The Morgan Stewart shelter lies approx 10 miles south of the
Appalachian Trail train stop off of the Metro North Harlem line. Having dayhiked north to the Conneticut border last month, I recruited friends
Jenn and Laura to backpack 20 miles of the southern portion.
pics here.
Those who through-hike the AT typically start between March and
April. I had figured we may run into one or two folks who had been on
the trail for months - I was pleasantly surprised to see over 10. These
guys (and one girl) had started at the beginning of April and will
remain on the trail until the beginning of September. We were lucky
enough to have one of these guys, "Snowplow", share our campsite with
us.
A few things about Snowplow and the AT hikers:
1. They really are nice, nice people.
2. All of them seem greatful for the company and are more than willing to share trail stories.
3. They can eat anything you throw at them (according to Snowplow, AT hikers consume almost 8,000 calories per day).
4. Yes, they really do smell that bad.
The uniqueness of the AT is the social aspect of hiking - so many
times we go hiking to get solitude and away from people. We become
anxious when we see a parking lot full of cars or if someone took our
camping spot...what the AT presents though is fellowship through
wilderness, a chance to bond and communicate with complete strangers
based off of a common passion. We saw thru-hikers fishing together,
read notes left for each other at various shelters (log books at the
shelters represent a kind of a AT chat room), and just talked about
what it was like to live in the woods for months at a time. It was
certainly something I will remember. Strangers sharing a fire and a
site, telling stories - funny how sometimes you forget that its what
camping is about.
The south leg was a bit more strenuous than June's hike, though I
suspect that it had something to do with going 20 miles with a 40lb
pack. Being in the lowlands, I hadn't expected much in the way of
elevation, but the maps can fool you in that you gain and lose
elevation quickly over these things called "hills". It was just as
strenuous as some alpine hikes I have gone on. One unexpected bonus was
the abundance of wildlife. Fish filled lakes, tons of deer (I saw 8!),
and a close call with a snake. All in all, a great
adventure.
About that snake...
I came within a foot and a half of stepping on this guy. Not sure what kind of snake it was, but I'm pretty sure it didn't like me. The snake regarded me with no interest until I waved a stick at it, at which point it raised its head with a neck that flared out when it hissed at me, a ridge rising off of its back, and a dull, dark green color throughout. It refused to leave the trail even with yelling and sticks being thrown at it (funny how we revert to our lesser forms in times of stress), so we eventually went off trail and waaaay around it. Let me know if you know what kind it was...
It was a long way out to Park Slope just for a cape and utility belt, but I feel better prepared for goonery than ever. It was also a great way to see a functioning charity thriving on unique ideas and implementation. For those of you in Seattle, 826 Seattle operates a similar store, The Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. Its worth a visit! 
