End of my Journey

I am sorry to report that I am getting off the trail. In the past several weeks I have had quite a bit of pain in my left ankle. (which was weak when I began) The only thing that has kept me going for the last few weeks is a steady dose of Ibprofen. Now my stomach has begun to bother me from eating too many of the pills. (10-12 per day). I felt is was better to stop now and finish at a later date as opposed to doing damage to my foot, and never finishing. I completed 1650 of the 2185 miles. I walked through 11 of the 14 states that the A.T. crosses. ( I have actually hiked approx. 70 miles of the AT in Vermont a few yrs. ago with Shellie) I hope to complete this journey one day with Shellie if she chooses to join me.( and put up with me).

 I have had an amazing time and met many interesting and fascinating people on my journey.I never thought that at my age I would ever get such a wonderful opportunity. And for this, I am eternally grateful to my family and friends that made such a trip possible.



I wish you all a lifetime of adventure and happiness !


                                                                      Tony  aka( Krispy)

The highest peak in Mass.

A view looking south across Mass and into Connecticutt. (Berkshires)

A view looking north toward the Green Mts. of Vermont from Mt. Greylock, Mass.

Ponds and Bogs

One of the many ponds I would pass by in Mass. The weather up here is great !

One of the many bogs I would pass by in Mass. Another nice day of weather near Dalton, mile 1630

Massachusetts Mile 1600

The woods got much darker, quieter, and mossier in Mass. The color took on a much deeper green. There was a lot more pine trees and water sources. A very nice state to hike in and one of my favorites so far.

Alien Creatures

I have never seen these before and thought they were rather unusual looking. upon further inspection I felt they looked alot like little alien creatures........ or eyeballs on a stick.

Miss Vanessa Breton

Vanessa runs a hiker bed and breakfast out of her home in Conn. She was an absolute sweetheart. We hit it off so well that when I left she gave me a pair of earrings to send home for Shellie. Vanessa makes jewelry and sells it at local markets and via the internet. She has her own very nice, upscale packaging etc. The pair she gave me were sterling silver with turquoise and fresh water pearls...... awesome ! This was one of my favorite places to stay along the trail.

The outside of Miss Vanessa's vintage northeastern home.

The United States first Library,Salisbury, Conn.

In 1803 Caleb Bingham established the Salisbury Public Library, the nations oldest. It was created for use by young people , ages 9 thru 16. It was so popular that many adults used it as well.

The Berkshire Mountains

 Looking toward northern Conn. and into Massachusetts. The "Berkshires" run all along the western side of both states.

This is a shot of the Berkshires the very next day after the picture above. The weather changes like baby diapers in the northeast. I had this storm hit as I was packing my tent at 8:00 am. It proceeded to rain the rest of the day and night and into the next day.

The rocks don't end in Pennsylvania, they just get bigger!. I had to cross this boulder field during my very wet hike into Salisbury, Conn.   Mile 1550

DiamondBack Rattlesnake/ Connecticut

I walked upon this guy near Salisbury, Conn. He was in the middle of the trail and he did not rattle or hiss, so I almost stepped on him. I sat my pack down and took a water break hoping he would move out of the way. Well, that didn't happen...... he just kept coming closer and closer while searching the plants for bugs to eat. After about 20 minutes I gave up and hiked down a steep hill and back up the steep hill to bypass my new friend.

He was about 3 feet long and as big around as my forearm.

Near Kent, Connecticut Mile 1500

Finally hit another state that is fun to hike in. Conneticut has beautiful trails and really nice scenery. The weather is also much cooler and less humid than NY/NY/PA.

 

 

The Ten Mile river that runs along the New York/ Conn. border.

New Jersey/New York

Grady, Mac, and Kari (Snickers) just outside of Unionville, NY. as we staddle the New Jersey/New York line for 20-30 miles. Unionville was a very tiny town that lets A.T. hikers camp in their community park for the night. I'll have to admit it was the only time on the trail that I had a grill outside my tent!

Ice Cream in New York - Mile 1,375

I stopped in Bellvale NY to have what is supposed to be the best ice cream on the trail. This place was only .3 miles off the trail and very close to Greenwood Lake where I stayed for the night. Anton's motel is right on the lake and the little village is a lot like Harpers Ferry WV. The cone was very good but the jury's still out on whether it is better than Ben and Jerry's. ( which I pass by in Vermont ).

Sundown on the New York countryside behind the Creamery.

A wild and colorful natural spring

I wasn't sure whether to drink from this water source or not. Turns out the water is crystal clear. The ground beneath however is collecting mineral deposits from the water.

This spring was located near Pine Grove, PA. at approx. mile 1210

Caterpillar

I have no idea what this dude's official name is........ but I thought he was very cool looking.

Hamburg, PA.

A view of town from the ridgeline. Closing in on the New Jersey border approx. 100 mi. away.

Susquehanna River

A shot of the river as I cross the bridge heading out of Duncannon, PA.

Duncannon, PA.

The infamous Doyle Hotel. This place is well known as a hiker friendly establishment with great burgers. It was originally built and operated by Anhieser-Busch over 100 years ago.

Pilgrim and other hikers enjoying some cold beers and food inside the Doyle Bar.

"Berries" and me after just arriving at the Doyle.Wet, tired, and very hungry !

Let the ROCKS begin !!! mile 1,130

Wet and raining heading into Duncannon, PA.  This was ridiculous how rocky and steep it was. A hiker should have to obtain a license to walk on this stuff !

Heading toward Pine Grove, PA.    Not getting any better, in fact it's getting worse.

How's this for an uphill climb ? At least this section had smaller rocks mixed in with the large rocks.

Rock Bridges, wow.... what's next

Trail Magic !

My friend Kim (Loopy) holding Gatorade a "trail angel" left under the road in the tunnel for hikers to enjoy........ which we did!

The Fields

No rocks so far. The trail does however spend a lot of time running through and next to fields of soybeans, corn, hay etc.

The Allenberry Resort and Playhouse

This nice place in Boiling Springs, PA. lets hikers enjoy their resort for a mere $40 per night. The normal rate is $130-150 depending on events and season. They offer a $6 all you can eat breakfast buffet, and $15 dinner buffet. The game room has foosball/ping pong/pool tables , as well as air hockey. They have a theater on site and conduct live plays each day at 1pm. There was a two week acting camp going on while I was there..... very cool.

The road leading in/out of the enormous grounds the place sits on.

A shot of the Playhouse .

Hiker friends as we attack the dinner buffet..... Suschi bar!!!

Pennsylvania - state #7

The trail as it crosses an Interstate in southern PA near Boiling Springs.

I have now reached Pennsylvania and the dreaded " rocks" everyone talks about. Apparently there are miles upon miles of trail where a hiker walks on rocks with very little ground to put your feet.Some of these rocks supposedly move when stepped upon. Others are jagged and sharp, poking and gouging the feet when you step on them. many claim they ruined a pair of boots..... just in Pennsylvania. This state contains 230 miles of the Appalachian Trail so I hope it's not as bad as they say !

Tough Section

My friend Andrew as he negotiates a rough 2-mile section of Maryland rocks near the Pennsylvania border. Andrew is a runner by nature so this type of terrain was difficult for his 6' 7" , size 50 feet?

Update

I am now at mile 1140 in a place called Duncannon, Pennsylvania. The weather has been tough the past couple of weeks ( high 90's with lots of humidity) Camped in a horrible thunderstorm Thurs. night and walked in heavy rain all day Friday. When I arrived in town all my clothes, tent, and pack were soaked. The trail goes right through the center of town so I stopped at the laundrymat to do some washing. I actually had to hang my boots in the dryer by the laces to dry them out.West Virginia was very short but a lot of fun. I took a side trip into Washington DC for a day.Then, I took a shuttle 10 miles the next day to the CharlesTown horse track/casino. They had the best buffet that I've found thus far. Maryland was a great state to hike through. The trail is 2-3 feet wide across the whole state. The PATC maintains the trail to perfection and builds the nicest shelters a hiker could want.I met a guy named Andrew in maryland that was doing a few days on the trail. He was from Philly and we had a lot in common so we spent a couple days hiking together and staying at a hostel.  Stopped in Boiling Springs to stay at the Allenberry Resort. They offer hikers a $40 room rate versus the normal $130-150 rate. All my hiking friends were also there for the night. They had a $15 dinner buffet that inc. sucshi and prime rib, and lots of good desserts.The resort also has a theater for live plays. There was a staff on sight that was conducting a two week acting camp. It was fun to watch the kids practice their lines and act out scenes. Pennsyvania has a reputation for having a rocky trail. So far, it has not been too bad. Yesterday I did hit a 6 mile stretch with nothing but rocks. The hard part is watching where you place your feet as many of the rocks stick up like sharks teeth. The rocks are also very slick when it's raining like when I walked over them. I have spoken with several hikers in town that fell yesterday, luckily I wasn't one of them. The town I'm in now has a 100 year old motel that was originally built by the Anheiser-Busch company. It is called the "Doyle" and has trail famous burgers. ( which I can vouch for being very good ! ). The next thing of interest along the trail is the Yeungling beer brewery. I guess its right near the trail and they offer tours. The trail supposed to get extremely rocky after Port Clinton for the last 80-90 miles before New Jersey. I am still 75 miles from Port Clinton so I have a few days to psych myself up for what's to come. I had a bit of good fortune this past week. At a road crossing I found a $200 Gerber knife w/sheath laying in the middle of the trail. I carried it for 5 days and asked if anyone lost it, no claims. So, I went to the post office in Boiling Springs and mailed it home...... Bonus !!

Thanks to all for following and posting. I miss everyone and hope to see you soon !

                                                                                       Tony

Trail Angel

Tammy, the Greenbriar State park ranger was nice enough to give me a ride back to the trail after I walked into her park. The story goes as follows; I left the trail and walked about a mile into the park in order to get something to eat at the snack bar. A bad thunderstorm hit just as I entered the park so the snack bar closed about two hours early. I stopped to ask Tammy for directions back to the trail. She decided to take me to the nearby store and buy me dinner and something to drink. She then drove me to the trail and posed for a photo.

Washington Monument State Park

This was the original dedication to George Washington, well before the one in DC was built. I am about 20 miles into Maryland at this point.

Taken from the top of the Washington Monument. The open fields in the distance are the sight of the famous Antietam civil war battle. To the left is West Virginia, and to the right is Pennsylvania ( not pictured ).

I love Maryland !

The wonderfully flat trail !

The clean, well-built shelters !

Maryland - state #6

This particular park is the where one of the civil wars most well known war correspondents lived. He later paid to have several buildings built on this sight. Later, the state has rebuilt or refurbished all the buildings to their original state. This entire area was home to many civil war battles.

Washington, DC. side-trip

Because I was so close to the capital a train trip seemed like the thing to do..... so I did. The ticket was only $11 each way from/to Harpers Ferry. After the hour and a half train ride, a quick three stop trip on the subway and I arrived at Pennsylvania Ave. (White House) I was hoping Mr Obama would come out and have coffee with me, no luck.

With a little effort, I was able to lift the Washington Monument completely off the ground !