​T+20 (June 18, 2020)

Navigation Report:
Starting Point: "Secret Shelter" mile 1345.9
Destination: Pochuck Mountain Shelter mile 1353.0

Travel Log:
10:00 Break Camp (mile 1345.9)
11:00 Colt Rd. (mile 1347.7)
11:10-12:45 Unionville, NY (mile 1347.7)
1:05 Pastures
1:45 Wallkill River (mile 1350.2)
1:50 Wallkill National Wildlife Preserve (mile 1350.5)
2:15 Moorhen
4:15 Pochuck Mountain Shelter (mile 1353.0)

Daily mileage: 7.1
Total mileage: 200.4

Commander’s Report:
I started off this morning with a wildlife extravaganza. First, an Eastern Milk Snake was slithering through the grass at breakfast. After breakfast I wandered around checking the farm out and again saw the deer from last night in the adjoining field from where I spotted her yesterday. Lastly, I saw hummingbird combat. What started out as a single bird flying around feeding ended up being an aerial 4-way free for all. Unfortunately, you guys only get pictures of the snake. I didn't have my phone on my little exploration.

I got out of camp at a reasonable time this morning. Resupply awaited in Unionville, so I was eager to get food to last until my first mail drop Tuesday in Fort Montgomery, NY. I need five days of food for that time. I managed to get all of that covered at Horler's General Stone. A bit pricey for a resupply, but they had all of the essentials. One of the main attractions of this shop are the really nice subs at their Deli. I got a roast beef on a hard bun. It must have had a pound of meat in the bun. Definitely hit the spot!

After Unionville, the trail runs through a series of fields. Again, I think I took too many pictures of the fields, but I guess I am a nostalgic guy. The second is my favorite of the lot. You get field, trail, scenery, and a double blaze where the trail heads back into the woods.

​After the fields, the trail runs along a couple of country roads until you get to Wallkill National Wildlife Dreserve. This appears to be old, disused onion fields that have been allowed to turn back into wetlands.

​In the preserve, I met a variety of birds. Most numerous being the red-winged black birds, all of whom were acting aggressive toward me - I was wandering through their territory after all. I did spot something I had never seen before. The SEEK app says that it is a moorhen. It looked like a really short version of the green monster from Dock Dodgers cartoons, just black with a red beak instead of green on green.

After the fields and swamps, it was back to the trees for a rather abrupt climb to the top of Pochuck mountain. Before going up, the water bottles were all filled up, so the extra 4L of water weight was really noticeable given the rapid ascent here. Up at the shelter, I set up my tent and ate some dinner. The huge sandwich made me not want any big prepared meal, so I grazed on snacks instead. What? Don't judge me.

​I'm now going through a section of trail where camping options are limited and are oddly spaced out. Thus, I find myself in a group of other thru hikers

There's a couple with two dogs, whom I split a shelter with 2 nights ago. There's French Press, the German who I sheltered with last night. Then there's Cyborg who, like me, is attempting to juggle a thru hike with a long layoff. He got back on in Harper's Ferry a bit before my restart. Finally, there's Germ. He's in the same trip in a blender situation, but he additionally hurt his ankle and so will shortly be getting off trail. All were camping at the shelter this night. Another guy, Viking, stopped by, but continued on with the plan of stealth camping further down the trail.

T+19 (June 17, 2020)

Navigation Report;
Starting Point. Rutherford Shelter mile 1336.0
Destination: "Secret Shelter" mile 1345.9

Travel Log:
11:50 Break Camp
12:05 Dutch Shoe Rock (mile 1336.3)
12:15 viewpoint (mile 1337.3)
1:20 Sawmill Pond view (mile 1337.9)
1:50 High Point State Park (mile 1338.9)
2:45 Observation Tower (mile 1340.0)
3:00 NS Highest Point Monument
4:45 Pastures (mile 1343.1)
5:10 Pond (mile 1343.3)
5:30 Ferguson Road (mile 1343.8)
5:45 Gemmed Road (mile 1344.5)
5:55 Streams (mile 1345.3)
6:10 Goodridge Road (mile 1345.5)
6:15 Pond (mile 1345.7)
6:25 "Secret Shelter" (mile 1345.9)

Daily Mileage 9.9
Total Mileage: 193.3

Commander’s Report:
Last night, just as I was nodding off, I was awoken by the amazing calls of a bird. As I lay there listening I could hear others answering it from the distance. I haven't a clue what kind of bird it was, but together those little buggers enveloped me in a sea of song. One individual would make rapid fire calls (1/sec) constantly for a minute or more, then go quiet as their friends took up the call. This went on for hours. In fact, when I fell asleep, around 1AM, they were still going at it.

After about 30 minutes of this calling, heard one call steadily growing closer. It got close enough that I figured I could capture it in my microphone, so I made a video of the inside of my tent. The cheeky bastard proceeded to continue getting closer to my tent, until it descended from the trees and decided to check out the fire pit. It made one final series of calls from the fire pit (15' away) that lasted several minutes. By that time, I was ready and was able to capture nearly 2 minutes of the calls on tape, let's give myself a challenge: upload just the audio of this. (If you're reading this and there's no audio, I flunked this challenge.)

[Ed. Note: sad trombone. I failed. The bird is a type of whip-poor-will. <ht @halvorz>]

​In the morning I rose from my slumber around 7AM and proceeded with the typical morning routine. I wrote up the previous 2 days worth of travels and got them prepared for posting, but poor cell service precludes internet access at the moment. They'll get posted eventually.

Yesterday, I noticed that I was experiencing some uncomfortable rubbing on my right shoulder. So, before I set off today I was determined to get to the root cause of that problem and solve it. It turned out that the right shoulder strap needed some readjusting. As it had been 3+ months since I set it up the first time, I had to relearn how to accomplish this all over again. It only took an hour and a half. Time well spent, I didn't have any problems with it during today's hike.

Shortly after getting back to hiking, the trail goes over Dutch Shoe Rock. I really don't get the name. I don't think it looks particularly like a Dutch Shoe myself.

​
​Not much of a view of Sawmill Pond in the summer. Oh well, its an excuse to come back in the winter.

​About 2 miles north of that "viewpoint" is an observation deck. There were some sweet views from here.

​But let's be honest here: The reason this deck was built is because it is a high point directly adjacent to New Jersey's highest point, which has a huge obelisk erected up on the tip of mountain.

​That monument is off on a side trail that. goes up to the top. Saw lots of day hikers going up, even though the trail is quite a steep ascent straight to the top. It's a good thing I did, otherwise I wouldn't have captured this masterpiece. I may frame this one up after all is said and done.

​The monument is a memorial to war veterans, and was build in the 1930's. Unfortunately, the observation platform inside the obelisk is closed due to COVID.

​About 3 miles north from the highest point the trail runs along the outskirts of hay fields. To start this part of the journey, you have to jump a fence line. Or you used to, until someone ripped up the fence. Let's hope this happened with the owner's permission.

​The fields really reminded me of my childhood in rural upstate NY. Specifically, playing in similar fields with friends during summer vacation. The farmers never said anything about us cutting "forts" into their crop, but I bet they were cursing us during harvest. In between the fields, the trail cuts through scrubland in between fields.

​Sometimes, you end up with this claustrophobic strip in between fields and the trail runs down the middle of that.

In one of the fields, I met this fantastic beast. A nice little wood turtle sharing the trail with me.

​On the road heading up to Jim Murray shelter (AKA the "secret shelter" as it's not recognized by the ATC) I managed to finally get a pic of a deer. Took me long enough.

​I caught Jim and caretaker Zen Dragon just as Jim was leaving. Nice amenities at this shelter! You have every essential you can imagine: shower, electricity, and laundry (DIY). Plus they had ducks, chickens, and Jake. Jake is a loveable donkey with a penchant for human food. he way he begs like a dog for a handout is amazing to me I never would have suspected donkeys would like cooked oatmeal, but I guess that's just a mushy version of donkey food. Makes more sense now.

​
​Just after I arrived at the shelter, another hiker showed up, French Press. A nice guy with a very German demeanor. I swear the man's pack is a bag of holding. (For you non-D&D nerds out there, a bag of holding can fit things of any size into them. Think of the black hole prop Wile E. Coyote uses and trains run out of resulting hole.)

Had a fantabulous sunset tonight. I know pictures never do sunsets justice, but here it is anyway.

​T+18 (June 16th, 2020) 

Navigation Report: 
Starting Point: Gren Anderson Shelter (1327.6)
Destination: Rutherford Shelter (1336.0)

All AM Brown Headed Cow Bird
11:00 Break Camp (mile 13276)
11:20 Pond (mile 1328.0)
12:20 Sunrise Mountain (mile 1330.9)
3:05 Pre-Gas line lookout (mile 1334.7)
3:10 Gas line (mile 1334,7)
5:00 Rutherford Shelter (1336.0)

Daily Mileage: 8.4
Total Mileage: 187.4

Commander’s Report:
Woke up this morning at about 6 to the sound of a faucet dripping. Or at least that is what my brain interpreted the noise that roused my slumber. In truth, it was the vocalizations of a male brown headed cow bird. I indulged my OCD of needing to identify the bird responsible. Through googling, I thought it was probably a brown headed cow bird, but I couldn't spot the booger making the calls. I spent quite a bit of time trying to catch him in the act! It wasn't until I had put on my pack and was going through my pre-hike mental checklist when the little chap unveiled himself. He flew to the lowest branch, stared me in the face, and made a series of vocalizations. He didn't leave until I reached for my phone.

I'd like to think that interaction went thusly:

   Bird: thanks for the jolly fun game of hide and seek earlier.
   Me: My pleasure. Thanks for the curtain call!
   Bird: <<Blushes>>
   Me: Mind if I fanboy and get a picture of you?
   Bird: Don't push your luck!
         <<FLIES OFFS>>

SCENE


Anyway, Dr. Google says that brown headed cowbirds greatly prefer to live at forest boundaries. I was nowhere near a boundary, which is why I was so suspicious without a visual ID. Dr. Google also said that the fact this species is a bit perplexing. You see, cow birds are brood parasites. The females lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. Their offspring are raised by foster parents (if you pardon the personification). How then do the young males know to sound like a cow bird and not, say, a robin? How indeed. Dr. Google only posed the question, he didn't answer it.

I felt amenable to a wild goose (or brown headed cowbird) chase as I only have 8.4 miles of hiking planned for today. My typical pace is about 2 MPH and has been fairly consistent across terrains. Thus, I have 4-1 hours of hiking planned. I know this pacing is good for me, but it's hard to suppress my inner drive to push my body to the max.

Bonus: it yielded 2 pages of content.

First checkpoint today, a small pond that the guidebook says is stagnant and warns against using it as a water source. Having seen it, I can't believe the guidebook actually feels the obligation to tell us that. 

IT'S JET BLACK! It’s the Appalachian Trail, water sources are plentiful. I can’t imagine anyone desperate enough to look at that and dive right in!

​I think the picture doesn't quite do justice to how striking blue the reflection of the sky was on the surface of that dark pond. Oh well.

Nearly 3 miles north of the pond is the summit of Sunrise Mountain. Here, there's a large pavilion and views into both the Poconos and Catskills. (I think, should check that) A couple tenths of a mile down the trail is a parking lot with a great viewing platform.

​Nearly 4 miles north of Sunrise Mountain the trail is bifurcated by a pipeline. This provides a nice vantage point.

​Though it is striking how differently one can see the world by just changing perspectives.

​For my money though, I preferred the view from an overlook a hundred or so yards before the gas line. (The scars of man are hidden from view here.) Which do you guys prefer?

​A mile and a half after the pipeline I rolled up on Rutherford Cabin. The side trail is about a half mile long, so it was relieving to catch this view of the cabin off to the left.

Yes, I'm tenting at a shelter. Yes, even though I'm alone here tonight. I can be Lawful Good about some things.

​While prepping dinner, a deer ran out from the woods and down the trail to the AT. Alas, I wasn't able to be Quick Draw McGraw with my phone. Oh well, please accept this picture of a bunny instead. She was a bit more photogenic. It turns out that Mrs. Bunny has a family! I went out to pee around 10pm and there were about 5 sets of eyes peering back at me. And that is your moment of zen.

T+17 (June 15, 2020)

Navigation Report:
Starting Point : Campsite (mile 1312.7)
Destination: Gren Anderson Shelter (mile 1327.6)

Travel Log:
10:00 Break Camp (mile 1312.7)
10:05 Break Camp x2
10:20 Fairview Lake viewpoint (mile 1313.5)
10:30 Black rat shake
10:35 Blue Mountain Lake Rd. (mile 1313.9)
11:05 "Beaver Bog" (mile 1315.2)
11:20 Crater Lake overlook (mile 1315.6)
12:15 Southeast view (mile 1317.8) 
12:35 Stream-water refill (mile 1318.3)
1:00 Rattlesnake Mountain (mile 1318.7)
1:45 Blue Mountain (mile 1320.2)
2:40 Dry beaver pond (mile 1321.4) 
3:25 Culver Lake viewpoint (mile 1323.3) 
5:15 View before fire tower (mile 1326.2) 
5:20 Culver Fire Tower (mile 1326.5) 
5:35 Wood frog 
6:00 Stream (mile 1327.5) 
6:15 Gren Anderson Shelter (mile 1327.6) 

Daily Mileage: 14.9
Total Mileage: 179

Commander’s  Report:
​It didn't take long to have to modify my plans. Yesterday's lower than planned mileage means 4.5 miles more to do today. Additionally, the blog posts from T+15 and T+16 needed to get wrapped up. Luckily I woke up raring to go at 5-30. I spent the next 3.5 hours putting those together and uploaded. Add in an extra hour to pack and it means I didn't get out of camp until 10AM.

One would think that with all that time in the morning that I would be able to get my shit together before getting on the trail. Apparently not! I initially forgot to take my hiking poles, so had to return for them.

Once properly on the trail, it didn't take me long arrive at the first (of many) viewpoint on the day's hike. I wasn't looking for a view point, but I couldn't help and go down the well worn side trail to this vantage point. The view of Fairview Lake off to the southeast below is quite worth the several hundred yard detour!

​Quite soon after getting back on the trail I encountered my first smol fren of the day. I was lost in thought and apparently not paying enough attention at the trail ahead of me, so I nearly skewered a black rat snake with the tip of my hiking pole. Note to self: pay attention for danger noodles in the future!

​​About a half an hour after the nope rope encounter I came upon what the guide lists as a "beaver bog". The beavers must have packed up and moved to Beverly Hills, because their bog was bone dry. The dried up lake bed certainly had an eerie quality to it.

​A short distance northward, where the trail runs around Crater Lake, I passed by a view point that looks out northwest at a point of high ground. Unfortunately, no views of the lake off to the east.

​About 2 miles north from that view point is a place with a southeast view. This is past Crater Lake, so no water views. I think the trees do a good enough job of making for striking views.

​About a half mile north of this view point I stopped at a stream to replenish my water supply. It's already that time of year where the heat makes my mouth feel like I ate a mouthful of sand. I can't imagine hiking through the desert...that would suck big time!

A half mile north from the stream is the top of Rattlesnake Mountain. This provides nice views off to the northwest.

​A mile and a half after Rattlesnake Mountain is the peak of Blue Mountain. This one is a bit grassier at the top, but also has nice views off to the northwest.

​A little over a mile north of Blue Mountain is another dry beaver pond. I'm beginning to wonder if New Jersey has an infestation of French trappers. This dried out pond was less creepy than the first.

​Two miles north of this old beaver pond is a nice view point overlooking Culver Lake. I had intended on getting a day's resupply here. Since I'm running late, and can certainly make it to Unionville with what I'm carrying, I decided that the 3.4 mile round trip to resupply wasn't worth it.

​Regardless, the view down to the lake wasn't affected by my decision to not go into town. Between the Culver Lake viewpoint and the next overlook is about 3 miles - the longest distance in between excitement of the day's trek. This vantage point provided more views of a sea of trees. Such views never grow old!

​A short distance after that viewpoint is a fine tower. It looked to be inhabited, so I didn't go up to check it out. The views from this location are however nearly identical to those of the previous viewpoint. So, I didn't linger too long.

​About 15 minutes after the fire tower, I met my second smol fren of the day, this guy took the form of a wood frog. I was nice and quiet, so he paid me back by posing nicely for my photographs.

A half hour after meeting Mr. Wood Frog I arrived at Gren Anderson shelter. I pitched my tent, made my bed and decided to wash my feet, legs, arms, and face in the small stream. That felt so good that I decided to do some laundry before sifting down for dinner.

​All-in-all a very productive day today. Exactly the opposite of yesterday!

T+16 (June 14, 2020)

Navigation Report:
starting Point: Campsite @ 1305.9
Destination: Campsite @ 1312.7

Travel Log:
Break Camp (mile 1305.9) 11:20
Yard's Creek (mile 1306.6) 11:45
Leave Yard's Creek 12:00
Kittatinny Ridge (mile 1307.7) 12:55
Catfish Fire Tower (mile 1308.9) 1:45
Millbrook-Blairstown Rd. (mile 1310) 2:20 *
Rattlesnake Spring (mile 1309.5) 2:40
Leave spring 3:00
Arrive at beaver pond (mile 1310.3) 3:15
Depart beaver pond 3:25
Powerlines (mile 1310.6) 3:35
Campsite (mile 1312.7) 4:55

Daily Mileage: 6.8
Total Mileage: 164.1

Commander’s Report:
​I totally wasn't feeling it today. I initially woke up at sunrise because I had to go pee. After doing my business I figured I would go back to sleep until maybe 6:30. Instead I woke back up at nearly 9AM. The rest of the day went similarly slowly. I know it is because my brain is still down on the whole "not a thru-hike" thing, but my brain can go fuck itself. I'd like to enjoy what time I get on the trail, thank-you-very-much!

After breaking camp, it was a short hike to Yard's Creek. I stopped briefly here to filter some water to carry me through the day. Tonight is again going to be spent at a camp without water, so I'll have to get water in the afternoon before arriving at camp. The first attraction of the day is Kittatinny Ridge. The first view was off to the northwest and was partially obstructed.

​The second viewpoint was spectacular! It featured rock formations arranged like stadium seats overlooking the views southeast. As a bonus, there was a tree providing this pasty assed white boy shade so I could enjoy the view - like a boss.

The trail follows the ridge for quite a way with intermittent views, but no spot as good as the amphitheater. 1.2 miles north I passed up an old fire tower. I would have taken some pictures, but there was a gaggle of teenagers climbing it.

A bit over a mile north of the fire tower I crossed Millbrook-Blairstown Rd. As part of crossing this road one has to walk for a couple hundred yards on the side of the road-around a blind S turn. Not ideal!

​Less ideal is the fact that I forgot to get water for camp at the last (acceptable) water source. I made a mental note in the morning to stop at Rattlesnake spring, but when I arrived there and consulted the map I forgot that the next two water sources were, respectively, runoff from a swamp and runoff from a beaver pond. A big nope on both those fronts. So, I backtracked 0.6 miles (each way) to get water from the spring.

Once I managed to get my shit together I continued on past Millbrook-Blairstown Rd for the second and final time. Shortly after the road is a HUGE beaver pond. It probably encompasses 10 acres of land and has not one, but two beaver huts in the middle. I was under the impression that a single family of beavers occupied a pond at a time. Perhaps one of the huts is an old, disused one.

​After climbing up from the beaver pond the trail crosses some power lines, which provided a nice view.

​Just a short bit after the power lines is a view point that provided an alternate angle of the cut in the forest made for the power lines.

​Between the power lines and the campsite was a thicket of beautiful smelling flowers. I used the SEEK app and discovered that these are roses. It makes sense, given the thorns. However, I've never seen five petalled roses before.

​From there, I continued down the trail to camp. It's not where I intended to make camp. The late start, combined with my slacking off (not writing up T+15, instead enjoying the fire and sunset) means that the extra 4.2 miles just isn't the cards tonight. On the plus side: the sunset view from my tent didn't suck one bit!

​T+15 (June 13, 2020)

First day back on the trail after the COVID shelter in place period. Looking back it appears that I never properly wrote up T+14. It happened, but I can't be bothered to write about it. I guess I'll just move on.

Navigation Report:
Starting Point: Delaware Water Gap (mi. 1296)
Destination: Campsite @ mile 1305. 9

Travel log:
Depart Delaware Water Gap (mile 1296.0) 10:30
Arrive at Sunfish Pond (mile 1301.5) 12:40
Viewing Point (mile 1303.0) 1:30
Arrive at stream (mile 1303.2) 2:00
Depart stream (mile 1303.2) 2:20
Power lines (mile 1303.8) 2:40
Raccoon Ridge (mile 1303.9) 2:55
Viewing Point (mile 1305. 1) 3:40
Campsite (mile 1305.9) 4:00

Daily mileage (T+14) = 4.7 miles
Daily mileage (T+15) = 9.9 miles
Total mileage  = 157.3 miles

Commander’s Report:
So, I'm back on the trail after a 10.5 week quarantine break. A bit of mixed emotions this time around. I'm excited that able to get back on the trail, but at the same time I'm quite bummed that I won't be able to complete the through hike. Gonna have to get over that. More days like today would go a long way toward-moving on!

It was a beautiful day for hiking! Temps in the mid 70's with clear skies. It doesn't get any better than that!

Unfortunately, all of NYC got the memo and decided to enjoy the outdoors. Can't say as I blame them. There were so many people that I didn't bother removing my mask until Sunfish Pond - 5 miles in. Even then it was a game of moving it from my neck to face every few minutes. The further I got from Delaware Water Gap, the fewer the people I encountered - definitely a plus in my book.

The first attraction of the day was Sunfish Pond (mile 1301.5). It's a picturesque little glacial pond, which has been designated a National Natural Landmark.

​The designation means that there is no swimming allowed in the pond. With beaches like this I'd say that's OK.

​After Sunfish Pond the trail continues upward and near the top of the ridge is the first partially obscured view (mile 1303).

​A bit after that, there is a small stream (mile 1305.2) with the last water I'm able to access before camp. So, I filled my tummy and water bottles up. I also ported ~1L of unfiltered water with me. The water is quite brown and there's a bunch of organic material in it, but hey that's what a filter is for. Right? (Turns out the water was still brown after filtration, but it tasted OK.)

Less than a mile after the stream is first some power lines and then the top of the ridge. The power lines had decent views, but the star attraction for the day was the view from Raccoon Ridge (mile 1303.9). You get nearly a 360 degree view of the surrounding country. Here's a panorama of the northwest view. That's the Delaware River.

​The views of the southeast are equally nice. Instead of the Delaware River, there's Yard's Creek Reservoir instead.

​After Raccoon Ridge viewpoint it is a mostly flat 2 mile hike to camp. Along the way is another view of Yard's Creek Reservoir. Made it to camp EARLY. Set everything up and ate dinner. As I had to pick up several downed branches from the tent site and there was a fire pit, I decided to make a small fire. It burned until after sunset, at which time I scattered the coals to hasten the fire going out.

Speaking of sunset, I'll leave this here. It's obscured by trees, but pretty nonetheless.

I'm happy to announce that I'll be getting back on the trail tomorrow (Sat. June 13th)!

The plan is to start at Delaware Water Gap (mile 1296.0) and head north to Katahdin. Easy peasy, right? We'll see! (Yes, this means I won't be thru hiking this year. I'm still toying with the prospect of heading to southern PA if I make Katahdin so as to complete 1/2 of the trail, but it's a big ask to have Mrs. Tedward keep shuttling me everywhere and I have to actually finish the first chunk first [NBD].)

I envision a problem with this though. Like most everyone else, during quarantine I've hardly moved. Forget 10,000 steps, some days I'm lucky to get 10 in! One thing pointed to as being a benefit of hiking northbound is that the first half of the trail prepares you for the rigors of hiking in VT, NH, and ME.

Perhaps I have a small leg up in being familiar with that terrain, but that'll only get you so far in an out of shape body! I worry that the ~300 mile trek to Mount Greylock won't be enough to prepare me for the serious elevation changes that come after Mt. Greylock. Also, I don't think I'll be able to do as many miles per day as I was pulling off earlier this year.

So I've done something I absolutely hate doing: I've planned the first 17 days of my restart. I prefer to be freeform about such decisions, but I also know that I will totally push myself too hard too fast after such a long layoff. So, I planned it out and I intend to stick to it!

I am planning on keeping the first week to about 10 miles per day. There's going to be a bit of variation based on camp site availability, but the 7 day average is 9.5 mi/day. The second week I'm going to be bumping that average up a bit to 10.9 mi/day. In essence, I've planned out a 174.1 mile section hike between Delaware Water Gap, PA and Kent, CT. 

I also kept in mind to surround longer day(s) with easy ones. For instance, on days 7, 8, and 9 I'm scheduled to do 11.5, 12.2, and 14.5 miles, respectively. Before that stretch I planned the easiest day (7.1 miles) and two sub-9 mile days after it. 

Before you hit the comment button about my equating mileage with difficulty, keem in mind that I'll be traversing the NJ, NY, and southern CT section of the trail during these 17 days. It's an easier section of the trail with only 33,680' of elevation change total. Before reminding me that terrain matters, please compare that to the 175 mile sections between Mt Greylock and Etna, NH (42,300') or Etna, NH and Grafton Notch ME (57,360').  

Anyways, I'm hoping that all this preparation will save me from myself. 

I know I'm going to start off with apparel that may be on the hot side of acceptable for this time of the year. Thus, I'm planning on leaving my super warm down jacket behind. I'm expecting I'll be making changes to my apparel as I get to MA/VT, so that's something I may have Mrs. Tedward send me in one of the mail drops.

Speaking of mail drops, I had planned out 6 mail drops