I'm off the trail, for now at least. I took the train home from Harrisburg, PA yesterday. So I'm hanging out in Boston now. My roommate let me in last nite since I didn't have a set of keys with me and my kitties were happy to see me.
I might get back on the trail. I might just hike sections of it over the summer. I'm not quite sure yet, but I don't have to decide right away.
I hiked 136.6 miles in 11 days (12 if you count the day I took off) with a 30 pound pack. This morning I got up and ran the easiest 2.5 miles I've ever ran. I was barely breathing hard, so I know that I'm in much better shape than I was 2 weeks ago! I'll have to keep running and working out so that if I do decide to get back on the trail in a week or two I will still be in good shape for it!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Doyle Hotel - Duncannon, PA
I made it to the Doyle in Duncannon today! Bar downstairs with cheap beer, and tator tots, plus a cheap room (Gobbles and I split the cost of one with 2 beds - $30 total!). I'm taking a day off tomorrow to rest my feet and recover a bit and get some food for the next week or so.
I hit my 100 mile mark early yesterday. I've been doing pretty big miles for just starting out, but so far the only problems are the freaking huge blisters on my right foot and the medium blisters on my left foot! I've been stretching and making good use of my trekking poles so everything else is feeling pretty good.
I've been hiking with Gobbles and Maytag. I also keep seeing a few people that don't have trail names yet, including 2 guys hiking with a cute dog. That makes it much better than hiking alone.
We hiked through some farmland yesterday. It was really pretty, but also really muddy. Finally a non-raining day, but my feet were completely soaked from the mud. Today was better, my feet dried out and now my shoes are just dirt crusted.
Met some of the guys that started in GA the other day. They are good to talk to, have lots of advice. They are doing huge miles, 20+ almost every day, up to 30 miles some days.
It was great to take a shower today and I'm going to get to do laundry!
Great to hear from you all in the comments! I'll try to figure out a way to get pictures on the blog, I haven't been to a big enough store to have the doohicky that I need to do it easily. Plus most hotel/hostel computers don't allow it. I have been trying to send somewhat frequent text messages to the blog, so keep checking the sidebar for those!
Bye for now! Laundry time!
I hit my 100 mile mark early yesterday. I've been doing pretty big miles for just starting out, but so far the only problems are the freaking huge blisters on my right foot and the medium blisters on my left foot! I've been stretching and making good use of my trekking poles so everything else is feeling pretty good.
I've been hiking with Gobbles and Maytag. I also keep seeing a few people that don't have trail names yet, including 2 guys hiking with a cute dog. That makes it much better than hiking alone.
We hiked through some farmland yesterday. It was really pretty, but also really muddy. Finally a non-raining day, but my feet were completely soaked from the mud. Today was better, my feet dried out and now my shoes are just dirt crusted.
Met some of the guys that started in GA the other day. They are good to talk to, have lots of advice. They are doing huge miles, 20+ almost every day, up to 30 miles some days.
It was great to take a shower today and I'm going to get to do laundry!
Great to hear from you all in the comments! I'll try to figure out a way to get pictures on the blog, I haven't been to a big enough store to have the doohicky that I need to do it easily. Plus most hotel/hostel computers don't allow it. I have been trying to send somewhat frequent text messages to the blog, so keep checking the sidebar for those!
Bye for now! Laundry time!
Friday, May 16, 2008
Free State Hiker Hostel
I put a permalink to my "schedule" in the sidebar. Makes it easier for my mom to find I'm sure!
'm finally dry! I'll give a quick run-down of my first few days hiking.
Day 1 (5/14): Got up, had breakfast, packed my pack, decided that I needed new stuff sacks so I got them at the outfitter and repacked my pack, went to the ATC headquarters and got my picture taken and left with a handful of strawberries toward the trail. Got on the trail. Went a couple of miles and started getting tired, went a bit farther with Time Travelor. Stopped for lunch and sent a text to the blog. Hiked the rest of the way to the Ed Garvey Shelter, stopping at every blaze for a drink/break whenever I had to go uphill. 6.4 miles hiked, made it to the shelter with plenty of time to relax and make dinner. There with Breezer, Kirby, Cookie, Skippy, Emily, and some people tenting. We were all in bed by 8:45pm (I wasn't tired yet). I woke up in the wee hours of the morning to a mouse chewing on my hair (I slept in the shelter).
Day 2 (5/15): Up at 5:45am. Made/ate oatmeal, packed and going by 7am. Hiked much better today. Fewer breaks and faster miles. Stopped at a state park and took a 45 minute break with Emily (she was waiting for a ride). Then played leap-frog with Breezer for the rest of the day. Ended up at Dalgren Camping area at about 2pm, hiked 10.9 miles. There were hot showers! Chris, Andrew and Champ (dog) showed up later and then another couple doing a section SOBO. We hung out the rest of the afternoon. I slept in my hammock for the first time. It was comfortable, and since it started raining soon after I went to bed (9pm) I am glad to say it was dry. I was woke up about 4am by a critter of some sort nosing around below me, I tried to ignore it, but since my pack was on the ground below me I got up which scared it off. My food was all hung in a tree out of reach!
Day 3 (5/16): Woke up 5:40 and it was still raining. Moved everything into the bathroom to pack it up. Ate a tortilla+pb for breakfast and still didn't get going til 7:45. I left with Chris, Andrew and Champ. They were planning on hiking 19 miles today so I thought it would be good to keep pace with them. My shoes were dry for maybe the 1st mile, then I had wet feet the rest of the time. My pack cover worked great and I had my rain jacket on. My hat was also great in keeping the water off my face and neck. Pants were damp, but not too bad. It rained for about the first 8 miles, then mostly let up (just showering a bit here and there to keep us wet). We made it 13.7 miles by 2:30. I stopped here at a hostel and they moved on. I am doing laundry, ordered food and hanging out now. I need to figure out when/where to do a resupply. I might try to do a small one in the morning. My hiker appetite is only starting to kick in. I just downed a bag of fries and a burrito (I was hungry enough that I didn't notice it had mushrooms til I was half done and didn't care until I was 3/4 done) and am getting ready to dig into the 2nd burrito (no mushrooms, only beans and rice). Yesterday I was having to force myself to eat enough, I think I managed 2500 calories. It is less of a problem today.
The miles are getting easier! I only have one blistery looking spot on my foot...I'll take care of it. And I've been able to shower every day so far (this might be the last one for a while). I'm a full day ahead of schedule and am looking forward to seeing what is ahead on the trail. I expect it will be more trees and rocks.
Oh, I saw a deer, lots of chipmunks, tons of bugs including huge bumblebees, a bunny, and more bugs. Saw some ticks, but not on me.
'm finally dry! I'll give a quick run-down of my first few days hiking.
Day 1 (5/14): Got up, had breakfast, packed my pack, decided that I needed new stuff sacks so I got them at the outfitter and repacked my pack, went to the ATC headquarters and got my picture taken and left with a handful of strawberries toward the trail. Got on the trail. Went a couple of miles and started getting tired, went a bit farther with Time Travelor. Stopped for lunch and sent a text to the blog. Hiked the rest of the way to the Ed Garvey Shelter, stopping at every blaze for a drink/break whenever I had to go uphill. 6.4 miles hiked, made it to the shelter with plenty of time to relax and make dinner. There with Breezer, Kirby, Cookie, Skippy, Emily, and some people tenting. We were all in bed by 8:45pm (I wasn't tired yet). I woke up in the wee hours of the morning to a mouse chewing on my hair (I slept in the shelter).
Day 2 (5/15): Up at 5:45am. Made/ate oatmeal, packed and going by 7am. Hiked much better today. Fewer breaks and faster miles. Stopped at a state park and took a 45 minute break with Emily (she was waiting for a ride). Then played leap-frog with Breezer for the rest of the day. Ended up at Dalgren Camping area at about 2pm, hiked 10.9 miles. There were hot showers! Chris, Andrew and Champ (dog) showed up later and then another couple doing a section SOBO. We hung out the rest of the afternoon. I slept in my hammock for the first time. It was comfortable, and since it started raining soon after I went to bed (9pm) I am glad to say it was dry. I was woke up about 4am by a critter of some sort nosing around below me, I tried to ignore it, but since my pack was on the ground below me I got up which scared it off. My food was all hung in a tree out of reach!
Day 3 (5/16): Woke up 5:40 and it was still raining. Moved everything into the bathroom to pack it up. Ate a tortilla+pb for breakfast and still didn't get going til 7:45. I left with Chris, Andrew and Champ. They were planning on hiking 19 miles today so I thought it would be good to keep pace with them. My shoes were dry for maybe the 1st mile, then I had wet feet the rest of the time. My pack cover worked great and I had my rain jacket on. My hat was also great in keeping the water off my face and neck. Pants were damp, but not too bad. It rained for about the first 8 miles, then mostly let up (just showering a bit here and there to keep us wet). We made it 13.7 miles by 2:30. I stopped here at a hostel and they moved on. I am doing laundry, ordered food and hanging out now. I need to figure out when/where to do a resupply. I might try to do a small one in the morning. My hiker appetite is only starting to kick in. I just downed a bag of fries and a burrito (I was hungry enough that I didn't notice it had mushrooms til I was half done and didn't care until I was 3/4 done) and am getting ready to dig into the 2nd burrito (no mushrooms, only beans and rice). Yesterday I was having to force myself to eat enough, I think I managed 2500 calories. It is less of a problem today.
The miles are getting easier! I only have one blistery looking spot on my foot...I'll take care of it. And I've been able to shower every day so far (this might be the last one for a while). I'm a full day ahead of schedule and am looking forward to seeing what is ahead on the trail. I expect it will be more trees and rocks.
Oh, I saw a deer, lots of chipmunks, tons of bugs including huge bumblebees, a bunny, and more bugs. Saw some ticks, but not on me.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Bye!
I leave tomorrow for Harper's Ferry! I'm doing a million things all at once, but wanted to get on to say hi and bye.
Gotta get packing again!
Gotta get packing again!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Home
What is it? Home is where you hang your hat. Something like that. My hat, a cute Tilley, will be hung in (or near) my new home starting next Wednesday. My new home being my Hennessy Hammock. I took it to my "backyard" today and did another set-up test (gotta make sure I remember the knots!). "backyard" = brick park with trees and a fountain 2 blocks away
Here is my new home! Portable! Lightweight! Cute! What more could you want?
It has a pocket and hooks inside...my new home comes with storage.
And look at all the extra space I have inside...just as much space at my head too.
And it rolls up all nice and tidy so I can fold it up and pack it. This is with one of the covers pulled back a bit.
And this is how I'll be carrying my hammock and everything that I will use/need/have for the hike. I should get a picture of it without the pack cover. And I have shorter trekking poles now that fit inside it, much better!
Here is my new home! Portable! Lightweight! Cute! What more could you want?
It has a pocket and hooks inside...my new home comes with storage.
And look at all the extra space I have inside...just as much space at my head too.
And it rolls up all nice and tidy so I can fold it up and pack it. This is with one of the covers pulled back a bit.
And this is how I'll be carrying my hammock and everything that I will use/need/have for the hike. I should get a picture of it without the pack cover. And I have shorter trekking poles now that fit inside it, much better!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Mail Drops NOBO Part
I'm listing this mostly for my dad. I don't expect care packages, but if you do care and want to send a package, I will graciously and happily accept! Remember, I am vegan and have to carry everything that is sent. Here is a great article about care packages with some ideas. Oh, and for my knitter friends, I'm not taking any knitting.
Here are the addresses for the mail drops for the NOBO half of my hike. I'm still sorting out the SOBO half. The format is:
MY REAL NAME (aka ME)
C/O General Delivery
Town, State Zip
Hold for AT Hiker ETA: DATE
OR
MY REAL NAME
C/O business name
business address
town, state zip
Hold for AT Hiker ETA: DATE
MY REAL NAME = if you don't know it, send an email to veganhiker at yahoo dot com My mother will be checking this email address for me and she is paranoid so mention how you know about my blog to put her mind at ease and put something like "real name" in the subject to make it easy on her. If you don't put my real name on the package, I won't be able to get it!
Also, the post office prefers that everything is sent priority mail, using a priority mail label instead of just writing on the box. So please make it easy for them and do this. Everything must be shipped USPS. UPS and FedEx don't like hikers.
One more thing, try to get it to the PO a few days before the date listed. I'll probably start to fall behind at some point, but I'm starting out a bit quicker htan anticipated.
NOBO
Here are the addresses for the mail drops for the NOBO half of my hike. I'm still sorting out the SOBO half. The format is:
MY REAL NAME (aka ME)
C/O General Delivery
Town, State Zip
Hold for AT Hiker ETA: DATE
OR
MY REAL NAME
C/O business name
business address
town, state zip
Hold for AT Hiker ETA: DATE
MY REAL NAME = if you don't know it, send an email to veganhiker at yahoo dot com My mother will be checking this email address for me and she is paranoid so mention how you know about my blog to put her mind at ease and put something like "real name" in the subject to make it easy on her. If you don't put my real name on the package, I won't be able to get it!
Also, the post office prefers that everything is sent priority mail, using a priority mail label instead of just writing on the box. So please make it easy for them and do this. Everything must be shipped USPS. UPS and FedEx don't like hikers.
One more thing, try to get it to the PO a few days before the date listed. I'll probably start to fall behind at some point, but I'm starting out a bit quicker htan anticipated.
NOBO
| ETA | Place | Cum. Miles | Resupply Address |
| 5/14 | Harpers Ferry | 0 | Start |
| 5/18 | Smithburg, MD | 31 | Shop |
| 5/23 | Pine Grove Furnace St. Park | 78.8 | ME
|
| 5/27 | Duncannon, PA | 123.9 | Shop |
| 6/1 | Port Clinton, PA | 193.8 | ME
|
| 6/9 | Del Water Gap, PA | 270.1 | J is bringing me stuff here...if you want her to bring anything send an email to my mom at the address above to find out how to get it to me. I won't stop at the PO here. |
| 6/13 | Unionville, NY | 321.6 | Shop |
| 6/17 | Ft. Montgomery, NY | 379.0 | Shop |
| 6/22 | Kent, CT | 449.2.6 | Shop |
| 6/26 | Great Barrington, MA | 497.0 | Shop |
| 6/30 | Dalton, MA | 549.8 | ME
|
| 7/3 | North Adams, MA | 568.4 | Shop |
| 7/8 | Manchester Center, VT | 626.9 | Shop |
| 7/12 | Killington, VT | 680.0 | Shop |
| 7/15 | Hanover, NH | 722.8 | Shop |
| 7/18 | Glencliff, NH | 766.2 | ME
|
| 7/21 | Crawford Notch, NH | 819.7 | ME
|
| 7/24 | Gorham, NH | 866.8 | Shop |
| 7/28 | Andover, ME | 908.2 | ME
|
| 8/2 | Stratton, ME | 976.9 | Shop |
| 8/7 | Monson, ME | 1046.9 | Shop |
| 8/16 | Abol Bridge, ME | 1149.6 | Shop |
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