In general, I consider myself a "shutter-downer" emotionally. When I start to feel a lot of feelings or things are getting particularly intense, an emotional shut-off valve kicks in and I just go about my day.
Welcome to our blog. We are documenting our the ups and downs of our travel adventure. We're walking here!
All in Appalachian Trail
In general, I consider myself a "shutter-downer" emotionally. When I start to feel a lot of feelings or things are getting particularly intense, an emotional shut-off valve kicks in and I just go about my day.
When we started posting about the trail, our friend, Sally, said she lived near the trail and would be happy to help us out when we passed through NY. Since we jumped down the trail, a visit with her arrived sooner that we thought.
Well, folks, I may have spoken too soon about Seth's feet doing better. I mean, they have been- at least the injuries that took us off the trail before, but other issues have emerged.
I am writing this in Cornwall Bridge, CT about 45 miles from where we hopped back on the trail in Sheffield, MA. Seth and I are trying to wait out the rain- perhaps it is futile, but we wait anyway.
We took a train from Boston to Pittsfield, MA to spend a couple days with Seth's sister, Naomi. We decided to come to Pittsfield when trail plans were unknown because we hadn't seen Seth's sister for a while and wanted to visit her while we were in the area
We had a fun couple more days in Boston hanging with Sandy and Gena. They were wonderful hosts bringing us to local restaurants and a cool music venue- couldn't ask for better guides.
We took a train from Portland to Boston on Monday. I hadn't traveled by train since I was a kid, so it was kind of fun and brought up some fond memories of taking the train from Chicago to New York and visiting Radio City Music Hall
After spending a few days in Caratunk without the feet improving, Seth and I determined to make moves. We hopped on a bus in Waterville, ME and rode two hours to Portland, ME.
After three nights in Caratunk, Maine elevating, icing, and epsom salting, the swelling in Seth's feet has gone down minimally and he continues to experience quite a lot of pain when he walks.
I feel a little badly about all the complaining I had been doing in the last few posts. However, I think I effectively conveyed how challenging the 100 mile wilderness was for us. With a little bit more perspective, I wanted to start this post off with some of the delightful things we encounter daily in the hikes
The first 10 miles of the 100 MW is a 10-mile loop inside Baxter State Park- the same park where Katahdin is. The loop was a lovely walk on an overcast, cool day, so it felt pretty good...at first.
Mt. Katahdin is the highest peak in Maine at 5,267 feet. The guy driving our shuttle from the AT Lodge, where we stayed last night said it is known as "the beast."
Seth and I were preparing for the trail for a over a year, so that leaves a lot of time for a person to obsess over every little detail. I'm the kind of person that makes myself so crazy with research that I just want to make a decision to end my anxiety.
In January, the departure date started to feel fast- approaching. We figured it would be smart to do some training. The mountain ranges up north are more rigorous in elevation change than those in the south, so it's harder to just let the trail whip you into shape as a Southbound hiker.
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a 2,190-mile hike that runs through 14 states including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia.
I've always been a big reader, so starting a new project or endeavor inevitably involves exploring relevant reading material.
A "shakedown trip" is basically a practice drill. Generally, shakedowns are short, close-to-home trips that allow hikers to test gear and flex their mental and physical muscles before the big hike.