Alex McCafferty

7/25 – Day 86 20.2 miles from Raccoon Ridge to Bridgeville From our campsite, the ridge walking continued for several miles. The terrain was littered with large rocks and dead birch leaves that made us feel like we were hiking in the peak of fall. The heat wave was beginning to wind down and an … Read more

7/18 – Day 79 18.6 miles from Hertline Campsite to Port Clinton We were rocked by a heavy thunderstorm through the night and woke up to significant water pooling in the tent floor. The Ziploc freezer bag I use for my electronics was compromised and most of everything Spout or I owned was at least … Read more

Spout is fired. She was supposed to be journaling the last four days but instead used her limited leisure time on things like “looking at the map” and “catching up with family”. It’s unacceptable really. Here’s some retrospective journaling from my boring POV.   7/11- Day 72 19.9 miles from Tagg Run to Carlisle Quality … Read more

7/4 – Day 65 23.8 miles from Jim & Molly Denton Shelter to Buzzard Hill   Following two neros and a zero, it was time to stop being lazy hikers and put in an honest day’s work. We hit the trail at 8:20am and it was only an hour later that Spout began complaining she was … Read more

6/26 – Day 57 7.7 miles from Stanimals 328 Hostel to Calf Mountain Shelter   Up to this point, whenever we hiked a half day or a nero we would always go the distance to town and spend the remainder of the day relaxing. In Waynesboro, we had a groundbreaking idea: rest in the morning … Read more

6/21 – Day 52 19.2 miles from Black Rock Overlook to Glasgow   It was the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, better known as Hike Naked Day on trail. We obviously wanted to participate, but since we still have some shreds of decency remaining we decided that simply taking off our shirts … Read more

6/8 ‐ Day 39 20.1 miles from Knot Maul to Jenkins Shelter   We lazily refused to walk down a steep 0.2 mile spur trail to get water at the shelter, opting instead to pack up and eat our breakfast at the Knot Maul Branch a mile further north. I was sitting on the bridge … Read more

6/1 ‐ Day 32 2.5 miles from TN/VA border to Broken Fiddle Hostel   Damascus is a major milestone on the AT. It is the symbolic southern terminus of the trail in Virginia, as well as the site of the largest hiker gathering in the country, Trail Days, which takes place mid-May. Cabbage, Happer, Spout, … Read more

5/24 – Day 24 16.9 miles from Bald Mountain to Mountain Inn   The rain stopped in the morning by time the first hikers in the shelter were stirring. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make the sensation of putting on a full, sopping wet outfit feel any better. We suited up in our sloshy sockies around 7:30am. … Read more

5/18 – Day 18 17.5 miles from Snowbird Peak to Bluff Mountain   We awoke to a warm sunrise visible through the trees from Snowbird Peak. We had a bit of a late start but hiked with Happer down the mountain in good time. At the bottom, we stopped at Groundhog Creek shelter where I … Read more