My Trails

8/5/12 – 1581 miles
Today I got a taste of climbing mountains again. It was a 2000 foot ascent to the top of Mt. Greylock, the highest mountain in Massachusetts. All afternoon the skies were covered in mist and it rained lightly on and off. By the time I reached Bascom Lodge at the summit and checked into the bunkhouse, the wind was howling and the monument was shrouded in fog. I took a shower, ate a hamburger at the restaurant, and met some new hikers.

The sun has come out now and the sky is clearing, casting unobstructed views of the surrounding countryside. I am relaxing at the lodge while an African band plays in the next room. They are serving dinner soon but the price tag left me out.

I will have a short hike into Williamstown tomorrow where I will probably take a day off. I need a rest. My feet are saying give me a break please.

8/4/12 – 1564 miles
I’ve been on the trail for four months now. In some ways it seems like only yesterday when I started. It really blows my mind that I will be hiking into Fall soon. Before long I will be looking to get back my winter gear for the mountains of NH.

I hiked 21 miles into Dalton, MA and stopped at the home of Tom Levardi, a true trail angel. Tom lets hikers stay in his home, shower, and even does their laundry, all for free. I thought I would have to tent out back but Tom invited me into his home for the night.

There was a neat thing that happened today. Way back in Southern Virginia, I met a man backpacking in the Roller Coaster and stopped to talk. He told me he was getting in shape to hike with his son who was coming up the trail, doing crazy big miles, hoping to finish before he was scheduled to start at a new job. He told me his sons trailname saying that he would probably catch me someday. Today I met his son. We are both staying at Tom’s house. It was kind of cool to close the circle.

8/3/12 – 1543 miles
One of the things that used to bug Kleenex was the fact that I never had much of a plan each day. She gets mail drops, meets people in certain towns, and has somewhat of a deadline that she’s working on. She even plans where she will eat lunch each day. I on the other hand just fly by the seat of my pants. When I was with her, I was matching miles and not thinking to much about where I was. It seems like more of an adventure if I let my body tell me how far to go.

I hiked most of the day with Lucky 10, someone I’d met a few weeks ago and caught up to when he took a few days off. The hiking has been miserable with so much heat and humidity, and we have to carry more water because so many streems have been dry.

I pulled ahead of Lucky 10 towards the end of the day and made it to Upper Goose Pond Cabin a few minutes ahead of him. I took a swim in the lake and sat on the dock drying in the sun. It is the first time I have swam on my hike and I must say it felt good.

I claimed one of the bunks in the cabin and sat around talking with hikers as they drifter in throughout the afternoon. By evening every bunk was filled – about fifteen in all. We are still meeting a lot of SOBO’s and getting info about place and food coming up on the trail.

In the morning the caretakers made blueberry pancakes and coffee for breakfast. Some of the hikers were staying at the cabin, taking the canoe out on the lake, swimming, or just relaxing for a while, but I packed and left.

8/2/12 – 1528 Miles
There was a group of inter-city kids camping at the shelter last night so I pitched my tent in some hemlock trees way off by myself. I had plenty of privacy, but in the morning the mosquitos were out in droves. I packed up and quickly headed out with intentions of stopping later for breakfast.

The trail made a gentle climb to the top of Mt Bushnell where the view was awesome. It was like being in an airplane above the clouds. For miles in each direction, all the landscape was a sea of cottony white. I think it is the first time I’ve seen a view like that on my hike.

Kleenex caught me soon after I descended the mountain and we had a snack near Shay’s Monument. I could tell that she has been withdrawn and quiet the last few days and I’ve tried to give her as much space as I could. Those of you reading her blog know how much she misses her family and friends, combine with that the constant physical toll the trail takes on your body for four months, and you have a recipe for some sad moments.

Two things I try never to discus on the trail are politics and religion. The younger generation of hikers out here are mostly involved with a party atmosphere of drinking and marijuana. There are some that do not but they are few and far between. It has to be somewhat discouraging to meet hundreds of guys on the trail and know that none of them share your morals.

But the time has come for us to split up. I love the time we’ve hiked together, she has been my best friend, she has been like one of my daughters.

She told me today that she needs some space and wants to hike alone for awhile. It goes back to the saying, “Hike your own hike.” It’s sometimes hard to balance the trials of the trail and a relationship with another person, no matter what that relationship may be.

And so today Kleenex is zeroing with her sister in Great Barrington and I will move on up the trail. I’m sure I will see her again – the AT has a way of bringing friends back together. And although I will miss her, I’m sure it will be good for me, too.

I’m excited to have Daryl coming to join me in a couple of weeks. He will get a taste of what this journey is like. I’m hoping for good weather and no blisters for his trek.

8/1/12 – 1508 miles
We spent the last two nights at hostels near Salisbury, CT. We heard by way of the hiker grapevine that a new place called the Bearded Woods Bed and Dine just opened for business a few weeks ago, offering thruhikers a place to stay, dinner and breakfast, showers, and laundry, pickup and return to the trail, all for $50. Everyone we ran into on Monday wanted to stay there and by the time we arrived at the pickup point, there were eight of us waiting for rides.
I must say the place was very nice, offering clean showers and beds, serving up some great food, and making us guests feel right at home with their hospitality.

In the morning we hiked on into the town of Salisbury to resupply. Kleenex needed to use the computer at the library to post some blogs. I checked us into the home of an 85 year old lady named Maria McCabe who rents out rooms in her house. Kleenex loves to watch the Olympics and Maria couldn’t have been more obliging. She loves hikers.

Today we moved into Massachusetts, ten states down and four to go. Massachusetts has three pretty good mountains right off the bat and it’s a shock to be back in climbing mode again. There are four Southbounders here tonight and we have been grilling them for information about the trail ahead. It’s said that we have completed 80% of the trail but only 20% of the work. The mountains up north are that hard.