July 30 Mile 1581

Big day today. Climbing Mt. Greylock, MA. The tallest Mtn in MA, and the start of a whole new view on the trail. The hike up was about 2500  feet, up and down a bit, so you probably go 4000 feet up! Once you are up the mountain a bit it changes, from leaf trees to hemlocks and firs- lots of firs with spongy soil to walk on. Heavenly!

My blister felt better today, so that made the hiking good, but then I got a new one on the back of my right foot on the way up, so I stuffed some foam in the back of my boot and kept going. Up, up, up. This is the biggest mountain since northern Virginia, about 600 miles ago. And the first time we have been in a fir forest since Mt Rogers, Va,  about 1100 miles ago. Amazing!

Hiking through the fir forests of Mt. Greylock 

Memorial Tower on Mt. Greylock

Looking down from Mt Greylock at the morning clouds below

As it was only 8 miles or so, we got to the summit at about 2:45. On the summit is a small lodge built in the 30's and a beautiful 92 foot tower to honor the MA war dead, with a huge light on top. Very impressive!

We had made reservations to stay in the lodge bunkhouse and it is very nice with sheets, pillows, and towels.

Very nice for us. The air is cool as autumn up here. In fact I put on my puff jacket my Sweety sent me. I think about Atlanta at 90+ degrees and am amazed I am in the same country. Beautiful afternoon and evening. Great dinner and can't believe something like this is right on the Trail. So glad we stopped here for the night! 

July 29 Mile 1573

We left Dalton around 10:00, after Tom picked us and drove us back to the Trail from the motel. What a great guy. Driving back through town we went by what I thought was an old abandoned mill set on the river. It looked like a remnant from the early industrial age. I thought what a sad sight. I asked Tom, what was that? He said, "oh, it a functioning facility. All the paper for our paper money is made here. Only place in America. I guess they have a monopoly. " Amazing! I'm so glad our paper money isnt made in China! Interesting though, not a sign on the building, guess they dont want us to know what's going on inside. 

So off we go and its a pretty pleasant hike over the low hills to go from Dalton to Cheshire. About 9 miles or so. I like this  town to town hiking. Very civilized, and we have a B&B to stay in Cheshire. Cisco said this must be what hiking is like in England. Very nice! The only problem is this darn blister! It pinched me all the way. I did buy some foam inserts for my shoes that I cut up for some cushioning inside the boot, but I didn't get much relief today. The hike today started with a little light rain, but that ended soon, and the day turned prettier as we went. Best day in almost a week. Up here the call rock outcroppings "cobbles" and there are a lot of them. 

Around 3 PM we got to this Cobble and it had this great view of the valley and town of Cheshire below. 

On the Cobble were these two guys, 

Mike and Tim. We chatted with them about the trail, as they were trail volunteers. They showed us a view that let us see Mt Greylock, a 3500 ft Mtn, the biggest since Virginia, that we would climb on the next day . Impressive!

We hiked on down toward the town and when we got down we ran into Mike and Tim again. They had a truck and said, " we'll be glad to give you a ride to resupply. So they drive us to a couple of convenience stores, as we sat in the truck bed, and we bought some basic stuff for the week, as resupplying after this point will be really difficult on our schedule.

Then they drive us to our Inn for the evening. What great guys! The Harbor House Inn was wonderful. Eva is the owner and is super nice.

We planned on sharing a room but she let us have two rooms for the same price, and we had a full breakfast, and got to stay in a beautiful home built in the 1700's. 

All cheaper than the motel the night before. What a nice person. I would like to go there again and take my Sweety.

She even drove us to dinner and she had a piano and Cisco got to play a bit.

Sometimes the hiker life is not so bad...The Harbor House Inn, Cheshire, MA

After dinner, to bed. No AC, but you don't need it here. Windows open and a cool pleasant sleep!

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!

July 27 Mile 1552

Had a crazy night! Guess cause I was so tired. Went to sleep immediately, but then had a really goofy dream. Someone was telling me," your taxes are going up, your taxes are going up! You have to do something about it!" Anyway, evidently I starting yelling in my sleep and Cisco had to come over and tell me to stop. Weird!

Last time out I had major blisters on the first several weeks out and they were miserable. I figured this time with broken in boots, I would be ok-wrong. In the driving rain the other day my left foot was soaked and later I saw the beginnings of a blister.

Now this morning it turned into a full fledged monster, size of a quarter on the outside of my left foot above my heal. Ouch! So off we go with my new blister pinching me at every step. Luckily for me the Caretaker at the Upper Goose Pond Cabin was a nurse, so he helped me treat the blister so hiking would not be an excruciating experience!

Decided to do a shorter day after yesterday, only about nine miles.

Today I got to finish my lengthy American Presidential History lesson with Cisco. As I mentioned earlier, when we hike, the trail is sometimes conducive to talk.

We talked along time on Tuesday about the issues facing his generation as they try to find jobs and their place in the world. It was a very sobering discussion.

One of the things I like to talk about as we hike is history, particularly American history. For some reason history dates, facts, and places seem to stick in my head. While I can't remember half the stuff I am supposed to get at the grocery store, I know who the 17th President was.

So, I have this  useless talent of being able to name each US President in order and their years of service, plus at least one fact about them. So for 4 days I have given the lesson, we finally finished today with a look to the 2012 election. Whew! The only thing I was stuck on was a fact on Chester A Arthur... Yes, he was a President.

Got to the October Shelter pretty early and a good thing cause it was busy after we arrived. Met some new thru hikers . Met a southbounder who lives in  GA. Her name was Aqua, because she almost drowned trying to ford a Maine river. 

                                              Cisco in a trail of ferns.

Ate a dinner of turkey stuffing and salmon and to bed at sunset.

July 26 Mile 1543              Upper Goose Pond Cabin-Best hiker hostel ever!

Sleeping here at the North Wilcox Shelter was one of the worst sleeping  experiences ever. We couldn't get comfortable in our summer sleeping bags. They were like straight jackets and I couldn't seem to ever get to sleep. Maybe it was a hangover from the 5 hour energy drink? We got up as soon as the sun did, packed up and left to find water. Not good planning on our part. I learned last time out not to take my home kitchen faucet for granted.

When we finally found water up the trail the rain started again. We had been rained on each day, but one since we started. Didn't have that much rain in all of 2010 it seems. I told Cisco, I feel like we are in the "Hunger Games" and there is some Trailmaster out there watching and laughing at us as they send heat, humidity, treacherous rock uphills, downhills, mosquitos, gnats, a big blister, and never ending rain. "yeah, he said, but nobody is trying to kill us." Ok, but let's hope the hunters stay on their side of the white blaze.

Today my Sweety is sending us our winter sleeping bags. We are concerned about colder nights as we go as we gain elevation. So she sent the bags to the Tyringham MA, PO , a tiny place. We had to come off the trail about 1/2 mile to get there and any time you leave the trail it's a trial.

Nobody likes walking unnecessary miles. But this was important. So we come into town, a crossroads really, and unfortunately this is a place with no amenities for us- no stores, no restaurants. Just a PO and a sign.

The PO lady was very nice, luckily we got there before 12:30, cause that's when they close until 4:00!

Didn't know this was some part of Italy. As we unpack our shipping box out front of the P. O. people are driving by to pick up mail. One says to us seeing our distinctive dress, " be careful, a big storm is coming with tornado winds, i'm going home to tie down my furniture. " another lady walks by and says, " you'll be ok, you can hike up to the Upper Goose Creek Cabin , its only 7 miles away." thanks , we say.

So the sign: on the P.O. it said: "Hikers: Come across the street to the Cobble View B&B for snacks and cold drinks". Now that sounds refreshing and we know it's not free, and that's fine.
 So we go across the street to the B&B - a two story house - and we see this woman working in the yard. Cisco politely asks, "is this your place." She looks up  annoyed and says "yea".  Cisco then says "do you have any drinks or snacks, as advertised on the sign?"
Very annoyed she agrees she has a few things. Well, we say, we would like to buy them. " All I have is an orange and a Sprite, I'm out of snacks," ok we say, fine we'll take a couple of orange drinks- a buck each.  So, then I get bold, cause i really hate road walking and ask, " as it's so warm and its a ways back to the trail, do you know anyone who could give us a ride. I would be glad to compensate them." (  this is a common thing so close to the trail) She answered as  she looked down and shook her head , "there's nobody here who can do that and i don't have the time. " And it's then Cisco realizes this is the same woman who outside the PO a few minutes before told us "you can make the cabin 7 miles away." Now she could have used her entrepreneurial spirit and  said, "there is a storm coming, you can stay at my B&B, the charge is XXX, and you can continue on tomorrow." Instead,  it's more like, "I really don't care for you hikers (you can buy my soft drinks) now go on down the road through a storm to a cabin 7 miles away. " She had no interest in dealing with us hikers. So why have the sign welcoming us to your place!  We have seen so many wonderful people out here but, but the Cobble View B&B isn't among them. So we shook the dust off our feet to Tyringham and hiked out.The hike was grueling trying to get to the Upper Goose Pond Cabin from Tyringham.  Oh yeah, and did I mention bugs? Finally after a day of 16 miles, not all trail miles but road miles and side trail miles, we finally made it to the cabin.

 

I don't think I have ever been so exhausted in my life. Two years ago hiking 16 miles was tough, but not debilitating. This year, out of training, it was a killer! I knew that I could not keep up this pace. Even Cisco was pretty beat.
Well, we beat the storm anyway, and what did we behold but the Big Rock Candy Mountain of Hiker Heaven. This place was the best hiker rest stop of the entire AT!
And Free! All indoors, plenty of bunk space with mattresses, a lake, canoes, fresh coffee and PANCAKES!  in the morning provided by the caretaker. And you can stay as long as you want! What a country! Just as we got settled in the rain began to fall. We ate, chatted with the other very fortunate hikers and were very happy to go to bed. Best hiker place ever.

July 25 Mile 1529

Left Great Barrington, paying Pravin the motel manager$10 to give us a ride back to the trail. But at 4.5 miles away it was definitely worth it. Back hiking at 8:30 am, which is pretty good after a night in town. Hiked along the Housatonic River, again, and then went up and over East Mountain, never could figure out exactly where the mountain top was. Another low ridge we hike up to here in Mass and Ct, not really distinctive from anything we have seen from Ga to here. Mostly we are hiking through piedmont type forests and it looks alot like Fernbank Forest back home, but with more hills! But every now and then it turns into a hemlock grove and that is wonderful-lots of soft fir needles 

Beaver Pond

on the ground and a great aroma. Saw my first true beaver pond today. A very large pond, more like a lake actually, with a beaver lodge in the middle. And lots of beaver gnawed trees and stumps around. Today the weather was the best we have had since our return to the trail. Sunny, dry, and about 70 most of the day. But the Mosquitos and gnats are just awful. They dog our every step. We cannot even stop to rest. They are in your eyes and ears, biting whenever they can. We stopped for lunch at a very beautiful shelter-  Tom Leonard shelter, set in all of these huge rock ledges and with view of the valley below. The end of the day, with more ups and downs and rocks to climb, we were pushing hard to do 13.5 miles, which is alot for me so soon out. At lunch I drank a "5 hour energy drink" and it really seemed to motivate me. My hiking was much improved. By about 6:30 we were finally getting near the Mt Wilcox North Shelter where we were planning to spend our first night in one of their 3 sided shelters. As it was so hot, I had sucked my Platypus water system  dry and had about 2 cups of water in my water bottle. Same for Cisco. All shelters are built near water sources, but Mass is having a drought this year. We were greeted at the entrance to the shelter with a hand written sign:"no water". The little stream at the shelter dry as dirt. Maybe water at another location 1/2 mile away? We decided to stay put, ate tuna and pita bread and went to bed. Go find water tomorrow. :(

July 24 Mile 1516

Got up at sunrise and left Laurel Ridge campsite at 7:30am. It rained almost continuously throughout the night, but we were dry and cozy in our tents. Lightning and thunder.

Spent the morning hiking up Mt Everett and it was very tough. A 700 foot rise in .7 of a mile and here they have you go straight up!

Literally! And most of it is on solid rock, so we are now officially boulder hiking. Last time out a fellow hiker called it a "foot puzzle" where the heck do you put your feet? Imagine climbing Stone Mountain on the steep side. No switchbacks here. On top of Everett was an old fire tower foundation. I read that back in the 1940's, when the first thru hiker Earl Schafer went through, the mountains were loaded with manned fire towers, with people living in the tower or in a little house at the base.

They would invite him in and serve him dinner. No dinner here now.

We could see a storm off in the distance and figured the nice breeze was blowing up a storm and didn't want to be the highest thing when the lightning started. So off we went to get down the mountain. Things were fine until halfway down the sky opened up and the rain poured. We were in the steep downward rocks at the time trying to keep our balance and Cisco yelled at me "don't run!" But I was slipping on the rocks and couldn't help myself. Luckily no harm done . We got our pack covers on and slogged through the rain . You have to protect your pack. Did not wear our rain jackets. Too warm for that, just got wet. Once the rain stopped we started to dry out, making it down to the lowlands and Route 7. On the way we passed an historical marker for Shays Rebellion 1787. I'll let you google it. Lots of history on the trail. This is definitely a walking tour of America.

It was windy on top so we got all our wet things out to dry from the night before. Our gear dries very quickly, which is very good thing.  

Spent the night in town- Great Barrington Mass. Nice town and a good day's hike.

                                           On the Mountain top!

                                                     Shay's Rebellion!