Last week I posted a picture of the ’75 AT Expedition celebrating our “finish,” though we had to come back two weeks later to actually climb Katahdin. Here is a picture, taken just a short time before the other one, that shows our dejection upon first hearing we could not climb.
I’ve been digitizing old color slides. This is one of the oldest, a group shot of the first expedition on the Appalachian Trail in 1975, taken near the end at Katahdin Stream campground. The mountain actually was closed off that day and the group had to return two weeks later to finish our 2000 mile hike. I’m the one kneeling, wearing a cap. Our leader, Warren Doyle, is wearing the Georgia to Maine shirt.
Thumbs Up from AT Thru-Hikers
After reaching the New York border along the Appalachian Trail, the final leg for TRAIL Journey 2000 was canoeing down the Housatonic River from Gaylordsville to the Long Island Sound.
After completing the Long Trail in Vermont our TRAIL Journey continued south on the Appalachian Trail through Massachusetts and Connecticut. There are no photos of Connecticut be cause we did a “Superhike,” the entire 51 mile portion of the Connecticut trail in one day. Here are some photos of the Massachusetts AT.
The lodge on Mt. Greylock, taken from the highest point in Massashusetts on Grelock tower.
Kay Wood Shelter, which we shared with a program for teenage girls (which our teenage boys did not seem to mind)
Greenwater Pond
Upper Goose Pond, where we stayed at an AMC cabin and was ferried across the pond by canoe the next morning.
We chose the stretch south of Upper Goose Pond to navigate cross-country with map and compass.
Bennedict Pond
Our journey went from the hardest terrain to the easiest, ending with a canoe trip down the Housatonic River. These photos are from southern Vermont, a much easier hike than the Mt. Mansfield/Camels Hump areas.
A crowd of hikers camped at Cooper Lodge, near Killington peak
"Trail angels" often occur along long-distance trails
Lunch by Little Rock Pond
Sunset from Stratton Mountain
A bog area near Glastonbury Mountain
We left the Long Trail here and continued south on the Appalachian Trail
The group was in pretty good shape by the time we left Mt. Mansfield behind.
View south towards Camels Hump
Playing cards at Gorham Lodge
Inclement weather on top of Camels Hump
Green Mountains south of Camels Hump
Sunrise at Appalachian Gap
I’m calling the Smuggler’s Notch/Mt. Mansfield area as the second leg of our TRAIL adventure, which brought together four youths with three young adults (plus me) on a five week journey from Canada to Long Island Sound.
View from inside Whiteface Shelter, north of Smuggler's Notch
View of Smuggler's Notch and Mansfield
Ascending "The Chin" of Mt. Mansfield
Descending "The Forehead" of Mt. Mansfield
The northern Long Trail is one of the most rugged stretches in the country
Green Mountain greenery on our way towards Camels Hump
I’m going backwards in time with these photo journeys, at least for now. The next series will be TRAIL Journey 2000 – a five week wilderness journey from the Canadian border to Long Island Sound. First by hiking the Long Trail, then the Appalachian Trail, then canoeing the Housatonic River. TRAIL was a nonprofit organization I founded and directed for two years that served as a wilderness Big Brother program, pairing up youths from single parent homes with young adults (and me). These pictures were taken with my first digital camera and are not as good quality as the Wonderland Trail photos.
Last minute laundry in Montpelier, VT. Four of the kids in the picture are family joining Cindy on support.
Final shakedown near the Canadian border.
The four youths at the marker for the Long Trail.
Thru-hikers call this state Vermuck
The Long Trail goes over Jay Peak
This is one way to keep out the bugs.
These are links to the photos from the middle part of our Wonderland Trail hike, posted on The Middle Class Forum. Next Sunday I will start with a new trail.
On this site I have included photos for the last three days of my family’s hike of the Wonderland Trail. Photos from earlier days of the hike were posted on my other site, The Middle Class Forum. Here are links for days 1-4 on the Wonderland Trail. The remaining days will be posted next week.