"Camp fires are the..."

"...TV of the backcountry."
-Trail wisdom

August 4, 2001

Left Herman Melville Shelter and did a "short" day of around 14 miles so I can arrive at N. Adams for the above [all you can eat pizza lunch].

I was really pushing to get to Seth Warner [Shelter] before the rain hit.  I hit the road which is 3/10 mile before the shelter.

Seth Warner Shelter (from link)

When I got there, I found trail magic.  (like I did on this day as well)

I considered whether it was better to be dry or to eat food for one moment in time, and chose food.

I had a large chocolate chip cookie and the last can of Coke.  I guzzled it and belched my way all the way here [the shelter] before the rain hit.  Yay!

When I got to the shelter (along with Lemming shortly afterwards), we decided to quickly prepare a fire with the dry wood around the shelter before the rain came, and cover it with a plastic.  We did so, and sat in the shelter while the rain hit.  A good handful of other hikers came to the shelter during the rain, all planning on staying the night.  Many of the wet and sodden hikers bemoaned the fact that we would not be able to have a fire.  When the rain let up, Lemming and I dramatically lifted the plastic to reveal the dry kindling for a fire, and proceeded to light it.  Even better, a pair of hikers produced marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers to make Smores!

I also encountered the end of the Long Trail, as I was starting to exit Vermont and enter Massachusetts.

My apologies for the horrible flash glare:

Beginning or end of the Long Trail, depending on which way you hike it

My first day in Massachusetts would certainly be unique for my AT days...

"Ideas are like pizza dough,..."

"...made to be tossed around."
-Anna Quindlen

August 3, 2001

I got caught in a thunderstorm.  It was great!

It brought me back to Baldplate and Speck Mountains in Maine and Mt. Moriah in NH.

It washed me off a bit too.

There are four LT [Long Trail] kids here.  They gave me some Portable Aqua (iodine) so I don't need to go into Bennington.

beautiful Vermont countryside

I think I'll go 18.2 miles tomorrow so I can get into N. Adams [Massachusetts] Sunday afternoon for the All You Can Eat pizza lunch at Pizza Hut.

Alas, I would not make the Pizza Hut in time...

"It was a clear day, with a brisk breeze blowing..."

"...North and south, sharp peaks etched the horizon.  I felt as if atop the world, wih a sort of planetary feeling.  I seemed to perceive peaks far southward, hidden by old Earth's curvature.  Would a footpath some day reach them from where I was then perched?  Little did I dream..."
-Benton MacKaye, relating his climb to the summit of Stratton Mountain, VT, summer of 1900

August 2, 2001

On my fiftieth day I have done my first 10 by 10 and 12 by 12 (10 miles by 10 am and 12 miles by 12 noon).

Actually, 13.7 miles to Stratton Mountain by noon.

Stratton Pond at the bottom of Stratton Mountain

Salamander in Stratton Pond

Stratton is where [Benton] MacKaye supposedly thought of the AT.

Up on top of Stratton Mountain is an old fire tower.  I climbed up top to get a good view around and a picture looking back down at the ground:

The fire tower top is original 1950's.

Today, I did my first over 20-mile day, 21.1 miles.  I feel pretty good too.

I met this guy from Virginia named "Dig" coming off Stratton.  He's the only other Virginian I've met.  I told him how hungry I was today and he gave me a Snickers!

That Snickers was very encouraging...I can't explain well enough how valuable a Snicker bar is on the Appalachian Trail.  Considering supply and demand, it has to be close to the value of a bar of gold!

"The whole forest was peopled with frightful sounds..."

"...-the creaking of the trees, the howling of wild beasts, and the yell of Indians."
-Nathaniel Hawthorne

August 1, 2001

Over Baker, Peru, Bromley.

Picture from top of Bromley Mountain

So, one of the interesting parts about living in the woods for several months is getting used to new sounds.

This evening, I camped down on the top of a random hill in the midst of the forest.  All alone, I settled into my tent at dusk, read my Bible some, and laid down to sleep.

And then I heard a breathy, growl (sounds like this) emanate from the nearby woods.  It immediately sent chills down my spine and I pictured some wild bobcat about to tear my tent and myself inside into shreds.

But nothing happened.

It took awhile to settle down, and awhile longer in the woods before I saw a scared deer make the same noise (see "wheeze" sound at this website).  Apparently, my imagined bobcat was merely a doe.

I've heard the noise from deer since, and it is still unnerving, but not so scary when you know it comes from a prey instead of a predator.

Getting to know the forest sounds...