Salisbury, CT to US 20 Lee, MA and Back Home!

This final blog post is going to be structured differently than the previous posts. I couldn't write on the trail because my potable charger died, so this post will be less about the days I hiked and more about stopping early, the people on the trail, and my thoughts on this hike after being off the trail for more than a week.

Hiking mileage recaps:
Day 24. August 11th, 2015. 3.8 miles. Showed first signs of problems with my right leg.
Day 25. August 12th, 2015. 18 miles. Leg swelling started and tightness in right Achilles and soleus.
Day 26. August 13th, 2015. 17.6 miles. Hurt my leg with two miles let in my day. Limped the final mile, taking me 45 minutes to walk in comparison to my normal 20 minute pace when not injured.
Day 27. August 14th, 2015. 11.8 miles and final day on trail. Slowly walked and stretched to get to US 20 and into a motel.

Here are some pictures that will show you the last couple of days on the trail.

                                                            Blisters inside of blisters!

                                   Noseblind setting up inside the shelter to avoid mosquitoes

                                                           Sunrise at Riga Shelter, CT

I don't want to give a synopsis of each day, but I do want to talk about the final day. What I will say about Salisbury to my final day was a culmination of a great trip where I saw a lot of people I hadn't seen in awhile and got to say good bye to. Here are three people that I spent time together on the trail with which I have mentioned before. The picture order is Noseblind, Happy Baby, and Pegleg. I don't have pictures of Rocky, Chuckles, Mountain Goat, or Pathfinder, and for that, I apologize.

So, some tidying up for the final parts of my hike. In 2013, I was hurt in the Smokies and had to get off the trail for four days and get a steroid shot and take ibuprofen at the max daily dosage to continue. I was experiencing shin splints which I have had before and can walk through, but after Riga Shelter, my right leg started to show signs of my previous injury. I confirmed that my leg was hurt when I limped for 45 minutes into camp one night and say my right leg, ankle, and foot was much more swollen then my left.

A quick point of clarification, long distance hiking is very hard on your body. On average, you walked anywhere between 8 to 12 hours a day depending on how many breaks you take and how many miles you are walking. Your feet and ankles swell. You will twist your ankles multiple times. You will fall (I fell seven times in 27 days with one complete wipeout). Your knees, ankles, hips, back, and generally every part of your body will ache when you wake up. After two weeks, you develop what is generally called the "Hiker Hobble". This is when you wake up and limp around while you break down your camp. Your body is trying to repair itself and I have found that about two weeks in, my body can't keep up anymore. Once you start moving, the hobble goes away, but it returns quickly. This type of physical pain is all part of hiking. It can be annoying, sometimes even painful, but it comes with the territory and is worth the pain to challenge myself and see amazing views along the trail. My right leg was beginning to go from a little swollen to painful and it wasn't changing. The old adage I mentioned before was that, "If the pain is moving, you're not hurt. If it stays in one place, it's time to be worried." The pain wasn't moving.

                                                    My right foot when I got off the trail

I talked to Noseblind, Chuckles, Mountain Goat, Happy Baby, and Pegleg the last night I was on the trail. I knew my right leg was messed up and that I had to get off the trail and get back to Philly and the VA to get it looked at in case it was Compartment Syndrome. The next morning I decided I would walk 11.8 miles to US 20 and to the best motel choice along the trail. I walked slowly, breaking a lot, enjoyed some trail magic, and got to share some laughs with the friends I enjoyed along the trail.

Noseblind and I made it to US 20 and we got into town. I found Noseblind to be a great companion, both in our similarities and differences, but mostly in his demeanor and sarcastic nature. We ate pizza, watched football, and played pool at a local dive bar. It was the perfect way to get off the trail.

The following day Noseblind and I got a shuttle to Dalton, MA where we got another room, I secured a rental car for the following day, and we found a nice little bar/restaurant with a pool table. We made bets when we are billionaires (the previous night, I won $400,000, but have to build him a lake house in Georgia, so I came out worse off in my opinion), and we eventually joined by Pathfinder. Dalton was nice little town.

The following day, I got the rental car, picked up Noseblind and Pathfinder, said good bye to Mongoose who I had met at Bearded Woods, and headed to Mount Greylock. It was a nice place to send off Noseblind. I believe he is almost through Vermont now, and I wish him good luck and I hope that our paths cross again! Pathfinder and I headed up to Bennington, VT so Pathfinder could join up with her trail family. She had to get off the trail for some time and her trail family pulled ahead. She wants to finish with them and make sure to get home in time for a family gathering. Pathfinder opened up to me about some of her personal and family struggles and I hope that she finds peace along the trail!

I started to head back to Philly, but stopped along the way in Troy, NY to see the Alpha Chapter of my fraternity. It was amazing to find that little college and meet a couple of the Active brothers there. I got back into my car and ended up going over the George Washington Bridge in NYC and eventually made it back to Philly.

Here are a run down of the numbers for my hike this year:
Miles hiked - 332.6
Total Days - 27
Zeroes - 3
Average Miles per Day with Zeroes - 12.3
Average Miles per w/o Zeroes - 13.9
Money Raised for Charity as of 8/24 - $671 ($500 was my goal)
Longest Day - 20.2
Shortest Day - 3.8
Bears - 2 (In the zoo along the trail. I didn't see any in the woods)
Rattlesnakes - 0
Copperheads - 0
Garter Snakes - Too many to count
Rat Snakes (aka Black Snakes) - 4
Northern Water Snakes - 1 (Scared the crap out of me and was super aggressive)
Red Fox - 1
Vultures - So many
Squirrels - Everywhere
Chipmunks - Brave and everywhere
Times I Fell - 7
Twisted Right Ankle - 10 times that I remember
Twisted Left Ankle - 5 times that I remember
Blisters - Two large blisters on my right foot with several small blisters along my toes on both feet

The most important number:
Total Miles of the AT hiked - 1,030 miles

I wanted to wait to write this, as I wanted to get back into real life and decompress the hike in my mind. Overall, the experience was great, but not as good as my other hikes. I got tired of "The Green Tunnel" and the repetitive views of the same thing and mostly just walking in the forest. It comes with the territory, but I am close to being half-way done the trail, but there is so much left to do and I really feel like another trail would be a better experience. I have to finish the trail, obviously, but the flavor and spice of the AT is wearing thin on me a little. Camino, Anna Purna, the PCT, and the Colorado Trail are all calling my name a lot louder than the AT is right now. If I get another opportunity next summer to hike, it will be hard to decide whether to do another large section of the AT or experience something new.

The people this year were much different than in 2013. I found a decent bubble, but it was just different.

Another comment is that this year I wasn't hiking with anyone I knew. That presented it's own challenges and difference in experiences. I enjoyed it, but it was a lot of me time. Too much really.

Overall, I enjoyed the trip, it was challenging in many different ways than my previous hike, and I got to raise awareness and donations for an amazing charity! The AT is still there, like it was when I left it in 2013 and in 2014, but it is changing for me. This year, "A Walk In The Woods" will be released in theaters, so next year the trail will be swamped and crazy I am sure. The trail will be different in 2016 and every year after that. I found that being a "Chunk" hiker (a new term I heard on the trail) is much harder than I expected. I have hiked 1,030 miles of the trail and I'm not even halfway done. It is amazing and a great feeling, but also daunting in the task. But, like John Muir brilliantly said, "The mountains are calling and I must go."

Thank you so much for following my blog, making it through this post, and allowing me to write in a state of mind that varies much like life on the trail and real life! Here are a couple of pictures of where I left off! Until next time! Happy Trails!

                            The furthest north on the trail that I have hiked where my pack is laying

                                                                Mount Greylock, MA

Graymoor Spiritual Center to Salisbury, CT

Day 17. August 4th, 2015. 13.8 miles. I didn't sleep well last night. Got up and hit the trail a little before 8 o'clock and was just tired. Eventually, my legs kicked in, I saw Tilt and Akela, and met Butcher. As we got closer to the end of my day, Butcher hurt his foot and he ended up at the Clarence Fahnestock State Park beach and concession stand a little before me.

I saw Pathfinder and met Annie. Ordered some chicken tenders and fries and chatting for awhile while I charged my phone. We eventually made our way to a campsite over half a mile away. This means tomorrow morning I have to walk a mile just to get back to the trail, but it was a slow day for me today and tomorrow is only a 14 mile day. My legs are still tired, but I have made it over halfway through my hike!

I got some exciting news today! I hit my goal of raising $500 for Mind4Athletes! Thanks again for everyone that donated and help support this great cause! I am currently in a car ride back from a grocery store, so I hope all of you are having a great night as I'm out of here! Happy trails!

Day 18. August 5th, 2015. 14 miles. Woke up to a cool morning. Hiked the mile back to the trail and began my day. It was a breezy, cool morning and I stopped five miles in at a shelter. I talked with a section hiker for about an hour and headed out to get to a gas station. The trail is better maintained around here so I made good time. At a road crossing 10.1 miles in, I headed to a deli and pizzeria. I saw Tilt and Akela and met Mountain Goat and Rebel Yell. I ate terrible food and drank some Sobe and a Gatorade before heading out to finish out the day.

I met two section hikers on their first day and wished them good luck. It is amazing the range of people you meet on the trail and inspires hope in the human condition.

I got to the shelter for the night and met Lone Ranger, Cat, and a SoBo The Lover. Bear, Pineapple, Ghengis, and Papa JR showed up a little bit ago. Oh, I saw a huge tree today! I even gave it a hug. It most have been well over 200 years old! Not much else to report. My legs seem strong, my pains are still around but manageable, and nothing really new. If I don't take a zero, I will be getting into Bennington on the 17th if my legs can handle it. Hope you all are well and happy trails!

Day 19. August 6th, 2015. 16.6 miles. I was on the trail by 7:45 and I hiked 10.9 miles by 12:03. I hiked well this morning. I hurt my right foot two days again when my ankle twisted in a rock and pinched the outside portion of my foot into a sharp rock. It doesn't hurt too badly, but whe n i touch it, it is quite a jolt of pain. I'm hoping it isn't a minor stress fracture and just a bruise of some type. I also ran into some slack packers I have seen the past two days and a French woman doing a couple of days on the trail.

I also played slinky with Lone Ranger and Cat today for about five miles before I jetted ahead of them. I made it to a roadie garden center that sold snacks and eventually went to a deli. I ate, walked back the 0.6 to the garden center (adding 1.2 miles to my day unfortunately) and ran into Lone Ranger and Cat who would head to the deli. AND.... *Drumroll* Benjamin (or Sharknado) from my test hike in the Shenandoahs finally caught me! He has been doing 25 mile days and caught me just before the Connecticut line! We will part ways tomorrow, but we have spent the day chatting which has been great.

                                      Sharknado

I hiked the final 5.7 miles and felt crappy the last 3 miles. My achilles were tight and my legs were sore. Tomorrow, I will cross the NY-CT border and finish off NY! I will get into Kent, CT and hopefully find a shower and laundry (I showered last Sunday but I haven't done laundry since Wednesday and I smell horrible), and resupply on food.

Topics of discussion tonight with Pathfinder and Benjamin (Sharknado) include: music, religion, ethics, a new game involving romantic book cover reenactments, and food. I am getting up at 5:30 and it's 10:12 already. Time to hit the hay! Happy trails!

Day 20. August 7th, 2015. 12.7 miles. I woke up with the sun at 5:30 and bantered with Benjamin and Pathfinder while I packed up. I tried to keep up with Sharknado and the other speed demons, but they quickly pulled ahead. I was tired the entire hike. We didn't fall asleep until 11:30 the night before and six hours after consecutive hiking days and a 16.6 mile day was too much for my body. I still managed the 12.7 miles in six hours.

Along the way I met One Hit and her dog Lyla. It was nice to meet her and her dog was a great companion on a break at a view. I was picked up about half way into Kent, CT. Oh yeah, I finished New York this morning! That's six states of fourteen completed!

Anyways, I got into town, found the outfitter, ate some ice cream, candy, and had some soda. I found out about free camping and walked over and settled in. Pathfinder, Annie, and myself walked to get a resupply and do laundry. I showered before leaving. I hadn't done laundry since last Wednesday and hadn't showered since Sunday. I feel human again! 


We came back, I cracked opened some PBR and we waited for free cheeseburgers from the outfitter in Kent. Kent is a beautiful town and what a way to come into New England for the first time! I wanted to walk to New England before visiting and I have succeeded!

I ran into Seven, Goldilocks, and Freestyle again. There are too many thru hikers here tonight to name, but with free burgers and a great town, there is a renewal of spirit here in Kent tonight.

A section hiker came and read a passage about Jupiter. Here is a cool excerpt from the passage, "Jupiter, the friendly planet, exercising a beneficial influence on everything that comes in contact with it." My name originates from the song "Jupiter, The Bringer of Jolity", so this passage makes me happy to hear! I hope I am a positive, friendly influence to those I meet! Kent has been a great town and I will be sad to leave. I am tired, but I need to push on. Here's hoping to you all having a great night and Happy trails!

Day 21. August 8th, 2015. 0 miles. I took a zero. A combination of just being too tired and a headache with the pull of the awesome town that is Kent made me zero.

It has been a great day! Met a guy name Puck and Papa JR and Nose Blind showed up. Bunch of SoBos came into town. Jammed out with some eggs (the ones you shake) and imbibed a little to satisfactory levels. A great day and the perfect town to spend too much money in.

Day 22. August 9th. 2015. 17 miles. I awoke with a heavy head at 7 and started to get moving. Had breakfast with a SoBo named Stank at the local diner and got an offer for a slack pack from Annie. Pathfinder and I hiked out for our slack pack. A slack pack is when someone takes your pack up the trail and you walk with food, water, and toilet paper. It was great. We did 15.9 before picking up our packs and had a relaxing hike. We got a Bud Light from Flynn and Rainbow who were slacking with Rainbow's aunt and uncle around mile 12, which was a nice bit of trail magic. We got our packs, fresh fruit, Doritos, and water and did the final 1.1 miles to the Pine Swamp Brook shelter right as the sun set.

Nose Blind was there waiting for us and we met Kim and Erin who are section hikers on their last night of the trail. They gave me some bag wine, Pathfinder and I cooked dinner, and we had good conversation! Best of luck to both of them and their awesome dogs!

I almost forgot, I met a hiker from 2013 today! His name is Choo Choo and I mentioned him in my blog from my 2013 hike. He was a speed demon. He is finishing up his final section this year after graduating grad school. He doesn't do 30 mile days anymore and opts for 20 mile days. Must be tough! It is 10:58 and I am tired. Take it easy out there and Happy Trails!

Day 23. August 10th, 2015. 15.1 miles. I awoke early and tired. Buns and Waves were packing up and I had coffee with Nose Blind. Pathfinder awoke and I headed out. The hiking was easy for the most part except for a road reroute of the trail that beat up my feet for 3.2 miles.

I stopped for lunch and made great time over Mount Prospect and got into Salisbury, CT a little after 3 PM. Ran into Chuckles, Happy Baby, Pegleg, and Mountain Goat. Pathfinder was also in town. I waited for Nose Blind and we got picked up by Hudson and were taken to Bearded Woods Hostel.

                   Civil War Monument in Salisbury

With over 900 miles of the AT hiked and many hostels and hotels stayed at along the way, I can say with great confidence that this is the nicest hostel I have stayed at on the trail. We had surf and turf for dinner, good conversation, and a bunk with a great shower. Hudson and Big Luh are amazing hosts and what a way to get into a hostel!

Heavy rains are coming tomorrow and there is some doubt as to the viability of hiking, so let's hope for some ease in the rain to get some hiking done! Happy trails!

Vernon, NJ to Graymoor Spiritual Center, NY

Day 13. July 31st, 2015. 17.1 miles. I woke up in a wonderful motel, having slept for almost ten hours, and wished for nothing more than to stay in the motel forever. I had eaten a personal pizza, wings, a salad, and some of my spaghetti and meatballs the night before while watching Top Gear all day while I iced my knees and ankles. Heaven on Earth! I eventually got a shower, packed, and got a ride back to the trail. I got a text from my buddy Griffin and called and was surprised to have him answer. It was good to catch up and chat with him, especially about the struggles of hiking since he is an ultramarathon runner.

I climbed the mountain in the morning and five miles in found Pegleg and Happy Baby at the first shelter! They had hiked out the night before and I would continue to run into them throughout the day, which is always nice to find familiar, friendly faces throughout the day.

I crossed the New Jersey/New York line and finished my fifth state on the trail! It felt good and inspired me to hike for awhile with that jubilation of triumph by physical and mental endurance. I saw the NYC skyline atop the highest point of NY on the AT, which was cool, and generally enjoyed the bouldering that NY has brought.

My injuries have been pretty decent, though my right left from my calf down is still bugging me and is annoyingly tight. The zero seems to have helped and today was the longest day for a span of eight days, so I'm glad I got that out of the way!

I also forgot to mention I stopped at an amazing creamery and got ice cream and a birch beer! The birch beer was amazing. I made a fatal mistake in passing up a good water source (on a cooler than it has been day, but still hot nonetheless), in lieu of another source coming up that turned out to be dried up. I made my way to the creamery and found Pegleg and Happy Baby and chatted with them and some civilians. I drank a lot of water too. I need to focus on my hydration more for sure.

We made camp tonight at Wildcat Shelter and after dinner and chores, Pegleg and Happy Baby made a fire. We were joined by another hiker and his dog Iris. Good times were had and good conversation along with some spirits provided by Pegleg. It's just after 10 o'clock now and I'm exhausted, so I'm out. I hope you all are doing well! Happy trails!

Day 14. August 1st, 2015. 14.3 miles. What a day. First, from the time I woke up at 7, I wasn't laying down and done everything for my day until almost 9pm. A fourteen hour day for only 14.3 miles is a long day. The terrain was rocky and up and down all day. I am completely exhausted, so excuse this for being short.

I hiked with Blue Moon and Harmony at various times today (section hikers), and got some trail magic in the form of a banana, an orange juice, and some donut holes around lunch time. My legs are smoked. Exhausted.

The elevation changes have begun and I am having serious doubts if I can't cover the mileage to get to Bennington by the time I have to come home. I can make Dalton, MA, but I really wanted to make Vermont. Time will tell it's tale.

This week I hiked 94.7 miles and have hit a total of 170.6 miles in two weeks. I still have 222.9 miles to go. Lots to do and lots to see! I can barely keep my eyes open, so I hope you all are doing great and happy trails!

Day 15. August 2nd, 2015. 15.5 miles. I woke up with the sun coming up the mountain. I ate breakfast with Sam I Am, Special Agent, and Papa JR in Fingerboard Shelter. I was on the trail by 7:30 and had a great day of hiking. The trail eased up, meet Goldilocks along the way and grabbed water at one of the very few sources in NY. Goldilocks, Special Agent, and Pegleg and Happy Baby (who I saw breaking down their tent along the way) and we all go water along the way.

I pushed on and saw the NYC skyline, Bear Mountain where I was heading to, and had a nice little hike to the top of Bear Mountain. I met a 1992 thru hiker named Tic Tac and his two children. The boy was 10 and the girl was 8. The boy was shy and the girl proclaimed her trail name to be Sprinkles. It was refreshing to meet a thru hiker from harder hiking times and seeing him teaching his kids the joys and pains of hiking.

Special Agent pulled up and we drank Powerades from a vending machine. There were people everywhere on Bear Mountain. It is a popular spot for NYC folks to get some outdoors time. Pegleg and Happy Baby meet up with me and went down the mountain to a recreation area filled with people BBQing chicken and the smell was almost intoxicating. We found some Philadelphia water ice and I bought a round for Pegleg, Happy Baby, and me and we walked to the Bear Mountain Bridge.

                           Pegleg and Happy Baby

We got picked up by one of my 2013 thru hiker buddies Dreamcatcher. It was great to have my trail family coming in to see me and help me and my friends out. We dropped Pegleg and Happy Baby at a motel and went to Dreamcatcher's house in Beacon, NY.

We caught up, grabbed some beers, ate nachos and burgers, and headed back to his house. It was great to reminisce and catch up. I met his girlfriend and I got to see his dog Jack Cougar who he found along the trail and saved. I really enjoyed today. I felt good, got to hike with some great people, and I got to catch up with an old friend. The next five days will be good days to Kent, CT before I have to turn it up to get to Bennington. I hope you all are doing well and Happy Trails!

Day 16. August 3rd, 2015. 6.4 miles. I woke up early and grabbed a bite to eat at a local corner store in Beacon. Dreamcatcher slept in and I enjoyed some lazy time on a couch. Dreamcatcher drove me back to the bridge and we said good bye. It was great to see him and I wish I had more time to hang out with Dreamcatcher and Jack. Time with old friends always seems to go too quickly.

I hiked across the bridge starting around 1PM and had a couple of climbs. The hike was mostly clear of rocks and I ambled into Graymoor Spiritual Center. It is a place of worship and where friars live. Calm.and peaceful and they offer a free place to stay, a solar shower, and bathrooms. A god send on the trail, no pun intended.

Pegleg, Chuckles, Happy Baby, Sam I Am, Bear, Ghengis, Pineapple, Papa JR, and a whole host of others are here. It's good that I found a group of good people that I run into daily. I am used to hiking with people and this chunk of trail I have hiked alone almost exclusively except for Rocky. I miss Rocky and our hiking together, but I am sure I will see him on his return from Bermuda.

I feel good. My legs feel good, I feel in better spirits, and I have almost found my groove in the hiking world. I have four days of easier hiking to Kent, CT to help my legs rest a little and recover from pushing too hard early on. After Kent, I will have to do big mile days. I built it into my schedule, hoping it would be easier on my legs. I still have hope for Bennington, but if I only make Dalton, that will still be a huge chunk of the trail either way. I hope you all are happy and full of food (I am starting to get the hiker hunger). Happy trails!