OneMore's 2016
Appalachian Trail Journal
Appalachian Trail Journal
Day -1 & -2: I left home in Fairview NC Sunday and drove to Warren NJ where I overnighted with our friends, Bev and Phil Lobo. Yesterday morning I drove up to Dalton MA.  I'm starting what I hope to be the final leg of my Appalachian Trail adventure which began almost 8 years ago and over 1500 miles south at Mt. Springer in GA. Over the next couple of months I plan on hiking to Mt Katadin in northern Maine. The journey will encompass 4 states and close to 700 miles if my mind and body hold up. For as many days as possible this trip I plan to "slack" pack rather than backpack. In other words I will pre-position my car each day and then have someone shuttle me to the start of that day's hike. I will then walk to my car (carrying a much lighter day pack) and drive it to wherever I'm staying. This gives me more flexibility and enables me to hike a lot more miles per day than carrying everything on my back (plus the added advantages of a hot shower, cold beer and a real bed!), although it takes much more planning and coordination. Hiking Day 1-5/18: (16.5/16.5) Today I hiked 16.5 miles from Grange Hall Road in Dalton MA to Rte 20 in Lee, Ma. I began hiking at 8 AM and finished around 3:30 PM. The terrain was relatively easy with lots of wet, boggy areas combined with rocky stretches. Simple bog bridges help keep you dry and the environment intact. I met 14 hikers through the course of the day. Only 4 were thru-hikers. They were Ninja, Bearbait, Roadrunner and Will. As you might of figured out most AT hikers assume a trail name; mine is OneMore( Lord give me one more step, one more mile, one more beer....). I also met another long distance section hiker like myself. His trail name is Magoo. He did 1500 miles last year with his wife, but she hurt her knee and couldn't continue.Trail shelters here seem to be in much better shape than those in NJ, NY and CT. They are mostly simple and 3 sided; some with bunks and others with just a floor. I'm very happy to be staying at a motel. Even when I'm backpacking I prefer my tent. I only stay in shelters if it's raining when I arrive. Day 2-5/18: (12.8/29.3) Drove to MA8 in Cheshire MA and got shuttled to Grange Hall Rd. SOBO'd (walked southbound in AT jargon) back to car. I vary in walking north or south dependent on the terrain for a particular day....easier is better in my book. The day was relatively easy terrain-wise today. The trail included street walks through Dalton and Cheshire MA. These are old factory towns but unfortunately most of the manufacturing has moved overseas. Water drove the machinery in earlier years and hydropower electricity took over for a lot of it. The towns are trying to repurpose the old buildings as much as possible but it's a challenge just as it is elsewhere.   Since this was an easy day I spent part of the afternoon in a coffee shop working on my itinerary for Maine. Stayed at the Shamrock Inn in Dalton. Day 3-5/19: (12.8/42.1) Loaded up the car (I brought way too much stuff - perils of having car as opposed to being limited to a backpack) and drove to MA8 again. Shuttled to Notch Rd and SOBO'd back to car. By 8AM I was climbing up Mt Williams on the north side of MT Greylock, the highest point in MA. At about 8:40 I passed a couple hiking up the mountain with 2 very young toddlers and HUGE backpacks....God bless them. I signed the register at the top of Mt Williams a few minutes before 9. Great views from the top of Mt Greylock. Unfortunately the monument was closed due to renovation work.    Drove to Williamstown where I'm staying at the Williamstown Motel. I'm primarily staying at hiker-friendly motels. They certainly aren't the Ritz, but they tend to be familiar with hiking resources including shuttle drivers. Day 4-5/20: (11.1/53.2) Drove to County road just over the Vermont border then shuttled back south to Notch Rd then NOBO'd back to car. I see why some hikers refer to Vermont as "VERMUD." Trails thus far are very muddy and it's hard to make time as you jump from rock to rock or tree root to avoid going inver your ankles in the mud. So far there are many fewer bog bridges than further south  Countryside is scenic though; some beautiful ponds and wetlands. I also came across what I think is the narrowest AT corridor I've yet encountered; just a narrow path between 2 farm fields.  Day 5-5/21: (13.1/66.3) Drove to VT9 in Bennington, shuttled to County Rd and NOBO's to car. Very muddy, green tunnel. Thai food from last night did not agree with me; not fun on the trail. Met Ben from Quebec who is seeing how far north he can get. He is hiking without poles; I would not want to do so; especially hopping all these rocks and roots to avoid the mud. It really helps to have an "extra set of legs." No thru-hikers today. I think I've met about 7 so far. I'm about a month ahead of the main body of this year's hikers; over 2200 have registered thus far. I was told yesterday that in June they have the fast and fit, in July the main herd, and in August the worn-out and wounded.I much prefer to be either ahead or behind the herd as they overwhelm the local resources and scare off all the wild life. Stayed at the Catamount Motel in Bennington. Planning for a long day tomorrow so I bought a sub sandwich to eat on the trail rather than my normal fare of jerky, cheese, dried fruit and flatbread. Day 6-5/22 (24.5/90.8) Up at 4:30 this morning and out of the motel by 5:30 after eating a couple of microwaved breakfast burritos and some fruit and coffee. Met my shuttle driver, Steve, at the trailhead at VT9 at 6:00 the shuttled to Stratton-Arlington Rd. Steve works for the Eve ready plant and helps hikers in his spare time; a really nice guy. As we drove up he pointed out some of the devastation caused by flooding with Hurricane Irene. It really changed the local landscape and caused millions in damage. Started hiking at 7 AM in light rain. Rain continued on and off for the next couple of hours. At the first shelter I encountered several folks doing the Long Trail up to Canada. I had originally encountered them when they were starting at the County Road trailhead couple of days ago. One of the couples owns a dairy farm in Vernon VT and invited me to stop by on my way back south and to stay in their guest house. Very, very long day. Trail was very rocky as shown below  I ate my sandwich over several stops to give me energy. Had no cell signal most of the day. Climbed an abandoned fire tower to finally get a signal. Glass was knocked out but metal sides of cabin sheltered me from cold wind as I ate my final piece of sandwich and rested for a bit. Photo below is from the top. Day 7-5/23: (0/90.8) Still feeling good the day after but decided to take a zero (hiker parlance for a rest day). Packed up and drove to Manchester Center where I booked into the Manchester View Inn. It's a step above the hiker motels, at least there are no buckets of cigarette butts outside the doors. After a light lunch I tackle the ongoing task of finding a shuttle for the next several days. This is the most difficult task of "slacking." The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has a limited list of shuttle resources but they are often several hundred miles apart. I had already checked with my motel and they knew of no one other than a local taxi company. Since local outfitters usually keep in touch with the hiking community I then headed for The Mountain Goat in Manchester Center. This is a really well-stocked outfitter and the staff are very friendly. they provide me with a list of people who might be willing to give me a ride, but after a few minutes of discussion one of the owners, Ron, offers me a free ride for day after tomorrow and I gratefully accept. Spend the rest of the afternoon wandering around Manchester Center. It's a very affluent community in stark contrast to Dalton and Cheshire. Once a favored summer place for the wealthy from Boston and New York, it still has beautiful Victorian homes and many shops and restaurants. It is also the headquarters for Orvis. 
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