Day: 085
Date: Saturday, 26 July 1986
Daily AT Miles: 21.4
Daily Other Miles: 0.4 (to Killington Peak)
Total AT Miles: 1666.5
Total All Miles: 1714.0
Weather: Very warm, humid, overcast, rain late.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar.
Dinner: Soup, veal, ice-cream.
Aches: None bad.
Animals Seen: Small snake, chipmunks.
People Seen: 2 overnight hikers, 8 day hikers, many others.
Journal:
Got up at 5:30am after a bad night because of mozzies and heat. Felt tired straight away – already warm. Set off at 7am for a relatively short day which, however, incorporated Killington Peak (4250’). I decided to aim for Killington for lunch (there’s supposed to be a cafeteria on top), which meant a relatively short morning. However, the bad night’s sleep seemed to have pushed me over the edge into “over-trained” and, even with a light pack, I struggled all morning. It was foggy, so no views, but the higher altitude forest was pretty and “fairy-tale”. There was a “blue blaze” (side-trail) 0.2 miles very steep trail to the summit from the AT. I reached there at 1:30pm and struggled up the climb only to find the whole resort closed – presumably because of the fog and wind. I walked back down to the AT and Cooper Lodge where I met two girl day-hikers and a guy, Todd, who had started hiking the AT two days before me, but had finished at Harpers Ferry and was now doing a few of the northern sections. I had passed him at Rainbow Springs. He had travelled with Lisa for six weeks, and others, and could fill me in on how they were going. He said he would probably see me in the White Mountains and maybe Katahdin (northern end of the AT), from where he might be able to give me a lift to Boston. We chatted over lunch after which, at 2:30pm, I set off down the mountain. I planned to stop at the Inn on the Long Trail for the night and arrived there, very tired, at 4:40pm. Unfortunately, they didn’t provide evening meals so I decided to walk another two miles to another Inn. I was very tired and not pleased to lose the Trail in rough terrain at one point, costing me 15 minutes, and then to be hit by torrential rain just before reaching the road where the Inn was supposed to be. The Guide Book details were confusing and I got saturated before going into an expensive-looking motel where I took a room despite the $40 price tag. I ate a lot of peanuts in the bar before having a nice dinner. I rang my cousin, Peter, to say I was thinking of putting back my meeting with them in the White Mountains by one day. I had decided that, if the mountains or Trail got worse, I would have to work very hard to reach Franconia Notch on time. Better to give myself the rest, even if it means a day later at Katahdin. I watched TV and rinsed out my clothes. Running short of food and, given likely wet conditions tomorrow, I decided to sleep in and have a late breakfast (no early breakfasts at the motel) before heading off for a long afternoon. Turned off the TV at 12:15am.
Appalachian Trail - Day 084
Day: 084
Date: Friday, 25 July 1986
Daily AT Miles: 25.3
Daily Other Miles: 0.2 (shelter)
Total AT Miles: 1645.1
Total All Miles: 1692.2
Weather: Hot, humid, overcast.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, Quik
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter.
Dinner: Noodles, instant pudding.
Aches: None bad.
Animals Seen: Chipmunks.
People Seen: 15 day hikers, 8 overnight hikers, some others.
Journal:
Got up at 5:30am and left soon after 7am after spending some time itinerary planning. Figured out that I can probably last until Hanover before buying food if I stay at the Inn at Kent Pond. If so, it mans a lighter pack for the climb over Killington. It was a warm morning made a little bearable by a strong breeze. The Trail was high on a ridge for quite a long time. The vegetation is becoming conifer-dominated at altitude. I was in good spirits (lighter pack) and made good time. The Trail was occasionally rocky and boggy, but soft underfoot is good for the feet. The Trail passed Griffith Lake, an attractive pond, and later the even more attractive Little Rock Pond. In between, it gave excellent views from Baker Peak. Despite some fatigue, I pushed on to a late lunch at the pretty Greenwall Shelter before negotiating the last 4½ miles to Minerva Hinchey Shelter. Rain was forecast and it looked threatening, but held off. Yet another Shelter to myself. I wasted 20 minutes finding the spring (wrong directions in guide book) but, apart from that, washed and had dinner as normal and retired by 9pm. Just 500 miles to go. There’s a few mozzies around.
Date: Friday, 25 July 1986
Daily AT Miles: 25.3
Daily Other Miles: 0.2 (shelter)
Total AT Miles: 1645.1
Total All Miles: 1692.2
Weather: Hot, humid, overcast.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, Quik
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter.
Dinner: Noodles, instant pudding.
Aches: None bad.
Animals Seen: Chipmunks.
People Seen: 15 day hikers, 8 overnight hikers, some others.
Journal:
Got up at 5:30am and left soon after 7am after spending some time itinerary planning. Figured out that I can probably last until Hanover before buying food if I stay at the Inn at Kent Pond. If so, it mans a lighter pack for the climb over Killington. It was a warm morning made a little bearable by a strong breeze. The Trail was high on a ridge for quite a long time. The vegetation is becoming conifer-dominated at altitude. I was in good spirits (lighter pack) and made good time. The Trail was occasionally rocky and boggy, but soft underfoot is good for the feet. The Trail passed Griffith Lake, an attractive pond, and later the even more attractive Little Rock Pond. In between, it gave excellent views from Baker Peak. Despite some fatigue, I pushed on to a late lunch at the pretty Greenwall Shelter before negotiating the last 4½ miles to Minerva Hinchey Shelter. Rain was forecast and it looked threatening, but held off. Yet another Shelter to myself. I wasted 20 minutes finding the spring (wrong directions in guide book) but, apart from that, washed and had dinner as normal and retired by 9pm. Just 500 miles to go. There’s a few mozzies around.
Appalachian Trail - Day 083
Day: 083
Date: Thursday, 24 July 1986
Daily AT Miles: 24.0
Daily Other Miles: 0.3 (shelters)
Total AT Miles: 1619.8
Total All Miles: 1666.7
Weather: Very warm, humid, sunny.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar.
Dinner: Fettucine, instant pudding.
Aches: Right foot sore, right back chafed.
Animals Seen: Chipmunks.
People Seen: 10 overnight hikers, 4 day hikers.
Journal:
Got up at 5:30am after a disturbed night. Woke at 11pm first because I was too hot, so applied insect repellent to legs and opened out my sleeping bag. The woken at 3pm by a porcupine chewing on the Shelter. It left when I shone the torch on it. I realised then that the rocks I had seen lined up along the inside walls of the Shelter were for throwing at porcupines! I left at 7:10am and passed the nearby Caughnawaga Shelter where it looked like a single female was in residence (bathing suit hanging up) but she was nowhere to be seen. I continued on quite a warm morning but nice in the green forest. My right little toe was still sore so, at my first break, I changed into my spare New Balance running shoes. They were an improvement, though made my feet hot. I made good time to the attractive Stratton Pond and had my morning break there. Couldn’t be bothered going for a swim. Continued on along the reasonable Trail through pretty woodland. Feeling a bit tired and thinking a lot about finishing. Passed a girl doing trail maintenance then a group of young hikers and their leaders just before I reached Spruce Peak Shelter where I had a late lunch at 3pm. The group turned up to stay for the night and I chatted to a few of them while eating and resting. I set off at 4pm to cover the remaining six miles to Mad Tom Shelter which included a solid climb up the 3260’ Bromley Mountain. Because of the humidity, it was hazy and the views were nowhere near as good as yesterday. Another mile brought me to the Shelter. The spring was almost dry, but I decided to stay and boil water. The Shelter faced west and I had a fine view of the sun setting in the haze. Went to bed at 9pm.
Date: Thursday, 24 July 1986
Daily AT Miles: 24.0
Daily Other Miles: 0.3 (shelters)
Total AT Miles: 1619.8
Total All Miles: 1666.7
Weather: Very warm, humid, sunny.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar.
Dinner: Fettucine, instant pudding.
Aches: Right foot sore, right back chafed.
Animals Seen: Chipmunks.
People Seen: 10 overnight hikers, 4 day hikers.
Journal:
Got up at 5:30am after a disturbed night. Woke at 11pm first because I was too hot, so applied insect repellent to legs and opened out my sleeping bag. The woken at 3pm by a porcupine chewing on the Shelter. It left when I shone the torch on it. I realised then that the rocks I had seen lined up along the inside walls of the Shelter were for throwing at porcupines! I left at 7:10am and passed the nearby Caughnawaga Shelter where it looked like a single female was in residence (bathing suit hanging up) but she was nowhere to be seen. I continued on quite a warm morning but nice in the green forest. My right little toe was still sore so, at my first break, I changed into my spare New Balance running shoes. They were an improvement, though made my feet hot. I made good time to the attractive Stratton Pond and had my morning break there. Couldn’t be bothered going for a swim. Continued on along the reasonable Trail through pretty woodland. Feeling a bit tired and thinking a lot about finishing. Passed a girl doing trail maintenance then a group of young hikers and their leaders just before I reached Spruce Peak Shelter where I had a late lunch at 3pm. The group turned up to stay for the night and I chatted to a few of them while eating and resting. I set off at 4pm to cover the remaining six miles to Mad Tom Shelter which included a solid climb up the 3260’ Bromley Mountain. Because of the humidity, it was hazy and the views were nowhere near as good as yesterday. Another mile brought me to the Shelter. The spring was almost dry, but I decided to stay and boil water. The Shelter faced west and I had a fine view of the sun setting in the haze. Went to bed at 9pm.
Appalachian Trail - Day 082
Day: 082
Date: Wednesday, 23 July 1986
Daily AT Miles: 23.2
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 1595.8
Total All Miles: 1642.4
Weather: Very warm, sunny.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut, health bar.
Dinner: Macaroni cheese, instant pudding.
Aches: Right little toe and right foot sore.
Animals Seen: Porcupine.
People Seen: 4 overnight hikers, 5 day hikers, some others.
Journal:
To give myself eight hours sleep, I waited till 6am to get up then took longer than usual to leave because I still had to repack my muesli and gorp. I left just before 8am and set out on a beautiful day, even a little cool at the start. The Trail was fairly easy walking and I made good time despite my right little toe still hurting a lot and placing a lot of strain on my right foot as a whole. There was a steep rocky descent from Harmon Hill to VT 9 where I took my morning break next to a stream. As I set out up the mountain on the other side, I met a little man with paint brush and pail who was putting the blaze marks on trees for the Trail. The climb was steady but, for some reason, I was in better spirits today and it didn’t bother me and I still made good progress despite limping. I had a late lunch at 3pm with only a little over six miles to go to my target Shelter. It had warmed up, but was still quite pleasant walking in the forest – I guess a bit of altitude helped. At the top of Glastonbury Mountain (3750’), I climbed the old fire tower which gave absolutely superb views in every direction. Lots of mountains and the Green Mountains National Forest. It was great. It was then a fairly rocky descent to Kid Gore Shelter where I arrived at 6:50pm. Had it to myself. A porcupine visited after dinner. Decided to sleep without the tent – nowhere to pitch it – and hope the bugs aren’t too bad. Went to bed at about 9pm. Not a bad day.
Date: Wednesday, 23 July 1986
Daily AT Miles: 23.2
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 1595.8
Total All Miles: 1642.4
Weather: Very warm, sunny.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut, health bar.
Dinner: Macaroni cheese, instant pudding.
Aches: Right little toe and right foot sore.
Animals Seen: Porcupine.
People Seen: 4 overnight hikers, 5 day hikers, some others.
Journal:
To give myself eight hours sleep, I waited till 6am to get up then took longer than usual to leave because I still had to repack my muesli and gorp. I left just before 8am and set out on a beautiful day, even a little cool at the start. The Trail was fairly easy walking and I made good time despite my right little toe still hurting a lot and placing a lot of strain on my right foot as a whole. There was a steep rocky descent from Harmon Hill to VT 9 where I took my morning break next to a stream. As I set out up the mountain on the other side, I met a little man with paint brush and pail who was putting the blaze marks on trees for the Trail. The climb was steady but, for some reason, I was in better spirits today and it didn’t bother me and I still made good progress despite limping. I had a late lunch at 3pm with only a little over six miles to go to my target Shelter. It had warmed up, but was still quite pleasant walking in the forest – I guess a bit of altitude helped. At the top of Glastonbury Mountain (3750’), I climbed the old fire tower which gave absolutely superb views in every direction. Lots of mountains and the Green Mountains National Forest. It was great. It was then a fairly rocky descent to Kid Gore Shelter where I arrived at 6:50pm. Had it to myself. A porcupine visited after dinner. Decided to sleep without the tent – nowhere to pitch it – and hope the bugs aren’t too bad. Went to bed at about 9pm. Not a bad day.
Appalachian Trail - Day 081
Day: 081
Date: Tuesday, 22 July 1986
Daily AT Miles: 16.1
Daily Other Miles: 1.0 (to laundry and supermarket)
Total AT Miles: 1572.6
Total All Miles: 1619.2
Weather: Very warm, sunny, moderately humid.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Porridge, scrambled eggs.
Lunch: Burgers, fries, donuts.
Dinner: Fettucine, instant pudding.
Aches: Right little toe extremely sore.
Animals Seen: Chipmunks.
People Seen: 1 day hiker, many others.
Journal:
Got up at 7am and was still undecided whether to try and ring Barb or not. Had breakfast at the long table again and decided to ring, which I did at 8am. Found out I’m booked to fly out on August 30th, arriving in Melbourne on September 1st. I finished packing and left at 9am with the plan of hiking down to North Adams, seven miles away, to do laundry and shopping. Outside the Lodge, I met the two AT Thru-hikers from yesterday again. The trip down the mountain was hard on the feet but provided some good views and pleasant walking on a perfect day. I had to walk ½ a mile off the Trail to the laundry and supermarket, and left my laundry going and pack there while I did my shopping. I returned to the laundry and repacked my groceries while the laundry dried. After that, I walked down to a hamburger joint and had lunch. Met the two AT Thru-hikers again, and chatted while eating. I left at 1:45pm with 14½ miles to go to my planned Shelter, which meant I would be late. As the Trail climbed up into the mountains, my little toe on right foot began hurting a bit. I reached the Vermont border with the pain becoming severe for no apparent reason. There didn’t seem to be a blister. I tried a few things and continued walking, but painfully and with a limp. I decided that I would have to stop around 7pm and get my shoes off. I filled my water bottles at a spring and found a small campsite near a beaver pond and stopped at 6:50pm. The fire was slow and I didn’t get into the tent until 9:10pm. I was short by 4½ miles of my target and desperately hoping the toe would be better tomorrow, otherwise I would fall further behind. I hope it’s not an infection.
Date: Tuesday, 22 July 1986
Daily AT Miles: 16.1
Daily Other Miles: 1.0 (to laundry and supermarket)
Total AT Miles: 1572.6
Total All Miles: 1619.2
Weather: Very warm, sunny, moderately humid.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Porridge, scrambled eggs.
Lunch: Burgers, fries, donuts.
Dinner: Fettucine, instant pudding.
Aches: Right little toe extremely sore.
Animals Seen: Chipmunks.
People Seen: 1 day hiker, many others.
Journal:
Got up at 7am and was still undecided whether to try and ring Barb or not. Had breakfast at the long table again and decided to ring, which I did at 8am. Found out I’m booked to fly out on August 30th, arriving in Melbourne on September 1st. I finished packing and left at 9am with the plan of hiking down to North Adams, seven miles away, to do laundry and shopping. Outside the Lodge, I met the two AT Thru-hikers from yesterday again. The trip down the mountain was hard on the feet but provided some good views and pleasant walking on a perfect day. I had to walk ½ a mile off the Trail to the laundry and supermarket, and left my laundry going and pack there while I did my shopping. I returned to the laundry and repacked my groceries while the laundry dried. After that, I walked down to a hamburger joint and had lunch. Met the two AT Thru-hikers again, and chatted while eating. I left at 1:45pm with 14½ miles to go to my planned Shelter, which meant I would be late. As the Trail climbed up into the mountains, my little toe on right foot began hurting a bit. I reached the Vermont border with the pain becoming severe for no apparent reason. There didn’t seem to be a blister. I tried a few things and continued walking, but painfully and with a limp. I decided that I would have to stop around 7pm and get my shoes off. I filled my water bottles at a spring and found a small campsite near a beaver pond and stopped at 6:50pm. The fire was slow and I didn’t get into the tent until 9:10pm. I was short by 4½ miles of my target and desperately hoping the toe would be better tomorrow, otherwise I would fall further behind. I hope it’s not an infection.
Appalachian Trail - Day 080
Day: 080
Date: Monday, 21 July 1986.
Daily AT Miles: 21.7
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 1556.5
Total All Miles: 1602.1
Weather: Warm, humid, sunny.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: “Sub”, ice-cream.
Dinner: Soup, macaroni cheese, strawberry shortcake.
Aches: None bad.
Animals Seen: Squirrels, rabbits.
People Seen: 2 AT Thru-hikers, ~ 20 day hikers, many others.
Journal:
Got up at 5:30am after there had only been a few brief showers overnight, and everything was reasonably dry. I left soon after 7am with the intention of walking to Cheshire, 14 miles away, in three sessions with short breaks between. My pack was light and, although it was still humid, I made good time. I reached Dalton after 4½ miles, including a couple of miles road-walking and, while passing through the town, found a grocery by the Trail so stopped for a quart of orange juice and a pint of ice-cream before continuing on. As I left town, I passed two AT Thru-hikers, Evelyn and Wayne, returning to the Trail after four days off. I exchanged pleasantries and continued on. The Trail climbed out of town up to a bumpy ridge. Much of it was new and therefore tiring. It passed by a pretty pond and one good viewpoint and was quite boggy in parts. I decided to ring Jayne and recommend her parents go for their planned hike elsewhere. I arrived at Cheshire Post Office at 12:20pm and collected a good swag of mail, including a mysterious box which turned out to contain my fold-up knapsack that I’d lost somewhere. “GEOKA” had found it and mailed it to a Post Office up the Trail. It had been forwarded twice and caught me in the end. Pleased. I walked through the town and found a supermarket where I bought a “sub” for lunch, as well as ice-cream, and then sat in a chair outside and ate and read my letters. Very pleasant. At about 2pm, I set out to walk the eight miles up Mount Greylock (3500’) to the AMC’s Bascom Lodge, where I planned to spend the night. I’d rung up and booked already. Despite the uphill climb, a light pack made for good time and I arrived at 5:10pm. There were excellent views in most directions from the peak and it was a beautiful evening. I got my room, showered, and came down for 6pm dinner. Unfortunately, it was pasta! We all sat at a long table and I chatted with other guests and AMC workers. One gril had just been to Australia. After dinner, I wrote letters to Barb and Alan, phoned Jayne and tried to phone John C. I went to bed at 10:15pm and spent 45 minutes reading the Syntec(former employer) and Kew Camberwell District (athletic club) newletters and Pete’s Australian newspaper clippings (including weather forecasts!) I had received in the mail so I wouldn’t have to carry them tomorrow.
Date: Monday, 21 July 1986.
Daily AT Miles: 21.7
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 1556.5
Total All Miles: 1602.1
Weather: Warm, humid, sunny.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: “Sub”, ice-cream.
Dinner: Soup, macaroni cheese, strawberry shortcake.
Aches: None bad.
Animals Seen: Squirrels, rabbits.
People Seen: 2 AT Thru-hikers, ~ 20 day hikers, many others.
Journal:
Got up at 5:30am after there had only been a few brief showers overnight, and everything was reasonably dry. I left soon after 7am with the intention of walking to Cheshire, 14 miles away, in three sessions with short breaks between. My pack was light and, although it was still humid, I made good time. I reached Dalton after 4½ miles, including a couple of miles road-walking and, while passing through the town, found a grocery by the Trail so stopped for a quart of orange juice and a pint of ice-cream before continuing on. As I left town, I passed two AT Thru-hikers, Evelyn and Wayne, returning to the Trail after four days off. I exchanged pleasantries and continued on. The Trail climbed out of town up to a bumpy ridge. Much of it was new and therefore tiring. It passed by a pretty pond and one good viewpoint and was quite boggy in parts. I decided to ring Jayne and recommend her parents go for their planned hike elsewhere. I arrived at Cheshire Post Office at 12:20pm and collected a good swag of mail, including a mysterious box which turned out to contain my fold-up knapsack that I’d lost somewhere. “GEOKA” had found it and mailed it to a Post Office up the Trail. It had been forwarded twice and caught me in the end. Pleased. I walked through the town and found a supermarket where I bought a “sub” for lunch, as well as ice-cream, and then sat in a chair outside and ate and read my letters. Very pleasant. At about 2pm, I set out to walk the eight miles up Mount Greylock (3500’) to the AMC’s Bascom Lodge, where I planned to spend the night. I’d rung up and booked already. Despite the uphill climb, a light pack made for good time and I arrived at 5:10pm. There were excellent views in most directions from the peak and it was a beautiful evening. I got my room, showered, and came down for 6pm dinner. Unfortunately, it was pasta! We all sat at a long table and I chatted with other guests and AMC workers. One gril had just been to Australia. After dinner, I wrote letters to Barb and Alan, phoned Jayne and tried to phone John C. I went to bed at 10:15pm and spent 45 minutes reading the Syntec(former employer) and Kew Camberwell District (athletic club) newletters and Pete’s Australian newspaper clippings (including weather forecasts!) I had received in the mail so I wouldn’t have to carry them tomorrow.
Appalachian Trail - Day 079
Day: 079
Date: Sunday, 20 July 1986.
Daily AT Miles: 25.5
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 1534.8
Total All Miles: 1580.4
Weather: Warm, humid, overcast.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, chocolate bar.
Dinner: Fettucine, pop tarts.
Aches: None that are very bad.
Animals Seen: Chipmunks.
People Seen: 1 AT Thru-hiker, 1 overnight hiker, 4 day hikers, some others.
Journal:
I got up at 5:30am to find all my clothes still wet from the wash I had given them the previous night (to try and reduce chafing), but I put them on anyway. I left at 7:10am after exchanging addresses with Liz. Both she and Matt were a bit sheepish after the night’s excitement. I hoped to cover a lot of miles and fortunately it was cool early and there was a lot of road-walking. My pack was starting to feel lighter too. The road-walk took me along some lovely country lanes past some beautiful mansions set amongst the hills (The Berkshires) with manicured lawns and reflecting ponds. I passed through the attractive little village of Tyringham, then climbed up onto another ridge along roads and forest roads which made the going quicker. The Trail passed the attractive Goose Pond, then Upper Goose Pond. It was still very muggy and mozzies were about, but the heavy overcast reduced the heat a little. While walking, I listened on my Walkman to a live broadcast of an outdoor concert by the Boston Symphony Orchestra from their summer home at Tanglewood, only a few miles away as the crow flies. It was great listening to Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries as I strode through the forest along the ridge, knowing it was being performed nearby. At about 3pm, I overtook “Jeannie the Bag Lady” and saw her again when I stopped at October Mountain Lean-To for a very late lunch. The feet seemed to be standing the strain better today, despite having to carry four full water bottles because of the lack of good water – there were plenty of bogs. The clouds were looking ominous from about 6pm, but I pushed on to 6:45pm, when I found a nice campsite, having achieved my mileage target. I set up the tarp over the tent in preparation for rain that didn’t come, had dinner and adjourned to the tent at 8:30pm.
Date: Sunday, 20 July 1986.
Daily AT Miles: 25.5
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 1534.8
Total All Miles: 1580.4
Weather: Warm, humid, overcast.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, chocolate bar.
Dinner: Fettucine, pop tarts.
Aches: None that are very bad.
Animals Seen: Chipmunks.
People Seen: 1 AT Thru-hiker, 1 overnight hiker, 4 day hikers, some others.
Journal:
I got up at 5:30am to find all my clothes still wet from the wash I had given them the previous night (to try and reduce chafing), but I put them on anyway. I left at 7:10am after exchanging addresses with Liz. Both she and Matt were a bit sheepish after the night’s excitement. I hoped to cover a lot of miles and fortunately it was cool early and there was a lot of road-walking. My pack was starting to feel lighter too. The road-walk took me along some lovely country lanes past some beautiful mansions set amongst the hills (The Berkshires) with manicured lawns and reflecting ponds. I passed through the attractive little village of Tyringham, then climbed up onto another ridge along roads and forest roads which made the going quicker. The Trail passed the attractive Goose Pond, then Upper Goose Pond. It was still very muggy and mozzies were about, but the heavy overcast reduced the heat a little. While walking, I listened on my Walkman to a live broadcast of an outdoor concert by the Boston Symphony Orchestra from their summer home at Tanglewood, only a few miles away as the crow flies. It was great listening to Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries as I strode through the forest along the ridge, knowing it was being performed nearby. At about 3pm, I overtook “Jeannie the Bag Lady” and saw her again when I stopped at October Mountain Lean-To for a very late lunch. The feet seemed to be standing the strain better today, despite having to carry four full water bottles because of the lack of good water – there were plenty of bogs. The clouds were looking ominous from about 6pm, but I pushed on to 6:45pm, when I found a nice campsite, having achieved my mileage target. I set up the tarp over the tent in preparation for rain that didn’t come, had dinner and adjourned to the tent at 8:30pm.
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