Endless P Summer

El Paso, TX

Oh hot damn! About to head west for hopefully another wild and wooly summer of walking and living in the woods.

It’s been awhile since I’ve updated this thing so let me catch you up, my faithful reader, since my last post. I got back to Massachusetts at the end of September last year and got right into living what has started to become a bit of a routine life off trail. First of all I work as much as I can during the off season in order to be able to live this lifestyle. Ive really got no complaints, I had a good winter outside of work too. I ran trails all over Lynn Woods whenever I got the chance, started climbing indoors, and skied the East as much as my schedule allowed me too. I also took a trip out to Colorado to ski for a week in January and it was incredible!

One minor setback I had was in January when I took a terrible tumble on the slopes at Sunday River in Maine and did something to my knee. I’m not even sure what I did, I mean after awhile I got it checked out and stuff but the doctor gave me some long scientific name for it that I couldn’t remember even right after he said it: patella something or other. Anyway it slowed me down but didn’t stop me. I had to take a few months off from running but I still skied the rest of the year and was able to snowshoe. The knee is feeling pretty good now after I’ve been running on it for over a month and hopefully I’ll be firing on all cylinders for my upcoming hike. Undoubtedly the highlights of my off trail life this past season was becoming an uncle not once but twice. First to my nephew Will who was born last summer but I didn’t get a chance to meet until he was 2 months old and most recently to my niece Sawyer who is just a few weeks old and still just a little tiny peanut of a human.  Alright enough about all that, let me tell you my plans.

This year I’m planning on hiking the Continental Divide Trail or the CDT.  The CDT goes from the Mexican border through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, a little slice of Idaho and through Montana to the Canadian border. My plan is to start in the boot heel of New Mexico and travel north hopefully making it the whole way. The CDT is approx 3100 miles but there’s many different alternates and detours and what not. It’s a little different than the AT and the PCT in that sense. For instance on the AT there’s white blazes the whole way through and it’s relatively easy to follow from one end to the other. The CDT has a lot more variations, I may take one alternate route  that will add 50 miles and another that might cut off 50 miles. We’ll see, it will be easier to say how many miles it actually is when I’m on the other side of it. My intention is to walk continual footsteps from Mexico to Canada and using the CDT as a guideline. Or at least cover the distance, like I might have to southbound a section then return by vehicle to that point(that’s kind of hard to explain so more on that little footnote later). If there’s something really cool to see and it’s not necessarily on trail, I’ll incorporate it into my route. On the other side of that if I have to get off the main trail and take other options for safety’s sake(such as avoiding severe weather or  wildfires or other unknown reasons) I’ll do that as well. This trail goes through all kinds of different climates and I’ll potentially be facing many obstacles. It starts in the desert around 4000 feet and doesn’t get any lower. There won’t be much water and I will probably be encountering my most fiercest rival: the rattlesnake! as well as scorpions and tarantulas. In Northern New Mexico and Colorado I’ll get up over 10000 feet and be walking through snow covered mountains. I’ve mailed myself snowshoes and an ice ax to get through some of the more intense sections. I’ll drop back down into the Great Basin in Wyoming and once again be facing water shortages. Then I’ll be getting back into the mountains and hiking through places I’ve only heard of and seen pictures of; the Wind River Range, Yellowstone NP, and Glacier NP before crossing into the Waterton lakes region of Alberta. Parts of Wyoming and Montana are grizzly bear territory and also home to other predators such as wolves and mountain lions. Most animals can be dangerous but these ones especially so. Let’s just hope I don’t have any ‘very’ close encounters. Seeing a wolf in the wild however is one of my main goals in life. For real. I might even carry a tennis ball during these sections and if I do get the chance I’ll try to engage a wolf into a friendly game of fetch. In this plan, or dream, my new ally will then proceed to join me for the rest of my walk fighting off enemies and curling up into a ball at my feet when I lay down to sleep at night. This is just what I’ve heard of the trail and what I’ve learned while researching it. People are always asking me questions about it but besides the 300 or so miles that coincide with the Colorado Trail that I’ve already done, I don’t really know what I’m getting myself into. I have an idea of what it will be like, but I’ll have much better answers after I walk it. So can I let you know then? For now I’ll just tell you my immediate plans. I should be getting to El Paso this afternoon where I’m meeting my friend Queen B and we’re staying at a hostel in EP tonight. Tomorrow we’ve got a shuttle lined up to get us to CDT Days in Silver City, NM. (CDT Days is like a kickoff festival for the hikers. Lots of gear, food, trail angels and hikers. I’ve  gone to these on the other trails and they’re fun) from Silver City we’re planning on getting down to Lordsburg where we originally had a ride lined up to the border for Sunday but that just recently fell through. Don’t panic though, we’ve got options. We’re either going to: a. hitch as close to the border as we can, then walk south to get there and turn around to start our northbound hike or b. southbound the first section from Lordsburg to the border then line up a ride to get us back to town or maybe c. take an alternate route altogether to start the hike. I’ll let you know, but I’ve got faith it will work out. After I figure that out I’m walking north until I get to Canada. We’re planning on meeting up with our friend Speed in Northern New Mexico so we’ll have a legit grownup with us when the trail starts to get real dicey. That’s the plan anyway, if you keep reading this blog I will literally keep you posted.

I understand that hiking the long trails isn’t exactly a mainstream activity so when I’m off trail I get a fair amount of questions about it and I tend to get the same ones over and over. I’ll try to answer some of those here:

1. I don’t carry a gun. First of all I’m not a gun person, second of all those things are heavy and I believe in traveling light.

2. I eat junk food and lots of it, as much as I can. I try to go light on gear so I can carry more food. I stop in town whenever I’m near one, stuff my face while I’m in town and then resupply on however much food I think I’ll need until I get to the next one. When I walk all day everyday for months on end, I’m ravenous. When I’m not eating food I’m thinking about food. I love to eat. And I don’t carry a stove, for dinner I usually eat tortillas with tuna fish or pepperoni or salami. If I’m feeling froggy I might cold soak some ramen in a talenti gelato container, add some peanut butter and call it pad thai. If I’m lucky I’ll find a mountain house in a hiker box and for a last resort I’ll eat cold Idahoans.

3. I don’t take showers, I don’t wear deodorant and I wear the same clothes everyday. I smell like a wild beast, a feral animal. Probably worse. I let my pheromones run free but so does everybody else out there, thru hikers anyway. It’s one of the easiest ways to tell if somebody is out for a weekend or a summer, their b.o. or lack thereof. You probably won’t believe me but you get used to it. I shower and do laundry when I’m in town but that’s only about every 4-5 days. My record’s 12 days but I know some real dirtbags that have gone longer than that. I do swim in rivers and lakes whenever I get the chance and I like to think my off trail hygiene is decent.

4. A bunch of people hike these trails. I’m not out here all alone. For the most part I like to spend a lot of the actual walking by myself and at my own pace but I prefer to travel in a group or with a partner and I usually always camp with others and like to take my breaks with others.

5. I carry a portable charger, and it’s not a solar charger. I’ve tried a solar charger before without much luck. I charge up both my phone and charger in town and then keep my phone on airplane mode and low battery mode. I try not to run out of battery but it does happen. It’s something I’m constantly monitoring and making adjustments to.

I hope this helps, these seem to be the most common questions I get asked. If you’ve got any other questions about thru hiking, by all means fire away. No promises on the right answer though. I’m not quite sure I’m any good at this I’ve just done it a lot. To learn more about thru hiking and the long trails you can listen to this podcast that I’ll be featured on called Sounds of the Trail. If you don’t know what a podcast is, ask a millennial and they’ll set you up. My friend Hey Girl was a correspondent last year on the AT and she suggested that I should be the guy this year for the CDT. I sent in some interviews and an introduction to Gizmo who runs the show and it looks like I’m in for this season. So anyway I listened to the introduction episode last week and of the 5 people that will be correspondents this season there’s 2 others from Mass. A husband and wife team doing a flip flop hike of the AT, Erin and Adrienne are from Beverly. I suggested we meet up before we hike since they’re only 10 miles away so we did just that. I rode my bike up to Beverly the other day and met up with Erin. As coincidence would have it this was a long lost buddy of mine that I used to tend bar with at Bennigan’s like 12-13 years ago. I haven’t heard hide nor hare of him in years, I mean this was before the age of facebook and everything so we never kept in touch and now we’re both going to be correspondents on the same hiking podcast. I always say the truth is stranger than fiction and as crazy as it seemed to me at first, I wasn’t too surprised. This kind of stuff happens to me all the time, my life is a series of eerie coincidences.

So now you can read what I write here, if you want to see my pictures you can follow me on instagram @endlesspsummer and if you’re still not sick of me you can listen to me on the Sounds of the Trail podcast. I’ll provide a link to the first episode I’m on and you just might be hooked. soundsofthetrail.com

Here’s to a great summer! Stay tuned and feel free to subscribe to this blog. If you wish to contact me, instagram is probably your best bet. @endlesspsummer

-Endless

El Paso, TX

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 Posted on April 29, 2017 by

 Hiking, Thru hiking, travel

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The Colorado Trail

Oh hot damn! What a great month, I absolutely loved the Colorado Trail. Let me try to recap it here for all my gracious readers. On July 28th I started hiking SW from Waterton Canyon just outside of Denver and finished the trail August 21st in Durango, CO.

Before I get into the details of the trail itself I’ll tell you a little about this crew I was hiking with. I guess I’ll go in order of height.

Nomad is the tallest, and a Colorado native which was helpful. He’s a formidable, experienced hiker having thru hiked both the AT and PCT and who by far ate better than anyone else on trail. As knowledgeable as he is about the outdoors, Colorado, and cooking trail dinners he knew little about social media. So we got him interested in Instagram and by the end of the trail he was hooked like a teeny bopper. Find him there @dan.ferguson(his first.last name, how original). Everyone else is tied at 5’8″ so there’s no method to this madness.

BK aka Baby Eater, another native Coloradan, is a super strong hiker and has all kinds of info about the mountains here. He’s currently on a quest to hike the Colorado fourteeners, spread the word about Snowbank Brewing in Fort Collins, CO, stuff his face with pro bars and red vines, and he uses his engineering degree to fashion handmade spoons out of trash he finds in his pack. And according to his mom, he carries a pretty heavy pack. (Check out his blog here: ramblinram.com also his IG name @ramblinram).

Prickly Pear is either from Michigan or outer space and was our captain, because she carried the CT guidebook and wore a Garmin hat. She is probably the fastest and funniest hiker in our crew and also the most feral. There’s a chance she was raised by wolves, or at least in a cave. Other hikers took to calling her Prickly Pear last year on the PCT because of the way she came off to people and the name just stuck. #peardontcare. She really doesn’t, that’s also her name on the gram: @peardontcare.

Queen B is another formidable female hiker with over 5000 long distance miles on her feet. The B is a skilled, yet sometimes clumsy thru hiker and is also noticeably cleaner than most people who live in the woods. Not only can she rap the whole Hamilton soundtrack but can back it up with obscure facts about the early American politician. QB taught us all the words to Townes Van Zandt’s Tecumseh Valley. Her version was pretty good but she decided she wouldn’t sing it with us anymore because the rest of us kept butchering the tune. I disagree. Oh yeah, she takes great pics too. Check them out @sarahikes on Instagram.

The 5 of us met last year on the PCT and all hiked together for different periods of time. On the CT however we stuck together the whole time and then some. We had lots of fun and really got along well. It was very enjoyable for me to be hiking in a group again after doing the AT as a mostly solo mission earlier this year.

In all, the CT is something like 484 miles, with an average altitude over 10,000 feet and lots of miles above treeline. It is pound for pound the most scenic long trail I’ve hiked. If that makes any sense. I won’t say that it was easy but the tread is pretty smooth, the climbs aren’t too vicious and it’s well marked. A relaxing 20-25 mile a day pace is very doable on this trail. And the scenery is absolutely spectacular. Everytime I turned a corner or hiked over a pass, a whole new world of mountains presented itself.

There really wasn’t any drawbacks to this trail but the biggest challenge we faced was weather. And we saw all kinds of it: rain, hail, snow, corn snow, and graupel(you might have to google that one). According to the natives(BK and Nomad) there’s a chance of a thunderstorm everyday in CO. Fortunately we were all successful in dodging  lightning bolts, but sometimes we had to take preventative measures. If we were about to go up a pass and the skies weren’t at least as bright as my future we would have to consider hunkering down for a little bit. Once, when we had miles of trail above treeline in all directions we got caught in a massive hailstorm. We ran and dove and crammed into a little voidspace in a 6 foot high shrub that smelled like farts. For about 45 minutes the hail still pelted us and everyone besides the Pear got pretty wet and cold, but it was more fun than it sounds. Other times when quick storms came on we threw up the biggest tent, all got in and read each other ‘the Wizard of Oz'(Spoiler alert: the book is way different than the movie).

I also saw lots of wildlife out there. A couple different herds of sheep(wild mountain sheep and also domestic sheep up there grazing), a bunch of moose, deer, coyotes and I had a red fox walk right up to within a few feet of me. This is the primary reason I carry a tennis ball with me, to play fetch with wild fox, coyotes and wolves. Just kidding, but seriously.

We stopped in half a dozen different towns throughout the trail; Breckinridge,  Leadville, Salida, Lake City, and Silverton. The mountain towns in Colorado were fun and the people there were cool and good to us. We had to get into town every 4 or 5 days mainly to see how many medals the US had won.

In all seriousness I loved this trail and recommend it to anyone who thinks they can do it. I’ll definitely hike it again someday.

Once we got to Durango the adventure wasn’t over. We had talked for awhile about renting a car and going on a little victory lap to see some of SW Colorado’s beautiful places. BK rented the car and was the driver while the Pear DJ’ed. (I thought she did a good job but apparently if Nomad heard Tom Jones’ ‘What’s new Pussycat’one more time he promised to jump out of a moving vehicle). The road trip was sweet! We went to Mesa Verde NP(a world heritage site that I highly recommend), Telluride and Bridal Veil Falls, Orvis hot springs in Ouray, The Black Canyon of Gunnison NP, Hanging Lake and Sprout Rock in Glenwood Springs and on our last day we climbed Mt. Bierstadt covered in snow at 14,065 feet. It was awesome. We ate dinner and ice cream together in Denver last night and then began going our separate ways.

Nomad put up me and QB last night at his place and this morning I caught up with my buddy Big Cheese from the PCT, who just relocated to Denver(he got so fit last year they started calling him Little Cheese). Anyway he gave me a ride to the airport where I’m catching a plane to Seattle. I’ll be meeting up with some of my friends from last year’s hike; Schemes, S+M, and Tami and the plan is to get on the PCT at Steven’s Pass in Washington and hike north about 180 miles to the Canadian border. Last year I hiked almost 2500 miles of this trail and when I got to Steven’s Pass it was closed because of wildfires so we hitched around to the monument. I’d really like to finish the trail this year so wish me luck, that way I’ll know if you read the whole blog post. Anyway if you’d like to see pictures of these adventures, feel free to follow me on Instagram @endlesspsummer.

-Endless


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 Posted on August 26, 2016 by

 Hiking

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Post AT, Pre Colorado Trail

I decided to update my blog just in case you’ve been sitting around wondering what I’ve been up to since my last post. I flew into Seattle July 11th and stayed only for a few days before I unexpectedly had to fly back and forth to Mass. For a couple days I explored the Emerald City(that’s what they call it) and got a chance to meet up with some friends from home, Dave and Nikki before their trip to Alaska.

I also caught up with my buddy Malibu and we went for a massive bike ride around Lake Washington. Last year this dude rode his bike from Seattle to San Diego, hiked the PCT, then rode a bike home to Seattle from Manning Park. He had an extra bike just for this kind of situation and I did my best keeping up with him. I don’t have too much road biking experience but my only real problem was I kept getting my right foot caught in the baskets. I fell 3 times, not bad falls though, but only when I was stopped at an intersection and lots of people could point and laugh. I’ve laughed at plenty of people falling though, so I deserved it.

When I returned to the Pacific Northwest, July 17th, I headed out towards Snoqualmie Pass and the PCT. I caught a bus and then a couple of quick hitches and was on trail around 6pm. From Snoqualmie Pass I headed north on a  familiar section of the PCT to do a 2 night out and back. About two miles into this incredible little slice of heaven I ran into Ram and Red Feather out for a day hike. I met them both last summer before they had met each other and they informed me that they just got married. Long trail, the PCT, but small world.

After a couple nights my friend Sweetums joined me and we hiked up the Denny Creek trail to the magical Malakwa Lake. Sweetums learned me on all kinds of stuff hiking. A total badass, and if I wasn’t my own idol she’d be a front runner for that title. Check out her blog here: chasingmydaydream.com. She was off to solo the Enchantments in a day and I was headed to Yakima,WA to see my friend Jenn. Sweetums drove me part of the way and then I caught a couple hitches including a beautiful ride through Yakima River Canyon. Jenn came through with a ride the rest of the way, put me up at her place, and drove me to the bus station the next day. We went out in Yak Vegas(I heard that’s what the locals call it) had a fun night with Jenn(a friend of mine from years ago who spent some time in Lynn) and Katie, who I met last year while I was out that way, and some of their crew. Only by a few days did I miss out on their fly fishing trip to Idaho. Timing is everything.

From Yakima I planned on joining my buddy Boone in Oregon and get on the PCT for awhile. I took a bus to Seattle, then ran across the city to catch another one to Portland. Boone and his girlfriend Katie did me a solid. They drove from Bend to Portland and back to pick me up. 3+ hours each way. The two of them had been hiking north from Crater Lake, Katie was about to head home and Boone was continuing on to Canada. It was great to see these two and we drank milkshakes and ate pancakes and all that good thru hiker food.

The following morning Katie dropped us off at Santiam Pass and Boone and I crushed a bunch of trail. So nice to be back on the PCT in Oregon, soft smooth trail and gentle elevation gain and loss, not to mention the spectacular views throughout the hike. Going from Maine on the AT to Oregon on the PCT is like swinging a weighted bat and then a wiffle ball bat. After about a hundred miles we got up to Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood. This is the hotel from ‘The Shining'(the outside scenes anyway). We surprised our buddy Speed when we joined him stealth camping in the woods nearby and then I could barely sleep because I was so excited about the brunch buffet at the lodge. This is the greatest breakfast ever. I mean that’s in my opinion, but I’d like to know where to find a better one. If I was ever to be executed(hopefully that doesn’t happen) I’m going with the Timberline Brunch for my last meal and if they don’t have that I’m going with pad thai pizza.

Two more days of hiking and I got to Cascade Locks, OR. I ate some lunch and took a shower that I also used to wash my clothes real quick. So now I’m trying to get to Portland and I’m standing on the road with my thumb out for like ten minutes without anybody even slowing down or look twice. Miraculously my friend Roadrunner, who lives in town unbeknownst to me, spots me from the opposite direction and yells to me a la Billy Ocean, “Get outta my dreams, Get into my car!” At least that’s what I heard. What she probably really said was,”Hey Endless, you hobo!! Get in the car I’ll give you a ride.” It was awesome. Great to see her and catch up then she drove me all the way to Portland. The options for flying from Portland to Denver were weak so I audibled. I took a bus to Seattle then a red eye from there to Denver with a quick layover in Minneapolis.

In Denver I met up with PCT friends BK, Prickly Pear and Queen B for lunch. The 4 of us plus Nomad are starting the Colorado Trail tomorrow. Then I crashed the honeymoon of the freshly married Fannons. It was great, went out on the 16th Sreet Mall and staying with them in this sweet Air BnB tonight. Things are good, I’ll be hiking the next few weeks with a fun and formidable crew and I’m excited about Colorado. Don’t hesitate to subscribe to this blog if you want to hear what happens next and as always feel free to follow me on Instagram @endlesspsummer

-Endless



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 Posted on July 29, 2016 by

 Hiking, Pacific Crest Trail, Thru hiking, Uncategorized

Katahdin!

It’s been awhile since I last updated this blog but I’ll try to bring you up to speed on my last few weeks on the AT. I tried to get a post out about every ten days or so while on the trail but those last few weeks were tough, I barely had time to stuff my face and read myself a bedtime story at the end of the day. Anyway, I finished the trail on July 5th and it was glorious. For real, it was quite a thrill. I didn’t start off thinking I would bomb through it so quickly but about a third of the way in I decided to at least make an attempt to do it in 80 days. Early on in the hike I was averaging around 25 mile days and my body felt really strong, it almost felt like I was going easy on this thing. In northern Virginia I did a little arithmetic and figured if I hustled a little I could get home to Massachusetts in time for the Fannon/Borrelli nuptials in early July. Once I made that decision it was crush city out there. For real this was an NFA, bare bones, thru hike at a suicide pace. For me, it was thoroughly enjoyable but I’m not sure I would recommend this style to others going out to hike the AT. Unless you’re really into punishing yourself all day long for weeks on end.

The last two states, New Hampshire and Maine, were without a doubt the most difficult of the entire trail. In my opinion they provided the best scenery and, especially Maine, were the most remote. I’ve been hiking in NH’s  White Mountains since I was a kid and thought oh yeah no big deal I can handle it, but traversing the state with a pack was super tough. Nothing I couldn’t handle though but it did slow me down.

I had been used to doing 30+ mile days since Virginia but in the Whites my pace slowed to a crawl, averaging about 25’s through the rest of the state. It was fun though. Most of the time the weather was great, ideal for looking around and swimming in icy cold streams. My favorite way of reminding myself how alive I am is to jump in the coldest water possible on a hot day. It’s also a good way of holding myself over until my next shower, since I went 12 days without one(new record if you were wondering, showered in North Adams, MA and then not again until Bethel, ME). #livefreeordie.

When I got to Franconia Notch, my buddy Patrick came up to camp with me for a night and hike a few miles. He took me to McDonald’s and a gas station to resupply then got me all caught up on gossip and the antics of his life. It was fun.

The one time in NH where I ran into lousy weather I was probably in the most inopportune place. I was getting up to the Presidentials just leaving the Mitzpah Spring Hut where I stopped for a quick snack.(the huts in the Whites are different than the shelters. They’re staffed and heated and have beds and meals for like $100+ a night. Not really my style but they treat thru hikers pretty well. If we do chores we can spend the night on the floor for free and after meal time they give us tons of leftovers. They feed us like dogs, in a good way.

One time I stopped in a hut and they gave me a huge bowl of cold steak tips and a piece of day old lasagna the size of a baseball glove. It was awesome!) It was overcast and I could still see the summit of Mt. Washington when I left but once I got to top of Mt. Pierce the wind picked up and it started raining. All of a sudden it got wicked cold, super windy and was raining cats and dogs.

This next section of trail is above the treeline and exposed for miles. I knew I could reach the next hut in a couple hours so since there wasn’t any thunder or lightning I went for it. Ride or die and all that stuff. I was not in a very favorable situation, it was actually pretty miserable. I was soaked to the bone and about as cold as I get, but when I got to the Lakes of the Clouds Hut I couldn’t have been happier. Everybody there was pretty much in the same boat, excited to be inside, comparing their harrowing weather stories and high fiving each other. I waited out the storm for about 3 hours and when it seemed to clear up a little I went for the summit of Washington and got there around 5. The guy working up there told me to expect 70+ mile wind gusts but probably no precipitation. So I pushed 6 more miles to the Madison Springs Hut and made it, obviously. The rest of NH wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination but it wasn’t as dangerous either.

A couple days later I crossed into Maine and hiked through Mahoosuc Notch, the gnarliest and most notorious mile of the whole trail. Reading about it won’t do it justice, you’ve got to experience it yourself. My parents met me again in Grafton Notch and for a couple days I felt like Scott Jurek with a legit crew. They got themselves a new Maine atlas and found all these small roads where the trail crosses, it was almost like they were showing off. So I stayed with them at their place in Bethel for a night and because of their knew knowledge of the road crossings was able to slack pack a couple of small sections. It was really cool. My mom hiked with me for one of the sections and they both provided trail magic for me and some other hikers, giving us food and rides to hitchhikers.

The rest of Southern Maine was no joke. I did a 100+ mile stretch into Caratunk and it was packed with incredible mountains, ridges, rivers, lakes, and moose. Naturally I crushed it. I was surprised that there was such great hiking so close to me that I just never experienced. I’ve always just gone to the Whites when I go hiking and this incredible resource is so close. So many places I plan on returning to. Including the Caratunk House B and B, run by a former AT and PCT thru hiker Paul. Highly recommended. Paul has all the thru hiker staples: milkshakes, cheeseburgers and French toast and it was cheap.

From there it was about 40 miles to Monson and the beginning of the dastardly 100 mile wilderness. I tried and failed the breakfast challenge at Pete’s in Monson but left town with a full stomach and about 4 days worth of heavy food in my pack. The 100 mile wilderness goes from Monson to Abol bridge where there’s a store about 10 miles south of Baxter state park(two thumbs down for the store). The wilderness is out there, no civilization or cell service or anything. A week prior to getting there I had planned on meeting my mom at the Katahdin stream campground the night of the 4th.

After a day and a half of lots of little mountains I woke up on the morning of the 3rd with 66 miles of relatively flat trail, although rocky and rooty and muddy and buggy. I did a 38 mile day to make sure I had just an easy 28 miler into Baxter and got there shortly after 6pm. This must have been what hiking in the 90’s was like, no phones, just do what you have to do in order to be where you say you’ll be. So on the morning of the 5th I got up super early, and joined by the most badass 62 year old woman I know, bombed up Katahdin. The weather and the views were phenomenal. Reaching the sign at the summit was an indescribable feeling. So I won’t even try. We basked in the glory of the day at the top with a handful of day hikers then slowly made our way down and then home to Lynn.

The AT was great. Hard as anything I’ve ever done but beautiful, fun, and rewarding in ways I can’t put into words. If you’re thinking about thru hiking, go for it, just don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I spent the last few days at home and it was great. Got to see my family which should be increasing by one any day now when Mike and Erica have their baby. It’s too bad they didn’t time it better and have the baby while I was home, but whatever. Also got to officiate at my friends Joe and Kristen’s wedding. No big deal, only one of the greatest dance parties of all time.

One of the benefits of putting such a whooping on the AT is that now I’ve got more time for adventures. Right now I’m layed over in Philadelphia on my way to Seattle.  Don’t be too jealous though I just got stuck on a plane next to a giant with humongous elbows, no regard for my personal space, and who kept burping up the bologna sandwiches he had for lunch. Other than that, things are cool. Stay tuned if you want to see what I’m up to the rest of the summer and feel free to follow me on Instagram @endlesspsummer.

-Endless




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 Posted on July 11, 2016 by

 Appalachian Trail, Hiking, Thru hiking

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Live Free or Die

Mile 1757

Live free or die from mosquito bites. Just kidding that would be horrible and the bugs really haven’t been bad, tonight was the first time I had to apply Deet. But seriously, live free. I crossed into my 13th state today, New Hampshire. The thing is all states aren’t equal, there’s different lengths of trail in every one. If I remember I’ll try to include the mileage to each state at the end of this post. New Hampshire and Maine make up about 450 miles total and are supposed to be super tough, especially the White Mountains. I’m familiar with the trail through the Whites and I know they’re no joke but I really don’t know what to expect from Maine. I just better see some moose up there.

Last week I finished up New York and there was definitely some good hiking there. Plus you’re never far from civilization so you can get to a deli everyday and stuff your face with Italian subs, that’s what I did anyway. The trail passes through Connecticut for about 60 miles and it was pretty and everything but what stood out was how expensive the towns were, especially for a cheapskate like myself.

I had to go to the PO in Salisbury, CT to pickup some new sneakers. While I was there I went to the market and into a couple stores and let’s just say I won’t be taking any dates to Salisbury, CT in the near future. Massachusetts, no doubt,has the best people on trail. And I’m not just saying that because I’m from there.

First of all, earlier on the trail, every  time I would tell somebody I’m from Mass they would be like, “Oh you’re walking home?” Then I would think to myself, “No, dummy, I’m walking to Katahdin where I’ve been just about as many times as I’ve been to the moon.” And then I would feel like I owed them a geography lesson and explained where Lynn is and how the trail slices through the very western most section of the state. Anyway the trail through Massachusetts is pretty awesome and the people were great.

My first day in the state I was walking along and it was pretty cold and all of a sudden the skies just opened up. I mean it was raining cats and dogs and this went on for a couple hours. My rain gear was soaked through, I was cold, and I was a little miserable. When I finally got to a road I stuck my thumb out just hoping to get somewhere dry. After just a couple minutes, Brenda and Joe pulled over and asked me if I wanted to eat some food and warm up. This was awesome. I really can’t put into words what an incredible turn of events this was. They took me to their house where I showered and they fed me pastrami sandwiches. Brenda, Joe and their daughter Rachel invited me to a graduation party that afternoon and gave me an open invite to stay in their son Ryan’s yurt.

It cleared up so I decided to get back on trail but I’m sure it would have been fun. Brenda told me they look out for hikers and take care of them in memory of their late son who was a hiker and a traveler. It was so nice to have someone looking out for me that day.

The following day I stopped at the Cookie Lady’s house right off trail. This is an older couple who sell hard boiled eggs for 40 cents and the chocolate chip cookies and their stories are on the house. This has been going on for like 30 or 40 years and it’s awesome. That night I got into Dalton, MA where trail angel Tom Levardi lets hikers crash in his yard and then cooks them breakfast before they move on.

Leaving Dalton I prepared for altitude sickness summiting Massachusetts high point Mt. Greylock and then made it into North Adams where my parents came out to visit me for the night. What’s cool about my parents coming out, besides putting me up in a hotel and buying me a few meals, is that they’re super supportive. When I tell them I’m going to live in the woods for awhile and walk really far they’re like, “Oh cool! How can we help?” So they’ve been very helpful, which has been great.

I’ve spent the last 5 days in Vermont. I did this section last September and once again it was beautiful. It’s green, there’s good climbs, mountain lakes and refreshing rivers for swimming. The AT coincides with Vermont’s Long Trail for about 100 miles so I met a bunch of people doing that. Supposedly the northern half of the LT, which I haven’t done yet, is the tough half. At least according to my sister Molly, a former Vermonter and Long Trail alumnus.

Last night I walked about a quarter mile off trail in Woodstock because I had heard about this ice cream shop. Turns out the place closes at 5:30, even on a Friday night in June. Bankers hours I guess. So I’m walking back to the trail and local trail angel Dan Quinn offers to let me stay in his barn. I declined and told him I was just hoping to get a soda at the IC shop. He said he’d help me out if he could but he doesn’t have any soda. Then he tells me to wait a minute, he runs into his house and comes back with a 2 liter of ginger ale. He told me how his friend and Appalachian Trail legend ‘Baltimore Jack’ left it there a little while back and told Dan to hold onto it. Baltimore Jack hiked the trail a bunch of times in the past and had been a fixture in the AT community for years. He died earlier this season before I had the chance to meet him but I feel like he provided me trail magic from beyond. I shared it with the couple staying in the barn and it was just what I needed to get through the last few miles of the day.

Again today I had some great trail magic. I stopped at Randy Hart’s house in West Hartford, VT and he cooks pancakes for hikers passing through. And across the street from him is the ultimate swimming hole! For real, there’s a bridge with a 30 foot drop into deep water with a sandy beach on one side and a big rock to chill on across from it. If you’re ever in the area on a hot day like today, find the bridge and take the leap. At your own risk of course. Alright if you made it this far through the post I’ll keep my word and leave the approximate miles for each state. This is what I remember anyway.

Georgia 70, the trail runs the border of North Carolina and Tennessee for awhile so I’ll say 400 miles combined, Virginia has the most at 550, West Virginia 4, Maryland 40, Pennsylvania 230, New Jersey 80?, New York 120?, Connecticut 60, Massachusetts 90, Vermont 150, New Hampshire 150, and Maine the final state and second longest 270.

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 Posted on June 18, 2016 by

 Appalachian Trail, Hiking, Thru hiking

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In the Northeast

Mile 1414

Greetings from the Northeast! I’m not sure what exactly is considered the Northeast but I’m north of the Mason Dixon line and East of the Hudson River, so I’m definitely in the Northeast. Getting here was a challenge of course, but it’s been awesome. In order to get out of the South I had to pass a series of challenges or ‘feats of strength’ if you will. Starting with the 4 state challenge, which I crushed. I was moving pretty well all day and the trail through Maryland was good for putting up big miles. Except for the end, the last 7 or 8 miles included a rainstorm, a few good climbs and a very serious downhill. It was a long day, but I’m glad I did it.

The next day I passed the halfway point and the day after that there’s this store that has the “Halfway Half Gallon Challenge.” It’s really just a gimmick to get us to buy ice cream. You don’t get it for free or anything if you finish it. Still I had to do it, I’d been training for this moment my whole life and had 100 percent confidence I could do it. Anyway I got to the store around 8:30 in the morning. I primed my stomach with some pop tarts and a danish and hiked about 5 or 6 miles from my campsite to work up an appetite. I worked on my strategy for days leading up to this event and thought I was being pretty savvy going with Neopolitan(van/choc/straw), this way I wouldn’t get burned out on one flavor. Since a carton of ice cream is only 1.5 quarts you have to drop another 3 bucks on a pint to complete the challenge, and their selection was terrible. I chose peach and it was only ok. This was like the easiest challenge ever. Then I hiked all day.

The real challenge is the state of Pennsylvania. PA is notorious on the AT for being the hardest or the least favorite of all the states. There’s all these super sharp rocks that shred up your sneakers and wreak havoc on your feet. People have come up with clever names like ‘Rocksylvania’ or ‘the Pennsylvania Foot Massage’ and I do not like foot massages. Plus there’s snakes, I saw a huge rattler and a buttload of rat snakes.

Worst of all for me was the allergies I dealt with in PA. I walked through a field of hay or grass or something, got this stuff all over my arms and legs and had a pretty significant allergic reaction. I had hives all over, sore throat, was sneezing like whoa and one of my eyes swelled up all crazy. I felt like Thomas J in ‘My Girl’ ///SPOILER ALERT/// except I didn’t die. I still hiked all day, but then it rained on me, it absolutely poured. It was not my day.

If it wasn’t raining in Pennsylvania, it was hot and humid. I’m not complaining or anything, I still enjoyed myself, but I can see why people aren’t crazy about the place. I blasted through there and got to Delaware Water Gap, a town right on the border of Jersey, a week after I got into the state.

New Jersey and New York have been pretty sweet. It would have been a nice touch if Jersey had speakers on the border playing Bruce Springsteen, or at least Bon Jovi, but they don’t. These states are underrated. They’re tough and slow going  with lots of rocky ups and downs but really scenic, much more than I expected. Today I climbed through the lemon squeeze, hiked up bear mountain, through a trail side zoo and over the Hudson River on Bear Mountain Bridge which was quite spectacular. I don’t feel too far removed from civilization though. They call this section the deli run because of its close proximity to towns and restaurants. It’s a good section to stuff your face.

I’ve had some really good trail magic lately. A bunch of people have hooked me up with rides, Luke and Anna May drove me back and forth to WalMart so I could resupply in Port Clinton, PA. In Jersey I caught a ride in a big camper from a bunch of fun dreadlocked kids coming from a festival. I also got a ride back to the trail from a guy named ‘Sidecar’ not to be confused with the awesome Seattle trail angel of the same name.

In New York My friend Jessie drove up from Jersey, took me to Greenwood Lake and fed me a big piece of blue fish that she had just caught. My friend Angelika, a world traveling New Yorker who I met when I first started this hike in Georgia, met me at Harriman state park and took me out to dinner. Sometimes I wonder how I can be so lucky. Really. Things are going great. The trail has been fun, tough but fun. My body is feeling really good, besides the allergies which I’m on the other side of. And it’s been fun to take this on as a physical challenge. It wasn’t really my plan to move this quickly when I started but I’m sort of crushing it and I’m enjoying the pace.


If you’re interested in seeing more pictures of my hike, feel free to follow me on Instagram @endlesspsummer

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 Posted on June 8, 2016 by

 Appalachian Trail, Hiking, Thru hiking

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Just Shy of West Virginia

Mile 1019

Today I showered and it may have been the best shower of my entire life. At least top ten. Showering is one of my favorite thru hiking activities and I do it so infrequently. I’m not normally a dirty dude. In my non-hiking life I stay pretty clean and shower at least daily, but out on the trail, bathrooms aren’t always readily available to me. It’s hard to explain how good it feels to scrub off a hundred and something miles worth of sweat, mud and grime. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy feeling like a feral beast. Everybody out here smells like a wild animal and it’s to the point where only day hikers and people in towns can smell us. A hot shower after 4 or 5 days on trail is indescribably amazing. Even if the good of it doesn’t last very long.

Okay enough boring hygiene talk. Things between me and the Appalachian Trail have been going quite nicely lately. I feel as if I may have cranked up the pace just a hair and am moving along rather quickly. Knock on wood but right now my body feels fast and strong and my legs have been firing on all cylinders. Donuts and soda have been powering me through long days of cranking out big miles. I’ve still been hiking primarily solo on this trail but I’ve met lots of great people and some very formidable hikers. For a few days I hiked with ‘Badger’ and ‘Grouse’ and their dog ‘Shenny’. This is a fun couple who hike fast, enjoy slack packing, and eat ramen by the block. The other day I spent an afternoon bombing down the trail with ‘Svagnum P.I.’to beat an incoming thunderstorm. This girl, who is from Iowa, somehow pinpointed my accent to Lynn, Massachusetts. I was totally impressed. This morning I hiked with ‘Lava Monster’. We crushed about a dozen miles through ‘the Rollercoaster'(a section of trail named for its many steep ups and downs). This guy who is a competitive ultra runner can really fly on the trail. Today, however, was his last day since he was getting off trail in Harper’s Ferry. I’ve also come across some pretty sweet trail magic in the last week. The other night after a huge day, I got to a lodge within Shenandoah NP. I was hoping to get some hot food but the bartender already called last call. He still hooked me up with a Sprite and half a pizza which I promptly devoured. ‘Slay’ who was at the bar, let me crash on her site at the adjacent campground. Good thing because it was already super late and there wasn’t any good camping for miles afterward. Sunday, my friend ‘Shadowhawk’ from the PCT was passing through Waynesboro, VA while I was there. He treated me to breakfast and hooked me up with a ride back to the trail. A few days back I came across the Lexington, VA hiking club serving food at a road crossing and it was perfect timing. I guess they do it once a year and that day was my day. They insisted that I eat like forty cookies. #realtalk. Today ‘Shaggy’, a local thru hiker, and his mom were serving sodas and food and providing shade at a road crossing. Nothing like an ice cold Mountain Dew at a road crossing during the middle of a hot day of backpacking. I felt like we should have been on a Mountain Dew commercial.

So tomorrow is a day I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. I’ll be attempting the 4 State Challenge. Right now I’m tenting in Virginia about a mile from the West Virginia border. The challenge starts here, follows the trail for about 4 miles through Wild and Wonderful West ‘by God’ Virginia (really thats what they call it) then travels through about 40 miles of Maryland before ending in the 4th state of the day, Pennsylvania. It will be a big day but I’ve got faith in myself plus I have a plan. I’ll get up early, start walking, and listen to ‘Eye of the Tiger’ like 200 times in a row. Then as I enter PA I’ll switch it to ‘Chariots of Fire’ for the last 20 minutes or so. What could possibly go wrong?

Let me leave you with this little story. While hiking, I wear this green university of Oregon track tank top every single day(it stinks). You may be familiar with it if you’ve seen any of my recent pictures. I wear this jersey for no good reason besides its comfortable AF. I’m not from Oregon, I didn’t go to school there and I’m not a fan of their sports. I have nothing against the place, I love the state actually, and of course as a runner I’m pro Prefontaine. Everybody I come across has something to say about the shirt, it’s usually just, “Go Ducks!” or “PRE!!” But tonight a girl, who was section hiking southbound, told me how she’s a huge fan of Steve Prefontaine and his quotes and dropped this gem on me. “The best pace is a suicide pace, and today feels like a good day to die.” Morbid, sure and I’d regret dying, but inspiring. I’m about to crush it tomorrow: 4 State challenge at a suicide pace, let’s do the damn thing!!

-Endless

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 Posted on May 27, 2016 by

 Appalachian Trail, Hiking, Thru hiking

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Daleville, VA

Mile 729

Virginia is a big state, especially by AT standards. There’s over 500 miles of trail through Virginia and it makes up about a quarter of the entire AT. Right now I’m about halfway through the state and its been really cool so far. There were rumors that it was really flat and you could just cruise but I try not to believe the hype. I don’t know what people were talking about, there’s been lots of ups and downs plus some awesome stuff to see.

Grayson Highlands State Park is home to Mt. Rogers(the state high point) and also a whole bunch of wild ponies. These things are everywhere and make me feel like a giant when I stand next to them and pretend they are horses. Over the last couple days I’ve come across some incredible rock formations. Yesterday I saw the Dragon’s Tooth and today I walked out on to McAfee Knob and along Tinker’s Cliffs. They were all pretty rad. You’ll either have to take my word for it, google images, or visit them yourself because my pictures don’t seem to capture these places quite the way they looked in person.

Trail Days is a big hiker festival held every year in Damascus, VA. Lots of former and current thruhikers flock to this little town for a weekend in May for a hiker reunion of sorts. There’s food, gear vendors, a tent city(exactly what it sounds like), bonfires, a hiker parade and all kinds of festival stuff. A lot of people time there hikes so they’ll get to Damascus right as the festival is going on.

Since I was in Pearisburg, about 150 trail miles north, I was on the fence about getting back to Trail Days. I figured I’d try to hitch and if I didn’t wait too long I’d head back. I like for things to go beyond my control and just happen and I lucked out with two quick hitches right away. One of them being ‘Rookie’, a former thruhiker who was driving from Maine to Damascus. Trail Days was quite an experience and I’m really glad I went back to it. Lots of people that I met earlier on trail were there and because of our different paces I didn’t think I’d see them again. I also saw people from the PCT last year and that was awesome.

I ate breakfast with my buddy Diatom who’s also on the AT this year and who I hiked with for 300+ miles in Washington state last August. Of course I ate tons and tons of food at the festival, made some boring gear adjustments, and was even summoned for a few interviews. No big deal, I’ll probably just be the new face of the Visit Virginia marketing campaign. My friend ‘Hey Girl’ interviewed me for a podcast called ‘Sounds of the Trail.’ This podcast is pretty entertaining, it consists of interviews of hikers who are currently out on the major hiking trails in the country. If you’re into podcasts and hiking like I am, then you should check it out. My interview might even make the cut.

I left Damascus Saturday afternoon and got a great hitch all the way back to where I left trail a day earlier. ‘Rocket Man’ a former hiker and long distance mountain biker drove me about 30 miles past his destination just to help me out. It was over the top generosity and he provided me with some stories of his lifetime of adventures. This guy has really lived. The culture surrounding this trail is inspiring. Trail magic comes in many forms and lots of former hikers come back to help people out. I got rides into town this week from Dan-O and Sarah who travelled all the way from Hawaii to provide trail magic. And just tonight I met a couple from Marblehead, MA(so close to home). ‘Cabana Boy’ and ‘Dutch Tape’ drove me and a couple other hikers to the Golden Corral buffet(where the owners were probably happy to see me leave) and around town to run some other errands.

Things are going well. I’m feeling good, moving quickly, meeting great people, and enjoying my hike. If you’re interested, follow me on Instagram for more pictures. @endlesspsummer -Endless



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 Posted on May 18, 2016 by

 Appalachian Trail, Hiking, Thru hiking

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