was no less forgiving. We climbed hand over hand straight up rock walls, under fallen trees, through narrow passages and at some points had to lean into the mountain as we shimmied our way across a 2-inch wide ledge with a 100 foot drop behind.
A bit later, with 2.5 miles to go, we got to the endless climb of Arden Mountain. It felt like the mountain was growing, never letting us summit it. After finally getting above tree line Heather declared that we had made it to the top. I wasn't so certain. After a brief, teasing downhill the mountain grew once more. I told her the mountain was evil and that it was laughing at us. Up again, down briefly, up again, down briefly, etc. A log book at the top (usually indicating a special point) of a clearing got our hopes up that we had made it to the summit. After a brief down we saw yet another wall in front of us. I made a deep, stony chuckling sound and asked Heather if she heard the mountain laughing at us.
Heather surprised me when we reached Arden Valley road. She had called a hiking friend we met in Duncannon who lives near Bear Mountain. JB is one incredible guy who hiked the AT at 65, PCT at 66 and Continental Divide trail at 67! JB brought us to the Holiday Inn express. What a great birthday present!
~Daddy Long Legs
Start: 17A, NY
Finish: Arden Valley Road, NY
Today: 12.4 mi
Total: 229.4 mi
I woke up to Heather wishing me a happy birthday. What a cool thing to be doing as I enter my 30s - hiking the Appalachian Trail! The freedom of the forest and simple beauty within is incredible! Most of the time I have no idea what day it is and don't care. We wake to the sounds of birds, filter ice cold water from the streams and give our bodies such a workout each day.
While packing my bag this morning I noticed how careful, if not obsessed, I am about making sure I have everything. I'm always scared of leaving something behind but have so few things that if something weren't packed, I would probably notice. We woke up late this morning so by the time we got to the trail and began hiking, it was nearly 10am. Shortly after I looked down at my watch while hiking and saw it was 10:12am - I officially turned 30 years old at that moment. I looked at the trail ahead. Looks like it isn't all downhill after 30!
We walked through the forest and every once in a while we would scramble up some exposed bedrock above the trees for a fantastic view just before descending below the canopy. After almost 8 miles we came to a tough section. Even though it was much smaller than some of the mountains we've climbed up north it was no less forgiving. We climbed hand over hand straight up rock walls, under fallen trees, through narrow passages and at some points had to lean into the mountain as we shimmied our way across a 2-inch wide ledge with a 100 foot drop behind.
A bit later, with 2.5 miles to go, we got to the endless climb of Arden Mountain. It felt like the mountain was growing, never letting us summit it. After finally getting above tree line Heather declared that we had made it to the top. I wasn't so certain. After a brief, teasing downhill the mountain grew once more. I told her the mountain was evil and that it was laughing at us. Up again, down briefly, up again, down briefly, etc. A log book at the top (usually indicating a special point) of a clearing got our hopes up that we had made it to the summit. After a brief down we saw yet another wall in front of us. I made a deep, stony chuckling sound and asked Heather if she heard the mountain laughing at us.
Heather surprised me when we reached Arden Valley road. She had called a hiking friend we met in Duncannon who lives near Bear Mountain. JB is one incredible guy who hiked the AT at 65, PCT at 66 and Continental Divide trail at 67! JB brought us to the Holiday Inn express. What a great birthday present!
~Daddy Long Legs
Day 20 (July 12th) - GOODBYE DAY
"Lose yourself in nature and find peace."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Start: Barret Road, NY
Finish: 17A, NY
Today: 11.9 mi
Total: 217.0 mi
We had fun with Heather's family and even toyed with the idea of taking a zero but we need to put some serious miles behind us. Just before her parents dropped us off at the trail head, we stopped at CVS for candy bars and mole skin (big surprise, I know). Maybe it was the candy bars I was buying or the unkempt hair, but a nice old lady came up to me and asked if I was hiking the trail. She even said that if we needed a place to stay that night, we could sleep at her house. There really are such amazing, giving people out there in the world. Perhaps she offered because I still looked and smelled clean. If she had seen me emerge from the forest with twigs stuck in my hair, dripping sweat and splattered mosquitoes on my arms and legs, she might not have been so generous.
After saying our goodbyes and jumping back on the trail, Heather began to cry. Although we are having a great time waking up everyday in a new place and meeting awesome people, she was definitely feeling homesick. She bounced back a couple of minutes later and we were off. This trail is a roller coaster of emotions!
Halfway through our hike today we left NJ for good and once again entered NY. For people who have viewed NJ through the windows of their cars on I-95, I have to tell you that western NJ is a beautiful place. The lush green hills roll off into the distance, dotted with blue lakes. There were many more ups and downs than we had expected today and our feet took a beating. Even the nice, smooth ledges that Heather refers to as "sidewalk" weren't nice. They were so slanted that we had to walk on a 45 degree tilt which made our feet slide to one side of our boots and our blisters in agony!
With a couple of miles to go Heather convinced me to stay at the same hotel we stayed at last night with her parents (convinced = "please, please, please, please, please..."). Since the trail winds its way all around this area we were still relatively close to the hotel we stayed at with her parents and the owner was nice enough to come pick us up from the trail head so we didn't have to walk to 2 miles into town on the roads. That might not sound like much but we are used to walking in the forest and the hard roads kill our feet). We went across the street and had dinner with our new friend, "No Whistle" and soon after went to bed...
~Daddy Long Legs
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Start: Barret Road, NY
Finish: 17A, NY
Today: 11.9 mi
Total: 217.0 mi
We had fun with Heather's family and even toyed with the idea of taking a zero but we need to put some serious miles behind us. Just before her parents dropped us off at the trail head, we stopped at CVS for candy bars and mole skin (big surprise, I know). Maybe it was the candy bars I was buying or the unkempt hair, but a nice old lady came up to me and asked if I was hiking the trail. She even said that if we needed a place to stay that night, we could sleep at her house. There really are such amazing, giving people out there in the world. Perhaps she offered because I still looked and smelled clean. If she had seen me emerge from the forest with twigs stuck in my hair, dripping sweat and splattered mosquitoes on my arms and legs, she might not have been so generous.
After saying our goodbyes and jumping back on the trail, Heather began to cry. Although we are having a great time waking up everyday in a new place and meeting awesome people, she was definitely feeling homesick. She bounced back a couple of minutes later and we were off. This trail is a roller coaster of emotions!
Halfway through our hike today we left NJ for good and once again entered NY. For people who have viewed NJ through the windows of their cars on I-95, I have to tell you that western NJ is a beautiful place. The lush green hills roll off into the distance, dotted with blue lakes. There were many more ups and downs than we had expected today and our feet took a beating. Even the nice, smooth ledges that Heather refers to as "sidewalk" weren't nice. They were so slanted that we had to walk on a 45 degree tilt which made our feet slide to one side of our boots and our blisters in agony!
With a couple of miles to go Heather convinced me to stay at the same hotel we stayed at last night with her parents (convinced = "please, please, please, please, please..."). Since the trail winds its way all around this area we were still relatively close to the hotel we stayed at with her parents and the owner was nice enough to come pick us up from the trail head so we didn't have to walk to 2 miles into town on the roads. That might not sound like much but we are used to walking in the forest and the hard roads kill our feet). We went across the street and had dinner with our new friend, "No Whistle" and soon after went to bed...
~Daddy Long Legs
Jul 13, 2012
Day 19 (July 11th) - FAMILY DAY
"To forget how to dig the Earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves."
-Gandhi
Start: Pochuck Mt. Shelter
Finish: Barret Road, New Milford, NY
Today: 9.6 mi
Total: 205.1 mi
After hiking our last half hour in a downpour yesterday, setting up our tent while it was drizzling, and changing our cloths, we both went to bed. Unfortunately, we both slept terribly! The sounds of the night (sticks cracking, rain and wind) kept Heather awake and probably in Rambo-mode (head lamp in one hand and knife in other). I, on the other hand, had to go to the bathroom really bad but didn't want to go outside and get drenched in the rain. Its ironic how the rain sound was probably the reason I had to go to the bathroom and also the reason I couldn't.
We woke up late at 7:30am and it seemed as if many hikers had a bad night sleep. Everyone was moving around very slowly with bags under their eyes wiping the mud from their tents and packing up. I was very happy with how well the tent held up in the rain. To be honest, I half expected to wake up submerged in water since Heather was on the "uphill" side of the tent. By 9am we packed the last of the tent and headed off.
My ankle still hurts from rolling it over on a rock two days ago but the swelling is starting to go down. By tomorrow it should be fine. Aches and pains have been a constant on this trip. In fact, it's strange when someone asks me if anything is hurting because EVERYTHING is hurting. The more appropriate question would be to ask what hurts the most. Sometimes you may even get a break from pain. For example, a few days ago my knees were killing me but I then walked straight into and smacked my head on a branch. Knees don't hurt anymore! Lately, whenever Heather's feet are killing her I kindly offer to hit her over the head with my hiking poles but she always gives me a strange look and turns down my offer.
After a few miles of ups and downs and ups and downs we came to an odd sight on the trail: a FLAT boardwalk through wetlands. It was so nice walking on FLAT ground!! Knowing we were on a boardwalk in NJ, I had my eyes peeled for the cast of MTV's Jersey Shore. But, luckily, from this boardwalk you could only see swamp grass, birds and mountains...no chance of seeing blowout hair cuts or stores selling t-shirts that say "cool story bro." I have to admit, though, that Heather and I did take a picture "fist pumping" on the boardwalk.
By 12:45pm we only had about 3 miles to go for the day. Heather's parents and younger sister were coming out to see us today so we were going to get a ride in to the hotel before they got here so we could shower. We smell like a sweaty locker room that wet dogs just ran through and wanted to save their noses!!
-Daddy Long Legs
-Gandhi
Start: Pochuck Mt. Shelter
Finish: Barret Road, New Milford, NY
Today: 9.6 mi
Total: 205.1 mi
After hiking our last half hour in a downpour yesterday, setting up our tent while it was drizzling, and changing our cloths, we both went to bed. Unfortunately, we both slept terribly! The sounds of the night (sticks cracking, rain and wind) kept Heather awake and probably in Rambo-mode (head lamp in one hand and knife in other). I, on the other hand, had to go to the bathroom really bad but didn't want to go outside and get drenched in the rain. Its ironic how the rain sound was probably the reason I had to go to the bathroom and also the reason I couldn't.
We woke up late at 7:30am and it seemed as if many hikers had a bad night sleep. Everyone was moving around very slowly with bags under their eyes wiping the mud from their tents and packing up. I was very happy with how well the tent held up in the rain. To be honest, I half expected to wake up submerged in water since Heather was on the "uphill" side of the tent. By 9am we packed the last of the tent and headed off.
My ankle still hurts from rolling it over on a rock two days ago but the swelling is starting to go down. By tomorrow it should be fine. Aches and pains have been a constant on this trip. In fact, it's strange when someone asks me if anything is hurting because EVERYTHING is hurting. The more appropriate question would be to ask what hurts the most. Sometimes you may even get a break from pain. For example, a few days ago my knees were killing me but I then walked straight into and smacked my head on a branch. Knees don't hurt anymore! Lately, whenever Heather's feet are killing her I kindly offer to hit her over the head with my hiking poles but she always gives me a strange look and turns down my offer.
After a few miles of ups and downs and ups and downs we came to an odd sight on the trail: a FLAT boardwalk through wetlands. It was so nice walking on FLAT ground!! Knowing we were on a boardwalk in NJ, I had my eyes peeled for the cast of MTV's Jersey Shore. But, luckily, from this boardwalk you could only see swamp grass, birds and mountains...no chance of seeing blowout hair cuts or stores selling t-shirts that say "cool story bro." I have to admit, though, that Heather and I did take a picture "fist pumping" on the boardwalk.
By 12:45pm we only had about 3 miles to go for the day. Heather's parents and younger sister were coming out to see us today so we were going to get a ride in to the hotel before they got here so we could shower. We smell like a sweaty locker room that wet dogs just ran through and wanted to save their noses!!
-Daddy Long Legs
Flicka and Daddy L.L. before leaving a nice, clean, air conditioned hotel =(
We pass through some beautiful towns I've never heard of!
Daddy Long Legs holding NJs highest elevation point monument
Our rocky road (not to be confused with the ice cream)... Hike
on that with a 35 pound pack for 11 hours = sweaty mess!
Nice view of mountains as we approach I-87
On a NJ boardwalk "fist pumping" Jersey shore style...wow
Flicka in NY....and NJ...
Flicka and Daddy resting at the top
Road walk section
Not if we're on the way to a motel!
We pass through some beautiful towns I've never heard of!
Daddy Long Legs holding NJs highest elevation point monument
Our rocky road (not to be confused with the ice cream)... Hike
on that with a 35 pound pack for 11 hours = sweaty mess!
Nice view of mountains as we approach I-87
On a NJ boardwalk "fist pumping" Jersey shore style...wow
Flicka in NY....and NJ...
Flicka and Daddy resting at the top
Road walk section
Not if we're on the way to a motel!
Jul 12, 2012
Day 18 (July 10th) - RAIN DAY
"It's easier to go down a hill than up it, but the view is much better at the top."
-Arnold Bennett
Start: High Point Hotel
Finish: Pochuck Mt Shelter
Today: 14.1 mi
Total: 195.5 mi
What a great night sleep. We've enjoyed a few more hotel stays than planned but we might as well take advantage of them now before they are few and far between up north. At 10:30 AM, when the restaurant opened, we called for a pizza. Since pizza is such an important trail food and breakfast is the most important meal of the day, we thought it was a good match.
One of the caretakers of the hotel, Ron, gave us a ride back to the trailhead. He is an incredibly nice man and while talking to him about bears, he told us a story about one that calmed Heather's fears. One day, he told us, his friend's 8 pound dog was yapping away in the house. The dog would not stop barking at the front door so the owner finally let him out. This tiny dog shot after a bear rummaging through the trash and chased this 600 pound bear straight up a tree. The dog watched the bear intently while jumping 4 feet straight up and down, barking. Finally, the owner had to go to the tree and drag this tiny dog back into the house. The terrified bear was safe.
We hiked up and over New Jersey's highest point and across the NY / NJ border several times today. We won't leave NJ and enter NY for good until Thursday. It always feels like such an accomplishment to make it to a new state or throw away one of your old map sections (which happened again today!).
We arrived at the Murray property just as we were running out of water. This has been a hot, dry summer and many of the streams have dried up and the ones that haven't dried-up look like stagnant pools of muddy water. So we've been hiking with a ton water from one reliable source to the next. 1 L of water weighs 2 pounds and during some stretches we've had to carry as much as 4 or 5 liters each. We filled up with nice, cold well water at the Murray's spigot.
The second 7 miles alternated between mountain climbs and flat sections around a lake. A couple of miles before finishing dark clouds approached with the threat of rain but they passed by and we escaped dry. The gray clouds that followed brought us light rain that felt good against our hot, sweaty skin. With only .5 miles to go the skies opened up and rain poured down on us. We couldn't rush up because this last section was a steep, and now slippery, climb. We arrived at Pochuck shelter drenched but it was full of hikers so we waited under the overhang for the rain to slow and set up our camp. We changed into dry, comfortable clothes, checked for ticks and went to bed.
~DADDY LONG LEGS
-Arnold Bennett
Start: High Point Hotel
Finish: Pochuck Mt Shelter
Today: 14.1 mi
Total: 195.5 mi
What a great night sleep. We've enjoyed a few more hotel stays than planned but we might as well take advantage of them now before they are few and far between up north. At 10:30 AM, when the restaurant opened, we called for a pizza. Since pizza is such an important trail food and breakfast is the most important meal of the day, we thought it was a good match.
One of the caretakers of the hotel, Ron, gave us a ride back to the trailhead. He is an incredibly nice man and while talking to him about bears, he told us a story about one that calmed Heather's fears. One day, he told us, his friend's 8 pound dog was yapping away in the house. The dog would not stop barking at the front door so the owner finally let him out. This tiny dog shot after a bear rummaging through the trash and chased this 600 pound bear straight up a tree. The dog watched the bear intently while jumping 4 feet straight up and down, barking. Finally, the owner had to go to the tree and drag this tiny dog back into the house. The terrified bear was safe.
We hiked up and over New Jersey's highest point and across the NY / NJ border several times today. We won't leave NJ and enter NY for good until Thursday. It always feels like such an accomplishment to make it to a new state or throw away one of your old map sections (which happened again today!).
We arrived at the Murray property just as we were running out of water. This has been a hot, dry summer and many of the streams have dried up and the ones that haven't dried-up look like stagnant pools of muddy water. So we've been hiking with a ton water from one reliable source to the next. 1 L of water weighs 2 pounds and during some stretches we've had to carry as much as 4 or 5 liters each. We filled up with nice, cold well water at the Murray's spigot.
The second 7 miles alternated between mountain climbs and flat sections around a lake. A couple of miles before finishing dark clouds approached with the threat of rain but they passed by and we escaped dry. The gray clouds that followed brought us light rain that felt good against our hot, sweaty skin. With only .5 miles to go the skies opened up and rain poured down on us. We couldn't rush up because this last section was a steep, and now slippery, climb. We arrived at Pochuck shelter drenched but it was full of hikers so we waited under the overhang for the rain to slow and set up our camp. We changed into dry, comfortable clothes, checked for ticks and went to bed.
~DADDY LONG LEGS
Day 17 (July 9th) - STRONG DAY
"We have not inherited the Earth from our fathers, we are borrowing it from our children."
Start: Route 206, Branchville
Finish: High Point Shelter
Today: 14.0 mi
Total: 181.4 mi
As a treat for ourselves we slept late this morning and got a ride to town to pick up some supplies. We ate lunch at a bar next to a beautiful lake and afterwards sat in the shade of a tree watching the water. Our knees resisted the days hike but in the battle of us versus our knees, we eventually won by 1:30 PM.
I felt really good hiking this afternoon. Each day my body grow stronger and I'm able to do more. I efficiently choose my footing and quickly moved forward. I listen to the tapping of my poles, the rhythm of my breath, and the cadence of my boots crunching the gravel below. Heather and I have come to crave these tough workouts where you arrive at camp completely exhausted. Out of nowhere, Heather said the trail is "my friend again."
It even seemed as though the bugs and I had some unspoken agreement today. They would swarm around me In a cloud of black flies, mosquitoes, and regular flies but never attacked. My entourage of flying friends left me alone so I didn't use bug spray at all...until a few hours later when they broke our treaty (don't trust flies).
After just two hours and 30 min we arrived 5.7 miles into the day at Sunrise Mountain. A famous record holding hiker, Jennifer Pharr Davis, who we met earlier this year arrived here during her 2003 thru-hike to find a person who had committed suicide. On my hike up I wondered what this person was going through and feeling to come to that point. At my first glimpse of the pavilion at the peak, I wondered what he thought when the building came into view - was he nervous and unsure about his last act or was he emboldened and re-assured by the sight of the pavilion. Even in this somber moment I couldn't help be in all of the beautiful 360° views and found comfort that this person died in such a beautiful place. After a half-hour of resting our feet with boots off, we left the comfort of a bench and the shade of the pavilion to walk north along the ridge.
A few hours of hiking later, at 6:30 PM, we needed to make another decision. Yesterday we had decided to go another nearly 4 miles at this time. Today, even though we might have to headlamp it in the dark near the end, we decided to go another 5.5 miles. With 3.5 miles to go (around 7:30 pm) I rolled my ankle pretty bad on a loose rock. Despite the pain I carefully moved on. It should feel fine in a couple of days but sure hurts now! We finally arrived at our destination at 9 pm.
~DADDY LONG LEGS
Start: Route 206, Branchville
Finish: High Point Shelter
Today: 14.0 mi
Total: 181.4 mi
As a treat for ourselves we slept late this morning and got a ride to town to pick up some supplies. We ate lunch at a bar next to a beautiful lake and afterwards sat in the shade of a tree watching the water. Our knees resisted the days hike but in the battle of us versus our knees, we eventually won by 1:30 PM.
I felt really good hiking this afternoon. Each day my body grow stronger and I'm able to do more. I efficiently choose my footing and quickly moved forward. I listen to the tapping of my poles, the rhythm of my breath, and the cadence of my boots crunching the gravel below. Heather and I have come to crave these tough workouts where you arrive at camp completely exhausted. Out of nowhere, Heather said the trail is "my friend again."
It even seemed as though the bugs and I had some unspoken agreement today. They would swarm around me In a cloud of black flies, mosquitoes, and regular flies but never attacked. My entourage of flying friends left me alone so I didn't use bug spray at all...until a few hours later when they broke our treaty (don't trust flies).
After just two hours and 30 min we arrived 5.7 miles into the day at Sunrise Mountain. A famous record holding hiker, Jennifer Pharr Davis, who we met earlier this year arrived here during her 2003 thru-hike to find a person who had committed suicide. On my hike up I wondered what this person was going through and feeling to come to that point. At my first glimpse of the pavilion at the peak, I wondered what he thought when the building came into view - was he nervous and unsure about his last act or was he emboldened and re-assured by the sight of the pavilion. Even in this somber moment I couldn't help be in all of the beautiful 360° views and found comfort that this person died in such a beautiful place. After a half-hour of resting our feet with boots off, we left the comfort of a bench and the shade of the pavilion to walk north along the ridge.
A few hours of hiking later, at 6:30 PM, we needed to make another decision. Yesterday we had decided to go another nearly 4 miles at this time. Today, even though we might have to headlamp it in the dark near the end, we decided to go another 5.5 miles. With 3.5 miles to go (around 7:30 pm) I rolled my ankle pretty bad on a loose rock. Despite the pain I carefully moved on. It should feel fine in a couple of days but sure hurts now! We finally arrived at our destination at 9 pm.
~DADDY LONG LEGS
Day 16 (July 8th) - BIG MILE DAY
"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves."
-Edmund Hillary
Start: AMC Mohican Outdoor Center
Finish: Route 206, Branchville NJ
Today: 18.0 mi
Total: 167.4 mi
Good news...I didn't fall off the top bunk in our room last night (Heather was scared to sleep on the top bunk). After hitting the snooze button a couple of times we quickly got ready by 7:15 AM. Unfortunately, we had both bought tickets for breakfast which wasn't until 8 AM so we had to wait.
We were off on the trail at 9:15 AM. Is it just me or is there a steep climb straight up a mountain every morning? Although the rocks aren't as bad as's PA, we had some pretty tough patches which we weren't expecting. I realized how often I had asked the trail to be soft and smooth and a trail has never yielded to my wishes. So, today, I decided to use reverse psychology and asked the trail for even sharper rocks. Unfortunately, the trail finally gave me what I asked for.
Near the 8 mile mark, the trail meandered around a small pond. The water was so still that it's blue-black surface reflected the trees like a mirror. Near the shore of the lake were thousands of green lilly pads. As I made my way around the pond I heard a plunging-swimming noise. Confused, I thought I might've discovered the Loch Ness monster's cousin. Just as soon as that thought entered my mind a great big deer leapt out from the lake and darted into the forest. What a cool thing to see! My loud feet must've scared him. (headline: Bigfoot scares Loch Ness monster).
Many ups and downs combined with a rough terrain was an energy sapping combination. One fifth of a mile before arriving at our shelter we decided to hike another 4 miles. Crazy! Below the canopy of the forest it was getting dark as the sun sank towards the horizon. We would have to move quickly because it was already 6:35 PM. By 7:25 PM, we had already done three of the miles and just one remained. Darkness crept into the forest and the crickets were getting louder and louder. The volume of the crickets felt like a countdown to darkness. By 7:45 PM we completed our 18 miles...and we earned every one of them!!
~DADDY LONG LEGS
-Edmund Hillary
Start: AMC Mohican Outdoor Center
Finish: Route 206, Branchville NJ
Today: 18.0 mi
Total: 167.4 mi
Good news...I didn't fall off the top bunk in our room last night (Heather was scared to sleep on the top bunk). After hitting the snooze button a couple of times we quickly got ready by 7:15 AM. Unfortunately, we had both bought tickets for breakfast which wasn't until 8 AM so we had to wait.
We were off on the trail at 9:15 AM. Is it just me or is there a steep climb straight up a mountain every morning? Although the rocks aren't as bad as's PA, we had some pretty tough patches which we weren't expecting. I realized how often I had asked the trail to be soft and smooth and a trail has never yielded to my wishes. So, today, I decided to use reverse psychology and asked the trail for even sharper rocks. Unfortunately, the trail finally gave me what I asked for.
Near the 8 mile mark, the trail meandered around a small pond. The water was so still that it's blue-black surface reflected the trees like a mirror. Near the shore of the lake were thousands of green lilly pads. As I made my way around the pond I heard a plunging-swimming noise. Confused, I thought I might've discovered the Loch Ness monster's cousin. Just as soon as that thought entered my mind a great big deer leapt out from the lake and darted into the forest. What a cool thing to see! My loud feet must've scared him. (headline: Bigfoot scares Loch Ness monster).
Many ups and downs combined with a rough terrain was an energy sapping combination. One fifth of a mile before arriving at our shelter we decided to hike another 4 miles. Crazy! Below the canopy of the forest it was getting dark as the sun sank towards the horizon. We would have to move quickly because it was already 6:35 PM. By 7:25 PM, we had already done three of the miles and just one remained. Darkness crept into the forest and the crickets were getting louder and louder. The volume of the crickets felt like a countdown to darkness. By 7:45 PM we completed our 18 miles...and we earned every one of them!!
~DADDY LONG LEGS
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