As you can see by the sign i left maine and made it to gorham, NH. New hampshire was rough for the first couple of miles but then it was much much easier fir the last 12 miles or so. That was a nice relief, but tomorrow i start the mighty White mountains and they look a little scary from town here. Last night when i got into town i took a dip in a hot tub and ate some ice cream. Then i went to the shadiest hostel i have ever been in, called "hikers paradise." Don't ever go there. the guy was a jerk, it was filthy and bug ridden, and when i tried to get breakfast there and suggest some improvements he shut the door in my face in went back to bed. This morning i went to a better place called "the barn", run by a doctor. I guess you can't trust the name of a place. Today it was a resupply at wal-mart, including the traditional ben and jerry's. I tried some flavor like world peace, and it was delicious. i will probably have some more ice cream later, mmmm. My gut is growing for sure, which is good because the waist belt on my pack started out a little tooo big.
Ok, well i am on a time schedule at this library so i have to get going. To a hut at 4000 ft tomorrow!!
Monday, July 27, 2009
7/25 the mahoosic notch
I have now not only done the hardest mile on the trail, but I have also done all but .2 miles of maine. you were a formidable state. you had rain and mud, but also mountains with amazing views. today we could see the mighty white mountains in the distance. shortly after it poured on us for a bit. oh maine. we will try to make it to goram tomorrow. mcdonalds and walmart and subway, oh my. would it be too much to order a party sub?
- Taken at 7:20 PM on July 25, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
7/24 old speck
woke up to rain in maine again. say it so it rhymes and then put it to a tune. today was the hardest it rained while hiking thus far and it was unpleasant. but to avoid sounding like a downer I will move on. another crowded site tonight and tomorrow we do "the hardest mile on the trail." we have heard mixed reviews, but expect it to be fun. all I am hoping for is more fun than today. the good news is that we don't have to pay a fee at this site be cause the care taker is out. can't wait for some fast food in goram. however, the mexican dried meal i was sent tasted delicious tonight. thanks parents!
- Taken at 7:26 PM on July 24, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
7/23 bald mountain
as we drove from the hostel to the trail we jammed out to some classic rock hits on the radio and so all day today I was humming 'american woman' and a song by poison. at lunch we made an attempt at trail names and all we got was that kirtley is "the boss" because of his constant business venture ideas. I might be "mr freeze" because I said I was freezing and I am cold hearted. john was dubbed "rocketman" by a quirky northbound man named "sir woodchuck". colin is still nameless as of yet. there were no views on bald plate because of the clouds. we got to the shelter early and napped. it was good that we did because after 6:30 lots of people rolled in. kids are everywhere. I think being on the trail has given me a little anxiety in crowds of people now... I will be able to smoothly reenter normal society when this is all over, right?
- Taken at 8:33 PM on July 23, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
Thursday, July 23, 2009
7/22 a zero
didn't go anywhere today. enjoyed andover and it's delicious diner (the only store in town). today we head out nice and slow to enjoy the mahoosics and then stop again in goram, nh. I don't know how someone could enjoy this trail without stopping and recooping in these small towns. all the people i have met have been super nice and it is cool to talk to all of the other hikers/adventurers rather than just waving as they walk by on the trail.
current motivation... it is not raining, i like walking up hills, goram has a mcdonalds, wendy's and a wal-mart!!
songs i have been humming... tenacious d - sasquatch, journey - wheel in the sky, simpsons - the garbage man can, mupppets - wild thing. Any requests or suggestions??
until the next town, check the spot. i am going to try to get some more pictures on this stretch, i mean it.
current motivation... it is not raining, i like walking up hills, goram has a mcdonalds, wendy's and a wal-mart!!
songs i have been humming... tenacious d - sasquatch, journey - wheel in the sky, simpsons - the garbage man can, mupppets - wild thing. Any requests or suggestions??
until the next town, check the spot. i am going to try to get some more pictures on this stretch, i mean it.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
7/20, 7/21 trek to andover
i managed to stay dry in that crowded shelter and we got out of there early. Colin and i have been hiking the same pace because we are pretty comparable fitness wise. We made it to a shelter for lunch and talked to a northbounder there. he made me feel a lot better with tales of his first days on the trail and averaging very low miles. He also told us that he is purposely slowing himself down so that he can actually enjoy the trail in the most beautiful part here. That turns out to be our new plan.
We camped at a tensite beside the road that night. After soaking the feet in a nice cold creek. There was a really steep descent at the end of the day and it was funny hearing kirtley swearing as he was coming down the mountain and we were waiting at the bottom.
The next morning we had a tough 10 miles over a notch. We now know that anything that says notch in the guidebook means a hell of a descent followed by a bitchin' climb. There are lots of 'notches' coming up at the end of maine and through the whites. Exciting... We got a ride into andover and are taking another zero distance day to rest up for what everyone calls the hardest part of the trail. The hostel here is great and packed as well. We are running into all of the northbounders who kept a more sensible pace, and they are more fun to talk to.
Talked to my parents on the phone and i may be getting a new sweeet ride
http://rides.webshots.com/album/572911520PAkrKq
We camped at a tensite beside the road that night. After soaking the feet in a nice cold creek. There was a really steep descent at the end of the day and it was funny hearing kirtley swearing as he was coming down the mountain and we were waiting at the bottom.
The next morning we had a tough 10 miles over a notch. We now know that anything that says notch in the guidebook means a hell of a descent followed by a bitchin' climb. There are lots of 'notches' coming up at the end of maine and through the whites. Exciting... We got a ride into andover and are taking another zero distance day to rest up for what everyone calls the hardest part of the trail. The hostel here is great and packed as well. We are running into all of the northbounders who kept a more sensible pace, and they are more fun to talk to.
Talked to my parents on the phone and i may be getting a new sweeet ride
http://rides.webshots.com/album/572911520PAkrKq
fading sun
In a shelter as the sun goes down. (bed time is early here)
- Taken at 8:36 PM on July 19, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
- Taken at 8:36 PM on July 19, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
7/19 into rangely
2miles to the road and then another attempt at hitchhiking. we almost gave up but then after 40minutes someone decided that they had a heart. I will pick up all hikers when I get driving again. we had an awesome breakfast in rangely and then explored for a bit. I bought toe socks at the outfitter and am wearing them now. they feel weird but look cool. a guy at the diner who we met gave us a ride to the grocery store and then to the trail. his trail name was nyquil and he hiked before but stopped in rangely when he ran out of money and has been working there since. the hike was boggy and I could not resist using the joke "today really bogged me down." it was a good one. the shelter is packed tonight with south bounders and i have the leaky spot. crossing my fingers for no rain.
- Taken at 8:21 PM on July 19, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
7/18 saddleback
an interesting day today. woke up to pouring rain. we thought about just sitting and waiting it out, but then it subsided enough that we no longer had an excuse not to hike. I am glad we went though. after some miles we made it to saddleback mountain and had the best views yet. the clouds were on one side and it was clear on the other. I took a panoramic photo. now here at the shelter we found the best toilet on the AT so far. what an awesome day it turned out to be. to rangely early tomorrow to refill on trail mix. it will continue to be something mixed with peanut m&ms. it is what keeps me going...
- Taken at 8:57 PM on July 18, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
7/16 and 7/17 out of stratton
ate all day yesterday. three meals, snacks, other people's leftovers, ice cream and beer. today fourteen miles was tough carrying all that food. my back hurt like hell at first but feels numb to pain now. we are packed in the shelter with some north bounders who are full of advice and humor. also, guess what? it is raining!!! rangely tommorow or close...
- Taken at 7:55 PM on July 17, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
me and the bigelows (horns pond)
- Taken at 8:25 AM on July 15, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
7/14 and 7/15
On to the Bigelows. There was a TON of climbing and we had just done 20 miles the day before, but we thought we could handle hiking 7 miles to the mountain and then getting all the way over. It was raining on and off but colin and i made it to the peak around 4. we were so tired of climbing and walking in general that we decided to camp out at a site between the 2 peaks at 3800 ft or so elevation. that was a little mistake because it was so windy and cold that we woke up at 5 am to get the hell off of those mountains.
On the way down we saw where john and kirtley stopped for the night. And while i was filling up with water, i apparently missed alex darr (postman) going up the mountain. I taught him 2 years ago. But on the way down i saw carl larson's sister and her friend (Gumby and Mouglie) and i talked to them for a while. It is a small world. They were good to talk to because the made this whole crazy hike seem a little more possible. everyone keeps saying it gets much easier.
now i am here at a hostel in stratton, resting for another day or so. The people that just left said they had some extra beers in the fridge, so......
On the way down we saw where john and kirtley stopped for the night. And while i was filling up with water, i apparently missed alex darr (postman) going up the mountain. I taught him 2 years ago. But on the way down i saw carl larson's sister and her friend (Gumby and Mouglie) and i talked to them for a while. It is a small world. They were good to talk to because the made this whole crazy hike seem a little more possible. everyone keeps saying it gets much easier.
now i am here at a hostel in stratton, resting for another day or so. The people that just left said they had some extra beers in the fridge, so......
the "blister"
I am thinking about making it part of an AT tattoo
- Taken at 4:06 PM on July 10, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
7/13 reunion
woke up very early this morning to avoid waiting too long at the ferry. I sorted through my mail drop and took all i could, then at the ferry i saw john and kirtley. they had stayed the night in caratunk and were doing 14 miles today so i decided to tag along and make my 10 a 20 mile day. it was rough and there were a lot of mosquitoes, but it is over. we have some options tomorrow. long and short. I am just hoping for a snoring free night tonight.
- Taken at 7:10 PM on July 13, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
- Taken at 7:10 PM on July 13, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
7/12 moxie bald revisited
today I hiked over the same ground I covered when I hiked with camp winnebago about six years ago. it was a little tougher and muddier this time. there were some baby blueberries and some wild strawberrys. tonight the shelter is packed, but we have made a fire for the first time on the trip. tomorrow we have to wake up early to cross the kenebec river. I am expecting a package in caratunk. mmm, jerky
- Taken at 7:49 PM on July 12, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
7/11 back on the trail
after two days with no walking I decided it was about time to hit the AT once again. this time I am with colin (a recent high school grad) and eric, but we are on the heels of our other buds. we hiked 18 miles today from town through 3 river crossings because of a storm comming tonight. we would have done less. tonight we stay at moxie bald pond with 2 british guys and a guy with his dog. we tried to eat as much food as possible because we all have too much at the moment.
- Taken at 6:56 PM on July 11, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
Friday, July 10, 2009
some of the hiking crew
Kirtley, John, Eric, me
- Taken at 10:58 AM on July 10, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
- Taken at 10:58 AM on July 10, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
Monson
This town has been fun. There is a great bbq place and a hostel with an all you can eat taco night. (I had 17) I will be staying here one more day than planned to heal up a little bit, but then i will be off again. With a full pair of shoes this time...
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Fwd: SNC00029
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 8:44 PM
Subject: SNC00029
To: christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com
- Taken at 3:55 PM on July 01, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
From: <christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 8:44 PM
Subject: SNC00029
To: christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com
- Taken at 3:55 PM on July 01, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
Fwd: 100 miles of wilderness
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 8:38 PM
Subject: 100 miles of wilderness
To: christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com
- Taken at 2:33 PM on June 30, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
From: <christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 8:38 PM
Subject: 100 miles of wilderness
To: christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com
- Taken at 2:33 PM on June 30, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
Fwd: last days of wilderness.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 8:33 PM
Subject: last days of wilderness.
To: christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com
it has been a roller coaster to say the least. yesterday was thefirst day that it had gone 24 hours without rain. that was a nice day. it poured rain all last night , then there was today... rain all day, mud, and i will never forget the raging river crossings. i tried to throw my shoes across at one. only one shoe made it. the other is on its way to the atlantic. it was not too bad to hike with a shoe and a sandal because therewas no way to keep dry feet any way. it took forever to get to rhe shelter,but the food was good and we are only 3 miles from the town!
- Taken at 8:20 PM on July 07, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
From: <christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 8:33 PM
Subject: last days of wilderness.
To: christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com
it has been a roller coaster to say the least. yesterday was thefirst day that it had gone 24 hours without rain. that was a nice day. it poured rain all last night , then there was today... rain all day, mud, and i will never forget the raging river crossings. i tried to throw my shoes across at one. only one shoe made it. the other is on its way to the atlantic. it was not too bad to hike with a shoe and a sandal because therewas no way to keep dry feet any way. it took forever to get to rhe shelter,but the food was good and we are only 3 miles from the town!
- Taken at 8:20 PM on July 07, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
Fwd: third two days
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 8:15 PM
Subject: third two days
To: christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com
spirits are up. weather is colder but drier. hiking with the people I met the third day alone. I do not hike well alone yet. two days until the first town where my feet can recover.
- Taken at 8:11 PM on July 05, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
From: <christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 8:15 PM
Subject: third two days
To: christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com
spirits are up. weather is colder but drier. hiking with the people I met the third day alone. I do not hike well alone yet. two days until the first town where my feet can recover.
- Taken at 8:11 PM on July 05, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
Fwd: second two days
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 8:15 PM
Subject: second two days
To: christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com
these have been rough. hiked too far yesterday and wanted to give up so badly I might have cried. an en sore on my ankle is killing me. met some other hikers at the shelter last night. they have helped alot. so,despite the pain I will press on. hiking only 12 each day...
- Taken at 7:59 PM on July 03, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
From: <christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 8:15 PM
Subject: second two days
To: christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com
these have been rough. hiked too far yesterday and wanted to give up so badly I might have cried. an en sore on my ankle is killing me. met some other hikers at the shelter last night. they have helped alot. so,despite the pain I will press on. hiking only 12 each day...
- Taken at 7:59 PM on July 03, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
Fwd: first two days
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 8:15 PM
Subject: first two days
To: christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com
way harder than expected. muddy, wet and exhausting. I seriously can not describe how much pain my back and feet feel. I miss everyone, but I will try to press on. met some nice people and they are helping to motivate me even though I see to be doing a lot of things wrong. tomorrow is another day... : )
- Taken at 4:04 PM on July 01, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
From: <christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 8:15 PM
Subject: first two days
To: christopher.sheaffer@gmail.com
way harder than expected. muddy, wet and exhausting. I seriously can not describe how much pain my back and feet feel. I miss everyone, but I will try to press on. met some nice people and they are helping to motivate me even though I see to be doing a lot of things wrong. tomorrow is another day... : )
- Taken at 4:04 PM on July 01, 2009 - uploaded by ShoZu
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