1/3
August 17, 1983: Three miles later, I was at Finerty Pond. The next good water on the trail was more than eight miles ahead, so I settled for bad water and pitched my tent for the night. I was not about to drink pond water without boiling it for several minutes. I was forced to drink hot chocolate with my meal. Mmmm, mmmm.

1/3
June 11, 1983: I hiked thirteen book miles of the AT the previous day over Mount Rogers and the Grayson Highlands. I had intended for that to be an easy day as I savored those last giants and prepared myself for the upcoming big mileage push. However, having hiked so many extra miles off of the Appalachian Trail while roaming the highlands, I was exhausted.

1/8
September 12, 1983: I had one final meal of solid food before resuming the backpacking phase of my trip today and my return to gourmet fare like rice and instant oatmeal.

1/4
May 18, 1983: Derrick Knob shelter was in an excellent spot, similar in appearance to Russell Field. About a dozen small deer were wandering around nibbling the grass and the lower leaves, and they let me approach surprisingly close. It is pretty amazing how brave the deer are in the national parks, where no hunting is allowed.

1/5
September 15, 1983: When I finally attained that summit, I checked my watch and discovered that it was almost 9:00. I had consumed two hours in hiking two-and-a-half miles. At the rate I had been covering ground the past couple of days, Katahdin was beginning to once more achieve the status of fairy tale.

1/5
August 8, 1983: I passed park benches also swarming with humanity, most of whom seemed to be staring at me, wondering what the hell I was doing walking through that park with a backpack on. I did not do much to reassure them. I could see that most of them thought I was a psycho, and that had me constantly breaking out in fits of laughter, which no doubt convinced them.

1/4
June 10, 1983: Mount Rogers' peak had no views, but I spent ten minutes savoring the sights and sweet aroma of a very New England-like woodland and feeling just a little bit homesick.

1/2
May 6, 1983: My camera received heavy use this morning, as I traversed another group of scenic ridges with equally picturesque names. The six miles of trail between Neels Gap and Tesnatee Gap featured a long uphill climb similar to yesterday’s and some steep downhills, but most of the trail was nicely graded.

1/6
September 1, 1983: The trail down the far side of Smarts Mountain was in worse shape than the ascent had been, but what did that matter to a man surrounded by that kind of magnificence? The AT lunged downward across more of those dripping, mossy rocks.

1/10
August 24, 1983: A 12:45 start today. I had four major mountains to climb. I would need to average two-and-a-half miles per hour, rest stops included, in order to complete this section by dark.

1/5
June 3, 1983: Of all the mountains I have seen on this hike, Hump is now my favorite.

1/4
May 13, 1983: Heading north from Springer Mountain, the tiny unincorporated community of Wesser, North Carolina is the first trail town through which the #AppalachianTrail physically passes. This corner of Wesser is a narrow strip along the floor of the deep, heavily-wooded, steep-walled gorge which the Nantahala River has gouged through the mountains.

#SevereWeather #PacificCrestTrail #AppalachianTrail

From CNN.com: Storms tore up two of America’s most iconic trails. Federal cuts have disrupted repairs

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/06/us/federal-layoffs-hiking-trail-storm-repairs?cid=ios_app

1/9
September 13, 1983: After Page Pond, the AT scaled steeply up to Wocket Ledge, where open rock faces just off the trail provided the best southward views I had yet seen in the Mahoosucs.

1/3
August 21, 1983: After a steep scramble up a rockslide, the trail broke out of the forest onto open rocks and ledges along the ridge crest with great views southward across the valley. The neighboring large towns of North Adams and Williamstown spread out below, covering a broad, relatively flat section of that river valley.

1/5
October 2, 1983: My first three-and-a-half miles took me through the end of the wilderness. The Appalachian Trail wound through an attractive forest, and it was gentle walking.

1/4
July 22, 1983: I took my third and final break of the day about four miles past Neys Shelter at Auburn Lookout, the sole viewpoint from the Appalachian Trail all day. It was a rock outcrop hanging high above Port Clinton village and a long curve of the Schuylkill River Valley.

1/6
September 22, 1983: The ascent of Little Bigelow was gradual and the new trail well laid-out. The AT reached the ridgeline of the mountain and traversed a series of rocky knobs, several of which had open ledges. The sun had finally broken through, and the day had turned clear and beautiful. The haze was gone from the air, replaced by a crisp hint of chill.

1/3
August 16, 1983: The Appalachian Trail followed dirt roads for most of the ensuing five miles to US 7; the final mile or so was on a paved road. I passed through an attractive mixture of farms and woods: green and gold fields of ripening corn, cool, dark forest groves, green pastures dappled with yellow dandelions, some amazing views back towards the Taconics.

1/5
September 24, 1983: From the bank, it all looked so peaceful. Golden sun-drops swirled innocently over foam-flecked blue and soft breezes stirred the pines. The initial fifteen or twenty yards to the gravel bar was almost anticlimactic. The current was strong, but the water was barely ankle-deep.