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@audipayne and I will be attending Appalachian Trail Days this year in Damascus, VA on May 17th-18th! We will be selling her new book Where the Rhododendrons Bloom and selling some of my AT specific art! Are you attending trail days? Comment below! We would love to see you! #atthruhike #atthruhike2019 #atthruhike2018 #atthruhike2020 #atthruhike2021 #atthruhike2023 #atthruhike2024 #thruhiking #thruhike #thruhiker

New podcast: tinyurl.com/JDTS1451 Today’s #podcast @hardy_hiker talked about his most recent completion of #cdt #cdtclassof2023 #cdtthruhike over 3000 miles! Oh did I forget to tell you he also did #atthruhike2019 #thruhiker 2190 miles I looked it up. A proud graduate of @virginia.tech not confirmed but could be going to @militarybowl where @hokiesfb take on @greenwavefb December 27th @navyfb in #annapolis Maryland. Hey @rei this guy is the real deal. Check him out. Big fan of @gossamergear @enlightenedequipment @altrashoes @topoathletic @salomonrunning & @salomonsportstyle to name a few. #thruhike #thruhiking #podcastepisode #podcastshow #podcastersofinstagram #podcasthost #podcastseries #podcastinterview #podcastguest

For those who have done a long distance hike, you understand the bonds built with those you share the trail with. Many of us leave the trail with a trail family (our tramily) that is forever. I was fortunate enough to have such a group. On Wednesday we lost a member of our tramily to a vehicle accident. Peach was only 30 but he left his mark and will be remembered as a great person with an intense love of a plants. As a Horticulturist, he was fortunate enough to have found a profession that was also his hobby. I and many others who walked the AT in 2019 were fortunate to have shared it with him. I know will never look at a flower without thinking of you, Peach. #atclassof2019 #tramily #atthruhike2019

On this day 4 years ago... #appalachiantrail #appalachiantrail2019 #atthruhike2019 #AT #backpacking

3 years ago today I helped a neglected hunting dog out of the woods. I named him Smoky since we were in the Smokys. There was no telling how long he had been out there. All I know is when the number off his tag was called, the owner claimed that he had sold the dog to someone else. He provided the number and that person was called. The other person that was called claimed that none of his dogs were out and none were missing. As soon as I heard that, I took his tracking collar off. I didn’t care that it was illegal or that I could get fined. Someone wasn’t tracking their dog and I wasn’t about to leave it out there to die. Smoky walked over 10 miles with me that day. I met some hikers heading Northbound as I was heading South, and they told me that they saw the dog earlier around Fontana Damn. That’s where I was headed. That dog walked over 20 miles that day. Once I got to Fontana Damn I saw this couple that decided that they wanted to take Smoky with them. I talked to them maybe a year ago and they told me that they had to give him up to a better place. A part of me was a little upset and made me feel like I should of kept him. But I understand. Smoky deserved a good home. And with 3 Great Danes at home, he wouldn’t of got the attention that he needed and I wasn’t about to bring a 4th dog home. I hope Smokys doing well getting all the attention and love that needs. #appalachiantrail #atstrong #atthruhike2019 #hiker #hiking #hikers #hike #hikes #thechamp #smokymountains #hikingadventures #hikerlife #hikersofinstagram #hikertrash #hikertrashforlife

This week on the podcast we have a fellow Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, Anthony Kaplon, that completed the trail using a hammock the whole way. Anthony done his thru hike during the span of 2019 and 2020. He done the first half southbound at the end of the 2019 season from Harpers Ferry to Springer Mountain, and went back in the beginning of 2020 heading northbound from Harpers Ferry to finish up at Katahdin. Anthony is also an admin for the Hammock Backpackers group on Facebook. #thehammockhangerspodcast #hammocks #hammockcamping #hammocklife #hammockhanging #hammockcommunity #hammockpodcast #hiking #hikingadventures #getoutside #getoutdoors #camping #campinglife #grouphang #podcast #hammockpodcast #outdoorspodcast #appalachiantrail #appalachiantrail2019 #appalachiantrail2020 #appalachiantrailthruhiker #atthruhike #atthruhike2019 #atthruhike2020 #atthruhiker #atflipflop #atflipflop2019 #atflipflop2020

Three years ago, I started the journey that would forever change my life... Five million steps, six months, occassional tears, countless smiles, endless memories... Unforgettable. . . . #at2019 #appalachiantrail #appalachiantrailthruhike #atthruhike #atthruhike2019 #eastcoastbeastcoast #blueridgemountains #amicalolafalls #appalachia #thruhiking #womenwhohike #womenwhothruhike #outdoorwomen

The approach trail to the Appalachian Trail. So many memories… since I took a wrong turn and got to do it twice on my first day. Got to go back and relive the memories and make new ones. • #hiking #appalachiantrail #atclassof2019 #hiketheat #georgiastateparks #hikertrash #dontcallitacomeback #atthruhike2019 #atthruhike #stepdaddy #amacololafalls #daytrip

Had the honor to hike with Gopher for many mile on the AT. It was great to see and spend time with Him again. #atthruhike2019 #attramily #shadowhillfarmme #atlash2019

Happy belated trailversary! Things get busy when you have a tiny human and it’s amazing how things change in a year. Still wondering if the AT really happened and savoring the memories and friends that we made. #thruhike #atthruhike2019 #atthruhike #appalachiantrail #womenwhohike #coupleswhohike #littlethingsbestthings

10.05.19 - Day 181 - Katahdin Stream Campground to Baxter Peak, Katahdin (mile 2192) - 5.2 miles Today was truly the day. The day we have been dreaming about for many, many miles. After today we could officially say we were Appalachian Trail thru-hikers. Our shuttle arrived promptly and our driver was the sweetest. We arrived to a line of cars awaiting the opening of the park. The excitement was palpable when we were dropped off. After some final preparations we all took off quickly, conquering the first two thirds of the hike easily, surging on adrenaline. Then we hit the snow that had been left by the ominous cloud that had been sitting on top of the summit yesterday. It started in small patches but before long the temperature dropped and the climb seemed to go from 0 to 100. The side of the mountain we were climbing was still in shadow, leaving the snow and ice firmly in place, which paired with fierce wind made an already challenging climb much, much harder. We soon encountered sections where we were forced to hurl ourselves up and over large rock faces and between gaps using only rebar installed into the rock, all while struggling to keep our footing in our trail runners. That .7 miles proved to be the hardest part of the entire trail and we were frozen to the bone by the time we emerged near the top. This was it. Truly the final stretch. We laughed off the insanity of that climb as we closed in on our final target: the Appalachian Trail northern terminus, aka: the Katahdin sign. Day hikers were congratulating us as hiked the final stretch of trail. The sun had come out and we found ourselves surrounded by a stunning blue sky day. As we approached the summit Grubber immediately started crying which turned into a big group hug around the sign. We did it!! We took all the pictures and then sat with the other thru-hikers to decompress and enjoy one last snack break before heading down. Luckily the snow and ice had melted on this sunny side of the mountain, so while treacherously steep, it was much less terrifying than our ascent. We emerged at the bottom and hitched back to Millinocket with a sweet couple, still processing that we were truly done.

10.04.19 - Day 180 - Hurd Brook Lean-to to Katahdin Stream Campground to Millinocket (mile 2186.8) - 13.4 miles Today is our last day on trail before we summit. We managed to miss the rain overnight by staying in the shelter and set off for an easy 10 miles hike to the base of Katahdin The day turned out to be beautiful and chilly. We get another amazing view of Katahdin and then hit the boundary of Baxter State Park. We have arrived! The sun peaks through the red, orange, and yellow leaves as we made our way through to our final goal. We used this time to reminisce about all our favorite and hardest parts of the trail. Best hostels, worst weather, and all the funny moments in between. We can’t believe we are really here. It’s surreal and nostalgia is already tugging on our heartstrings. The rest of the crew catches back up while we were taking a water break by a beautiful waterfall and they join us in remembering all the fun we have had. Everyone came close to tears thinking about what an amazing journey this has been. After lots of fond memories, and Maine throwing just a little more mud our way, we arrive at the ranger station to register for tomorrow. After being issued our cards and we hop on the AT Lodge shuttle and head to Millinocket for the night. The driver let us know it’s his last day of the season and proceeds to fly into town like only a person one day from vacation can. As a fitting bookend from our first hostel experience back in NC we once again arrived to find that our reservation had been lost which meant no private room for us. They also didn’t book us on the morning shuttle, which meant we had to scramble to find a ride back to Katahdin tomorrow. Luckily after some frantic phone calling we set up a ride. Phew. After that mad scramble we were all starving and headed to a local restaurant for dinner followed by a quick final resupply to get some snacks for tomorrow's climb.

10.03.19 - Day 179 - White House Landing to Hurd Brook Lean-to (mile 2173.4) - 27 miles After grabbing breakfast we snag the first boat ride back to the trail. We had a long 30 mile day ahead and would need every bit of day (and night..) possible. We zipped across the water, bracing against the stinging cold, and are soon deposited back on land. We were a bit too full from breakfast but have a pep in our step since we are clean and setting out on the final stretch. Jason soon engaged Daddy Longlegs mode and hatched a plan. We had been debating where to stay the night before Katahdin since the spots in Baxter State Park fill up fast. Jason has figured out that we could actually head into Millinocket the night before, stay in the hostel, enjoy showers and town food, and then be back in Baxter State Park. This is met with group chants of JAY-SON, JAY-SON, JAY-SON. Soon followed by MILL-I-NOCK-ET, MILL-I-NOCK-IT. We were all pumped about this turn of events and enjoyed the rest of our walk through the beautiful changing leaves, complete with more views of Katahdin. Everyone talks about how flat the 100 Mile Wilderness, which is true relative to what we have done previously, but it’s really not flat. Our day is taking much longer than we originally thought with the ups and downs keeping us from maintaining a fast pace. With the dark setting in we decide that maybe we should end the day a few miles short of our 30 mile plan and stay in the last shelter before Katahdin. On the brightside, this also means we will avoid paying the fairly steep fee to stay at the commercial camp ground. Yay, free! We push on and after way too long in the dark, and a river crossing where we almost lost Katy, we finally arrived at the shelter. Oh happy day, it’s completely empty! This is always the best because it means we don’t have to shuffle around trying to be quiet and instead can enjoy laughing and taking while we make dinner and set up. We decide to all sleep in the last shelter together for our final trail slumber party.

10.02.19 - Day 178 - Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to to White House Landing (mile 2146.4) - 14.1 miles It’s a cold, clear morning and our first stop of the day is a snack break at Antlers Campsite. This is supposed to be the best camp spot in the whole 100 Mile Wilderness and we were bummed the milage didn’t work out to stay here. The wind is whipping off the lake and is brutally cold - even Jason was freezing. We finally pry ourselves off our logs to warm-up and make our way to our next exciting stop, our first clear view of Katahdin! Wow!! It’s massive form looms ominously in the distance, and it’s hard to believe we will be there in a few short days. We take lots of pictures to commemorate the moment before setting out for the dock where we'd be picked up for our stay at White House Landing. After some mediocre rock skipping, the owner soon arrives to take us to the old style Maine lodge for our stay. The quick zip across the lake is beautiful and we are soon checked in. We find some familiar faces already reading books while gathered around the wood stove. Grubber joins us on a mission to paddle out in canoes to try to see Katahdin from the water. Midway into our journey Jason spots something on the shore. Rachel can’t even believe it. It’s her moose dream come true! A momma and baby moose are happily drinking from the lake. We get closer and get a great view while they lazily take us in. This view thankfully made up for the fact that we unknowingly were paddling in the wrong direction to see Katahdin. We slowly fight our way back to the lodge while the current is strong enough to be catching a chop in the canoe. Alex and Katy were getting ready to call the National Guard, and were waiting on the shore when we finally arrived. Our much anticipated showers turned into a bit of an ordeal when the shower knob came undone on Rachel leaving her unable to shower before dinner. Despite his grumbling, the owner is able to repair the shower after dinner so Grubber and Rachel won’t have to stay dirty until Katahdin. We spent the rest of the night cozy in the bunk room until we finally head to sleep.

10.01.19 - Day 177 - Carl Newhall Lean-to to Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to (mile 2132.3) - 18.9 miles It’s another cold, misty morning. As we start the climb up White Cap we check a major item off our AT bucket list - we saw a moose!! We came around the corner and saw her just before she took off. This excitement propels us up and over White Cap as the sky threatened to open up. The climb wasn’t bad, but the top of White Cap feels like we have emerged through the fog onto a freezing alien planet. We barrel down the other side as fast as possible to escape the bone chilling cold. We setup at Logan Brook Lean-to while we wait for the rest of the crew. When they finally arrive we decide to do a hot lunch to try and warm up. The ramen is an unexpected midday delight. We were all determined to get ourselves in a good position to cruise into White House Landing tomorrow at a reasonable time. We pass by a few more beautiful lakes and enjoy the changing leaves reflected in the water. We arrive at the shelter for the night and find a secluded spot for our group near the trail. Shortly after dark Highpockets arrived and entertains us with his harrowing tale of how a bull moose chased him up a tree and kept him cornered all night last night. Guess we were lucky to have had such a tame encounter!

09.30.19 - Day 176 - Long Stream Stealth Site to Carl Newhall Lean-to (mile 2113.4) - 21.4 miles We woke up to a very frosty morning. We packed quickly, motivated to get moving ASAP to warm up. We cruised ahead, while the rest of the trail fam stopped off at a shelter for a privy break. Not wanting to cool back down we kept moving. We ran into another thru-hiker, High Pockets and chatted as we headed up the first climb of the day. We stopped for pictures along the way looking out at spectacular views. Maine continues to impress us every day. We finally reached the top and top a break beneath an old fire tower that had seen better days. We saw on Instagram that people are been climbing the outside, but it gets a hard pass from us as we watched it sway precariously in the wind. We took a snack break and the rest of the crew caught up. Today was a long day and we knew we would be fighting to stay ahead of sunset. Not far into the next muddy section of trail Grubber discovered his puffy was missing. Ugh. He decided to backtrack to find it. The rest of us pressed on, since he’s faster and would catch up fairly quickly. We soon crossed the 2,100 mile mark and it’s hard to believe we were less than 100 miles to the end. The day stretched on and we crawl down our last big rock scramble and ford another river. We hit the flat section, and realized despite making decent time and very few stops we aren’t going to make it before dark, but we get a big morale boost when we see our first trail sign that shows Katahdin on it! We keep moving, but end up with several hours of night hiking in the dark. The terrain isn’t terrible, but having to try to avoid the roots and keep on the trail slows us down considerably. In the dark we manage to miss the sign for the shelter and have to backtrack...sigh. Finally we make it to the shelter and were worried how far behind everyone else was. Luckily, they were only about a half hour behind and show up as we’re making dinner. We all decided to sleep in the shelter for the night since there is a chance of rain. It’s very cold and we were so happy to jump into our quilts for the night.

09.29.19 - Day 175 - ME Route 15 to Long Pond Stream Stealth Site (mile 2092.0) - 14.5 Our morning starts with Shaw’s legendary trail breakfast, complete with a blueberry pancake cairn. We eat way too much and then head upstairs to pack up everything to head out. We are soon in the van, waving goodbye to Shaw’s. Poet, the hostel owner, gives us a little motivational pep talk before ushering us off into the 100 Mile Wilderness. It’s surreal to finally be here and to know that Katahdin is looming in the distance. We are soon at the warning sign about the remoteness of the 100 Mile Wilderness. It seemed like a lifetime ago that we were looking at pictures online and trying to imagine the nerves we would be feeling. It’s funny though, over 2000 miles later we aren’t even phased. 100 miles no longer feels daunting, but rather a little blip that will be over far too soon. The initial stretch is nice and flat, but as Poet warned, very slippery. Rachel made a misstep on some slick stone and was quickly on the ground. Thank goodness for a fully stocked food bag that was high enough to kept her from smacking her head on the rock. We continued on even more carefully. We took our lunch break at Little Wilson Falls, which is beautiful and has uniquely shaped stones. Poet suggested this as a lunch spot, so we run into a lot of other hikers here. The rest of the day is pretty easy, but included a knee high river ford that was freezing. We end the day by camping along the river at exactly the 100 miles to Katahdin marker. Sleeping next to the white noise of a river was the best and we fall asleep quickly despite the chilly temperatures.

09.28.19 - Day 174 - Lake Hebron Parking/Snowmobile Trail Stealth Sites to ME Route 15 to Monson, ME (mile 2077.5) - 3.3 miles We cruised the last few miles to the road crossing to head into Monson. Not long after plopping down in the parking lot to wait for the hostel to pick us up we were cruising into town and getting settled at Shaw’s. The hostel was busy with lots of hikers starting to shuttle up because they’re worried about making it to Katahdin before it closes and some returning to Monson after summiting. This has turned Shaw’s into a huge bubble. After missing out on breakfast at the General Store we decide to walk our way down to the gas station for food. Despite it being early, we discover that they are already selling pizza. Breakfast pizza it is! We made our way back towards the hostel, stopping by the ATC info center on the way. The sweet woman working took us through all the details of Baxter State Park and what we would need to decide for our summit day. There were a lot more logistics that we had realized, so we were glad Wendy could walk us through the various routes up and down the mountain and the sleeping options for the night before. We enjoyed all the sweet cards kids had sent in and took some pictures for classrooms who were learning about the AT. Now that we were full and had our plan for Katahdin we finally headed back to the hostel for showers, naps, and our final resupply! For dinner we headed to a little restaurant in town not realizing it would be a night of reunions. As we were eating Rachel glanced up and realized Sorte was walking towards us! He finished his thru-hike yesterday and was back in Monson to get his car. Lots of congratulations and a hilarious recounting of the 50+ mile day they pulled to the top of Katahdin had all of us smiling. Shortly after that Strider shows up too! We haven’t seen him since Gatlinburg and loved getting all the updates about him and the other Badger Boys. It’s so good to see our trail friends one more time before we all go our separate ways. We head back to Shaw’s for a little more catching up before we head to bed to rest up for the 100 Mile Wilderness tomorrow!

09.27.19 - Day 173 - Bald Mountain Brook Lean-To to Lake Hebron Parking/Snowmobile Trail Stealth Sites (mile 2074.2) - 18.7 miles It’s hard to believe we are closing the gap to our last trail town, Monson. Today is our last climb until town and it felt like a little blip compared to what we were used to climbing. Moxie Bald wasn’t too steep, but was sheer rock all the way up and down which made us very glad we were climbing it when it was relatively dry. The wind was really whipping at the top, so we made a quick beeline towards the other side of the mountain after summiting. We took some group pictures and enjoyed more spectacular fall leave-filled views as we descended the other side. We called ahead to secure our spots at Shaw’s Hiker Hostel in Monson and we were already excited to enjoy one of the most iconic AT hostels. The second half of the day included two river crossings that were necessary to ford. We have gotten quick at switching into our camp shoes to make the crossings. The water is frigid, but it feels good to give our feet a quick soak as we make our way across. We decided to push to a stealth campsite only a few miles shy of Monson, so we could be in town for breakfast tomorrow. We made one final river crossing and set up camp in an old snowmobile trail just after dark. We circle up our tents and made dinner together. It’s really starting to sink in that our adventure together is winding down, so we are soaking up every minute left. We all head to bed after lots of our usual laughs and fending off some giant spiders.

09.26.19 - Day 172 - Caratunk House to Bald Mountain Brook Lean-To (mile 2055.5) - 14.7 miles We woke up early to finish packing up and savor one more of Paul’s legendary breakfasts. We enjoyed his warm hospitality and met a SOBO hiker who was planning to hike the AT south through the winter which is pretty wild. Paul was so sweet and even told us that our group was his favorite of the year, which is quite a complement coming from the owner of our favorite AT hostel. We took a group picture with Paul before heading out and then finally forced ourselves to leave Caratunk House and hit the trail. The leaves just keep getting more amazing. We took lots of pictures and chatted as we make our way along a nice flat stretch of trail heading towards Monson, which is our last trail town until Katahdin! After returning from his trip Alex’s pack has somehow gotten taller, which is quite a mystery. We have lots of questions, but life is good because we’re all reunited and Rachel has a new block of Cabot cheese!

09.24.19 - Day 170 - Pierce Pond Lean-To to Caratunk House (mile 2040.8) - 4 miles Today is the day: pulled pork sandwiches and milkshakes!! Rachel had been talking about this non-stop for days and we hoped it would live up to the hype. We woke up aiming to arrive at the Kennebec River crossing shortly after it started running for the day. As we learned from the Maine guide who mans the only moving white blaze (aka the canoe), there is a sneaky current where the Kennebec meets a lake which is why crossing here by fording the river is incredibly dangerous. We were soon across the river and shortly after Grubbie and Katy joined us. Caratunk House was a short walk up the road. We passed the welcome to Caratunk sign indicating that the population is a whopping 63 people. We arrived right on time to dig into our pulled pork sandwiches and milkshakes. Oh man did they live up to the hype - amazing! We happily sat on Paul’s front porch eating our lunch and relaxing. The early start was well worth it as it meant we were able to settle in to our rooms and take a nice nap as it lightly rained outside. We finally dragged ourselves out of bed to go get dinner at the local bar. As we sat figuring out what to order we were approached by a guy who asked to join us and wanted to chat about the trail. Grubber and Jason were both slightly suspicious about his motives, but after a bit of talking he asked if we would like to go whitewater rafting down the Kennebec River instead. WHAT! We couldn’t believe we were being offered another free whitewater rafting trip. Turns out Conor is a rafting guide and they’re starting to hit slow season, but he still wanted to be out on the river for the day. Our crew is always down to pivot if an adventure presents itself, so we quickly agree to the plan. Right after locking in our plan Alex walks through the door - reunited! We have missed having him with us and are so excited he’s finally back with us for the final stretch and just in time for an unplanned zero. We headed back to Caratunk House ready to get to bed so we can hit the water tomorrow!

09.23.19 - Day 169 - Little Bigelow Lean-To to Pierce Pond Lean-To (mile 2036.8) - 17.7 miles It was another beautiful day filled with changing leaves and Maine was truly showing off. We hiked along the sandy shores of lakes with crystal clear water that would’ve been an amazing spot for a dip had the temperature been a bit warmer. Luckily, the flatter terrain meant we were cruising along at a nice clip, so we were able to take advantage of a few spots to take some scenic breaks. We walked some historic trail today as well: a section of the AT ran along the same path Benedict Arnold took his troops on their way to Quebec in 1775. After some solid procrastination that involved Katy horizontally hiking, we finally made it to camp. Despite it being a long day we were in camp early (compared to our normal schedule) and were able to enjoy the lake view as we made our dinners and settled into our tents. Most importantly, today’s solid day of hiking left us with a nice easy day into Caratunk tomorrow.

09.22.19 - Day 168 - Hostel of Maine to ME Route 27 to Little Bigelow Lean-To (mile 2019.1) - 15.3 miles We woke up around seven to enjoy the lovely continental breakfast and couldn’t help being a little sad that we couldn’t stay another night. But we knew we needed to make the most of the good weather and didn’t want to pay up to slackpack the next section. Rachel was excited that the hostel had replacement trekking pole tips and she was finally able to switch out her little nubs she had been working with for far too long. We got dropped off at the trailhead and were off to a late start, still needing to get up and over the Bigelows today. It’s hard to believe these will be our last 4ks until we hit Katahdin - what! The first section of trail was nice and flat. We took a brief lunch break beside a beautiful lake before making our climb up. The day turned out to be spectacular and one of our best days of hiking on trail. The Bigelows were stunning and it felt like we were hitting view after view. The leaves are getting more vibrant by the day and we had an amazing view from above of all the different colors. Standing on top of Avery Peak was heaven. Today was also the day when we got our very first hazy glimpse of Katahdin off in the distance! It seems impossible that we are finally closing the gap to our final destination. The shorter days keep catching up with us, so we ended the day with a little night hiking down into camp.

09.21.19 - Day 167 - Spaulding Mountain Lean to to ME Route 27 to Hostel of Maine (mile 2003.8) - 13.5 miles Only 13 miles and a few big climbs stood between us and a hot shower. Early in the day we passed by the plaque recognizing the CCC efforts that helped complete the trail in 1937 and on a more solemn note we passed through the area where a thru-hiker had gotten lost and ultimately passed away back in 2013, a reminder of the dangerous side of this hobby. The fall leaves were starting to cover the ground in beautiful colors everywhere we turned. After a quick snack break by a river we headed up our final big climb for the day. The view wasn’t much to see and we pressed on until we reached the 2,000 mile mark! That seems insane, but we'd officially made it into the 2,000 miler club. After lots of pictures at multiple marker signs, we finally headed the final 3 miles downhill to the road crossing. We arrived earlier than planned, and decided to try to hitch in vs waiting over an hour for the shuttle. Despite fast moving traffic, both sets of us quickly grabbed rides. We were luckier and snagged a ride with Steve and Lee a lovely couple who had recently bought a house nearby. We arrived promptly at the hostel and were immediately in love with the warm, cozy feel of the cabin and how clean everything was. We took incredible showers complete with soap, shampoo, AND conditioner. The loaner clothes stash was extremely impressive and we all emerged looking like real people. We headed over to the nearby Italian place for dinner joined by Lighthouse and Turbo who were two newlyweds that were hiking the AT as their honeymoon. The food, while expensive, was delicious and we all left very happy. We headed back to the hostel and knocked out our resupply with the very well-stocked options at the hostel. After, we decided to work on a puzzle but we were clearly way too ambitious. Rachel could barely keep her eyes open by 8:30, and Jason and Katy didn’t last much longer, sad to leave the puzzle incomplete, but happy to crawl into our amazingly comfy bunks for the night.

09.20.19 - Day 166 - Piazza Rock Lean-To to Spaulding Mountain Lean-To (mile 1990.3) - 16.9 miles We woke up early to tackle a fairly big day with a handful of 4ks. First up was Saddleback Mountain where we faced some pretty fierce wind which was not kind to Jason’s already wild trail hair. Next we made our way over to The Horn, where we met a sweet trail maintainer who had just replaced the summit sign which had been missing for over 20 years. We were some of the first people to take a picture with it and he was so excited! After that we knocked out Saddleback Junior which Rachel decided to refer to as Weenie Hut Jr for the rest of the hike. We coasted through the rest of the day with our sights on the 2,000 mile mark and our next hostel visit tomorrow.

09.19.19 - Day 165 - Bemis Stream to Piazza Rock Lean-To (mile 1973.4) - 15.8 miles We woke up confused about why it was so damp out when the forecast was calling for a beautiful day. It wasn’t until after our first climb wthat we realized we had just emerged from within a cloud! The morning was filled with more moose prints and more beautiful lake views. Around midday we arrived at a campsite that has free canoes you can use - yay! We took turns rowing around the lake and enjoying the warm sun. We also encountered a rolly polly little man who emerged from the woods in a fleece poncho and declared “looks like a good place to get realllll high” before disappearing again. After enjoying the canoe we finally got moving and arrived at Piazza Rock Shelter just before dark. We had a chilly, but nice dinner sitting on one of the tent pads and got to see teeny mice literally hopping around. We were happy to be hanging our food for the night to avoid the mini bears.

09.18.19 - Day 164 - Human Nature Hostel to Bemis Stream (mile 1957.6) - 12.4 miles Human Nature hostel ended up being a perfectly timed pit stop because after some R&R Jason seemed to be past the worst of the mystery cold and we were ready to conquer the rest of Maine. Along with being a former thru-hiker himself the owner Yukon was a great host and set up a truly unique spot for hikers in his beautiful geodesic dome home (and he’s also a several time Naked and Afraid champion so who says you can’t do it all). We had a nice, relatively easy day out of the hostel. We climbed a few smaller mountains and saw tons more moose poop. One of these days we’re bound to see one...right?

09.17.19 - Day 163 - Human Nature Hostel - 0 miles Today’s illustration is of Lake of the Clouds hut in the Whites, which seemed appropriate today because we’re 99% sure that was where the awful cold Jason was fighting off (and Rachel had previously fought off) came from [again, this was 2019 pre-covid]. In spite of whatever bug we had picked up we managed to wake up early for the famous AT blueberry pancakes the hostel is known for and we were not disappointed. Not only did each pancake have a cute little AT on it, they were delicious! We happily ate our fill and then spent tons of time playing with Ebenezer the precious pug puppy. The hostel crew took us to town for resupply and to pick up our lunch order. We ate tons of food while fully enjoying the smart tv access. We ended up eating leftovers for dinner because we had ordered so much at lunch. We turned in for one more night in our cozy bunks before heading back out onto the trail tomorrow.

09.16.19 - Day 162 - Sawyer Brook to South Arm Road to Human Nature Hostel (mile 1945.2) - 2.7 miles Geodesic domes, baby pugs, and more moose tracks😍 We had positioned ourselves to only need to do a few miles to the road crossing to get picked up. Yay, nearos! Still the immediate steep climb was pretty rough since Rachel was still trying to get over being sick and Jason was the newest casualty. We were very relieved to reach the road to sit down and wait for our ride. Katy and Grubber showed up shortly after us and we all happily ate some cold pancakes another shuttle driver offered us. Before long Yukon, the hostel owner, rolled up and loaded us into his suv. First stop was Andover to grab some breakfast. We grabbed a spot at the general store that doubles as a little diner. The food was delicious and such a nice start to our almost two full days off. We grabbed some snacks for later and then loaded back into the car, along with a few other hikers who were already in town. As we neared the hostel, Yukon warned us that they were still cleaning up from a birthday party and wow, it must have been one hell of a party. The hostel was scattered with dead bodies aka extremely hungover guests. We headed downstairs to the bunk room to get out of the way. We took the worlds fastest and least effective showers in the outside showers that were available. With the near freezing temps and a vicious wind, it was intolerable to try and get really clean, so after a quick rinse we called it a day. Jason was still feeling sick, so he took some medicine and headed to the bunk room for a serious nap. The hostel crew spent the day getting everything put back together and we were happy to stay out of their way and have a lazy day. For dinner we all loaded up in the cars and headed for the Knotty Moose. The food was delicious and our burger even came with a little moose branded onto the bun. We cozied up in our bunks for the night very excited that tomorrow was another relaxing day.

09.15.19 - Day 161 - Baldpate Lean-to to Sawyer Brook (mile 1942.5) - 15.4 miles Today was filled with rickety ladders, slippery downhills, mud pits, and crazy wind, so everything we've come to expect from southern Maine. We navigated up and down over and over again, with the scramble over Baldplate being one of the scariest yet. The rock was smooth and tricky to get a grip on. Then add in crazy wind with gusts at over 70mph and it felt like we were holding on for dear life. We survived the climb with some wild hair to prove it. We had put off our stay at the next hostel by a day, and everyone was eager to get into town tomorrow to take our first break since we entered the Whites. The end of the day was brightened by meeting some sweet trail pups. Utah was the cutest border collie pup and she was eating up all the attention. We continued to see tons of moose prints and poop, so we’re still hoping to see one pop up soon. We arrived in camp barely before dark, despite it not being too late. It’s crazy how much shorter the days are already getting. It also became clear in the final miles into camp that Jason is now facing down with whatever sickness Rachel seemed to have picked up back in the Whites. We all setup our tents together and had dinner in the dark before heading to bed.

09.14.19 - Day 160 - Mahoosuc Notch West Stealth Tentsite to Baldpate Lean-to (mile 1927.1) - 10.4 miles We woke up before dawn so we would be ready to roll by daybreak. It was extremely cold overnight and still hovering below freezing when we emerged from our tents. Puffies and jackets still on, we headed towards Mahoosuc’s Notch aka “the hardest mile of the AT”. The Notch took us about two and a half hours (about an hour less for Grubber), but it was a lot of fun, even for Rachel who was still fighting off a pretty mean cold. We were climbing, squeezing, and leaping to get across the big gaps and up/under huge boulders. Most exciting of all we made it through before any rain. Once on the other side it was time to tackle Mahoosuc’s Arm, one of the steepest climbs on the AT. Again, we were very lucky to knock this out before any rain. The climb was tricky and technical, and required a lot of scrambling. We finally arrived at the next shelter to take our lunch break. It’s crazy to hike for almost six hours and have gone barely 4 miles! The lake next to the shelter had an eerie fog rolling over it, making us feel like we were walking into a movie set. We hid in the shelter from the drizzly rain and Katy and Grubber took naps. It was still extremely cold, so we finally decide to get moving again just to warm up. We were happy to have a short rest of the day, since we were all beat. We took a few more pictures at the AT symbol at Grafton Notch and then headed to camp to finally get some rest.

09.13.19 - Day 159 - Trident Col Campsite to Mahoosuc Notch West Stealth Tentsite (mile 1916.7) - 16.1 miles Sound on for full mud pit traversing commentary😂 We knew today was going to be a very long day, but it was tougher than we could have imagined. Rachel woke up sicker then ever and regreted not splurging on more of the over priced gas station DayQuil when we had the chance [this was 2019. Don’t worry, no covid] The close quarters in the huts through the Whites are infamous for spreading colds and other bugs and Rachel was the first in our group to fall victim. The climbs and descents today were treacherous and took forever. As we turned a corner the Maine border sign called out to us like a beacon. We had made it. We have officially walked from Georgia to Maine!! As promised, Maine gave us her worst from the moment we crossed the border. We encountered mud pits that were more like Jurassic tar pits. From the top of a treacherous descent we saw someone fall in the mud and struggle to regain their footing for quite a while on their back like a little flailing turtle. We carefully navigated around the mud and willed ourselves not to tumble in. We reached the last shelter before Mahoosuc Notch and decided our best bet was to hike the three more miles to the stealth site just before the Notch. The forecast was calling for rain around 8am tomorrow, and we were hoping to get through the Notch and climb Mahoosuc’s Arm on the other side before it started and made everything slick. The other trail family decided to night hike through the notch and we thought they were insane since it's considered the hardest mile of the entire trail. Just the descent down from the shelter to the starting point was tough and we were all grateful to have made the call to spend the night there and tackle the notch with fresh legs and eyes in the morning.

09.12.19 - Day 158 - Gorham to US Route 2 to Trident Col Campsite (mile 1900.6) - 6.9 miles Today we send Alex off for 12 days in the real world, so we were soaking up all the fun of our giant sleepover. He's flying home to California to attend two weddings before finishing out the trail with us (and then bravely flipping back down to finish the section he'll miss, solo). At the local diner we ran into the other trail family we have been leap frogging for the last stretch and caught up for a bit. Breakfast is delicious and we eat every crumb of food before heading back to the hotel to finish laundry and pack up. After some deliberating between hitching to Walmart for a more substantial resupply or just stopping at the gas station next door we decide on the gas station since it will be faster and we need to get back on trail. The meal options are pretty scarce, but with a bit of creativity we make do. Katy and Rachel are very excited to discover adorable small Parmesan cheese shakers and decide pasta with cheese will be the perfect dinners for us. We finally say goodbye to Alex and tell him to hurry up and rejoin us soon. Following a quick trip to Subway to get some sandwiches for tonights dinner we are finally ready to get back on trail. After working much harder than usual for a hitch a woman stops for us who happened to know a hiker on trail who goes by the name Jesus (as many long haired guys do). So when she asked "Have you meet Jesus on trail" we were initially a bit concerned about what kind of situation we'd gotten ourselves into, but Jason thankfully realized the misunderstanding and after a good laugh she deposits us back on trail. We are happy to only be doing a short day today, and a good portion of it is flat. This is a lovely reprieve from the Whites and we will definitely take it. We hit the 1,900 mile mark shortly before camp and it’s hard to believe that we are running out of milestones! After an easy hike up, we all set up camp nice and early and sit around enjoying our sandwiches. It’s an early night for all of us, which is good since tomorrow will be a long day as we finally make it to Maine!

09.11.19 - Day 157 - Carter Notch Hut to US Route 2 to Gorham, NH (mile 1893.7) - 15.2 miles We woke up to rain and all happily rolled back over in our bunks for a little more sleep while we waited it out. When we finally rolled out of bed, Jason escaped outside for some fresh air declaring that the bunk house smelled like we were living inside a fart. On that note, we packed up and were all joyful that we are finally going to town! It’s clearly been way too long without showers and we were all very ready for a little break. We said thank you to the croo and headed out, determined to get to town ASAP. The trail was still slippery in some sections and we all took turns falling pretty hard on some of the slick wooden boards. After about 5 falls between all of us we were finally getting close. It started to rain and somehow we lost sight of Grubber. We waited, and waited, and finally Katy went back to look for him. We were all worried he had slipped, but were relieved when it had just been a missed turn. The last three miles into town were a dream as the trail flattened out and we finally emerged at the road. We immediately started trying to get a hitch to town and just about when we were worried we were striking out a car heading the opposite direction whipped around and said get in. We knew we were in good hands when we saw her AT, Long Trail, and “I like to poop in the woods” bumper stickers. She kindly deposited us at the motel where Alex had already grabbed us a room. We were overjoyed to take our first showers in over a week and happily took turns scrubbing ourselves clean before heading to dinner. Grubber finally got his wish and we headed to an all you can eat Chinese buffet. It turned out to be well worth the walk, as the food was actually really good. We all stuffed our faces as a well deserved treat for officially making it through the Whites, unaware that the upcoming days in southern Maine would make the Whites look like an afternoon stroll.

09.10.19 - Day 156 - Osgood Tentsite to Carter Notch Hut (mile 1878.5) - 10.7 miles As we were getting ready to leave camp, North Star discovered that an animal had chewed through her cork trekking pole handles overnight. Ours were thankfully spared and fortunately for North Star we were a short 4.7 miles from the Pinkman Notch Visitor Center where everyone had plans for an early lunch, and now a trekking pole replacement. We made quick work of the relatively flat miles and were soon at the visitor center. Rachel was delighted by the adorable kids book about all the cats that have lived on Mt. Washington. We all got sandwiches and soup, and joined the other trail family we stayed with last night. We all had fun joking around and then after some ice cream sandwiches, it was time for a last bathroom break and to tank up on water before heading out. The climb up Wildcat was torturously slow and technical. We were essentially rock climbing large portions and Rachel willed herself to not look down as we climbed higher and higher. At our second short break it became clear that there was no way we would make it to our original goal of Imp Campsite. The climbs were slowing us down too much, despite our best efforts. We decided when we got to Carter Notch Hut that we would at least ask about work for stay, and then push on to a closer stealth site if needed. When we arrived, we discovered that the hut had no guests staying the night. This meant no food, but they offered us bunks if we were willing to clean all the windows in the bunk house. We got to work immediately, wanting to knock it out as quickly as possible. An hour later, we finished up and headed back down to the hut to make dinner. The hut croo were having an epic broadway sing-a-long while we enjoyed dinner and boardgames before heading back up to our bunks for the night. They are so cozy and we are all happy to be dry since it’s supposed to storm overnight (also Alex didn’t catch today up because he decided to head to town early at Pinkman Notch before a trip back home for a wedding, but more on that tomorrow).

Got an amazing chance to revisit/climb the Whitney Portal trail when a last minute spot opened up with some amazing friends who invited me! Mt Whitney holds a very special place in my heart because it was the start of it all for me, 4 years ago…changed my life forever and saved me…when I was beyond lost, depressed, and broken. It inspired me, motivated me, challenged me, drove me to push myself farther than I thought I could ever go…I never even used to day hike before and now, 4 years later, I have over 9,000 miles of thru hiking under my belt…my life has never been the same. God showed me what was possible and instilled faith and hope into me. Was an incredible moment to be here and reflect on how much my life has changed for the better and how far I have come. Never lose hope, because you never know what is waiting for you around the corner. 🙏🏼 🏔💕🌞🤓

09.09.19 - Day 155 - Lake of the Clouds Hut to Osgood Tentsite (mile 1867.8) - 10.1 miles We were woken up bright and early to clear out of the hut for breakfast setup. We packed up and prepared to tackle the remaining 1.7 miles to the summit of Mt. Washington. Passing signs warning about the most dangerous weather in America we quickly climbed to warm ourselves up. Emerging on the socked in summit felt like being on an alien planet. We were excited to find the summit sign without a line, unsurprising considering the frigid temps and lack of a view. After pictures we headed inside to warm up, get breakfast, and explore the huge visitor center. Along with some of the more ominous history surrounding the mountain we learned that there is a cat that lives at the top named Marty. He’s a beautiful black Maine Coon and is a little local celebrity. We send some postcards home and hit the snack bar again for pizza, chili, and enough food to hold us over until our next resupply in Gorham. We assist Alex in drying out his bear can which had become a terrarium before heading down the mountain. As we’re descending, we hike by the Cog Railway before finally emerging from the clouds to some beautiful views. After a tough but spectacular hike we arrive at Madison Spring Hut where we decide to ask about work-for-stay. After getting an unclear answer we decide we are better off hiking the final three miles to the tentsite we had planned on. Alex decided to stay and pay for a bunk instead, so we will catch him tomorrow. We dash up and over Mt. Madison on a mission. The descent is slow going as expected and we were concerned if there would be any tent spots left at camp. Grubber offers to fly ahead and scope it out since he’s much faster than us on downhills. We keep chugging along and finally arrive just after dark has fallen, which is coming earlier and earlier these days. We end up sharing a platform with the other trail family we like a lot - JQ, North Star, Yeehaw, and Mousetrap. We all chat and laugh about how crazy the work-for-stay situation has gotten. We squeeze our tent on the platform and enjoy some sandwiches from the cafe at Mt. Washington before bed.

09.08.19 - Day 154 - Mizpah Hut to Lake of the Clouds Hut (mile 1857.7) - 4.7 miles Neither of us slept well, but every time we rolled over we were thankful to be inside. We got off lucky considering Katy and Alex braved rain and wind topping 70 mph and a section of Grubber's sleeping pad exploded like a gunshot in the middle of the night. We all rolled out of bed around 5:30am to get out of the croo’s way before breakfast. We burned some more time in the library as we waited to be called for food. The breakfast leftovers were so yummy - eggs, coffee cake, oatmeal, and hot chocolate. We stalled a little longer while waiting for the weather to clear a bit, but finally decided to get moving. The initial shock of the cold was startling, but we adjusted quickly. With a short day ahead of us, we had plenty of spring in our step. The wind was insane today and we were all fighting to keep on our feet. Luckily, the miles went quick and we soon arrived at the next hut. Lake of the Clouds hut is huge, and also freezing cold. Aside from shielding the wind, it barely feels warmer inside and we could still see our breath. We were out of luck for work-for-stay, but instead were able to pay $10 to lock-in a spot on the floor tonight. Now the afternoon stretches ahead of us and time moves so slowly. Everyone wishes we could lie down for a nap, but we instead busy ourselves with games. Katy and Grubber teach us Catan and we end up playing for hours. When it was finally time to make dinner we take shifts making our food outside the hut in the freezing cold with a perfect view of the croo singing Christmas carols and cooking inside the warm kitchen. We are relieved to finish that up and be full. Despite a packed room, it hasn’t warmed up inside the hut and the bathrooms are complete ice boxes. Finally at 9:30pm, the Croo calls for lights out and the 20+ thru-hikers milling about can get setup for bed. Considering how cold it was inside, we was very glad we weren’t outside or in the dungeon, which is an emergency shelter in the basement of the hut. We all cuddled in and hoped for a nice day tomorrow on Mount Washington.

09.07.19 - Day 153 - Ethan Pond Shelter to Mizpah Hut (mile 1853) - 9.3 miles We woke up to discover it hadn’t rained overnight so we were packed up and on trail in no time. Grubber left ahead of us, but Katy and Alex were still totally asleep as we set off. The descent was nice and easy and the uphill on the other side wasn’t too bad either as we worked our way up Mount Webster. After navigating the rock slabs and steep cliffs on the climb up we found ourselves rock hopping and clinging to trees to avoid the wet bog at the top. Finally we arrived at Mizpah Hut where we made ourselves at home, enjoying some hot chocolate and warm soup. We ran into some other thru-hikers who were planning to push on to Lakes of the Clouds Hut tonight, but with Katy and Alex no where in sight yet we decided to stick with our plan and stay here for the night. Another motivator was that we were able to snag some coveted work-for-stay spots at the hut. In exchange for an hour of manual labor, we’d be rewarded with dinner and a warm, dry place to sleep. We had a few hours to kill before dinner so we perused the hut's games and books. Jason taught Rachel backgammon and we burned several hours playing and relaxing. We even got to sit in on a croo member's presentation about the AMC’s efforts to be more green. Aside from having to hike 70+ pounds of supplies up on your back twice a week it sounds like a dream gig. We spent a little more time waiting and then it was finally our turn to eat. We had a full turkey dinner complete with cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, and chocolate cake. We stuffed our faces and then reported for duty to earn our stay. Our task was scrubbing down the stove with steel wool. Our fingers were sore after but the Croo was impressed with our efforts. Once we finished all the hikers set about getting their sleeping pads setup in the dining room for the night and enjoyed the luxury of a mostly real bathroom. The only bittersweet part of the day was that Katy and Alex were too late to join in on the work for stay and would have to set up in the tent site adjacent to the hut for the night and were in for a cold/wet night.

09.06.19 - Day 152 - Garfield Ridge Campsite to Ethan Pond Shelter (mile 1843.7) - 14.6 miles We wake up and dang, it’s cold. We get ready as much as possible in the tent to avoid the cold for as long as possible. As we feared Grubber had a rough, chilly night without his cold weather gear. This is one of the first days Rachel started hiking in her puffy jacket to try and warm up. The descent down the rest of Garfield is comically steep and has a waterfall running through it. Every step seems to test us as we carefully place each footstep down. We arrive at Galehead Hut and experience the magic of being fed leftovers from the Huts. Normally we’re not big fans of oatmeal but it was amazing to get some hot food in our stomachs. We have a very unexpected reunion when we run into hikers we hadn’t seen since back at Trail Days, 1000+ miles ago. We thought he was way ahead of us and weren’t expecting to see him again, but he took some time off trail and just got back on. There is a huge group of kids being chaperoned by a few dads who have tons of cute questions - mainly about bears of course and Rachel happily gives them the scoop. We eat our leftovers, buy a few baked goods, and then hit the trail again. We summit another 4K, South Twin and then carefully make our way down some more steep sections with ladders. We arrive at Zealand Hut where we cash in our punch cards for a bowl of soup, and can’t resist buying a few cinnamon buns. We get to spend a little time with the Croo at Zealand and are thoroughly jealous we never had such an awesome summer job. The next little stretch is easy peasy and a lovely break from all the tough hiking we have been doing. We ended up at Ethan Pond Shelter for the night and setup on one of the last tent platforms available. We managed to squeeze the whole fam onto the platform. The pond is beautiful and we end up hanging with a big group of hikers while we make dinner. But it’s not long before the cold weather has everyone heading to their tents to try and keep warm.

09.05.19 - Day 151 - Interstate 93 (Liberty Springs Trailhead) to Garfield Ridge Campsite (mile 1829.1) - 10.1 miles We’re up and ready to hit the trail, but first Rachel insists on making Jason take lots of pictures to remember our cozy room by before we leave! We manage to snag the first ride back to trail, and the other groups staying at the hotel weren’t thrilled. Today ends up being one of the most spectacular days of the entire trail. We tackled both Franconia Ridge and the beginning of the Presidentials. Today made yesterday’s zero even more worth it because we had a sunny blue sky day that gave us the most beautiful 360 views from every summit. We started the day with a brutal climb up, and decided to take a blue blaze over to Mt Liberty to bag a 4K. The view was stunning and we ran into another trail family we’d met back in Massachusetts at the top. We spent an incredible amount of time taking pictures because Alex was really trying to capture “THE VASTNESS” - which was finally somewhat accomplished. We took a lunch break, enjoying the sandwiches and snacks we packed out before heading on to Franconia Ridge. Despite the gorgeous weather, it was still cold so Rachel spent some time sunning herself like a lizard to stay warm. It was finally time to cross the famous Franconia Ridge and we enjoyed every moment of it. This is as beautiful as the weather gets in the Whites and there are very few days every year like this - we were SO lucky! We take our time and really soak everything in. We bag three more 4Ks which checks off Lincoln, Lafayette, and Garfield. The climbs are tough and the descents are gnarly, as promised. After miles of rock scrambles and climbs, we finally make it to Garfield Ridge for the night. Knorr pasta sides have never looked so good! We stayed the night on tent platforms, and yikes it was so cold, especially for poor Grubber who was still waiting for his cold weather gear after his issues with the post office, brrr.

09.04.19 - Day 150 - North Woodstock - 0 miles This illustration is technically for tomorrow, because if today was a picture it would either be a bed, or a large plate of pasta. True to form, we went to bed early last night and slept in this morning. Once we woke up, we headed over to the gas station to grab some hash browns to hold us over while we waited for everyone else to wake up. Apparently the rest of the trail fam was still unconscious after a late night (by trail standards) at the local restaurant we were slowly becoming regulars at. We popped over to their room to see how they were doing, and see if they needed more Gatorade. When they finally felt up to moving we all headed over to the local diner for some breakfast. Katy drew a spectacular picture of all of us in crayon on the menu and we all relished in our zero day as we watched the rain fall through the window. The temps up in the mountains were in the low 30s, which along with the rain made us even more thankful we took today off and would get to enjoy a rare calm, blue sky day tomorrow over some of the most scenic miles on the whole AT. We decide to really lean into having a lazy day and head back to our rooms for post-brunch naps. We hit the store later to resupply and pick up some ice cream for dessert. Before our forth, and sadly final, visit to the nearby restaurant where we celebrate our last night in Woodstock in style, aka by ordering the same huge pasta dish for the forth night in a row.

09.03.19 - Day 149 - Kinsman Notch to Interstate 93 (Liberty Springs Trailhead) (mile 1819) - 16.4 miles It’s amazing how motivated you can feel when you know you’ll be returning tonight for a hot shower, a bed, and another zero tomorrow. We could be slack packing, but instead we grab our full bags like the insufferable purists we are. We grab breakfast and sandwiches for lunch, before the motel owner kindly drops us back at the trailhead. We get moving and are immediately back to rock climbing. The climbs are technical and we are so glad we’re doing this in beautiful sunny weather, instead of yesterday’s rain. The trail today is a mixture of huge rocks and completely submerged bog sections that are particularly nasty and smell HORRIBLE (last video has the full feelings😂). We slowly pick our way across trying to avoid taking a waist deep dunk in the mud. We pass our first AMC hut at Lonesome Lake and wish we could stay to relax for a bit, but the sun is already starting to set….whoops. Looks like there is some night hiking in our near future. Soon our headlamps are on and our pace has slowed quite a bit as we work our way across planks in the dark while trying to keep an eye out for blazes. At some point we lose track of the trail and head off in the wrong direction. We try and find our way back, but finally break out Guthook to see where we need to head, but are still having trouble meeting back up with exactly where the trail is. Luckily, right around this time we hear Katy and Alex off to our right, and we’re able to follow their headlamps and voices to meet back up. That unplanned detour could have wasted a lot more time. We’re glad to all be back together now that it’s completely dark and we have one last slightly tricky river crossing before we’re finished for the night. The crossing is memorable, with Katy getting semi stuck on a large rock and doing some unplanned tummy time. A lot of laughs (and no wet feet!) later we are finally closing in on the end of the day. It is pretty late and we feel bad that our ride is going to have to pick us up so late, but we’re all glad to be headed back to civilization for the night.

09.02.19 - Day 148 - North Woodstock - 0 miles Nothing in the world is better than waking up on a zero and having the weather be just as nasty as you thought it would be. Swipe to see the true excitement🥳 Hooray for being inside and not on top of a 4k in horrible freezing rain. We finally roll out of bed and meet the rest of the crew for a proper diner breakfast. It’s delicious and we’re not even sorry that we immediately walked across the street to get a frozen hot chocolate too. North Woodstock is the cutest little town and we spend some time perusing the shops until the rain picks back up and we flee for the motel room. The rest of the day is filled with naps, family and cats on FaceTime, and Chinese for dinner. We all head to bed so we can hit the trail tomorrow for a long day.

09.01.19 - Day 147 - Ore Hill Campsite to Kinsman Notch (mile 1802.6) - 17 miles Today is our first big climb in the Whites and we’re pumped. It’s like overnight the AT turned up the intensity and we think we’re ready for it. Mt. Moosilauke is our first 4K in the Whites and we were in the zone on the climb up. We make killer time and were soon summiting. The weather is glorious today, with beautiful blue skies, and some fierce cold wind at the exposed summit. While we wait for the rest of the crew Rachel quickly transitions from sports bra and shorts to her puffy jacket and quilt as the wind takes its toll. We take some fam pictures when everyone arrives and then start heading down the backside of Moosilauke which is no easy feat. We are met with a solid introduction to why this is the toughest and most rugged part of the trail. We work our way down slowly and carefully down steep stone steps and precarious wood foot holds bolted into the rocks, counting our lucky stars that it isn’t wet today. We finally make it to the bottom after taking a few breaks to admire a waterfall on the way down, and find Grubber who bombed down the mountain and has been waiting for a while. We FINALLY get a fam group picture at a milestone - the 1,800 mile mark! The best part of today was that Jason was in full Daddy Long Legs mode (the trail name for his alter ego when he’s plotting ways to stay in town) and hatched a perfect plan to avoid the nasty weather coming through this week. A zero tomorrow, a full day the next day when there is a break from the rain, but returning to the motel again for the night, and then ANOTHER zero. The group loved everything about this plan and we’re all very happy when the motel owner swings by to pick us up. We arrive at Inn 32 and it’s an adorable motel with lovely owners which was a relief since we’ll be making ourselves at home here the next few nights.

08.31.19 - Day 146 - Trapper John Shelter to Ore Hill Campsite (mile 1785.6) - 19.1 miles Two best trail buds or stock photography for a motivational poster depicting “collaboration”? Hard to say🧐 We had a long day planned, so we got moving knowing we had a pretty decent climb up Smarts Mountain ahead of us. Katy was finally getting around to writing another blog post for the Trek, so we enjoyed watching her document “a day in the life” throughout today’s hike. It’s funny to really breakdown all the things we now do everyday on autopilot, but must seem foreign to everyone off the trail. We took some snack breaks and then made our way up Smarts to the fire tower for lunch. The climb was steep and tested our calves. The fire tower quickly became crowded with thru hikers eating lunch and planning the rest of the day out. Rachel tried out the powdered hummus she bought in town, which quickly turned into a failed science experiment. The ratios on the provided recipe were way off, so we ended up with a ton of hummus soup...whoops. After finally finishing off a gross amount of hummus we headed up to check out the fire tower. Rachel has been working on her fear of heights and made it to the top relatively quickly. We had beautiful 360 views and could even see the Whites off in the distance. Towards the end of the day we ran into a friend of Julia’s who was headed SOBO and was walking back to school in Hanover - so fun! After taking too many, but very nice, breaks we ended up with several hours of night hiking. Some misplaced comments on Guthook threw us and some other groups off, so we ended up hiking the last few miles to Ore Hill instead of stopping at the earlier non-existent spot we had planned on.

08.30.19 - Day 145 - Hanover, NH to Trapper John Shelter (mile 1766.5) - 16.7 miles We packed up, very sad to leave Julia’s little bungalow, and headed for town. We had such a sweet Uber driver who was very excited to hear about the AT and wished us the best of luck on our adventure. We headed to Lou’s to meet the trail fam for one last yummy diner stop. While there we chatted with a SOBO at the neighboring table who was fairly encouraging about the Whites with the pragmatic advice of “well, you gotta do it and people make it through, so don’t stress too much”. Fair enough! After eating, we started another adventure, the very short version being that tele-medicine is a must-have on a thru hike and we were thankful to be heading into the Whites with a clean bill of health. Finally we were on our way, retracing our steps back through town along the path of the trail before reaching the woods again. As we climbed, we noticed for the first time that colorful leaves littered the ground - fall is officially here! King Arthur Flour reappeared in our life via some well timed trail magic. A sweet trail angel appeared standing in the middle of the trail and asked if we would like a baked good. The cinnamon bun and whoopie pie were the perfect treat to keep us moving. Naturally the end of the day was the hardest, with an unrelenting climb that we had to tackle in the dark. Maybe the dark made it better though, since we couldn’t see how far we still had to go. On the top of the mountain, we had an incredible, clear view of the night sky and all its stars. We pushed onwards and finally made it to the shelter for the night. There were tons of Dartmouth freshmen there on their orientation trips, and they were full of excitement and had a group tarp/tent set up that made our tent seem like glamping by comparison. The five of us sat around in the dark enjoying a late night dinner together before finally crawling into our tents for some rest.

08.28.19 - Day 143 - Happy Hill Shelter to Hanover, NH (mile 1749.8) - 5.8 miles We woke up early and happy knowing today is the day we finally cross into New Hampshire - our second to last state! We are also so excited to see Rachel’s friend Julia who is in grad school in Hanover and graciously invited us to stay with her for the next few days. After packing up, we practically levitate to town. It’s an easy hike and then the second half is all road walking through neighborhoods. Everyone is SO friendly, people literally hung out their car windows to say “Welcome to New Hampshire almost!”. We passed by some historical markers and adorable houses before arriving at the boarder sign - goodbye Vermont, and hello New Hampshire! Vermont was absolutely incredible and we are excited to see what New Hampshire has in store for us. We take some pics with Grubber and then wiz the last mile into town. We end up at a Lou’s, a local diner, where we order a feast while waiting for Julia. Julia arrived soon after and after we cleaned our plates we all popped over to the post office to pick up several very exciting packages - new shoes and Rachel’s new base layers, just in time for the last leg of our hike. Woohoo! After that Julia took us on a little tour of Dartmouth’s gorgeous campus, before we headed to Julia’s house she’s just moved into with some friends from her program. It’s absolutely stunning with a view of the lake, and her own little mini apartment above the garage. We aired our things out in the yard to not stink her house up and so she can check out the gear. We even setup our tiny house so she can get in and see how we’ve been living for the last 5 months. We take showers and then head to Dan and Whit’s, a labyrinth of a store that is loved by locals and hikers alike. They have literally everything so we putz around for a bit a before driving Grubber over to the hotel he’s staying at (where Alex and Katy will soon be joining him). We head back to Julia’s to take a dip in the lake and enjoy the hot tub. Soon after it starts to rain and we make a break for the house to shower again before dinner with some more of Julia’s friends from school.

08.27.19 - Day 142 - The Lookout Shelter to Happy Hill Shelter (mile 1744) - 23.7 miles We woke up bright and early to catch the sunrise from the platform on top of the shelter. We probably had way too many people up on the platform, but wow, was it stunning. We could see for miles and the mountains seemed to go on for days. It was very chilly which made us even more grateful that we hadn’t spent the night up here like the brave/crazy hikers who missed out on the cozy shelter down below. It was going to be a very long day, so we packed up and got moving. The Back Porch, aka the actual back porch of a lovely trail angels home, served as a perfect break spot and Rachel had been looking forward to their GIANT homemade ice cream sandwiches for days. After eating our fill and catching up with Hannah and her boyfriend about their stay in Rutland (let’s just say that free hostels aren’t always worth the savings), we took off to finish the rest of the day. We felt that the section we covered today is the real rollercoaster on the AT and they should probably get a sign to make it official. We tackled endless steep climbs, followed by immediate descents. We were thrilled to finally make the last climb and to arrive at Happy Hill Shelter. We found a soft, pine needle covered spot for the night and were soon in bed after eating our dinners.

08.26.19 - Day 141 - VT Route 100 to The Lookout (mile 1720.3) - 14 miles Today’s wake up call was the hotel fire alarm which was an unexpected detour in our morning routine. After throwing on our jackets, we headed outside and we’re told that it wasn’t a drill, something had actually set it off. We all sat around at the picnic table and waited, with Grubber waiting angrily in only a towel. Finally we got the all clear and headed to breakfast where we planned out the next stretch into Hanover. After eating we walked across the street to the giant supermarket where we all got a little carried away on our resupply. After packing up we started calling around for shuttles and soon discovered we should have sorted this out last night as it was not a quick process. We finally got ahold of a trail angel who offered to drop us at the bus station to catch a ride back to trail. The bus turned into a bit of an ordeal when we discovered they couldn’t make change. Rachel ran across the street to the bank and managed to get change just in time to board the bus. We rode along dropping off Katy and Alex at the early road crossing before reaching our stop with Grubber a few trail miles north. After a stop at a cute dock to admire the beautiful lake and then a break at Thundering Falls, it was time to climb. We put on music and got moving up an extremely steep climb. We encountered our first section that required an actual ladder to climb down and ended up with a little bit of night hiking. We decided to stop at The Lookout for the night, which was a little short of our reach goal, but ended up being amazing. The shelter is privately owned, but open to hikers and has a cozy inside and a platform high up on the roof that provides 360 degree views. We arrived just as the sun had fully set, and climbed up to the platform where a group of hikers were the stars. The view was incredible and we could see all the stars and satellites soaring by. We finally tore ourselves away to go downstairs to cook and get setup inside. One brave guy decided to sleep up on the top platform which was way too high and cold for us. We found a cozy spot inside and had an amazing nights sleep.

08.25.19 - Day 140 - Cooper Lodge to VT Route 100 (Rutland) (mile 1706.3) - 9.6 miles Before getting on trail today we hiked the very steep blue blaze (side trail) up to the top of Killington for the view. It was a cloudy morning, but we were able to see a little as the sun started to break through. After that we were off and almost running with the anticipation of getting into town. But before that we had to check off another milestone - 1,700 miles! We took pictures with Grubber and then checked off the final miles for the day. There were two road crossing we could have taken into Rutland, but we decided to be responsible and push to the second one so we would have less miles the next day when we got back on trail. We exited the trail and made the slow, hot, uphill road walk to the ski area where the busses pick up. After realizing it would take over an hour on the bus to get into town, we decided to try our luck hitching. We got a hitch within five minutes and soon a very nice guy was driving us into town and straight to our hotel. We quickly checked in and decided to hit Taco Bell across the street (which had definitely factored into our hotel selection). We proceeded to spend $37 and demolished our food. We then rolled ourselves back to the hotel to enjoy showers and the most amazing nap while we waited for Katy and Alex to get in. They kept texting us made up times so we didn’t know what to believe for an ETA. They arrived much earlier than we thought, so we took off to grab dinner at a local chain across the street. We ate too much but responsibly decided to only partake in the first round of desserts😋

08.24.19 - Day 139 - Green wall Shelter to Cooper Lodge (mile 1696.7) - 19.2 miles We woke up and headed out to knock out a big day that would end with a climb up Mt Killington. The forest was beautiful and we crossed over a bridge spanning high above a river with some amazing views. We kept moving, excited that we would soon be hitting the 500 miles to Katahdin sign. Hitting the sign was surreal. It felt like we had seen it in so many pictures and videos, but now it was our turn. We are finally here!! We took tons of photos, and then even more once Grubber caught up. After a brief break at the shelter at the bottom, it was time to climb Killington. It wasn’t too difficult a climb, but it was a long trek up and up and up. We finally made it to the last water source and then pushed the last stretch to the top. By the time we reached the top, it was getting very cold. Jason figured out how to rig our tent up on the tenting platforms and we enjoyed our hot dinner as the temperature dropped. Grubber opted to sleep in the run down looking shelter for the night instead. We said our goodnights and popped into our tent to try and warm up. The low was around 40 degrees for the night so we bundled up, unaware that the draft from under the tent platform would keep the tent drafty/cold all night… brrrrr🥶

08.23.19 - Day 138 - Bromley Mountain summit warming hut to Greenwall Shelter (mile 1677.5) - 21.6 miles Last night a group that tried to cowboy camp retreated back inside just after midnight due to a very wet mist and cold temps, one of many disruptions throughout the night. Ultimately we were still glad we were cozied up in the warming hut all night despite the apocalyptic snoring and oppressive hiker smell. We woke up early to pop outside and watch the sunrise. Eeek it was still very cold out. The sunrise was beautiful, but still reaffirmed our decision that sunsets are more our jam since they don’t involve waking up early. We went back to our sleeping pads for a few more minutes of rest before finally getting ready and hitting the trail. Today the trail was beautiful - pine forests, a big lake, cairns gardens, flowing streams, and manageable climbs. We took a few breaks along the way and reached the shelter just before dark. This seems to be a very popular spot for camps and school groups so it was pretty crowded. We quickly ate dinner with Grubber before escaping to our tent. It’s going to get into the 40s again tonight so the sooner we were bundled up in our quilts the better. Alex and Katy hadn’t caught up to us yet after their surprise night in town, but we were hopeful the whole fam would be reunited in the next few days by the time we reach either Rutland or Killington.

08.22.19 - Day 137 - Manchester Center, VT to VT Route 11/30 to Bromley Mountain summit warming hut (mile 1655.9) - 3 miles Vermont sunsets are something else😍 After making thorough use of the impressive hotel breakfast, we packed up our things and headed into the cute little downtown Manchester Center area to look at some shops and run a few errands. We popped by the outfitters for more fuel and a cute passport stamp before a detour at a shop that happened to house some rescue cats that Rachel was excited to meet. We met up with Grubber who had arrived in town a bit ahead of Katy and Alex, and after a last minute sandwich run at Zoeys Deli, we all piled into the car and headed back to trail. Rachel’s dad hiked out for a bit with us, but wisely opted to turn back once the trail got muddy. We already can’t to meet back up again in Maine after we summit!! We were pumped to have such a short day out of town with just 3-ish miles up to the top of Mt Bromley. It took just over an hour and then we emerged onto a ski run that takes you up to the top. We enjoyed our amazing sandwiches while sitting on the ski lift. Rachel had the Vermonster, a sandwich she continues to talk about to this day. A few guys had come up to do some maintenance on the chair lift before they ran it for a summer camp that was visiting down below and they asked if we wanted to take a ride - YES! We piled on and enjoyed the ride down and back up with amazing views. Once back at the top we went to claim our spots in the warming hut since it was quickly getting very busy. Katy and Alex were supposed to meet us up here but we learned that plan fell apart when their hitch into town offered to let them crash at her house for the night. Their loss because tonight’s sunset was stunning. Although as we settled into the packed warming hut the alarmingly violent snoring and hiker smell made for an eventful, but at least warm night…

08.21.19 - Day 136 - Stratton Pond Shelter to VT Route 11/30 to Manchester Center, VT (mile 1652.9) - 10.7 miles We woke up the next morning very glad we decided to stay in the shelter. As we got ready, the rain was pouring down while lightning and thunder crashed right overhead. Once the worst of the lightning passed, we threw on our ponchos and took off. “Vermud” was in full swing as the rain flowed and we were soon walking through ankle deep mud...for hours. Nothing could dampen our spirits though knowing that we would soon be showering, dry, and eating town food with Rachel’s dad🥳 We took a very brief break at Prospect Rock where we watched the fog slowly rising slowly between the mountains. After that the rain started back up and we pushed all the way to the road crossing. Despite the mud slowing us down, we made pretty good time thanks to taking basically no breaks. Unbelievably, we timed it perfectly and within five minutes Rachel’s dad pulled into the parking lot to take us to one of the nicest hotel rooms we’d stayed in all trail (admittedly that bar is pretty low, but it was very nice!). Once we had throughly showered all of the mud off of ourselves we headed to lunch followed by some naps and a soak in the hot tub. We decided on round two at the same restaurant since it was so delicious and it did not disappoint. After spending some more time catching up and relaxing we all turned in for an amazing night of sleep.

08.20.19 - Day 135 - Glastonbury Mountain watchtower stealth site to Stratton Pond Shelter (mile 1642.3) - 19.1 miles After sleeping through two alarms, we decided that sunsets are more our speed and rolled back over for some more zzzs. We finally woke up a bit later and were greeted by another chilly morning. We need to do 20ish miles today, so it’s time to get moving. It seems like morale is starting to wane for some of the other hikers we ran into today, with several saying they have been over the trail since Harpers Ferry, but we’re happy to not share that sentiment - everything just keeps getting more beautiful! The climb up Mt. Stratton isn’t too steep, but is continuous. Our trail history fact for the day is that both the Long Trail and the AT were dreamed up during hikes on Mt. Stratton. We finally make it to the top to another fire tower. Rachel swallowed her terror and climbed all the way to the top of this one. In an unexpected turn of events while calling her dad he offered to come meet us tomorrow for a visit and hotel stay. This is such an unexpected and nice surprise! We decide to call it a day at the next shelter to limit the night hiking vs pushing another two miles in the dark. The weather is supposed to be bad tomorrow, so we go to bed with visions of our surprise town stay with family, complete with a hot tub.

08.18.19 - Day 133 - Sherman Brook Campsite to Rte 9/Woodford Hallow to Bennington, VT (mile 1612.8) - 16.7 miles We headed off knowing we were almost to the Vermont border! After a few rock climbs that made us wonder if we were back in PA, we arrived at a sign reading Welcome to Vermont - yay! This is also the official start of the Long Trail, the trail stretching the length of Vermont that inspired the creation of the AT (and inspired us to come back and hike it in full in 2020). We took some pictures and then quickly hit the 1,600 mile marker! The excitement continued when Rachel saw a sign posted about the endangered American marten which instantly became her new trail obsession (spoiler: we have yet to meet a marten🥺). We had gotten text updates throughout the day of the trio flying kites and walking through a local college and estimating they would arrive to town sometime around 10pm (ominous foreshadowing). The final descent to the road was rough, and we were extremely glad we were doing it in the light and with last nights rain mostly dried up (more ominous foreshadowing). We had barely stepped onto the road when our ride pulled around ready with cold drinks. We arrived at the Catamount Motel and quickly set about deciding on food for the night. We were ever grateful to be inside as the weather outside picked up with pouring rain and lightning. We worried about where our friends had ended up but wouldn’t find out the whole ordeal they went through until the next morning. Katy ended up camping on the ridge because her knee was bothering her, but Alex and Grubber pushed on to town, making that grueling descent in the middle of a storm and finally hitching a ride in the pouring rain a little before 1 AM. Thankfully we had already checked them into their room and left the key in the door, anticipating it was going to be a long day/night for them😅

08.17.19 - Day 132 - Cheshire, MA to Sherman Brook Campsite (mile 1596.1) - 16.2 miles Our morning started slowly with a stop at the post office to send home our nearly full AT passport and pick up a new one, then breakfast sandwiches, doughnuts, and a light resupply at the nearby dollar store. The peak of Mt. Greylock was 8 miles away, all uphill with some portions being pretty steep. We crushed the climb with minimal breaks and soon reached the subalpine forest portion at the top that reminded us of the Smokies. We sat with Grubber for a bit debating how long it would take for Katy and Alex to make it to the top. They finally arrived after confessing to needing a cheese doodle break about a mile back. It felt surreal standing under the Greylock tower that we had seen in so many videos and pictures while preparing for this journey. We made our way up the 89 steps to the very top where you can look out and see for 90 miles in all directions. After admiring the view, it was time for lunch! We all chowed down on burgers at the summit restaurant and then headed out to relax in the grass. After a long break it was finally time to hit the trail again. As we made our way down the mountain storm clouds were building in the distance. Alex had been battling with a leaking sleeping pad and decided to head to a hotel for the night instead of sleeping on the wet floor of his tent and Katy and Grubber decided to join him. With a hotel stop already planned tomorrow we decided to push onwards instead. While the trio took a break at an overlook to figure out hotels we took off with the storm quickly approaching. We finally emerged into another town which we walked straight through before heading back up into the woods. At this point the rain had picked up and it was officially dark. Ponchos and head lamps on, we took off up the hill for the remaining two miles into camp. The hiking went slowly as we worked hard to keep our footing and not lose the trail but we finally made it to camp and dove into our tent and some dry clothes before getting to bed.

08.16.19 - Day 131 - October Mountain Shelter to Cheshire, MA (mile 1579.9) - 20.6 miles Hello, Dolly🥰 Today we woke up excited to meet a famous AT trail angel, the Cookie Lady! This sweet woman has a house and pick-your-own blueberry farm right off the trail where she gives cookies to passing hikers. What we didn’t know is that we would also meet a majestic trail floof named Dolly! Dolly was the sweetest kitty and proudly showed us around all the blueberries while getting lots of pets. We snacked and thanked the Cookie Lady before heading off for the rest of our day. Today we are hitting two towns - first up, Dalton. We cruised into town shortly after lunch time and grabbed smoothies while Katy and Alex caught up after having to coordinate picking up a package. We enjoyed some delicious smoothies before heading to a Texmex place where we made some far too ambitious food choices considering the amount of hiking/elevation left today. The Crunchwraps were delicious, but we all paid the price on our climb out of town as we headed towards Cheshire where we would be spending the night. We walked into town shortly before dark and headed to a church that allows thru-hikers to camp in their lawn. We all staked out our spots - aka circled the wagons, before heading to a nearby gas station to grab dinner for the night. We all cobbled together some questionable meals from what was available at the store and it tasted pretty good. We finished up with some ice cream and gatorades before heading back to our tents for the night.

08.15.19 - Day 130 - Upper Goose Pond Cabin to October Mountain Shelter (1559.3) - 8.8 miles Woke up from a dead sleep a little after 6 to get some of the much anticipated pancakes that were made daily at this cabin. A little before the second round of pancakes Alex and Katy showed up at the cabin looking disheveled but alive. It turned out that they made it to camp a little after midnight and crashed in the tent sites just before the cabin. After enjoying a few (but not nearly enough pancakes) we all decided that a short nap was in order before we set out for the lake. After our short nap devolved into a pretty reasonable length nap we all eventually made our way down to the lake go out on the canoe. The weather made for a perfect relaxing trip and after a lap around the lake we made our way back to the dock to trade off with Alex, Katy, and Grubber. While they paddled off we relaxed on the dock watching the fish swim around our feet. Once they returned we headed back up to the cabin with plans to eat lunch and make our way out by around 3 for the nine miles we had planned for the day. We mostly stuck to the plan and we’re back on trail by about 3:20 (the rest of the crew was a bit later). The hiking was relatively smooth and uneventful, some small rain showers and only a tiny bit of elevation got us to the shelter just before nightfall. The shelter was unusually packed but we were able to find a decent camp spot a little away from the shelter, which was a relief because a drunk/belligerent/blacked out day hiker apparently made it a very long night for the poor souls trying to sleep in the shelter. Tough break😅

08.14.19 - Day 129 - Great Barrington, MA to US Route 7 to Upper Goose Pond Cabin (mile 1550.5) - 27.7 miles Our marathon day started out early, we were down at the continental breakfast just after it opened at 6 and after stuffing our faces we set out to get a hitch to the trail at around 7 (after our attempts to get a shuttle were unsuccessful). Thankfully a former thru-hiker in a huge truck took pity on the five of us and we were back on trail by 7:20. The huge day ahead meant we had to crush some miles and the task master role fell on Jason who kept the breaks short and the pace at least somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 minute miles. After about 11 miles we lost Alex and Katy during a long snack break where we decided to push on. Grubber caught up quickly after that but the other two would trail behind for the rest of the day. The day went by quickly as we chipped away at the miles. The terrain was decent enough, some ups and downs and a handful of nice views to take quick breaks at. Before long the sun began to set and we were still about an hour from the turn off to the cabin, but we had planned on a bit of night hiking and pushed on. After following the trail in the dark on a mix of intuition and luck we finally arrived at Upper Goose Pond Cabin, a full half mile off trail adding insult to injury after 27.7 trail miles. Grubber had arrived just before us and let us know that we made it in time to claim the final two empty bunk, a truly miraculous bit of luck to end a brutally long day. After filtering some water and making some dinner we quietly made our way to the snoring and fart filled upper bunk room, still having not heard from Alex and Katy, but reassured knowing that if they were collapsed on the side of the trail they would at least be together.

08.13.19 - Day 128 - Great Barrington, MA - 0 miles….again, oops. The much unanticipated double zero. Alex has been a little behind and planned to catch up to the rest of us today. Initially, the plan was for him to in-and-out, so we could all be back on trail today. We grabbed lunch and more ice cream before he finally arrived, but things quickly start to devolve from there😂 We grabbed a hitch over to the grocery store to resupply and the rest of the group’s will to leave town today was quickly dwindling. While we resuppled the trio start plotting and hit us with the plan to stay in town when we emerged from the store. After much deliberating (particularly on Jason’s part) Alex ultimately sealed the deal by informing us that the hotel they were looking at had A HOT TUB. Okay, sold. Though this does mean an almost 30 mile day tomorrow if we wanted to make it to Upper Goose Pond Cabin and enjoy the lake before some bad weather sets in….yikes. Oh well, that’s a problem for tomorrow! We head over to our really nice hotel to get settled in. We enjoy the wonderful hot tub, take lovely showers, setup the room for a giant sleepover, and eat McDonalds in bed. Tomorrow will be rough, but the fam is back together and nothing beats a giant sleepover!

08.12.19 - Day 127 - Great Barrington, MA - 0 miles Pics featuring the most amazing ice cream shop and our AT passport progress. Need alert: we loved collecting stamps along the way☺️ We slept in and waiting for more of the trail fam to arrive. Katy and Grubber were planning to be in town in time for lunch, so around midday we started our walk into town. We arrived shortly before them and spent some time walking around looking at all the cute little shops. We can’t wait to come back and visit the Berkshires for a weekend trip when we have a home and can buy some cute things. Soon Katy and Grubber appear and we hit Steam Noodle Cafe for some lunch, followed by some of the best ice cream Rachel has ever eaten at Soco Creamery - AMAZING. We head back to the room so everyone can get showered up and we can watch some trash tv before dinner. Tormenting Grubber with terrible TLC shows is more fun for Katy and Rachel than actually watching them. After a huge feast at an Asian fusion restaurant across the street we head back to our room and get to bed, looking forward to reuniting with Alex in the morning.

08.11.19 - Day 126 - Race Brook Falls Campsite to US Route 7 to Great Barrington, MA (mile 1522.8) - 10 miles Today shall be known as the day of the man-eating mosquitos and generous trail angels. Our hike today looked so easy with a little downhill and all flat into Great Barrington. We heard this was a great trail town and have been looking forward to this stop. We are also hoping the rest of the crew will finally catchup to us here. We passed by the historical marker of Shay’s Rebellion in 1787, and thought it would be smooth sailing into town. This is when the mosquitos descended. We thought we knew mosquitos living in Florida, but had never experienced anything like it. They were enormous and vicious. They were so big you could feel them landing on your clothes and would sting straight through shirts, pants, everything. Thank god it was flat because we took off running. These were probably the fastest miles we will ever do on trail, because we ran all the way to town to escape the barrage. Our luck really turned around when we were picked up by the sweetest woman while trying to hitch into town. She turned around and drove way out of her way to drive us to our hotel on the other side of town. She told us about all the best spots as we drove through downtown and when we dropped us off she even insisted that we take money for lunch. The trail towns are filled with the most lovely people. After showers, we walked across the street and had delicious Greek food for lunch. We finished out the day with FaceTime calls with the fam and cats, and trash TV while lying horizontal.

08.10.19 - Day 125 - Limestone Spring Shelter to Race Brook Falls Campsite (mile 1512.8) - 15.4 miles Today was a beautiful day, and filled with milestones - win, win! First we tackled the highest peak in Connecticut, at a little over 2,312 feet Bear Mountain (The CT one, not the NY one) was an easy climb and clearly a popular day hike since there was lots off company at the top. Soon after, we crossed the 1,500 mile mark and it feels like these are coming faster and faster now that we’re doing longer days. We passed through an incredibly beautiful section called Sages Ravine, which felt like something out of a storybook. It’s an old growth hemlock forest and I wished we could have stayed here longer. Shortly after we crossed into our next state - bye, Connecticut and hellooo Massachusetts! We finished out the day with the Mt. Race ledges and peak. The views are getting better and we can’t wait for the last states we have ahead of us.

08.09.19 - Day 124 - Caesar Brook Campsite to Limestone Spring Shelter (mile 1497.4) - 14.7 miles The mountain man beard vibes really started to kick in around Connecticut🤪 We squeezed our way through some rocks to end up in another cute lunch spot not far off trail, the Mountainside Cafe. The cafe works with a local sober facility and employs people working through the program. The food was delicious and a real improvement from the gas station sandwiches we’d been surviving on through New York. Later we took a mid-afternoon break at Great Falls next to the Housatonic River. The sun felt amazing lying on the rocks and motivation to keep moving was pretty low. Once we finally got moving we decided to stay at a shelter that was about a half mile off trail and straight down. Still have a lot of questions about this decision…. Once we finally arrived we ran into another trail family we hadn’t met before, along with two extremely drunk older women who were just out for an overnighter. The women loved Jason and were incredibly impressed with his water filtering skills. They continued to hit on all the guys and work though the impressive amount of alcohol they had packed with them as we set up camp and excused ourselves to go pass out in our tent for the night😂

08.08.19 - Day 123 - CT route 341 to Kent, CT to Caesar Brook Campsite (mile 1482.7) - 13.6 miles The elevation profile for today looked pretty nice, which is always a relief after a relaxing zero in town. We would have a nice flat section towards the end of the day and get to retrace our first steps together on the trail several years ago. We visited this stretch of trail the first time Rachel brought Jason up to Connecticut and it was exciting to have finally made it back to that same spot. Unfortunately, last time we were here we were enjoying beautiful fall weather, but this time around our lovely flat section turned into a giant swarm of bugs. This was one of the few moments we regretted not having head nets because they were that thick. Nasty and not quite as sentimental as originally planned. Oops😂🦟

08.07.19 - Day 122 - Kent, CT - 0 miles Hooray, we don’t need to go anywhere! We had a very relaxing day including breakfast, exploring the garden, feet soaks, making a normal dinner in the kitchen, and watching the storm clouds roll through from the cover of a dry screened in patio. Rachel also spent more time trying to get the cats to love her. The little white one, Sugar, was so sassy!

08.06.19 - Day 121 - Ten Mile River Shelter to CT route 341 to Kent CT (mile 1469.1)- 8.7 miles Views from historic covered bridges. We woke up ready to knock out the few miles left to Kent, and were immediately greeted by some Gatorade trail magic - one of our favorite kinds! We zoomed to town and were soon happily eating Chinese food in a cute little restaurant. We decided to book a room in one of the only spots available in Kent, at a cute little bed and breakfast outside of town. Our host picked us up after our lunch and drove us all around town giving us the history and stopping by the few sites, including a historic covered bridge and a cute horse stables. Her home was like a magical little fairy land, including two sassy cats who Rachel spent a lot of time trying to love. We enjoyed a lovely setup for dinner and were looking forward to a day off the next day. We were originally going to head back out tomorrow, but after looking at the rainy forecast tomorrow we decide to zero tomorrow to give the rest of the crew a chance to catch up since we somehow ended up a day ahead of them again.

08.05.19 - Day 120 - Small stream stealth site to Ten Mile River shelter (mile 1460.4) - 17.9 miles Another long day filled with boardwalks, some very impressive old trees, a food truck, and another state crossing! We even passed by the “Appalachian Trail” train stop before ending up at a perfect spot for lunch. We ate BBQ while chatting with a few other hikers who were sadly getting off trail due to a knee injury. With the food propelling us along, we officially crossed into Rachel’s homeland this evening - hello, Connecticut! It’s such a surreal feeling to have literally walked home. We stayed at a nice shelter tonight with a few section hikers and were treated to the luxury of a pump well for our water supply.

08.04.19 - Day 119 - Canopus Creek stealth site to small stream stealth site (mile 1442.5) - 20 miles Jason was looking positively angelic even after many miles of hiking😇 Another day of hiking, and another day of deli blazing - yum! The hiking today was fairly uneventful, as you can probably tell from the short post, but we were happy to hit a deli for lunch AND pack out sandwiches for dinner. Always a good day when it’s filled with extra town food.