Perils Along the Trail

"Git on outa here, bear."

Greetings from Kent, Connecticut! I have now hiked more than two-thirds of the Appalachian Trail. But the most difficult portions of the trail lie ahead in the Whites of New Hampshire and the mountains of Maine.

Marley, good trail dog!

A couple weeks ago, I was strolling along and admiring the view of Sunfish Pond, a glacial lake on a ridgeline in New Jersey. As I approached a rocky section of trail, I turned my attention to my footing and realized my next step would land directly onto a timber rattlesnake, already coiled up and ready to strike. The snake saw me well before I saw the snake. I was able to stop my momentum, but I was still too close to the snake. In my rush to run back the other way, I tripped over a rock and fell, bloodying up my knee and the palm of my hand. The snake, probably as shaken as I was, slithered off into the brush.

A couple days later, I was ascending a mountain just past Branchville, NJ when I found myself face to face with a large adult black bear, no more than 15 feet away. We stared at each other for a bit, and then I said calmly, "Go on outa here, bear." The bear turned and sauntered away from the trail, and I walked on. But we both did one last lookback before he disappeared over the ridge, kind of a show of mutual respect... man and bear coexisting peacefully in the wild!

Every day, we face a number of challenges and dangers. Just in the past week, I met two different hikers, Bison and Ghost, who had recently returned to the trail after leaving to undergo treatment for Lyme disease from tick bites. Recently, the mosquitos have been particularly abundant and aggressive, increasing everyone's awareness of the dreaded West Nile virus. But so far, I have been able to avoid any serious injuries or illnesses.

But word spread about an event earlier this month that shook the tight-knit hiker community all along the trail. I met a hiker from Kansas City a while back by the name of Mocha Pot. On the Fourth of July, he and some other hikers stopped at a cliff line in Pennsylvania known as The Pinnacle. I had stopped there the day before for a water break, but I was very uneasy with the large gaps between the rocks that comprise the cliffs, so I moved on pretty quickly. It would have been a nice spot to view fireworks displays at the different towns between there and the Lehigh Valley.

On the evening of July 4th, Mocha Pot went off on his own to explore the cliffs. A while later, a couple of day hikers heard moans coming from below and went to alert the other thru-hikers in Mocha Pot's group. He had fallen 40 feet to the rocks below, and then rolled another 200 feet down the side of the mountain. Special rescue teams were called in, and it took six hours to reach Mocha Pot and have him airlifted out. 80 people were involved in the rescue. The rescuers said that the last two calls to this area were to recover dead bodies. Mocha Pot was lucky; he suffered a concussion, a lacerated spleen, six broken ribs and several broken vertebrae. He will make a full recovery, but it will be six to twelve months. Here is a news story about the incident...

Hiker Rescued After Serious Fall

I'm not the thrill seeker that Mocha Pot is, and simply hiking the Appalachian Trail from end to end will be enough for me. I estimate that I will complete the trail in the next two months, summiting Mt. Kahtadin by the last week of September. It's hard to believe how far I've come and how near the end is (even though it's still more than 700 miles). I'm starting to feel a bit sentimental, having met so many incredible people and new friends.

Thanks once again for all of your kindness and support!

Fitty Shrimp

p.s.  Enjoy the photos!

An especially sweaty and buggy July day, blah!

This flimsy ladder is actually a part of the trail!

...somewhere in the swamps of Jersey.

Global Leader claims he's NOT a hipster... hmmm.

I wouldn't pick us up either.

Slow and steady to Mt. Katahdin

Fruit Punch and Merman enjoying the awesome swimming hole.

Awesome sunset!

Yep, I camped right here!

Wild Turkey (and Cormac the dog), Potatoes, and Pope at West Mountain Shelter

View of NYC from West Mountain Shelter, over 30 miles away!

Oh, snap!

Looks like Smokey the Beard and Smurf picked up some chicks.

First Half Recap

"So much ice cream."

Having passed the official halfway mark a few days ago, I have now made my way well into central Pennsylvania. I'm back on pace to finish the Appalachian Trail at Mt. Katahdin by mid to late September.

 

 

I was able to find out about my early travel partners from the "Highway Shrimp Gang." When I last saw them in Franklin, North Carolina, they needed to go make up about 20 miles they had skipped, and they assured me they would catch up within a couple weeks. I had a feeling I would not see them again during this journey. As it turns out, Shrimp Shady was injured and had to go off the trail for a couple weeks. The rest moved on, but they are now over 200 miles behind me. I will be following their progress and I hope they all make it.

 

I met up with Smokey the Beard and Smurf at Fontana Dam, and we have traveled together, within a day or so, for the past 800 miles. They got ahead of me a couple weeks ago, and then at Harpers Ferry, I got ahead of them when they spent some time in D.C. I'm pretty sure they'll catch up to me within a week or so. They move pretty quickly.

 

There have been many other good friends in my general hiker bubble. Bags unfortunately broke his foot about a third of the way along the trail; I miss him and his little dog Jager. I said goodbye to Blueberry Bear this week. He is leaving to attend his son's wedding, and I'll be pretty far along by the time he returns.

Fitty Shrimp and Blueberry Bear

I feel healthy, and the abrupt weight loss was probably just my body's way of getting to where we needed to be for this type of activity. My weight is down 20 lbs. or so from when I started and the body fat is now at 7%. I used to really labor while climbing up and down mountains, but now I hardly get winded. But, it's summer now, and I sweat a lot. It's really hard to stay hydrated. I'm hiking 13 to 17 miles per day, with a few 20+ days.

 

I sent a good bit a gear home, six and a half lbs. of mostly winter stuff that I won't need until I get to New Hampshire. It's remarkable how little stuff a person really needs. I had a few minor malfunctions, had to get new tips for my trekking poles and a new harness for my backpack when the shoulder strap started to tear. I also patched some holes in the mesh part of my tent. Also, I got a new pair of shoes which I hope will last for the remaining 1,100 miles.

 

I am thankful to so many people, family, friends, and complete strangers, who have provided a helping hand or maybe made a supportive comment. I have quite a few videos uploaded my video blog. Feel free to subscribe there for more frequent updates.

 

Here are a few new photos to share... Happy trails everyone!

 

Fitty Shrimp

 

 

Shenandoah sunset

The "Cabbin" at Mountain Home near Front Royal, Virginia...
my favorite hostel so far. This is the 1847 home.

Bears and Rattlesnakes and Such

Now that it's summer weather, there is plenty of wildlife to enjoy.  Here are a few highlights of my recent adventures on the Appalachian Trail...

She was giving me the evil eye

 

At first glance, she was resting behind a log

 

Big rat snake climbing a tree

This guy serenaded us all night as we camped by a creek

A botanist I was hiking with was excited to find the Yellow Lady Slipper, a very rare orchid

I nearly stepped on this rattlesnake sprawled out across the trail

It coiled up by the trail as I passed cautiously

 

I spotted this little guy on a rocky overlook

Common site in a hiker town

That's me, way up on McAfee's Knob

The First 25% Completed!

"That just happened!"

After a slow start, the miles are dropping quickly now, as much as 100 miles per week. The scenery has been surreal and the new friendships have been amazing. The cold weather seems to be behind us now, and we have enjoyed a long string of beautiful days and clear nights under the stars. Having now completed 531 miles of the Appalachian Trail, almost a quarter of the way from Springer Mountain to Mount Katahdin, I would say this has been the most rewarding and fulfilling experience of my life.

Of the 2,000 or so aspiring thru-hikers who left Springer Mountain this spring, it's expected that only about 20-25% will make it all the way to the end of the trail in Maine. Many have dropped out by now, and the trail seems less crowded than earlier on. People are starting to talk about Mount Katahdin more and more now, less like some mythical place and more like an achievable goal.

Here are a few photo highlights from the past few weeks...

Overlooking the Nolichucky River near Erwin, Tennessee

 

A spruce forest at the summit of a mountain

 

This guy did not want me in his forest

 

Several of us escaped a night of thunderstorms here in the Over Mountain Shelter

 

"Sprinkleburst" entertains fellow hikers at Over Mountain Shelter

 

Tortoise, Longhorn, and Lotus enjoy movies at the Mountain Harbour Hostile

 

Hikers enjoy an amazing gourmet breakfast at Mountain Harbour Hostile

 

Sloth, Big Sexy, and Southbound make their way up a hill

 


A cardinal perched outside Kincora Hostile

 


One of hundreds of beautiful stream crossings

 A quick video at Laurel Falls

"Lost Boy" crosses into Virginia

 

A picturesque sunset near the Tennessee/Virginia state line

 

The area surrounding Mount Rogers in Virginia - just stunning

 

"Smokey the Beard" makes a new friend

 

"Hungry" is on top of the world

 

The Grayson Highlands area of Virginia, my favorite part of the trail so far

 

Herds of wild ponies keep the landscape well manicured

 

Yep. 500 miles!