Scott's Ultra Challenge - Day 1

Experiences from the trail

Day 1 Stats
Dedicated to the Kimball Family
Start: County Rd in Stamford, VT
Low point: 630 ft Rte 2 in North Adams, MA
High point: 3,491 ft Mt Greylock in Adams, MA
End: Crystal Mtn Campsite in Dalton, MA
Distance: 27.5 miles

What a tough day! I did a lot of distance training and a good amount of training with my backpack on, but not nearly enough training with both to prepare me for this. Combining 27.5 miles of distance, climbing the 2 highest peaks in MA, and carrying 17 lbs of supplies up those mountains on my back made this much tougher than I had planned! Unfortunately the views from the mountains weren’t that great because of the low clouds.

It was a surreal feeling this morning when my wife Jan and I finally found the trailhead we were searching for in VT (it was very secluded). I was extremely apprehensive and my confidence about being able to complete this trek was low. I wasn’t afraid of what was out there before me (though it manifested itself in my head that way), I think I was afraid of failing. These runs I do with my custom shirt are extremely stressful to me in some ways because I feel a huge obligation to complete what I have committed to so many people to do, which is to bring their loved ones (in spirit) with me to some beautiful, peaceful and fabulous places around this country. Those 17 names on my shirt this year mean a lot to me, and even more to those who asked me to add their loved one’s name to my shirt. The thought of failing to succeed in my goal is very, very stressful… and I know I put that on myself 100%. The moment Jan gave me a big hug and kiss and drove away back down that dirt road, all those doubts and fears went away. They had to. I was now alone with myself in the wilderness and the only way I was getting back home was to start running south… so I did. And the spirits of those 17 names headed south with me!

I read in my AT guide that a section just south of the VT-MA border was treacherous and has a “bad weather bypass” because it is so nasty in rainy, icy or snowy weather. I found out soon that even in nice weather it was nasty. It was a huge avalanche of chunks of jagged Pink Quartzite rock flowing down the mountain. It was impossible to run and even hard to gingerly walk down. By the time I got to the bottom of it my feet were already sore and that gave me a big concern. Blisters on the first day would not be good!

I met a NOBO (northbound) thru hiker on his way to Maine as he headed north past Mt Williams and I was climbing it heading south. He was in a rush so we didn’t stop to talk aside from wishing each other well. I also met a very nice couple at the summit of Mt Williams who were from Albany, NY and have completed all of the MA and CT segments. We shared stories about other great hikes in the Adirondack and Catskill mountains of NY while I ate a snack. The hikers are extremely friendly.

The last 400’ of elevation gain to Greylock’s summit was a killer last year and I thought it wouldn’t bother me nearly as much this year… but it did! Man were my legs burning and starting to cramp already. Though I’m in better shape than I was when running up it last year, the 17lb backpack makes a huge difference. I also think it was “youthful” exuberance that caused me to run the first 14 miles way faster than I planned or needed to and that was going to make me suffer the rest of the day.

Mt Greylock was a huge disappointment for me. I’m sure part of it was the fact that the summit was totally clouded in, which seems to be the norm lately when I reach the summit of a mountain. When I ran it last year it was wonderful since the access roads were closed and the only people at the summit were hikers. Today it was packed as buses carted hundreds of people in and packs of bikers converged. There was nothing peaceful and serene about Massachusetts’ highest peak so I ate, rested, and got out and back on my way as fast as possible. By the way, the Bascom Lodge which is allegedly intended to service hikers was a rip off! I ordered vegetable soup, a P&J sandwich and a Gatorade and got hosed for $13!

Towards the end of the day I hiked a ways with a SOBO (southbound) thru hiker in order to talk a bit. He started solo at Katadyn in July but hooked up with 3 other SOBOs on the way. He is heading to a thru hiker’s hostel in Dalton, MA for the night tonight… I didn’t know hostels for thru hikers existed like that along the AT! He’s way behind time so he’ll hiking the last mile or two in the dark (ugh). He still plans to finish up in GA by December though he was slowed for 12 days in NH by a cut on his ankle which turned into a staff infection… I better take care of the scratches on my legs from the briars and rocks!

I went out way too aggressively today and my leg muscles (quads) were cramping horribly before I even reached the summit of Mt Greylock at the half-way point of my day. It didn’t get any better either, they stayed crampy for the rest of the way to camp. The good news is I have no blisters and no knee issues! But I will be sore tomorrow, I am sure of that!

When I got to my campsite here tonight it was filled to capacity with college students out to learn how to team build in the wilderness. A group from Princeton called Outdoor Action (OA) let me share their campsite. It was nice to rest and talk to such a friendly group of young adults. Apparently there are about 750 freshmen OA members in groups of 10-12 spread out from VA to VT spending 6 days on the AT.

Its chilly tonight and should get down to about 45 degrees overnight. As a result, it was sure cold going down to the spring and washing up to get the sweat and caked on dirt off my body. Its amazing how dirty you get from running 27 miles through the woods and mud bogs. The icy cold water felt good on my muscles but at the same time it gave me a good chill as the sun was setting.

In order to keep my pack weight down I did not bring a sleeping pad so I’m sleeping on the hard rocky ground tonight, but I don’t think sleeping without a pad will be as bad as I thought, especially with how tired I am. Its about 9pm and I’m already bedding down for the night, man am I tired! I’m so tired I could sleep on a bed of rocks…

Today is September 7th which makes yesterday September 6th and before Jan and I left for VT yesterday, I presided over a tree dedication ceremony for a young girl whose 9th birthday would have been that day. Her name is Susan Kimball and I’ve dedicated today to her memory, and to her family who now must adjust to life without her bright smile and great outlook on life. I only met Susan a few times as the sister of one of my newest Boy Scouts. Some people you meet, from the first moment you interact with them, you can tell they are someone special. Susan was one of those people.

I miss Jan already… she is so fabulously supportive of my crazy ideas and I can’t imagine my life without her in it. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m really an old softie who just simply enjoys spending time with his family, and being away from them makes me homesick very quickly. I look forward to seeing them again on Friday evening (Day 5) when they camp out with me.