January 2016 CT AT hike

Saturday, January 23rd, 2016

Start: Old Sharon Rd, Sharon, CT

End: Hoyt Rd, Wingdale, NY 

Mileage: 22.8 miles (map completed after the fact)

I parked my car at Hoyt Rd, right on the CT/NY line, and got a shuttle to Old Sharon Rd from Dave of Backcountry Outfitters. The day was overcast, windy, and cold (high was 28 degrees). Snow was forecast for that afternoon and evening. 

I started hiking at the AT at 8:30am from Old Sharon Rd. 

I quickly came to Guinea Brook and made a careful crossing on icy rocks and tree trunks. 

I hiked by Silver Hill Campsite, making a stop at the privy on my way past. The site had multiple picnic tables, a pavilion, a look-out point, a water pump, and a swinging love seat. I saw three people outfitted for overnight backpacking resting at the campsite.

I passed by Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter, Mt Algo Shelter, Schaghticoke Mountain Campsite, and Ten Mile River Shelter. 

I climbed St Johns Ledges (943'), Caleb's Peak (1164'), Indian Rocks (1232'), and Ten Mile Hill (1000'). 

I hiked for a few flat, scenic miles paralleling the Housatonic River.

It snowed from 11am-12pm, dropping an inch or so of snow and then began snowing in earnest around 4pm. There was ~3 inches of snow by the time I hiked back to my car, arriving at 6pm. I hiked the last half-hour by headlamp. 

It was cold enough that my water bottles would freeze if not handled regularly; by the end of the day, they'd frozen closed. There were gusts of wind up to 40 MPH which added a wicked windchill; overall, the day's weather made it challenging to stop and take breaks. The cold weather irritated my asthma, making my breathing more labored in general. The terrain was made more difficult by layers of dried leaves, icy rocks, ice patches, and frost heaves/needle ice. The ground would often give away underneath me 1-3 inches if I stepped on the ice and dirt formations. 

During the course of the day, I gained over 4,000 ft of elevation, which goes a ways towards explaining why I was so tired and why my legs were so sore in the days following my hike. 

With this hike, I completed the Connecticut section of the AT and approximately 51% of the entire trail. The remainder of the AT I have left to hike includes: Stratton, ME to Katahdin; Pinkham Notch, NH to Gorham, NH; and Waynesboro, VA to Springer.  

Appalachian Trail - part 1

This hike occurred on August 17 & 18, 2013

Trail heads:
8 Old Sharon Rd., Sharon, CT - Parking: We were a bit nervous leaving a car here but there was one space across from an unoccupied house that appeared to be either a weekend/summer house or abandon. The road is dirt and very quiet and we had no problems. 

152 West Cornwall Rd., West Cornwall, CT - Parking: This road crossing had space to park 5-6 cars off the road on gravel.This road is paved and very quiet. 

Length/Distance: According to the CT Walk book and the Appalachian Trail guide, the two sections of trail we completed should have both been 2.3 miles. We did not track our first section (approximate map here) but did track the second and it was 2.73 miles.  

Summary: On the first day, there was a bit of a climb, though there was a very nice view towards the top to serve as a reward. You could see smoke from the nearby Housatonic Meadows State Park. 

We hiked along to the Caesar Brook campsite. There were three other (most likely thru-) hikers already there, all with hammocks. The campsite had a lot of space for tents and hammocks, as well as a wash station for dishes and a "chum" privy with no walls. Caesar Brook was very nice and you could hear the brook burbling from camp.  

We set up our tent, cooked dinner, and turned in for the night. 

Around midnight, two people barreled into camp with bright flashlights and loudly set up their tent. They were still sleeping when we left.

We were the first ones awake, packed up camp, and were on the trail by 7am. By the brook, there was a foundation from an old house. 

We crossed over a few more streams. 

And eventually crossed over a substantial creek. 

Old Cornwall Road was just beyond this creek crossing. 

Overall, it was a good first-time-out backpacking trip. We were only out for dinner and breakfast so we didn't need to pack a lot of food or other supplies. I did determine that the REI two-person tent we own needs to be split between two people to be packed comfortably as it's just shy of 6 pounds.