Hiking the Good Hike

   Well, I wish I could say that my restful day was followed with a restful night's sleep but that would be a lie. I woke up in the middle of the night sick as a dog. I think I ate and drank too much, too late, and well, just made myself sick. My stomach has become accustomed to trail food and not town food, which is very unfortunate because I dearly love my greasy, fatty town food. So needless to say I was not feeling up for the trail at 8 am. Luckily, I had a wonderful, trail angel of a friend who volunteered to take Giuseppe back to the trail as scheduled so that I wouldn't delay his hike. After our later start time was agreed upon, I pulle the covers back over my head and went back to bed. When I awoke, Moose was just returning with some muffins and fresh strawberries from the berry farm across the road. I tested the waters and everything seemed to be staying down okay so we packed up and Allison took us back to the trail around 11:00.

   It was a beautiful day as we hiked through not only woods but the ski slopes of Bromley Mountain as well. The day continued without incidence as we made our way to the shelter. Less than a mile from home for the night, we were surprised/scared by a very large porcupine that was hanging out about a foot from the trail, and my leg. It seriously gave me a scare and literally made Chris jump up on the nearest fallen tree. Once we regained composure, we met Giuseppe and Corona at a river front shelter where the water lulled us to sleep.

6/20 Day 109 Big Branch Shelter to Clarendon Shelter - 16.9 miles

It was a cold night and we woke up with no motivation to move. So for the first time on trail, we didn't even get out of our sleeping bags; we just rolled back over and took a nap. We eventually made our way out of camp and on trail by the early hour of 10:00. We took a snack break at a beautiful little spot along the banks of Little Rock Pond. Then we hiked on to see the swampy woods transition into an evergreen forest. Once we made it to the ridge we found a neat little place near White Rocks Cliff with several cairns built everywhere; Moose even took the time to make one himself. That night we stayed at a very rustic shelter with some new flip-flippers, Newton and his son, completing for us a pretty pleasant day.

6/21 Day 110 Clarendon Shelter to Long Trail Inn - 18.3 miles 

We were up and on our way early to tackle a 3000 ft climb over Killington this morning. Well, that and Nomad was planning to meet us at a parking lot on the other side of the mountain with food and drink, 2 of my favorite motivators out here. It was a beautiful day for a walk/big climb through the forest and with Nomad's help we hiked 18 miles by 2:00; sorry, we didn't stop for any pictures. We did, however, meet a new face on the way down, Johnny Blaze, and let him in on our trail magic as well. Nomad had a buddy from home with him helping/hanging out with him for the week so we got to make his acquaintance. Also, Giuseppe showed up with his 2 brothers and a family friend to help us finish off the smoked sausages and bratworsts. We then decided that since this was going to be our last visit from Nomad on trail that we would stay the night with him at The Long Trail Inn and hang out for a while. The Inn was a neat place with a game room and Pub with live music that night which made for a very enjoyable evening.

Thanks again,

Wide Load

"Not all who wander are lost."

Tolkien

6/11 Day 100 Mt. Wilcox South Shelter to Upper Goose Pond Cabin - 15.8 miles

Today was not the best day. Started the day off with rain this morning, leaving the trail muddy and swampy. Even the boardwalk built over a bog was underwater. Keeping boots and socks dry was impossible. The rain held off long enough for us to eat lunch in a parking lot on the side of the road. During our dry spell we met another couple, Memphis and Cutie, who had started their hike in New York for a flip flop. As we hiked on, Moose stopped for water and I kept going; he hikes faster than I do so he is able to catch up to me. Unknown to me, Moose had fell while trying to catch me, ramming a rock into his shin; don't worry, no brakes but he did report that it was painful. A little later the rain began again as a thunderstorm rolled through, providing a good downpour further flooding the trail and drenching us. The rain continued all the way to the cabin where we were met by the caretaker and several other hikers; it's going to be a full house tonight. Highlight of the day, Moose finally got to meet Freeman, a hiker whose name he'd been following in the registers for the entire trail; he's enjoying the jerny. Let's hope the weather is better tomorrow.

6/12 Day 101 Upper Goose Pond Cabin to Kay Wood Shelter - 17.6 miles

Woke up to pancakes and coffee this morning thanks to the caretaker. We were the last to leave the cabin so that we could finish off the leftovers. A rainy drizzle this morning as we hit the flooded trail. Stopped in to a hotel 0.1 off trail to get some sodas and charge the phones. Only hiked 1.8 miles by 10:20 am. The rain stopped and the sun came out as we got back on the trail. We went by the Cookie Lady's house but no one was home, so no cookies for us. We trudged through the mud the rest of the day to the shelter where we stayed with Lefty and Hush. To Dalton tomorrow for a Nero and a visit from a friend from home.

6/13 Day 102 Kay Wood Shelter to Dalton, MA - 3 miles

Up early, we didn't sleep well. The rain began as we traipsed through the mud all the way into town and straight into a coffee shop. Corona and Giuseppe saw our packs outside and stopped by for a visit. We then headed to the post office for my new boots and a package from home to the Shamrock Inn for the night. The owner was super nice and let us check in early so we could get out of the rain. Showers and laundry were completed before Emily's arrival, lucky for her. After catching up, she took us out to eat and to the local Wal-mart for a resupply. It was great to see Emily and catch up on news from home. Later, we ordered pizza and split a 2 liter of Dr. Pepper. Today was a good day.

6/14 Day 103 Dalton, MA to Mark Noepel Shelter - 13.9 miles

Slept in for a change then had breakfast at a diner with Corona. Checked out at 11 to get our money's worth. The sun was shining, with no rain, as we headed out of town. We had some easy hiking, some nice weather, and a trail that wasn't as muddy as expected. While passing through Cheshire, we got some ice cream and Mountain Dew. An 1800 foot climb followed as we started toward Mt. Greylock. Stopped short of the summit to stay at the shelter with Giuseppe, Lefty, Hush, and a bunch of sectioners for the night.

6/15 Day 104 Mark Noepel Shelter to Seth Warner Shelter - 16.5 miles

Up early, trying to summit Mt. Greylock before the tourists arrived. From there, we headed for the road that would take us to food. 0.5 mile walk in to a Stop & Shop for a resupply and lunch. We were back on trail by 1pm for a hot, humid, and big climb out of town. At the base of the climb, we met Sharpshin and Kestrel. Nice weather in the evening as we crossed into Vermont.

6/16 Day 105 Seth Warner Shelter to Goddard Shelter - 21.6 miles

Off to a good start, cool but no rain. Within our first few miles, I saw my first moose, or at least I thought I did. I wasn't sure that Vermont even had moose but Giuseppe assured me that there were. All I could see was the tail end of supposed moose, running away, but I'm convinced. Half way through our day, after carefully making our way down several steep, slippery rock steps, we met Steve, "the hotdog guy" at the base of the hill at the parking lot. Steve fed us hotdogs, potato salad, chips, and soda. It was amazing! Made my day, and made our steep climb out of the parking lot much more enjoyable. The weather turned cooler, low 50s, and the rain started as we got to the ridge. We were good and wet by the time we got to camp. The shelter was full of sectioners and dogs, who fought on various occasions--the dogs, not the people. It was an interesting night of dogs barking and fighting, with wind and cold exposure. Fun times.

6/17 Day 106 Goddard Shelter to Stratton Pond Shelter - 19.3 miles

Woke up to a misty, cold morning. Hiked with Sharpshin and Kestrel for a bit as the day turned nice and the sun came out. All was good for a while until we started to climb Stratton Mountain. Without much warning, a strange noise preceded an unexpected hail storm. By the time we got our rain gear and pack covers on the damage was done; we were soaked. The storm eventually passed as we continued our climb with Giuseppe in the lead. As we approached the summit, Giuseppe quietly yelled back that there was a moose up ahead. Upon seeing it standing there for myself, I yelled back to Moose, "moose!". However, Moose thought I was just yelling at him until he saw the actual moose for himself. The moose even stood still for pictures; it definitely brightened our day. Fairly nice and easy hiking to the shelter from here. Stratton Pond was absolutely beautiful which made for a perfect ending.

Love and prayers always,

Wide Load

"The mountains are calling and I must go."

John Muir