July 31 – Benedict Pond (Day 134 – milepoint 1505.8)
Slow going in the morning, for everyone it seemed, before-during-and-after a bus ride and a short hitch back to the trailhead.
Ran into Aunt Marty, Pixie, Earth Surfer and gang who have just recently caught up to us. They invited Achilles and I to join them for a spaghetti dinner at Benedict Pond and they did not have to ask twice. A great evening swim in Benedict Pond, a very satisfying dinner, and I’m early to bed.
Aquaholic
July 30 – Great Barrington, MA (Day 133 – milepoint 1495.3)
Small World woke us all up around 5:30 a.m. and we returned to the rock overlook to watch the sunrise. Patches of clouds blanketed the lakes, ponds, streams, and swampland in the valley below and slowly lifted like ghosts into heaven as the warm sun rose over the horizon.
I fell back asleep right there on the rock, and when I awoke, I was alone. As I stumbled back to my pack and gear, I figured I would be walking alone today, until I found Achilles, Jarvis, and Small World just waking up as well.
Yet another beautiful day all around. We’re finally being rewarded for our efforts each day with nice views and increasing topography. My energy and spirit had been somewhat drained through the mentally tough Northern Virginia to New York portion of the Trail. Rocks, heat and humidity day after day will do it to you, but I must say it was well worth the effort and I did enjoy myself. The initial stages of New England already have me rejuvenated, and the buzz seems to have spread throughout the thru-hiking community.
Achilles and I hiked the rest of the day with Jarvis (20, IN) and Small World (22, IL), definitely a couple of my favorite people on the Trail.
We had all planned a group celebration for reaching 1,500 miles and we headed into Great Barrington, MA to meet the rest of the celebration crew. Achilles and I got a ride into town from a very generous couple who had been out all day doing Trail maintenance on the AT nearby. They dropped us off at the Barrington Motel, which is conveniently located next to the Barrington Brewery. We got cleaned up then walked over to the Brewery and joined Huff and Puff (father and son from Oklahoma), Apple Jack (61, Ireland), ChurchMouse (30’s, Key Largo, FL), Woolybooger (mid 20’s, NC), Spice (mid 20’s, Boston), Cosmo (23, GA), Chewy (25, IN), Watergirl (mid 20’s, San Diego), Chicken Man (20’s, GA), and LandShark (mid 20’s, NH).
Good beer and food, excellent company, billiards, darts, and a great jukebox all made for a fulfilling 1500-mile celebration. It is now 2:30 a.m. and I can’t believe I’m still awake. Should probably find out when checkout time is.
We’re now planning a party for Hanover, NH where Achilles went to school…
Aquaholic
July 29 - Bear Rock Falls Campsite (Day 132 – milepoint 1482.7)
A humble thank you to the Grossmans, then Alan dropped us at the Trailhead at 7 a.m. with fresh fruit, cookies, and Apple Bran muffins to get us going.I felt great all day. Lots of energy. Cooler temps and much less humidity made the morning climbs a pleasure.
Excellent views from the Bear Mountain Ridge and the Trail dropped into a place called Sages Ravine, a beautiful creek with numerous swimming holes. Eventually crossed the creek and into Massachusetts. Stopped for a siesta at Bear Rock Falls Campsite and ended up spending the rest of the day here with Achilles, Small World, Jarvis, Huff, Puff, ChurchMouse and a southbound section hiker, Hugh, with his dog Mr. Phil. Cool spot with an excellent view. Hugh is 16 years old, hiking for 2 weeks from Vermont to his home in Pawling, NY, which is only a mile from the Trail. Great kid. We’re trying to talk him into joining us to Katahdin, but I have a feeling his naturally worried mother would not appreciate that.
Jarvis played guitar for a while and I accompanied on harmonica. A very nice and easy 8-1/2 mile day.
Aquaholic
July 28 - Salisbury, CT (Day 131 – milepoint 1474.1)
Walked a mile and joined Puff, Cosmo, Spice, Wildseed, Baltimore Jack, Chewy, and Achilles for breakfast at the Village Coffee Shop on US 7. Best waitress on the entire Trail so far and I was full for $6.00.
Later in the day, Achilles and I met up with Small World and Devin (now Jarvis) and joined them for the last 5 miles into Salisbury, along with Baltimore Jack. The lawn in front of the P.O. in the middle of town became a thru-hiker lounge area. More blueberries and other fresh fruit kept me happy for the afternoon.
Achilles and I eventually went another 0.7 mile to US 41 where we were met by Jane Grossman, whose husband is Alan Grossman, Achilles‘ godfather. She brought us back to their very beautiful farmhouse (by way of the bakery and market) and made us feel very welcome.
Showers. Laundry. We set all of our wet gear out on the lawn to dry. A dip in the pool and a soothing soak in their hot tub carried us right into the dinner hour. Jane and Alan grew up with Achilles‘ father, John, and I enjoyed watching and listening as Achilles learned a few things about his father in his days before he was a dad. “What?” … “You’re kidding!” … “Are you sure we’re talking about the same person here?”
Jane and Alan seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the memories as well and struggled at times to avoid a few of those “your kids shouldn’t know EVERYTHING about you” moments. Alan is the outgoing President of Outward Bound, which was another interesting topic, and he is gearing up to start teaching the subject of non-profit organizations and fund-raising at Harvard University. So many great stories. Wonderful folks. I feel honored to be a guest in their home. Feeling very spoiled, but not complaining.
Aquaholic
July 27 - Beiter Campsite (Day 130 – milepoint 1463.5)
Rain. Everything is wet and mosquitoes are buzzing my ears. Why do they do that? I hope I sleep.
Aquaholic
July 26 - Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-To (Day 129 – milepoint 1447.0)
Up with the sun and hammered the nine miles into Kent to pick up my maildrop. Ran into a bunch of folks in town. Good to see Baltimore Jack, Puff, Cosmo, Chewbacca, Spice, Woolybooger, Water Girl, and Church Mouse.
Grabbed some blueberries and nectarines at the grocery and joined Achilles, Water Girl and Church Mouse for pizza. Ice cream on the way out of town and labored the 7 miles to the shelter, pack heavy again with food. Bunch of folks are tenting. I’m joined in the shelter by Mass, who I haven’t seen since mile 48, and Wayward Traveler who is possibly the strangest person I’ve met on the Trail. He seems harmless though, and I also detect a fair bit of intelligence behind the greater bit of weirdness. Still, I think I’ll sleep with one eye open.
Aquaholic
July 25 - Ten Mile Shelter (Day 128 – milepoint 1431.1)
Mr. Daily dropped us back at the Trail around noon where we left off, and we made 17 miles with little trouble. It was tough to leave “home” this morning and Achilles is feeling a bit of his six days off. He’ll be back to normal in no time, I’m sure.
We crossed into Connecticut today. Entering New England feels like a substantial milestone. We’re camped near the confluence of Ten Mile River and the Housatonic. So nice to hear the sound of flowing water again.
Aquaholic
July 24 - Off the AT in Rye, NY (Day 127)
Another day to relax. Tried to catch up on journal entries. Came close. Rained all day and we were happy to be dry and comfy. Ran into town and visited the local REI, Walter’s Famous Hot Dogs, and a video shop – Brothers McMullen – excellent flick, a guy’s perspective.
Another excellent evening with Mr. and Mrs. Daily, what gracious folks! We had dinner at a local steakhouse. My first steak in a long time.
Aquaholic
July 23 - Off the AT in Rye, NY (Day 126)
We spent most of the day wandering around New York City. I don’t know of a better place if you are into people watching. Feeling out of place was no longer a factor, although it did seem as if we were the only two people in the whole city with beards.
Caught some live music, Times Square, and a few other things worth mentioning… New York City and its people are still there since my last visit in the early 80’s.
The train ride back to Rye seemed to go quickly (I slept) and we joined Mr. and Mrs. Daily for a phenomenal dinner and a relaxing evening.
Aquaholic
July 22 - Off the AT in Manhattan, NY (Day 125)
Made a quick fuel stop at a deli near the Trail this morning and then meandered to NY-55 where I met up with Achilles, who I hadn’t seen since Duncannon, PA.
Back at the Daily-family home, I was able to throw some things in the laundry and go for a dip in the pool. Ahhh.
Achilles’ mom, Barbara, arrived and we chatted for a bit. She gave us a couple of bottles of wine for the evening and we loaded a couple of day packs with necessities and walked into town to catch the train to Grand Central Station.
Arrive grand Central Station: holy smokes! Fast-paced chaos compared to the timeless and peaceful AT. Achilles lived in NYC for two years before the AT so he moved effortlessly through the heavy traffic, encouraging me that everything was going to be okay. We bought a couple of deli sandwiches and hopped on the subway to 96th Street where we ascended to ground level and walked a couple of blocks into Central Park.
We joined a group of Achilles‘ friends and spent the very pleasant evening sipping wine and listening to the New York Philharmonic Orchestra performing for us and our 100,000+ friends. As if that wasn’t enough, a spectacular sunset was followed by a massive show of fireworks following the concert.
We spent the rest of the evening playing pool and darts in a bar called The Dive Bar. Achilles and I have joined his friend Jib and girlfriend, Brooke, back at Jib’s apartment on 92nd and 2nd in Manhattan.
Aquaholic
