Pictures: me on the big mountain, the crew I summited with, rainbow over Katahdin the night before we started up the mountain, moon rising near Moxie Bald Lean-to, me at the unofficial 2000 mile mark, the boys (Remix and Stash) and I after hitting 2000!!, view from Pierce Pond, and entering Maine.

So, I made it to Katahdin - the greatest mountain. What an experience, what a journey. The pictures don't quite do it justice. Sorry for not being able to update anybody but no computers.

After coming out of Stratton, we headed up to Horns Pond Shelter. Me and Stash were able to take a quick dip in the pond. Nothing better after a horribly sticky day on the trail. The water felt amazing. Crazy storm blew in that night so we all decided to wait it out in the shelter that morning. Coffee, radio and rain. Not a bad way to spend the morning. But the Bigelows were calling our name so off we went. Did 27.5 miles over the Bigelows. Long day but we hit our 2000 mile mark so life was pretty good. I also ran into Missy and Reuben Stugart (now Solar and Lunar) and their dog Violet. They are friends of mine from Atlanta. It was really good for me to see somebody from home. Really pumped me up. I was a bit jealous as I was saying goodbye. They have their entire hike ahead of them and here I am, ending. The rain cleared up and it turned into a gorgeous evening. It cooled down a bit and threw off some of those mosquitos, thank God. Beautiful sunset over Pierce Pond. One of my favorite evenings on the trail.

The next day we head toward the infamous Kennebec River crossing. Before getting there, we stopped at Harrison Camps for a 12 pancake breakfast. If that doesn't get you up and over a mountain, I don't know what does. I finished probably 8 of them with three eggs so I was okay with that. The boys ofcourse had no problem finishing theirs. Crossed the Kennebec via canoe ferry, the "legal" way to cross the Kennebec. It is about six feet deep in the middle and they strongly recommend you take the canoe across. As I am pretty short, no objections there from me. A couple climbs today but not too bad. Really enjoyed Moxie Bald. I had the mountain all to myself and I just sat up there, taking it all in. It was powerful.

Headed into Monson, Maine, our last town stop. Crazy to think that this is the last time we will stay at a hostel, last time for town food, last time for resupply for the trail. Things are moving too quickly for me. I had a wonderful time in Monson. Got to see Tau and meet Traveller, had a great dinner x 2 and just really relaxed. Definitely what I needed before heading into the 100 mile wilderness.

The 100 Mile Wilderness wasn't quite what I expected. You are told in all the guide books that it is the most rugged section of trail maybe on the whole trail. Roots, rocks, slippery terrain and still a few mountains. So the first night, I saw probably 30 people - 20 of them being kids from summer camp. And the terrain wasn't bad at all. Maybe I have a different perspective as I have been out here awhile. I really couldn't believe how many people I saw over the course of the first few days of the wilderness. Several camp groups, day hikers especially near Gulf Hagas area. Took a little adjusting but met some great folks nonetheless. Some of my favorite spots in the wilderness were Screw Auger falls right around Gulf Hagas where I took a nice little swim, Whitecap mountain where we got our first pretty decent view of Katahdin in the distance, and mainly just being able to slow down and enjoy my surroundings. I did a lot of solo hiking and spent time contemplating my trip and recapping all the highlights, everything pretty much. Talked to a lot of southbounders and even some northbound sections hikers. It was also great talking and spending time with all of my thru-hiking friends. The last week was definitely one of my favorites. Maine is gorgeous and I hope to be able to come back and spend more time here.

The boys and I decided to push it to Abol Bridge the night before rolling into Katahdin Stream so we could do a little celebrating. It rained off and on for us but turned out to be an alright day. The next morning cleared up and we got a fantastic view of the greatest mountain from Abol Bridge. It was hard for me to believe we were only 15 miles away. Took our time that morning as we only had 10 to do. We thought about summiting on Friday because it was so nice out but we all decided to wait for our friends that were meeting us at Katahdin Stream Campground. I took a lot of time reflecting at the Birches ( a camping area where many thru-hikers stay the night before the summit). I was sad to be ending but also excited to finally climb Katahdin and reach that sign. There was a rainbow over the view of the trail to katahdin that we thought was a good sign the night before the summit. My friend Jeremy showed up with a surprise guest, my friend Bridgette with enough hotdogs to feed a small army. Had a great time hanging out with my hiker friends and my friends from home. Remix and Stash's friend Joe also arrived. I was a bit anxious all night for the big day, hoping for decent weather.

7/7/07 The day I had been walking towards for some time now. It was foggy and a bit chilly when we awoke but decided to head up regardless. Jer and Bridge headed up at 4 am so they could be up there when we all summited. I left around six and caught them before the top (go figure :)) What a crazy climb up the mountain. A little more steep than any of us expected, esp. Bridge and Jer but boy were they troopers. I was really proud of them both. They just kept trucking. Once we got above treeline, it got really windy and you couldn't see hardly anything in front of you due to the clouds. This turned out to be a good thing for them as they couldnt' see how far they were really climbing up. As we neared the summit, the wind picked up considerably but the clouds moved out of the way. 360 degree views all around. It was incredible. I saw the sign from the distance and literally jogged up the the rest of the way. Jer got it all video. I was so excited, let out a whoop and teared up a bit. It was 32 degree on top with 45 mph wind gusts, resulting in a 14 degree wind chill. But I certainly didn't care, I was literally on top of the world. Somehow we all timed it right and Tau and Traveller showed up right behind me and then Remix and Stash. I can't express in words how incredible it felt to be on top of Katahdin. 2175 miles to get here. I wish I could have spent a bit more time on top but I was pretty chilled despite all the adrenaline. Me, Jer and Bridge decided to start our descent. The boys stayed up awhile drinking some celebratory beverages. I had mixed emotions traversing down the mountain. I savored every minute because I knew it would be awhile before I can be out here again.

After coming down the mountain, it just felt surreal. I am not sure it hit me that I was finished. Three days later and I am still not sure. I wish I was still out there where everything is simple. But for now, I will get my hikes in when I can and live vicariously through my other friends who are still hiking. I already have plans for my some other large hikes in my future. I can't imagine the AT being my last long distance trail.

The AT is probably the toughest thing I have ever done but also the best. The people I met, the mountains I climbed, the terrain I travelled, it couldn't have been a better experience. Thanks so much for all of you that have supported me along the way in various forms. Your encouragement and support got me through. And thanks in advance for listening to my stories over and over again and for helping me transition back into society. It will be rough.

I am planning on putting all of my pictures online so you can all see and will keep everybody updated on where that will be.

Until my next hike,

much love

Kentucky Blue

Stratton Maine stop-in

What's up folks??? So I am just stopping in Stratton, Maine to pick up a maildrop and grab some grub. We currently have less than 200 miles to go and I am so excited!!!! We are tackling the Bigelow Mountains today and tomorow and then we hear it is pretty smooth sailing to Monson and then the Hundred Mile Wilderness that leads us to Katahdin - the summit of dreams. I have still been hanging out with Stash and Remix. We did a 20 mile day over Moody Mountain, Old Blue Mountain, and Bemis Mountain. We stayed with several southbounders at the Bemis Mountain Shelter. It is crazy how many SOBO's we are now passing - sometimes as many as 10 a day. Headed down the mountain and 17 miles later, we go into Rangeley, Maine and stay at Gull Pond Lodge. Bob O'Brien, the owner, is awesome and a really great storyteller. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay there, hanging out with Bob, his dog Gwendy and the boys. Redo showed up there too and we all celebrated her birthday. Right before heading to bed, Boone and his brother, the Follower, showed up. Craziness. They are Northbounders that are travelling very quickly. They hope to summit July 4th. We are shooting for July 7th. It was good to hang out with them, it definitely got me thinking about lightening my load. They each carry about 15 pounds. Woah - my generally weighs around 30 pounds depending on food and water. The next day, we grabbed a big breakfast thanks to Bob and headed up the Saddleback Mountains. They were absolutely gorgeous. We all just hung out on each of the peaks - Saddleback, the horn, and Saddleback Junior for quite some time. I love just chillin with the mountains all around. Layed our heads at Spaulding Mountain Lean-to last night. Climbed over the Crocker Mountains today and now we are in Stratton. I am certainly not minding being in town at the moment as it is about 90 degrees outside, very humid, and the black flies are pretty excited when we are outside. I got ate up last night. As soon as we munch on some much needed icecream, we are heading another 5 miles up to Horns Pond. I hear there is some good swimming there so I think I'll take a dip. I definitely could benefit from a better smell. I have been sweating so much, it is crazy! I am excited about a big day tomorrow over the Bigelows - where if the weather is nice, we could get a view of Katahdin. That would be awesome. It looks like I will probably run into my friends Reuben and Missie who are hiking SOBO this year. It will be nice to run into some folks from home and to hear about their adventures so far.

We will be in Monson on Saturday but I'm not sure about the internet situation. I will try and update before heading into the 100 mile wilderness but if not, I will update you all after summiting. I am so excited to be in Maine. It is gorgeous and it feels really good to be this close. My dream is within reach - woohoo!!! Hope everybody is staying cool this summer and onward I go!

Love,
Kentucky Blue

Welcome to Maine - the way life should be

So I officially made it to state # 14 yesterday. I cannot believe it. Four months ago today I started down in Georgia and in two weeks, if all goes well, I will summit Katahdin. This brings chills everytime I think about it.

Left out of Gorham, NH yesterday 6/22/07. Not too fun leaving town when it is cold and rainy but that's the way things go out here. You just keep trucking. It was a long day in the rain, fog, and if you can believe it, hail. I was like are you kidding, hail, in June? But you never know with maine weather. It was off and on weather most of the day with some crazy climbs. Then we hit the Maine marker about 16 miles after starting. It actually cleared for a few minutes for our photo opportunity. I am still traveling with Remix, Stash, and Redo. About 1/2 hour into Maine, the really sucky weather hit. Welcome to Maine. I was about blown off the mountain. Forty mile an hour gusts on top of an open mountain top with hail, and one very large crash of thunder and flash of lightening. Ahh!! Did I mention the terrain was wet and very slippery. Needless to say, I was pretty stoked to pull into Full Goose Shelter and get some warm and dry clothes on. Redo wasn't so lucky, she was showing some pretty severe symptoms of hypothermia so we got her out of her wet clothes and into dry clothes and sleeping and fed her some hot liquids. She was doing much better after that thank goodness. It was a good reminder of how dangerous this trail can be some times. It was definitely the coldest I have experienced in awhile. Welcome to Maine!

It was a bit hard getting out of the sleeping bag this morning as it was probably about 40 degrees and windy. But Mahoosuc Notch was only a mile away and I was anxious to get to it. The Knotch is supposed to be the toughest mile on the trail. You pretty much crawl over, under, and around large, slippery boulders and roots for a mile straight. I put my trekking poles away and had at it. I actually had a pretty good time, it was quite the challenge, but fun nonetheless. After the notch, I headed up Mahoosuc Arm and passed a slew of southbound hikers. This is quite the novelty for me. I still remember the first SOBO i passed way back in Georgia and he was so close to finishing, I couldn't even fathom that for myself. Here I am so close to finishing and passing all of these folks that have just begun. I like where I am at :) I needed to pick up a maildrop in Andover but the crew didn't need to head in. I decided to push it in to Andover today and meet back up with Remix and Stash tomorrow on the trail. I am glad I did. The folks at Pine Ellis Hiking Lodge are super friendly and I am having the chance to hang out with two southbounders - Sprocket and Ranger. I am clean, dry and warm - a combination I am appreciating more and more these days.

On to Rangeley in a few days then Monson and then....the 100 mile wilderness, my final strech of Maine. Having a blast and hoping the weather holds for us.

Talk to you all soon.

Love,
Kentucky Blue

WOW - the incredible White Mountains

Wow doesn't quite say how incredible the past week has been for me. Just check out the pics. From the bottom, the comedy train at Mt. Moosilauke, view from Lonesome Lake, Stash and Tapeworm relaxing, me on top of a very large mountain, the sunset from Lake of the Clouds Hut, the view from Mt. Washington, and me and the boys after a very long 25 mile day in the whites!

6/13/07 19.6 miles to Hikers Welcome Hostel. Happy hiking from Hanover, NH. A bit cloudy out today but the rain held off for me so that was good. My pack was pretty heavy coming out with full resupply and a new tent to carry - ahh! But thats okay because the Whites are a-callin'! Got to the Hikers Welcome Hostel and caught up with Redo and Tapeworm, two section hikers that I met back in New Jersey and two thru-hikers Stash and Remix who started March 10th and have been chasing me the whole way only to pass me while I was off the trail being sickly. I was thrilled to finally meet them. We all hung out, ate dinner at Calamity Jane's complete with very large icecream cone, and then geared up for our big day tomorrow!

6/14/07 17 miles to Eliza Brook Shelter. What an amazing day. Quite the climb up Mt. Moosilauke but the view was incredible. Got up there in pretty good time. Me, Stash and Remix got to chill up there for a couple hours waiting on the girls to make it up the mountain. It was so much fun getting to know them and enjoying our first mountain above treeline by ourselves for a little bit. A very steep descent down the Moose, probably one of the toughest on the trail. You know its steep when you feel like you could die at any moment with just one wrong step! Ah the challenge of a thru-hike. After descending for an hour and a half, then you get to go back up another mountain and down again. It was awesome though. I got to meet Hans Solo, a section hiker who also passed me while off the trail and hang out with him for a bit. Not bad for my first day in the Whites.

6/15/07 9.8 miles to Franconia Notch and North Woodstock, NH. Good weather yet again this morning. Tapeworm and Redo needed to resupply in North Woodstock and the way I was pounding the snacks, I figured I should go in and grab a few more. So it was actually a pretty easy day to Franconia Notch. The view from Kinsman Mountain was spectacular as the view from Lonsesome Lake. This area is unbelieveable. There are so many take your breath away spots. We couldn't get a ride easily into Woodstock so we called for a shuttle and headed to the Carriage Motel and crammed 5 of us in a hotel room. Spent the afternoon enjoying the town and the pool. As you can see from the picture above, Stash and Tapewom were especially enjoying the town. I am so thankful I caught up with these guys. The group meshes really well and we are just having a blast.

6/16/07 13 miles to Galehead Hut. This day is probably my favorite day on the trail so far. Got on the trail pretty early as we had one heck of a climb. Headed up Little Haysack Mountain (not so little) and then Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Lafayette and later that day Mt. Garfield. The weather was spectacular and allowed for some killer views. I loved the challeng of the hike today. It was intense but being able to see where you came from and where you are going was unbeatable. The joys of being above treeline. Another great point for me was being able to see Mt. Washington in the distance. It is the second tallest point on the entire trail, just short of Clingman's Dome, way back in the Smokies. It is crazy to think it is only a few days away. Made it to Galehead Hut in the afternoon and met the awesome croo there. These huts are like hotels way up in the sky it feels like. The croo hikes in all the food there and everyone who stays there has to hike there. Granted not everybody there hike 1800 miles to get there but at least three. The beauty of being a thru-hiker in the whites is that you can do work-for-stay at the huts. This means you give about an hour or two of work and get fed and get a place to sleep while the paying customers pay about 67 bucks for the same deal. I had the privilege of reaming the fridge aka using a tool to get all of the excess ice off the fridge walls. It was actually nice to work. And the food was pretty good too. We got the luxury of sleeping in the dining area on the floor. Worked out good to be out of the wind of the mountains. What a great day...

6/17/07 14.7 miles to Crawford Notch and the Highland Center

6/18/07 11.2 miles to Lake of the Clouds Hut

6/19/07 20.7 miles + 4 "detour" miles to Carter Notch Hut

6/20/07 15.2 miles to Rt. 2 and Gorham, NH

So I am getting kicked off the computer because someone else needs to use it. Let me just say that this week has probably been the best on the trail for me so far. I had an amazing time. The weather was unreal - I don't think I know anybody that has been this lucky with the weather. Things just worked out. I got to go over some of the most beautiful terrain in the country and met some truly amazing people. Life is so good right now and I have still have more to come. I am heading into Maine tomorrow and have less than 300 miles to go. I am so glad I am feeling better and truly enjoying this last section of the trail. Hope you enjoyed the pics and I will hopefully update again soon. Sorry this one is a bit short!

Miss and love ya,
Ky Blue

And I'm back in the game - New Hampshire - what what!!!

Quite a variety of pics I know - me and Jer at the beach and at this really great country concert, my "car camping" day off the trail :), me looking at the mountains I am getting ready to climb and a look at the Whites - in all their majesty!

6/7/07 - 6/9/07 Hanging out in Phillie and New Jersey. Decided to take a few days off the trail and headed to Philadelphia to see my friend Jeremy. We hit pretty many sites in the few days that I had there. He took me to see his college campus - Eastern University and also Bryn Mawr University - let me say, I definitely wish I had gone there. It looked like a castle and did I mention it is all girls. The next day we headed to Cape May on the New Jersey coast. I met some of his friends and hung out on the beach most of the day. What a contrast to the mountains I have been hiking on. His friend Becca's family was staying there and they welcomed us graciously. Becca's brother Mike is really interested in the Appalachian Trail and I got to talk to him about it extensively. Kind of got me back excited about the trail and helped him out too. A win win situation. We all went to dinner and boy am I glad my appetite is back. Hooray for crab cakes! Saw a beautiful sunset over Cape May's lighthouse and then headed out on the town for a little while. Due to my thru-hiker's bedtime ( I can't help but fall asleep generally by 9 pm these days), we cut it short around 10:30 and made our way back to our campsite. So nice to drive to a campsite once in awhile. Next day we headed back towards the city and went to this great country concert featuring some new artists plus Clint Black, Gary Allan, and Dierks Bentley. Quite the treat for a country girl like myself. I was so tired by the end of the concert and knew I had to catch a bus at 5 am the next morning but there was more of Philly to see. We ate some dinner and then went to a block party. Really nice people and I wish I could have stayed awake longer to hang out but I was exhausted. Slept for a few hours in Jer's jeep and was up wicked early to catch that bus. Pretty busy for a few days off but much needed.

6/10/07 1.4 miles to Tucker Johnson Shelter. Got on a bus and stayed on several buses over the course of a very long day. Luckily I was able to convince the bus driver to actually drop me off right on the trail. I had figured out that the bus would take us right by the trail. No since in going all the way in town and then paying for a taxi back out. Score! Hiked to the first shelter and called it a day. No trouble falling asleep tonight as I was tuckered out. Thought I might run into some hikers but no luck as of yet. Just me and the sound of the bubbling brook to lull me to sleep. It's good to be back in nature, I missed her.

6/11/07 30.5 miles to Thistle Hill Shelter. Why was it again that I decided to hike 30 miles on my first real day back on the trail? Oh right, I thought it would make the walk into Hanover easier. I actually felt pretty good today. I thought I might be a little out of shape after taking a few days off but the legs were just glad to be hiking again. However my feet were a bit tired at the end of the day. I found out that Orange Blaze has passed me while I was off but no one else. I am sad that Salamander or Hobbit hadn't caught up but Sal left me a message saying he is a few days behind me. Hope to see him soon. Also got a message from Guthook saying he finished the Whites - I am so excited for him and am looking forward to the great White Mountains myself. Another night by my lonesome at the shelter. I guess I need to accept that part of the trail. It is really good to get out of my comfort zone and spend this time by myself. It challenges me and that is one of the main reasons I am out here. On my way to the shelter, I stopped for icecream at CloudHill Farm. It was Vermont organice maple - probably the best ice cream I have had on the trail. Nothing like a pint of ice cream for dinner.

6/12/06 14.6 miles into Hanover, NH. I made it to New Hampshire. How cool is that? I must say I am pretty excited and couldn't stop smiling as I was heading into town. Only 442 miles to go in this grand adventure. My feet got wet yesterday when it rained for like an hour and they continue to be wet today. I was thinking of hanging out in Hanover and then moving on tonight back to the trail but not with wet shoes. I hate coming out of town with wet shoes, it just sets you up for foot funk. So looks like I am going to check out the AT Hillton, a hiker friendly hostel. Tomorrow, I get back on the trail and head for the White Mountains, supposed to be some of the most rugged terrain on the trail. I'm looking forward to it.

It is good to be back out here, thanks again for all the comments, calls, and mainly to all of you who listened to my ramblings and grumblings about the trail. I feel so supported and that means the world to me. Onward to Maine!

Love,

Kentucky Blue

And so it goes...

Hello All and welcome to the next edition of follow that that thru-hiker. So I am finally able to post some pictures. Sorry there are not that many people, I haven't seen too many people recently but I have high hopes for the remainder of the trail. A pair of very much need to be retired trail running shoes (1000 miles on these puppies). Yes, I do have new ones finally. Baby fawn that somehow thought I was its mother, welcome to Massachussetts sign (actually, now I am in Vermont but the sign wasn't that readable), canoe at the awesome Upper Goose Pond Cabin with AT logo, memorial at Mt. Greylock, another brilliant trillium (I love these flowers!), and my stuff after a very soggy day of the trail. Okay, I have had a few of those, who doesn't love soggy feet for three days???

5/29/07 23.3. mile slackpack from MA 2 back to Dalton, MA. Who am I to pass a slackpacking opportunity? Tom graciously offered me a chance to slackpack and another night to stay at his house so I jumped right on that. Pilgrim was able to give me a ride to MA 2 after dropping Tau off and then I walked back into Dalton. It was a gorgeous day outside. I had quite the climb (my first significant one in awhile) over Mt. Greylock. It was a spectacular view and I really enjoyed it. I was trying to get to Dalton in time for my maildrop so I made some killer time after summiting Greylock. Passed through Chesire and met Red Dog when I was almost back to Dalton. What a cool section hiker! Also passed Li coming out of town. Didn't think I would see him again as he was flying. He decided to take a few days off so I should be seeing him the next day when I got back on the trail - good news! Made it to the post office in time but alas, no mail drop. Guess I am a little too far ahead of schedule. One of those things you have to roll with. I ended up doing some laundry and then resupplying at a gas station - my number one choice for resupplying! Tom was kind enough to accompany me to dinner and I enjoyed a nice organic pale ale at the local place. In to bed early so as to get back on the trail in the AM.

5/30/07 20 miles to Melville Nauheim Shelter. Went and had a nice breakfast at the local hangout with Tom and his weekly breakfast club. It was really nice to sit back and listen to the gossip of the men of the town. They didn't seem to mind me much. Tom gave me a ride back to North Adams and away I went. Another beautiful day in paradise. I got into camp pretty early today after passing into Vermont. Not much stopping as the bugs get a bit ferocious (sp?) anytime you are not walking. But nonetheless, I was excited to be in Vermont, my twelfth state. I was going to hike a bit further but I am trying to get in the slowing down routine. Besides, I had some letter writing to catch up on. I am glad I stopped because Li ended up showing up and decided to camp with me so we could hike together tomorrow. It's so good to have some company as it has been awhile.

5/31/07 27.9 miles to Stratton Pond Shelter. So I know I said I was trying to slow down but I did these miles by like 5:30 pm. Isn't that crazy? Had a great day hiking with Li today. He is hoping to do the Continental Divide Trail after finishing this one this year. That's right, he is not only hiking 2100 miles on the AT but also 2700 on the CDT in the same damn year. And you think I'm crazy. He can do it thought, cool guy. It was very enjoyable to hike with someone for a change. Generally I enjoy hiking by myself and hanging out with folks at night but every now and again, it is quite the treat to have a buddy and it makes the day go by super quick. He tried to convince me to go another 7 or 8 miles with him but I figured 28 was just fine for me. Kind of wish I did though because I didn't get much sleep as I could have sworn that there was moose walking around outside the shelter. Moose you say, yes, there has been all kinds of moose droppings and hoof prints on the trail so they are definitely around. This is where you see all of my stuff drying out because I got into a bit of a thunderstorm about an hour before reaching camp. Nothing like lightening to make you want to get down from Stratton Mountain. Turned out to be a very pleasant evening and I really enjoyed the serenity of Stratton Pond. I was really hoping for the loons to be there but not quite yet.

6/1/07 10.6 miles to VT 11/30 and Manchester Center, VT. Got up bright and early, excited to be heading into town to resupply and to catch up with Tau. Made great time in very sloshy trail conditions and was able to get a ride pretty easily into town. These Vermonters are good people! Decided to hit a popular breakfast spot before the outfitter and was I glad! Had blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup and a couple I had been talking to about the trail paid for my breakfast. I love trail magic! They must have felt sorry for my damp appearance at the more upscale breakfast place :). Hit the Mountain Goat outfitter and picked up my mail drops along with some much needed 100% Deet bug spray. The guys there were really helpful and even said I could bring my shoe back later when it was dry to patch up a small hole. Headed over to Sutton's Place, the place to stay in town for hikers. Met Frank, the owner, and he graciously welcomed me in. A room wasn't ready yet but I was able to shower so I could run and do my errands. I was even able to take care of this chicken pox vaccine I needed in order to register for classes for the fall that has been a nuisance since Virginia! Very pleased about that. When I got back, I caught up with Tau who was so excited because her friends and dog were about to arrive from Maine for a visit. I decided to head over and treat myself to the Mexican restaurant. Little did I know that would not be the wisest choice later!

6/2/07 and 6/3/07 I was planning on doing a 17 mile slack today but my plans were altered around midnight. You see, I somehow got violently ill during the night. I don't know if it was the food or just the flu but I puked for like 10 hours straight. No fun at all. Ended up calling the doctor the next morning and having to get a shot for nausea and an IV because I was becoming dehydrated. Still not feeling well upon returning so it looks like no hiking tomorrow either. Tau really took care of me even with her friends there. Her friends were great too. I was very thankful they were there to keep an eye on me. They ended up heading out on Sunday but got me set up before leaving. I pretty much just laid in bed Sat and Sun trying to recuperate. I can tell I do not like being sick but especially when away from home. Frank was kind enough to keep an eye on me after Tau left and even brought me Jello.

6/4/07 10.1 miles to Peru Peak Shelter. So apparantly, I am not the brightest crayon in the box. I somehow thought puking and not eating for two days and then hiking would be a great idea. Not so much. I was feeling a little bit better Monday morning but really I should have waited at least another day. Got back on the trail and realized a few things. A) It was raining and I was soaked in no time B) I had no energy - not eating really has that affect on you C) The trails were insanely wet and muddy and steep in some parts. My concentration wasn't all that great and I did not have an enjoyable experience. I somehow got over Bromley and then a few other peaks, coming into Peru Peak Shetler. Decided to call it a day around 12:30. I called into my bag and slept most of the day. I tried to eat dinner but it came back up. These were not good signs. I was thankful that the Grinch and his daughter were there to talk to but I probably wasn't much for conversation. I thought surely tomorrow things would improve.

6/5/07 7.7 miles to Danby-Landgrove Rd. So things did not improve in the morning. Well at least it wasn't really raining. The trail was insanely wet and again my shoes were drenched. Just kind of ambled along the trail. Ran into some hikers at BigBranch Shelter. They were all pretty friendly but I was not feeling well. I tried to eat some crackers but the outlook was not good. I made the decision to find a ride at the next road to the nearest town and see what was up. So I got to the next road, happened to be a forest road and not much traffic. Luckily I was able to get a ride with Duncan and he felt so sorry for me, he drove me all th way to Rutland where I knew there was a hostel for recuperating. I am so glad I did. I found my way to Back Home Again Cafe and they made me feel so welcome. I knew I made the right decision when I puked as soo as I got there and I was so glad it was not on the trail. Layed in bed all afternoon and they brought some drinks designed to make me feel better and kept checking on me. At some point, I also got Pedialyte and crackers and by the end of the day, I felt a smidge better. I was having some pretty crazy thoughts at this point. Maybe even quitting. My strength was gone and had lost like 8 pounds in a few days and that is quite a lot for my not so large frame these days.

6/6/07 Zero day today and surprinsingly, I felt a bit more human. Decided to try a liquid diet today and see where it got me. Volunteered in the kitchen at the cafe for work for stay and got to know some amazing people. This community lives and works together and have this great family. They were very interesting to talk to. Had one of their famous smoothies and it stayed down - woohoo!! Made the decision this morning to take a few days of the trail and visit my friend Jeremy in Philadelphia. I called him and it worked out great with his schedule so tomorrow I will going in the opposite direction of Katahdin for a few days. That will be weird but I think I need it. When I came back from the library, to my surpsise, Holly and Amanda had shown up. These are two section hikers that I met awhile back in New Jersey. I was so excited to see them. We caught up on what had been going on and it really bolstered my spirits. We all headed to the cafe again and I ate some soup and bread. I am so thrilled to be eating anything at all and it was amazing. After that we even went to a movie. Ah to be normal if only for an evening.

6/7/07 So today I made my way from Rutland, VT all the way to Philadelphia. I am already glad I came. I guess I needed a vacation. Being sick and not being around too many hikers recently has really taken its toll on me. I am ready for a weekend of just chillin with a good friend and regaining my strength so I can finish this adventure. I am also hoping that Hobbit or Salamander or both might catch up while I am here because I would really enjoy hiking with those guys again. So I am going to enjoy my weekend and get back on the trail on Sunday or Monday - refreshed, reenenergized and refocused on my goal - Katahdin. I was so focused on just getting there I was not really enjoying myself all that much the past week. Katahdin will always be there and I have all summer to get there. What's the rush?

Thanks for listening guys, especially all my friends and family that have listened to me through several phone calls over the past few days. Your unwavering support has already helped renew me. Hopefully by my next post, I will be back on the trail and in the great state of New Hampshire, going through one of the most beautiful regions in the world.

Love,

Kentucky Blue

Dalton, MA - that's right Massachusetts!

So let me tell you a little bit about my time in New York. It was hectic to say the least but fun-filled. Got up really early in the morning and went to everybody's favorite NYC weekday destination - the Today Show in Rockafeller Center. I got to actually shake hands with hosts Meredith Vierra and Matt Lauer. Martha Stewart was doing a segment and Meredith came over and brought us a taste. Then Matt saw our very ghetto sign and read that we had traveled along the AT and talked with us a few minutes. Very cool. Let me also tell you that I am wearing hiker clothes that have travelled all the way with me so I was not in my finest. After that, we walked around the city a bit and went to where Hobbit's daughter works - Murray's cheese. We got a personal tour and I got to check out how cheese is aged in the cheese cave and lots of sampling. Bought some cheese for the trail and then went to grab a slice of NY's famous pizza. We were all pretty tired by this point so we headed back to the apartment and rested for a bit. Rather my friends rested and I went, hailed my very first taxi on my own and tracked down my shoes at a shipping center in the Bronx. Go me. Had more trouble finding my new pack - eventually found it at a Fed Ex center in Manhattan. I had the pleasure of carrying around the large box to the nice restaurant we went to for dinner that evening. Nothing like synthetic clothing and a big cardboard box to make restaurant folks welcome you in. Actually this place was great and the food was outstanding. I even tried lobster for the first time and it was all it was cracked up to be and more. Mmm good! Hobbit was kind enough to treat me and I am ever so thankful!

5/24/07 20.4 miles to Kent, CT Took the early train from NYC back out to Pawling, NY. I even found my way around the city on my own. I am pretty proud of that as it is a very confusing city. One member of a trail angel family came to meet me at the station to pick up my stuff so I could do a slackpack to their house later that day. They call themselves Mac and Cheese - String is the daughter of the macs. They are the greatest family and I so enjoyed meeting them. They open up their home to thru-hikers and help them out, feed them, let them shower, give them a place to sleep that is not on the trail. Anyways, Cough Drop (from earlier in my hike) wanted to come say hello as he was passing through so we spent about 15 minutes catching up while he drove me to the trailhead. Him and his mother were headed to the beach for the weekend. It was so good to see them if only for a brief moment. Got back on the trail and it felt good to be back in the woods. The city was fun but a bit too chaotic for my taste. I love the simple rythmn of the trail, it is now a part of me. Today was incredibly hot and humid. Little did I know that tomorrow would be worse. But I kept trucking and eventually made it to Kent, CT. Mr. Mac picked me up at the trail head and took me to their house. Met back up with Tau there and had a wonderful dinner with Mr. Mac and String. So nice to have conversation and wine as we watched the sun disappear on their deck. What a pleasant evening. It was definitely a nice transition from the city back into trail life.

5/25/07 26.3 miles to a campsite near Great Falls. Had a bit of a late start this morning but it started out wondefully. Watched the sun come up via my bed on the sofa in the covered porch of Mac and Cheese's home. What a great way to wake up. Had a nice breakfast with the family and then off to Kent. I had to wait for the outfitter to open to replace my broken trekking pole. I had an enjoyable time people watching in downtown Kent, a small New England town. The outfitter apparantly broke down on the way to work so it was late to open. Luckily they had the piece I needed and it was covered under warranty so free - free is always good! Got a ride back to the trail by a nice Irish woman. That's where my late start came in - on the trial by 9:45 am is not always a good thing when it is supposed to be 95 degrees with 100% humidity. Holy cow it was warm. I was crawling up the mountains. I am not sure how I did so many miles with the heat but I just kept trucking. Took several breaks to soak the feet and even cooked dinner before moving on. I walked until past dark. It was at least cooler by this spot. I heard thunder and lightening in the distance so I thought I would have to go all the way to the next shelter but luckily it blew over so I camped in a nice open field under the stars. It was actually my first official night on the trail by myself. Scary a bit but empowering.

5/26/07 28.5 miles to MA 7 and Corn Crib. Another long day but it was a teensy bit cooler and a with a touch of a breeze. My appetite has started to be affected by the heat. I barely ate my dinner last night and I barely choked down the oatmeal this morning. This is not such a good thing when you are pulling down so many miles. My body is not happy with me. Burning too many calories and not inputting near enough. I am also really tired of most of my food. I guess I need to rethink some things the next time I am in town. Hiked six miles and came to Salsibury, CT. I met some folks having a yard sale that filled up my water bottles for me and chatted for a bit. Nice folks. Onward over the many mountains. Climbed Lions Head, Bear Mountain and Everett. Now Everett, not to be confused with Mt. Everest, felt like Everest on the way up due to the very steep climb. Saw all kinds of people today as it is Memorial day weekend and a very scenic area with lots of road access. Stopped and chatted with some but mainly kept moving. When I was about 3 miles from my final destination for the day, something major happened. Holy blood-sucking mosquitos batman! I hit the infamous Massachusetts mosquitos. These things were insane - probably 200 of them swarming me at once. I had heard about them but never dreamed they would be like that. I ran through that mile section in no time at all but it felt like forever. They got a bit better after that but not much. I probably got 50 bites, most of them around my armpit. Why do they like that area so much? Anyways, got to the road and was pretty excited about staying at the Corn Crib and I heard they had icecream for sale. Well the place was closed for the evening. I should have known but I guess I was being hopeful. I decided to still crash there as I was exhausted. Ended up sleeping in the greenhouse. Really neat place, wish I could have met the owner. Really need to figure out the food situation as I had trouble with dinner again tonight.

5/27/07 14.6 miles to Upper Goose Pond Cabin. So today I hit my lowest point on the trail. I am writing this a day later and things are much better but yesterday was definitely the hardest day for me so far. I got up just really exhausted. Doing these kind of miles over this terrain is just not a smart idea. I guess the combination of miles, heat, bugs, and not being able to eat caught up with me. I should have realized it was coming. I got on the trail really early but my heart was just not in it. My blisters on my heels also had come back with new shoes and I am losing the same toenail that just grew back. It was not my morning. I got about 6 miles to the first shelter and met this great family. I must have looked a mess. We got to talking and they were heading out a mile down the trail and heading home. They offered to take me a bit farther down the trail if it would help me out. This is called yellow-blazing, something I did not want to be a part of on the trail, but today was not my day. I decided to jump ahead about 12 miles and then hike 7 miles to this really great cabin called Upper Goose pond. I figured 15 was more doable than 27. I plan on coming back and doing that section when I finish but doing it today might have been hike ending for me and I am not ready to leave the trail. I guess I just felt that I needed to be at that cabin, it was a weird feeling. Thanks so much to Jessica, Brian, Eli and Wyatt (and Emma the dog) for helping a very weary hiker. They dropped me and already I felt a bit better. It was still a tough hike for me to get there (8 miles roughly) but I made it. Tau was there and also feeling sluggish. I told her what happened. Mainly I was still trying to justify it to myself. Took my shoes off and just relaxed. I jumped into the pond, bathed, swam a bit, canoed, sunbathed, read, journaled and made some new friends - the caretakers Mike and Penny. It was exactly what I needed. I am still a bit upset with myself that I skipped a few miles but in the long run, if it gets me to Kathadin, I am okay with that. Sometimes you just need to listen to your body.

5/28/07 21.1 miles to Dalton, MA. Got this morning feeling 100% better, thank God. Mike and Penny made us rasberry pancakes and I was on my way. Tau had decided to stay the night because it was such a great spot. Did I mention I was finally able to eat a full dinner last night and the caretakers even gave us saw fresh veggies to go with it. The food definitely made me feel better, my body was a bit malnourished. Got on the trail and even my feet felt okay. I guess attitude is everything. A little breakdown goes a long way. Made pretty good time today, even got the iPod out and danced a bit down the trail. It felt good to be enjoying my hike again. I guess I lost that a little over the past few days. Got into Dalton and met Tom right away. Tom is a magical trail angel that lets thru-hikers stay at his house. What I didn't know is that he lets you shower and even stay inside on the couch, what a treat! The laundry is closed today so I did a little handwashing. Pilgrim, from earlier in the hike, came to help Tau out and gave me a lift to get some dinner and is going to help me slack tomorrow. What a great guy. So many people out here to help us - it truly unbelievable. I know this section of my hike is going to be different. There are not as many thru-hikers around and the terrain gets tougher. I feel like today is the first day of the rest of my hike. I know I can make it, I just needed to have another award-winning growing experience. Here's to hoping I stay safe, continue growing and reach my dream.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings and again for all the love and suppor t that you all offer thru emails, comments and phone messages. They get me through! More pics later.

Love,
Kentucky Blue

I want to be a part of it - New York, New York!

Start spreading the news, da da da da da. Ha Ha. We have been singing that Frank Sinatra song since we got into the state. Now we have made it to the big apple. :)

5/19/07 17.3 miles to Wildcat Mountain Shelter. Damp cool day outside today. Tried out my new pack this morning and decided after the top of the first mountain that I was not a fan. I called REI from the top and ordered the one I should have gotten but was didn't so that is now coming to New York City and I will get it in a few days. Started raining shortly after that first hill and continued on most of the day. Sometimes heavy, sometimes not. We crossed over to New York after about 10 miles and that is when some serious rocks started. No one said there would be rocks in New York. It was mainly rocks on top of the ridge but with the rain, it was super slippery. I didn't know I signed up for rock climbing when I started the trail. Somehow Hobbit and myself made it through the day with only minor injuries (both of us scraped our knee on our last mountain of the day). Got into the shelter pretty early and climbed into dry clothes and our sleeping bags. Several section hikers caught up with us here and we all spent a cozy night listening to the rain and swapping stories. Even Squire made it. Happy to be warm and dry in my sleeping bag.

5/20/07 21.7 miles to Palisades Parkway and Holiday Inn Express. So this day turned out a bit differently than I planned. Rainy and chilly this morning so no one wanted to get going out on the rocks again but by the time we did, the rain had tapered off thank God. And what a climb it was this morning - more hand climbing over the slippery rocks and the terrain was tough. Apparantly our days of 25 miles are over - we are in New England. Walking along the trail this morning and saw a bear! I actually got a look at this one. He was probably a yearling and very curious - even got up on his haunches to check us out. Definitely glad we were all travelling ina group. Hobbit tried to get me to walk in the back and I said no way! Got to the road and all of us were exhausted already after only 10 miles. Tried to call this adventure leadership camp that was in the area that help out hikers with slackpacking and lodging. Couldn't get ahold of them all day so on we went. The terrain got better and it turned out to be a beautiful day. Got to go through Lemon Squeezer and ran into all kinds of day hikers. Got to the very busy Palisades Parkway and both of us were pretty tired and ready to quit for the day. Hobbit was nice enough to splurge on a hotel room so I got my own queen size bed for the night and a much needed shower. I bought a very large pizza and cheesecake and we were set for the night.


5/21/07 26.5 miles to a campsite 1.5 miles from 301. Long day today and happy to be setting up camp - cowbody style. Had a great continental breakfast at the hotel - filled up on all kinds of juices, we about cleaned them out. Got a ride back out to the trail from a guy getting ready to graduate from West Point this week. He is the son of a guy that has been reading Hobbits online trail journal - how cool is that. Back on the trail and headed up several steep climbs. At the top of one of the climbs, I passed a rattlesnake sunning itself on the rocks. I was trying to tell Hobbit about it and he stopped right by the snake, I just couldn't get the words out. Glad it turned out okay. That snake must have been old to not have rattled at us! On the climb up Bear Mountain, we ran into Holly and Amanda again. They are section hikers who were headed to the hotel we were at the night before. It was pretty cool to see that the trail headed right in the Bear Mountain Zoo so we checked out the school groups and the critters. Across the Hudson River with some neat views of the skyline of New York City and up to Graymoor Monestary. Had a nice lunch there in the afternoon and back on the trail. Long afternoon of hiking but we made it to the road we wanted to get to. It took us awhile to find a campsite and it wasn't the best but we were tired so there we camped.


5/22/07 22.8 miles to Pawling, NY and then the train to NYC. Got up and out of camp by 6 am. A little motivation goes a long way. I was really tired this morning, guess I will be needing the day off tomorrow. Stopped and had several snacks, trying to get myself some energy. All of us were pretty pooped. There are so many ticks in the area that the trail conference posts signs at all the road crossings warning hikers about lyme disease. One of the symptoms is being really fatigued so ofcourse everyone is paranoid about it. I am definitely keeping a look out as I find several ticks everyday. Made pretty good time today even though I felt sluggish. Got to Pawling before 3 pm. Grabbed a sandwich and some soda and bought our tickets for the city. Pretty exciting to sit on the train and people watch after all this time. There is so many people and they all smell so clean and they are all in their own little worlds. Got into Grand Central Station and it was crazy. Everybody rushing around trying to get somewhere. It is definitely a different world than the one I live in on the trail. Hobbit's daughter picked us up there because we couldn't have gotten anywhere on our own. Walked around a bit and found a nice irish pub for dinner. I finally got a black bean burger! Headed towards Time Square and that was awesome being there, especially since we had our packs and still hadn't showered yet. What a surreal experience. Took the subway to her place and tried to figure out what is going on with my packages of new shoes and a new pack. Happy to be here!!

5/23/07 ZERO DAY ZERO DAY!!! Hitting the town today so I will post you on all of our adventures later.
Love,
KY Blue

Picture Time

So I am finally able to get some pictures uploaded. Hope you enjoy. The half gallon challenge, met at the official halfway point (big sign), climbing up the many rocks in Pennsylvania, which way do i go?, they expect me to climb up this?, the crew (Tecumseh and Moxie, Hobbit, Tau, me, and Pilgrim), beautiful lady slippers, my new pack I am getting rid of looking at New York view, me and Hobbit at the lowest point on the trail right by the bears den at Bear Mountain Zoo - that's right, we walk right through the zoo!, and two smelly hikers in Times Square with backpacks on. Can't beat that.

New Jeseiy take two

Sorry about the interruption - here is the exciting conclusion to part one.

5/15/07 15.6 miles to Delaware Water Gap and the Mountain Church hostel. Pilgrim was kind enough to escort our packs around to DWG from Wind Gap. A nice slackpacking opportunity that we were not going to pass up. Not a bad hike at all. Pretty excited to be so close to New Jersey (only a half mile at the end of the day). Enjoyed a nice breakfast before heading out early (hooray for donuts and juice!) Passed through some beautiful scenery and quite a few day hikers. You can definitely tell that most colleges are out for the summer. Got into DWG pretty early, enjoying a frosty beverage right when we get there - thanks Pilgrim! Headed into town to pick up fuel and check out the church hostel. Wondeful accomodations, got to meet Pastor Karen and enjoyed my third shower in three days (I am beginning to get used to these showers, it will be hard going back to one every four or five days!). I also enjoyed spending time with my fellow hikers. We had a great dinner and then said goodbye to Pilgrim. Headed in to do some journaling and then had a poetry reading - everybody reading their favorite poems - it was just a really cool night. It will be hard to say goodbye to Tecumseh and Moxie tomorrow, we had a lot of fun hiking with them. Also got to talk to Guthook on the phone, my hiking buddy from when we first started. He is a week again and also having a grand adventure. It was good to catch and relay some trail stories - miss you buddy!

5/16/07 24.8 miles to Brink Road Shelter. So more food in the morning (as usual, we cannot get enough town food) and then an early start on the trail. Full packs today after two days of slacking. More rocky terrain as we enter New Jersey. So excited to enter state number eight! We heard the rocks would be ending but today was not our day. I had something happen to my hip today due to my hip belt I think or possibly a sting/bite of somesort. All I know is that it is not a pleasant feeling. Started as a big swollen welt and now it is an open weeping sore - thanks for listening. I will keep an eye on it and hopefully it will clear up. Saw my first porcipine on trail today, I don't think I have ever seen one in the wild - pretty cool. He just scampered off before I had a real good look. Also spotted a pileated woodpecker - must be a good day for wildlife. Thought there was a storm coming so Tau, Hobbit, and I made some seriously good time after lunch. Got another break in before the storm came. Had a bit of thunder, lightning and rain but not too bad. Got a bit damp as we traipsed up and down over several ridges. Amazing foggy misty views of the New Jersey and surrounding mountains. Got into camp pretty early with very soggy feet. And I must say the mosquitos were quite excited to see us - they have arrived!!! In bed pretty early with bug head net securely fastened.

5/17/07 24.9 miles to Jim Murray property shelter. Another large mileage day - Hobbit is grumbling but doing an excellent job of hanging with us and we so enjoy his company! On the trail by 6 am due to the fact that after 3 and a 1/2 miles, we got a second breakfast at Joe to Go right on the trail. I love egge and cheese bagels. After a quick refueling, headed up the mountain to our next adventure. Got some pretty good views in today. Enjoyed the highest point in New Jersey at High Point State Park. Met two section hikers that just got on the trail this morning - Holly and Amanda from South Carolina. They are headed to Maine as well from New Jersey. Heard of this great "secret shelter" available to long distance hikers by Jim Murray who hiked the AT in 1989. He owns a lot of property and opens up his cabin, privy and shower to hikers. It was amazing to have a hot shower right on the trail. The property was beautiful and Jim even payed us a visit to say hello - really nice guy. A pleasant addition to the property was his two boistrous donkeys. They made quite a bit of ruckus but it only added to the charm of the place. Nothing like loud donkeys in the background to lull you to sleep!
Met Squire, another section hiker, at the secret shelter. Nice guy from massachusetts that was excited to talk to us thru-hikers about our hike thus far - hopefully he will join us in Vernon tomorrow.

5/18/07 13.6 miles to Vernon, NJ. Another town stop - woohoo! On the trail by 6 this morning (anyone else noticing a trend here?) and enjoyed a solitary hike through the mist this morning. A bit cool out and a wonderful morning for a hike. There were these awesome marshy areas and wildlife management areas that we walked through - quite a treat. I saw all kinds of birds but particulary excited about the swans and the great blue heron. We heard there was a cremery right at the road to town so we all planned to meet there. Nothing like hot cocoa and half a loaf of homemade zucchini bread to make you feel all warm and cozy inside. After we got our fill, we caught a ride to town and checked out St. Thomas church hostel. Very nice digs again. Shower, laundry, internet, everything a thru-hiker could want. I was excited about my maildrops because I had a new pack, new shoes and a new water bladder coming. Everything worked out great besides the fact they sent me the wrong size of shoes - oh no! My trail runners are about ready to kick the dust but hopefully they will hang on a few more days. Called REI and they said they would ship the right pair overnight to New York so I should receive them on Tuesday. It's always something but hey, no worries. Checked out my new pack and got organized this afternoon. Towns are usually more stressful than the woods because we have so much to get accomplished. I always long for my woods time when I am in town. I wonder how it will be when my woods time is up. Don't really want to think about that quite yet. Enjoyed a nice dinner with Hobbit, Tau and even Squire joined us. Another day is gone and New York calls to us tomorrow.

Thanks for reading and bearing with me as I try and keep this blog up to date - the internet is hard to get to out here some times. I hope everybody is enjoying their spring as much as me.

Love,
Kentucky Blue

hopefully post some pics soon - couldn't do it here!

New Joisey Baby

Hello again!! I made it to the great state of New Jersey (see phonetic spelling above :) Pretty excited to be here and suprinsingly the scenery has been spectacular.

5/8/07 4.6 miles to Clarks Ferry Shelter. Spent most of the day in town, getting caught up on things and resting. Tau needed some help updating her blog so I helped with some typing. Good times! We were also waiting on a package so Tau was kind enough to buy me a few brews while waiting for helping her out. We didn't leave town til about 6 pm. It was an interesting climb up the mountain after our "happy hour" but we were happy to make it to the shelter. It was really hot out that day. Headed to bed shortly after arriving in camp, anxiously awaiting another day of the joyous Pennyslvania rocks!

5/9/07 24.3 miles to Rausch Gap campsite. Didn't feel all that hot today mainly because the humidity and temperature were both pretty high. Had some significant climbs over small, sharp rocks that just make your feet feel all kinds of interesting sensations. But did meet some nice section hikers today. Also was able to soak my feet in this really cool creek around lunch time. This does wonders for aching feet. I try to do that at least twice a day if water is available. This turned out to be quite the exciting afternoon. I was walking nonchalantly walking the trail and heard a terrifying sound - rattles too close for comfort. I jumped back quickly, said a few choice words and realized I was no more than a foot away from a very large timber rattlesnake. He was coiled up, rattling away and not happy to see me. I decided to take the long way around him and heard those rattles as I walked away from him down the trail. Needless to say, I was a bit edgy the rest of the afterrnon. Made it camp and found a nice spot by the creek to take a spit bath and relax the evening away. Ahh the adventures in the great outdoors!!

5/10/07 33.3 miles to Eagles Nest Shelter. That's right, I said 33. Who's a rock star, I'm a rock star!!! Ha ha. Didn't plan on doing 33 miles today, it just kind of happened. Woke up around 4:30 and was on the trail by 5:45 am. Felt really good today and was trying to beat a bit of the heat. We made it 17.3 miles to the 501 shelter by 12:30 pm. Not too shabby. Met up with two section hikers from Germany at the shelter and we were all thankful we had the ability to order pizza directly to the shelter as it was right next to Hwy 501. Had half of a large pizza and a large pepsi and we were ready for more hiking. Who knew! Said goodbye to our new friends and headed off around 2:30. I forgot to mention this shelter also had a solar shower. I use the term solar loosely as it a hose attached to a big tank and as far as I could tell no "solar" had hit the shower yet. But still very thankful that the shelter maintainer had gotten the shower working the day before. Feels so good to be clean. Started clouding over just as we'd completed about 6 more miles. Ran into a section hiker we had met right before Duncannon - Don from Baltimore. Really nice guy and we were oh so happy to stop and chat for a few minutes and give ourselves a breather. Looked like a big storm was coming and since we are trying to have relatively light loads at the moment, neither of us is carrying a tent. So pretty much, make it to the shelter or be really wet. Made it to the shelter just in time, right around dark. Who knew you could walk thirty miles all in daylight hours. What a day, my feet and whole body hurt but it felt amazing to push my body to the limit. I felt really alive all day.

5/11/07 21.3 miles to near Gold Spring. Not really sure I wanted to be out of bed this morning after a long day like yesterday but we were still on the trail pretty early, after a nice long stretch. One motivator today is that we were going through Port Clinton, a town with restaurants. And we all know how much thru-hikers like food and lots of it. My ankles were giving me a hard time after yesterday so I took it slow going over the rocks and down the steep decline into Port Clinton. Had a bit of trouble finding the 3-C's diner and I must say I got a bit cranky when we got lost. But, a nice section hiker named Jim from Washington said he would look after our packs and pointed us in the right direction. After a huge second breakfast, we lounged around the Port Clinton pavillion, a cozy home away from home for thru-hikers. Team Mike who thru-hiked last year came in to say hello and we got some tips for farther up north. Decided to push on a few more miles up the trail but boy was it hard to leave the cool pavillion. After several steep climb, we made it to Pulpit Rock and the Pinnacle, both amazing views of the Pennsylvania valley. It was almost dark by this time but we got a breather when the rocky trail turned into a gravel/dirt road - thank God! After a few miles on the road, found two guys camping with their dog in this nice campsite in a field. Sat down to say hello and ended up spending the night as they gave us a baked potato roasted in the fire, peanuts, cracker jack. all kinds of good stuff. Thanks Frank, Randy and Leroy the dog!

5/12/07 20.6 miles to Bake Oven Knob Shelter. Got up with no water this morning so we quickly packed up and headed for the nearest spring. A few miles later, we hit a very nice spring, drink up and had breakfast. Beautiful saturday morning. Saw several turkey hunters out this morning, not always a welcome sight when you are a hiker but nothing you can do but hike on. After a nice long rocky climb, met two weekenders who were very friendly. Always nice to talk to people out on the trail and exchange pleasantries and information. People are my favorite part of the trail, I love all the interesting people who have come into my life on the trail that normally, our paths would never cross. I am especially grateful for my hiking partner Tau. We have a blast out here and keep each other on our toes. I met some Mennonite section hikers right before lunch time. I really enjoyed talking to them. At the Allentown Shelter is also where I met Hobbit. He started hiking January 31st and we have been chasing him for awhile. He is awesome!! Also caught up with Tecumseh and Moxie who we met in Harpers Ferry. They are section hiking PA to ME. They did the first section last year. All three of them are amazing people. We all ended up at the same place today and had a great time. Before we got to the shelter, we stopped by the Blue Mountain B&B which happened to have a restaurant. Nothing like a tasty beverage to make your ankle feel better and get you over the supposed worst rocks in the state of Pennsylvania. I don't know if it was the company or the beverages, but they didn't seem all that bad. Maybe we have just seen so many rocks so far that by this point, nothing surprises us! I had a great day today and was happy to make it to the shelter before the rain came.

5/13/07 7.3 miles to Slatington, PA. This turned out to be one of the most interesting days on the trail. Got up and moving pretty early as it was a town day and that is reason for inspiration and motivation. Walked with Tau and Hobbit into town. On the way in, I took a bit of a stumble and scraped my knee and shin pretty good on a rock. Battle scars! We were able to get a ride into town pretty quick by a nice guy named Alex. Decided to hit up breakfast first at the diner, so good!! After breakfast, we went to check out our accomodations. Fine Lodging said they had a hiker bunkroom but it wasn't open for the season yet so the owner said we could camp in his backyard. We think a nice grassy open area. Oh no, think more like nice closed in junkyard. There was so much stuff back there. I wish I could post pictures because nothing I say could give this place justice. We all look at each other and start busting a gut. But hey, that is what the trail is all about. Ira was a great guy and let us take showers and camp out, even gave us a mattress to sleep on so we were pretty thankful. I didn't think Tecumseh and Moxie would want to stay there but here they come, ready to set up camp with us. We ended having a great afternoon. Did some laundry, got to know Hobbit a little better, and ate some icecream. After all of our tasks were completed, we headed to "the shack" for dinner. Several pitchers of Yunegling and a big haddock dinner and I was all set for the evening. Even put a little jukebox music on. Doesn't get much better than that - really enjoyed the company and conversation. Thank-you fellow hikers!

5/14/07 20.7 miles to Wind Gap, PA. We decided to set up a slackpack with Ira so we could stay at another hotel the next night. Also found out that Pilgrim wanted to help us out in the area. He thru-hiked in 2004 and then section hiked this year to Harpers Ferry. I met him down south and he is just a great guy. He wanted to meet us in Wind Gap tonight and slack us the following day to Delaware Water Gap. Yeah!! Anyways, picked up my mail drop first thing in the morning and was on the trail by 9 am. Quite the climb out of the gap but when you are not really carrying a pack, life is good. Interesting scenery at first as the area has been affected by zinc smelting. Pretty much everything is dead for a few mile stretch. Got out of that and back into the shade. Found some trail magic by Boomer at the first trailhead we come to - water and candy. Thanks! Met Pilgrim at the hotel later that afternoon. We all decide to squeeze into one room because Pilgrim was nice enough to help us with the cost of the room - really thankful as all of us are getting low on funds! Headed into town for a chinese dinner. Got my braised tofu with broccoli - so good and then hit the supermarket for a few things before heading back to the hotel. Into bed shortly after as I was wore out!

State # 7

Hello all. I am going to attempt to update the blog all the way to the present but unfortunately no picture updates due the computer I am using being a bit out of date. But hey, beggers can't be too choosey and I am happy to have this opportunity to use it!

Back to 4/24/07 - 26.2 miles to Hightop Hut. Very long day today - pretty cool to think I walked an entire marathon in one day over several large mountains. Bad news today about my water bladder in my pouch. It sprung a leak and got quite a few things wet in the pack. I emptied it out and carried on. Nothing you can much do about it while hiking. Right after I had stopped for lunch, I saw the tail end of something black. I saw my first bear on the trail - woohoo! Can't say I mind seeing the back end as it was running away from me. Freaked me out a bit but just say a few songs really loudly for the next mile and I was good to go. Was planning on meeting up with Tau and Salamander at the Pinefield Hut and I got there pretty early. I was able to dry everything off and soak my feet in the stream. I even took a bit of a spit bath - what a treat. I can't tell how good it feels to change your undies when you only get to do it once every few days. After cooking an early dinner, the crew decided to head to the next shelter. We had a blast that afternoon - it was a bit cooler outside and we all hiked together. Got to the shelter right at dark and realized we had finally caught up with two other thru-hikers - Orange Blaze and Juniper. Ate a snickers and called it a night.

4/25/07 24.4 miles to Rock Spring Hut. Another early morning trying to beat the heat of the day. I had my shirt off and was hiking in my sports bra within 5 minutes. But I am not complaining, it is beautiful out there. My legs felt like they had lead in them in the morning but eventually got moving. A big treat today was hiking 12 miles and then getting a rootbeer and a huge icecream sandwich at the campground store that happened to be open! Took a long lunch break there and continued on in the park. Due to several ice storms that happened the past year, there are crazy downed trees in the park. It looks pretty bad in some areas but the trail crews are trying to get it cleaned up. I was a bit disappointed with how the park looked but everyone said it is just because of the storms. I will have to check things out later when it gets cleaned up and there are some leaves on the trees. Long afternoon of hiking. It looked like it might rain but it held off and I was greatful to get to the shelter. Met up with the thru-hikers and several section hikers - Rags and John. They were both really great folks. My body is definitely tired after two really long days of hiking.

4/26/07 15.7 miles to Pass Mountain Shelter. Decided to give the body a bit of a break today. Foggy and misty in the morning. We heard we would pass by Skyland lodge right around breakfast time and decided to try it out. Man was it tasty. I had this great omelette, biscuit and potatoes. We were a bit underdressed as wet smelly hikers but we definitely spent our fair share on breakfast. Tau, Salamander and I decided to hang out a bit at the lodge where it was warm and dry. All of us were exhausted and realized it might not be a bad idea to just head to the next shelter - 10 miles vs another 16. Got to hang out with Rags and John again. Not a bad day. We hiked together again and got to the shelter early enough to rest and cook dinner. If you saw the picture of the kissing tree from the last blog, that was that shelter.

4/27/07 23.6 miles to Tom Floyd Shelter. Our last day in the Shenendoahs!!! Pretty excited to be getting out of the park, one step closer to Harpers Ferry. Had another place to stop for breakfast this morning - just a bit farther. Had some egg and cheese sandwiches and a blackberry milkshake and it was worth every penny. Is anyone else noticing a trend in me talking about food? It is pretty much what thru-hikers think about all day, every day. :) The weather warmed up again and I wasnt' complaining this time as I had gotten soaked a few minutes before breakfast and the breeze wasn't helping things. Me, Tau and Salamander hiked together again today. They keep me entertained. We have the most random conversations but I love every minute of it. They are both great people and I am thankful to be hiking with them. Got to the edge of the park almost at dark. Decided to have a celebratory drink - toasted the Shenendoah's and each other and hiked the last few miles to the shelter. What a day, what a day.

4/28/07 7.1 miles to Jim and Molly Denton Shelter. Had a nero day today. We walked 3 miles to the road and got a ride into Front Royal, VA. Did some laundry, got some more food for the trail and ate some amazing mexican food. It's amazing how clean you can feel even if you don't shower just by putting clean clothes on. (there was no place to shower in town without paying, we figured we could wait two more days) Stopped by the outfitter on the way out of time and met Brandon - the owner. He was kind enough to give us a ride back to the trail. I was still stuffed from lunch but we had to hoof it 5 miles to the shelter. Thankful to get there and let the food settle. Not suprinsingly, I was hungry again and thankful I had thought to get a sub from Blimpie before leaving town. Sometimes you get sick of dinners you cook out here. And I can officially not eat any more trail mix. There's only so much you can stomach. Currently, i prefer snickers bars and a variety of granola and other candy bars.

4/29/07 28.2 miles to Bears Den Hostel. This was a very long day but eventful nonetheless. Got up early and did 3 miles to the road to meet Jeremy and his dad. They had a bit of time finding us but they got there and Jer's dad was kind enough to take our packs so they would be waiting for us at Bears Den. I don't think Jer knew what he was getting into but he won the trooper award for the day. From the road, we had 25 miles which included devils roller coaster. If you don't know what that is, it is a stretch of 10 miles that has 6 separate climbs of a signifincant elevation gain and loss. They even put up a sign warning hikers about it. The first part of the day was great - we were ambling along enjoying the scenery and then realized we needed to kick it up a notch in order to get into the hostel on time. By this point, poor Jer has blisters on several parts of his feet but he wasn't complaining. I can't believe I asked him to hike 25 miles in one day. I didn't do that until I had been on the trail for a month. He did it cold turkey!! Took a long break before the roller coaster and then took to the trail. Me and Tau jumped ahead to check in on time. Even we were dragging by that point. We roll in right at dark and Greg was there waiting for us. (Greg's one of my roomies from college) He came to take our packs to Harpers Ferry so we could slack pack again. So thankful for him and Jeremy for giving us a bit of a break with the packs. Checked in at the hostel, got our pint of Ben and Jerry's and pizza and finally sat down. I can't believe I ate a whole pizza by myself. I guess you could say I was hungry. We all got showers and just went to bed - an exhausting day for everybody but what an experience! I know Jer will never forget it.

4/30/07 20.7 miles to Harpers Ferry, WV. Jer decided to not hike with us again and let his blisters and his body recover a bit. I can't say I blame him. Bears Den was such a neat place - this old castle turned into a hostel. I wish I could have stayed and really enjoyed it but WV awaited. Got up and made pancakes. Decided what would go better with pancakes then our leftover ice cream from last night. What a treat. Don't know if I should try it at home but I need all the calories I can get out here. Hiked out around 9:45 and made plans to meet Jer and Greg in Harpers Ferry later that day. Had a nice break at Blackburn Trail Center. What a great place - it is maintained by the PATC and would have been a nice place to spend the night but we were headed a bit further. The terrain was really rocky today and I was still tired from yesterday. Me and Tau desperately wanted to get to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's headquarters before they closed so we could sign the official trail register. We rocked out 12 miles in 4 hours. We were moving and made it ther around 5:30. They close at 5 but they were nice enough to let us in to sign. We got our pictures taken and signed in. We were #22 and 23 for thru-hikers heading north to pass through harpers ferry this year. Not too shabby if you ask me. Headed down the trail a bit farther to historic harpers ferry. what a beautiful town. The place we wanted to go for dinner was closed but the owners lived next door and offered us a beer while we were waiting for Greg. Very thankful! Headed to the only place in town that was open - a very nice tavern and finally got some grub. Ended up being quite the dinner party -Greg, Jer, Tau, Salamander, myself and a wild salmon farmer from Scotland that Salamander ran into on the way to the tavern. It made for excellent dinner conversation. While eating dinner, Greg mentioned that his hot water heater has busted and flooded the basement. Since all of us were staying there, he would have to suffer through our stench til the next morning when it would be fixed. Thanks Greg for everything, especially putting up with us all. Hit the Home Depot on the way home to buy the heater. Another long day but so greatful to be sharing it with all these amazing people.

5/1/07 zero day in Harpers Ferry! only my fourth day off on the trail and i so enjoyed it. We had quite a bit to do as usual being a hiker only in town for a short time once a week or so. Hit the ATC headquarters again so Sal could sign in since he got in too late the night before. Checked out historic harpers ferry again -the outfitter there was in the coolest old building. Finally got a hat that fit and would keep my scalp from burning in the sun! Ate at the restaurant we had wanted to try the night before - loved the crab cake sandwich. Headed back to Greg's and we all just crashed for awhile. Cooked a great big dinner with veggie burgers, chips, beans and beer. We were all too stuffed for the dessert we bought but ofcourse we found room later. It was great to finally catch up with Jeremy and Greg. It had been a few years since I had seen either of them.

5/2/07 17.5 miles to Boonsboro, MD. So we were spoiled one more day. Jer was kind enough to take our packs to his parents house in Boonsboro and they were kind enough to open up their home to three hungry and stinky thru-hikers. This terrain felt great - we rocked out the mileage in no time. Maryland was good to us. We passed by several historical landmarks and it was just a beautiful day outside. Jer picked us up from the trail and took us on a tour of Boonsboro. Another great town along the trail. Even Nora Roberts (famous author) calls Boonsboro her home. Got some much needed ice cream from the cremery and even got to see where Jer's grandparents live. Their farm has quite a bit of Civil War history. Headed to Jer's parents house and his mom cooked us veggie lasagna with salad, bread, and ice cream and brownies for dessert. We have been spoiled several days in a row now. We even watched a movie - I felt almost like a normal person. Jer had to head out that night but promised his mom would take us to the trail the next day. Thanks Jer and Laurie and Lindsey for all of your hospitality!!

5/3/07 18.6 miles to Devils Racecourse Shelter campsite. It was really hard hiking today with packs on with slackpacking the past few days. My pack felt like someone had snuck bricks in. So today was a bit slow moving but we got there. Took several long breaks and enjoyed every minute of those breaks. Passed by the original Washington monument and Annapolis rocks - both really neat spots. Met several guys out on a bachelor party weekend in the woods at the shelter. We decided to cook dinner at the shelter and hike back up the trail (very steep climb) and camp on top of the mountain so we wouldn't have to do it first thing in the morning (very thankful the next day!).

5/4/07 23 miles to Caledonia State Park area. Salamander invited us to join him and his mom for dinner as she was coming to pick him up for a few days off the trail. We just needed to meet her at the state park. You don't have to ask us twice to come to dinner. I slept really well last night - guess I needed the rest. Got a bit turned around this morning. Me and Tau were hiking together and talking as usual. Not really watching for white blazes. Realized it pretty soon and got back on the trail in no time. Salamander was now in front of us so we were able to sneak up on him a bit and surprise him. He thought it was pretty amusing. Got to the park and was able to soak my feet - they always enjoy getting iced down after all those miles. Sal's mom was going to be a bit late but me and Tau decided to wait and have dinner. Again, dinner at a restaurant sounded much better than anything we were going to cook. Plus I wanted to meet Sal's mom. We end up going to this great bistro only a few miles from the trail. It is by far the best food I have had since I have been out here. I had crab au gratin with linguine - it was amazing. Thanks Sal's mom for treating us to that great meal. She dropped us back to the park and we said our goodbyes to Salamander. Hopefully he will catch up to us after he takes time off. I really enjoy hiking with him. Tau and I were too stuffed to go far so we just threw our bags down and camped under the stars.

5/5/07 26.3 miles to Tagg Run campsite. We weren't sure how many miles we were going to do today and decided to play it by ear. The terrain finally calmed down a bit. By the way, did I mention I made it to Pennsylvania - woohoo - state number 7, 7 more to go! Headed out of the park to the first shelter and met some really nice section hikers. Darryl went to Eastern Kentucky University just like me and now lives in Pennsylvania. Nice to have some Kentucky connections. Made great time getting to the next shelter and Tau caught up with me there. A really great shelter - wished I could stay but decided to push on. There is something called the half-gallon challenge that takes place at Pine Grove Furnace State Park. It involves being able to eat an entire half-gallon of ice cream in one setting. I wasn't sure if I was up to the challenge but when I got to the store and realized it was only open on weekends and I had arrived on a Saturday, I decided it was meant to me. I took my tub of Moose tracks and set to work. I am proud to say I ate 2/3 of it. I probably could have finished it off but I would have been really sick. As it was, my tummy wasn't too happy but at least not puking. Took some time to rest and thought it might not be a bad idea to hike some more so my tummy could work out some of that ice cream. Headed up the trail another 7 miles and it did the trick. Like a champ, i was even able to eat dinner upon arrival into camp. Got to love the thru-hiker appetite.

5/6/07 26.8 miles to Darlington shelter. no rational person would plan on hiking two 26 mile days in a row but who's rational out here? :) Got up this morning after not sleeping too well and headed to Boiling Springs, PA. Up and over a few mountains and we were just in time for lunch. Decided to eat at the only place open in town - italian. Another amazing meal which included sun-dried tomato bisque manicotti, salad, fresh bread and a picture of root beer. Talk about being too stuffed to hike another 14 miles. It took a lot of convincing to get Tau up from her spot in the sun napping to go hiking. I wasn't too keen on the idea either but it meant a fairly easy day tomorrow so onward we pressed. It was a long afternoon but relatively flat. My dogs were barking especially the last four miles. Got into camp and met some more section hikers who were really friendly. Ate a quick snack and collapsed into my bag. Oh the joy of the thru-hiker life.

5/7/07 11.4 miles to Duncannon, PA I can't believe I actually caught up my journal. I am currently in Duncannon at the Doyle Hotel. This hotel is 102 years old, pretty crazy. My feet were not excited about hiking this morning but they were fine once we started moving. Took several breaks and was really excited to make it to town. Just relaxing today, enjoying the nice weather and hopefully I will catch up with some folks on the phone later.

I can't believe how fast time is going right now. I want to savor every minute of this experience. Hope you enjoyed the update and I will try and get some pics up soon!

Much love,
Kentucky Blue