Alas Jordan is down for the count. This may be the last post.

Hollywood asked me to send a three week food drop to a friendly trail angels house in Andover, ME 1924.5 NoBo. Here he will stay while Hollywood forges ahead to complete the trail.
They have been having a very rough go of it since my last post. Almost every day or night has had rain. They have been slogging through ankle deep to calf deep mud every day. Last week, while on the trail, Tripwire took a pretty bad tumble. He was trying to do his usual mountain goat bouncing up the trail and slipped on some rocks. He fell down into a gully and had to be lifeted out. The fall wasn't too far, but the bouncy fall down didn't help things.
The next morning he came up lame and wasn't willing to jump up when Hollywood called him. Melissa doesn't want to risk permanent injury to her puppy so when they got into town in Andover, Jordan was taken off the trail to heal.
I started this blog as a tail of Jordan's adventures and I'm kind of split over whether to quit posting now or continue on until Hollywood reaches Katahdin. I know the stories have been largely about the whole experience though. What started as Jordan's story has often turned into the story of Hollywood's hike up the trail. You will know if I'm continuing if you see future  posts.

Hollywood called me last night from the Poplar Ridge Lean-To 1971.7 NoBo. She hase gone through Rangely Maine, and over Saddleback Mountain. The last four 4000 foot peaks, South Crocker Mt 4039Ft 1986.9 NoBo, North Crocker Mt 4228Ft 1987.9NoBo, Bigelow Mt 4145Ft 2000.9 NoBo, and finally Avery Peak 4090Ft 2001.5 NoBo should be achieved this week. After that the going is nice and flat right on up to Katahdin.
They are quickly coming up to the most isolated stretch of the AT, The Hundred-Mile Wilderness 2066 NoBo. There is no help past Monson ME until they reach Millinocket ME at 2165.6 NoBo. That is a mere 15 miles shy of Katahdin.

They have already forged streams that are waist deep. These are streams that are normally ankle to calf deep. While in the Hundred-Mile Wilderness, there will be at least one fording that will be waist high normally meaning it will be chest high or over her head depending on how dry it stays between now and then. The nights have been getting down into the 30's on a regular basis. This is the part of the trail where no matter how beautiful it is, the days are simply torture. Hollywood has said she has seen a lot of views that rival the best views in the White Mountains. But cold nights, and more importantly cold mornings trying to get started harken back to the miserable days of April when she was just getting her hiking legs. The weather will be nearly the same at the end as it was at the start. There is a possibility of snow between now and Katahdin. That will make it even more so.

So I leave the blog open ended. I hope to post at the very least one more final post peak summary. I hope you have enjoyed the description of the adventure as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to you. And even though it isn't turning out the way ANY of us had thought it would, there is no doubt this has been the adventure of a lifetime for Jordan the Wonder Dog, His mom Melissa and her cousin Christina.

The going is getting tougher as the end draws nigh

There has been a lot of off trail time and zero days due to storms and tougher than expected trails. Last weekend was spent on the seacoast riding out hurricane Irene. We didn't see much damage here at the coast but the mountains got hit pretty hard.

Hollywood and Tripwire were stuck dealing with washed out roads just to try and get back onto the trail. They got back on the trail Tuesday the 30th. They were forced out of the woods not just because it was dangerous to be in them, but the National Park Service had closed the AT section they were in for the storm. It wasn't until Tuesday that they were even permitted to reenter and continue the trek.
They entered the glorious state of Maine on Friday Sept 2nd. A nero day was taken and they stopped at the Full Goose Shelter 1904.5 NoBo.

Mahoosuc notch was done Yesterday and it kicked Hollywoods behind. They slogged through rain in already rain soaked trails. The going is so much harder when the ground beneath you is a slippery mucky mess.
Today they eked out five more to hit route 26. There they caught a ride into Bethel, ME. Today was another Zero day enjoying the sights, sounds and flavors of the town.

The modified day of the 15th is now probably not going to happen either. She texted me a little while ago that she now has no idea when she will be done. 'The trail is killing me' she related. 'I'm taking it one day at a time. The sooner the better'. The final stretch has become as hard as when she was going through all the foot issues in Virginia. We await their triumphant return no matter the date.

The cold weather is nipping at their heels so they need to keep putting on miles as much as possible. Tomorrow they will shoot for Andover, ME 1924.5 NoBo.

It's windy on top of the world

I got a text message from Melissa today. She was texting from atop Mt Washington mile 1848.5 NoBo. Last night they stayed in the Lakes of the Clouds hut 1847.0. The text came in at 12:30 PM so they got started this morning at the beautiful lake before peaking the highest mountain the New England. That is a 14º average incline. Tonight will be camped somewhere beyond the peak. The temp with wind chill is 29º F. at the top. The winds are down to a more tolerable 32 MPH. The weather isn't quite that extreme wherever they setup camp because they will likely have dropped a couple thousand feet of elevation

I haven't posted in 13 days because I was actually waiting for the crew to catch up to my last post. Hollywood had to come off the trail for a commitment to a wedding in Chicago, several days were spent double zeroing in Lincoln and much lower than expected hiking totals per day has put them way behind on their schedule. The new goal is to complete by the 15th of September.

Tripwire had to come off the trail and is on the mend. Jordan came up lame again on the 18th and had to spend a few days healing up at a kennel in Holderness, NH. Through the great grace of the trail angel system and a few thumbs out on the road, she got him there and expects the same to get him back once he has healed up. Hollywood should be picking him back up soon, all better and ready to run the trail back and forth again. It has taken 13 days to go 40 miles. Given 6 days off between the wedding, zeros and time to get to and from Chicago, that makes and average just under 6 miles a day since returning to the trail. The difficulties of the White Mountains was truly unexpected by all. Hardened hikers used to 20-30 mile days were taken down to 5-7 mile days by the power of these huge peaks and valleys.

Last night was a wild one at the Lakes of the Clouds Hut. The weather was terrible and the winds were blowing at 80 Mph. Truly some of the harshest weather on earth is up there. The Lakes of the Clouds hut is only 1276 ft below the summit of Mt. Washington so the weather is very close to as  brutal as at the summit.

I'll pass on the latest updates as I get them. Until next post, here are a few pictures for you:

This one was taken atop Mt Lafayette.

 Headed toward Mt Garfield.

 And finally a couple of Sunset atop Mt. Garfield.

  

Possibly the most difficult section of the trail is under foot now.

This entire week Hollywood and the whole new crew have and will be hiking one of the most incredible stretches of the Appalachian Trail.

They will hike over eight '4000 footers' this week helped by Hollywood's sister who will slackpack them this week. Every one of these mountains are on the '4000 Footer club' list. This is a NH hiker badge of honor. The goal is to hike every New Hampshire mountain that is over 4000 ft in elevation. The definition of a 4000 footer means the peak must rise at least 200 feet above the ridgeline connecting it to a higher peak. There is over 20,000 feet of elevation change in this range they are hiking now. This particular stretch is the first half of what is considered the toughest part of the entire Appalachian Trail by many. The second half includes two of the Presedentials, Mt Washington, and Mt Madison. They will hit 15 of the 48  4K footer peaks while hiking NH. 15 peaks over 4000 feet with drops valleys that drop 1000 -3000 feet in between.

Nights are down into the 40's so cold weather gear is needed again. As I type this, the temperature with wind chill is 38 degrees atop Mt. Washington. The link to the left is observatory weather page. Hollywood posted a quick note from Lincoln NH 1808.5 NoBo about five minutes ago. This means they will probably do Lincoln, Haystack and Lafayette tomorrow. 

Some of the most incredible AT huts are here as well. The Greenleaf Hut, Zealand Falls Hut, and very soon one of the most beautiful locations in the world, The Lake of the Clouds Hut. These are only three of the The High Huts of the White Mountains. There are eight huts in all. The design of them is similar to the Huts in the Swiss Alps. They are about eight miles apart. In The Whites, eight miles is considered to be a typical day hike for a thru-hiker on the six month plan.

These past few days, Starting with Sunday, will have them over:
Mt Moosilauke 4802 Ft
Mt. Kinsman 4358 Ft
Mt Lincoln 5089 Ft
Little Haystack 4840 Ft
Mt Lafayette 5249 Ft
Mt Garfield 4488 Ft
South Twin Mountain 4902 Ft

Little haystack is not part of the 4000 foot list because the elevation change is less than 200 feet.

As you may be able to tell by my multiple links and talk of the trail and not Hollywood or Backtrack, this post is all about this section of the Appalachian Trail. I'm going to take a selfish moment here and talk in the first person. It is the only stretch of the AT I have hiked personally. Many of the readers of the blog have hiked these trails with me and I hope every link brings back all the memories they do for me. If you ever get a chance to hike a section of the AT, this is the one you should do. The vistas are incredibly breathtaking, the huts and shelters are near the mountain peaks, and the hiking effort needed to get to these heights is incredibly hard and grueling on the body. You feel a real sense of accomplishment when you summit even one. To summit eight in a week is mind blowing. I am looking forward to her call the next time more than any other the entire adventure. The slackpack day tomorrow is going to be most earned.

They are dropping their packs in Glen, NH when Trail Angel Rachel meets them. I'm not sure which part they are hiking during the slack. I will tell you more details soon.

COCONUT IS BACK ON THE TRAIL!!! She is in Vermont and still putting in the big mile days. Her breathing is still getting the best of her on the long days of sucking wind at high elevations. The lure of completing the Appalachian Trail is so intense that you sacrifice your body toward achieving the end goal. I'm going to get a location report from her tomorrow and will catch you all up as she progresses as well. Keep up the encouragement both here and on Facebook.  Both of them read the blog and appreciate all the positive energy that you give them.

WELCOME BACK TO NEW HAMPSHIRE!!

Hello from New Hampshire. Friends hiked with them today to hike The Gentle Giant, Mt. Moosilauke. Since I last checked posted on the blog a lot has happened.

Some of you know, Hollywood and Backtrack came home last weekend. They did a triple zero here at home before heading back to Finish off Vermont and head into New Hampshire. There is a lot of stuff to catch up on when you’ve been away for four and a half months. Hollywood is a landlord and there was house stuff to deal with, people to catch up with, mail to return, and all sorts of other trappings of everyday life. She came back to deal with the most important of these because when Tyler gets home he is jumping right onto the trail to finish up the grand adventure with his loving wife.

I sent ten days of food up to her today so Backtrack is going OK with food. When she was home she picked up some but I had measured incorrectly and an additional care package needed to go up to top off Jordan’s backpack.

She called me on Friday while on the top of Smarts Mountain 1762.6 NoBo. The night was crystal clear and it looked like there were a billion stars out in the sky. She has been doing a lot of night hiking to catch up the miles and now that they are in the big elevations well above treeline when they hit the peaks, the nighttime sky lights up like it hasn’t done before. It is both awe inspiring and humbling to lay on your back on top of a mountain and take in the boundless visage of the universe. They are deep in the mountains where there is no light pollution blocking out the wonder of the night sky.  They have passed through Hanover, NH and are now well into the White Mountain National Forest. This was at ten PM and they were headed to the Trapper John Shelter 1755.9 NoBo. It was there very first time summiting so late at night. The shelter was only one tenth of a mile from the peak.

In New England, you find the shelters near the peaks of mountain very frequently. While further south, you most often found them in the valleys between the mountains. They are in for many nights just like Friday night laying on top of the mountain with the stars so bright you can practically see the trail by them.

They had done 26 miles Friday through over 8000 ft of elevation change. Uphill a thousand, down a thousand, up a thousand, down a thousand, up a thousand, down a thousand, and up two thousand. A saw tooth say. That is the Whites for you. Yesterday was another seven thousand foot day over two peaks and today was 3000 feet straight up to peak Moosilauke. And 2500 down the other side. This kind of elevation change really puts those 900 ft sawtooth days that were such a bother way back in Virginia into perspective. Tonight is most likely spent in Kinsman notch, where lies Lincoln, NH. 1791.9 NoBo.

Not only were her local friends Nikki and Jack hiking today, Y- Knot , Y-Know, Pryor and another friend, came up and hiked with them too. Also she has caught back up with her friends. She has ‘caught the bubble’ which is some of her hiking friends from the past months on the trail. She now has companionship again. She is currently thru-hiking with Aaron, Dillon, and Do What.

Vermont was quickly torn down last early last week. The first day back on the trail, they got turned  around and unintentionally hiked ten miles down ‘The long Trail’ instead of the Appalachian Trail. It was 6:00 PM before she realized they had been hiking the whole afternoon on the wrong trail.  A call to Pete revealed there was no close crossroad coming up to catch a ride back to the an AT trailhead, so they had to slog back up the trail the ten miles just to get to the start again. That night they did a ‘stealth camp’ right on the trail side. 

This was one of the few nights she was truly bored out of her mind while hiking and camping on the trail. She was all alone with no shelter, or the companionship the people in them provide, nearby. She wore her phone battery down calling everyone to stave off the tedium, and called it a very early night at ‘trail midnight’ for the first time since starting the trip. They packed up and got going very early Wednesday morning to get back on track. Wednesday Thursday and Friday was head down nose to the grindstone hiking to try and catch up with to ‘the bubble’. Tuesday and Wednesday were the first two days when Hollywood and Backtrack truly hiked alone, not seeing anyone they knew or had hiked with before. It was an odd feeling to have been hiking with so many people and now finding yourself truly solo hiking the AT.

Wednesday night was spent in West Hartford, VT in a trail angels’ back yard. There was only one other hiker there. He was intoxicated and camping in a different area of the yard and didn’t get a great vibe from him. Thursday was out of West Hartford, 10 miles into Hanover, and catching up with the bubble. A day of pizza, beers and hang time in Hanover for the morning and early afternoon put them on the trail just in time to summit Smarts Mountain. Catching up with fellow hikers she knew was great motivation to pack on the miles though.   

So there you have it, New Hampshire, we welcome home Backtrack and Hollywood. Only one more state to go. The high peaks of the White Mountains are calling your names. We cannot wait to sit by the fire with you and listen to all the tails of one of the greatest adventures of a lifetime. Here are a few Moosilauke pictures.

NH here we come

I've only been able to keep tracks via facebook posts, but at last sign in, Hollywood and Tripwire were n Rutland VT. That puts them just at the Killington Mountain area.

Less than 60 miles to go and they will hit the Granite State. There are less than 500 miles to go in the adventure and they are still rocking on hardcore. Yesterday it was all rain, so they cut their day short at 11 miles. But the weekend is going to be rain free and I won't be surprised if, by Monday or Tuesday, New Hampshire says hello to weary walkers.

When I get the next food drop instructions, I may have some more details about the hike through Vermont.

Goodbye Muggy Mass, Hello Green Mountain State.

Holly-Mom is off the trail and resting her tired feet. She hiked with Hollywood this past week during the 90+degree days and 70+ % humidity. Despite severely oppressive heat, they put on 79.5 miles in 5 days. Tripwire and Hollywood are flying as a duo now.

Coconut is still recovering and went back home to rest up. She is still optimistic she will be able to summit with Hollywood and Tripwire. Holly-mom left the trail in 1561.2 NoBo. They spent the night in a roach motel and slackpacked Hollywood and Tripwire for 23 miles to North Adams, MA 1584.7 NoBo yesterday. There she spent last night camping in a trail angel’s yard. Sculler showed up and met her for breakfast before driving her back to the trail head.

Today should be a relatively short day and a successful crossing off of the state of Massachusetts. Hazy hot and humid weather combined with tons of mosquitoes, black flies and moth flies made Mass a miserable slog up the trail. Their days were spent in insect ridden swampy bogs with a deep canopy overhead offering shade but also super soaking humidity, fields of grass with no cover from the blazing sun overhead and, to mix it up a bit, blackberry bush obscured trails offering scratched legs but no fruit for the pain. Today she says goodbye and good riddance to Mass, and hello to Vermont, The GreenMountain State. They will stay at the Seth Warner Shelter 1591.7 NoBo. 

 

She is headed into the Green Mountain National Forest. The trail runs through the deepest part of the forest. For the next 49 miles there is only one cross road and it is early on. There is a 32 mile stretch that is nothing but trail. They are down to just three states. It is nice to know they are within a few hours’ drive away now. If they put on 15 miles a day every day for the next 38 days, she will peak Katahdin on September 1st as planned.
 

A quick Update. Details to follow

I apologize that this post is so short, but life here in my world is forcing htis one to be a quick update.

Hollywood called and we chatted about a lot of nothing for a while. It was so nice to have a long chat with her. I can only synopsize right now. I will try to fill in the details on the next post.

Coconut is off the trail right now. She came down with something and had to take today and tomorrow off the trail in Salisbury Ct. She is feeling fine, but her lungs are bothering her. Antibiotics are on their way and I'm sure she will be healthy as a horse very soon and back on the trail to Katahdin.

Backtrack's new pack is working out. The story of his old one breaking and a failed attempt to repair is a good one I'll tell you soon. He has visited the Dr's office. He has a game leg that caused Hollywood some concern. She went in and also asked the doc if Backtrack was too thin. 'If only all the dogs I see were this healthy' was the reply. He looks thin only when compared to what some people think a 'healthy' Lab should look. But most dogs, like the vast majority of everything else in the USA, are slightly to very overweight. Backtrack is a lean mean hiking machine.

Hollywood and Holly Mom (A trail name in the making?) are at the Tom Leonard Lean-To 1519.6 NoBo. Despite ton of humidity she has been doing well with an average of 14 miles a day. Last night they were at the Hemlock Lean-To 1505.2 NoBo. Like every new hiker, she has brought some items that could be pared down. Among the extra items is an air horn. We cracked up at that one. The thought behind bringing one is completely understandable. Hollywood is the trail veteran looking at the first timer and reflecting on how much crap she had packed with herself initially.


Today they hiked through the East Mountain State Forest, and tomorrow will be the Beartown State Forest.

There you have it. Short and sweet.

Coconut catches Hollywood in Fort Kent. Montana's disband. Big food drop.

I got a food drop request from Hollywood. Her parents are headed down to visit with her this weekend and her mom is joining her on the trail for a while.

Doreen shot me off a couple trail progress pictures. As you may remember, Doreen is a former workmate of Hollywood's. They have kept track of her progress at their workplace. Here are the latest locaiton pictures. Thanks again Doreen for the pics.

 This picture certainly gives you the idea of what they've hiked so far. Amazing to look at it on a map.



















Sno hiked on so the Big Montana's are officially disbanded. We wish Sno the best of luck in completing his thru-hike. I'm packaging up 20 days, yes you read that right, 20 days of food. The plan is that when her parents first show up, she will grab 10 days for Jordan. Then, when mom gets off the trail and dad comes to pick her up, he'll already have 10 more days ready to go.

Just as Sno left, Coconut had rejoined her. They met up in Kent, Ct. The original group, 'Jordan the Wonder Dog, his mom Melissa, and her cousin Christina.' are reunited again. This weeks special guests are Myles and Liz, Hollywood's dad and mom, respectively. 

They will meet in South Egremont MA. Liz is bringing food for all three of them. The hope is to get a week of hiking in together. Mom has been preparing with day hikes.  She is very excited to see her daughter and earn her first trail name. Hollywood is super psyched to see her parents too. Just as Coconut was thrilled to be able to spend some time while on the trail with her parents at the beginning, Hollywood is enjoying the same privilege as Melissa gets closer and closer to home.

They have had the incredible luck to have parents at both ends of the trail and lots and lots of friends meeting and assisting along the way. The adventure lies not just in the miles and miles of hiking, but the bonds created and rekindled with friends and family all along the way.

Kent, Ct is mile 1458.5 NoBo. There are multiple restaurants, an outfitter and an animal clinic.

Jordan's backpack has finally succumbed to the rigors of trail life. He has worn oit almost 1500 miles day in and day out. Many dogs go through multiple packs while on the A.T. Backtrack had kept his gear in as good a condition possible.

It fell apart today. But fear not, a new one is coming down along with the food, toe socks, flea collar, and most importantly the trail angel Myles and newest member of the group, Liz.









So there you have it, 1500 miles and the original group is back together. With less than 800 miles to go, the adventure is no less thrilling to cover and experience.

Days away from the blog. New York down. Connecticut is under their feet

I apologize that I haven't kept up with the blog. Life and its crazy ups and downs drew me away from the written page.

At last report, there were three. Sculler, Hollywood and Backtrack. Sno had hiked on. He missed the crew and 24 hours after that post he held up while they caught up with him. The flow of the blog made me forget to mention it.

But we are down by one more now. Sculler has left the trail. She had to return to her work-a-day job as a Sculling coach. We wish her well on her continued quest to complete the Appalachian Trail.

Melissa had a visit from home friends in NY so they took a zero over the weekend. Back on the trail again they are now all the way up into Connecticut. It has been difficult keeping up because Hollywood has cut back on her texts to me about their daily activities. She is tuned into the trail and the goal of completing the task. So much so that, even though she wants us all to know where she is and keep encouraging her, she is so focused on the experience of trail life that contact to the outside world takes a back seat. Also with her being in telephone range more often now, she naturally uses facebook, e-mail and direct texting to friends and family more often.

I've mostly kept you apprised of their location due to Sculler reporting in. I hear from Hollywood when it is food drop time. So now that it is Sno, Hollywood and Backtrack together, you may only get updates every ten days or so. When I get an update, be assured, I'll report it to you.

Ups then Downs. Then ups then downs.

New York is proving to be the start of the big climbs. Today they put on 15 miles. five 700+ foot peaks and valleys over hard trails. Staying just off Bear Mountain. The closest campsite is the Hemlock Springs Campsite. 1397.8 NoBo.

They passed through the lowest point on the AT Mile 1395.1 NoBo.  There is a Trailside Museum and Zoo. No charge for thru-hikers but they don't allow dogs in. So Tripwire had to use the bypass This point is 124 ft above sea level. Way back two and a half months ago on April 21st, they were at the highest point, Clingmans dome 6643ft above sea level. The past few weeks they have been just as likely to go to sleep listening to highway noise and train whistles as crickets and night creatures.

A couple of Hollywood's friends, Mel and Marsh, are headed down to Long Island to meet up with her over the weekend. Marsh came by and picked up Jordan's next food drop. No postage fees for this one. Rest well trail weary hikers. The peaks and valleys continue tomorrow. Check out the the NY section of the site Purebound.com. It gives you another taste of the beautiful acreage trhey are hiking through. There are pictures of the Lemon Squeezer sign and the world famous Lemon Squeezer itself.

The Northeast. Where Stone shelters become the norm.

The crew hiked 16 miles in 98% humidity into Fingerboard shelter Mile 1380.0 NoBo. I did some looking up of the shelter and had to post some pictures of it. I think it looks really cool and the view it looks out over is phenomenal.

They are hiking through Harriman State Park. They should hike through Bear Mountain State Park tomorrow and land in Fort Montgomery, NY 1395.6 NoBo. With day after day of hiking to awesome spots hanging out with cool like minded people and seeing views so spectacular they will never be able to fully describe them to us, you can understand why some find it bittersweet to end the adventure of a lifetime at Katahdin.
Many thanks to The Creak Of Boots blog, and Bikersolo.com, for the pictures.

We are down to two Montana's and Backtrack.

Sno hiked on today. It's down to Sculler, Hollywood and Tripwire. It is another sad day for the team. But on a happier note, Sculler is still with her and Melissa is going to be meeting up with friends in Long Island this weekend. I'll be sending the next shipment with one of the people hooking up with her there. 10 days of food, Toe socks, Heartworm pill, and Frontline. Ticks have been an ongoing issue with Melissa and, even more so, Jordan. Fortunately it's the big ones and most don't bite before being caught and removed.

 They had enjoyed two days of slackpacking on Saturday and Sunday thanks, again, to trail angel Brian. Today they hiked with full packs because they didn't expect to be going back to Brian's house and enjoying another night in a real bed. But when they determined they were going to land in Warwick, NY, Brian pointed out that there is a Drive In there. They decided to drive down  memory lane to the Drive In tonight as opposed to getting an early start back on the trail. One more night at Brian's and back on the trail again.

From The A.T. Guide:  Mile 1354.2 NoBo.
Warwick Turnpike Warwick, NY 10990
2.7W to intersection with NY 94:
Also: Warwick Drive  In Theater. 1.5 miles farther north on NY 94 to downtown Warwick, where there are many restaurants and the post office and library.

Cars2 is playing at the Drive In tonight. Did they know Hollywood was coming?

 
Tomorrow looks like it is mostly flat ground so even though the day will be be in the 90's and with a late start due to movie madness, they could still get 20 miles in. They are now close enough that we get the weather they had two days ago. You know they are knocking on the door when their weather is ours.

Coconut is back on the trail!!! Tailwind let me know yesterday that she got back on the trail at Delaware Water Gap and is proceeding up the trail at her own pace. The Big Montana's most likely will not be able to reunite before Sculler has to head back to the work-a-day world. There is still a chance that Coconut will catch Hollywood before Katahdin. As Coconut hikes up the trail I will keep you apprised on her progress throughout the blog as well. Thanks to Tailwind for feeding me that information.

On Monday July 11, Hollywood and Tripwire head out on the trail alone again. I'm sure it won't take long for another group to start following Melissa and Jordan. They are the Pied Pipers of the Appalachian Trail.

Happy Birthday Hollywood 29 is just a number

I was taken up with local responsibilities and was unable to put out a Happy Birthday post for Hollywood yesterday. So on behalf of all your followers, Happy 29th Melissa.
They were going to slackpack 25 miles thanks to trail angel Brian Feuer. But the rain told them differently. It was pouring badly and they weren't able to make the hike happen. As a consolation, they ate BBQ instead.


Despite the multi thousand calorie mega meals, beer, snacks, and all that other yummy stuff that makes us fat, Melissa is getting even skinnier as the days go by. Here she is at the beginning of the hike:

As you can see she is already in shape and you wouldn't think the trail would trim much more off of her.



And here she is now. I may not have chosen the best pictures as to represent how dramatic a change, but you can see overall that any signs of extra baggage has left the gate and been replaced by lean mean hiking muscle machine.










 


The latest stretch takes them through High Point State Park.


It has been tradition to go to Portsmouth and take in the Fireworks on Melissa's birthday. They usually set them off on July 3rd. Well this year, they heard that she wasn't going to be around and put them off until the fifth (That and some inclement weather loomed).  But despite that, down in New Jersey, the rumor of Hollywoods fame had preceded her and, lo and behold, fireworks for her birthday.

 So Happy Birthday Hollywood, 29 is just getting started. New York is calling all your names and the Big Apple wants to open it's arms and give you a big ol hug.

So much has gone on this week.

As some of you know, the Big Montana's has suffered an upset. Christina (Coconut) has decided to take some time off the trail. Here is her FB post:

Christina Schubert

Needed a few days off, so I caught a bus (or 3) from Palmerton, PA to home. Gonna spend a little more time relaxing, resting my feet, and getting some vitamin R, then I'll be back in the boots to finish the last 932 miles. Washed my pack this afternoon..hopefully once it's dry it'll smell more like Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap and less like 3 months without deodorant.. 

So with Coconut off the trail for a while, Hollywood, Sno, Sculler and Tripwire took a zero day and headed out on the trail minus one core member. We all hope Coconut has a great rest and we hope she can catch back up with the gang eventually. Katahdin is calling them all. Sculler is leaving the trail on July 10 as well.

Back on the trail the crew has taken down 5 towns in six days and are now somewhere in the great state of New Jersey (Insert obligatory New Jersey joke here). They are around mile 1300 NoBo. They plan to make it into Branchville, NJ 1313.5 NoBo tomorrow. There are several campsites between mile 1290 and 1307.

They are in the Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area. This link takes you to a map of the AT as it runs through the park: The AT through the park. They have had many days of sharp pointy rocks followed with delicious food in towns as the dark rolls in. On more than one hiking day, Sno and Hollywood end up donning their headlamps as it gets dark in order to catch up with Sculler.

The party continues up the trail. Sno's sombrero and neck radio providing the tunes and the mood. Although the radio stations they are listening to seem to play the same 10-15 songs all day long, this doesn't dissuade Hollywood, Sno, and Sculler from blasting the music and dancing up the trail.

Today marks month number three on the Appalachian Trail. They have hiked over 1300 miles and through 6 states in only 91 days. Hollywood and Tripwire will be back in less than 75 days.

Food drop going out to Delaware Water Gap

Quick shout from Sculler finds them at the Eckville Shelter 1224.2 NoBo. They had one more day of slackpacking yesterday. They slacked into Port Clinton and had dinner courtesy of Schubert Family Trail Angels.

Free pizza to fill the empty bellies too. Compared to some of the others, this is four star deluxe accommodations.  Here are a few pictures of the shelter:

 There are Enclosed bunkrooms, tent platforms

 A flush toilet, and water spigot at the side of the caretakers house.

 Nice digs. Next food drop is going into the mail tomorrow and is headed to Delaware Water Gap. That is around 1280 NoBo. 10 days of food and some treats for Tripwire and a few select nice goodies for Hollywood to enjoy.

Back on the trail. Goobye base camp and slack packing. New England here we come.

Sculler shot off a location report from the trail. They are back on in full pack mode. Today was 17 miles. From Swatara Gap to the Hertline Campsite 1190.9 NoBo. If you look at the map link on the right you can see that they had a pretty long stretch of woodland to hike in today. This is the first day they have had to return to full pack weight.

The Waterville Iron Bridge across Swatara Creek: I love the detailed work at the top.

A picture of the boulder field just before Hertlein Campsite: Yes, I did say Boulder Field.













The campsite has an old Dam at it and a nice frigid pond back up behind it. I couldn't find a picture I could freely post but if you click this link to a Google image search the first two pictures show you the pond and the cool rope swing. Looks like a perfect place to set up camp. This is only a small piece of the 100 mile stretch of ankle twisting, shoe eating trail that runs through Pennsylvania. They don't get much of a respite from the rocky trail until Delaware Water Gap 1285 NoBo. 

New milestone. They now have less than 1000 miles to go to reach Katahdin.

One more day slackpacking. Holy 26 miles batman!

They got back on the trail today and took down 26 miles of Pennsylvania rocky trails.  The relatively flat terrain and weight reduction is making them light as feathers and swift as eagles.

You've heard a lot about them, and now you can place faces to the names.
On the left is Sculler and on the right, in the ever fashionable sombrero is Sno.

Here they are on the road to Duncannon, Pa. 1138.5 NoBo. They found a brief respite from the sun hanging out under a bridge.





This puts them close to a quarter of the way through Pennsylvania. These days they have been able to slackpack have meant lots of miles of trail burned up. The distance they put on today was through relatively urban terrain. The trail  dives straight back into the woods for the next 40+ miles. Rejoined as a team they are slicing through Pennsylvania like a knife through butter. 

A fail on the Half Gallon Challenge. Slackpacking is the best

Sno, Coconut, Hollywood, and Jordan slack packed 22 miles into Pine Grove Furnace State Park 1093.4 NoBo yesterday. Above is the general location they are at on the map.
A little info from the Wiki: Pine Grove Furnace State Park is a protected Pennsylvania area that includes Laurel and Fuller lakes in Cooke Township. The park provides various outdoor recreation activities, has the remains of the Pine Grove Iron Works, and was the site of the 1830 Laurel Forge, 1880s Pine Grove Park, and an 1892 brick plant.

 They took on the Half Gallon Challenge at the Pine Grove Furnace Store and failed miserably. As if walking 2,175 miles, mostly over rugged mountain terrain, is not challenging enough, through hikers on the Appalachian Trail face another daunting test when they reach Pine Grove Furnace State Park.

The unofficial halfway point of the Georgia-to-Maine trek is the front porch of the park's general store. There, hikers traditionally celebrate by consuming a half-gallon of ice cream, a feat known as the "half-gallon challenge." Our heros were not up to the task. Their spirits were into the idea, but bellies were full way too fast and none were able to eat the entire half gallon of ice cream.

The half way point is officially behind them. They went through it at 1090.5 NoBo. There are often hiker created temporary monuments celebrating it. But since every year the mid-way point changes a little as trails open and close and section mileages are adjusted accordingly, the true half-way point is an ever moving target. They are using Sno's place as a base camp to allow them these past few days of slackpacking. Coconut is at a hotel with her bo and the entire troop will take a zero tomorrow. Sno and Hollywood will keep the pool at the hotel safe from ruffians by diligently sitting by the pool sitting in deck chairs and soaking in the awesomeness of a day off the trail. 

They slacked another 20 miles today and will get back on the trail at Boiling Springs, Pa 1113.0 NoBo.

Jordan gets a nice mobile home to hang out in. While they are slackpacking, getting to and from Jordan gets the back of Sno's truck to hang out in. Check him here living the good life on his rolling doggy bed. 







After their zero tomorrow it will be back to the grind for all of them, full packs and all. Pennsylvania and New York to go, and they will touch their feet on New England soil.

Melissa has discovered that it isn't the shoes, socks, or even the mileage that is killing her feet. It is the weight of her backpack. While they have been slackpacking, she has had almost no feet issues despite putting on a 23 and a 20 back to back. Her end of day has gone from agony to mild irritation. Be that as it may, the 40 pound life sustaining bundle is on her back again Tuesday. This next week or so should be pretty smooth on them as far as elevation goes. But the Pa. stretch is called 'Where Boots go to Die and the maintenance crew sharpens the rocks.' What it lacks in elevation it makes up for in the ruggedness of the trails. 

A call from a random point on the trail. Hello Maryland.

The crew slackpacked 12 miles yesterday thanks to a Schubert Magic Angel. She met them at lunch, they raged on diner food, and with weight off and bellies full, they hiked into Harpers Ferry, Va. Today the crew didn’t get out of the Harpers Ferry area until after 4:30 this afternoon. They did a mere 8 mile nero to land up about a mile short of the Ed Garvey Shelter 1021.3 NoBo. They have broken through the 1000 mile mark and should have the first half of the entire A.T. done by Tuesday. They are at a random Campground .2 miles off the trail. 

They got started so late because they wanted to spend the day at The Appalachian Trail Conservancy. This is home base for the whole ATC support team. I strongly encourage you to spend some time at their website. It tells the tail of why the AT is so much more than a path from Georgia to Maine. If you are planning on trying the AT, or even a section of it, it's one of the greatest resources for information.

   From the ATC website: Who We Are: The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), established in 1925, is a national not-for-profit corporation that is both a confederation of the 31 local organizations with assignments to maintain the Appalachian Trail and a membership organization with support from all 50 states and more than 15 other countries.

 When you show up and sign in as a thru hiker, they give you a number and take your picture to put in the Yearbook. Hollywood is 440. Coconut is 443. Frodo has been joining them on and off throughout the trail as their hiking schedules coordinate. He and Sno are 441 and 442. When you complete the trail, you can fill out a ‘2000-miler’ application and they will send you a certificate, a patch and you get listed in the May/June issue of AT Journeys; an ATC member’s magazine. Sculler left the trail at Harpers Ferry for family responsibilities. But since they took a nero today and will be taking a zero at Sno’s home town, she may still catch back up. There are so many names of the people that drift in and out of their hiking days that it would take pages to name them and tell the stories. Be sure to pick their brains on their return and you’ll find so many nuggets of awesome tales. 

Sno and Frodo are 2011 thru-hikers. Sculler has been section hiking the trail for a few years now because of work. She is an instructor and only gets the late spring / early summer period off work before going back to her coaching duties. The team has been trying to get her to extent that time as long as possible because they all gel so well together. 

If all goes as expected they will be in Boiling Springs Pa. 1107.6 NoBo on the 19^th. They will zero out on the 20^th. Hollywood will hang out with Sno in his home town and Coconut will have a well deserved visit with her Bo. 

Melissa related that Harpers Ferry is similar to Portsmouth, NH and Salem, MA.  Among the attractions in this history filled and proud town are ghost tours, and historically accurate people walking around acting out what life was like in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Hollywood appreciated it a little more than the others because she comes from a city that has these same types of attractions in it. They arrived at Harpers Ferry last night around 8PM.

Hollywood replaced her Thermarest in Buena Vista so has been back on a nice comfortable bed for a while now. The old one couldn’t be repaired and was sent home. Sno and Hollywood have picked up radios. Spent all the time getting the pack weight down so they picked up a radio in Front Royal. Now their days are spent having dance parties up the trail. Spirits are running very high. They went to flea market in Front Royal and Sno picked up a sombrero. He looks very interesting hiking up the trail wearing a sombrero and a radio around his neck. Sculler is another gazelle and she was hiking with Coconut while they were all together. Sno and Hollywood keep a slower pace. Nonetheless, they always put on the same number of miles at the end of a day. 

Sno is feeding J-Dog a lot now and the other night he got a double meal. Melissa fed him and Sno did a while later. Bonus for the four legged team member.

As I finished my call with her, they had completed setting up camp and were getting ready for dinner. They are in Maryland now. Out of the Virginia’s completely. West Virginia was only 6 miles before they dipped back into Virginia and, finally, across the border into Maryland. Maryland will be another short state before they hit Pennsylvania. 

Congratulations on breaking the 1000 mile and Virginia borders. Half done…. Hard to imagine considering this all started on April 1^st.

The passage of the Patowmac through the Blue Ridge is perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in Nature.
... This scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic ...
Thomas Jefferson

Goodbye Virginia, you will not be missed

Tonight finds our adventurers at Bear's Den Hostel  . 994.5 NoBo. The Stone lodge is ATC owned.Laundry, Showers, Lounge, Internet access. It looks like a great place to stay on the trail. I mean they have Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream available. What more can you want while in the woods? They hiked 13 miles today. A roller coaster day going up and down hills 10 times. Tomorrow they will say goodbye to Virginia and Hello to the 1000 mile mark. Sunday, after an awesome zero day, they headed back onto the trail amid thunderstorms. They have put another 22 miles behind them as of today.  

Here is her FB post:

Melissa's Profile · Melissa's Wall

Melissa Chamberlain

Camping at the Bear's Den Hostel, by far the best hostel on the AT! We'll be out of VA tomorrow!! YAY!! FU VA!! I will not miss you, you are NOT flat!!!!! Damn roller coaster today! 10 hills, 13 miles - Who does that?

Sculler is the latest recruit. The whole team is now called 'Sno's Nuts and the Big Montana's'. That and 'Charlie and his Angels'. Depending on who you ask and who gets to answer first. It refers to Sno, the lone guy in the group other than our Canine pal Jordan, who has been keeping company with the girls, Hollywood, Coconut, and Sculler.

Sno caught up with them a while ago and Sculler has been with them through the past four towns since Waynesboro, Va. They will be heading into Pa and Sno's neck of the woods soon.

 So goodbye Virginia, you are not flat, and you are very long, but the crew didn't get too much of the blues because of team comradeship.

Here are a few pictures of what they saw as they sat atop Bears Den Rocks.

 A nice postcard of a moonlight painting of this beautiful area.

The more we see, the more we want to try it too.

Tracking Tripwire and Hollywood up the map

At Melissa's former workplace they are tracking the progression as they all head up the trail. Doreen, one of the people where she worked, kindly sent me a couple pictures of the map they have put up to track Jordan and Melissa's progress. Here is the map in its entirety as it sits on the wall.

I love the marker they made of our intrepid heroes. Here it is in closeup. How awesome is that? I've asked Doreen to keep sending me pictures as they move up the trail. I like to add as much depth to their experience as I can since this will be a kind of journal for them to peruse once the trail is through and they are sharing all the memories.


If you have some interesting pictures, or stories you think would be nice to add, feel free to email me at blogstuff@budgreen.net .

They did 26 miles yesterday!! They pulled off the Shenandoah's, all 106 miles of it, in five days. Today is a zero day in Front Royal, Va where the Blue Ridge Mountains meet the Shenandoah river. A well earned day off to get out of the heat and rest their feet.