OK, here we go . . .
Day 1, Friday 8/23: We set up cars on the southern and northern ends of the MA AT and set out close to 11am, making it to the official VT-MA border around 12pm. We hike over 28 miles total and end up crashing on the side of the trail for the night close to 10pm.
Day 2, Saturday 8/24: We set off a little past 9am. We hike and hike and hike. Long day. Many cool bridges. End up hiking about 7mi in the dark and finally crash at Shaker Campsite close to 11pm after 33 miles. Shared the site with a college orientation group. Will never forget their leader; he probably would have given us food if we asked.
Day 3, Sunday 8/25: Began hiking a little past 6am. The countdown started! Our final day included a couple hornet stings, swarms of pesky mosquitoes, and many lovely hikers. We make it to the official MA-CT border a little past 10pm and then to our car close to 11pm, totaling about 32 miles. What an epic adventure!
Other notes:
- Initially intended to do this unsupported (packed all our food and were prepared to only drink from streams) but there was SO MUCH awesome trail magic that we obviously couldn’t pass up. Trail magic included water jugs, soda, beer(!), candy, and more.
- Definitely would make some preparation adjustments for future endeavors including a warmer sleep set-up, yummier and easier-to-eat trail snacks, and a backpack that doesn’t destroy all the skin on your upper back.
- We made a great team and had so much fun :)