Reality sets in…

This is a really tough walk.The heat and humidity are formidable elements, which  constantly challenge us. Our 25 pound-ish packs seem heavier then we remember. So far, it’s like boot camp. Edward Abbey says “May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.” Crooked? No. The trail is mostly straight, which makes sense. Winding? No, it does gently bend in places. Lonesome? No, we have each other. Dangerous? Absolutely. I’ve been reviewing the signs and symptoms of heat stroke and exhaustion, guzzling water, and taking frequent breaks. Amazing views? Yes!

We made it to Arrorhead Marina and RV park just west of Scotia this afternoon. We have a lovely tent site on the banks of the  Mohawk River. We  called a taxi to take us to Easrten Mountain Sports in Schenectady and then to the campground, cutting out about 9 of our planned 21 miles. Given the crazy hot and humid weather, it was the wise decision.

On the way out to the campground, we passed the original General Electric plant in Schenectady. The taxi driver said that “back in the day” the lot would be filled with employee cars but today there were only a scattered few.

We saw what looked like thimbleberry today except that the blossoms were very pink. We also saw Tiger Lilies. Hundreds of them…

Well, dinner is almost ready. Must sign off…

~Ann

After a three-hour bus ride from Boston to Albany, Aaron and I walked about 11.5 miles along the Hudson River in the humid heat characteristic of this area. As planned, we finished our first day in Waterford, NY, a small village at the eastern end of the Erie Canal. We are camped at the Waterford Visitor Center, with a view of the Mohawk River and lock #2 on the canal.

The walking was exceedingly challenging today but we enjoyed a bit of “trail magic,” like “Kate’s Corner Deli,” an unexpected shady bench on Green Island, and Chris at the Visitor’s Center in Waterford. Chris was warm and welcoming and helped us get oriented. He also gave us the key to the showers! Tomorrow we will set off early to Schenectady. We will need to get off trail to go to Eastern Mountain Sports to buy fuel for our stove…can’t make coffee without it! Writing on this tiny iPad is difficult but I’ll do my best.

Until later,

Ann

 

 

 

Logistics of Getting There…

With just over two weeks to go before we leave for our summer adventure to walk the entire length of the Erie Canal, from Albany to Buffalo, we have to get serious about getting ready. We’ve made lists of gear, clothing, and ‘other.’ We’ve decided to ship a box of gear to the hotel that we’ll be staying at in Boston for two nights. We’re doing this for a couple reasons.

First, we’d like to ‘carry on’ our 60L backpacks on the plane. We’ve gone and back and forth trying to decide whether or not to purchase backpack covers, which are basically like a duffel bag. They protect backpack buckles and straps from getting caught in airport conveyor belts, which can cause serious damage to your pack. They cost about $39.00 each at REI and weigh about a pound. It’s the added weight we don’t want. If we send the rigid gear (pan, cups, pocket-rocket stove) ahead, we should be able to compress our clothes, sleeping bag, and tent to a carry on size. Another reason to send a box of gear ahead is our walking poles. They can’t be carried on the plane for obvious reasons. So, we’ll ship them ahead too. Walking, or trekking, poles are reported to reduce about 25% of compressive force from knees and feet by transferring weight to your arms. They also improve balance, can be protection against a dog or other animal, and help you break through an overgrown trail. Aaron usually carries one pole in its collapsed position (we have the telescoping kind) and uses it to swing at bugs. He swears by this method of bug bite prevention. I also appreciate the workout my arms get while walking with poles.

While we are planning to resupply food along the trail, we will send ahead a couple food items we don’t want to leave to chance. The first is coffee. Being from the Pacific Northwest, we like our coffee the way we like it and even though its embarrassing to admit, my morning coffee experience (yes, coffee is an experience here in the Northwest!) influences, at least in part, how my day will go. There, I’ve admitted it! I also love crawling out of my tent in the early morning chill and sipping a cup of hot coffee as I watch the day begin. It’s a simple delight and not one that everyone would appreciate, but I do. So, in order to make our coffee experience on the trail the best it could be, we searched for the best instant coffee and found it at Trader Joe’s. It comes “all dressed up with creamer and sugar” and does the trick for us. The other food item we’ll send ahead are called Protein Pucks. We sent these ahead when we hiked the Oregon section of the PCT last summer. They are made in Spokane, Washington and are a nutrient dense puck-shaped bar. They are so nutrient and calorie dense in fact, that one bar is considered two servings with 240 calories per serving. This makes them the perfect snack for hiking; not too much food but good calorie count. They are also one of the best tasting bars we’ve tried and I can pronounce all the listed ingredients, such as sunflower butter, agave, dates, almonds, and pumpkin seeds. We found them at our local Cash and Carry.

Clothing and Shoes…

Our clothing will be fairly simple and straightforward. Lightweight and zap dry pants, shorts (skort for me), and shirts. Raingear, warm jackets, and sunhats, of course. Our shoes will the tried and true Altra Olympus. We wore these on the PCT last summer, hiking up and around every mountain in the Oregon Cascades for 450 miles. Our feet were as happy as they could be putting in 15 – 20 miles per day over rugged terrain. We love the extra padding in the sole, the zero rise in the heel, and the extra large toe box. Check them out at http://www.altrarunning.com

Getting Home…

When planning this adventure, we decided to take the train home and believed we could buy tickets once we arrived in Buffalo, New York. Luckily, we decided to check out Amtrak and saw that there were only one or two sleeping units still available on trains going west in early August, when we would be needing to get home to Bellingham. So, we booked the last sleeping unit on a train leaving Buffalo on August 4, getting us to Seattle on August 8. Whew! I’m glad we did a little more investigating. Now we just have to be sure to get to Buffalo by August 4th. That gives us about 30 days to do the entire walk, which should be just fine.

Thanks for following! More to come!

~Ann

 

Originally, we were planning to hike The Long Trail in Vermont this coming summer. It’s the original (first) “through” hiking trail in the United States, running the length of Vermont along the spine of the Green Mountains. It was built in the 30’s, before switchbacks were common. Instead of switchbacks, they built ladders in some places! Now, we’re not going to admit that a fear of climbing ladders with a 30 pound backpack caused a change of heart, but it was a frequent topic of conversation any time the hike came up. (The link below will give you some great information about this awesome trail!) Eventually, we settled on walking the entire length of The Erie Canal, a dream of mine for many years.

http://www.greenmountainclub.org

The original Erie Canal is sometimes called “The Eighth Wonder of the World.” It is awash in a fascinating history and testament to the power of the imagination and enduring vision. It opened up the Great Lakes and Great Plains of the US to the rest of the world and allowed  newcomers to America to move inland. It secured New York City’s place as the greatest industrial port of all time.

Read more here:  http://www.eriecanal.org

We will carry our 60L backpacks and camp along the route. We have read that we can camp at a few of the locks and parks situated on the canal. There are campgrounds and of course, hotels, motels, and B and B’s when a bed and a hot shower tempt us out of our tent. We will try to average 15 – 20 miles per day and take a few “zero” days, where we can rest our feet and backs and play tourist. We will send a couple boxes of supplies ahead, but will mostly resupply on the trail.

We bought one-way tickets to Boston on the plane. We will take a Greyhound from Boston to Albany and start walking west…well north for about 11 miles to the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers where the Erie Canal begins its journey west. Once we get to Buffalo, we will board the Amtrak for a 3 – 4 day train ride back to Seattle and then Bellingham.

We will try to post everyday as we walk across New York! We have just followed Leah and Steve Martaindale’s trek on the Erie Canal going west to east. http://www.walktheeriecanal.com We so enjoyed reading their posts that we were inspired to try our hand at blogging, hoping somebody would enjoy reading our journal. We hope you can join us when we begin walking on July 5, 2016!

Happy walking,

Ann and Aaron