Connecticut to Mass. AT Partners Wanted sometime 12/26/07 to 1/21/08

[wystiria]

Hey folks!!! sorry I didn't even turn on my PC for the last few days! anyway hope youa re all having fun and are safe and warm! you can read this when you get back!

This wont matter now but the sections we did this fall were fairly well marked - a few spots the blazes were farther apart I would have liked BUT this was headied southbound...and my trick when I think I may have lost the trail is to turn around and look for blazes the other way works most times LOL

Anyway - tty all when you get back!!!

[Fornfearen]

I was going to post trip reports on Views From The Top from the computer of local libraries after each section hiked. That didn't work out, and by the time I got home, there had been 2 snow storms, and my conditions report would have been irrelevant.
So here's what happened, from my hiking log:

Appalachian Trail, CT to MA
Wednesday & Thursday, December 26-27, 2007
Solo backpacking
I got to the t/h around 11AM, but had to use my small snow shovel and ice ax to dig and chop my way through the hardened berm thrown up by the plow. This took a while, then I went looking for a public phone to inform DK and jzachar of my actual starting time.
Started from Rt. 41 in Salisbury, CT. Hit trail at 2:15PM with full pack. Hadn’t hiked since Phelps Mtn., 6 weeks earlier. Felt weak. Slow. Decided not to do Bear Mtn. alone in dark due to ice and steep north side. Missed jct. of Paradise and Undermountain trails. Lost 1.5 hours and lots of energy doing so. I’d expected to cover that section in daylight, so I hadn’t given myself the extra help of printing the elevation of the jct. on the map, carefully calibrating altimeter, and setting altimeter alarm for 100’ above that point. (Contours were hard to read on map) I couldn’t trust the altimeter, so I kept descending just to be sure I didn’t turn around just above the jct. I finally realized I was too low when looking at cars on the road below, I realized I was probably less than 300’ above road level. I found the jct. on the way up. The sign was high on a tree on the downhill side of the tree, so it was very easy to miss from the uphill side. Previous tracks ended at Sage’s Ravine, but finding the trail in the dark, and the terrain itself weren’t too bad. Crossed into Massachusetts about 11:58PM. Got to Laurel Ridge camp site, ~9 miles, around 1AM or later. Slept on snow on tent platform, under plastic sheet. The rain, which was supposed to start mid-to-late PM the next day, started just as I was laying out the pads and plastic.
Thursday morning again, very slow going. Rocks which had been bare yesterday were now glazed. Put on crampons at first stream crossing, and left them on til soon after starting down bail-out trail. Due to slow progress, I wasn’t going to be able to meet Dingus Khan at Jug End Rd. on time, so I bailed out on the Elbow Trail down to the Berkshire School. Got to road at 2:50PM, hitched to car, called DK, and met him at the Rt. 41 t/h, where we spent the night.
1^st day, 8.8 AT miles, plus extra while overshooting trail jct.
2^nd day, 5.3 AT miles, plus 1.5 miles on Elbow trail, plus t/h to road.


DK was a good sport. I was wet, exhausted, and withdrawn after 2 days with the backpack. I didn't want to do anything, or even THINK about doing anything. But after making a hot dinner, I was a bit more communicative, and we made plans. jzakhar didn't show up.

Appalachian Trail, Jug End Rd. to Rt. 23, Massachusetts
Friday, December 28, 2007
With Dingus Khan
We spotted his car at Rt. 23 and rode back to Jug End in mine.
Hit trail at 9:40AM. Got to Rt. 23 at ~4:40PM. Some pleasant, fast, flatlands at first. Then lots of ups and downs through some small mountains.
12.9 miles in 7 hours.

Appalachian Trail, Rt. 23 to Tyringham, Massachusetts
Sunday, December 30, 2007
With Dan
The day before I'd scouted out the AT road crossing and parking situation. The parking area wasn't plowed, but the plow had pushed out a wide swath on the shoulder so my car was completely off the road. The day I scouted it, I got out of the car and walked toward the actual AT crossing, about 50 yards ahead. I heard a noise in the woods on the south side, and saw a small black bear looking at me. It immediately turned around and lumbered off. I continued to the crossing and looked down the trail, where I saw the bear crossing it and continuing on. Later, after first checking out the NoBo section of trail for tracks and a sign, I walked down the south side and found one really good bear print showing the claws!

I had slept out under the stars on the AT going north from Main Rd. in Tyringham, where I’d parked. We were to meet at 7:30AM, but Dan came by about 6:50AM and I was ready to go 5 minutes later, so we got an early start. Rode in his car to Rt. 23, and hit trail at 7:44AM. Snow was crusty and bad for walking most of the day. Most of the time we broke through with every step. Rarely, we walked several steps without breaking through, and this reminded us, and got our hopes up, for how a trail should really feel. Then it was back to breaking through. We lost the trail briefly in some kind of nature area just before Tyringham. We could hear and see the road where I'd parked, so I knew when to look for that bear track, which was still intact for DK to enjoy. Actually, DK had pointed out a bear track somewhere around the middle of our hike that day. Got to Main Rd. in Tyringham at 3:00PM, having done 12.1 miles.

Appalachian Trail, Jug End Rd. to Elbow Trail jct. (SoBo), Massachusetts
Monday, December 31, 2007
Solo
I needed to make up this section after bailing out before it on 12/27. I was going to do it NoBo, but after talking to some locals who emphasized the steepness and trickiness of Jug End, I decided safety was an important enough consideration to make me go up that way rather than down. So after sleeping in the car at the Berkshire School, I hiked down to 41, and ended up hiking along the road all the way (~3 miles) to the Jug End t/h.
Effective leaving time from car-9:10AM. Started on trail at JE 10:30AM. There had been ~4” of snow overnight, so based on that and the previous day’s experience with the crust, I started out with snowshoes. They stayed on until I got to the t/h at the Berkshire School. It was slow going up Jug End, but once on the ridge I felt I was moving right along. There were no fresh tracks until I got to the top of the Elbow Tr. Someone had already skied up and down. On my way down I was able to stay off the ski tracks >99% of the time.
2.8 miles of AT mileage in 2:30, plus 3 miles on road, and 1.5 on Elbow Tr. 7.2 miles total.

My continuous section of hiked AT now extends from 9 miles south of the PA line up to Tyringham. The next 9 miles, whenever I do them, will get me through a notorious mosquito area.

==============
DUH! I'm doing this section at this time of year to avoid the deer tick, right? So one night I'm sleeping under the stars on a patch of bare ground. As I settle down, I feel a back-poking lump under me. So I reach my wool gloved hand underneath my pads and plastic sheet, and dig up and remove the offending stick. I pull my hand back inside the sleeping bag, zip up, and think. Deer ticks may, I'm not sure, spend the cold weather down in leaf debris. I just dug into that to remove the stick and the rough texture of the gloves could have caught and held a tick in any of it's 3 infective life stages, and then I potentially brought it inside my warm bag where my warm body will gently awaken it to the smell of a warm dinner. Well, too late, nothing I can do now, just want to sleep, I'll check for ticks tomorrow. The next night, Friday, was the only time I sprang for a motel on the whole 8 night trip. I probably would have anyway, as that night's forecast was nasty. In the motel, I rinsed off the plastic sheet in the shower, and checked my self. I thought it was unlikely that I would have picked up a tick in that momentary lapse, and it appears I was right. I've checked myself once or twice since then, and am satisfied I dodged that bullet.



On the trail, the temps went a little above 35F a few times, but thanks to micromega's comments, I didn't worry about it.

[wystiria]

nice trip log - I am surprised you don't at least carry a small bivy tent! more power to you!!

[whcobbs]

Fornfearen--
Enjoyed the trip account. Sounds like you might be starting NoBo from Tyringham next year?
Walt

[Fornfearen]

Fornfearen--
Enjoyed the trip account. Sounds like you might be starting NoBo from Tyringham next year?
Walt

Hi Walt,
I thought I'd hear from you soon after my initial post. I hope you're doing well.
Unless I start NoBo from Tyringham sometime during St. Lawrence U's spring break, that section will indeed be on my schedule for next year. Do you want to pencil that in?
SLU's spring break frees me up from March 15 to the 25th. Those first few days I'll probably want to spend bagging peaks in NH while it's still officially Winter. (Spring begins at 00:48 AM on March 20.) After that, [3/20 - 3/25, but remember, Easter Sunday is 3/23] if the weather isn't too bad (or too good), I'd still have enough days left to make the drive down to MA worthwhile.
Is anyone interested in this section on these dates? I don't need any replies now. I'll start another thread for these dates in February, or with procrastination, early March.

[Fornfearen]

nice trip log - I am surprised you don't at least carry a small bivy tent! more power to you!!

I did have a small tent, in the car. Based on the forecast, I didn't bring it on the trail. If there's no precip, or only light snow in the forecast, I can get by with the big plastic sheet. If it's going to be cold and breezy, or rainy, then I'll bring the tent for extra warmth, or dryness.
I like sleeping in a tent, but I like sleeping under the stars even more, if there's no rain or BUGS!

Fornfearen

[whcobbs]

Fornfearen--
Yes, I'll pencil in Tyringham--??N Adams for next December. Looks like you made about 8 mi/d under winter conditions (not counting approach mileage). For approx 54 mi Tyringham--NAdams that amounts to 6-7 d. Does that sound right to you? Too ambitious? Not enough? It's a little bit of a problem to work out a car shuttle involving Tyringham, although there is a taxi that will go there.
I'll probably be tied up for the March holiday.
Walt

[wystiria]

Keep me and my DH in mind. though we can't go during the week but if you head out over a weekend we could meet up with you.

[Homer&Marje]

[quote=Fornfearen;473797]I work at a university and will be off during our long Winter Break.
We'd be starting at Rte. 41 in Salisbury, CT and heading north.
I want to continue working my way up the AT through this deer tick/Lyme disease infested stretch. I just haven't heard anything good about Lyme disease, and don't want to mess with it. The ticks are supposed to be dormant at temps below 35F, so I'm only going to do this when the forecast says the maximum daytime temp will be below 35F. Actually, forecast temps are based on shade readings, so 35 would be too high.]

Lived in Mass my whole life and have never had lyme disease, I don't think you should worry about it that much, even under 50 degrees those ticks don't come out much, Unless your walking with a dog who could pick up more ticks being just a little self conscious of your own body and whether or not you have a tick on you will probably suffice. I have known 1 person who contracted lyme disease and it wasn't fatal. I'd hike in warmer weather if I could and worry about filtering water and hanging your food before lyme disease. Just my opinion