Day 87-105 of Reed's AT Adventure


The Peaceful Warrior is gaining speed and going for the gold. In this epsiode he has reached Vermont and picking up friends along the trail on the way into New Hampshire.

Here is a very neat ride on the Stratton Gondola. It is the first gondola ride I have taken with out being on a gondola.




On July 22, my old roommate Marc Waxman (trail name: Wolf Man) joined me in Salisbury, MA.  After getting lunch, we hiked out of town in the afternoon and enjoyed this great view to the southwest from Lions Head. (7/22/99 5:25PM)
 
The Riga Lean-to where Wax and I spent the night on July 22 afforded one of the best views from a shelter that I've seen on the entire trail.  Here, Wax reads the shelter register, with a great view of the valley below (unfortunately not visible in this picture) in the background. (7/22/99 6:51 PM)
 
Although we awoke with the sunrise on July 23, we both ended up falling back to sleep for the rest of the morning.  After 10 AM we finally began to get ready to hike. (7/23/99 10:06 AM)
 
Some fine signage, courtesy of the Connecticut Chapter of the AMC, which maintains the trail through Conn. (7/23/99 11:22 AM)
 

 

I get most of my drinking water from springs and brooks along the trail.  Here, Wax and I use my PUR water filter to purify the H2O before drinking it.  I would say that the majority of hikers use filters such as this one, though a few use iodine instead.  A very few just take their chances and drink the water as is. (7/23/99 1:10PM)
 
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I was very glad to have a born & bred Massachusettian (is that a word?) to escort me over the border into his state.  While I do not agree with Wax's theory that Worcester, MA, is the center of the universe, I was very glad to reach state number eleven!  7/23/99 1:42PM)
 
After 24 hours in the woods, Wax decided that as fun as hiking the AT is, he'd rather be back in civilization.  Through a strange twist of luck (let's just say, thank goodness for Vladamir's kidney stone), we got back to Marc's car and spend several hours attempting to find a hotel room for the night.  This proved to be a nearly impossible task on a Friday night in the Berkshires.  We finally got the last room at the Inn at Lee, a truck stop.  Here, Wax practices his big-rig driving pose. (7/24/99 10:04 AM)
 

 

On July 24, I traded Wax in for a friend who could actually stand being in the woods for a few days.  Jason Martin, aka Baby Powder, joined me to hike from Great Barrington, MA, to Dalton, MA, over the course of 5 days.  Here, Baby Powder signs into the Tom Leonard Lean-to register. (7/25/99 6:18 PM)
 
We took a break and shared an apple at Jerusalem Road on July 26. (7/26/99 12:21 PM)
 
We spend the nights of July 26 & 27 at Upper Goose Pond Cabin, a fantastic building maintained by the AMC as a shelter for hikers.  We took an evening swim in Upper Goose Pond to rinse off the layers of bug-repellent we had been applying to ward off the killer mosquitoes. The water was warm and wonderful. (7/26/99 6:18 PM)
 

 

On July 27 we took a "Zero Day", meaning that we stayed at the cabin and hiked no miles.  We passed several hours in the canoe, exploring Upper Goose Pond and Goose Pond. (7/27/99 9:48 AM)
 
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Baby Power cooked up an incredible lunch for us on July 27: tuna/cheese melt on pita with sausage.  My compliments to the chef. (7/27/99 1:24 PM)
 
The moon rises over Upper Goose Pond.  (7/27/99 9:01 PM)
 

 

To make up for our Zero Day, we had to hike 20 miles to get to Dalton and Baby Powder's car on July 28.  Half-way through the day, we took a break at October Mountain Lean-to, where my partner doctored his feet.  (7/28/99 11:05 AM)
 
On July 29 I was back on my own, but found myself in familiar territory.  As I hiked north of Cheshire, MA, I crossed a field and suddenly recognized this rock.  Six years ago, I sat on this rock at the end of a Princeton hiking trip, filling out evaluations of new Outdoor Action leaders.  (That's O.A. that I'm fingerspelling in the picture.)(7/29/99 1:14 PM)
 
Six years ago I stayed at this shelter, Mark Noepel Lean-to on that same OA trip.  When I was here before, the shelter had just been constructed and none of this growth was here.  Where I am standing was clear ground, where I slept that night under the stars.  None of the small trees to my right had grown up and we had a tremendous view down in the valley.  I was truly surprised to see how much it had changed in the intervening years.(7/29/99 3:01 PM)
 
Just before the summit of Mt. Greylock, I came upon a small pond with an old structure on the opposite bank.(7/29/99 4:26 PM)
 

 

At 3,500 ft., Mt. Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts.  On top of the mountain stands this observation town and memorial to fallen soldiers.(7/29/99 5:47 PM)
 
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I took this picture from the top of the observation tower on Mt.  Greylock.  In the foreground is Bascom Lodge, which is operated by the AMC.  The lodge offers dinner and bunkrooms, but is a bit pricy, so I pushed on to the next shelter for the night.  In the background is the ridge I climbed over to get to Greylock.(7/29/99 5:52 PM)
 
This picture, looking to the north from the observation tower on Greylock, shows the route I must travel.  (7/29/99 5:53 PM)
 

 

On the morning of July 30, as I decended from the Wilbur Clearning Lean-to on Mt. Greylock, I was treated to a view reminiscent of my time in the Great Smoky Mountains.  While the sky was blue and clear, the valley below was completely shrouded in mist.(7/30/99 7:04 AM)
 
Since I'm alone while hiking almost all of the time, I have to get creative if I want to take a picture of myself.  I was quite proud of the way I tied my 35mm camera to this stump in order to do a self-timer photo.(7/30/99 2:35 PM)
 
Welcome to the Green Mountain State!  The Vermont state-line, which I crossed on the afternoon of July 30, provides hikers will all kinds of information about the trail ahead.(7/30/99 3:12 PM)
 
At the VT state-line I checked out a rather mobile sign that informed me about the Long Trail.  The Long Trail, which stretches from the VT/MA border to the VT/Canada border, was completed in 1931, making it the first long-distance trail in the US.  The AT follows the Long Trail for about 100 miles, before turning east to enter New Hampshire.(7/30/99 3:15 PM)
 

 

Cool tree.(7/31/99 11:17 AM)
 
For about a week I struggled with my most significant ailment since my sore knees way back in Georgia.  For some reason, my pack strap badly irritated my right shoulder one day as I was hiking.  Of course, I ignored the problem until it became quite painful and the skin had been rubbed raw.  For several days, I had to keep that strap loose to allow my shoulder to heal.  It's fine now.(7/31/99 2:11 PM)
 
The view north-ward from the top of the firetower on Glastenbury Mt.(7/31/99 2:26 PM)
 
The view straight down from the firetowner on Glastenbury Mt.  That small purple dot to the right of the top of my head is my pack.(7/31/99 2:29 PM)
 

 

A plaque on the summit of Stratton Mountain proclaims the area as the birthplace of the Appalachian Trail.  Supposedly, it was while sitting in a tree on top of Stratton that Benton MacKaye had the idea for a trail stretching the length of the Appalachian Mountains.  I guess I'm rather glad he got that idea.(8/01/99 10:18 AM)
 
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This small hut on top of Stratton, with no electricity or plumbing, is the residence of an AMC caretaker throughout the summer.  The caretaker (actually a husband and wife team) watch over the summit area during the busy months of June, July, and August.(8/01/99 10:24 AM)
 
Stratton Mountain is a ski resort, but is also open in the summer as a golf/tennis/biking/hiking area.  The I rode the ski gondola down the mountain to the base lodge, where I enjoyed an all-you-can-eat lunch with several other hikers.  This is the view of the base lodge as I rode back up the gondola to continue my hike.(8/01/99 1:21 PM)

This is a small cascade in the Big Branch stream.  The five seconds of audio will give you a chance to hear what the cool water sounded like as I lounged on the smooth rocks. (8/02/99 7:24 PM)
In order for this to work you will need to use the following directions:
1.) Click on this link This is an mpeg still picture with sound. Because of orientation I thought the big picture on the next link would be better to view and listen.
2.) After the above link is downloaded and playing click on this link to see the above picture enlarged


Back at the top of the mountain and ready to continue walking. Stratton also marks the 3/4 way of the trail.(8/01/99 1:31 PM)
 
I spent a night in the town of Manchester Center, VT, where I caught up with Dropout, a thru-hiker that I hiked several days with through New Jersey and Vermont.  Before leaving town, Dropout decided to cut off his long hair.  On the steps of the Manchester Center post office, he recruited Kate, who, appropriately enough drove up in a Red Cross car, to do the deed.(8/02/99 9:13 AM)
 
The Big Branch Shelter overlooked a wonderful stream, where I spent some time soaking my feet, reading, and napping.(8/02/99 6:36 PM)
 
On the morning of August 4, Dropout and I summitted Killington Peak, 4,235 ft.  Behind us are the ridges to the northwest, where the AT turns away from the Long Trail and heads towards New Hampshire.(8/04/99 9:27 AM)
 

 

On August 4 I arrived at the Inn at Long Trail, whre I met up with my good friend Christi Moyle, who joined me for a two-week stretch.  Here, Christi (trail name: Sea), Ulysses, Dropout, and I sample the Inn's whiskey, which is supposedly the state's largest selection.(8/04/99 9:36 AM)
 
Sea and I departed from The Inn at Long Trail on the morning of August 5, after a terrific breakfast.(8/05/99 9:16 AM)
 
Sea and I reached The Lookout, a private cabin open to hikers, just as it started to rain on August 5.  The cabin sits high on a ridge, so there is no water.  Thus, Stewball and Red, two thru-hikers we met at the cabin, used their tarp to collect rainwater for drinking and cooking.  Very innovative and effective:  during the hour-long rainstorm, they got about 2 gallons of water!(8/05/99 6:52 PM)
 

 

The rainstorm ended in time for us to catch this sunset from the observation deck on top of the cabin.(8/06/99 8:07 PM)
 
We awoke to a beautiful sunrise on August 6.  Here, Sea catches the early-morning rays from the observation deck on top of The Lookout cabin.(8/06/99 6:16 AM)
 
Sea sits on top of the The Lookout cabin with Killington ski resort in the distance.(8/06/99 6:23 AM)
 
I was really blown away by this grove of fir trees.  It struck me as almost regal.(8/06/99 2:11 PM)
 

 

(I now know how Reed has really been "hiking") My easiest border-crossing yet!  Sea carried me across the state-line into New Hamphire on August 7.  The border is on the bridge spanning the Connecticut River.(8/07/99 1:23 PM)
 
We spend August 7 & 8 in Hanover, NH, the home of Dartmouth College. Several fraternaties on campus let hikers stay in their basements or camp on their yards.  We stayed at Tabard House on August 7, sleeping under my tarp in their yard.  (A rather raucus party in the house prevented us from staying inside, where we would NOT have slept.)  It rained during the night.  Here, Sea organizes her stuff under the tarp on the morning of Aug. 8.(8/08/99 8:19 AM)
 
The lawn of Tabard House on the raining morning of Aug. 8.  My tarp is the light-blue one on the right, near the garbage can.(8/07/99 8:20 AM)
 
Stop!  We've reached Wheelock Street!  Clearly, Dartmouth College recognizes the honor of being associated with Vance Wheelock, my good friend and our resident web-designer and maintainer of this web page. I wish Vance could have been here with me to enjoy his street!(8/08/99 4:04 PM)