Category: AT Thru-Hike 2024

“Oh, keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel

Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel

Yeah, we’re going to the Roadhouse

Gonna have a real

A good time” – The Doors

Up at 6:30. Ate breakfast and met my shuttle at 7:00. Drove to the trail and got hiking at 7:30.

Humid, mid-70s, rain and thunderstorms on and off all day. Very humid!

Confirmed my room and shuttle at Wicked Waystation for Thursday night. Looking forward to that. 

I have Mount Greylock today. Highest point in MA at 3489 feet. Don’t expect much in the way of views with this weather. And it being a Monday, the lodge and restaurant at the top of the mountain are closed today. Go figure.

I have 3 potential camp spots tonight. First is a shelter. Second is a tent spot in a nice lady’s yard about 2.5 miles further. And third is a motel which requires a 3-mile road walk or hitch. The weather will likely be the deciding factor. 

Cool walk up Greylock. The scenery and  vegetation changed dramatically from the base to the top.

YouTube video of walk up Mount Greylock 

Just got a mini pecan pie and mini coke from a nice lady supporting a trail runner about half a mile from the summit of Mount Greylock. It’s these little things that really make a hiker’s day. Especially on a rainy, dreary day like today.

Eerie how that antenna mast just disappears into the clouds.

Made the summit at 11:15. Very foggy and no views today, but still pretty cool.  Not a bad climb overall. The last .5 miles was the steepest with large, flat, slippery rocks. This heavy fog and earlier drizzle have everything wet and slippery.

The tower is the Mount Greylock Veterans War Memorial Tower. If there was a view, I would climb the spiral staircase to the top of the tower, but I keep losing sight of the tower in the fog, and I’m only sitting about 25 yards from it!

And as I was getting ready to leave, it sort of cleared up. I did climb the spiral stairs to the top and got a little view.

YouTube video from Mount Greylock tower observation deck.

Stopped at a road crossing with a nice sitting rock for a snack at 2:00. The sun is trying hard to come out, but there is rain in the forecast around 5:00. I should be under cover by then.

Heard from Legend. He’s half a day behind me along with this crew. I thought they were a couple of days ahead of me, not behind me. They will catch me in 1-2 days at their pace.

View from the top of Mount Prospect.  That’s the border with NY in the middle distance looking west.

Got to town at 4:00. The trail runs down one of the streets in town. Walked to the AT welcome kiosk with self-service trail magic in coolers next to the local elementary school. 

Called The Willows Motel for a pickup. Very cool that they offer rides to/from the trail. I got picked up just as the thunderstorm hit. I watched it roll in over the backside of Mount Greylock. The mountain just slowly disappeared into the rain and clouds. This is a cute little family-run motel. It’s got that 1950s vibe and is very well maintained. Very friendly Indian family runs the place. 

Walked next door to an Italian place for pizza. Almost ordered real food, but I had been thinking about pizza since I got to town.  Very good pizza!

Back to the motel around 7:15 and chatted with Dana. Probably be asleep by 9:00.

Technical Notes:

• Body armor Lyte 25
• Blueberry Muffin 310
• Pecan pie 390
• Coke 100
• Mini donuts 280
• Mini donuts: 280
• Soda: 160
• Pringles: 900
• Stella cider: 180
• Meat lovers pizza: 4 slices @ 350 per 1400
• Stella cider: 180
• Misc: 400
• Water: 1.7
• Miles: 13.3
• Time: 8:30 – 1 for sightseeing 
• Elevation gain: 3081
• Calories consumed: 4600
• Calories burned: 6000

“Take this job and shove it

I ain’t working here no more

My woman done left and took all the reason

I was working for

You better not try to stand in my way

As I’m a-walkin’ out the door

Take this job and shove it

I ain’t working here no more” – Johnny Paycheck 

Woke up to heavy rain and no motivation. Studied the weather forecast and the trail for the next two days and decided to take today off. 

Walked across the street to a diner for breakfast and ran into 4 young hikers I have been seeing on and off for a week.

Spent the day REALLY replanning the rest of my hike. I am lowering my mileage to about 14-15 max per day and revisiting hostels and other plans in the Whites and in Maine. Trying to be more realistic and cognizant of earlier sunset and my general lack of motivation lately. 

I am fairly happy with the results. I should finish on Oct 7 in a perfect world. But with weather issues in the White Mountains, I foresee the schedule moving out to October 13 weekend. 

Arranged shuttle for 7:30 a.m. tomorrow and booked a bunk bed for Thursday night at Wicked Wayside. 

Walked to Walgreens and picked up a few supplies for the next 4 days. Had the second half of my sub from yesterday for dinner. 

I’m reasonably happy with my new route plan. I think/hope the shorter days will keep me more energized and focused. Should know how well that is working by next weekend. 

All packed up and ready to go in the morning. Still carrying too much food 🙁

Technical Notes:

• Apple juice 200
• Apple juice 200
• Ham steak 500
• Eggs x 2 160
• Buttered toast 200
• Home fries 100
• Cold cut sub 1500
• Burrito 499
• Seltzer 100
• Chicken sandwich 430
• Misc 400
• Water 
• Miles 
• Time 
• Elevation gain 
• Calories consumed 4200
• Calories burned 2000

“Head games, it’s you and me, baby

Head games, and I can’t take it anymore

Head games

I don’t want to play the head games” – Foreigner 

Up at 7:35, on trail at 8:45. Got up late.

Overcast, 70s, humid, chance of rain all day.

Stopped at The Cookie Lady at 9:45. Awesome place. Got a big homemade berry juice , cookies, and good water! Did not need to charge anything. Played with the dogs. 

Back on trail at 10:15. I have 9.6 miles to Dalton, MA.

Got a room in Pittsfield, MA, and a  shuttle from Dalton. Got to Dalton at 3:30. Stopped at an awesome sub place to get dinner to go, then shuttled to the motel. 

Worked on blogs, called Dana, worked on planning for the next few weeks.

Head is still not in the right place. Part of it is the weather. Sunday looks rainy but doable. Monday looks terrible. I have Mount Greylock either tomorrow or Monday. Lovely. No good choices.

Technical Notes:

• Pop Tarts 370
• Cookies 200
• Berry Juice 250
• Zero-sugar sausage 120
• Trail mix 400
• Skittles 100
• Fig bar 200
• Dr Pepper 240
• Cold cut sub 1500
• Seltzer 400
• Fritos 600
• Reese’s 600
• Other 1500
• Water 3.4
• Miles 12
• Time 7
• Elevation gain 2247
• Calories consumed 6500
• Calories burned 5500

“If you believe in magic, come along with me

We’ll dance until morning ’til there’s just you and me

And maybe, if the music is right

I’ll meet you tomorrow, sort of late at night

And we’ll go dancing, baby, then you’ll see

How the magic’s in the music and the music’s in me” – The Lovin Spoonful 

Up at 6:10. On trail at 7:30.

Mostly sunny and 56 going up to 80. Very humid.

I feel like I’m being watched .

Fog down in the valley.

Stopped at the famous AT Stand at 8:30. Roadside self-service snack stand. Got soda, ice cream, and Doritos. Used their Wi-Fi and emptied trash

More wetlands today.

Stopped for a break at a road crossing at noon and 7.5 miles for today. Planning to get water in 1.6 miles. 

Seeing lots of SOBOs today.

Got to October Mountain Shelter at 6:50. Father and daughter are here as well as a dad and young son. Plus a pair of young kids on their own.

So-so water at camp. One of these things is not like the other!

In bed at 8:15. Read for a while. Damn bugs!

Rough day. Long, humid, and lots of bugs!! Almost cut the day short but there were no camp options. Worst bug day of the entire trip.

Technical Notes:

• Pop Tarts 370
• Ice cream sandwich 150
• Doritos 150
• Dr Pepper 150 
• Dr Pepper 150 
• Trail mix 350
• 1320
• Zero-sugar sausage 120
• Cheese crackers 250
• Trail mix 200
• Fig bar 200
• Skittles 100
• Ramen 370
• Dehydrated chicken 170
• Fritos 600
• Water 3.4
• Miles 18.9
• Time 11:30
• Elevation gain  3964
• Calories consumed 3500
• Calories burned 7000

“I want to tell you about the town of

Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where this happened. They got three stop signs, two police officers, and one police car, but when we got to the

scene of the crime, there were five police officers and three police cars,

being the biggest crime of the last fifty years, everybody wanted to

get in the newspaper story about it. And they were using up all kinds of

cop equipment that they had hanging around the police officer’s station.” – Alice’s Restaurant 

Up at 7:00. Ate and packed up and attached my new phone pouch to my chest strap. Headed out at 7:50. Stopped at Dunkin on the way out of town.

Upper 70s, partly sunny, not bad humidity, chance of afternoon thunderstorms.

Hitched a ride the last 2 miles with a local handyman. Rode on the back of his flatbed. Perfect morning. On trail at 8:30. 

Ran across these free walking sticks. Very cool.

Hiked near Stockbridge, MA today.

Good hard climb this morning. Good to get my legs used to this again as the Whites are looming. Also carrying too much food, but I’ll eat through that over the next 3 days.

Took a break at mile 3. Great sitting rock in the shade and decent cell service. Got a tough 1.4-mile climb right after this.

Stopped at MA Route 23 parking lot for a water cache and trail magic at 1:30 and 8.4 miles so far today. Cokes, peanut butter cups, Gatorade, oranges, apples. Thanks much!! 

Still have 9.2 miles to go. Hoping for 6:00 but probably gonna be more like 6:30.

Yet another big pond or small lake. Lots of these the past few days.

Quick break at 3:45. Tough climbs this day!

Swapped water bottles and had a snack at 5:15. Got 3.5 miles to camp.

Got 3 liters of water for tonight .3 miles before camp. Very cold water!

Set up camp at Shaker Campsite at 7:15. Privy, bear box, tent pads.  Nice!

Long hard day. One of the biggest vertical days in a while. Felt good physically and mentally. Now let’s see if I can string two days like this together.

Technical Notes:

• Pop tarts 370
• Dunkin Boston cream 270
• Large latte 230
• Coke 140
• Peanut butter cups 140
• Zero sugar sausage 120
• Skittles 100
• Oreos 160
• Oreos 160
• Ramen 370
• Dehydrated chicken 170
• Fritos 400
• Water liters 3
• Miles 17.6 + 1.2
• Time 9:30
• Elevation gain 3731
• Calories consumed 3000
• Calories burned 7000

Placeholder for a 21 mile section I yellow blazed between Salisbury, CT and Great Barrington, MA.

1507.1 to 1528. 

I plan to come back here the last week in October with Dana and hike this missed stretch of trail. It’ll be under 10 hours with a day pack.