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| Bridge in NY |
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| New York City skyline from NJ |
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| Shelter in Massachusetts |
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| Bridge in VT |
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| Fall Colors from the Shelter (VT) |
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Snow the last morning of the hike
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Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Lyle's Photos
Well, Lyle has been home for a week now and is reacclimating to "society" after his journey on the AT. He officially finished 411 miles on this section hike and has completed over 1700 miles on the AT. He has started looking through his photos and selected a few to share. Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Lyle Returns Home
On Friday, October 12, Lyle decided that he would end this section early because of the winter like weather. He managed to get to the Inn four miles from the shelter and make arrangements for public transportation to get him back to Wisconsin. He took the train into New York City and then hopped the bus back to Delaware Water Gap. He spent Saturday night in the hostel in Delaware Water Gap with some of the same hikers that had passed him going south. On Sunday morning he headed to Wisconsin and with good weather and light traffic he made it into Appleton by 10:00 p.m. We listened to the end of the Sunday Night Packer game on the way back to Marinette. He lost about 15 pounds on the hike but had a marvelous time. He has oodles of photos and many stories to share. Hopefully we can add some photos and additional information about his hike once he has settled in and recovered from the trek.
Until then, keep chasing the dreams and crossing things off your bucket list!
Until then, keep chasing the dreams and crossing things off your bucket list!
Friday, October 12, 2012
Winter Weather in Vermont
It's October 12 on the calendar but it's winter weather outside of the shelter this morning. Lyle camped in a new shelter last night. There was nobody else so he had plenty of room to set up his tent for extra warmth. When he woke up this morning it was raining/snowing outside. In our early morning call he called it a blizzard. He is cozy warm in his sleeping bag and is seriously considering taking a zero day.
He has 46 miles to go to finish this section, has completed over 400 miles on this hike and has over 1700 miles of the AT done now. The last few days have been very cold and very few people. He has been seeing a few stragglers that have flipped to go south but that is about it.
Thursday he made the trek up to the top of Mt. Killington which is the highest point in Vermont. It was a beautiful spot but it was so cold and windy that he quickly took his pictures and headed back down the trail. And that was the story of Thursday--cold and very windy. The wind blew all night and of course, it's still blowing with the rain/snow mix.
Wednesday he had a great time by getting off the trail and catching a ride 3 miles into Wallingford. This is where he sent his jump box ahead because of the size of the town. He was able to get a hot breakfast and a huge lunch before heading back out to the trail. And what a blessing--he was able to get a ride both ways. That has been a constant theme along the trail--there is a terrific support system for hikers to help them when they need to get off the trail.
Back to today (Friday) he is seriously considering getting off the trail now as the weather forecast is for an Arctic blast and he is not equipped for "real" winter camping. He has about 4 days of hiking left and the weather forecast does not look like it's going to get any better. The Weather Channel just said that the wind chill on Mt. Washington in NH is 3 degrees. The mountains are cold! He will probably take a zero day today to stay warm and dry in the shelter and consult his guide to see where he might find a place to get off the trail to catch a ride. Cooper Lodge is about 4 miles ahead which seems to be his best option at this point. The great thing about having cell service is that if the guide has a phone number he can call to verify it's still open. We both think that's a better option to hunker down in this bad weather than in the shelter battling the cold with no heat source.
He has 46 miles to go to finish this section, has completed over 400 miles on this hike and has over 1700 miles of the AT done now. The last few days have been very cold and very few people. He has been seeing a few stragglers that have flipped to go south but that is about it.
Thursday he made the trek up to the top of Mt. Killington which is the highest point in Vermont. It was a beautiful spot but it was so cold and windy that he quickly took his pictures and headed back down the trail. And that was the story of Thursday--cold and very windy. The wind blew all night and of course, it's still blowing with the rain/snow mix.
Wednesday he had a great time by getting off the trail and catching a ride 3 miles into Wallingford. This is where he sent his jump box ahead because of the size of the town. He was able to get a hot breakfast and a huge lunch before heading back out to the trail. And what a blessing--he was able to get a ride both ways. That has been a constant theme along the trail--there is a terrific support system for hikers to help them when they need to get off the trail.
Back to today (Friday) he is seriously considering getting off the trail now as the weather forecast is for an Arctic blast and he is not equipped for "real" winter camping. He has about 4 days of hiking left and the weather forecast does not look like it's going to get any better. The Weather Channel just said that the wind chill on Mt. Washington in NH is 3 degrees. The mountains are cold! He will probably take a zero day today to stay warm and dry in the shelter and consult his guide to see where he might find a place to get off the trail to catch a ride. Cooper Lodge is about 4 miles ahead which seems to be his best option at this point. The great thing about having cell service is that if the guide has a phone number he can call to verify it's still open. We both think that's a better option to hunker down in this bad weather than in the shelter battling the cold with no heat source.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Ski Lift in October
Monday, October 8, marks the day that Lyle steps off on his last 100 miles for this section. We spoke briefly in the morning and he said it was cold but not wet yet. Lunch time ended up a very pleasant event. The trail was taking him up a mountain that had a ski resort and he took a few minutes to go into the warming shack. The people in the shack mentioned that AT hikers can get a free ride down to the restaurant so he decided to check it out. He took the lift down and had a good, hot lunch. Wow...what a great deal...and he was able to participate on the last weekday of the season because of the holiday. He called me as he was riding back up and it was cold! It was clear and sunny at the base but he was heading back up into the clouds and flurries. Once off the lift he was going to be going back down the other side of the mountain. He also warned me again that cell service was going to be bad based on what other south bounders told him.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Making good progress
Lyle and I finally connected on Sunday. His comment was that so far Vermont hasn't been friendly to Verizon so thankfully it was only technical difficulties. He made good progress on Friday in spite of the rain. He said he has to go very slowly as the leaves and wet rocks make the hiking dangerous. He ended up camping near a shelter but had a good night's rest. He covered 15.1 miles on Sunday and there had been no rain for him. Saturday night he stayed at a shelter with a trail crew. It's a group of volunteers that picks a different section each 2-day trip out. They work on improving the trail during the day and stay at shelters at night. It was a group of 7 I think and it was a very pleasant evening for Lyle. Sunday night he ended up at a shelter which turned out to be a cabin with two other hikers. He hasn't met any other north bounders but continues to see south bounders. Vermont is remote but it sounds beautiful. The forecast for Monday and Tuesday looks good but cool so he might actually get some good fall color. Over the past 2 weeks most days it's been rainy and foggy--not good for enjoying the fall colors. He is very thankful for his winter sleeping bag--he's very toasty warm at night.
I just heard a weather blurb that the White Mountains got 3 1/2" of snow last night. I'm so relieved that Lyle won't be heading into that mess on this trip!
We haven't had long conversations as he is trying to conserve his phone battery but I believe he's about a third of the way through Vermont now and making better progress than he anticipated. I believe he has the rest of this week and early next week before he reaches Hanover, NH. If the weather holds and he can continue to make 12-15 miles each day he should easily finish by then.
I just heard a weather blurb that the White Mountains got 3 1/2" of snow last night. I'm so relieved that Lyle won't be heading into that mess on this trip!
We haven't had long conversations as he is trying to conserve his phone battery but I believe he's about a third of the way through Vermont now and making better progress than he anticipated. I believe he has the rest of this week and early next week before he reaches Hanover, NH. If the weather holds and he can continue to make 12-15 miles each day he should easily finish by then.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Saturday, October 6
I haven't spoken with Lyle for over 24 hours. This is the second time on the this section hike that I'm making sure I know how to call Search and Rescue. The last time I considered it Lyle scolded me and told me not to worry. He did warn me that Vermont is very remote and I may not get calls from him every day and not to worry. Hah! Is he crazy???
Back to Friday morning's call. Friday morning Lyle woke up wet...wet clothes from hiking the day before in the rain and wet on the tent from rain through the night. He decided not to set up in the shelter he was near because it has such a bad reputation for mice and chipmunks. He wanted a good night's rest so he set up the tent near the shelter as did the other hikers that spent the night near this shelter. It's puzzling to him because this section of trail is also considered the "Long Trail" and he assumed with two organizations sharing the same trail the shelters would be as good as--or even better--than what he has had so far. This is not the case at least from his few miles in Vermont. He was expecting to hike in the rain again Saturday and Sunday but Monday was supposed to be clear and dry. He is tired of hiking in the rain as I'm sure all the AT hikers are. Friday morning his comment was he had put on his wet boots and socks, wet long pants and was holding off on his wet shirt as long as he could. He was breaking camp in his jacket but was going to have to put the wet, cold shirt on soon. And they call this fun???
He is very glad that he has decided to get off in Hanover, NJ. We are both convinced that with all the rain on the East Coast there must be a lot of snow piling up in the White Mountains. New Hampshire will be another time and in much better weather. He has finished well over 300 miles now and is in the last (5th) state for this section.
I'm hoping to get a call from him yet this evening or tomorrow morning even if it's a brief everything is okay. At least on the weekends there have been more hikers and I hope that's the case this weekend. Until I hear from him there won't be much to post.
P.S. Scott from New York...if you are reading this I received Lyle's beer stein from the Bear Mountain Octoberfest celebration. Thank you very much for doing this for him!
Back to Friday morning's call. Friday morning Lyle woke up wet...wet clothes from hiking the day before in the rain and wet on the tent from rain through the night. He decided not to set up in the shelter he was near because it has such a bad reputation for mice and chipmunks. He wanted a good night's rest so he set up the tent near the shelter as did the other hikers that spent the night near this shelter. It's puzzling to him because this section of trail is also considered the "Long Trail" and he assumed with two organizations sharing the same trail the shelters would be as good as--or even better--than what he has had so far. This is not the case at least from his few miles in Vermont. He was expecting to hike in the rain again Saturday and Sunday but Monday was supposed to be clear and dry. He is tired of hiking in the rain as I'm sure all the AT hikers are. Friday morning his comment was he had put on his wet boots and socks, wet long pants and was holding off on his wet shirt as long as he could. He was breaking camp in his jacket but was going to have to put the wet, cold shirt on soon. And they call this fun???
He is very glad that he has decided to get off in Hanover, NJ. We are both convinced that with all the rain on the East Coast there must be a lot of snow piling up in the White Mountains. New Hampshire will be another time and in much better weather. He has finished well over 300 miles now and is in the last (5th) state for this section.
I'm hoping to get a call from him yet this evening or tomorrow morning even if it's a brief everything is okay. At least on the weekends there have been more hikers and I hope that's the case this weekend. Until I hear from him there won't be much to post.
P.S. Scott from New York...if you are reading this I received Lyle's beer stein from the Bear Mountain Octoberfest celebration. Thank you very much for doing this for him!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Soggy Week
Mass. has been a very wet and cool state. The storm system that has been sitting over the East Coast has been dumping plenty of rain on Lyle as well. Luckily he has been able to get to a shelter each evening and he has also had some breaks in the weather. In spite of the poor weather he is making good time.
The trail is less difficult than the previous 3 states. He has also been able to find some places to grab a good, hot meal. Sunday, September 30, he reached the top of a long up and came upon a lodge that was open to "drive in" traffic. He had a wonderful hamburger and of course, lots of other things. This is where he started hiking with Greg. Greg is a young man that took a week of vacation to do a section and ended up on the same section with Lyle. They struck up a friendship and enjoyed the week together. They ended up spending a night in a local church that is open to AT hikers. They were very thankful as that night the rain came down in buckets and there was thunder and lightning. It would not have been a good night in a tent on the trail. It made the miserable weather more tolerable having someone for company. Greg is off the trail now but it was a real boost for Lyle to have company. The number of hikers is getting smaller with weekenders being the biggest number of hikers he comes across.
Lyle has over 300 miles in and is in North Adams, MA, where he picked up his jump box again. He is spending the day and night in North Adams. He was able to do his laundry, get several hot meals, and played tourist for awhile. He figured out the bus system and took a tour of the quaint New England town. He said it would be a good destination for us when we get to take a vacation together as much of the town has maintained it's historic look and feel. But it is also getting the "new" section of town of shopping and fast food. He is staying in a hotel and was looking forward to an evening in a bed.
He is three miles from the MA/VT border. He will sleep in on Thursday, hoping the weather will break enough to get to the next shelter in VT which is about 12 miles without getting wet. If the trail and weather are good he might even try to get to the next shelter which I think he said is another 5 miles. From his handy guide it looks like he will have a shelter every 12-15 miles in VT which is very doable for him. Much better than some of the stretches of 18 and 20 miles in NY. However VT is also very much wilderness without much access to towns. He is also not sure about cell service--he warned me that I might not hear from him every day in this stretch.
He estimates another 8-10 days on the trail before he reaches Hanover, NH, which is his destination on this trip. He will not attempt the White Mountains on this trip...it's too late in the season especially given the amount of snow that is getting deposited in the mountains with this storm system. Unfortunately the weather forecast looks soggy for a few more days and then he is going to get the arctic blast that we are going to get soon. He is very thankful for his winter sleeping bag! He did say he is willing to trade the cold for no more rain!
The trail is less difficult than the previous 3 states. He has also been able to find some places to grab a good, hot meal. Sunday, September 30, he reached the top of a long up and came upon a lodge that was open to "drive in" traffic. He had a wonderful hamburger and of course, lots of other things. This is where he started hiking with Greg. Greg is a young man that took a week of vacation to do a section and ended up on the same section with Lyle. They struck up a friendship and enjoyed the week together. They ended up spending a night in a local church that is open to AT hikers. They were very thankful as that night the rain came down in buckets and there was thunder and lightning. It would not have been a good night in a tent on the trail. It made the miserable weather more tolerable having someone for company. Greg is off the trail now but it was a real boost for Lyle to have company. The number of hikers is getting smaller with weekenders being the biggest number of hikers he comes across.
Lyle has over 300 miles in and is in North Adams, MA, where he picked up his jump box again. He is spending the day and night in North Adams. He was able to do his laundry, get several hot meals, and played tourist for awhile. He figured out the bus system and took a tour of the quaint New England town. He said it would be a good destination for us when we get to take a vacation together as much of the town has maintained it's historic look and feel. But it is also getting the "new" section of town of shopping and fast food. He is staying in a hotel and was looking forward to an evening in a bed.
He is three miles from the MA/VT border. He will sleep in on Thursday, hoping the weather will break enough to get to the next shelter in VT which is about 12 miles without getting wet. If the trail and weather are good he might even try to get to the next shelter which I think he said is another 5 miles. From his handy guide it looks like he will have a shelter every 12-15 miles in VT which is very doable for him. Much better than some of the stretches of 18 and 20 miles in NY. However VT is also very much wilderness without much access to towns. He is also not sure about cell service--he warned me that I might not hear from him every day in this stretch.
He estimates another 8-10 days on the trail before he reaches Hanover, NH, which is his destination on this trip. He will not attempt the White Mountains on this trip...it's too late in the season especially given the amount of snow that is getting deposited in the mountains with this storm system. Unfortunately the weather forecast looks soggy for a few more days and then he is going to get the arctic blast that we are going to get soon. He is very thankful for his winter sleeping bag! He did say he is willing to trade the cold for no more rain!
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