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'Alpine' and 'Princess Brat' gave us another name - "Eats and Eats-A-Lot"
Publisher's Note: This is a trail journal by Dustin Jackson in his own words and
thoughts.
He is hiking the Appalachian Trail southbound from Maine to Georgia. The News & Neighbor will follow his adventure as he reports to us via internet cafes. He
will also send photos from stopping points along the trail. The map included
with his journals will mark his progress. You can also follow along via
internet by viewing his trail journal at: www.trailjournals.com/Jackson
Dustin's email address is: appalachian.jackson@gmail.com
By Dustin Jackson (Trail name "Farsang")
Day 34 14.7 miles Hexacuba Shelter.
Today I hike for my cousin Eric Riddle. Crazy guy, great story teller, great
person to hear laugh. He has turned into a good father and husband.
Today was kind of weird. It was seemingly flat. I was weary of it because I
didn
’t know when it would start whooping my butt again. Felt good to stretch out my
legs and not watch every step. It was buggy and hot. I still have a lot of food
left over from the Whites. We finished today with a "North Carolina style"
climb. Good to be back in normal Mountains.
Day 35 17.7 miles Moose Mountain Shelter
Stan had to wake me up this morning. I was stone asleep. Today is the first day
that I really felt the heat and humidity. Still a lot of climbing just not over
rocks. Looking forward to Hanover tomorrow.
Day 36 11.0 miles Hanover by the soccer field
Today I hike for Mike Davis. He is a single father of two, now adults who are champion athletes and going to
college.
Mike has never struck me as a woods person, so what better day to walk through
the city.
We walked out of the woods onto Main Street. Walked a half mile by grocery stores, boutiques, Ben and Jerry’s and apartments. All of this IS the Appalachian Trail.
Stopped by the post office and picked up a loaf of zucchini bread Becky had
mailed. Walked to the Dartmouth Outing club by more stores and a Gap.
I thought about buying 2 pairs of khakis and getting one free, but I passed. I ate lunch and got a haircut, left the beard though. Sat outside in a huge common area watching the students walk by. Went to the grocery store and camped at the soccer field. It was weird having the city so close by.
Day 37 16.7 miles Cloudland Lean-to
Today I hike for Nick Copp, a friend since elementary school all the way through
college. We even have the same degree. Without him I would have never made it
through drafting class.
Lots of road walking today. Walked the road back through Hanover, across the Connecticut River, then into
Vermont, state number three. We hiked New Hampshire in 13 2/3 days.
What a state it was. We hiked the road for about 2 more miles and finally back into the woods. We must have sped up from the road walking because we hiked the next 8 miles in
2.5 hours.
The trail rolled across mountain top fields filled with wildflowers. We swam in the river down by West Hartford. I had a hotdog and an ice cold Coke.
Seems to be a trend. Hot again today, the swim was perfect.
Day 38 11.9 miles The Lookout
Today I hike for Lou Corletto of Life Expressions Chiropractic. I call him a life changer. He had a big hand in getting my mind right to even consider hiking the trail. He allowed me to open my own eyes to see how great life is and can be.
Today was a funny day for hiking. We hiked out, no dew on the leaves, so we expected rain. We walked up one ridge, then down, then right back up another. I do like hiking in Vermont, very beautiful, simple, and removed from the city. Saw a porcupine, the first I have ever seen in the wild. We stopped down by road VT12 and saw a fruit stand. They said they had pie! Stan flipped a nickel. Heads we would go, tails we would think about it. It came up heads! They weren’t open yet, but when the owner showed up, she still had warm 6 inch blueberry
pies.
I had mine with 2 scoops of ice cream. We finished up and hiked onto the next shelter. We had lunch and I napped about 2 hours. We walked up to the Lookout cabin, rain and thunder were threatening. The air was sticky, the views were beautiful. 'Stayin' said, ‘We’re stayin!’
Day 39 17.5 miles Twelve Tribes Hostel
Today I hike for Henry Joy. A stranger to none, a friend to whomever he meets. Henry is a true friend, and a person I can count on.
We decided to hike on into Rutland today. We hiked out to the road by 2:00 p.m.(17.5mi). A guy with a 2 door BMW picked us up and drove us to the INN at the Long Trail. I had 2 Guinness served at the ‘correct temperatureî. Our trail friends 'Solar' and 'Lunar' named me and 'Stayin’ ‘The Hill Billies.’ We hitched another ride into Rutland, a picturesque downtown similar to
Greenville, SC.
A music festival was going on. We went to Wendy's and ate too much. Then I bought a 2-pound box of strawberries and a bottle of whipped cream and
went to town.
Day 40 0 miles Twelve Tribes Hostel.
First zero day since Monson, ME. We worked in the kitchen this morning and then this afternoon to pay for our
stay.
I went to the grocery store and bought some different food. The soup style noodles just don’t work for the hot weather. For breakfast I had some pastries, pound of blueberries, pound of strawberries,
eggs, and a half gallon of chocolate soy milk.
I feel good and healthy. For lunch we boiled up some shrimp and ate a cantaloupe. I feel good and rested and full.
Day 41 16.7 miles Clarendon Shelter
Today I hike for Mike Bryant, a man who was a mainstay in my childhood. He always had Weimaraner dogs who were bigger than me. I remember his loud Chevy primer gray Nova. He will be missed.
Woke up for breakfast and rode the bus back to the trail. My pack was again heavy with food. Some other fellow hikers 'Alpine' and 'Princess Brat' gave us another name for
our team.
“Eats" and "Eats-a-Lot.” Good easy hike today. Really enjoyed the break.
Day 42 23.3 miles Peru Peak Shelter
Today I hike for Flora Joy. I would finish the trail in 2 months if I had as much energy as this lady. She is talented in so many things. She made the patch of my name for my pack. I know that I could call her any time for anything I needed out here.
So I hiked the longest day yet. I knew I would when I woke up. I was in a good mood and full of energy. I walked faster than 'Stayin’ for some reason. I didn’t see him on my morning break, or at lunch. It’s weird being without him after being with him for 400 miles. I climbed about 5,000 ft today and am no more tired than any other day. I would have never thought of hiking that far in one day. I swam in the pond right before the shelter, a good finish to a good day.
