Housatonic Falls

July 22 Mile 1493

Whew! I'm beat! We went about 13.5 miles today. I'm sure I overdid it. My leg muscles are very sore, so much that going down steps is pretty uncomfortable. And at the end of the hiking day the downhills were tough! Preferred the uphills today. Didn't mean to do so much in the first three days, but we wanted to get to Salisbury Ct by tonite. Need to do a little resupply in the morning.

A very nice hiking day even with my aches. The best part was the morning. We got off at 7 am and Cisco said, "You asked me about what makes a good poem, would you like to know?" Cisco was a English Lit major and is starting grad school in creative writing and poetry next month. Hence this is a great time to spend together before he heads back to school. So I said of course, and for the next 4 hours, while we hiked a pleasant trail, (some trails are for talking, some for focusing and struggling, and some are for merely surviving! ) a long stretch flat by the Housatonic River as well as some gentle woodsy trails through low hills, Cisco told me the history of poetry from the ancients up until today's most recent bloggers. It was wonderful. No college professor could be better. And then he told me his dreams and aspirations with writing. What a treat, I told him " I wish your mother was here as well to hear all that you are saying. I have to remember this to tell her! " So we come out here for a hike, but it can turn out to be much more than that. For all of us, when do we get 4 uninterrupted hours with someone we care about to hear their thoughts? I wish Cisco's older brother could have been here as well so we could have had a similar discussion! There are so many distractions in the modern world. It will probably be the highlight of this trip, and it put me higher than any mountain.

So after we talked, we came by a hydro electric plant and they had a water spigot for us. Good thing cause most of the creeks are dried up. Supposed to be a real problem as we go further. Then hiked up by the Housatonic Falls. Prettiest falls we have seen since TN and NC. After that we hiked up and down the mountains in NW Conn. Not many views, but when they come, it's beautiful up here. Sure have a lot of trees blocking the view.  Not strenuous hiking at all today,  very pretty as we were in a lot of hemlocks with their needles covering the forest floor. Ate our lunch by a spring, and with all that made it to town by 4:30. 

Staying in a home that the owner rents rooms to hikers. Very nice and Cisco and I are sharing a room with a thru hiker, named "Too late for Dinner" very nice guy.  Ate delivery pizza, ok, but I haven't reached the ravenous appetite I had as a former thru hiker. That probably won't come for just a two week visit. 

Cisco is as kind as ever to his old Pops as I go huffing and puffing up the trail like I did at our beginning in GA in 2010. I'm way out of shape. He just glides along...no problems. By the time all my parts work, we'll be done. But I think I am losing some weight. Very hot  hiking with a pack. But great news this time: No blisters! And feet feeling good. Now if I can just get my sore legs muscles back to normal.

Always hope for good... Tomorrow!

July 21 Mile 1480

Up at sunrise! 5:30 AM. Cisco made the coffee as always. Ate my old camping breakfast: Honey nut Cheerios with dehydrated milk! Delicious! Packed up our stuff and were hiking at 7AM. A record for me . My goal on this hike is to get out of bed at sunrise so we can get going. I'll see how well I can do.
The rain of yesterday just left some morning fog hanging on the mountain tops. The mountains are small here about 1200-1500 feet. But don't let that fool ya, they are tough ! They want you to get to the top fast, I guess they don't believe in switchbacks here. Makes for hard up hill climbing, and we were going up and down all day. And of course, lots of rocks. I was hoping to get back into this gently. Like 8 mile days for a while. But we would like to make Salisbury CT by Sunday night, and that means a 12 mile day today and a 13 mile day Sunday. So much for doing it slowly. Did the 12 today and am pretty tired and sore. Hope the knees recoup for tomorrow. They were pretty sore by late afternoon. 
Have seen very few thru hikers. The few we saw weren't in to talking and they blew by me pretty quickly.
Two thru hikers we did meet yesterday when we eating lunch in Kent, I made a bit of a hiking faux pas. I have forgotten my trail etiquette. When hikers meet they exchange trail names and where they are  from. They never shake hands. I guess cause you never know where the hands have  been. So what did me, just from civilization, do when we met? Of course, extend my hand at introduction. The hiker had a startled look and I immediately realized my error. When  we were out here last, after 4 months of hiking, doing a 12 mile day was nothing at all. On my return it takes it  all out of me.
The forest and mountains we have hiked through since yesterday are not very special. The scenery is very similiar to what we have seen in so many other places on the Trail. And very few views from the mountain tops. Lots of trees though.We decided the Georgia mountains are much prettier. Every now and then we get a whiff of wonderful fir tree smell. Nice.  While it was only about 70 degrees today it was very hot hiking. I decided last time the best hiking temp is 55 degrees and sunny. At least it's not 90, as it was a few days ago.
Spending the night at Mt. Sharon Camping area. At this time we are the only ones here. Strange for a Saturday night. There is little water around as most creeks have dried up. Luckily a southbound hiker clued us in so we got water at a creek some miles back and they carried a couple of liters up the mountain , so we are good for tonite and tomorrow morning.
Long day, time for sleep.