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The end
My reward for making it to the end...what else, a Snickers!
Made it!!
Spoon and Birdman at the summit!
The shoes that brought me to the summit.
Climbing up Katahdin.
My home away from home!
Saturday, 9/9, I'm sitting on White Cap Mountain mile
2116, with Katahdin in sight, 73 miles away.
A refreshing swim in Moosehead Lake after the hike.
The crew part way up White Cap Mountain with Katahdin standing tall above
Harrison's head.
Spoon hiking up one of the Bigelows a few days ago.
Joined by daughter Melanie, known as Scooter on the trail, Harrison, known as Houdini or Goldthread,
and Revere, a new addition to the family.
View of the day from Monson area
American Toad
Wood Frog
Green Frog
A view of the Bigelows which will be the task tomorrow 9/2
Celebrating a successful climb!
Hooray, 2000 miles!
View of the day
Along the trail
Always nice to come upon Trail Magic!
Hiking partner Spoon. I attached a big "spoon" to his pack
when he wasn't looking!
Peregrine Falcons playing in the sky
A curious white throated sparrow- "Poor Sam
Peabody, Peabody, Peabody"
Goldthread growing on a bed of spagnum moss. Roots
are golden colored and were used in the past for yellow dye.
And more
The start of Mahoozuc Notch, the great jumble of boulders
Heading into the forbidding Mahoozuc Notch!
Crossing into Maine, the last of 14 states!
Relaxing along the trail on 8/23, the day before Mahoozuc Notch
Common Tansy, nonnative, also called Bitter Button. Used as
insect repellent and as a companion plant to ward off harmful
insects. In past, was packed into coffins as a preservative.
Eastern Hemlock. Healthy in New Hampshire and surrounding
states, but being decimated by the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid
in the southern Appalachians like the Smokies
Striped Maple, common in the understory, also called Goosefoot
and Moosewood, because moose like to browse on it.
A cog train used to bring people and supplies to the top.
In front of the Tip-Top House at the summit, an historic building built in 1853 as a hotel,
but fell into disrepair. Was recently renovated.
Ascending into the cloud around Mount Washington
Someone asked for more Mount Washington pictures. We didn't
take many because of wind and clouds, but here are a few more.
I see water flowing,
On an endless journey from sky to land,
Nourishing life along the way.
And sculpting rocks through time.
View from a bench at Imp Shelter where I spent the night 8/21
A Spruce Grouse along the trail
The state motto of New Hampshire...and Limey's new favorite saying.
Limey leaving on the bus for Manchester NH where he flies
back to Wisconsin
Coming down from Mount Washington to Pinkham Notch- brutal!
On the summit!!
A sign before the trail to Mount Washington
Just after leaving Lake of the Clouds, heading to Mount Washington hidden in the clouds
The sun behind clouds at Lake of the Clouds
Made it to the Hut!
Up the trail to Lake of the Clouds Hut
Limey climbing a cairn...he hasn't had enough
Enjoying a high point
View of the day from Crawford Notch, AMC Highlands Center
On top of Moosilauke, the "piece of cake" hike
A nice picture of Limey climbing on the trail
Limey posing for his fans!
The Boys on top of the world
No more "Ted Bundy" Mr Dan P, though you meant Ted Kazinski...I know,
you need some help every so often.
Limey looked at this sign and said, "No problem".
Limey with a deer fly on his forehead but too tired to
bother swatting it away!
A beautiful stream coursing down Mount Moosilauke
Limey taking a rest on the edge of a cliff
A bunch of Bunchberries
Limey after the Moose Mountain climb
Limey's first climb- Moose Mountain
An amazing Trifecta
Into New Hampshire!
White Baneberry, also called Doll's Eyes
Packman happy at Happy Hill Shelter
Maiden Hair Fern
Green Mountain High
Packman on the trail
Pearly Everlasting. Called "everlastingly" because the flowers last a long time if dried
The end for Fritillary and Flatboard, the start for Packman
View of the day
Little Harry, aka Flatboard
Jewelweed or Touch-Me-Not. The ripe seed pods explode when touched.
Flatboard jumped a mile when startled by one. Fritillary a half mile.
Fritillary and Flatboard on top of Mount Killington
500 miles left!
The singing Girl Scouts
A beautiful Fritillary after which Angela was named.
Sponge Bob and I leaving Green Mtn House in Manchester Center
View from Stratton Mountain
Stratton Pond
View of the day- Stratton Mountain in background.
In some areas tannins from decaying plants turn the water
in streams a brown tea color, especially after a rain.
Bluebeard Lily. Sometimes mistaken for a blueberry, especially
by children, but not edible and poisonous.
Hardhack or Steeplebush seen in Vermont
Bottle Gentian. Flower never opens but remains tubular.
Bumblebees pollinate it by crawling into the closed tube.
Entering Vermont!
Bunchberry, a member of the dogwood family. Berries are edible
and nutritious tasting a little like apples.
Fireweed, so named because it rapidly colonizes burned areas
after a fire. It also is makes nectar attractive to honeybees and
is said to be a very delicious honey.
View of the day
Chicken of the Woods, one of the 4 "foolproof" edible mushrooms in the woods
Mount Greylock in the distance
White Turtlehead seen in swampy area 7/27 just south
of Upper Goose Pond in Massachusetts.
Greater Purple Fringed Orchid seen in a moist area along a
stream 7/28 just south of Dalton MA.
The beautiful Upper Goose Pond where swimming was
simply heavenly.
Upper Goose Pond Cabin at mile 1549. Lots of NOBO's and SOBO's
met here so almost 50 stayed the night either camping or in bunks. Good
coffee and pancakes were served the next morning! Could have used
some real maple syrup from home!
The road where D-Day was picked up...by a guy who had skied
the Birkebeiner in Wisconsin 20+ times!
The end of D-Day, Wednesday 7/27, at Shaker Campsite where he
insisted I stay, but where I left 20 minutes later.
D-Day on the trail
D-Day in front of Baba Louie's
Bindweed
Shay's Rebellion monument
D-Day at the top of Mount Everest!
Entering Massachusetts!
D-Day in front of Great Falls on the Housatonic River
View of the day in Connecticut
Fending off the enemy. Glad good old Messiy built this
stone wall to hide behind!
Dapper Dan LOVES his Bag Balm!
D-Day squeezing through the crevices of Connecticut
D-Day, aka Dapper Dan, joins the fun. He's glowing with anticipation!
View of the day
A mighty white oak on the trail.
Ann joining me for a brief stint on the trail.
Arriving in Connecticut, my 10th state! Four more to go!
The beautiful Le Chambord- a lovely place where my Aunt Ruth
also stayed many years ago. She told me that staying in the Le
Chambord was NOT roughing it!
Purple Loosestrife, pretty, but an aggressive invasive
The trail crosses near a train stop that is one hour from Grand Central
Station in NY. Some hikers go there for the day.
Stone walls in the forest.
A peaceful moment on a nice smooth trail in NY.
View of the Hudson River while crossing the Bear Mountain
suspension bridge.
Standing on Bear Mountain
Perkins Memorial Tower on top of Bear Mountain
The "Lemon Squeezer" at mile 1386, a narrow crevice that
you have to squeeze through!
The passageway to the "Lemon Squeezer".
Striped Wintergreen- somewhat rare, some say the flowers look like old
fashion street lamps. The seeds look like little pumpkins.
Yellow Indigo
Another challenge up the rocks of New York
Pokeweed- very poisonous to humans and other mammals, though
birds are unaffected by the toxin and eat the ripe berries.
This is a common way the trail looks in New York- lots of rocky domes
on top of the ridges.
This is the start of the well known boardwalk in New Jersey almost
a mile long, including a suspension bridge over a creek.
Scene of the day- 3 Great Egrets and one Blue Heron
Queen Anne's Lace. Legend has it that Queen Anne was a master lace maker
and won a contest. Her entry then became the flower. Note the small dark floret
in the middle of the umbrell- they say Queen Anne pricked herself with a needle
and a small drop of blood landed there.
Stairway to heaven???
Crossing from New Jersey into New York...on the rocks!
At the start of the 27 mile day in New Jersey!
Unknown
Pink Corydalis or Rock Harlequin
Bergamot or Bee Balm from which Earl Grey tea is made
Common Mullein, also known as Velvet Leaf
Butterfly Weed, a member of the milkweed family
Pink Azalea or Pinxster Flower growing along a mountain lake in New Jersey
Rosebay Rhododendron. Blooms later than other rhododendron.
Fruit of the Staghorn Sumac, which makes an excellent lemonade-like drink.
Many blueberries along the trail- very tasty!
Starting the infamous "knife edge" rocky ridge and other
rocky trail.
Another snake on the trail, this time a black snake.
The AT in Pennsylvania!
Sitting on the edge of a cliff called The Pulpit, this time without the pack on.
View of the day
Black Eyed Susan
Timber Rattler on the trail!
Near the end of a triumphant day!
Poison Ivy- "Leaves of three, let them be". Except if you are
brother Jeff and you're out in the woods and "need leaves."
Birds Foot Trefoil
Bull Thistle
Crown Vetch
This was also one of the last things I saw in Duncannon!
Arghhh!
Good old Duncannon with The Doyle in the background with the turret
Rocks to climb on the AT!
Deptford Pink, another nonnative, but not aggressive or invasive
Ox Eye Daisy, nonnative but pretty. Can be invasive.
The AT is surprisingly rocky, like in this picture.
Standing next to the official half way marker- 1094.5!!
A view of the Shenandoah River near Harper's Ferry just
before crossing over on a bridge.
Bears Den Hostel
A dead Luna moth on the trail.
My friend the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on pink phlox.
A wild strawberry found near the trail- hm, hm, good!
The leaf of the Tulip tree, one of the larger and common
trees along the trail. Admired by George Washington and
planted at Mount Vernon. Also called "canoe tree" because
Native Americans used them for canoes.
I'm seeing lots of common milkweed, but no monarchs
or caterpillars.
Asiatic Dayflower, a nonnative from China. Called "Dayflower"
because blooms last only one day.
Chicory, the leaves of which can be eaten in a salad and the root
as a coffee substitute.
I would walk 1000 miles for you!!
The dreaded Roller Coaster!!
Turtle waking up at Dave's Dome
After hiking with a headlamp for a while on 6/22, sunrise.
Thought this was a bear down the trail...turned out to be a log!
A more gentle creature!
Resting at a shelter, saw this 5 foot snake climb down the wall
then back up.
With curious cub behind!
This...mama bear,
When you see this, you usually see....
Another picture on a cliff...why doesn't he take that pack off
before he gets up there??
Scene of the day, Shenandoah National Park, AT mile 923
Elderberry
I keep seeing these signs, but never see a bear. Today I finally
saw one, a small one year old about 30-40 yards up the trail. Very
cute, as long as mama bear is not around!
Bear bags up on a pole at Calf Mountain Shelter
Blue-Eyed Grass
Beauty and the Beef! A rare picture of his one day on the trail!
Common Yarrow
A Polyphemus moth seen dead on the trail. A few years ago we raised a few
of these moths from caterpillars in Wisconsin.
I occasionally come across stone walls built in the middle of the
woods, usually on ridges. Today I also saw the stone fireplace
from days gone by. Lots of work by someone, especially the walls which can
go on for a quarter mile or more.
Here is an interesting plant- Indian Pipe or Ghost Plant.
It is parasitic on a fungus that in turn has a symbiotic relationship
with tree roots, especially beech trees. Found in very rich soils and
is not a fungus, but in the same family as the blueberry!
I'm seeing lots of ferns. A few examples are Lady Fern,
known by some for the scaly stems, and the saying, "ladies
have hairy legs", seen in the first 3 photos. Next Christmas
Fern, named because it is green year round and used to be
gathered for Christmas decorations. Last, Interrupted Fern
named for the brown fertile spore bearing pinnae " interrupting"
the normal pinnae or leaflets.
Beardtongue
Indian Physic, a delicate white flower first seen 6/14
Smart Weed or Lady's Thumb. My Mom always say, "Be smart". Maybe
I'm just under that Lady's Thumb!
Foam Flower
Saying goodbye to Ann once again.
Steve and Ann
Our Rappahanock Respite
Solomon's Seal on top, False Solomon's Seal bottom
Camp shoes united once again!
The James River Footbridge- the longest bridge in the US dedicated
to walking
Mountain Laurel in bloom
Galax, or Wand Plant, leaves green in the summer, burgundy in winter.
"Gala" refers to the milky white flowers
Back at mile 771 and ready to go! Beard gone.
Booted up!
Another day resting with leg elevated, beard still growing
Messiy off to mile 800 with Homer to start his 60 mile hike to Waynesboro
A small American Chestnut in Virginia, a remnant of the once mighty
groves of chestnuts up and down the Appalachian Range, most of which
succumbed to the chestnut blight of the early 20th century. The American
Chestnut Foundation is working to bring them back.
A small sassafras which used to be used to make root beer until the 1960's
when it was banned by the FDA because of concerns that safrole, the
essential oil in the plant, might cause cancer. Many, however, still make
sassafras tea in the Appalachian area.
Frolicking in a waterfall called Dismal Falls April 25
A swarm of bees seen in a tree April 21
This tree almost fell over in the wind, but I was there to
push it back upright while Messiy stomped the dirt around
the base!
The best for last, Yellow Lady Slipper, dedicated to all the Mothers on
Mothers Day, especially my lovely wife and irreplaceable Mother!
A much better picture of a group of Bellwort
A pink trillium
Lousewort, another parasitic plant, felt at one time to
be the cause of lice.
This is called "The Guillotine" at mile769...only the brave
dare walk under it!
Bryant Ridge Shelter at AT mile 760, the Taj Mahal of
shelters
Partners on the Trail!
Hiking along in Virginia
Mountain Laurel blooming!
Lily of the Valley
Beard getting less itchy as it grows.
View of the day 5/3
Spiderwort
Messiy missed Group Strength classes at the Y!
Rhododendron blooming
Birds Foot Violet
McAfee Knob, easily the most magnificent place so far
on the trail. Simply incredible!
A Pink Lady's Slipper, a type of orchid
Messiy thought this hike was going to be easy!
Dragons Tooth at mile 700
Mark, known as Messiy on the trail, joins the hike.
Monument for Audie Murphy where he died in a plane
crash, mile 690. Murphy was the most decorated American
soldier of World War II.
Wild oats
Columbine
The Keffer Oak, the largest oak on the AT at 18 feet
in circumference
Bellwort
White Trillium like the many that grow on the land in
Wisconsin
An orange salamander called a Red Spotted Newt on the trail
Unusual white phlox
A friend on the trail who sometimes passes me!
Anna on the trail
An azalea about to bloom
Hitting the trail!
Squaw Root, a parasitic plant especially on oaks. Bears
also like to eat it.
At Wapiti shelter where we spent the night
Anna and Kelty join the hike
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