Day 110- Monotonous Massachusetts

July 20, 2015

Kay Wood Shelter(1566.1) to Mark Noepel Shelter(1583.0) 16.9 Miles

I survived the storm last night. It wasn't nearly as bad as the forcast predicted. Although, I talked with a few SOBO's who said that it was pretty gnarly where they were at. I finished writing my blog early and was looking forward to getting to sleep earlier than I usually do. Unfortunately, the guy camped 7 feet from my hammock was up late making phone calls, therefore I was up late listening to him on the phone. The people at the shelter last night were all much older than me. They were out of camp before I even got out of my hammock. Usuall,y I am one of the first people out of camp in the morning. It was weird packing up by myself, but it was nice not having to be quiet. 

Today was a strange day because I passed right through two towns. I was able to get breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The first town I went through, Dalton, was only three miles away. The trail went downhill almost the entire three miles. When it wasn't going steeply downhill, it was super sloppy. I caught up to, Shortbus, within the first mile. We hiked into town together. He is a very pleasant guy from South Carolina. He got his trail name because he used to teach special needs children. We hit up a coffee shop on the trail through town for breakfast. I skipped my usual iced latte in favor of homemade lemonade. It was delicious, but didn't sit well with me as I hiked on. I think I was probably a little dehydrated because I felt like crap most of the morning. I couldn't even finish my breakfast sandwich, so I took half of it with me for later. The trail out of town wasn't marked very well and I got turned around a little. Eventually, I found my way. 

Never seen this kind of sign before

After leaving Dalton, the trail wandered through the woods for a little while. The trail was very muddy again so it was slow going. 

Getting used to the mud

I managed to keep my feet dry, which was pretty miraculous, in my opinion. 

As I went up and down over varying degrees of muddy trail, I started getting bored. There wasn't much to look at. I was thrilled to come across another beaver dam. I was hoping I would get to see a beaver, but there were none home. 

Beaver Pond

From the beaver pond I only had two miles to hike before I made it to, The Cobbles, a granite ledge with a fantastic view of Mt. Greylock. I still wasn't feeling very good, so I sat down for a little while and drank as much water as I could. I immediately felt better and continued on. The Cobbles were amazing. I had a great view of Mt. Greylock, Hoosic River Valley, and the town if Cheshire. 

View from The Cobbles

I took off my socks and shoes to let my feet dry and finished my breakfast sandwich. While I was up there, Captain Planet, Flask, No One, and another hiker came along. I've been seeing their names in the shelter logs for a few weeks now, so it was nice to finally meet them. The other hiker, whose name I can't remember, is hiking the Great Eastern Continental Divide trail. It starts in Miami and ends in Canada. He has been hiking since December 31. I can't fathom hiking that trail. It includes the Florida trail, which in my opinion, is pure misery. 

After leaving, The Cobbles, the trail went through Cheshire, MA. It was a neat small town. I stopped at an ice cream store to get a milkshake and a sandwich. The sandwich, I decided to pack out for dinner, which turned out to be a fantastic decision. By the time I got to camp I was exhausted and didn't feel like cooking anything. 

Street lined with American flags

On the way out of town I crossed through a corn field. It made me feel like I was in a horror movie. 

Corn Field

From here I only had four miles left to hike. The only problem was it was four miles straight uphill. Without realizing it, I had started the climb up Mt. Greylock. Mt. Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts, 3,491 feet high. Herman Melville wrote, Moby Dick, while staring out of his study window, where he could see Mt. Greylock. Mt. Greylock looks like a white whale during the winter months. 

Hump of the whale visible if you use your imagination

I have a very ambitious plan for tomorrow morning. I think it will make Airlock proud! If everything goes according to plan, you'll hear about it tomorrow night. 

"Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward." -Kurt Vonnegut