| August 22, 2005 |
| Leaving Goose
Pond Cabin at 9:20am after a delicious breakfast of blueberry
pancakes and coffee. Joanne was a great host and I enjoyed
talking to her. She was very trail conscious as far as telling
us what might lie ahead. She also been a ridge runner for a
couple summers off and on. She does a week at a time.
Very enjoyable person. They take turns at staying at the cabin
a week at a time as caretakers. So far it's a beautiful
day. The sun is out. Joanne also said that the rain was
moving out and we're supposed to have some pretty nice days.
Right now if feels like it's maybe 70 degrees, cool, yet I have a
short sleeve shirt on. I'm hoping she's right, so I don't get
soaked to the bone again. |
|
I made it back to the AT. I have 1.6
miles to Rt. 20 which is the route that goes in to Lee Mass.
It's pretty coming through the Goose Pond area. A lot of
hemlocks, hardwoods, beeches, a lot of oaks, a lot of birches both
types, striped maple, some cherry every now and then, and a lot
laurel and other scrub bushes along the trail. |
|
Some boulders through here, but easy
hiking. My spirits are a lot more lifted that they were
yesterday. Rain was getting to me and about everything in my
pack was soaking wet which made extra weight. It will probably
delay me by a day going into Dalton. I was hoping I could make
it in two days, but it will probably take me an extra day. I
won't get in there today, but there always tomorrow. |
|
Hiking along some huge big boulders right
now. I guess by what Joann was telling us I just came up one
fairly good climb and then after going out of RT. 20 there's real
steep climb and then for the most part its kind of level, roller
coaster level until you get into Dalton. The trail has been
real smooth. |
|
I woke up about midnight last night and
took Simon outside and there was a full moon and the water just
sparkled, it was just beautiful. Simon and I have to go across
a caged bridge on US #20 at Lee Mass. We not only have to go
across one we have to go across two bridges. It's a 4 lane
highway. Helen I saw yellow colts foot blooming. Going
by a pond. Going through a white pine forest. Lots of
ferns on the ground. Various types of ferns. Hiking in
pines is bad because the root systems grow right on top of the
ground. Sometimes that makes it difficult to hike. They
can also be very slippery when they are wet. The last couple
of days the water supply has been really good. Hopefully that
drought has ended. I don't have to carry as much water. |
|
This coolness sure is conducive to hiking.
Believe me I certainly feel a lot better. The trail goes
through a very old hemlock forest up the side of a stream and what
look to be a little bit of a road at one time or another. A
lot boardwalks and planks in these areas. You wouldn't think
so in the mountains like this. |
|
Water in this little stream running down
through here. That's great because Simon has about three
quarters of a bottle on each side. I'm going to empty it out
after a bit because it looks like there's quite a bit of water. |
|
You can tell when its cool and very damp
along the creeks and things because you get a lot of gorgeous
mosses on the rocks and that is when you have the dark foliage on
the ferns. In the way of wild flowers, I'm not see much
blooming. I am seeing some of the similar type of flowers that
have already bloomed. There are a lot vines that are natural,
like rock crest. |
|
I've already pulled two major hills this
morning that haven't been bad though. Just takes a while to
get up. If I can hike up them just using my leg muscles and
not my poles, then they are not to awful hard to navigate.
What makes me go slower is the straight up hills. A lot of
root steps and sometimes the rock steps that are there naturally or
are there because of the AT people. If a step is a little wide
and as a result I have to use my poles to push and to pull. I
don't know what I would have done without my poles. They have
been a super investment. I really like them they keep me from
falling or when you stumble you don't always fall. They are
great for going down rock cliffs or going up rock cliffs too.
It keep the weight off of you knees and I think they're a good thing
for anybody to have weather you're old or young. |
|
I made it to the top of the second hill.
It sure was a long steep hill and brought sweat beads. I
hoping from this point on that its fairly well flat. Flat in
this country means roller coaster. The first hill topped and
then went up again making me think there was two. Hiking on
the ridge top now. Not bad hiking, some boulders, open woods
with lot of ferns. The air is cool, great for hiking.
A lot beech trees in this area. Good squirrel hunting in here. |
|
Going of the mountain there is a lot
beautiful club moss. Looks like a green carpet. I don't
know what this shrub is. It grown about 4 or 5 feet tall.
The leaf looks like a valentine, wide, but it has clusters of red
berries on them. It's a beautiful shrub to even put in your
yard. A lot of beech trees through here too. This is
certainly a steep jasper going down. It's not all that rough
to go down, yet its mostly leaf dust and pine needles and lots and
lots of roots making it difficult to get down. |
|
Coming by Finery Pond. A big
beautiful pond, deep, very deep and blue in color. I should
stop somewhere and have a snack. Going around the pond through
hemlocks. The pond is a lot wider than it is long.
Really pretty, especially the way the son is shinning on it now.
The breeze is making it ripple. It has some lily pads on it.
I just came by some bright blue seeds that were sticking up pretty
high and I looked at the leaf, it actually look like the leaf of
lady slippers. There's 3 leaves, the stem come up out of the
center and the seeds are bright blue. I'm not sure what they
exactly are, but maybe, Mary you can look in your book and look
under lad slippers and see if that's what they are. |
|
I just went up another short section of the
hill. Must be a continuation of Beckett Mt. where we
drop down into the saddle and go back up again. It's really
rocky through here. A lot of little rocks as well as some big
ones in the trail. A lot of them in piles like rock slides.
I've also seen several times today big chunks of marble. I
haven't seen big chunks of marble since GA. |
|
I'm at a large swamp, it looks like there
should have been some beavers in the area. I don see any
evidence of their cutting woods. Then I came to a dark damp
evergreen area that was real spongy and soft in the trail. A
lot of roots and rocks everywhere. Not easy hiking. Try
to avoid the mud as much as you can. Try to avoid the rocks.
I would have not wanted to come there at night. |
|
I'm coming by a real swampy area again.
I don't know if this is the continuation of the other swamp or if
this is a separate swamp. Lot of flags and weed and stuff
growing in this area. Pine moss or what we used to call
turkey's foot at home is growing profusely in this area because of
the dampness. |
|
Passed several creeks already. I'm
coming across another swampy area. I just crossed a dirt road
that was named Country Road. Going through a big hemlock area
again. It looks like somebody has come in and thinned it out
and left only the huge mature pines. There's is probably a
market for them. |
|
I'm on top the hill here too, it's kind of
the same thing. Huge pines that are probably 18 inches around.
I just finished climbing Bald Top Ridge. This area is mostly
hardwoods. |
|
It's breezy today with the cooler
temperatures, so when you get on top of the ridge you really enjoy
the breezes. Should be coming to October Lean-to soon.
Simon and I will probably go in there and get some lunch if it's not
to far off the trail heading on to Key Wood Lean-to, if not into
Dalton. |
|
At the next road crossing I'm going east
one tenth of a mile and go to Marilyn Wiley house also know as the
Cookie Lady to fill up my water and hopefully to get some cookies.
Just stopped by the Cookie Lady's house and had a couple of cookies,
water and on my way now towards Dalton. It is 4:20pm and
Dalton is 10 miles to go. I don't know if I'll make it or not
tonight. It may be Key Wood Lean-to tonight. |
|
A lot boardwalks through this little woods
already. I see some more of the old stone fences running
through area. Also some apple trees that have been here for a
long time. The trail is very rooty since the Cookie Lady's
house. Also some big stones that we had to twist in and out.
Fairly level and slightly going down hill. I now have a pile
of boulders to go up over. This is the first time I've had
boulders is a good little while. It going to be short lived I
think. It's extremely rocky right here in this little dip.
also a little stream that runs through here. A good size
overhand that you could stand under if it rained. I sure could
have used that yesterday. I still have a little bit of a hill
to climb, but running the ridge top now for a short distance. |
|
Just crossed Bond Road. Checked my
time. I just 3 miles an hour and 5 minutes. That is not
my best time. To Key Wood Lean-to it's 3.7 miles.
We'll see what time it is when I get there. |
|
I'm on top of the ridge line again on
Warner Mt. I'll have about 3 miles of ridge top hiking to Key Wood.
I just broke out into an open area and the sunlight is so bright
that it hurts my eyes after being in those dark pine woods.
This area has a lot of grass into, also covered with mosses and
ferns. Pretty! This must be on of those fooler mountains
where I thought I was at the top and then it gets steep again.
It looks like its going to level off now. Here a signer that
says Warner Hill 2,050 feet. in elevation. I'm on top of the
mountain standing on some large boulders looking out over the vista.
This is the most beautiful view that I have seen all day long.
There is mountain ranges close up and I can way off into the
distance. Behind those mountains I can see some real faint
blue ones and white puffy clouds right above them. the sky is really
clear. The air is cool and maybe tomorrow will be a nice
hiking too. |
|
After leaving Warner Mountain the land
became fairly flat. I've already hiked through some stoned
fences that were property lines. Most of this is fairly young
woods. It really smells like fall through here. The
leaves are really crunchy. Just new ones that have fallen.
It's 7:05pm. I'm going into the Key Woods Shelter. I
could still hike three miles in to Dalton, but I wouldn't get there
until late and I don't have a room at the motel and I'm not sure
they would take Simon. This shelter is a bit of distance off
the trail. It looks like it's a new shelter. A lot of
large boulders right around it. Somebody else is here too.
The sun is setting and it's time for me to go to bed too. Good
night and I'll talk to you tomorrow. |
|
Swing'n Jane and
Simon |
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