Pictures from the Trail

Lots to report over the past couple of weeks. AT for CZC has soldiered on over the past couple of weeks despite cold temperatures and the challenges presented by Hurricane Sandy. Upon completion of Mt. Katahdin, Matt took a bus south to Providence, RI, and stayed here in coastal Rhode Island with Steph and I for a couple of days before heading south. Before heading out, we dumped a ton of pictures from the Trail on my computer. Click here for a link to the full gallery of pictures taken on the Trail during September and October.

On Friday, October 26th, I drove him south to Fort Montgomery, New York, a few minutes outside of West Point. There, he met with fellow thru-hiker Houdini and the two hit the Trail bound for the Delaware Water Gap.

With Hurricane Sandy looming in a couple of days, the two hatched a plan to camp out in the William Brien Memorial Shelter, approximately a ten mile hike from Fort Montgomery. After resupplying in a nearby town and obtaining a weather update, they purchased some tarps and prepared for the storm. Over the next couple of days, they hunkered down and waited for the hurricane to pass. Matt reported during this time that storm did not hit their location very hard despite being fairly close to New York City.

After the storm had swept through, they got back on the Trail and have been braving the elements since, hiking as much as possible each day despite the cold weather. See below for their locations over the past week and a half:

October 31st, 9:39am
November 2nd, 9:42am
November 4th, 4:52pm

They reported yesterday morning that they had successfully arrived at the Delaware Water Gap in New Jersey/Pennsylvania. They have hiked a little over 100 miles since Hurricane Sandy.

Looking ahead, with temperatures continuing to drop and Winter Storm Athena hitting the East Coast today and tomorrow, they have elected to leave the Trail for a few days and rent a car southbound for Harper's Ferry and Washington DC. After speaking with Matt this morning, he reports that they have been staying at the Church of the Mountain Hostel near the Delaware Water Gap.

He reports that the weather is affecting their plan dramatically and that they have been rethinking how best to complete the final 250 miles south. Matt suggested that they might start building their hikes around the hostels/places to stay. Under this plan, they would leave their packs at the hostels, hitch north or south out of town, and then hike back into town each day, ensuring that they have a warm place to stay each night that is off the Trail.

Matt reports that he is continuing to learn more about himself and about the Trail each day. To keep warm, they have been building beds of leaves each night and warming stones in large campfires before wrapping them in their clothing and using the stones as foot warmers / pillows.

They plan to stay with a friend in Washington DC this evening and will plan the remainder of the hike over the next couple of days. Houdini plans to attend a concert in the Baltimore area before they get back on the Trail no later than Sunday or Monday.

Check back in soon for more updates from the Trail. AT for CZC continues!