Giardia!!

Well I guess it had to happen at some point: I got really sick and had to leave the trail for a short period. Giardia, a parasite that lives in some freshwater ponds and streams, is the most likely culprit.

One fortunate thing about my sickness was that we had some interesting experiences trying to figure out what to do. We ended up going to the nearest free clinic in Goshen, NY since I have no health insurance. There is a large farming community in the surrounding area and this clinic was started by one doctor who was treating migrant workers out of a trailer near one of the farm camps. Now they have a network of clinics spread around the eastern part of the state and provide free health care to anyone in need. They took care of me and helped me get medicated and back on the trail within a few days.

The terrain in New York was much easier than anything we experienced previously and we were able to comfortably do 18+ miles each day for a while. From my understanding this is one of the only good things about this section of the trail; easy terrain. There isn't much for scenery besides that, so after I got sick we decided to skip ahead to Harper's Ferry, WV to get back to the mountains and avoid too much snow in the Smokies. We are hoping to go back and cover the mid-Atlantic states after Springer (the southern terminus of the AT).

Connecticut and the start of New York (Mile 740)

It has been a while since I have posted an update. Sagacious and I have been focusing on making miles recently and haven't spent much time in towns.

The rest of Massachusetts was fun. We had a couple opportunities to sleep indoors - in a church in Cheshire, MA, on the porch of trail legend Tom Levardi, and in a beautiful cabin at Upper Goose Pond near Becket. The cabin even included a pancake breakfast cooked by the caretaker in the morning. I'm so grateful that places like this exist.

The land in Western MA is incredible. One of my favorite spots was Sages Ravine right on the border of CT. It is beautiful and mysterious. I will definitely be returning there.

All of Connecticut was wonderful - scenic and largely flat so we got through it relatively quickly. We'll see how New York goes!

Trail Magic in MA (Mile 612)

Finally made it to Massachusetts! I crossed the border a couple of days ago (and slipped in the mud and skinned my knee as is apparantely traditional with border crossings). That wasn't be an indication of what the state would be like, though.

We met back up with our Canadian friends right before we crossed into MA. As we were hitching into Williamstown we got picked up by an incredibly generous Williams College professor named Phil. When we discovered that the gear shop we were planning on camping behind had recently closed, Phil decided to take us back to his house and he and his wife Kathy provided showers, food, laundry, and beds to sleep in. What trail magic!! We learned that they are active volunteers in their community and they open their home to students and guests for all sorts of occasions. The kindness of this couple and other trail angels we have met can be overwhelming.

Onward to Mt. Greylock and the rest of MA!

Vermont Vortex (Mile 540)

Whoops! I haven't hiked much the past couple of weeks. Vermont is too good for words and it is sucking me in with its farm fresh food and good vibes.

I did some restoration work on a home  foundation for a couple days and slept in the barn of a trail legend and ate like a king. One night was an all out party with Miss Janet, Baltimore Jack, and Dan (the aforementioned legend) all in attendance. I feasted and laughed with some of the best people I have met on the trail.

A couple days earlier I jumped off a bridge and was invited inside the house of a fantastic woman who cooked me breakfast.

Tonight I'm sleeping at one of the nicest hostels on the trail - the Green Mountain Inn in Manchester - eating ice cream and hanging out with friendly people while Craig recovers from some minor sickness. I got to watch the sunset over the mountains with a horse grazing in front of me. Life is good.

Despite my many off days I have still hiked some of my longest days (22 miles!!) and plan on picking up the pace through southern VT and Massachusetts.