The first time I met Starburp, she was flipping pancakes by the side of the road in Georgia. She had already hiked the first few tens of miles and was trail magicking for her friends who she would later hike with to Damascus. Then she traveled with Savor from Virginia
Miss Janet is a legend in the AT community. Her van, Bounce Box, can be encountered anywhere from Georgia to Maine. She is also known as The Backpack Ninja, for grabbing hikers and fixing their backpack straps. well this here's a story 'bout the legendary Janet bounces
Having now made it over 1000 miles by foot this year, I'm finally starting to figure out food and what I should have been doing the entire time. The biggest problem with the advice I had been following was that it was aimed at high performance, thus assuming
We met 111 (Triple One) in Massachusetts. He was the first thru hiker to start the AT this year, badge number 1 on January 1st. He is very knowledgeable, very talkative, and very much taking his time. His unique food solution included three freeze dried meals per day, including plain
Vermont greeted us with mud. In the early sections, much of the trail involved jumping from stone to stone to avoid losing our shoes to deep mud pits. In other areas we had an option to walk across treacherously slippery lumber boardwalks instead. This persisted through much of the state,
The Kent Connecticliffs, or How to Fall Off a Cliff and Still Have Fun. well this here's the story 'bout Connecticliffs who decided we should hike across tectonic rifts? three points of contact over rock and stone but if rain comes a pouring then you might as
Massachusetts was one of the nicer northern states. We finally got abundant rain to get the water sources flowing, and the trail was not as technical as previous states. The first highlight was a blueberry farm where hikers are encouraged to pick a bucket of berries in exchange for dinner.
The caretaker of Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter. well this here's the story 'bout Caleb the Frog crawled up out the water now he's high upon the hog jumped up on my shoulder and what did he see? just a juicy buzzing banquet at the skeeter
From our New York City adventure we continued east into Harriman State Park on a weekend, where droves of day hikers interviewed us about thru hiking. It's nice to feel like a celebrity now and then. We told our stories, answered the usual questions, and made our way
For a change of pace (and because I haven't written more trail song verses yet), I wrote another song on the day I came home from Harper's Ferry. A backburn is a controlled fire used to eliminate fuel in the path of a larger controlled fire
Pickup and I have traveled together for hundreds of miles. He helped me get off trail in Marion and return in Glasgow when my knee was injured. He is never without a tube of Duke's mayonnaise to top off his lunch wraps. Pickup is also a rare hiker
By now we have left New Jersey behind and are traversing the state of New York by foot, bus, car, and train. I haven't hiked in the northeast very long, but some differences stick out. The locals we encounter are still friendly and helpful when we encounter them,