Sunday May 26, 13.5mi/21.7km

Great Barrington (1522.8) to North Wilcox shelter (1536.3) (MA)

It was another relaxing morning, and Bill made us a big breakfast of eggs, bacon, and asparagus. Then, a group photo!

We packed up and Maureen was kind enough to drop us off at the trail, which was so much easier than hitching. We started hiking at 10:30am, so it was already very warm and humid.

After a sweaty climb, the ridge had a nice breeze. And also this deep, cold ravine to recover a bit of energy.

Bob and I stopped for lunch at a shelter, and because it was a holiday weekend, there were already other campers there. This group of 3 guys had brought an impressive assortment of food, including vegetables, sandwich meat, hummus, and beer! So we swapped stories and snacks for awhile.

The rest of the afternoon we hiked by many small lakes and ponds.

The trail was mostly in a nice pine forest, which always reminds me of the PCT. The mosquitoes were around, but I used some Deet and they stayed away.

We got to the shelter very early, at 4:15pm. But the next shelter isn’t for another 14miles, so we set up and camped.

There are some mosquitoes, so I put on… pants. Which felt weird, but I was bite-free!

Saturday May 25, 0mi/0km

Great Barrington MA (1522.8)

Zero days (days with zero mileage) are great! More sleep, more food, and more people! We are staying at a friend’s of friends house in town, and we caught the bus to the other side of town to the shopping center. The “GB” in hedges was a unique sight.

One of the stores in the shopping center looked like it was having a Saturday festival. Nope, just the queue for the local dispensary! There was even a food truck, and music, and police directing traffic.

We went to the Great Barrington Brewery for lunch, it’s always great food. And solar powered beer!

After some shopping errands at the Price chopper, thrift store, and McDonald’s (milkshakes!), Bob and I went to the local lake for a swim.

The clouds and wind came in by the time we walked there, so I got cold and didn’t go in very deep. But it was still so nice to be in a lake!

We walked the half mile back to the house, where our hosts offered us dinner! Maureen and Bill made some really excellent burritos, with fresh vegetables from their garden. Burritos are basically one of my food groups, so I was super excited!

Friday May 24, 25.3mi/40.7km

Rands view campsite CT (1497.5) to Great Barrington MA (1522.8)

It was nice to wake up in my tent, and be camped up on a ridge, and not down in the damp river valley. The view from our campsite this morning :

After a few minutes of hiking, we came across a rock formation called “Giants thumb”.

And about an hour into the morning, we hit the 1,500 mile mark! For some reason, no one else had made a sign yet, so I spent 15 minutes to put one together.

Most of the morning was walking in a dense pine forest, which was a nice ch of pace. And one random cemetery at a road crossing..

Then… we left Connecticut and entered Massachusetts!

And after another climb up to a ridge, I was in another pine forest. This ridge is over 2,000ft elevation, with three “big” mountains – Bear Mt, Mt Race, and Mt Everett.

Views from Bear Mountain, looking east:

The pine forest was nostalgic of my PCT hike.

And so many streams today!

View from Mt Race:

View from Mt Everett :

Much of the trail in the afternoon was on these nice rock slabs, it was like walking on an alpine sidewalk!

The final few miles to town were in a farm valley, which was swampy and full of mosquitoes. First mosquitoes all trail, so I can’t complain too much.

Just before the road into town, there was a monument to Shays Rebellion. Cool!

We arrived to the road at 6pm, and after 10 minutes got a hitch into town. Great Barrington is an expensive resort town, and probably full on a holiday weekend, so we were lucky that Bob had some friends in town. We are camping in the nicest shed I have ever seen, it’s great! After we shared a wonderful dinner and wine with our hosts, it’s bedtime..

Thursday May 23, 21.4mi/34.4km

Stewart Hollow shelter (1476.1) to Rands view campsite (1497.5) (CT)

It was so humid when I woke up this morning. I usually don’t camp by rivers for that reason (among others), but it was nice to be in a shelter during last night’s brief rainstorm. It was an easy start to the day, as the trail followed along the Housatonic River for another 2 miles.

Most of the morning was in a forest, going up and down some hills. There wasn’t much to see, just an occasional creek.

Crossing on flat stones, because there’s no bridge.

Just before lunch, we got to Split Boulder. The trail squeezes in between two massive rocks, almost like going up a chimney!

We stopped for lunch at a shelter, and I ate quickly, since I had to make it to the Post office by 4:30pm, with still 8 miles to go. The trail was again mostly in a green tunnel all afternoon, but it gave some nice flowers to look at.

And there was one view!

And of course, the PUD (pointless up and down) over this small hill.

After descending out of the forest, the last mile to town was thru some fields, and had cool views.

And I walked by a fancy looking school along the way.

I arrived to the Post office just before 4pm, and my package hadn’t arrived yet! The lady working there was super nice, and offered to forward it when it finally arrived. Perfect! I met Bob at a local restaurant for a burger, and then we hiked on another hour. On the way out of town, we passed by the waterfall for which the town is named.

It was a nice evening to hike, and mostly uphill.

We got to our planned camp spot at 7:30pm, and setup under some trees, next to this amazing view.

This is looking north, into Massachusetts and the southern Taconic mountains! We are so close to real mountains again!

Wednesday May 22, 19.7mi/31.7km

Wiley shelter NY (1456.4) to Stewart Hollow shelter CT (1476.1)

We woke up in New York, hiked a mile, and entered Connecticut!

It was a peaceful walk following rivers all morning. First, the Tenmile River…

Then, we passed the confluence of the Tenmile and Housatonic Rivers.

And a few miles later, crossed the Housatonic on a historic covered bridge into a small town.

The small convenience store had all the usual hiker foods, plus ice cream, snacks, cold drinks too. I bought all the new england foods I could find. (They didn’t have maple syrup, Moxie, lobster, or Papa Gino’s)

Getting back on the trail was an effort, being stuffed full of food. And doubly so with a big 1000ft/300m climb up to a ridge. But once I got up there, I found an occasional view to keep things interesting.The trail alternated between terrible sharp useless rocks, and smooth walking surface. About half the time of each.The final view of the day, before an insanely steep downhill…This was the descent. For 500ft of vertical drop, “stairs” were built to get hikers down the cliffside. Looking down:Looking back up:It’s hard to show steepness in a photo. At least the trail made up for that section, ending the day with a 2.5mi/4km easy walk on an old dirt road. And views of the Housatonic River the whole time!I got to the shelter at 5:30pm, and relaxed and enjoyed my beer that I had picked up this morning. Bob arrived 30 minutes later, along with two other hikers, a section hiker from Germany, and a SOBO from Missouri. I expected more people here, but I’ll take the nice quiet evening!

Tuesday May 21, 25.6mi/41.2km

RPH shelter (1430.8) to Wiley shelter (1456.4) (NY)

It was perfect sleeping weather last night, and probably my best night of sleep all trail too. Immediately after leaving the shelter, there was an encouraging sign… Katahdin is getting closer!

It was a warm and dry sunny day all day, with just enough breeze to keep the bugs away.

And the trail was like a carpet! No rocks either.

I passed an enormous old tree, I’m not sure it’s age or species.

There was an option to stop at another deli today, but I had too much food in my pack already, so I opted to skip it. Shortly after, there was another interstate crossing.

The I-84 looked very familiar… it leads from Boston to New Paltz & the Gunks (rock climbing).

Today had many little ponds and streams. Some weren’t drinkable, but nice to look at.

And one decent sized lake, Nuclear lake. It was named for a former plutonium research facility located nearby, that closed in the 1970s. Yeah, its probably not drinking water either!

There was one significant viewpoint today…

And a nice shelter stop for a 2nd lunch!

Near the shelter, these little red flowers were blooming everywhere.

Bob caught up and we hiked on down the hill. At the next road crossing was a massive tree, the Dover Oak. It is the largest oak tree on the AT, with a circumference of 20ft/6m, and estimated to be over 300 years old.

The rest of the day was in a valley, and we were in fields, marshes, and even residential areas.

Hi cows!

Bob found some trail magic in one of the fields!

There were some train tracks, and this train actually had a passenger stop. It is famous for being the only spot on the AT directly served by public transit. You can ride straight to downtown Manhattan!

Just before camp, the trail went back into the forest, and there were all these rock walls that it went thru. I had been seeing them all morning toady, and all yesterday too. Strange.

We arrived to the shelter at 6:15pm, kind of late, but it was a long day for mileage. There was one other hiker there, Eagle Wings, he had started at Harpers Ferry and was heading north.

Monday May 20, 24.6mi/39.6km

Bear Mountain Bridge (1406.2) to RPH Shelter (1430.8) (NY)

Kelsey and Pete dropped us off at the trailhead at 7am, on their way to work. I even remembered to get a photo, which is impressive for so early in the morning.

Bob and I climbed up the hill, and it was a warm and extremely humid morning. Even the rocks were slippery from the condensation. There were also a few swampy areas, which usually have these nice boardwalks.

And because this is NY, there were also deli and sandwich shops along the way!

I got a breakfast bagel. The bagels on this section of trail have been spectacular. So much better than the bagels on the other trails! We got back on the trail, and there was a random shrine nearby.

Most of the day was quite uneventful, and in a green tunnel.

There was a mile of trail that utilized an old mining road, and it had some impressive stonework.

We passed by Canopus Lake, and it had a nice swimming beach, but it wasn’t open yet for the season.

There was one mountain today, Shenandoah mountain. It had nice views, but I didn’t linger since those dark clouds in the photo were making rumbly noises.

I scurried down the mountain, and got back into the trees just as a quick 5-minute rainshower hit. An hour later, I was at the shelter, and I setup for the evening.

Bob arrived 30 minutes later, and also a section hiker arrived too. We discussed ordering pizza (there is a road nearby), but decided we had to eat our backpacking food, so we would have less to carry tomorrow. NY is great with all these food options!

Sunday May 19, 16.2/26.1km

Fingerboard Shelter (1390.1) to Bear Mountain Bridge (1406.2)

After a nice quiet night of sleep, with no bear visits whatsoever, we hit the trail. This section of trail is quite nice, and it looks like trail crews have recently been working on it.

Bob and I stopped at a shelter for a mid-morning break, and I found this neat game inside. The game was an AT-themed board game, and had some very specific trail details!

As we hiked closer to the Hudson River, there were occasionally some views of it thru the trees.

And I could see the upcoming objective, Bear Mountain.

The climb up Bear mountain was easy, as the trail was built for the dayhike crowd, so it was nice stone stairs and smooth trail. It even had a bench along the way!

It also had some danger noodles along the way too…

And at the top of the mountain, there was a bike race going on! It must be a weekend. The race volunteers gave me some fruit, Gatorade, and a bagel too.

There was a tower at the summit, so of course I climbed the tower.

It had some better views from above the trees.

The walk down the mountain was simple, on a huge path that was as wide as a driveway. Hundreds of day hikers were coming up the hill. There were some views on the way down, and a park at the bottom.

And the park had a playground. Ruben needs to hike the AT, haha.

And an ice cream vending machine?!? What a time to be alive.

The final part of the day’s trail had a zoo! It was a free zoo, and it just walked right thru for almost a mile.

Bears!

I left the zoo, and crossed the Bear Mountain Bridge over to Hudson River.

My cousin Kelsey was waiting for us on the other side, with a few surprises.. her dad and her brother (my uncle and my cousin) were there too! We drove back to the house, and had a nice visit with Kelsey and Pete the rest of the afternoon and evening. We had a barbecue, campfire, and some Game of Thrones viewing. Amazing day!

Saturday May 18, 19.2mi/30.9km

Cascade Brook campsite (1370.9) to Fingerboard Shelter (1390.1) (NY)

I woke up to a dry tent, the rain had stopped during the night and it was a sunny morning. I was excited to be meeting some friends for breakfast, so I got moving quickly. Lots of views from the ridge this morning!

Bob caught up to me just before the road crossing, and we met my friend Justin, who picked us up and drove us to town. Justin is a friend from an outdoor education program we both volunteer in, Winter Mountaineering School. We had breakfast with Justin and Amber, and their adorable 4-year old daughter. I forgot to get photos, d’oh!

A couple of hours later, we were back on the trail, and Bob was immensely enjoying his new shoes he picked up at the post office!

Most of the day was on high ridges, with cool slab walkways. I think this is near Cat Rocks viewpoint.

There was a short descent to a stream, and Fitzgerald Falls. A group of kids were going for a swim when we arrived.

There was a short but steep climb, with stair that just kept going up. It felt like the Mordor scene from LOTR.

Eventually, we got to Mombasha high point. Sadly, it was freshly graffitti’d, presumably by a local high school kid asking a girl to prom, since the summit rock said “prom?” and there were hearts painted for over a mile. I hope s/he comes back to clean it up!

Then, the scenery improved with many small lakes and ponds.

I was excited to be meeting another friend today, Smokey! We hiked most of the CDT together in 2016, and our trail family had a great dynamic that made it my favorite trail so far. We met at a roadside, and Smokey and his girlfriend Sarah brought drinks and snacks!

It was great catching up and seeing them, and after a couple of hours we all had to depart. The walk over the thruway was jarringly loud.

The trail immediately entered Harriman state park, and there was a neat feature called the “Lemon squeezer”. I barely fit thru, and I’m a small person!

There was also a junction with the Long Path, a 300(?)-mile trail from the George Washington Bridge in New York City, to Albany.

Bob and I arrived at the Fingerboard Shelter, which is known for bear activity. There was a local man from Brooklyn camped there too, and he had some nice candle lanterns set up.

Hopefully no bears come around tonight! It’s also a full moon, so if there are bears, we will easily see them…

Friday May 17, 25.8mi/41.5km

Secret Shelter NJ (1345.1) to Cascade Brook campsite NY (1370.9)

It was a surprisingly scenic day, with plenty of vistas, and a nice smooth trail so it was possible to look at them! New Jersey seems to be a wet state, so of course the day started out with a boardwalk section.

And then the trail followed an old railroad grade for a mile, and these are always nice and flat and well-drained.

Then, we hiked thru a field, and the path was even wide enough to not get wet from the morning dew. So different from the Te Araroa or CDT!

There was even a mile of roadwalking today, the longest section yet on this trail. We needed to cross the Wallkill River, and so the trail uses the existing nearby road bridge. I had been to this river many times in NY, I had no idea it extended so far upstream into NJ!

Later in the morning, we came into the Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge. There were miles of marshes, fish, turtles, birds, and ornithology geeks! 🙂

The walk thru the Wildlife Refuge was on a nice stopbank, so we were nice and dry the whole time. And as soon as we left there, we were back on a boardwalk.

A few miles later, we came to the Pochuck boardwalk, the longest one on the AT, about a mile long. So cool!

Just before lunch, we crossed a farm field with… cows! Hi cows!

Bob and I stopped for lunch at a farm market. Cider donuts, iced tea, and ice cream made a well-balanced meal! There was an hour of light rain that started when we arrived, perfect timing. There was a big uphill climb after lunch, and soon it was hot and sunny again. The whole afternoon was pretty much on high ridges with nice smooth slabs of rock.

And then we crossed into New York! New Jersey, done!

Shortly after that, the trail reaches Prospect Rock, the highest point of the NY section of the AT.

There were some steep rocky parts to navigate, which was pretty fun. There was even a ladder in a short section of cliff!

I got to my planned camp spot at 6:30pm, and quickly setup, since I heard thunder in the distance. At 7pm, it started raining… hard. Perfect!