7/8: Day 100
Telephone Pioneer Shelter (1,441.7)- Thayer Brook (1461.9)
Total miles: 20.2
Folks, we have survived 100 days out in the woods. It's been 100 days of blood, sweat, and tears, but the mission has been well worth it. This day is significant because not only are we 100 days into the journey, but we are over 2/3 of the way finished. The end is palpable, and we anticipate it.
This morning we broke camp at around 7:30 a.m. It was hard to wake up because last nights rest was terrible. Our tent was on a sideways slant, so we were rolly pollying all night long. Plus, the rain did not relent through the night. We slowly trekked down the mountain due to the slickness of the rocky terrain. After that, the terrain was remarkably nice. New York farewelled us with a smooth, well-marked trail. What more could a hiker ask for? We had lunch at our last New York shelter- Wiley Shelter. We met a section hiker named Carol. She was an interesting lady, she was very quite and mellow at first until Jeremy asked if she was Buddhist, due to a book he noticed she was reading. She didn't claim to practice the religion just enjoyed the meditation aspect of it. We had the opportunity to talk with her about the Christian belief and how it has helped us. She seemed a little reluctant at first but at the end she let us pray with her over her back pain. Our job is to plant the seeds and let The Lord harvest them.
Shortly after, we crossed over the NY/CT border. We have successfully hiked through nine states and only have five to go. Connecticut should hardly any time because it's only 31 miles long. The rest of the day was pretty easy. We are running a little low on food so our calorie intake was at a deficit. The short climbs seemed exponentially more difficult than previous more strenuous climbs. We decided to set up camp at a Brook one mile before our intended destination at the shelter. A couple reasons for this: one being we had already met our 20 mile goal and didn't feel the need to exert ourselves anymore; two, last night's rest was terrible at the shelter because there was limited tenting space and a good spot is never a guarantee. We found a nice spot at the brook and called it a night. While we were doing our nightly chores, Squirrel and Bagger showed up. They talked with us a little and Bagger moved on to the next shelter. Squirrel; however, asked us about our resupply plans and what we were doing tomorrow. We told her our food situation and we weren't sure if we'd had to do an unexpected stop or not. She offered us a couple cooking required dinners to help us make it to Salisburry since she was sending her stove home she had no use for them. We were very appreciative because it was just what we needed. We offered to give her money but there was no excepting it. The camaraderie on the trail is one of the best aspects of the journey. Shortly after dinner, we went to bed. 20's to Katahdin is the goal, and so far so good.
7/9: Day 101
Thayer Brook (1461.9)- Sharon Mountain Campground (1482.6)
Total miles: 20.7
Today has been a great day. Don't you just love posts that start like that? Seriously though, it really has been a wonderful day. We broke camp around 6:30 a.m. Early starts are always our favorites even though waking early with the impending doom of hiking until at least 5:30 p.m. isn't necessarily jumping out of bed motivation, but none-the-less it's better than starting the day late. Two miles into the hike, there was a cooler by the side of the road with some pops, ice pops, and apples. We were absolutely thrilled because we were running really low on food and calories. We sat down and enjoyed a nice drink as the early sun was drying out the dew. Once again, it thunderstormed last night. We were just thankful the brook we camped next to didn't wash us out.
The first half of the day went by pretty quick, and it was easy terrain. We stopped just before a 500 ft. climb to have some lunch and evaluate our shortage of food. As we we pulling out our food bags, a group of four rode up on bicycles and set their bikes down as they planed their hike up the mountain. We asked them if there was anywhere nearby to buy food and they mentioned a grocery/deli about two miles away. Never mind that. There was no way we'd walk that far out of our way. They offered to let us borrow a couple bike and we enthusiastically accepted. We were able to get chocolate milk, a burger and sub, and enough food to hold us over until Salisbury. What a blessing! The Lord truly provides every time we have need. We returned in plenty of time, and before they returned from their hike. We were even able to take a short midday nap. It was amazing. After lunch, we started the trek up the mountain. This would be the first of five decent ascents for the afternoon. It turned out to be a piece of cake. The big lunch and chocolate milk gave us enough calories to power through the first six miles of climbs. On the first climb we met another thru-hiker named Lucky B. He ended up hiking seven or so miles with us, and we just talked about life and what was to come after the trail. He made the comment that at this point in the hike you just needed to put the grit to the grind and go. We agreed; it's time to wrap this long journey up. We discussed how much more difficult the journey has been than anything we have ever done in life before. Lucky B had rowed for Rutgers and almost made it to the Olympics for rowing and he had practiced law for a couple years and he noted that the trail was indeed more difficult than practicing law. It was comforting knowing we weren't the only ones feeling challenged.
We made it to the Pine Swamp Brook shelter which was only 2.5 miles from our destination right before the sky regurgitated what the ground had swallowed up the night before. We weren't planning on stopping, but quickly decided to eat dinner there and push on after the rain passed. It turned out to be a popular idea because 30 minutes later Lucky B, Stick in the Mud, and Unity showed up dripping wet.
After dinner we pushed on the easy 2.5 miles to camp. When we arrived it seemed to be supper time for all the mosquitoes and their families. They zoned into every exposed portion of skin and even that you didn't know was exposed. It was a war- literally a flesh and blood war. I applied ever article of clothing I owned just to keep their piercing beaks from penetrating. We said goodbye to Lucky B as he left to add another three miles to his day. Just as it was dusk and we were escaping into our tent it's starts to spit rain. Not even ten minute later it was a full-blown monsoon of thunder, lightening, wind, and rain galore. Our hearts went out to Lucky B as we knew he was hiking in this madness. The only thing worse than hiking in a raging thunderstorm is hiking in one at night. We headed to bed after praying for our protection and that of our newly met friends.
7/10: Day 102
Sharon Mountain Campground (1482.6)- Sages Ravine Campground (1502.5)
Total miles: 19.9
Last night it rained for quite some time. We woke to a soggy tent and dampened attire. It's become the norm lately. Before we left camp we rinsed off some clothes in the creek and hung them from our packs to dry out. Today was a resupply day so we needed to book it in order to still be able to do 20 miles and enjoy a nice lunch in Salisbury. With the terrain being similar to the recent days we ended up getting into town by 11:30 a.m. We resupply and bought some lunch from the deli. The grocery was a locally owned shop but one of the drawbacks to it was the prices were double what we usually pay for groceries. For two days of food and lunch we spent around 80 dollars. It is what it is. While we were eating outside, Lucky B arrived. We cheered and applauded that he survived the walk of danger last night. He reassured us that he was able to set up his hammock real quick before it got severe, but he did get soaked because his tarp lost the battle with the monsoon last night. Not long after, five other thru-hikers showed and we were all chatting and having a good time. One of the hikers, Lost Boy, we haven't seen since the Smokies, so it was great catching up with him. Around 2:00 p.m., we finally set out to finish the remainder if the day. We only had eight miles left, but there were a couple 500 ft. climbs to add some spice. The last climb up Bear Mountain wasn't bad at all, but the descent was one I'd like to not ever do again. I'm just thankful the rocks were relatively dry. We made it to camp by 6:30 p.m and met some section hikers that gave us a tube to clean out our water filter. We had lost ours a couple months ago and have just been borrowing others but they let us keep theirs because they had an extra. What a nice couple! We had a quick dinner and hurried into our oasis of liberty from Mosquitos. We are so thankful to have an awesome tent that shelters us from the little demon bugs all night. Praise The Lord!
7/11: Day 103
Sages Ravine Campsite (1,502.5)- Great Barrington, MA (1,517.1)
Total: 15.6 miles
This morning was the first morning in awhile that we woke up to a dry tent. Hallelujah, it did not rain again last night. We had a great night's sleep and we were well rested for the 21 miles we had planned to knock out. Today was such a perfect day for hiking. There was a steady breeze and the temperature didn't peak above mid-70's. It was glorious, at least until the 2.5 miles of Mosquito hell we went through later on. Hold that thought for a moment..
We had lunch at the Hemlocks Shelter which was at 2,000 ft. in elevation which meant amazing temperature, and little to no insects feeding on us. Later on, we descended back to the valley and that is where we walked through the mosquito hell. We crossed into a beautiful pine wooded forest immersed in swamp land, and all of the sudden these beastly bugs zoomed in and attacked every bare piece of flesh. It was appalling. We stopped for 15 seconds to douse ourselves with repellent and booked it out of there like chickens running from a butcher. Jeremy, bless his heart, remained completely calm, while I did everything but scream from the top of my lungs. After that episode, we made it to a highway and out of the woods. At this point we wanted nothing to do with the woods for the rest of the evening. We wanted a shower, clean laundry, and a climate controlled environment. Jeremy called his dad and he was able to get us a room at the Marriott in Great Barrington. The only thing between us and that oasis for the evening was a couple more miles of walking and a hitch into town. As soon as we got to the next road, we stuck out our thumbs and a sweet lady named Chandler in a Volvo wagon pulls over and let's us in. It was the very first car that passed us! The Lord never ceases to provide!! Chandler told us about her step-son hiking the AT a couple years ago, so that was neat to hear. We heavily thanked her and entered the hotel. The rest off the evening consisted of taking no shorter than 30 minute showers, laundry, and vegging out on pizza and chocolate milk in front of the T.V. It's been a good night!
7/12: Day 104
Great Barrington, MA (1517.1)- Stealth Camp (1539.5)
This morning, after a glorious breakfast at the hotel the ride back to the trail was a piece of cake. We start walking down the rode and before we could even attempt to hitch, a guy pulled over and asked if we needed a ride. Um, yes please!! We were back on trail in no time. We were rather sluggish all day. We were on and off about calling it an early day and just starting over tomorrow, but we pushed through and finally made it to our stealth camping spot close to a small spring. We only saw one other thru-hiker today, and he pushed on to the next shelter. Today has been rather uneventful. We are hoping to get back to the grind tomorrow and aim for a bigger day. We're still attempting to keep an average of 20's to Katahdin! God is good always :)
The exact spot Shays Rebellion took place.
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