Appalachian Trail Hiking Timeframe

14 States on the 2014 AT trail:

Approximate Hike Thru Dates

Georgia                  April 1
North Carolina       March 10 to 17
Tennessee              March 14 to 17   
Virginia                 April 15
West Virginia        April 20
Maryland               April 27
Pennsylvania         May 5
New Jersey            May 23
New York              May 27
Connecticut           May 29
Massachusetts        June 1
Vermont                 June 7
New Hampshire     June 15
Maine                     June 21
Ending                    July 11

Signing off,
Pac and Big Hungry

 

Big Hungry

 

On the Road Again...

End of Trail, Thanks AT!!!

L to R: Fancy Pants, Hawk, Jukebox and Jackrabbit,

Front: Big Hungry and Me!

July 2014, End of Trail

Leaving Monson, ME to enter the 100 mile wilderness, we ran into a high creek due to the hurricane dumping a good amount of rain. It was about 3 o'clock already and some section hikers needed some help drinking wine, so I decided to wait out the high water and help them with the excess of wine. The next morning the water had dropped about 6 inches and was much safer for crossing. The rest of the 100 mile wilderness was great, mostly flat. It wasn't much of a wilderness too, plenty of hikers and roads and tree cutting commotion going on. The only thing that was wilderness about it was the lack of bridges over creeks and rivers. (There was a random metal staircase going up a small hill. There were a few of us that stopped and took pictures, like what the heck is this doing here? It was completely out of place and not necessary. It did create lots of laughs and talk for the night though.) Exiting the 100 mile area, there was a restaurant where I reconnaissanced my plans for the last 12 miles of the trail which was also no dogs allowed.
Now I don't care what people think about this one, and most, if not all, people agreed with me. I walked 2000+ miles with my dog and they are trying to tell me I can't do the last 12 without her. That's a bunch of bullhonkey. I decided I am not doing it without her. It's either to the top with her or I'm not gonna do it. So we embarked on 7 relatively easy and not too worrisome miles in terms of running into a ranger. Then, I had to check in at the bottom of the mountain so I tied her up in the woods, checked in, then went back for her and tossed her in my pack. Once we got a bit up the hill I had some reports of no rangers ahead, so I took her out and it was smooth sailing from there. Going up I kept looking at Big Hungry and realized how much I needed her this trip. I was getting a little emotional thinking of how great of a dog she is and how she fills a hole in my life. I love Big Hungry!!!
When we got to the top, the weather was great and I had a victory beer in celebration. All in all this hike was great, the medication I needed, I would like to say. The people were great as usual and I couldn't have had a better time. On to the next journey from here. Thanks for everything AT!!!

Done!!! Katahdin, Appalachian Trail, Maine, USA, Earth

July 11, 2014

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Katahdin

Maine, Part 1 on the AT

Kennebuc River

4th of July, 2014!
Monson, ME with Monsoonish weather

Maine started out with leaving the amazing White Mountain Hostel in Gorham, NH. (This and the Hikers Inn in Damascus VA were the best hostels so far.)
The first part of Maine was nice and hot and muggy buggy with plenty of climbing. It seems like all I was doing was going straight up or straight down. My knees had never felt worse. The views were good though, and there are plenty of lakes off in the distance. (What they call ponds out here are actually lakes, in my opinion.) After a lot of up and down and a little rain mixed in, I got to Caratunk, ME and had a Wolf Burger which was amazing!!! Besides for the thought that it might have given me a little food poisoning, it was amazing. A few other hikers weren't feeling good after that town and burger too. Those next two days, while feeling sick, were a grind. Every hill seemed endless and I had trouble staying hydrated. It's hard to stay hydrated in the first place with how humid and hot it is combined with the hiking, but with the food bug on top of that I was taking breaks and chugging liters like a thirsty camel.
I'm nearing the last section, the 100 mile wilderness. Almost there!!!

Cribbage Anyone?

July 1, 2014

Somewhere on the AT

Rangeley, ME on the Appalachian Trail

Clear Rock

Mahoosuc Notch (see Wikipedia)

 

Rain, rain, rain in Maine.

The rain in Maine falls mainly on me.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahoosuc_Notch

 

June 26, 2014

New Hampshire on the AT: What Mountains???

Mt Moosilauke, NH

June 21, 2014
New Hampshire  started out with the river crossing into Hanover followed by a burrito.
Leaving town I loaded up on some quality food at the co-op and took off into the night. I wasn't planning on night hiking but there wasn't much for good water, so my day ended a little later than usual.
The next night I met Jukebox and Jackrabbit at the Hexacube (six sided) shelter. Best shelter so far in my opinion. The weather got pretty rough on the way to the hikers welcome hostel in Gorham. After drying out there I headed into the White Mountains and up Mt. Moosilauke. The weather was still burning off and the good views turned out the next day after I left the town of Lincoln, thousands of bikers, and Chet the trail angel. My day over the famous Mt. Washington was the crazy weather that mountain regularly sees. Apparently, it broke it's previous record for the highest wind speed at 231 and something miles per hour. I guess it broke the wind recording machine. When I was up on top, there were 80 mph gusts and not much visibility, so I don't think I even found the mound that marks the top.
The next day the weather cleared up and it was "motorcycles only" on the road that goes to the top. I was over on the next set of mountains at least 10-20 miles away and all I heard was glug glug glug (the sound of big boy motorcycles). "Thunder in the Mountains" they call this week. I pulled up to a very nice hostel in the town of Gorham, NH for a nice day off and some rest for my knees. The White Mountains were great but for all the traffic they get, it seems like they would improve the trail system. All you do is go straight up and straight down. Toss in a switchback here and there.
I can now cross off my list "seeing a moose." It was a mama moose and her baby. Also, I scared a ferret up a tree. At least I think it was a ferret. I had a lot of people asking me if Big Hungry could handle herself in the crazy White Mountains. What they didn't know is that Big Hungry is a beast and if she could talk, she would say, "What mountains???" She was running up and down those hills like a wild animal while her owner huffed and puffed his way along. She still has done every step of the AT with her own four feet!!!

Dinner

Just High

Trail

Hexacube Shelter

VA or NH? Pictures on the AT, June 2014

 

June 16, 2014

I'm in Lincoln, NH.

Going over to Mt. Washington tomorrow.

 

Some pictures from the past.

 

Mushroom Flower...

Rock Piles

Some lake...

 

Watchtower

BellaBigHungry Slept Too Long on the AT

June 2014

Vermont to New Hampshire on the AT

Misty Vermont

Moose Tracks and other stuff

June 2014

Vermont started out with the joining of the AT and the Long Trail.
At the first shelter I met up with Ironman and ended up going about 100 miles to the end of the LT with him. There was a good amount of swimming holes and decent size hills to climb. It seemed to be the place in New England where every day gets better, and I think it's gonna keep getting better until the White Mountains.
Once we hit the end of the Long Trail, the AT turned east and started getting very rough, lots of steep ups and steep downs. Vermont ended with a burrito in Hanover, NH. There were a few hikers that seemed to cluster in town because of all the rain, so at least I'll have a few new buddies to hang with for the remainder of the hike. Got the White Mountains coming up!!!

Lady and the AT Tramp

June 2014

Massatussess AT 2014

Beaver and BellaBigHungry

Doug hiding from beavers

 

June 1, 2014

The great state of Massatussess.
We were welcomed by some busy beavers. They did a good job of clearing the trail of all the unwanted trees. Big Hungry wanted to meet them but couldn't muster up the courage to jump in and swim after them.
From there we walked over some rolling hills until we came upon Mt. Greylock. The first real mountain we have climbed in a while, I'd say... Probably since Mt. Rogers in early Virgina. It was nice and humid so the climb was a little sweaty. After the sammich lunch we headed down to Williamstown, MA for a motel stay. Right when we got our hitch into town, it started pouring buckets. It lasted about an hour with heavy rain. Nice to be out of it.
Goodbye, Mass!!!
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-west/mt-greylock-state-reservation-generic.html

Connecticut to Massatusess 2014 AT

View from Bear Mountain

 

 

Find the porcupine.

 

 May 2014

 

For about 50 miles in Connecticut, it seemed like I was walking through rainforest. The birds were chirping and the green was dense. Connecticut went by pretty fast.
The next thing I knew, I was at a nice creek that was the entrance to Massatusess. As for the wildlife... There was an electronic bird that we kept hearing that sounded very cool. It was like a synthesized bird call. Climbing up a hill, Tilt-a-Whirl was walking as we saw a rattlesnake that did some good tail shaking. About a mile into Mass, I saw a porcupine on trail that turned around and slowly climbed up a tree. Both instances, Big Hungry got the sense that these were animals that don't want to say hello and she kept her distance. What a good dog!
As for me, I got about 700 miles remaining and four more states to cross. It's nice to be in lush New England for the start of summer. It's been very rainy but at least it's not cold. The rain isn't that bad because it's usually just a quick, harsh T-storm where the sun pops out after it's all said and done.

New York, Hiking the 2014 AT

Mayish 2014

First thing in New York was possibly the best town food I've had so far. Mangos Tortilla Grill Restaurant in Greenwood Lake, NY, did it right. The price was good and the food was better.
The next day we hiked to a boy scout camp and no one was there, so we made ourselves welcome and camped on the giant trampoline in the main area and stayed out of the rain that night. That was nice because the rain came down pretty hard that night.
The next night was at a state park on the beach of a lake. They must have stolen some sand from Miami because it looked way too good to be from NY.
The next day it rained most of the day as we reached the Hudson River. The bridge toll guy said there is a great spot under the bridge to stay out of the rain, so we got some beer and slept under a major road bridge along the Hudson. (Big Hungry loves living the lifestyle of a bridge bum.)
The next day we had lunch at a deli and got some meat, cheese bread, and condiments for our dinner. To finish NY my friend that I hiked with on the 2013 PCT, Dora the Explorer, met us at a road crossing and took us around town for some shopping. We had a great stay at her place, followed by a visit to a local beach.
So, thank you Dora, Dora's Mom, and Tilt-A-Whirl, Dora's hiker friend, for the best trail magic. Connecticut is next!!!

No Guidos on the Trail in NJ :( May 2014

Doug and BIGGG AT Tree

 

Mushroom

May 23, 2014
Hey All.
First of all, I would like to say I've kinda been slacking about keeping up with my blog. It's been raining a lot, so my IPod is usually tucked away which seems to make me forget about my picture taking and writing.
On my way into the town area of Delaware Water Gap National Rec Area (NJ/PA?), it rained anywhere from very hard, to very-very-very hard...all day. It wasn't that bad because all I had were 20 miles to hike that day, and there was no reason to stop because of the rain. When I got to town, I popped in the church and met a few other hikers. Hmm...
From there, I took off on a trail that went along the river for 40 miles. It was nice and flat and a good change of pace since it wasn't the true AT. The rest of Jersey was walking through cool swamps and roads.
No Guidos on the trail :(
http://www.nps.gov/dewa/index.htm

Mangoes Tortilla Grill. Greenwood Lake, NY 10925

Mangos Tortilla Grill
104 Windermere Avenue
Greenwood Lake, NY 10925
845-977-7440
11:00 AM to 9:00 PM


100% the best meal so far on the trail. I got a carnitas chimichanga and a nachos plate. I'm a happy man. Great prices!!!

http://mangostortillagrill.com/mangos_tortilla_grill_3_003.htm

Ms. BellaBigHungry on the AT

Philly, May 2014

Philly was great. I didn't get to see my friend, Mario, a Phillies pitcher, at the game but we did see him pitch on TV the next day when we watched the game at a bar.

Guess what I am eating in Philly.

It was a great day for walking around the city. I crossed off  'eating a Philly cheesesteak' from my to-do list for my life.

 Go Mario!!!

 

Schuylkill River??? Something like that...

 

Philly

PA Vista

 

 

 

Pac and Big Hungry in PA on the AT

May 2014
After a good rest in Boiling Springs, we took off into the farms of Pennsylvania. The farms were super flat so the hiking was fast and easy. Big Hungry had a blast running around the different fields of crops and putting on a show for how fast she can run back and forth. It's pretty funny when she disappears into the alfalfa.
From there we got into the woods and hiked along the ridge and over lots of boulders. There was a quick stop for beers and burgers in Duncannon, then back up on the ridge. The next town came fast, Port Clinton. It is a smaller town where most people hang out, but we went into Hamburg for a hamburger. I was gonna go to Philadelphia from Hamburg, but realized it would be easier to go a little further down the road, so I kept at it. There was a cool shelter/hostel with four sides and a door, which was nice since it was raining pretty hard all night.
Next was the small town of Walnutport, PA which was my gateway to Philly!!!

Caffe 101, Boiling Springs, PA

Caffe 101

101 Front St, Boiling Springs, PA 17007

(717) 254-6121

Great breakfast before we got on the trail. I had a Backpacker's Platter. Eggs, meat, and French toast and the person I'm with ordered an omelet. Great prices. Wifi. Outdoor dining. Good coffee. Right next to the town pond with duckies.

 

http://www.caffe101.com/

 

Doug and Bella (Pac and Big Hungry) in Boiling Springs, PA

After a couple days hanging out in the rain at the Harpers Ferry Hostel, Big Hungry and I forced ourselves to get moving once again. It was a very cool place for a couple zeros. Loretta, the manager, was great, and Gary made it an easy time off. Big Hungry had a friend for a couple days, Benny, the 15 LB terrier that enjoyed barking and being an awesome dog doing dog stuff.
As we took off, the weather reports said that it was supposed to thunderstorm, but all we got was a little drizzle. For the next couple days in Pennsylvania, the shelters were like five star resorts. At one of them we saw an "Innkeeper" who takes care of all the shelters. He was hard at work planting flowers and painting. That Saturday we got a ride into town and the lady waited while we shopped at Walmart, then she took us back to the trail. Penn has been great so far.
Now we're taking a break at the Allenberry Resort that has a bunch of fun stuff. It even has a fly fishing museum!!!

https://www.allenberry.com/index.html

Ming Garden, Waynesboro, VA

Frog Legs!

April 2014

  

This is a Chinese AYCE in Waynesboro, VA. There were frog legs!!!
I ate about 20 frogs worth. Everything was greasy and delicious. Cool staff too. Sushi. Good dessert.

Ming Garden Chinese Restaurant

316 Federal St, Waynesboro, VA 22980

                       (540) 942-8800

 

http://www.minggardenwaynesboro.com/

 

Horseshoe Curve Restaurant, Hwy 50, VA



Horseshoe Curve Restaurant
1162 Pine Grove Rd, Bluemont, VA 20135
(540) 554-8291

April 26, 2014

Horseshoe Curve Restaurant in Bluemont, VA
Great portions at not too crazy prices. They had a good selection of bottled and can beer. I got a good size burger and some delicious onion rings. It's right off of Hwy 50 too. It is the same Hwy 50 as the one that went through my Tahoe adventure (see below link,West Sacramento, CA to Ocean City, MD).

http://www.yelp.com/biz/horse-shoe-curve-restaurant-bluemont

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_50

Harpers Ferry Maryland Hostel

A nice side to 'half way' at Harpers Ferry, MD

(About half of 2180 miles)

April 27 & 28, 2014

Big Hungry and I are hanging out at the Harpers Ferry Hostel in Maryland. Last night was the 50th anniversary of the place so there was free camping and a big dinner to go along with that. We hadn't taken a day off for about a month, so we're gonna stay here all day and clean up all the leftovers. The past few miles into MD were nice and easy and we got to explore around the historic district of Harpers Ferry. 
It was a Saturday so there was a jumble of tourists, so I kinda got out of there pretty quickly.

Harpers Ferry Hostel

19123 Sandy Hook Rd.

Knoxville Maryland 21758

Done.

Done.

 

http://www.hiusa.org/maryland/knoxville/harpers-ferry  Hostel

 

http://www.nps.gov/hafe/index.htm  Harpers Ferry