Day: 080
Date: Monday, 21 July 1986.
Daily AT Miles: 21.7
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 1556.5
Total All Miles: 1602.1
Weather: Warm, humid, sunny.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: “Sub”, ice-cream.
Dinner: Soup, macaroni cheese, strawberry shortcake.
Aches: None bad.
Animals Seen: Squirrels, rabbits.
People Seen: 2 AT Thru-hikers, ~ 20 day hikers, many others.
Journal:
Got up at 5:30am after there had only been a few brief showers overnight, and everything was reasonably dry. I left soon after 7am with the intention of walking to Cheshire, 14 miles away, in three sessions with short breaks between. My pack was light and, although it was still humid, I made good time. I reached Dalton after 4½ miles, including a couple of miles road-walking and, while passing through the town, found a grocery by the Trail so stopped for a quart of orange juice and a pint of ice-cream before continuing on. As I left town, I passed two AT Thru-hikers, Evelyn and Wayne, returning to the Trail after four days off. I exchanged pleasantries and continued on. The Trail climbed out of town up to a bumpy ridge. Much of it was new and therefore tiring. It passed by a pretty pond and one good viewpoint and was quite boggy in parts. I decided to ring Jayne and recommend her parents go for their planned hike elsewhere. I arrived at Cheshire Post Office at 12:20pm and collected a good swag of mail, including a mysterious box which turned out to contain my fold-up knapsack that I’d lost somewhere. “GEOKA” had found it and mailed it to a Post Office up the Trail. It had been forwarded twice and caught me in the end. Pleased. I walked through the town and found a supermarket where I bought a “sub” for lunch, as well as ice-cream, and then sat in a chair outside and ate and read my letters. Very pleasant. At about 2pm, I set out to walk the eight miles up Mount Greylock (3500’) to the AMC’s Bascom Lodge, where I planned to spend the night. I’d rung up and booked already. Despite the uphill climb, a light pack made for good time and I arrived at 5:10pm. There were excellent views in most directions from the peak and it was a beautiful evening. I got my room, showered, and came down for 6pm dinner. Unfortunately, it was pasta! We all sat at a long table and I chatted with other guests and AMC workers. One gril had just been to Australia. After dinner, I wrote letters to Barb and Alan, phoned Jayne and tried to phone John C. I went to bed at 10:15pm and spent 45 minutes reading the Syntec(former employer) and Kew Camberwell District (athletic club) newletters and Pete’s Australian newspaper clippings (including weather forecasts!) I had received in the mail so I wouldn’t have to carry them tomorrow.
Appalachian Trail - Day 079
Day: 079
Date: Sunday, 20 July 1986.
Daily AT Miles: 25.5
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 1534.8
Total All Miles: 1580.4
Weather: Warm, humid, overcast.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, chocolate bar.
Dinner: Fettucine, pop tarts.
Aches: None that are very bad.
Animals Seen: Chipmunks.
People Seen: 1 AT Thru-hiker, 1 overnight hiker, 4 day hikers, some others.
Journal:
I got up at 5:30am to find all my clothes still wet from the wash I had given them the previous night (to try and reduce chafing), but I put them on anyway. I left at 7:10am after exchanging addresses with Liz. Both she and Matt were a bit sheepish after the night’s excitement. I hoped to cover a lot of miles and fortunately it was cool early and there was a lot of road-walking. My pack was starting to feel lighter too. The road-walk took me along some lovely country lanes past some beautiful mansions set amongst the hills (The Berkshires) with manicured lawns and reflecting ponds. I passed through the attractive little village of Tyringham, then climbed up onto another ridge along roads and forest roads which made the going quicker. The Trail passed the attractive Goose Pond, then Upper Goose Pond. It was still very muggy and mozzies were about, but the heavy overcast reduced the heat a little. While walking, I listened on my Walkman to a live broadcast of an outdoor concert by the Boston Symphony Orchestra from their summer home at Tanglewood, only a few miles away as the crow flies. It was great listening to Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries as I strode through the forest along the ridge, knowing it was being performed nearby. At about 3pm, I overtook “Jeannie the Bag Lady” and saw her again when I stopped at October Mountain Lean-To for a very late lunch. The feet seemed to be standing the strain better today, despite having to carry four full water bottles because of the lack of good water – there were plenty of bogs. The clouds were looking ominous from about 6pm, but I pushed on to 6:45pm, when I found a nice campsite, having achieved my mileage target. I set up the tarp over the tent in preparation for rain that didn’t come, had dinner and adjourned to the tent at 8:30pm.
Date: Sunday, 20 July 1986.
Daily AT Miles: 25.5
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 1534.8
Total All Miles: 1580.4
Weather: Warm, humid, overcast.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, chocolate bar.
Dinner: Fettucine, pop tarts.
Aches: None that are very bad.
Animals Seen: Chipmunks.
People Seen: 1 AT Thru-hiker, 1 overnight hiker, 4 day hikers, some others.
Journal:
I got up at 5:30am to find all my clothes still wet from the wash I had given them the previous night (to try and reduce chafing), but I put them on anyway. I left at 7:10am after exchanging addresses with Liz. Both she and Matt were a bit sheepish after the night’s excitement. I hoped to cover a lot of miles and fortunately it was cool early and there was a lot of road-walking. My pack was starting to feel lighter too. The road-walk took me along some lovely country lanes past some beautiful mansions set amongst the hills (The Berkshires) with manicured lawns and reflecting ponds. I passed through the attractive little village of Tyringham, then climbed up onto another ridge along roads and forest roads which made the going quicker. The Trail passed the attractive Goose Pond, then Upper Goose Pond. It was still very muggy and mozzies were about, but the heavy overcast reduced the heat a little. While walking, I listened on my Walkman to a live broadcast of an outdoor concert by the Boston Symphony Orchestra from their summer home at Tanglewood, only a few miles away as the crow flies. It was great listening to Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries as I strode through the forest along the ridge, knowing it was being performed nearby. At about 3pm, I overtook “Jeannie the Bag Lady” and saw her again when I stopped at October Mountain Lean-To for a very late lunch. The feet seemed to be standing the strain better today, despite having to carry four full water bottles because of the lack of good water – there were plenty of bogs. The clouds were looking ominous from about 6pm, but I pushed on to 6:45pm, when I found a nice campsite, having achieved my mileage target. I set up the tarp over the tent in preparation for rain that didn’t come, had dinner and adjourned to the tent at 8:30pm.
Appalachian Trail - Day 078
Day: 078
Date: Saturday, 19 July 1986.
Daily AT Miles: 21.4
Daily Other Miles: 0.4 (0.2 Shelter, 0.2 spring)
Total AT Miles: 1509.3
Total All Miles: 1554.9
Weather: Very warm, very humid, hazy.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, chocolate bar.
Dinner: Fettucine, instant pudding.
Aches: Foot problems, bad chafing all over.
Animals Seen: Deer, small snake.
People Seen: 12 overnight hikers, 7 day hikers, many others.
Journal:
I woke up at 5am, when the others began stirring, and got up at 5:30am after a bad night’s sleep. I resolved to sleep in my tent on future warm nights. Chafing was also hurting a lot. I left at 7am on what I hoped would be an easy day of about 21 miles with no big hills. However, it was going to be another triple H day, which would make it unpleasant. The first four miles were slow going over, and down, Jug End to a road where I replenished my water at a spring. While resting, two joggers went past (I wish I was just out for a jog) and some pre-breakfast walkers. My mind was much pre-occupied with how much further I had to go all day. It will be nice to finish. There were some fields to be crossed and a mozzie-infested forest before a fairly long road-walk. After the road-walk, there was another mountain to go over. Sweat was pouring off me and my chafing was getting very bad despite heaps of Vaseline. There followed another brief road-walk, at the end of which I had lunch at about 2:30pm leaning against a lamp-post on a quiet lane. Very pleasant and I nearly went to sleep. The final six miles involved negotiating another sweaty mountain to reach the Mount Wilcox North Shelter where I arrived at 6pm. The mozzies were bad, so I had a wash in the adjacent pond and donned long pants and shirt for protection before cooking dinner and erecting my tent. Too many mozzies to sleep in the Shelter. AMC ridge-runner, Liz, and boyfriend, Matt, arrived during dinner and we chatted while we ate. Matt had not been hiking overnight before, and Liz spent a lot of time explaining to him the rules of “leave no trace” camping, including not washing clothes in water sources (which I had clearly done, as my clothes were hanging out to dry near the stream) and going to the loo well away from water sources and the camp area. I got into bed at 8:30pm (mozzies getting bad) and did my diary before going to sleep at 9pm. During the night, I was woken by shouting. Matt had gone to the loo and got lost in the dark. He only found his way back after wandering around for a long time then resorting to shouting for help. Eventually, he woke Liz and me and Liz shouted in reply directing him back to camp. It was all a bit sad – both were very upset.
Date: Saturday, 19 July 1986.
Daily AT Miles: 21.4
Daily Other Miles: 0.4 (0.2 Shelter, 0.2 spring)
Total AT Miles: 1509.3
Total All Miles: 1554.9
Weather: Very warm, very humid, hazy.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, chocolate bar.
Dinner: Fettucine, instant pudding.
Aches: Foot problems, bad chafing all over.
Animals Seen: Deer, small snake.
People Seen: 12 overnight hikers, 7 day hikers, many others.
Journal:
I woke up at 5am, when the others began stirring, and got up at 5:30am after a bad night’s sleep. I resolved to sleep in my tent on future warm nights. Chafing was also hurting a lot. I left at 7am on what I hoped would be an easy day of about 21 miles with no big hills. However, it was going to be another triple H day, which would make it unpleasant. The first four miles were slow going over, and down, Jug End to a road where I replenished my water at a spring. While resting, two joggers went past (I wish I was just out for a jog) and some pre-breakfast walkers. My mind was much pre-occupied with how much further I had to go all day. It will be nice to finish. There were some fields to be crossed and a mozzie-infested forest before a fairly long road-walk. After the road-walk, there was another mountain to go over. Sweat was pouring off me and my chafing was getting very bad despite heaps of Vaseline. There followed another brief road-walk, at the end of which I had lunch at about 2:30pm leaning against a lamp-post on a quiet lane. Very pleasant and I nearly went to sleep. The final six miles involved negotiating another sweaty mountain to reach the Mount Wilcox North Shelter where I arrived at 6pm. The mozzies were bad, so I had a wash in the adjacent pond and donned long pants and shirt for protection before cooking dinner and erecting my tent. Too many mozzies to sleep in the Shelter. AMC ridge-runner, Liz, and boyfriend, Matt, arrived during dinner and we chatted while we ate. Matt had not been hiking overnight before, and Liz spent a lot of time explaining to him the rules of “leave no trace” camping, including not washing clothes in water sources (which I had clearly done, as my clothes were hanging out to dry near the stream) and going to the loo well away from water sources and the camp area. I got into bed at 8:30pm (mozzies getting bad) and did my diary before going to sleep at 9pm. During the night, I was woken by shouting. Matt had gone to the loo and got lost in the dark. He only found his way back after wandering around for a long time then resorting to shouting for help. Eventually, he woke Liz and me and Liz shouted in reply directing him back to camp. It was all a bit sad – both were very upset.
Appalachian Trail - Day 077
Day: 077
Date: Friday, 18 July 1986
Daily AT Miles: 23.3
Daily Other Miles: 0.4 (0.2 to spring, 0.2 to Shelter)
Total AT Miles: 1487.9
Total All Miles: 1533.1
Weather: Very warm, humid, partly cloudy.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Omelette, sausages, fries, orange juice, ice-cream.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, candy bar.
Dinner: Noodles and vegetables, instant pudding.
Aches: Right foot, chafing.
Animals Seen: 2 small snakes, deer, grouse, chipmunks, squirrels.
People Seen: 5 AT-Thru-hikers (1 by sections), 2 day hikers, many others.
Journal:
Got up at 6:30am to give myself eight hours sleep and packed up and left by 7:30am without breakfast because there was a diner just up the Trail. Although only two miles, it included a tough climb over Barrack Mountain. At the diner, I had a large breakfast before setting off for the remainder of what promised to be a hot humid day. Initially, there was a fair bit of road-walking as the Trail crossed back to the west bank of the Housatonic. As usual, I didn’t really mind the road-walk since I made better time and there were things to look at along the way. After the road, the Trail began climbing into the mountains and progress slowed. It was nice scenery in the forest, but marred by the hot humid weather which left me constantly sweating, and the bugs, especially mozzies, which tormented me. The sweat was washing off the repellent and I began to wonder if I would run out. Life wasn’t very pleasant. To top it off, the old blister next to the right big toe was hurting again and causing me to walk awkwardly. The views from the mountains were reduced by the heavy haze. I stopped for a late lunch at Sage’s Ravine, a beautiful shady glen. After that I pushed on another seven miles of slow progress over two mountains (Race and Everett) passing en route AT Thru-hikers, Stan and Linda Brooks, who were camped by the Trail. A Connecticut AMC ridge-runner at Sage’s Ravine had told me of a new Shelter, Glenbrook, which was my target. I eventually arrived there at 7:10pm to find already in residence “The Man Who Dares”, “Appalachian Al”, and Roy (all northbound, Roy by sections). They were really nice guys and we had a good chat. I was amused by “The Man Who Dares” wearing pyjamas (and slippers) to bed, and apparently being accompanied much of the time by his father in a Recreation Vehicle. I went to bed at 9pm, a little worried about the warm night and bugs.
Date: Friday, 18 July 1986
Daily AT Miles: 23.3
Daily Other Miles: 0.4 (0.2 to spring, 0.2 to Shelter)
Total AT Miles: 1487.9
Total All Miles: 1533.1
Weather: Very warm, humid, partly cloudy.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Omelette, sausages, fries, orange juice, ice-cream.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, candy bar.
Dinner: Noodles and vegetables, instant pudding.
Aches: Right foot, chafing.
Animals Seen: 2 small snakes, deer, grouse, chipmunks, squirrels.
People Seen: 5 AT-Thru-hikers (1 by sections), 2 day hikers, many others.
Journal:
Got up at 6:30am to give myself eight hours sleep and packed up and left by 7:30am without breakfast because there was a diner just up the Trail. Although only two miles, it included a tough climb over Barrack Mountain. At the diner, I had a large breakfast before setting off for the remainder of what promised to be a hot humid day. Initially, there was a fair bit of road-walking as the Trail crossed back to the west bank of the Housatonic. As usual, I didn’t really mind the road-walk since I made better time and there were things to look at along the way. After the road, the Trail began climbing into the mountains and progress slowed. It was nice scenery in the forest, but marred by the hot humid weather which left me constantly sweating, and the bugs, especially mozzies, which tormented me. The sweat was washing off the repellent and I began to wonder if I would run out. Life wasn’t very pleasant. To top it off, the old blister next to the right big toe was hurting again and causing me to walk awkwardly. The views from the mountains were reduced by the heavy haze. I stopped for a late lunch at Sage’s Ravine, a beautiful shady glen. After that I pushed on another seven miles of slow progress over two mountains (Race and Everett) passing en route AT Thru-hikers, Stan and Linda Brooks, who were camped by the Trail. A Connecticut AMC ridge-runner at Sage’s Ravine had told me of a new Shelter, Glenbrook, which was my target. I eventually arrived there at 7:10pm to find already in residence “The Man Who Dares”, “Appalachian Al”, and Roy (all northbound, Roy by sections). They were really nice guys and we had a good chat. I was amused by “The Man Who Dares” wearing pyjamas (and slippers) to bed, and apparently being accompanied much of the time by his father in a Recreation Vehicle. I went to bed at 9pm, a little worried about the warm night and bugs.
Appalachian Trail - Day 076
Day: 076
Date: Thursday, 17 July 1986
Daily AT Miles: 20.7
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 1464.6
Total All Miles: 1509.4
Weather: Very warm, humid, overcast.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Toast and jam, ice-cream.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, Snickers Bar.
Dinner: Snickers Bar, instant pudding.
Aches: Right foot blister again, hips chafed.
Animals Seen: Chipmunks, small snake.
People Seen: 2 day hikers, many others.
Journal:
Got up at 8am and had some breakfast with Jayne and her parents. We took our time and left at 9:45am to drive me back to Cornwall Bridge from Granby. We arrived at 11am and, after going to the Post Office, I bought some ice-cream and chocolate milk before moving off on a warm humid day with approximately 20 miles to go to my target campsite. No fires allowed in Connecticut, so I knew I would be eating cold for dinner and hence could arrive late. The Trail started by following a lane up to the crest of a ridge and then, for the rest of the day, was fairly easy going through pretty forest – some deciduous, some conifer, with a pine needle-covered floor. Occasionally, there was some nice road-walking and, though there was pretty scenery, there were only a few views. It was very pleasant except for the mosquitoes – I’m afraid I’m going to run out of repellent. I had lunch at 3pm in a picnic area en route and then walked approximately 12 miles to Deans Ravine, one of the designated camp areas, where I arrived at 8:15pm. It was already getting dark as I hurriedly collected and purified water from the stream which flowed through the beautiful valley, ate a skimpy dinner, put up my tent and tarpaulin (40% chance of rain), and had a wash before getting into bed at 9:30pm. Updated diary and went to sleep at 10pm. A bit worried that the old blister between my right big toe and second toe is sore again. Spent a lot of the day pre-occupied with reaching the end, having decided the likely completion date will be August 21st and having spent a day at Jayne’s and seeing all the comforts I’m forgoing was unsettling. I think I was lucky the Trail wasn’t harder today.
Date: Thursday, 17 July 1986
Daily AT Miles: 20.7
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 1464.6
Total All Miles: 1509.4
Weather: Very warm, humid, overcast.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Toast and jam, ice-cream.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, Snickers Bar.
Dinner: Snickers Bar, instant pudding.
Aches: Right foot blister again, hips chafed.
Animals Seen: Chipmunks, small snake.
People Seen: 2 day hikers, many others.
Journal:
Got up at 8am and had some breakfast with Jayne and her parents. We took our time and left at 9:45am to drive me back to Cornwall Bridge from Granby. We arrived at 11am and, after going to the Post Office, I bought some ice-cream and chocolate milk before moving off on a warm humid day with approximately 20 miles to go to my target campsite. No fires allowed in Connecticut, so I knew I would be eating cold for dinner and hence could arrive late. The Trail started by following a lane up to the crest of a ridge and then, for the rest of the day, was fairly easy going through pretty forest – some deciduous, some conifer, with a pine needle-covered floor. Occasionally, there was some nice road-walking and, though there was pretty scenery, there were only a few views. It was very pleasant except for the mosquitoes – I’m afraid I’m going to run out of repellent. I had lunch at 3pm in a picnic area en route and then walked approximately 12 miles to Deans Ravine, one of the designated camp areas, where I arrived at 8:15pm. It was already getting dark as I hurriedly collected and purified water from the stream which flowed through the beautiful valley, ate a skimpy dinner, put up my tent and tarpaulin (40% chance of rain), and had a wash before getting into bed at 9:30pm. Updated diary and went to sleep at 10pm. A bit worried that the old blister between my right big toe and second toe is sore again. Spent a lot of the day pre-occupied with reaching the end, having decided the likely completion date will be August 21st and having spent a day at Jayne’s and seeing all the comforts I’m forgoing was unsettling. I think I was lucky the Trail wasn’t harder today.
Appalachian Trail - Day 075
Day: 075
Date: Wednesday, 16 July 1986
Daily AT Miles: 0
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 1443.9
Total All Miles: 1488.7
Weather: Very warm, sunny.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Porridge, scrambled eggs, orange juice.
Lunch: Cottage pie, ice-cream.
Dinner: ?
Aches: None.
Animals Seen: None.
People Seen: Some.
Journal:
Got up at 7:45am after a poor night’s sleep and tried to ring John Cederholm again. No answer. Tried to ring Barb. No answer. I then spent another 45 minutes working on my itinerary then tried calling John at work. He’s on holiday till next Monday. Then rang Barb and talked for a while. We decided she would book me a flight from Boston to Melbourne to arrive on September 1st. I also gave her some proposed meeting places and dates to give Bo. She sounded though she’ll be glad when I get home. After cooking myself breakfast (Jayne was out), I spent the morning planning, washing and drying out damp gear. Jayne returned at 11am and then left at 1pm to take her in-laws to Boston to fly home and collect her parents. I spent the afternoon eating, watching TV and doing chores. I then cooked my own dinner as Jayne wasn’t expected back until 9:30pm. After dinner, I finished chores and packed up ready for tomorrow’s departure. Jayne arrived home at 9:40pm and I spent a few hours talking to her jet-lagged parents and watching TV before going to bed at midnight.
Date: Wednesday, 16 July 1986
Daily AT Miles: 0
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 1443.9
Total All Miles: 1488.7
Weather: Very warm, sunny.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Porridge, scrambled eggs, orange juice.
Lunch: Cottage pie, ice-cream.
Dinner: ?
Aches: None.
Animals Seen: None.
People Seen: Some.
Journal:
Got up at 7:45am after a poor night’s sleep and tried to ring John Cederholm again. No answer. Tried to ring Barb. No answer. I then spent another 45 minutes working on my itinerary then tried calling John at work. He’s on holiday till next Monday. Then rang Barb and talked for a while. We decided she would book me a flight from Boston to Melbourne to arrive on September 1st. I also gave her some proposed meeting places and dates to give Bo. She sounded though she’ll be glad when I get home. After cooking myself breakfast (Jayne was out), I spent the morning planning, washing and drying out damp gear. Jayne returned at 11am and then left at 1pm to take her in-laws to Boston to fly home and collect her parents. I spent the afternoon eating, watching TV and doing chores. I then cooked my own dinner as Jayne wasn’t expected back until 9:30pm. After dinner, I finished chores and packed up ready for tomorrow’s departure. Jayne arrived home at 9:40pm and I spent a few hours talking to her jet-lagged parents and watching TV before going to bed at midnight.
Appalachian Trail - Day 074
Day: 074
Date: Tuesday, 15 July 1986
Daily AT Miles: 23.9
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 1443.9
Total All Miles: 1488.7
Weather: Very warm, sunny.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, Mars Bar.
Dinner: Cottage pie, vegetables, ice-cream and fruit.
Aches: Toes sore.
Animals Seen: Deer, snake, chipmunks.
People Seen: AT trail crew, 2 AT Hikers (southbound, by sections), 9 overnight hikers, 2 day hikers, many others.
Journal:
Got up at 5:30am and left at 7am with the Shelter’s other resident still in bed – he told me the night before he was an early riser. I’d disturbed him at both ends of the night! It was a beautiful morning and after a mile I passed into Connecticut. The Trail passed through some farmland and climbed a short sharp mountain which tired me. It then descended and crossed a bridge over 10 Mile River, a beautiful spot, and followed the Housatonic River through beautiful conifer forest. The Trail reached a road and I met a Connecticut Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) trail crew who were about to resume work on a relocation. We chatted for a while. There was then a 2½ mile road-walk before a couple of tough hills with views from the tops over the lovely Housatonic Valley. The hills were wearing me out and I was a bit worried that I’m losing condition. It also meant that I was losing time on the way to meet Jayne at Cornwall Bridge. Just before lunch, I met a couple of south-bounder AT Hikers in company with an AMC ridge-runner – a hiker paid by the AMC to monitor the Trail. I had lunch on a rock ledge giving a magnificent view before making a steep descent to the river. The Trail then more or less followed the river on a level path upstream to Cornwall Bridge. I arrived there at 6:10pm and was met by Jayne and her mother-in-law. We then drove back to their house at Granby, about an hour’s drive. We stopped at a supermarket and I shopped for the next few days. On arrival I met Jayne’s father-in-law. Both in mid-70s. We had a good dinner of cottage pie. I rang my cousin Peter in Boston and he said he still hoped to hike with me for a few days. I said I would ring back tomorrow night with some suggestions. I couldn’t get in touch with John Cederholm, a Boston friend who also had expressed interest in joining me for a few days on the Trail. After dinner, I watched TV and chatted with Jayne and her in-laws. Went to bed at 11:30pm, but had trouble sleeping after a bit of trip planning.
Date: Tuesday, 15 July 1986
Daily AT Miles: 23.9
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 1443.9
Total All Miles: 1488.7
Weather: Very warm, sunny.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, Mars Bar.
Dinner: Cottage pie, vegetables, ice-cream and fruit.
Aches: Toes sore.
Animals Seen: Deer, snake, chipmunks.
People Seen: AT trail crew, 2 AT Hikers (southbound, by sections), 9 overnight hikers, 2 day hikers, many others.
Journal:
Got up at 5:30am and left at 7am with the Shelter’s other resident still in bed – he told me the night before he was an early riser. I’d disturbed him at both ends of the night! It was a beautiful morning and after a mile I passed into Connecticut. The Trail passed through some farmland and climbed a short sharp mountain which tired me. It then descended and crossed a bridge over 10 Mile River, a beautiful spot, and followed the Housatonic River through beautiful conifer forest. The Trail reached a road and I met a Connecticut Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) trail crew who were about to resume work on a relocation. We chatted for a while. There was then a 2½ mile road-walk before a couple of tough hills with views from the tops over the lovely Housatonic Valley. The hills were wearing me out and I was a bit worried that I’m losing condition. It also meant that I was losing time on the way to meet Jayne at Cornwall Bridge. Just before lunch, I met a couple of south-bounder AT Hikers in company with an AMC ridge-runner – a hiker paid by the AMC to monitor the Trail. I had lunch on a rock ledge giving a magnificent view before making a steep descent to the river. The Trail then more or less followed the river on a level path upstream to Cornwall Bridge. I arrived there at 6:10pm and was met by Jayne and her mother-in-law. We then drove back to their house at Granby, about an hour’s drive. We stopped at a supermarket and I shopped for the next few days. On arrival I met Jayne’s father-in-law. Both in mid-70s. We had a good dinner of cottage pie. I rang my cousin Peter in Boston and he said he still hoped to hike with me for a few days. I said I would ring back tomorrow night with some suggestions. I couldn’t get in touch with John Cederholm, a Boston friend who also had expressed interest in joining me for a few days on the Trail. After dinner, I watched TV and chatted with Jayne and her in-laws. Went to bed at 11:30pm, but had trouble sleeping after a bit of trip planning.
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