What are intimate ridges?  If you think it’s a recent innovation in condoms, you have a dirty mind, and should probably thru-hike in the near future.  For me, a very special type of terrain comes to mind, and that is the best summary I can give.

An intimate ridge is a special place where you’re winding up a narrow mountain pass, switchback after switchback, on a narrow tree-lined path.  You know there are steep drop offs ten to fifteen feet away, but the trees hide the peril from you and hug close as you ascend.

The air is often still, and beautifully quiet. Thousands of brown needles from various conifers cushion your every step, and the scent of pine, spruce, and fir permeate the air.  You know you’re on a mountain top, but instead of a wide sweeping expanse of a vista before you, there is a small but cozy place to greet you.

Today I hit the first of these in a very long time. My nose recognized it and drew images from mind of Tennessee and North Carolina.  My skin remembered the cool air with equally sharp acuity, as did the quiet settle my ears with memory.

Sometimes I forget how many experiences I’ve had out here.  Sometimes I forget how much I’ve grown with each northward step.

In New Jersey I was dropped on the side of the road by newly met bar friends at 1:30am.  I’ll get to the full story of how that came to pass one day, as it is quite worth telling.

The point is, it was the middle of the night, I was less than sober, out of water, and only vaguely aware of my location, or that of the AT.  I remember thinking how much this scenario would have unnerved me just three months previous.  As the headlights disappeared into the darkness, I was overcome by excitement at new challenge before me.

I thought about skills that potential thru-hikers should practice, like changing headlamp batteries in the dark, or pitching a tent at night. In reality, a Nobo should be prepared for the very real possibility of having to not only pitch at night, but also ten beers under.

I found the AT easily enough, it crossed near a parking lot a half mile road walk away.  Blazes in sight, I verified northbound path with my phone’s GPS.  I’d worry about water in the morning.  It was cool out, and not a priority.

I walked till 4am, not realizing a shelter was only three quarters of a mile away.  The trail became one large twenty by twenty foot rock face, which was very flat.

Physically spent, I set my pack down as a pillow, and laid back on it. I haphazardly spread out my sleeping bag and crawled in, putting my small foam seat pad underneath me.  The wind batted away all intruding insects.  I began to fall asleep beneath the expanse of stars, the skyward image framed by the silhouettes of surrounding pines.

The crickets chirped and I found myself quite at home in this wilderness. I thought on who might discover me in the morning, as I was literally sleeping on the trail.  To my surprise no one did, and I slept till eight the next morning.

Tonight in Vermont, over 1650 miles in, I’m sleeping haphazardly again.  This time I’m 3400ft up and the wind is gusting to fifteen miles per hour.  I’m in a 55-degree sleeping bag and I have no water.  Again, things which would have worried me months ago.

I’m so very happy to be back in the mountains though.  It’s going to be a cold night, but I’ll live.  The cold means I can enjoy coffee and tea again.  Best of all, I can pack out cheese!

There’s a recipe I’ve been waiting to try, and I feel that I’m at the correct point in my hike to give it a go.  It’s a simple sandwich made from two pieces of chocolate with a piece of cheese in the middle.  Dreamt up by a friend of mine, I think it should be known among hikers as a “Kincaid.”

I could eat an entire 8oz block of cheese right now without a second thought.  I could probably get a quart of chocolate milk down with it.  Recently, I walked into McDonalds and ordered the entire value menu for dinner.  McChickens are my crack…

Well, off to have recipe dreams of my own.  Thanks for reading my blabbing as always.

It’s pretty surreal. I’m in Vermont, lying in my tent during a rainstorm. I can hear the muffled voices of Gandalf, Boobytrap, and Tumbleweed nearby. I think Ladybug is asleep, and Sasquat is camped out of earshot. That I’ve made it this far, and that I’ve spent the past twenty-four hours with this particular group of people again amazes me. I’ve known them all for well over a thousand miles. Miles are the best way to quantify the duration. Days. Weeks. Months. They feel much longer out here.

Three people I’ve hiked over eight hundred miles with went home last week. All of them have helped me get through tough days. All of them are part of the reason that I’m still out here.

Many days ago in one of the shelter logs, I drew a tea cup with “Kava” on the paper tea tag. Next to it I left a note telling Firebird that I missed her. I had been sipping some that night, and thought about the many other things she had introduced me to. I knew she had taken some time off trail, that she was a few days behind, and would probably stop here in the near future.

Sadly, she was one of the three who left last week. I wish she could be here tonight, with this group, in this place.

The shelter nearby is full of Southbounders, a problem we’ve never faced before. We started hitting the legit Maine-starter Sobo’s in New York. Before then I ran into many who identified as such. Upon further investigation however, I learned that they had actually started in New York or New Jersey. The shelter crowd tonight is so energetic and enthusiastic; Pennsylvania hasn’t taken the wind from their sails just yet.

They’re a kind bunch though, having made room for us to rest and escape the cold deluge for a few moments. We used that time to regroup, and wait for a break in the weather to pitch our tents. That break never came. Adept after four months of practice, my Protrail went up in about forty-five seconds. It rarely goes that well, but the ground tonight was a Goldilocks mixture of soil; hard enough to hold the stakes, but soft enough to drive them in hand.

All said and done, maybe three tablespoons worth of rain made it in. Not bad at all. I closed myself in the vestibule and stripped. I was thankful to have the cold clothes off of my skin. I was equally thankful that it was still relatively warm today.

In an effort to shave weight, I left my rain gear with family in VA. At the time, lows were in the 70’s, highs were in the 90’s, and hypothermia wasn’t a factor. Tonight however, I would have been in bad shape if it were just ten degrees cooler. At the moment I have a fleece sweater and a 55-degree bag for warmth. I did have the foresight to pick up some cheap synthetic long-johns, but with altitude increasing and fall looming, I need to get my real winter gear back.

Sasquat has been having stomach issues for days, and Gandalf started running a fever this afternoon. On the way out of Williamstown yesterday, I vomited a few times out of nowhere, but felt fine later. There must be something going around. We kept walking.

We cleared thirteen miles today. We’ve been keeping our minds occupied by playing a hiker version of Dungeons and Dragons, with Ladybug as DM. Instead of rolling actual dice, we call out a number, and our success depends on a number the DM has in mind. Ladybug is a wonderful, boisterous, and creative DM.

Dirty Girl: “I cast volley!”
Ladybug: “Roll a D20!”
Dirty Girl: “7!”
Ladybug: “All arrows miss, and you, Gandalf, and Boobytrap are now being charged by fifteen very angry, very slimy, very well armed Goblins!”
Boobytrap: “I cast fog!”
Ladybug: “Roll!”

I’m fairly certain all passing Sobo’s, and perhaps even Tumbleweed think we’re out of our minds. To be honest, we probably are by now. But hey, it helps the miles pass!

Tomorrow looks like more rain, but hopefully everyone will be feeling better. Vermont is known as “Vermud” among thru-hikers, and it starts at the state line. I just got a text from my Aunt, and my all important rain jacket will be on its way to Killington soon. I’m under 600 to Katahdin now.

 

Sorry for the lack of updates!  I’m currently in Williamstown, Mass with Ladybug, Gandalf, Boobytrap, and Tumbleweed.

I returned Ladybug’s lost thermals to him by skipping ahead a few miles on the BRTA bus system.  I haven’t seen most of these guys since Harpers Ferry, so I think I’m just going to hike out from here with them.

I should be hitting the Vermont border within two or three days, and the weather is finally starting to cool down!

This happened a few days back.

Control Equipment Company sent me a care package!

This is perfectly timed, because there is very little for resupply in Kent, CT.  The card is full of words of encouragement, and made my day.  The past three to five days have been among my best on trail.

I love Krave jerky, and the powdered peanut butter well, I have a few experiments in mind.

A couple days ago I met a pair of honeymooners, who were leaving on day two of an ambitious eight day backpacking trip.  It was their first time backpacking, and as thru-hikers we tried to give them as much advice and help as we could.

Nevertheless they decided to head out and do a few weekend trips instead.  Their names were Vincent and Elaina, and they were kind enough to give me a couple of Mountain House meals as they departed.

*Look at how happy and clean the people on the packaging are.  These are called “section hikers.”

Just before reaching the road to Kent, I found a pile of discarded oatmeal on trail.  So I have essentially been resupplied out of  luck, which is pretty awesome.  Kent, CT is a ritzy tourist stop, which is not hiker friendly at all.  This resupply could not have come at a better time!

Yesterday Game Warden convinced me (because it takes so much convincing) that we needed a hotel stop and a hot shower.  We managed to find a ride out of Kent to a fine one star motel for the night.

We gorged on Italian food and are now ready to hit the trail again!  Also, my buddy Garrett is meeting up with me to hike this week, which will be really nice.

I’ll try to keep the updates coming, take the best of care!

 

 

Pulled a twenty with Game Warden today and made it into CT!  Yay!

I also got a free shower at a Native Landscaping store.  It was the coldest shower of my life, and gave me brain freeze.  Yay!

I also learned that when you find a tick crawling on a log and attempt to set it on fire, it will explode.  Yay?  No, not yay.  That’s the stuff of nightmares!

Sleep tight, and tick free!