July 28 Mile 1564                 Road to the Cookie Lady's House!

Another crazy sleeping night. Cisco and I stayed in the shelter and during the night he had to wake me again. Said I was snoring so loud he was sure they heard me across the whole camping area. Weird.

Anyway, up and out by 7:30 and on to the Cookie lady's house. Near Becket MA, right off the trail is this wonderful old farm. When you go there the lady of the farm and Roy bring out fresh cookies to you and also sell you hard boiled eggs and soft drinks. You can also pick blueberries. Really nice people. We went there for

awhile and also sat with two other northbound thru hikers, Sunshine, from NC and Oliver Twist from London. Oliver wanted to know who lit the cauldron at the Olympics that started the night before. He hoped it was the Queen, but Roy didn't know.

After our break, we hiked on under threatening skies, then the bottom dropped out, and Cisco and I had the wettest hike since we were in PA. It poured for 4 hours and we had no relief or place to hide. No nice rock overhangs like in the REI commercial.

We were soaked on every square inch  down to our socks! All we could do was keep going forward till we reached our destination of Dalton MA. Cisco had been here before and knew that Tom Lavardie took in hikers at his house. We sloshed over to his house and met Tom. His house was full-with 17 hikers! The rain flushed us all out of the mountains it seemed. Don't know where they all fit. But he helped us find a motel and drove us there a few miles away. What a nice person to do this for people he doesn't know! On the way over to the motel we drove through the little town and passed a church with people going in for Saturday afternoon services.  It struck me, while these are all good people, I am sure, going to church, Tom is out here helping lots of people for no charge on this rainy afternoon. It reminded me of the parable of the Good Samaritan. God bless people like Tom. He makes the trail!

So we get a room ( pay waay too much for it ) do laundry, and all the other town things we are well used to by now, eat a big burger for dinner, watch the weather and go to bed!

Hope for a drier Sunday!