There are liberal numbers of shelters available along the AT. We typically pass one or two of them each day. They date to all periods since the AT was established in the 1930s. The typical design has changed from the early days, when they were constructed like small enclosed cottages. The Blood Mountain Shelter, built in 1934, is an example of this style, which would ... Read More
Bruce was the lead hiker early this afternoon as we crossed a sunny, dry ridge. Suddenly he lurched backwards saying "Whoa" and pointed at the trail just ahead of him. I leaned forward and examined the magnificent snake stretched across the trail. It was about 4 feet long and as thick as a commercial garden hose."I think it's a rattler," I said."Nah, I almost stepped ... Read More
We were only able to cover 10 miles today, even though we started at 9 am and walked until after 4 pm. The miles are generally slow on the AT and today was a particularly challenging day. We started with a climb up Blood Mountain, at 4400 feet the highest point we will see for a few weeks. (The place names are colourful in this ... Read More
Bruce and I are a day and a half into our walk in the woods. Bruce's brother picked us up at the airport in Chattanooga, Tennessee and the next day he and his wife delivered us to a parking area a mile from the summit of Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail (AT).We are walking through a southern mixed forest of elm, ... Read More
Ruth: Today I dropped Gord at the ferry to head off on an adventure - gulp - without me. A very rare thing for the two of us, but something I will have to get used to now that he has retired. He and his friend Bruce are flying to Georgia to walk for a month on the Appalachian trail. Not a trip I could ... Read More
Gordon, Doris, Herman, Marie Anne and HervéRuth: After seven lobster meals in five days we are stumbling onto our flight home in a lobster haze. Nothing to complain about, but I do look forward to eating some vegetables and perhaps toning down the gluttony just a wee bit. We have had a lovely visit in Moncton reconnecting with Gord's mom's sister and two brothers. There is ... Read More
Ruth: We are staying at the house of Gord's aunt and uncle in Dieppe, New Brunswick (near Moncton). Tonight Gord's Uncle Hervé cooked us a lobster feast. The plate above is just the leftovers! We offered to make a salad, but were told quite firmly that vegetables are unnecessary with lobster. I can't say I missed them. Hervé and Marie-Anne moved into an assisted living place six ... Read More
Ruth: It's wild blueberry season in Parrsboro.Parrsboro is located on the Nova Scotian side of the Bay of Fundy. It is the town where my Great Aunt Betty was born and grew up. When I was 16 my Great Aunt and Uncle brought me here for a wonderful summer vacation. I can still hear my Uncle Archie's stories as Gord and I wander through the ... Read More
Gordon: When I was growing up I was told that my great-grandfather had died in the mines at Springhill. I had heard of the "Springhill disaster" (there were actually three), but I was told that his death occurred in one of the smaller explosions. My grandmother was the youngest of 7 or 9 children. She was only 2 or 3 years old when my great-grandfather ... Read More
Gordon: Much of our communication in the past 6 weeks has been in French. While neither of us is fluent, we both have an intermediate knowledge and can comfortably travel in French. We have, however, struggled with the accents in Quebec and New Brunswick (which are not the same.). But today we truly were out of our depth when we encountered Chiac at an outdoor ... Read More