Step by Step…

Greetings from Great Barrington! It’s been a busy couple of weeks and we’ve clicked off quite a few milestones, including: hitting 1400 and 1500 miles, reaching the 2/3rds mark, getting through New York, Connecticut and starting our jaunt through Massachusetts. Phew! It’s been nothing short of a wild ride lately, all made by better by the folks we’ve gotten to connect with! Without further adieu, here’s the highlight reel!

New York wasn’t about to let us leave without some memorable sections! Our personal favorite was rightfully named the “Lemon Squeezer” and we had a blast trying to fit both our bodies and packs through the narrow crevasse.

Shortly after the squeeze, we got to enjoy a rock scramble and some steep sections to finish off the state. Check out the fun below! 🙂

New York had no shortage of both challenges and beauty, but we were more joyous than anything to meet up with our family crew, the Matlock’s! They graciously drove SIX hours to meet us and we enjoyed a much needed day of laughs, games, swimming and good times. Nothing fills the soul quite like family time! Though the visit was far too short, we left with stuffed bellies and even happier hearts. Thanks for everything Matlock’s! Biggest shoutout to all of your help and for bringing the party!

We had a blast as well with the other folks we got to hang with the last few weeks. We had a few solid days of hiking with Old Buzzard, partook of some swimming at nearby lakes with friends both new and familiar, as well as got some of the best trail magic to date! We ran into PTL and his wife twice, and they ended up slackpacking us for seven miles. Not only did they help us have a speedy seven miles, but they also fed us a hearty breakfast and lunch. We can’t thank them enough!

Is it really the North East without a little (or a lot) of rain? We got caught in quite an epic storm and had the pleasure of waking up to a puddle in our tent. With such intense rain, many places were closed to cars in the following days and we got to see some epic sights all to ourselves! While it felt a little “end of days”, it didn’t stop us from enjoying every moment, annnnd stuffing ourselves with delicious wine berries!

Whilst picking the perfectly ripe berries, we crossed paths with Ember, who has quickly become a hiking buddy of ours and definitely brings out our best dance moves!

Maybe it’s fate, maybe it’s not but the trail always seems to know when we need a boost. After miles and miles of bogs, mosquitos, seemingly endless rain we were mentally and physically exhausted. Just when you think you have reached your wits end, a new part of the journey begins, and with that we crossed into Connecticut!

Connecticut was undoubtedly one of the most gorgeous states we’ve hiked through yet. That, or maybe we just REALLY liked the handful of flat sections it offered. We were impressed with the quaint, picture perfect towns and the top tier trail maintenance. Pennsylvania could take some notes!

Unfortunately, it wasn’t all rainbows and kittens in Connecticut. A few days ago, we saw another bear! Unfortunately for Peeta, she got a little too excited about getting the perfect shot and snagged her shoe on a root, landing nose first into a nearby rock. With narry a bear picture to show for her efforts, Peeta wound up with a very bloody nose that was thankfully not broken. Must be those strong Polish bones!

With so much rain having come down in the last few weeks, we had no shortage of epic water crossings and the main waterways were at record heights. I’m certainly glad we didn’t have to cross some of these behemoths!

Connecticut will certainly be a state to spend some more time in in the future, but with the promise of Katahdin ahead, we journeyed into Massachusetts two days ago. This will not be a state to forget, as we started our time in Massachusetts with some incredibly serious climbs. I think it’s safe to say though that the view was worth the efforts. And…1500 miles baby!!

And that’s all for updates! We will catch y’all down the trail. ☺️