And Then There Were None (left on the trail)

The doorbell rang a little after 5:00 this afternoon and I was greeted with a big grin worn by someone very familiar, though altered - a grizzled mountain man look, (but he wears it well). Like Madeline, he too gained 20 pounds on the trail. I dare say some is muscle mass; he definitely has a sturdier look about him. The experience of being home felt somewhat surreal, in part due to the length of time he's been gone, and in part due to having missed out on the opportunity for sleep last night. He has toured the house and commented on how different everything is, (it's not), communed with the animals, all of whom were welcoming, got a shower and a fresh set of clothes, had dinner, which Madeline had kindly prepared before going to work this afternoon, shared company and chatter, and retired for the night.

Shortly after we talked this morning, the manager of the truck stop restaurant asked him if he could use a hot meal. He accepted and was treated to the breakfast buffet on the house. He didn't get his first ride of the day until about 1:00 this afternoon, having waited a full 12 hours in the same location. That first ride, by a man on his way to work at the Honda factory, took him some 4o miles in the right direction. He went the distance with the ride that followed shortly there after. He was picked up by a woman, her daughter and grandson on their way to Louisville for Thanksgiving. As they were passing through Cincinnati, they dropped him at the Mitchell Avenue exit and he hoofed it on home from there. This woman recognized the hiker spirit in him as she had just completed her own journey on the Pilgrimage Trail which stretches across Spain. He enjoyed the hours spent with them.

So the trail is a little lighter today. He said he felt a sadness in that last day of hiking. He took it slowly and soaked it all in. He contemplated just sitting outside after having been home but a few hours, and even toyed with sleeping outside. I think he might be a little slower to acclimate to this altered life than Madeline was. It's hard to figure out what the next chapter in life will look like. The hitch home took three days but the kindness of strangers and the kind drivers that helped him made it a good final chapter. He was given two free meals, housed for a night and made $32 in donations that he never solicited. One can not hear these tales without feeling a renewed faith in the essence of good in people.

Alot of miles have passed under the feet of my two youngest children since this journey began on the fifth of July. It was definitely a journey worth taking. There are now adjustments to be made and memories to reflect upon. Stay tuned for a posting of pictures from New Hampshire to Maine and then south from Pennsylvania to Virginia. Given some time, Jonathan will have some reflections to share as well so we're not done just yet. I'm glad to have this boy back safe and sound. ~ Amy

I now have new respect for the term 'within walking distance'
~ Welches (AT hiker, 2000)

almost home

Got a 7 am call from Jonathan this morning and he's getting closer.....much closer. Right after talking to Madeline yesterday evening, he hooked a ride with a trucker heading to Chicago. Though this took him further north than his plan, he was getting much further west. He was left at a truck stop off I-75 about 135 miles north of Cincinnati at 1:00 this morning. He is waiting patiently for that next big ride home, and no, he does not want to be picked up. He's quite certain he'll make it home by Thanksgiving. He must be tired. ~ Amy

........and I can't find my way home

Two days of hitchhiking and Jonathan might be further from home than when he started. He hiked his final stretch on Sunday, slept in the final shelter of this journey, and then headed off the trail to Route 50 on Monday morning. Though he has experienced the kindness of strangers, he's not making any progress towards home. The waitresses in a small cafe were eager to hear his story and then not only refused to let him pay for his meal, but insisted he take $5 as well. At another point in the day, when he left his backpack outside to go in somewhere for coffee, he returned to his pack to find that someone had placed a $10 bill on top of it. He was able to hitch just two very short rides on Route 50; traffic was extremely light and didn't hold much promise so he rerouted himself to the expressway with the third ride. Late last night in the pouring rain, he was saved from his plight by some former hikers who offered him shelter in their home for the night. They returned him to his hitching location this morning and he continued his fishing expedition, now with a sign that reads, Cincinnati for Thanksgiving, in the hopes that someone would feel more kindly towards him. He had gotten two rides by the time he talked to Madeline early this evening from a truck stop in Bedford, PA looking for that big ride to take him home. When Madeline asked him if he'd like to be picked up, he said he just might, but not yet. He'll let us know.
~ Amy and Madeline

Bound for Home

Jonathan had the hiker's special at the Bear's Den Hostel as he came off the trail Friday night. For $25 you get a bunk, a shower, your laundry done, kitchen privileges, a frozen pizza and a pint of Ben and Jerry's. The hostel resembles a castle in the woods with its turret and stone construction; it sits in the woods just .1 miles off the trail. The couple who run it have a newborn son named Jonathan. In addition to bunk rooms, there's a large common hiker room complete with TV, and piano and guitar for the musically inclined. The hiker kitchen is fairly well stocked with food that has been left behind by others, mainly groups that come through. It was well enough stocked that Jonathan was able to scrounge up cereal and bagels and cream cheese for breakfast. A friendly group of boy scouts camping on the grounds brought him in a piece of peach cobbler as he stayed on though Sunday night.

The hostel has a hiker board with pictures of all the hikers who have passed through its doors. Jonathan saw many familiar faces from the trail. Remember BAM (the middle aged woman with dog who started her flip flop journey around the same place in PA that Madeline and Jonathan began their journey)? She forged on ahead of them fairly early on when they detoured into New York and then had to wait for the replacement boots. But through trail registers, they knew she had made it to Katahdin, though no longer as BAM. Somewhere along the way she reclaimed her birth name, Nina. What they didn't know was whether she continued on with the southbound portion of the trail. After seeing her in the Bear's Den register, Jonathan knew she had gotten at least that far. He also learned from the folks at the Bear's Den that hiker, Bad Idea, was called back to duty in Afghanistan. Although his four year tour of duty was up, apparently one can be called back for an additional tour. Jonathan also had a chance to see the trail documentary that fellow hiker, Lion King made while thru-hiking several years earlier. Mostly scenic, set to music, it made him remember how good it had been - from the rich greens of the forests to the community of fellow hikers.

This last week since coming back to the trail after the Baltimore detour has been different. Jonathan has felt unusually weak and lacking in energy; progress has been slow. He suspects its mental, not physical. Taking the Baltimore break may have tipped the scales. Being with Colin and in the midst of the familiar art and music scene perhaps made him long to be back. The feeling definitely took him by surprise. He has decided to come home. It is weird for him to think about making this change but he feels the trail will be better appreciated another time. A lot of what makes the trail journey is kind of lost on him now. With the colder temperatures, the forest has lost much of its vibrancy, and without the familiar community of fellow hikers, the experience has lost something as well. He's heading for home.

The plan was to hike one last section ( in Virginia) on Sunday. This section is known as the roller coaster because of its series of steep ups and downs. It was constructed as such because the corridor of land for this area of the trail is very narrow, limiting the routing options. This last section puts him within about 3 miles of route 50 and a planned hitch hike home. Of course, his dad volunteered to pick him up, and of course, he declined the offer as a waste of resources. We have heard nothing from him since Saturday evening but we keep expecting him to appear at the door. ~ Amy

The Thanksgiving Trail Feast (that will never be)

Madeline and I thought long and hard how we could create the illusion of a celebratory dinner on Thanksgiving for one lone hiker likely to find himself alone in a shelter at the close of the day on Thursday. This is what we put together in a Thanksgiving box to priority mail ...... a yam wrapped in foil so that he could put into the fire to cook, dehydrated garlic mashed potatoes, dried corn, roasted almonds and pumpkin seeds, a pumpkin pie granola bar, home made cranberry fruit leather, a giant honey crisp apple, popcorn, instant spicy chai latte, a couple shots of good rum, dark chocolate studded with cranberries and almonds, and home baked cookies (by Madeline) - pumpkin chocolate chip and honey ginger snaps. It sounded like a feast worthy of a Thanksgiving on the trail. As we were packing everything to mail Saturday morning, we got the call .... Jonathan is coming home .... more on that later. We didn't mail the box. ~ Amy

Happiness is found along the way, not at the end of the trail. ~ Noland Hisey (AT hiker '89)

Angels and Other People (and where they dwell)

Upper Goose Pond, Massachusetts
Here is the caretaker of the cabin who kindly provided us with a pancake and coffee breakfast following our night stay in this cabin operated by the Berkshire Chapter of the AT.

Becket, Massachusetts
The Cookie Lady provides rest and home made blueberry cookies at her blueberry farm where you are also welcome to pick.

Dalton, Massachusetts

Tom's house was one of the first hostels we stayed. The trail runs right past his house, (which is how Tom became so familiar with and to the trail). For years he has been welcoming hikers into his home with enormous meals, ice cream sundaes, laundry service, transportation, rescue, and all around support. We also slack packed for the first time thanks to Tom. The hiking poles in the yard were left by other thru hikers. Tom uses them to mark his house for the hikers.

Vermont's Green Mountains
This hostel was a surprise stop. We were not planning to stop in this town, however, we then heard about a somewhat "secret" hostel,(not listed in the trail books but welcoming none the less),and spur of the moment decided to hop off the trail here. It is not an official hostel; the couple, Chris and Arla, who own the house just let hikers stay in their barn for free. Word of it spreads by mouth only; that way they get some hikers, but not too many. It's a pretty creative space.

This is Zeus, a southbounder we met at Chris and Arla's.
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This is Chris, one of the people who owned the house - really nice.

And this is Arla with puppy, Marley.

Puppy Marley is the sad story. He was so very sweet and over the few days that I knew him, I grew very fond of him. Marley had already been returned to the shelter several times by a variety of different owners. Arla and Chris only had Marley for about a week when he got hit by a car and died. I was devastated. Lion King, What, Dehydra, Mark Trails, Jonathan and I stayed to help bury him. We found out later that after a week without a dog, Arla and Chris went back to the same shelter they had gotten Marley to look for another puppy. There were only two puppies that day and one was identical to Marley, only female. This puppy was approximately the same age as Marley and had been found in approximately the same area. Arla and Chris believe they have Marley's sister.

Rutland, Vermont
The Back Home Again Cafe where we stayed and worked with The Twelve Tribes.

One finds the most beautiful sense of community amongst the people of the trail.

~ Madeline and Amy

Tuesday, November 17th: Back to the Trail

The Baltimore detour was great. Jonathan loved spending time with Colin and Baltimore friends. Hosts, Carly and Twig were most hospitable. Besides Colin's performance, there was a trip to a large farmer's market, Sunday afternoon in a park, a game of apples to apples, a home cooked meal by Colin, and most unusual for this hiker, watching a wrestling match. They headed back to Harper's Ferry about noon today. After picking up his mail drop, Jonathan discovered as he was repacking his pack that he left his great stove and pot behind in Baltimore. Though he was able to get replacements at the gear store in Harper's Ferry, he was pretty bummed to have had to spend $60 to replace them with items not nearly as good as what he had. Got a late start back on the trail so didn't go far before tenting for the night. The first shelter was still 10 miles away. He thinks he will come home for Christmas, tentatively planning on December 19th. Whether he returns to the trail after Christmas is a question currently without an answer. ~ Amy

A Detour off the Trail to Baltimore

We Spoke Saturday morning as Jonathan was on a train which he picked up in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, en route to Washington DC and then on to Baltimore. There he was meeting up with his brother, Colin, who would be coming from Connecticut into Baltimore Saturday in preparation for a Monday performance. Colin is on a month long tour performing small venues, and the timing and proximity to the trail just happened to work out. Colin will return Jonathan to the trail at Harper's Ferry on Tuesday. Jonathan was really looking forward to the detour.

Last Saturday night he enjoyed another huge campfire with a group of about 10 weekenders, some of whom he had sheltered with the previous night. There were two side by side shelters at this location and both were filled to capacity. He tented nearby. On Sunday, he hiked to a store, food supplies were running a little low, and took on what he thought was his own personal 1/2 gallon (ice cream) challenge He easily consumed what he thought was a 1/2 gallon of Breyer's coffee ice cream but realized upon completion that it was only a quart and a half. Last weekend's weather was hot for hiking. He so wished he had not sent home his T-shirt.

He has run into a photo journalist named Ulysses who is documenting the trail on his second hike. In addition to the standard backpacking burden, he also has a very large camera and a collection of lenses to haul. He has run into Stick Man again, a section hiker with whom he connects well. Stick Man lives in Louisville and frequently passes through Cincinnati so they plan to reconnect after the trail. Stick Man routinely hikes in spring and fall. Jonathan also ran into Steel Steve, a hiker who he last saw in New Hampshire. I also learned the story of Fox Trot, a modest 31 year old man who began hiking at 18, and in the subsequent years has racked up an enormous number of miles. By the time this year comes to a close, he will have completed 31,000 miles of hiking. He has hiked the AT four times, the Pacific Crest Trail twice, the Continental Divide Trail , as well as numerous international hiking trails. Jonathan says he has the most enormous calf muscles he's ever seen. I dare say there's a reason for that.

On Monday, Jonathan crossed the Maryland State line which is also the Mason-Dixon line. The terrain was more hilly with little towns nestled in the valleys and some nice views. The mountains are starting to get a little bigger. This section of trail crosses four states in just a little over 50 miles. There are some ambitious hikers who attempt this 4 state challenge - hiking a continuous 24 hours at a very fast clip in order to step foot in 4 different states over the course of a day. Jonathan walked the week at a very leisurely pace because he was timing himself to reach Harper's Ferry Saturday morning in order to catch the train. Consequently, he had to ration his food which didn't prove to be a problem for he found his appetite went down in conjunction with the reduced daily mileage. Temps have been mild, 40's to 50's with light rain off and on. He said he did hike through a pretty good rain Friday which then stopped as soon as he got to the shelter for the evening.

There are a lot of section hikers on the Maryland trails, likely because of their proximity to DC. The trails and shelters in this area are particularly well maintained by the local Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. He had a particularly nice shelter all to himself Friday night; it had a second story loft which was completely enclosed giving the impression of being in a cabin. He is looking forward to Virginia which holds the promise of higher mountains, better forests and bigger views. ~ Amy

Shelter Pictures

For the followers who stay up to date with our postings, you'll have to scroll back a few entries for the shelter pictures.

Saturday Nov. 7th: Leaving Tom's Run Shelter......Still in PA

After spending the night in close quarters with 4 weekend hikers in Tom's Run Shelter, (somewhere between Pine Furnace State Park and his next mail drop, Monday, in Blue Ridge Summit, PA), Jonathan caught me up on the last week prior to shoving off for the day. The shelter dates back to the 1930's but is well maintained - has had a recent paint job and a new roof. It is, however, smaller than most. The guidebook says it sleeps 6, but Jonathan said it was quite intimate with 5 Friday night. He enjoyed the company of the weekenders, young men in their late 20's who hail from Lancaster, PA. Weekend hikers are more inclined to build and tend big campfires than thru-hikers who are frequently too tired at the end of the day to do more than fix their supper and crawl into their bags. With daylight ending earlier, it's not unusual for bedtime to be as early as 6:30 some nights. However a campfire built and tended by others can lure one to a later bedtime. Young weekend hikers tend to hike with heavy packs as they don't skimp on the luxury items when their journey is short. This group packed pillows and camp stools, plenty of snacks and the necessary supplies for mixing evening drinks. They cordially shared with Jonathan. One of the men told him that on one weekend hike, he packed a 30 pack of beer - proved to be more weight than he cared to carry so has not repeated that as his beverage of choice. Jonathan will be sheltering with them again tonight for they all have the same destination for today.

Prior to this phone call, I last left Jonathan in Duncannon on Halloween evening at which point he returned to the hotel in town for live music - folk rock covers - an enjoyable evening. At the close of the evening, one of the hotel owners gave him a lift back to his campsite which was situated along a railroad track resulting in sleep that was somewhat jarring. He began Sunday in trail angel Mary's kitchen for french toast with fellow hiker, Lion King, prior to Mary giving him a lift to the trail to slack pack the 17 mile stretch he had skipped coming into Duncannon. Mary has an older, somewhat battered, boat-like car which she has signed (on the outside) by all the hikers she has given rides to. He didn't hit the trail till early afternoon but the weather was clear and once darkness fell, a full moon made his headlamp unnecessary during all but the last treacherous mile back down the mountain. He returned to Mary's for dinner and movies; says she is awesome.

He headed back to the trail and his southbound journey Monday afternoon and sheltered that night again with fellow hiker, Lion King, whose company he enjoys. Their paths have woven in and out this past week. Tuesday evening he left the trail at Boiling Springs in order to pick up his mail drop the following morning. He stopped in what he thought was a local tavern for a beer but found it to be a rather fancy restaurant. Though neither his clothes nor his smell were compatible with the other patrons, he sat at the bar and talked to a friendly bartender and a number of very nice people who were interested in his story. Although they have a camping permissible area on the outskirts of town, it is again located along a railroad track so he chose instead to lay his sleeping bag out behind some shrubbery in a town park. Arriving as he did after dark, he could do so unnoticed. In the morning, he was able to charge up his ipod on the computer at the local AT Conservancy office and pick up his package prior to returning to the trail on Wednesday. He sheltered that night with thru hikers, Bad Idea, Swamp Cricket, both flip floppers, Old Yeller, a south bounder, and section hiker, Fat Foot. He hiked with them the following day. Swamp Cricket straps a radio to his pack so as a group, they hiked to music - whatever they could pick up. When they stopped at a shelter for lunch, the rains began so they collectively wiled away the remainder of the day and night in the shelter. He doesn't know if he will run into them again as they hike fast and with longer days than he is generally interested in. Though it's good to have company, this is not a group that he feels strongly connected to.

His goal had been to make his next mail drop before the post office closed on Saturday so he toyed with trying to cover 42 miles in a straight 26 hours but opted for a more leisurely hike and a Monday pick-up. Knowing he would need to supplement supplies, he stopped at the General Store in Pine Furnace State Park and waited around till they opened. They are soon to close for the season and currently only open for 2 hours a day. He was unsuccessful in resupplying as the shelves were virtually bare. As they get to the end of hiker season, they don't restock. It is a tradition for hikers to take the 1/2 gallon challenge (ice cream) at the General Store - if you eat it, it's free. This is a relatively small feat for a hiker. They were, however, out of ice cream too.

Weather has been mostly clear this last week with highs in the 40's and lows in the 30's, though the weekend held promise for warmer weather. He had ice in his water bottle this morning - a first since the Bigelow Mountains in Maine. The terrain remains much the same as it's been throughout Pennsylvania - relatively flat by comparison, a lot of valleys, corn and soy fields, and cattle pastures. Deer are plentiful in the meadow areas at dusk. He should be in West Virginia by Wednesday or Thursday. The states are adding up. ~ Amy

Appalachian Trail...See the Movie

This is copied from an email I received from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. If you have enjoyed following our journey, it might be pretty cool to see it through National Geographic's eyes:

Tuesday, November 10th
8 pm EST
National Geographic cable channel

Don’t miss this exciting new full length documentary America’s Wild Spaces: Appalachian Trail capturing the Appalachian Trail as only National Geographic can. In addition to breathtaking scenery along the entire Trail, you will get a chance to meet hikers, volunteers, angels, agency staff, and scientists. Celebrate with fellow ATC members Frank Wright volunteering on Springer, Laurie Potteiger greeting visitors in Harpers Ferry, and Gary Hill completing his 2008 thru-hike atop Katahdin.
The film airs this Tuesday, November 10th, at 8 PM EST on National Geographic’s cable station, again at 11 PM as well as the following Tuesday (Nov. 17th) at 4 PM EST.
"Join National Geographic on a rollercoaster ride of agonizing ascents and rewarding vistas -- all courtesy of mountains roughly 480 million years in the making. Explore this 5 million step journey through the five distinct regions of the A.T. landscape and learn what it takes to keep this ribbon of green safe, healthy, and totally wild.

Also, two new posts coming soon. Madeline is working on a post about the shelter system along the Trail and I will post an update on the past week for Jonathan. ~ Amy

November 4th: Boiling Springs, PA

Madeline talked to Jonathan briefly this morning but has little to tell thanks to extremely poor reception. We have but a few facts, no stories. He arrived in Boiling Springs last night and after picking up his maildrop this morning was heading back onto the trail. I believe weather's been relatively mild and dry this week as he's traveled along meadow lands and farm fields. At some point this week, he has reconnected with hiker, Lion King. Spirits seemed good; body seemed strong.
~ Amy

Gimme Shelter

Shelters on the trail are mostly composed of three walls, a roof, and a floor, (sometimes the floor is wooden, other times it is stone and occasionally they are dirt). Shelters can vary in what they look like; for instance there was one shelter with a digital TV antenna on the roof. I probably don't need to say this but there was no TV inside. The following shelter actually contained an air bed along with a few bunk beds and mattresses. It was very nice, but not a common find.



This is actually the shelter where I got my trail name, LaCucaracha.

We got to this place late at night; it is an old abandoned farm house. Hikers are not allowed to sleep inside, in fact, the place is boarded up. So instead, we camped out on the grass, (which is allowed).

We did not actually stay at this shelter but it's rather nice, isn't it?

Well this isn't quite a "shelter", however, it is the first motel we stayed in. I stayed on the bed all day and watched crime dramas.



This is Upper Goose Pond Lake Cabin. There was a care taker there who was in charge of maintaining the cabin for hikers. It was a little ways off the trail but it was more than worth while because we got bunk beds with mattresses and in the morning, all you can eat pancakes. Yum!!!





There is nothing very special about this shelter, however, this is the only photo I have of Dehydra, (aka Dana), who was walking a section of the Long Trail.

This shelter was decorated with potted plants.

This was an interesting shelter. It was on land that belonged to a commune. The land adjoined the trail and the commune built this shelter for hikers.

Another great thing about this shelter was the view; a ladder led up to a platform on the roof. It was an amazing view.

All of the following pictures are of Trapper John Shelter. Unfortunately, our timing didn't allow us to stay the night here, but even though it was a little far off the trail, we came here for lunch. I couldn't miss this opportunity to visit a MASH related shelter.

Madeline

Hallowen in Duncannon, PA

Jonathan had wanted to be off the trail for Halloween but was behind on mileage due to a blister on the bottom of his foot, so he hitched 17 miles into Duncannon Saturday. It took him two rides to get there. His first ride was a woman on her way to a baby shower. Though she does not routinely pick up hitch-hikers, she does pick up trail hikers. His second ride was from two young teenage girls who were not even going in the direction of Duncannon. He saw them going the opposite direction and then turn around to come pick him up. The driver said her dad has always picked up AT hikers; she apparently felt inclined to carry on the tradition. He appreciated it.

The past week has had its share of rain, and shortage of sunshine. There was a period this week when the trail was awash with a good four inches of water. The new boots stayed dry for a few days, but eventually became water logged; the blister was inevitable. There has been a scarcity of companionship this week, though prior to the blister, he felt healthy and strong and was once again enjoying the walk. Temperatures have been mild.

The landscape continues as it has been - rocky but not too bad, small mountains, following ridgeline, ups and downs, not too steep, views limited. The forest is young, not much understory. As far as trail terrain, it's a little monotonous here. He is noticing far more birds now that fall is here but doesn't know why. The hunters are out in full force in PA as the trail runs mostly through state game lands and at the moment, it's turkey season. He is wearing an orange bandanna to warn the hunters that he is not wildlife. He finds their presence intrusive.

He found a campground about a mile outside of Duncannon for $3.50 a night, and opted for that over the other available lodging in town, The Doyle Hotel at $25. a night. Once he had staked his claim at the campground, he walked into Duncannon, had a large pizza which he shared with no one, and then spent the afternoon in the Hotel Doyle where he had computer access and the opportunity to chat with the owners of this hiker-friendly place. Evening brought him out into the town where he enjoyed watching the trick or treaters. As he was sitting on the church steps talking to me, a young trick or treater thought he had the goods and approached him for candy. He was then planning to return to the Doyle for the evening for there was live music on the agenda.

Two other hikers showed up at the Doyle who skipped the same 17 mile stretch that Jonathan had just skipped. They collectively plan to recover it on Sunday, slack packing. Jonathan looked up a local trail angel named Mary at the convenience store and has arranged transportation back to the trail for the three of them on Sunday. They will leave their packs behind in Duncannon and hike these 17 miles Sunday, returning to Duncannon Sunday evening and then back to the trail, heading south, on Monday. He's hoping to be blister-free and dry. ~ Amy