What a gorgeous Class 1 day for our summit. It was something like a 4000 foot climb... I think it was the biggest elevation gain on the AT. That mountain is truly remarkable--as are the friends we made on this journey. Read/See more: ellishiking.com
My first bear sighting of the whole hike! Hard to believe we saw 3 all at once right here. Two days later we would see 5 more first thing in the morning. And people say NJ has the most bears... Read/See More: ellishiking.com
Wow. What a fun climb, what a fantastic view. It can be pretty hot up there, but we had the perfect weather. We stayed in Slatington the night before, cheap rooms, it was fun to watch the Simpsons learning about Scientology. Read/See more: ellishiking.com
Amicalola Falls is the starting point of the Approach Trail to the Appalachian Trail. Here we are, green as can be! 6 More months of this... see more at ellishiking.com
The mighty Mahoosuc Notch. It is definitely the most difficult piece of the entire trail. It is also one of the most enjoyable! Take your time but soak it in. Read/See more: ellishiking.com
Wrapping up the 2175 mile thru-hike, I just wanted to thank everyone who helped me out along the way. People gave us food, well-wishes, cards, letters of support and prayers. Thanks for allowing me to share my journey with you. Read/see more: ellishiking.com
This was a bear of a mountain. And it was slippery to boot. Since I was making up the piece that I missed (my hernia recovery period), I was heading south--the northern face (which I went up) is VERY steep. Second time I'd climbed that mountain, second time I'd gone up that side. I must be a glutton for punishment! Read/See more: ellishiking.com
This was the first day that I was back on the trail after having to get off for my hernia. You have to hate trail injuries... one minute you are feeling invincible, the next, you can't do what you were able to do yesterday.
White-Rocks in Vermont. People had created a bunch of rock cairn/sculptures. It was one of the most unusual things I had ever seen. Read/See more: ellishiking.com
One of several "Knife's edges" found along the trail. The commentary spot was just north of the knife's edge (a short little blue-blaze off the trail--you have to back-track to get back to the AT, but it is worth the climb for the view). Excellent Commentary provided by Monologue and Slingshot. Read/see more at: ellishiking.com
So we met this guy just south of this mountain, a local, who told us that we needed to respect the Roan (Roan Mountain) because it will take 3 hours or so to go 3 miles or so. We thanked him, had a good chuckle, assumed we were in for a good old fashioned whooping, and in fact got to the top in 2.5 hours. It was definitely tough. Read/See more at: ellishiking.com
Franconia Ridge is considered to be one of the most scenic locations on the whole trail. Lucky me, I traversed it in fantastic weather!! Read/See more: ellishiking.com
Ahh... the Half-Gallon Challenge. Each year, thru-hikers struggle to eat 1/2 Gal. of Ice Cream as quickly as possible at the half-way point of the trail. The record? Set in 2006 by Mystic--somewhere around 2 min. 40 sec. It took me just under an hour. And it hurt. Read/See more: ellishiking.com
We got to experience some incredible weather at one of the most recognizable landmarks on the entire AT, McAfee Knob. Tinker Cliffs are just to the north of here. Read/See more: ellishiking.com
One of my two major goals in thru-hiking was to cross the Mass-pike. This is me crossing it. I was thrilled, having driven under it and seen the sign a bunch of times. Read/See more: ellishiking.com
The New Jersey Deli. A Trail Legend. Stop in as many as you can. Trust Me. Monologue and I had just eaten in one and had the biggest sandwiches that you've ever seen. My 1.5 Liter bottle of coke was dwarfed by the sandwich. Wow. Good Stuff. Pictures and More: ellishiking.com
Beautiful River Walk in Connecticut along the Housatonic River. This is just after the climb down St. John's Ledges... a formidable downhill (luckily we NOBOs didn't have to go up it!). Read/See more: ellishiking.com
This is the official start of the Appalachian Trail. Springer Mountain is a little bit less majestic than I had hoped! Read our daily journal from the 2006 thru-hike, see pictures and more videos at: http://www.ellishiki ng.com
Carter Gap was a pretty neat shelter site. There are actually two separate shelters here--the older one is the first one you'll come across. Of course, we tented!! Beautiful pines, very soft ground. more at: ellishiking.com
Hiking through the Shenandoah Mountains were one of the highlights of the first half of the 2175 mile hike. Blessedly flat terrain. Talk about cruising. Oh, and the waysides... mmm... real food. You can even by a whole ham. Read/See more: ellishiking.com
![AT Thru-hike: Knife\](http://img.youtube.com/vi/KgXt-iZqqzA/2.jpg "AT Thru-hike: Knife\")
![AT Thru-hike: \"The ROAN\" (May 6, 2006)](http://img.youtube.com/vi/PWgCArVwgOo/2.jpg "AT Thru-hike: \\"The ROAN\\" (May 6, 2006)")
