Appalachian Trail 2023

What now I say? I had an extremely rough day 2 days ago. Both mental and physical. I needed  to get to the next shelter from the hostel I stayed at. 9.4 miles over hilly terrain. I was an entire wreck all day. As a south bound hiker it is lonely. I am a person who enjoys being alone. The trail taught me what true loneliness is. It really is an empty feeling. Even calling home , while great, still  leaves me even more lonely. The few sobo hikers  leave me in the dust. Nobo's quickly go by with a quick word and nod. No friendships are formed at sheters as they are gone in the morning. I really miss my family. 

The vast majority of thruhikers i see are going light or ultra light.  The most common conversation in camp is how many miles they did. Almost everyone has an obsession/ cult following with Sawyer Squeeze filters. Light is not right. My reasons are I need to be comfortable. Most people buy from the cottage industry makers of ultra light gear who seem to have taken over the gear scence related to A.T. thru hiking. The people I see with this stuff carry very little. They also have to modify it to make it comfortable. Many if the packs are frameless. Frameless packs have a history of being innovative but not working. To work a lot of forethought has to go into packing. I've used 2 over the years that worked. Both by Wildthings which sadly doesn't really exist anymore. Taken over by an investment fund. The packs where the Andinista and Freney. I still have my Freney. They were for alpine climbing. The had a pad in the back that can be removed and used to bivouac. Here is a great li...

What we do sometimes serves no purpose but selfishness. Hiking the A.T. is a selfish  act that involves suffering, days of loneliness, misery, and frustration to name a few.  Right now as Iay in my tent that is a cramped and damp A shaped tube I am tired and ache from a long walk. But, when you hang out with people at shelters, or wake up to awesome sunrises that are once in a life time moments it gets rid of the suffering.  I think of Rousseau's noble savage. The belief that man in a natural state is truly free and in tune with his environment. Pure bullshit. I stink, rain sucks, mosquitos are horrible, the mud is omnipresent,  and I sleep on shelters with mice scurrying  around at night. But, the up side is beautiful views at sunrise and set. Vistas that I can sit and enjoy as long as I want. Though when I am hiking it is hard to look around as the trail needs watchful eyes to avoid an injury to oneself. Oh, and women did all the work so stuff it Rousseau!...

Dropped off today 8/11/2023 near W. Branch Pleasent  River. Now on my own as Tarren wanted to return home to go to school. I respected his choice as he thought a lot about it. He even has a plan to return after high-school and finish it. He says I can assist along the way. Hes been a great hiker and companion and I will miss him. He kept me motivated, found lots of toads along the trail, kept us on track when I was struggling. Now headed up Chairback range for 3 days to get picked up at Otter Pond. This will complete my 100 mile wilderness section. 114 miles will be done.

Typical up after leaving the family to be on my own. For a trail that has existed for 100 years it is the worst I have ever hiked on. No to minimal maintenance.  Got to Chairback Lean-To which sat well above the trail. Decided to move on 1.3 more mile to Chairback Pond. Set up camp by the outlet in a small site. Didnt bother going to the pond just dinner and bed.  Rained in the early morning enough to get me down for the rest of the day. So it was a tough go of up and down all day. Went through  a bog on 4th Mt that was full of carnivorous plants. They were everywhere making for an otherworldly  feel. I was trying to get to Cloud Pond L.T. so no pictures. Close to 20+ people there mostly nobody. All trying to crank out the miles to finish before deadlines. All young folks talking about the future of jobs and college to go to. Not realizing that the moment they are living in now wil probably never happen again.  Up early to gettoBarren Mt....

Weird title i know but will try to cover a lot about the weather, trail conditions, equipage, etc. Weather: Ugh! Rain is the theme almost everyday. That's all New England has gotten this summer. Record breaking in some cases. Some say the new normal, but weather isn't measured in a season. It takes years to see if this is what it will be. The trails don't get a chance to dry out so it is incredibly wet and muddy. Trail Conditions: The A.T. has existed for 100 years  roughly. To say at times it is a trail is a serious stretch. Mud pits, going stra up or down a hill, weird long stone steps. I know it takes volunteers, but skipping around and doing work and  leaving areas unmaintained is hard on hikers. Equipage: Trying to do a blog and YouTube hasn't worked out. I will only do a blog. The Gopro is a pain to use. Battary doesn't last long, it isn't very functional as a camera either. I would have to charge it everyday. I'm not going to carry a large battery to ...