My Backpack and Me - A journey to section hiking the Appalachian Trail
Part 1 - NY Section
A few years ago, I first learned about the Appalachian Trail while researching and reading about hiking spots in the USA. Shortly after, a woman named Shell posted in a "Women Only" Facebook group about wanting to section hike the Appalachian Trail. I commented that I was interested, and that was the beginning of our journey. Over 100 women responded to Shell's post, but in the end, only seven of us started the journey southbound from our home state of New Jersey in June 2023. We dubbed ourselves the "Wilderness Wenches." Each day, we had to pick an affirmation card from Amanda’s stash (nickname Red) before heading out from our campsite. The cards ranged from funny messages to those we could relate to our life experiences and more.
The New Jersey section of the trail was very fulfilling. It had the most amenities like privies, tent sites, shelters, and food stops. It was a breeze, except for when we had to get off the trail due to a bad storm that destroyed some of the roads at Bear Mountain NY.
After months of planning and chatting over dinners and group texts, we set out to do the New York section this year. Four days before our adventure, I injured my left hand playing basketball and thought I might not be able to go on the hike. The day finally came on Saturday, June 29th 2024. We met at Amanda’s house to get shuttled by one of Red’s friends, Shawn, who had completed the entire Appalachian Trail in 2021. We arrived at our staring point Kent, CT border and took a quick picture. Our shuttle driver friend Shawn picked our affirmation card for day 1 before we began our southbound hike.
We met a few thru-hikers that day, including a woman with the trail name "Blessing," who shared valuable information about water sources around the area. After climbing the first incline and crossing the first water source, we had lunch at the RT Deli and then continued for 11 miles to our first campsite, the Telephone Pioneers Shelter. We set up our tents with the threat of thunderstorms that never came, started a fire for dinner, and hung our food bags to protect them from bears. We were asleep by 8:30 pm. It gets dark quickly in the mountains, and there isn’t much to do but sleep. That morning, we woke up to the loud howling of coyotes, which were a bit too close for comfort. Amanda sounded her bear horn, and they retreated. Most of us struggled to sleep on the first night.
We only had eight miles to cover on day two, but the heat, humidity, and looming thunderstorms made it challenging. The card for that day was about "Forgiveness," reminding us that with great forgiveness comes great inner peace. Around 1 pm, we were caught in a thunderstorm near the ridge. We quickly set up a tarp and sheltered for 45-60 minutes. Lightning struck about 30 feet from us, a scary moment indeed.
We finally reached the Morgan Stewart Shelter, where the tent site was flat, providing a great setup for a good night’s rest. We met more thru-hikers, including "Hippo," "Penguin," and "Guinness." Dinner consisted of delicious freeze-dried chicken pesto. After hanging our bear bags, we went to bed early due to another impending thunderstorm. Surprisingly, I had a good night's sleep, but I didn’t know that in the coming days, sleep would become elusive.
Almost a quarter of the way into our journey on day three, we headed south from the Morgan Stewart Shelter to our next deli stop. The deli stops were fun, allowing us to recharge our devices, grab lunch, and even have dinner with us. That day’s card was about "Nature," encouraging us to unleash our inner hippie, smell the flowers, and hug a tree. A cool breeze stayed with us through the morning trek. As we marched on, we admired the Catskills region from afar, crossed bridges over busy highways, and passed through small towns. Our conversations usually revolved around our love for the trails and dreams of living nearby. On this day, we discussed religion, spirituality, family upbringing, and differing opinions. It’s rare to find people to have honest conversations with without anyone getting triggered, but our group had a healthy level of self-awareness, which is why we meshed so well.
We made our deli stop, met a group of younger thru-hikers, and spent some time eating, recharging, and drying our wet clothes from the previous day’s rain. We then headed to the Shenandoah Campsite, which turned out to be the best campsite, not for the amenities, but for the secluded, clear view of the night stars. That night, as we made a fire, had dinner, and watched the sunset, we were in awe of the beautiful galaxy above. It reminded us why we love to hike. Despite the breathtaking view, most of us struggled to sleep due to the quietness of the night.
On the morning of day four, we made our way to the first shower stop of the trip at Canopus Lake before heading to the next campsite, Dennytown Road. The cold shower at Canopus Lake was refreshing. I ate half of a Cornish hen with mac and cheese and enjoyed toasted coconut ice cream. With full bellies, we left and made our way to the tent site for that evening. This was a group tent site, and we could order “pizza” before tucking into our sleeping bags for the night.
The next morning, we got up, made breakfast, and got ready to be on the way, as day 4 was bringing us one day closer to the resupply stop. This was going to be a long 12-mile day, 1528 feet of elevation, and one stop at the Appalachian market where we would have lunch. After 7 miles we made our quick stop at the Appalachian market, where we met a few thru-hikers such as “the last boys scout” with his dog Abbie, trial named not a Lab. After about an hour of chit-chat, charging our devices, eating lunch, and stocking up on water, it was time to head off to the next campsite. As we arrived at the Hemlock Springs Campsite, we realized that getting there early was a bonus as many hikers were looking to set up camp. The day had come for us to get resupplied and see some of our families for a bit. As we made our way to Bear Mountain Inn the next morning two of our friends had to decide whether to continue with injury and not feeling well or get off the trail. They got off the trail at the resupply stop, Bear Mountain Inn. We ended up having lunch and the two of us made our way up the famous Bear Mountain stairs heading to the next stop, West Mountain Shelter. Where we met Val and Kat, friends of our friend Red “trail angels” who brought us water, snacks, and endless good vibes.
We ended the 4th of July on the mountain top with lots of trail peeps and fireside while watching the fireworks over the NYC skyline. I went to sleep in my tent a little early after feeling exhausted from the long day and trek. Day 7 we woke up to heavy mist and a forecast of rain, thunderstorms, and a very muggy day. Both Nicole and I decided that this is where we would bail. As we left the shelter, we gave most of our snacks and some supplies to a thru-hiker, with the trail name “Jimmylee”. Texted Amanda (Red) to pick us up at the Anthony Wayne Parking Lot. This was the end of the 9-day trek and we knew we would have to come back to finish the last 30-plus miles of this section another time.
The journey on the Appalachian Trail section hikes has been an incredible experience, filled with challenges, camaraderie, and unforgettable moments. We will be back in the Fall to complete the NY section.
