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@gsteffanos.bsky.social Sep 26, 2026, 6:09 PM

🧵1/4
September 26, 1983, 43 years ago today: The Appalachian Trail left the road and entered the woods, soon reemerging at the shore of another beautiful mountain pond.

#backpacking #hiking #AppalachianTrail

Beneath a soft blue partly cloudy sky we are walking along the shore of a lake rippled by a strong breeze. Water levels are low, the shoreline is a swath of jumbled gray rocks that are usually part of the lake bed. The forest surrounding the lake is a mixed hardwood and evergreen forest. Several of the hardwoods are turning gold and orange with autumn.

@primetimehiker.bsky.social Sep 26, 2026, 12:33 PM

Section hike in Vermont. We're going on a Bear hunt! Lookie-lookie! #hiking #backpacking #animalencounter #appalachiantrail #nature #forest #bear

@gsteffanos.bsky.social Sep 25, 2026, 2:48 PM

🧵1/8
September 25, 1983, 43 years ago today: I became briefly lost while returning down the side trail from Moxie Bald to the AT.

#backpacking #hiking #AppalachianTrail

We are atop a mountain, looking out over a series of striated gray granite outcrops along the crest, partially covered by a forest of stunted dwarf spruce and fir sprinkled with a few hardwoods covered with bright golden autumn leaves. We are looking down at a huge valley dominated by a very large lake reflecting the very hazy very pale blue sky. In the misty distance beyond the lake a series of forested low mountain ranges cascade to the horizon.

@gsteffanos.bsky.social Sep 25, 2026, 2:00 PM

🧵1/7
September 25, 1983, 43 years ago today: Indian summer in western Maine. The weather is perfect: warm, sunny days followed by frosty nights. The insects of summer have, for the most part, died off for the year.

#backpacking #hiking #AppalachianTrail

Standing in a fire tower atop a mountain. Much of the visible crest of this mountain is large outcrops of smooth gray rock streaked with dark lichen mixed with a weather-beaten forest of spruce and fir. A second rounded peak ahead has a massive open rocky area around its summit. We can see for miles across a vast wooded valley with some large open fields and a lake to a range of mountains running along the horizon. The sky is clear with a few tiny clouds.

@primetimehiker.bsky.social Sep 24, 2026, 9:33 PM

New section hike video, this time we are in Southern Vermont. Yep, we saw a bear! #appalachiantrail
#hiking #backpacking #outdooradventure #naturephotography

@sheltercast.org Sep 24, 2026, 7:09 PM

We're going to pack up our posts for the off-season in a few days, but looking forward to publishing an article on the findings of this project thereafter... and we'll be up and running for our first full hiking season on April 1st! #AppalachianTrail #TrailWeather #GoOutdoors

@gsteffanos.bsky.social Sep 24, 2026, 2:48 PM

🧵1/8
September 24, 1983, 43 years ago today: The climb up Pleasant Pond Mountain from the shelter was the worst section of trail I had hiked in a while, but nothing could bring me down today.

#backpacking #hiking #AppalachianTrail

We are atop a mountain, looking out over the tops of spruce and fir trees running down the mountainside sloping down ahead of us. The green predominantly spruce and fir forest stretches out as far as we can see. Directly ahead is a wide, flattish valley with a couple of small ponds amid the forest. Beyond that rises a single mountain. A few gray cliffs along the side facing us and near the top break up its forested flanks. Other mountains rise in the background. The sky is a hazy bright white. A mix of sun and clouds is creating patches of bright sunlight and shade across the scene.

@gsteffanos.bsky.social Sep 24, 2026, 1:49 PM

🧵1/8
September 24, 1983, 43 years ago today: From the bank, it all looked so peaceful. Golden sun-drops swirled innocently over foam-flecked blue and soft breezes stirred the pines.

#backpacking #hiking #AppalachianTrail

Beneath a hazy blue sky with a few streaky clouds we are standing at on a shaded rocky bank of a wide but shallow river. The opposite shore is also a jumble of rocks and small boulders, a long, narrow bar of ricks and gravel lies not far from that riverbank. A low wooded ridge rises above the far bank.

@bdoucette.bsky.social Sep 24, 2026, 1:14 PM

While working on a project to digitize all my old photos, I came across these from my five-day backpacking tour of a segment of the Appalachian Trail.

Starting at the Bear Mountain Bridge in New York, we went north into Connecticut (more in alt)
#HumansOfBluesky
#Backpacking
#AppalachianTrail

Looking fresh and ready to conquer the trail, me and some friends line up for a photo in front of the Bear Mountain Inn. I'm second from the left (15 years old).

The first day was a slog. It started raining about an hour into the hike and continued until we stopped for the night. The camp in disarray, the next morning was a cold one with all of our gear and clothing soaked through, but we felt buoyed by the morning sun.

The night before setting out, my mom finally relented at 9 PM and granted permission for me to go on the trip. Wholly unprepared (I was sure she'd say no), I went straight to a supermarket for supplies. The canned food weighing me down on the trail, I was in a perpetual state of exhaustion. Stopping for lunch was a delightful reprieve.

Despite a soggy start and a relentless pace driven by our intrepid leader, Mike, there were moments of absolute sublimity. Here I am (on the left) enjoying the reward of a steep climb - a view of the terrain we endured to get there.

@gsteffanos.bsky.social Sep 23, 2026, 1:22 PM

🧵1/8
September 23, 1983, 43 years ago today: I fell in love with Pierce Pond and decided to pass the night upon its shore. A shelter sits a few feet away from the pond’s southern tip in a beautiful forest of shaggy cedars with a nice spattering of spruce and pine.

#backpacking #AppalachianTrail

A bright whitewashed early morning sky. Standing in shadow along the shore of a large pond. A breeze is chopping its blue waters as morning sun just hitting the far end of the pond is stirring up some morning mists. Sunlight is also hitting a low ridge above the far shore with a mixed forest of deep green conifers and hardwoods with bright foliage, including numerous white birch.

@gsteffanos.bsky.social Sep 23, 2026, 12:31 PM

🧵1/7
September 23, 1983, 43 years ago today: The AT followed the Arnold Trail for almost two miles. It crossed a flat, very boggy area surrounding the inlet stream for Middle Carry Pond but stayed well to the north and out of sight of the pond itself.

#backpacking #hiking #AppalachianTrail

We are standing on the shore of a cove on a lake. The sky is a soft deep blue with fluffy clouds. The lake is an even deeper blue, a fresh breeze is chopping its surface, small waves are breaking along the shore. Dry weather has left much lakebed exposed, creating a shoreline of light gray gravel, rocks and boulders. There is a great deal of bleached white driftwood piled up at the normal waterline up against the edge of a lush forest. The trees are mostly dusky green conifers, with a scattering of white birch and other hardwoods turning gold with autumn. A low ridge rises above the cove.

@primetimehiker.bsky.social Sep 23, 2026, 2:20 AM

My tent site at Story Spring Shelter. There were many options, none of them level or clear of a few rocks or roots! 🤔 But it was great to be out again.
#backpacking
#hiking
#appalachiantrail
#outdooradventure

@gsteffanos.bsky.social Sep 22, 2026, 3:47 PM

🧵1/8
September 22, 1983, 43 years ago today: The ascent of Little Bigelow was gradual and the new trail well laid-out. The AT reached the ridgeline of the mountain and traversed a series of rocky knobs, several of which had open ledges. The sun had finally broken through.

#hiking #AppalachianTrail

We are standing on open light gray rock ledges atop a mountain looking over the treetops at a much loftier range of mountains arcing to our left as it stretches into the distance. Its slopes descend towards a valley on our left. There are some rocky patches along the ridge crests and a set of massive gray granite cliffs to the left of the crest as it ascends the nearest mountain. Everything else in the picture is covered with a lush forest consisting mostly of teal colored evergreens, with streaks of hardwoods turning red, gold and orange for autumn. The sky is clear and bright, but a bit hazy and whitewashed. The ledges are covered with pale green and dark green lichen. There are a few stunted spruce and leafy shrubs that have turned brick red or bright gold with autumn.

@gsteffanos.bsky.social Sep 22, 2026, 3:05 PM

🧵1/7
September 22, 1983, 43 years ago today: Morning emerged reluctantly from the murk, leaking a cold, bleak light through the persisting deluge. I glanced outside, rolled over, and slept in until 8:30.

#backpacking #hiking #AppalachianTrail

The sky is overcast, with smaller clouds drifting past below us. We are standing atop a lofty mountain on its alpine summit. A rocky trail before us winds across the crest and down the mountain. The crest is strewn with gray lichen-covered boulders. There are very small scrub spruce shrubs and small leafy shrubs turned bright reds and golds for autumn. At intervals small rock cairns are piled up beside the trail. There is a smaller wooded mountain to our right. The rest of the frame is dominated by a portion of a huge lake in the otherwise wooded flattish valley below. Beyond the lake is a low wooded ridge and then another valley with two more lakes visible. Beyond that are more ridges and valleys with a slightly larger peak on the far horizon.

@primetimehiker.bsky.social Sep 22, 2026, 11:31 AM

Nature is the best artist. An invitation to an experience! Harmon Hill overlooking Bennington, VT.
#appalachiantrail #vermont #autumncolors #fall #hiking #backpacking

An open field on a plateau is full of golden fall flowers. A concentrated white patch of flowers in the center has a small footpath through it, leading to what appears to be an opening to a mountain view in the background. The sky is deep blue and puffy clouds hug the mountains in the distance.

@lauraepartain.bsky.social Sep 21, 2026, 11:44 PM

Two years ago today, #taradower accomplished the fastest known time of the #appalachiantrail in 40 days, 18 hours, and 6 minutes. As of this writing, no one has yet to beat her astonishing record. Photograph made for my #americanpilgrimsbook project and shot on @ilfordphoto.com #delta400 film.

@gsteffanos.bsky.social Sep 21, 2026, 3:46 PM

🧵1/7
September 21, 1983, 43 years ago today: The Appalachian Trail climbed a very steep half-mile to the summit of the South Horn, one of a pair of open, rocky crags rising above the north shore of the pond (as you might guess, the other is called North Horn).

#backpacking #hiking #AppalachianTrail

The sky is bright, but white and extremely hazy. We are standing on a ridge crest looking out over a line of weather battered spruce trees. Ahead to our right, the crest has curved diagonally to our left, climbing towards a lofty conical wooded peak with a bit of exposed rock right at the top. A small sliver of a second similar peak is visible behind this one. To our right, part of a more distant lower ridge is visible, but it quickly dissolves into the heavy haze.

@gsteffanos.bsky.social Sep 21, 2026, 2:25 PM

🧵1/7
September 21, 1983, 43 years ago today: After the P.O., I stopped at the Stratton Diner for what could very well be my final two cheeseburgers on the Appalachian Trail, some french fries, a coke, and some ice cream.

#backpacking #hiking #AppalachianTrail

Beneath a hazy white sky we are standing on a lookout from which we can see across the tops of a forest of very weather-battered trees and shrubs to the rugged wooded flanks of a very lofty mountain range. The slopes of this range are predominantly covered in a dusky forest of spruce and fir with a generous scattering of hardwoods beginning to turn bright green and yellow with the season. The range is capped with two roughly conical peaks connected by a gently rounded saddle.

@primetimehiker.bsky.social Sep 21, 2026, 10:31 AM

Hen of the woods found in Southern Vermont along the AT. I've never tried it! I'm too far from home to harvest. It looks to be in it's prime.
#mushroommonday
#mycology
#hiking
#backpacking
#appalachiantrail

@primetimehiker.bsky.social Sep 20, 2026, 9:14 PM

Hiking in Southern Vermont experience a touch of autumn. There are so many beaver pond and swamp areas creating vibrant ecosystems. #hiking #backpacking #appalachiantrail #vermont #autumn