Wednesday, September 24, 2014

The Final Leg!!

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Too bad the whole trail wasn't like this!

Pouring on the coals......go to get this thing done! 

Encouraging news.....1900 miles done


Sharing a shelter with a couple from East Germany

 
The AT ferry......across the 'Kennebec' river....(for a fee of course)



An other pleasant morning on the trail

 
2100 miles done....only 81 to go!

 

Mt Katahdin.....The final climb ....5267'  .....(4200' elevation gain.)


Not an easy climb.......very cold and very windy to boot!


Steel hand holds for the 'trickier' parts!


Finally....The Summit!....DONE!!


A Champagne toast!!....At long last!

Ceremonial dumping of the boots!





Finished the trail Sept 12th - 2181 miles done!!

- Continued up into the Maritimes for some unfinished business

and then started heading for home!




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COACHES CORNER!!
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Sandy and I headed for Acadia National Park for a week while
 Darrell was working his way through the 'hundred mile wilderness'
(lobster floats above)

Hoisting the sails on the 'Margaret Todd'
for a 'three hour tour'


The 'Margaret Todd....a four masted schooner typical of days gone by!

The celebratory 'Summit' Dinner!!......Lobster!!


Unfortunately Darrell doesn't like Lobster?.....(who knew??)

 
 Then on to Nova Scotia for another attempt on it's high point
'White Hill'

A slightly 'soggy' part of the trail!
The ranger's cabin at 15 km ......(Turn around point for Sandy and I)
DA attempt last 8km by himself but could not find the trail and returns to cabin..
 Skunked again......approx. 4 km still to go....some other time perhaps?
 

But we did see a Moose!!!!

 


On to PEI via the 'Confederation Bridge'....Longest bridge in the world.....13km


To visit the 'Anne of Green gables' homestead


Then on to the New Brunswick 'High  Point'
Mt Carlton.....2690'



Success this time.....check that one off!

 

 
 
Back to civilization......Toronto traffic........16 lanes of traffic!
 
A Brief visit to Niagara Falls and then the long drive
home via the USA...under the great lakes.
 
To the Badlands and Mt Rushmore

Next up to Canada to visit Family


 
 
 
 
 
 Till Next Post!

 

Monday, August 25, 2014

Now into Maine...the last State!

1900 miles done.....281 to go!

 
 
Hitting the trail again......early morning start


The trail in Vermont

The high point in Massachusetts
'Mt Greylock'
(A war memorial)
 
 
 



'Lonesome Lake' AMC hut
(Appalachian Mountain Club)

 

For $100+ you get a bunk and a meal
(pretty rich if you're on a tight budget)


But the meals are good!!

'Galeshead' hut....
also part of the AMC hut system
 

Some more fellow AT hikers
(Starting to run into some south bound hikers now)

Crossing into New Hampshire!
(leaving easy street behind!)

 
The going gets tough right away......


And stays tough!


Rock scrambling in some places...

Rock slabs in other places....


Onto the White Mountain ridges

Cairns mark the way....



Which is a good thing as the weather is crappy half of the time
.... and only marginally better the other half!

AMC  'Lake of the clouds' hut -
approx. 1-1/2 miles shy of the Mt Washington summit
(A good place to warm up before the final, storm swept
section to the summit)


Mt Washington summit
No visibility and 40 MPH winds - yuck

(even worse the next day.... 60MPH winds - Double yuck!.....could not continue!)
 
 
Finally OK on the third day...can now continue!

 
And shortly thereafter cross into Maine
....the last state and on to  MT Katahdin
....281.4 miles to go.



 
 
 
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COACHES CORNER

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The Massachusetts high point, Mt Greylock....looking down on a nearby town.
(We came up a few days after Darrell)



 

Mt. Klillington Ski hill near our camp site - 4200'
A nice day-hike up ....did NOT use the lift!

 


Vermont's high point....Mt Mansfield
(On Darrell's 'rest' day...LOL...He wasn't going to miss that!)
we drove up...(another toll road)...but still hiked the last couple of miles!

 


On the way to New Hampshire's high point
'Mt Washington Resort'
(too plush for our budget....$400/night)

 



' Mt Washington '

You can hike up....but they make it very clear that people
die up here....lots of them!

 

Cairns keep you on the trail...
(mostly....just make sure you're on the right trail!!)

 


On the summit ...Mt Washington
Visibility can suck.....officially 25' visibility
30-40 mph winds

 

Of course you don't have to hike up...
......you can take the cog railway!
($66 PP)

 


Or if that doesn't work for you....

....you can take the 'Toll' road up
($42 for 3p)

We did...three times...before we got Darrell past Mt Washington!

 


Finally....Some views!

On a good day the hiking is almost as good as back home!

(but we still have the best hiking in the Pacific North West!)

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Of course we see other stuff while Darrell's

stuck on the trail!

 

A side trip to Gilford in New Hampshire
....a local library....

 

.....to take in a slide show by author  Michael Tougias
The story of the loss of the 'Bounty' and the
rescue of most of her crew! (14 out of 16)

(The Bounty went down in Hurricane 'Sandy' 2012)
 

 


A trip to Salem, Boston & Plymouth
You get across Boston via 'The big dig'....
An extensive series of tunnels under the city!

 

 Museum of the  infamous 'Salem Witches' tragedy

 


A Pirate's ship training ground??

Actually an awesome theme park for kids!
What a riot that would be!

 


The Mayflower(II)... a replica of the original!
......the first settlers at Plymouth rock.....Massachusetts.
-of the 104 who sailed only 50% survived the first winter!

 

And finally back up to new Hampshire and now crossing
into the final State....'Maine'

 

 

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On another note......




the 'Europa' rounding the 'Horn'


The voyage of the 'Europa'  has been  recognized by the
Dutch  'Stichting Nederlanse Kapp Hoorn-vaaders' society
and officially qualifies for  'Cape Horn Rounding' status!
 
(i.e. the ship's logs have been checked and all requirements have been satisfied)


Therefore Darrell and I will be going to 'Hoorn', Holland in October
for our official induction into the  'Cape Horn'  hall of fame (LOL) 
(apparently we get a medal and a certificate.) 
 
 

 Till the next post!