On the Move

I should be in W. Hartford, VT, on Wednesday.

The Green Mountains

The Green Mountains, Vermont

Welcome to Vermont

Manchester Center, VT

Mt. Greylock, MA

Summit of Mt. Greylock

Looking Back toward Mt. Greylock

The Berkshires

I'm 12 pounds lighter!  Weighed myself this morning.  And then walked a mile down Main Street and ate two full breakfasts at the Dalton Restaurant.  I'd already done a few  miles from the shelter.  After digesting and a resupply I will leave Dalton and head  for Cheshire.  I underestimated my last resupply at Salisbury, so I've been a *little* hungry.   I've also been keeping a steady pace and making fairly good time, despite a bad knee.

The Berkshires are beautiful.  There are more evergreens; more hemlock groves, pines and firs.  The ground is often cushioned with their needles (a welcome change after all the rocks!). I began to see a few birch trees in NY, but now there are lots of them growing among the beeches, maples and oaks. Wide patches of ferns stretch beneath the trees. There is a growing silence in the woods, even though the wind and brooks and birds are as alive as ever. Roads are growing further apart.

The trail runs beside bogs and ponds, some as large as lakes. Dragonflies zip along above beaver dams. Bull frogs croak and jump suddenly as I walk by. Great blue herons wade out in the shallows.

I stayed at Upper Goose Pond Cabin and went canoeing, exploring an island and the shores for almost two hours. The caretaker made pancakes and coffee for us the next morning.

Then I walked almost twenty miles to Dalton, stopping in for a visit to the Cookie Lady just down the road from the trail. Actually I met her husband, the Cookie Man.  He gave me fresh farm eggs, a Klondike bar, and a Coke (plus cookies) in a little basket with a tray for the egg shells.  I ate it outside on their picnic table and said howdy to the rooster.

(Later...) So as I was typing this in the library, some jerk stole my ipod as it was charging right next to the computer.  The librarian recognized the last guy who was sitting across from me, and she pulled his picture up on the internet.  Then they called the cops for me.  The station happened to be in the same building, so the officer was there right away.  He, too, recognized the guy and said he'd just gotten out of jail on assault charges.  So I went with the officer to the station, thinking I'd only be there for a few minutes and then leave town.  Instead, I spent the next two hours listening as calls from three officers came into the central office about my ipod.  There were no other officers at the station, so I guessed that most of the Dalton police were on the case.  Long story short - got my ipod back, wasn't interested in pressing charges, and wound up staying in Dalton.  Thanks Dalton police!

Williamstown, MA

Had a great visit with my cousin David and his fiancee Burcu! Thanks you two for having me over! :-)

Cousin David & Me

David and Burcu

Welcome to Massachusetts

CT-MA

Tick bite? Evil spider? Hatched alien spawn?

Race Mountain, MA

Salisbury, Connecticut

Hiked just 8 miles this morning into town, where I am now taking refuge from the heat in the public library.  I will grab something cold to drink from the cafe down the street, chill out for a while, then walk the remaining miles to the shelter when the sun gets low. Drank a gallon of water before noon and still feel dehydrated.

Yesterday I tramped up to the Toymaker Cafe (Toymaker as in the motorcycle) and had a cheeseburger. Annie, one of the owners, then showed me where I could tent in back of the cafe for free.  I had set up camp and was journaling at a picnic table when a truck pulled up and a guy named Hudson introduced himself.  He was one of the owners of Bearded Woods-- a "One of A Kind Bunk & Dine"--just outside Falls Village.  I hadn't seen any mention of it before (probably because it's not quite on the right page in the AT Guide). He then offered me some amazing trail magic:  a night including shower, laundry, dinner & breakfast, clean linens and a comfy bed, a beer, and good conversation -- all for free. Usually l'd have had to pay $55 for all that (which is still incredible).

Hudson and his wife, Big Lu (both trail names), have been running Bearded Woods for two years now, and I have to emphasize that theirs is the best, most hiker-friendly operation I have seen since Harper's Ferry.  Where to begin?

Maybe with the inlaid walnut "AT" emblem in the floor at the top of the stairs to the bunk rooms.  Or the exquisite joinery and framework in the common room.  Or the white blazes painted on the raw pine bedposts.  Or the 4' x 6' photo above the couch of Hudson looking back along Katahdin's awesome Knife Edge.  Or the separate and refreshingly clean double shower bathroom complete with tile and towels... And then there were the burgers (yes, more burgers!), the twice-baked potatoes, excellent pasta salad, professionally served cake and berries and ice cream (all courtesy of Big Lu).  And they did our laundry for us while we ate!  So much hard work and attention to detail, so much enthusiasm for providing a comfortable resting place for other hikers -- I will not forget it.

Thanks Hudson & Big Lu!

Let me also mention that we went back this morning and had a killer breakfast at the Toymaker.  I don't want to leave them out of my praise here.  Thanks for the excellent black sesame french toast, sausage and home fries.  (Gee, do I have to have Ramen tonight?)

Looking forward to more s'miles.

Still Sailing,
Wilderness Samurai

Kent

Made it to Kent, Connecticut, where I am currently in a B&B friendly to hikers. May well zero tomorrow or slack-pack a section of trail. More soon.

New Jersey & New York

Some photos from the past few days:

New Jersey, after Delaware Water Gap. 

Sunfish Pond, in New Jersey.

Another of Sunfish Pond.

Climbing Bear Mountain in New York, just before the Hudson.

View of the Hudson. New York.

Crossing the Hudson. New York. 

Crossing the Hudson. NY.