Jack’s journal: on the Appalachian Trail

Editor’s note: In Tara Kelly’s “Consider This” column published March 10, titled “Helicopter Mom,” she described her anxiety in seeing her teenage son, Jack, go off with his buddy for a hike on the southern arm of the Appalachian Trail. She promised us that Jack would share his journal with us upon his return, in hopes that her worry would have been for naught. It apparently was, as evidenced below. Here is Jack’s condensed hiking journal, and it is just the tonic to prepare us all for some bracing spring walks, long or short, on the trail. Day One, March 7, 2011Everything is a go! This morning, 7:20 a.m., everything was packed and my uncle, who was driving us to the drop-off point, was downstairs. Said goodbyes to Noah’s parents and headed off. The trip to Front Royal, Va., was pretty straightforward. Things got a bit tricky when it came to the trailhead. Spent an hour to an hour-and-a-half trying to find it. Found two trail heads. About a mile-and-a-half in, we realized we’d passed our first campsite by miles; we’ll stay at Dick’s Dome tonight. The hike was around 8 miles, but didn’t seem that long. Got to the shelter around 5:45 p.m. and met Scott: a drummer in a Christian rock band, a recently quit 30-year smoker and avid hiker. He showed us some topo maps. It looks like the next two days will be rough. Dinner is lentils and rice. Made a little too much, but tasty. Sleep will be easy. There is a funny anti-bear device outside the shelter: a 12-foot metal pole with hooks.Day Two, March 8, 2011A long day. Today would’ve been 9 miles and the next two days would each be 14, or something of that nature. However, in order to break up the “roller coaster,” an arduous section of trail, we decided today would be a 15-mile day. Started hiking at 8 a.m. and ended at 5 p.m., at Sam Moore shelter. Exhausted by the end, but besides that, a great day. Day Three, March 9, 2011Today was hard. Began at the usual 6:30 a.m. Yet another change in plans made today 14 miles, not 10. The last 4 miles, however, felt good. It started raining around 1 p.m. and went on a few hours. When we had hiked 10 miles we had a choice to hike 4 more to a shelter or stay at Black Burn campsite. Although a bit sore, we ate some gorp, peanut butter and Fig Newtons and headed off. It was a relatively flat ridge, which made hiking easy. Getting to the shelter was terrific. Feet hurt a bit, but a fresh pair of socks solved that. Dinner was ramen, lentils and rice with lots of cheese and sausage with a Snickers bar for dessert. Tomorrow will be cold and wet but we should be in Harpers Ferry, W.Va., so it shouldn’t be a worry. Day Four, March 10, 2011Turns out we’re not hiking. Throughout the night it rained continually. Nothing got soaked in the shelter but everything is wet. The plan is to sit around and just enjoy the view for a bit.It’s 2 p.m. and it’s too late to start hiking. At around 8 in the evening it started pouring. Time for sleep, unfortunately in a wet sleeping bag, but I’ll be toasty no matter. Day Five, March 11,2011Had a horrible time getting to sleep because I was so energized, woke up four or five times. At 2 in the morning, the clouds disappeared and the air became fresh and dry. The stars were bright and lights from the cars, cities, town, really whatever was below us, glimmered. Hopped out of bed at 6 a.m. We arrived at the ATC headquarters around noon. The people were all really friendly. Getting into the HQ and seeing lots of photos of thru-hikers only made me want to hike the whole thing, Georgia to Maine, as soon as possible. We hiked around the town of Harpers Ferry, W.Va. Lunch at Cannonball’s was tasty and a refreshing change from lentils and rice. The outfitter is pretty cool, has a natural spring that runs through the solid rock of the first floor. Most of the town is a mixture of oddball museums about John Brown’s raid in the 1850s. It’s all pretty cool but when looking for lip balm it makes life mighty hard. On the side of the town facing Maryland there is a whole slew of pubs and a great, real, general store, where the guy was kind and chatted us up.Heading back to the ATC, that sort of concludes our trip. Noah’s parents came at 7 as expected and we threw our stuff in the dryer that night. Sleep is easy after a great trip, hopefully I’ll get back out soon. Jack Kelly-Willis, a junior in high school, is also known as Sunflower, the trail name given to him by his classmate and hiking buddy, Noah Wertheimer.

Latest News

Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less