Author: mtbennett2015

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Seasons of Change

Yellow leaves drifted softly to the ground at the top of Bromley Mountain in Vermont.  As Chief and I quietly hiked the Appalachian Trail, it dawned on me that autumn is nearly upon us.  The fall season will mark our third of this A.T. adventure, having begun our hike last spring on April 13th.

If you have followed our journey you know that we hiked the Appalachian Trail NOBO (northbound) from Georgia to the middle of Pennsylvania, then at the end of July flipped up to Maine to hike the remainder of the trail SOBO back to PA.  Currently, we have completed 1,734 miles with 455 miles yet to hike to complete the entire Appalachian Trail in one year.

Flipping has proven to be a good decision for us.  We recently heard a statistic that the A.T. in Maine and New Hampshire accounts for 20 percent of the trail length but takes 80 percent of a hiker’s effort. I don’t know if that is true but it could explain why Chief and I were so utterly exhausted after our trek through those two states.   We are, thankfully, reinvigorated and making good time as we continue SOBO.  Other hikers tell us that the hardest part is over and “It’s all downhill from here.”  We can validate that the trail is smoother, the mountains are not as high, and the temperatures are cooler.

The number of NOBO hikers that are passing us is dwindling. We did see Rocket and Timber the other day – two young ladies we knew from hiking in Virginia.  They remain determined and spirited in their thru-hiking efforts. NOBOs have about 500 miles to reach Katahdin in Maine before the weather gets too brutal and their hiking season is over for this year.

Interestingly, we have met several SOBOs who began their thru-hike in Maine during June/July and are planning to finish in Georgia sometime before Christmas.  McGhee and Frisbee are a young couple on such an adventure that have been hiking the same area as we are for the past several days.  Their hike may include a bit of winter season where we anticipate a season with a long hibernation!

Last week, we camped at the home of Stash and Scooter who for years have allowed hikers to pitch tents in their yard.  Stash and Scooter have a beautiful vegetable garden brimming with tomatoes, peppers, green beans, and herbs.  The limbs of their mature apple trees are heavy with ripe fruit that Stash plans to use for cider.  Chief and I were given free access to all of the seasonal vegetables and fruits.  What a delicious treat!  Also, a special thanks goes to Trail Angels in Vermont who gave rides to us – Super Kate and Nancy.

Chief and I ask that you please pray for John and the Gurney family. John was recently in the hospital and, although now at home, is struggling with a serious infection and new medications.  Thanks to the many contributors who have already donated or who have pledged money for the “Hike For John”.   It is greatly appreciated!  John’s faith and trust in the Lord is a continual inspiration to us.

“He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.”   Psalm 1:3

Embracing the Season, Chief and Toad

 

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Trail Angels in Abundance

We have no doubt that God puts people in our path of life just when we need them.  Trail Angels on the Appalachian Trail throughout New Hampshire have been plentiful and greatly appreciated.

As I write this post, Chief and I are spending the evening at the lovely home of Karen and Jon in Hanover, New Hampshire.  These Trail Angels kindly open their home each year for many hikers by offering food, showers, laundry, a bedroom, and use of the pool.  We called, and with no questions asked Karen came to pick us up on the trail. Taking no money, she only asks that we pay it forward and help someone else in the future.

Yesterday, two Trail Angels that we called the Hot Dog Folks, provided grilled hot dogs, chips, and sodas to thru-hikers where the A.T. crossed Goose Pond Road in southern New Hampshire.  What a treat that was to us, not only for the food, but also a pleasant conversation to hear about their hikes over 47 of the 48 mountains at 4,000′ elevation. The Hot Dog Folks inspired us!

One Trail Angel is a bit of a legend on the A.T.  Bill opens his porch to hikers for conversation and free ice cream. We enjoyed an orangesicle and ate lunch at Bill’s house. We heard that Bill’s son once hiked the A.T. and encouraged his father to take care of the hikers.

A Trail Angel we met on a day hike gave to us Oreo cookies one afternoon.  Her trail name is GoMo (Go Mom) and she thru-hiked the A.T. a couple of years ago.  She told us that her grandchildren now call her by her trail name.

Our other Trail Angel was a young man named Brett who came to the rescue when we were at a grocery store and needed a ride to a hostel about four miles up the road. A local taxi service charged $20 for the trip, so we saw Brett coming out of the grocery and asked if he could give us a ride.  He kindly obliged and went out of his way to help.

Chief and I found the trail in New Hampshire to be quite challenging; however, the residents have been incredibly gracious and kind!

To update you on NOBO (northbound) hikers we knew from the south– In the past few days, we have passed T.M.I., Dancer, Buckle, Rick & Monica (aka Pace & Mack) from Hawaii, Shaggy, Sterling from Georgia, Zen from Brooklyn, Max from Germany (his buddy Kurt went back to Germany after reaching Harpers Ferry), and T-Storm.  All are on schedule to reach the northern terminus of Mt. Katahdin by mid-October. Hikers that flipped up to Katahdin and are SOBO — Walkie Talkie from Virginia is also in Hanover (we see each other every few days) and Young Jeff from Connecticut is in the White Mountains a few days behind us.

A side note — we saw two moose AND a bear yesterday!  Very cool!

Tomorrow marks Day 148 of our adventure and we plan to hike into Vermont. Chief has fallen a few more times and is a bit battered and bruised. Let’s hope he keeps his face and knees off the ground as we hike. We have now completed 1,639 miles on the Appalachian Trail and have 550 miles to get back to Pennsylvania.  Hopefully,  there will continue to be Trail Angels when we need them.  We are…

Truly Blessed, Chief and Toad

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They Are Leaving the Trail

She knew the moment that her foot slipped off the rock that it was bad. She tried to tell herself that it might only be a bad sprain but the pop she heard was undeniable.  Thankfully there was cell service so she quickly called 911. It took rangers four hours to get her off the trail and to the hospital. Unfortunately, a broken leg is sending thru-hiker Box Turtle home to Pittsburgh.

Rolo, whom we first met in Virginia and saw again in New Hampshire is headed back to UMass for the fall semester of his Junior year.

A young woman from Vermont that we saw several times in the south passed us yesterday.  She had contracted Lyme disease and is skipping some of the A.T. due to fatigue.  Her hiking partner is from Germany and is leaving because his 6-month visa is expiring.

Another hiker we met from Germany is skipping some of the trail due to time constraints on her visa.  She wants to hop up to Maine and complete Katahdin before leaving.

Chief and I are still hiking SOBO and hanging in.  We are hoping that once we get into Vermont that the trail may get less challenging and the mountains not as high.  We have completed 1,569 miles and have 620 yet to hike.  We stopped in Lincoln, NH last night to resupply.  Chief is working on weight gain by eating 4 chocolate eclairs and 5 berry pastries.  If he can continue hiking after that gluttony we are…

Still On The Trail, Chief and Toad

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A Presidential Bid

Chief and I have continued our Appalachian Trail hike into the White Mountains in New Hampshire.  Thank you for the words of encouragement and the prayers for our safety. Each day, and with every step, we feel God’s protection and provision.

The Presidential Range of the White Mountains is the highest in NH, most of which is above treeline.  Our first climb was up Mt. Madison where we were greeted with 60 mph winds, rain and chilly temps at an elevation of 5,366′.  Then we hiked around Mt. Adams and Mt. Jefferson.  The following day our hike to Mt. Washington was much warmer and ironically we passed on the summit NOBOs Tiger Mike and Recalc, with whom we hiked in the south.  We hiked another mile to the Lake of the Clouds Hut and obtained a work for stay. There are several hiker huts in the mountains that cost up to $133 per person for a bunk, dinner and breakfast.  There are no showers or flush toilets.  Thru-hikers can work at a hut in exchange for sleeping on the floor.  Chief and I ate leftovers of cold chicken and pasta after the guests ate dinner. We then washed dishes for an hour and slept on the dining room floor.  There were five NOBO thru-hikers who worked for stay, including Home Fry.  The next morning Chief and I left by 6:30 and hiked five miles to the Mizpah Hut where we ate cold leftover oatmeal and cornbread.  Beggars can’t be choosy.

Our bid to conquer the Presidential range continued with hiking around Mt. Monroe, Mt. Jackson and Mt. Eisenhower (at least these are the current names of the mountains…)  When we descended the Presidential range and crossed a road we were greeted by a Trail Angel named Stitches, a 1999 thru-hiker from Boston, who provided root beer, cookies and Cheetos.

On Day 140 of this hike, we headed to Mt. Garfield ridge and stopped at Zealand Hut for leftover pancakes and brownies.  Day 141 brought high winds on Mt. Lafayette but it mostly dissipated by the time we reached Mt.  Lincoln and hiked off the mountain.

On a side note, we crossed paths with a NOBO thru-hiker named Stretch who lives in Jeromesville, OH just a few miles from our house. Stretch is a retired teacher and is probably now in Maine.

We are currently heading out for a bid up Kinsman Mountain as we continue our campaign in New Hampshire.

We Are, Chief and Toad, and we approved this message.

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Is It Time?

Is it time to go home?  That is the question regarding our Appalachian Trail adventure.

We each may have thought about going home one or two hundred times but never actually spoke the words aloud. To be transparent, Chief and I have recently had the conversation around this very question.

Our bodies are beaten down and in pain.  We have lost a total of 65 pounds (Chief 40, Toad 25) and struggle to carry enough food to fuel our bodies.  We now hike 11-12 hours per day and only cover about one mile per hour.  We are working harder but are less productive.

Looking ahead, the terrain and rocky climb of the White Mountains in New Hampshire is reportedly harder than what we may be able to achieve.  Add in the mountain elevations over 6,000′ and it is more than we can fathom.  The fundraising efforts for the Gurney Family is very important and we want John to benefit abundantly in his treatments against cancer.  Having already hiked over 1,500 miles on the A.T. is no small feat.  Praise God for giving us His strength to accomplish that much.

But is it time?  We are praying for God’s guidance and our next step – whether back to Ohio or boots on the trail …

A Time for Everything, Chief and Toad

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Dad Used To Give Advice…

…”Whatever doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger.”

Although Dad has been gone for over twenty years, that advice keeps coming to my mind as Chief and I hike the Appalachian Trail.  The challenges we have faced are more difficult than we ever imagined. We are at Day 133 on this arduous journey and by the grace of God have completed 1,494 miles in eight states (Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Maine).  As we enter New Hampshire and hike SOBO (southbound) back to PA, there are 695 miles yet to complete.

We are passing more NOBOs who are close to finishing their hike. On Day 127, we passed Briar and Nettle, two sisters who needed to finish by the end of August due to work schedules.  We first met the girls in Virginia, noticing that one hiked barefoot, and then they arrived at the halfway point in Harpers Ferry the same day we were there (June 30).  Both girls are now wearing shoes. Then on Day 131, we passed Old School and Blue Pants and had a short reunion with photos. Old School provided some advice about the upcoming New Hampshire trail before each of us continued in our own direction.

The A.T. in Maine was the most difficult section we have encountered so far.  One hiker we passed gave to us this helpful advice about hiking Maine.  He said, “Wake up each morning and tell yourself, ‘the trail will kick my butt today’, and that way you’ll know what to expect.”

In one day we completed two particularly dangerous sections – Mahoosuc Notch and Mahoosuc Arm. The Notch is a one-mile section of scrambling over, under, around and between large boulders. Another hiker shared her advice about the Mahoosuc Notch, “Just think of it like a rock playground.”  They say hikers either love the rock scramble or hate it.  We would fit into the latter category after three hours of exhausting, frustrating navigation.

The Arm for a SOBO was a steep, slippery mile descent from the mountain. Chief offered his own advice about going down a steep descent, “Let your momentum carry you down the hill.  If there are large rocks at the bottom, momentum may not be a good idea.”  That section took us nearly two hours to complete.

Interestingly, a group of incoming freshman from Harvard University were hiking behind us as part of an orientation program.  I overheard an upperclassmen tell one of the freshman that college is the last opportunity to try new things.  I thought that was terrible advice but what can you expect from his 20-year old worldview.  I would advise that we can try new things at any point in life– but maybe something a little less crazy than hiking 2,189 miles.

Another hiker shared that when we returned to civilization to remember that we just can’t pee wherever we want.  Good advice to keep in mind!

Maybe the best advice we failed to take came on Day 1 as we began our hike. A former thru-hiker who operated a hostel at the start of the Appalachian Trail simply said, “Don’t do it.”  Well, it hasn’t killed us (yet…). I guess if we had heeded that advice we wouldn’t have obtained our newfound strength.

If you have some advice to share, feel free to share in a comment.  We’d love to hear from you!

Getting Stronger Every Day, Chief and Toad

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Heading Out, Beaten Up

Just a quick note to let you know that we are heading out into the south of Maine on our Appalachian Trail hike.  After spending the night at the Farmhouse Inn in Rangeley Maine, we will be out in the woods for at least the next seven days.

This next stretch of 70 miles is reported to be extremely challenging and includes the toughest mile on the A.T. – a boulder field that will take a couple of hours to traverse. Mahoosuc Arm and Mahoosuc Notch are the areas that we aren’t looking forward to as we “scramble” over, under, and around large rocks.

Unfortunately this hike is taking a negative toll on our bodies.  After 1,416 miles, Chief is still struggling with a sore left shoulder after his mountain fall plus an open sore on his back where the heavy backpack rubs.  My knees are becoming more sore and stiff with every day and my feet are often numb but painful.  Our weight continues to drop and we struggle to carry enough high protein food to fuel our bodies.  We try not to complain because another hiker here in Rangeley just blew out a knee.  His hike is over for this year and he is headed home to Florida.

After this next stretch of trail, our challenge is the White Mountains in New Hampshire.  Please pray for us for health and safety.  If we can get through these mountains we may have a less challenging trek back to Pennsylvania.  We may be hobbling, but we are committed, or should be committed, as the case may be!  😜

Regards, Chief and Toad

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SOBO vs. NOBO

Chief and I are continuing our Appalachian Trail hike in Maine, heading SOBO (southbound) back to Pennsylvania.  The first three months of the hike, we walked NOBO from Georgia to central Pennsylvania, and then flipped up to Maine. So far we have completed 1,385 miles and have 804 miles yet to hike. God willing we should complete this adventure by mid-October, a total of six months.

The splendor of Maine’s landscape has helped to alleviate the intense misery of the trail in this state.  Often described as the toughest portion of the Appalachian Trail, we have scaled large boulders, slid down wet rocks, forded rocky rivers, sunk in muddy bogs, and battled gusty mountain-top winds and cool temperatures.  Last night we got caught in a rain storm on top of Bigelow Mountain. As the wind and rain ripped through the trees we cleared a spot to pitch the tent and escape the chilly elements. Flipping was the best decision we have made, in lieu of continuing NOBO and getting to Maine in October to deal with frigid temps, ice, and possibly snow.  We can’t wait to get Maine under our belts and move on.

Another advantage to flipping our hike and now heading SOBO has been the opportunity to meet NOBOs as they get close to finishing their hike. The first NOBO we met was a hiker named Slammer.  He had just reached the summit of Mount Katahdin, successfully completing a 2,189 mile thru-hike.  Not far into the 100-Mile Wilderness, we met Werewolf and (yes, another) Toad. These gentlemen only had ten miles to complete their thru-hike.  On average we pass about five or six thru-hikers per day and speak briefly to each. These hikers began their trek in Georgia in February or March (way before our April 13th start).  The men are usually heavily bearded and the women are thin yet muscular.  Many say their bodies are beaten down, but all are extremely excited about finishing!

We have also met many section hikers. These are folks who hike sections of the A.T. over a period of years. One of the most interesting was a 77-year old woman who has been hiking the trail for over 20 years. I will call her Granny because she reminds me of the Granny in the Bugs Bunny cartoons. Granny is a tiny soft-spoken lady with a thick southern accent. Her husband passed away a couple of years ago and encouraged her to finish the trail.  Granny is hiking portions of Maine and has a couple of sections left to complete this fall.  We also met a trio of ladies from Pennsylvania – Linda, 8-mile Ma and Trail Dancer – who have section-hiked together for ten years.   We received helpful hiking advice from 11-year old Baby Blue, a precocious young lady who was hiking with her father.  The most interesting trail names came from a middle-aged couple from Massachusetts. Her name was Frito and his name was Beyoncé.  He was tall but there were no similarities to the pop singer beyond that.

Tomorrow marks Day 123 and we head out re-supplied from the tiny town of Stratton, Maine to climb Crocker Mountain, and continue this trek…

SOBO, Chief and Toad

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The Beast of the East

In the far northeast, amid pristine water falls and tranquil lakes lies a Beast.  Dense pine forests create a wilderness that hides the Beast and no hiker knows just how awful it is until it is too late.  The Beast appears without warning and escaping its grasp is nearly impossible.

On a lovely sunny day, Chief and I hiked south from Mount Katahdin into the 100 Mile Wilderness of Maine.  The sun glistening off the lakes and the sound of rushing water from the streams that fed them kept stealing my attention from the trail.  The scent of fresh pine and the song of the birds enveloped us.  How lovely it all was.  But the incredible beauty of the landscape overshadowed a gnawing feeling in my gut that something wasn’t quite right.

The deeper into the wilderness we trekked the darker the woods became.    Suddenly beast-like tentacles of tree roots rose up from the ground and wrapped themselves around our legs tripping our every step.  We were too far into the wilderness to turn back and too far from the other end to yet escape.  The Beast began to show its ugly razor-sharp rock teeth as we walked over them. The teeth became larger and sharper as we tried to run away, chomping at our boots and legs leaving massive gashes.  Higher and higher the teeth grew as we ran and climbed to escape.

The Beast then hurled drone-like mosquitos and terrifying insects at us that bit and stung our bodies leaving large painful welts.  It next turned once tranquil streams into raging rivers with fierce currents.  As we attempted to cross the waterways, the currents knocked us down onto slippery rocks, nearly swallowing our bodies into a watery grave.  Gasping for air and clinging to a support rope, we made it to the other side.  If only it were over, but no…

The Beast then threw thunder and lightning at us atop Barren Mountain as we attempted to hide in the pines.  The sound was deafening as tympani drums and giant cymbals crashed above our heads.  Golf ball sized hail then pelted us, stinging our bodies with every contact.  Suddenly a bear soldier jumped from the bushes and sprinted toward Chief.  They fought tooth and nail before Chief prevailed in a thumb-war.

Catching him off-guard, Chief stepped in a trap that the Beast had set.  That one wrong move hurled Chief high into the air and down on his shoulder.  He fought with his hiking sticks but the Beast broke them both, leaving a bloody gash on Chief’s hand.  I quickly got him on his feet to run away but then fell into one of the Beast’s mud bogs.  At first the black goo sucked in only my arm.  Then, like quicksand, the goo started to take me totally under.  I screamed for Chief to help and he pulled me to safety just before I was totally submerged.

For seven days we battled the Beast as we hiked to escape the wilderness.  We could see a clearing in the distance but in one last attempt the Beast caught my foot and pulled me facedown onto the ground.  Chief asked if I wanted to rest as he gently cleaned the blood and mud from my face.  “NO!” I cried, “Get me out of here!”  So we ran with our last ounce of strength toward the clearing.  Exhausted, bruised and beaten down, we are finally…

Safely Harbored, Chief and Toad

P.S.  While all of these events actually occurred, some of the details may have been embellished for the reader’s enjoyment. 😊

Don’t forget to read yesterday’s post “Katahdin, Can Do!”

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Katahdin, Can Do!

This post comes to you from Maine and we are happy to have internet access on this day.  We welcome our new friends to this website, those of you we have met since we landed in Bangor to continue hiking the Appalachian Trail.

From Bangor, Chief and I took a bus north to Medway and then were picked up and shuttled to the town of Millinocket.  We were happy to learn that Walkie Talkie Nightingale, a young lady we had met and with whom we had hiked in Virginia, was also flipping to Maine to hike the remainder of the A.T. SOBO (southbound).  Walkie arrived in Millinocket a day later and the three of us were scheduled to climb Mount Katahdin on July 28th.

Katahdin is the highest elevation in Maine at 5,270′ and is the northern terminus of the A.T.  We were dropped at the ranger station at Baxter State Park at 8:00 a.m. to register (just in case we didn’t return they would have our correct names for the obituary).  The hike to the summit was just over five miles and I foolishly thought, “This can’t take long, right?”

What started as a pleasant hike along peaceful streams and through the beautiful pine woods, quickly became more labored with climbing large granite boulders hand over hand.  Higher and higher we climbed, eventually over the treeline with other mountains coming into view. Many of the rocks were so high or far apart that metal rungs had been inserted to assist.  It was evident that this climb would be the most challenging portion of the A.T. that we had experienced so far. Walkie Talkie had some wilderness training so she and Chief were helpful in suggesting climbing positions and techniques.  Sometimes they had to give me a boost to get over the large sharp rocks.  The climb was incredibly arduous and time-consuming, taking nearly five and a half hours just to reach the summit.

At the top of the formidable mountain is an infamous sign by which hikers want a photo.  We took the symbolic photos and then Chief and I placed rocks on a large mountain top cairn. We witnessed a reunion of four men who had thru-hiked the A.T. twenty years earlier.  We also met other folks who had come up a side trail that is  just over two miles and less strenuous access to the summit.  Of course I am thinking we should just go down that way, but noooo, Chief said we had to go back the official Appalachian Trail.  Already exhausted, our descent took another five hours.

With Mount Katahdin under our belts, Walkie Talkie, Chief and I camped at the Stream Campground, dropping into our sleeping bags, too tired to think about the next day’s hike into Maine’s 100 Mile Wilderness and totally unaware of what was yet to come…

Stay Tuned, Chief and Toad