A trail life series
It was already 2 pm when I stepped back on the trail after my unintentional visit in NYC. I had to climb steep up over boulders immediately. Only 5 minutes in and I was already bit by Mosquitos several times and soaked in sweat. What did I expect?
It’s been 15 days since I drove back from Montreal (Canada) to Massachusetts (USA) and started hiking southbound (Sobo) on the Appalachian trail (A.T.) from there. Since then I’ve hiked somewhat around 200 miles or more and crossed 3 more states – Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York.
This is a long one – from Stratton in Maine to Katahdin. Finally, the trail for us smoothened out a little bit and ‘Soda’ felt good again after taking Doxycycline for some days to treat the symptoms of Lyme-disease.
Skipping 50 miles gave us the possibility for some days of rest and checking how the antibiotics would effect Soda’s immune system. We made it up to Rangeley and stayed two nights at the wonderful ‘Farmhouse Inn’ where they were well informed about Lyme-disease and therefore able to give Soda lots of additional information.
Strong coffee, bagel with cream cheese – I am sitting in a Café and enjoy some treats while the clouds outside are hanging low today in Gorham. In the meantime, ‘Soda’ is at the local clinic to get checked for Lyme-disease.
Around 11 am we started hiking up Crawford Notch towards Mt. Webster and therefore going in on the Presidential Traverse.
Hiked up to Franconia Ridge, started around 11 am after hitch-hiking from North Woodstock back to the Appalachian Trail. One woman gave us a mean look and shook her head at us when hitching out of town – the life of a dirty mountain-hobo!
All beat up from the long miles and hard climbing up Smarts Mountain we started our descent from Smarts quite late and slowly. At Hwy 25 we decided we had enough for the day and ended up staying with trail angels that night and avoided a thunderstorm rolling in. We stayed there together with ‘longwalks‘…
Here I go, sweat dripping down my face, shirt soaked as it actually never stopped being wet, shoes covered in mud, working up my way another stony hill or is it a mountain – it looks like a hill but it feels like a mountain. Once again I am asking myself why?
Did I say the Arizona trail was rugged? Ha, me fool! After celebrating July 4th in New York on a rooftop, hiker trash MASH (Robert Adamski) provided awesome trail magic and drove Soda and me out to Massachusetts. Thanks, MASH and happy trails on the Colorado trail.