Shona and I got to spend a weekend with British Appalachian Trail Thru Hikers called James and Jenny as they traversed the 52 mile Connecticut segment around 2/3rds of the way through the 2200 miles that makes up the ‘AT’. I got to learn that Copperhead Rattlesnakes smell of cucumber, how to make ‘AT Tacos’ and why a ‘Race to the Roast’ was the single most important thing that weekend.

My Weekend with Team ‘GB on the AT in CT’ taught me how adept at fieldcraft you can be on 1500 miles of the some of the most beautiful and challenging terrain the USA has to offer.

History of the Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian Trail was the brainchild of Benton MacKaye back in the 1920s  and stretches from Georgia to Maine in the USA through 14 states and over a total of 2200 miles. It’s estimated that 2 million people visit this trail every year. 

Shona and I had already hiked a large part of the AT through Connecticut late last year so were pleased to offer any help we could through this section for the ‘Stinky Brits’ as I had dubbed them.

As James and Jenny got to the Connecticut border we acted as a base for them to ditch gear, freshen up (they smelt BAAAAAD when I picked them up from Bulls Bridge) and go off and enjoy 4th July Celebrations in New York. After a few days of rest I would hit the CT section with them where they left off and Shona would join us in the evening of the Saturday and for the Sunday. We planned to get to Salisbury by Sunday which meant about 42 miles through CT.

Its All About Food

What becomes clear when you meet Thru- Hikers on the AT is their obsession with food and their distinctive…odor. Over the course of the weekend we stopped for a few minutes at many of the famous peaks, Caleb’s, St Johns Ledges and Mt Sharon and whilst the views are spectacular a Thru-Hiker has built up a certain level of ‘Vista Immunity‘ so after 30 seconds you’ll hear them exclaiming how good a caffeine drink is or how yummy a crunch bar is.

Earlier on the Friday night I had been utterly re educated on trail food watching the two of them gleefully hit a supermarket.

This peanut butter is better because it has a plastic jar so its lighter, this tuna pouch food that looks like cat food is yum on trail and wont go off and POP TARTS ARE GOD FOOD are just some of my supermarket Thru Hiker shopping experience.

100% Humidity (Again) High Temperatures and Thunderstorms

Anyone that has been around me on trail anywhere in the world will know I’m something of a ‘Rain God’ with the ability to summon clouds and floods everywhere other than the Sahara Desert. This was no exception that weekend. We got off to a good but hot start once we had figured out which way round James Poles went and I quickly maintained my 100% failure rate for picking the wrong clothes when outdoors in Connecticut.

We had a lot of hot climbs on tough rocky trails but were rewarded with some of the best views that Connecticut has. We made the usual AT progress which equates to about 2 mph which gives you an idea of just how challenging the terrain is.

By 5pm on the first day we went from being soaked through with sweat to torrential rain. We were so horrendously hot and sweaty that we didn’t even bother putting waterproof jackets on and relished the warm rain cooling us off slightly.

145 BPM resting Heart Rate

The Stinky Brits have lost a bit of weight since they set off. About 60 lbs between them. They’ve also gained an enormous amount of trail fitness and they now have an effortless pace on trail. I died inside trying to keep up on some of the ascents on day one and my Garmin showed my heart rate was in the ‘impending heart attack’ zone most of the day. By 3 pm with thunderstorms rumbling around us we stopped by a brook and cooled ourselves off. I actually just laid down in the brook to cool down. We talked about lots of things they had learnt on the way, how to hang gear, how not to fight being wet or hot and simply go with the flow and that Copperhead Rattlesnakes smell of cucumber when threatened. All useful stuff.

Red Faces,Amazing Vistas and Keeping it Classy

The views were still spectacular but each rocky ascent left me with sweat pouring from my face. We probably drank a few litres per hour just to stay on top of the heat. We all had bright red faces and on and off headaches from the heat. What amused me was that at each fresh water stream or brook Jenny and James politely took out cups to drink from and rest while I chugged from a huge bottle. It was the element of casual trail class that they had, as if drinking from a cup maintained some connection with ‘the muggle’ (their words) civilization off trail. These are the British traits I take for granted in the UK.

Pine Knob Sunset

We charged a final 7 miles in heavy torrential rain to slog it out to the planned camp site where we would meet up with Shona. The sun was setting as we got to the Part of the AT that shares its trail with the CFPA Blue Blaze Trail called Pine Knob Loop. This is the first Blue Blaze Trail Shona and I completed at the beginning of the year as part of our personal challenge to complete all the CT Blue Blazes in one year. We even hold the Fastest Known Time on that small loop too!

Just before twilight we reached the peak of Pine Knob and were rewarded with a view of the mountains and valleys with the clouds scattered beneath us. The landscape looked more like an African rainforest scene than Connecticut USA.

Fireflies and Fahitas

We set up camp just north of Pine Knob and after an epic tumble in the dark which broke one of my trekking poles (it heroically sacrificed itself to break my fall) we were guided in to the camp area in the woods by fireflies blinking in around the trail and eventually Shonas head torch as she came out to meet us. I was exhausted and my headache had returned so I set up the most ramshackle deployment of a tarp ever assembled between two trees and threw up an MSR mesh house beneath it to keep the bugs off Shona.

We heated up ready meals with a small gas stove, had a small cup of ‘Trail Wine’ and I cuddled a friendly frog before going to bed. I ended up sleeping in a lightweight sleeping bag simply under the tarp. The overnight temps were high and there were still rain showers overnight so none of our clothes and gear had any chance of drying out.

Up For the Crack

We set off in the morning with a slightly easier day of 19 miles to Salisbury. Overall the terrain would be slightly less brutal and the temperature was a few degrees lower and the humidity had dropped from ‘Butterfly Farm’ to a more comfortable ‘70%’, making the day a bit easier. I was still quite heat frazzled from the day before so Shona spent most of the day lugging a pack between us and I dumped my pack in Shonas car as we passed it on the trail.

Great Falls

The route took us past the stunning Great Falls and a few open field sections that almost looked like the North Downs Way in the UK. The ‘easier day’ was still hard work and a 1400ft ascent in the afternoon up Mount Sharon made me ‘go very quiet’ while I tried to not burst into flames.

The AT has its Own Online Community

I found out about the app ‘GutHook‘ on the trail too. A superb online community app that allows Thru Hikers to leave notes for each other about where the streams have decent water, places were people will put you up and things to watch out for. The wooden shelters on the trail also have ‘analogue’ guest books you can leave notes in for the Thru Hikers behind you so you can say hi. This app makes traversing the AT massively easier and is possibly the only justifiable piece of modern tec on trail.

Morph and Womble

Thru Hikers get trail names. I got told about a guy who uses his I Phone to translate and communicate with people so his Trail Name is naturally ‘I Phone’ and even he now signs off in the Shelter Books with ‘I Phone’. Jenny is known as Womble because she picks up litter ( like the famous British Wombles of Wimbledon Common) and James is known as Morph because he has a tight fitting hooded orange top that makes him look the UK 1970 childrens TV character of the same name.

Triple Proclaimer

Towards the end of the second day we were there when Jenny and James hit the 1500 mile mark. In the UK there was a famous song by two Scottish Brothers in a band called the Proclaimers called ‘500 Miles‘. I found myself humming the song in my head as they hit the ‘Triple Proclaimer’ mark. Before long we had arrived in Salisbury around 5.30pm in time to hit a ‘British Pub’ called the White Hart that does a splendid dinner.

Jealous and Relieved

As we ate a Roast Dinner and Burgers I knew I was hugely relieved to be heading home to a dry bed and no walking the next day. I also knew that by tomorrow and after a shower and clean clothes I would look out the window the next day and be deeply jealous that they were heading on Northwards through the trail towards more and more stunning terrain.

Thru Hiking the AT is a big deal. Unless you’ve actually seen the terrain its hard to understand just how challenging the rocky winding trails are. A fit hiker might manage an average of 2 mph on it. There is nothing that comes close to comparison in the UK ( including Scotland and The Lake District). The combination of fearsome temperatures, humidity and biting insects, Snakes and Bears (Jenny and James have bumped into one) makes every day a challenge that’s more than most can cope with. The dropout rate for Thru Hikers is fearsome in the first week.

I’m inspired the most by ordinary people doing extraordinary things, but in this case James and Jenny aren’t ordinary, they show an incredible amount of tenacity and a depth in their relationship that was joyously enviable. Gear flaws, fitness flaws or relationship flaws are all tested to breaking on this trail. Morph and Womble will finish the AT with a lifetime of adventures distilled into one 6 month moment.

The Appalachian Trail is a fine Cognac to be savored, not a shot glass of FKT tequila to be slammed and their ethos is completely in keeping the trail. It’s the secret to their success. I often talk about ‘moving with the landscape’ and not fighting conditions on long trails but that weekend I got to spend 2 days with Trail Pros and it showed.

I can’t wait to take my best friend (and Best Man) from the UK Kieran out to see this trail in 2 weeks time the day before my wedding day.

Garmin Gpx Files

My route for the two days can been seen and downloaded for day 1 here and day 2 here.