Project Eveningland

A Descent into Madness & Thru-Hiking

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  • How to Read the Blog

    To begin the blog at the first post of my 2023 Appalachian Trail journey (the original purpose of the blog), click this link. Additional navigation shortcuts are available in the sidebar. Spoilers ahead, highlight the next block to read:

    Around about day 140, a 1000-year rainstorm caught me in Harriman State Park in New York. The Appalachian Trail in Vermont and Maine was a mess, and I had been slowed to a crawl by the lingering effects of the meds I had to take to treat giardiasis and so was running out of time anyway. I decided to switch to the Colorado trail for another 100 miles or so and dry out and make the finish less sad than a “failed” thru-hike, so that’s why the last posts are in Colorado, if you were wondering. There is no such thing as a “failed” thru-hike, by the way!

    Anyway, enjoy the blog! I’ll add future journeys as I go. I hiked 100 miles on the AT in Georgia and North Carolina in February/March of 2024 to help work on my book. I may add those entries if the time is right–it was a very personal journey. I plan to hike and write and research throughout 2024, and will add posts and pictures as I see fit. Subscribe so you don’t miss out!

  • Colorado Trail Update #1

    Colorado Trail Update #1

    I’m back in Colorado and resting at home. It’s been a lovely few days with Ben, who’d expected to wait another two months to see me. Preparations for my Colorado Trail Flip Finale continue apace!

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  • What Comes Next Now that the Appalachian Trail Is a Gosh Darn Mess (Day 143)

    What Comes Next Now that the Appalachian Trail Is a Gosh Darn Mess (Day 143)

    7/11/2023 Tuesday

    There’s no clear pathway to Maine. Vermont is under a state of emergency and they’re having terrible flooding there—VT is already notorious for muddy tread. Many creeks and rivers will be impassable and require lengthy reroutes by road. I desire a straightforward, classic, enjoyable journey.

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  • Aftermath (Day 142)

    7/10/2023 Monday

    Hey folks, quick update. I’ve been resting at the Spidle family home today. The trail ahead of me (ahead of where I left off I mean) runs through Harriman State Park and Bear Mountain State Park. Both parks are now closed until further notice due to extensive storm damage. Big roads washed out and stuff. Who knows what the trail looks like—it is likely very damaged in places too.

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  • After the Storm (Day 141)

    After the Storm (Day 141)

    7/9/2023 Sunday

    Forecasts of late say more or less the same thing: it’s probably going to rain, maybe a lot. Which days it will actually rain is unclear. We’ve had whole dry days when the forecast spoke of inches of rain. That was not today. Today was some of the heaviest, most sustained rain I’ve seen on this journey. Or on any hike.

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  • The Mothman Non-Prophecies (Day 140)

    The Mothman Non-Prophecies (Day 140)

    7/8/2023 Saturday

    Mission: rest day. I overrode some tiredness yesterday to do a few of the rockier bits of southern NY in the dry weather. Not that it has at any point felt dry, on account of the endless non-evaporating sweat.

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  • The Chairman (Day 139)

    The Chairman (Day 139)

    7/7/2023 Friday

    The Lost and Found Hostel is a welcoming place—I felt welcomest where the AC was a blowin’! I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to hike in the heat today.

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  • You’re in New York Now, Baby! (Day 138)

    You’re in New York Now, Baby! (Day 138)

    7/6/2023 Thursday

    I enjoyed a nice leisurely morning. Ana was puttering around the house when I came downstairs. I got a selfie with Ana and her cattle dog, Lucy, who is a little bit sweet on me since I stayed with her and kept her safe during the fireworks.

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  • Humidity to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad (Day 137)

    Humidity to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad (Day 137)

    7/5/2023 Wednesday

    I was on the trail by nine. No rain in the forecast but plenty of heat. There’s still enough moisture in the ground (and in the trees) to keep the humidity nice and thick.

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  • Whatever the Opposite of Being Ambushed by the Viet Cong Is (Day 136)

    Whatever the Opposite of Being Ambushed by the Viet Cong Is (Day 136)

    7/4/2023 Tuesday

    I got poor Ana up early and we shuttled a car to a trailhead. That way I could drive myself back to their house after my hike today. On the drive through Unionville we saw many other backpackers. My question for Ana: do you think I can pass for one of them?

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  • American Chestnut (Day 135)

    American Chestnut (Day 135)

    7/3/2023 Monday

    Ana and Art—my friends who picked me up last night—took me out for a rich dinner and then back to a lovely forested home for climate controlled conversation and sleep.

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About The Blog

I’m Doug Cloud, an inveterate thru-hiker, believer in The One Trail, writer, rhetorician, researcher. This blog catalogs my journeys, particularly my 2023 1500-mile hike on the Appalachian and Colorado Trails. Other journeys may be added. Or not. I go by several mottoes as a thru-hiker:

1. Work the problem.
2. Throw money at the problem.
3. Go for an FKT (funnest known time).
4. ABC (always be thru-hiking).

Recent Posts

Subscribe so you don’t miss future journeys! I’m gonna be writing on this thing for, like, 50 years.

Some quick navigation links:
Day 1 of my 2023 AT journey
Last day on the AT
Explanation of switch to Colorado Trail
Day 1 of 2023 Colorado Trail journey