Daily Miles: 20.0, Total Miles: 1,548.0 I got a ride back to the TH with Joe, a local shuttler. A clear, warm day combined with over 4k vertical feet made for lots of sweat and frequent water refills. Good viewpoints today of the Berkshires, Massachusetts countryside and farms. I passed by several lakes and over boardwalks through marshy areas. Leapfrogged today with Casper and two other northbound thru-hikers – they started in mid-February. Just before I got to the Shaker…

Daily Miles: 24.9, Total Miles: 1,528.0 Unlike my late arriving, noisy neighbors tenting nearby, I was up early and quietly got ready for the uphill push back to the AT. The next stretch included some good views of the Taconic Range from Lion’s Head, Bear Mountain, the highest peak in CT, and Mt Everett, the highest peak in the Southern Taconic Mountains. In the meantime, I also finished Connecticut and crossed into Massachusetts. I finally dropped down and crossed MA…

Daily Miles: 22.7, Total Miles: 1,503.1 I continued my northward journey through Connecticut along the picturesque hills and Housatonic River Valley. A really nice morning with a few good viewpoints before dropping down and crossing the Housatonic River. Another short detour into the pretty (and pretty old) Falls Village for coffee and lunch, an all-day breakfast burrito. I could really get used to this kind of hiking! I crossed the river again and enjoyed the quite impressive Great Falls with…

Daily Miles: 28.5, Total Miles: 1,480.4 I used the same taxi service to get a very early start at the TH out of Pawling NY. First, a short climb in the woods, a walk through open cow pastures in a farming area, and next, the pretty Swamp River Boardwalk. Back in the woods, up and down the rest of the morning, leaving NY and entering CT. I finally reached the large Housatonic River. I opted to take a short detour…

Daily Miles: 12.3, Total Miles: 1,451.9 Nice grass lawn behind the pizzeria to camp on but I didn’t realize there was a cement plant across the street seemingly working and shipping out 24 hrs per day. I put the earplugs in for the industrial noise plus the pitter patter of rain most of the night. No regrets though! More up and down, rock, slick leaf litter and rain for the 12 miles to West Dover Road. Drenched by the finish…

Daily Miles: 20.6, Total Miles: 1,439.6 A rocky trail, up and down all day with not a lot of good views. I put more focus on not turning an ankle or bashing my head on an overhanging limb. Passed a cool historic site, the foundation of a colonial barn that served as an inoculation station in the winter of 1776. George Washington ordered all troops to be inoculated – now that was a real leader. Leapfrogged down the trail all…

Daily Miles: 21.1, Total Miles: 1,419.0 A nice start to the day with a cool and clear morning. First decision was whether to take the new AT or old AT across the Palisades Interstate Parkway. The old AT is shorter but you have to directly cross a busy, divided freeway. I opted for the old AT and was glad I did. Very little wait time to safely cross both directions of traffic. I soon entered Bear Mountain State Park and…

Daily Miles: 21.9, Total Miles: 1,397.9 Jim from Lake Lodging took me back to the TH off NT State Route 17A. A light but steady rain for about the first four hours of hiking – careful footing required. Under the green canopy today, made even greener by tall green grass and green ground cover. Couldn’t see much at the viewpoints early in the day due to weather but I did pass some nice waterfalls and small lakes. I met and…