Start: Rt 2
Destination: Campsite and Spring
Trail Miles: 1.8 (and damn proud of them!)
Total Trail Miles: 259.3
Today was a whirlwind! Jenny dropped me off at the Hertz near their house (thank you again!) and I was off on a 4.5 hour drive.
I had to make the decision to skip a chunk of the trail in order to summit Katahdin on time and before the winter closure. I will make up every mile I missed, but for now I must look forward and another step on this adventure.
I drove to North Adams, MA expecting a sleepy little town. I was very wrong! It is an adorable, eclectic, bustling small city with fiercely happy inhabitants. Ok, I only spoke with three locals, but THEY were all very much in love with this beautiful place.
I had to go to the post office, grocery store, pharmacy and drop my car off at Hertz...them somehow make it to the trailhead. It's a humbling experience when you realize you have no options but to ask for help or get to walking. If I had of walked to the trailhead it would have been too dark to hike, but luckily for me, Steve was there to save the day! I use the term "Hertz" lightly. It was a really nice automotive repair shop that had a relationship with Hertz. Worked out for everyone! And I got a ride to the trailhead. Trail angel! No Uber here. And Steve said the two taxi companies are in competition to be the worst service providers this side of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Oh, while I was at the post office, I saw a thru-hiker and introduced myself. His name is Fun Size. He's from Oregon and he's finishing his triple crown! That is, he's already thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail and now is about 700 miles from finishing the third and final thru-hike to complete his triple crown. It's quite an accomplishment! Even one thru-hike is...but all three is pretty amazing. His real name is Grady and he joined me at the local brewery (um, it was .3 miles from the post office, of COURSE I had to go).
This beer was a bit magical.
Anyway, I got to the trail around 6:30 pm. I ate my tofurkey and cheese sandwich I made myself. And a local homeowner offered to take my trash and if someone didn't take my leftover bead by evening he would throw that away too. Seeee, good, genuine people. Let's start showing these stories on the news.
The trial started off with a steep climb. But it was only 1.8 miles so, who's to complain.
I ran into Cheap and Easy! I knew I would see people I met previously because they were all so far ahead of me and I ended up skipping part of the trail. Seeing him made me happy. He told me he was staying at the same campsite. Yay! Not alone, but yet, alone.
Turned out, lots of people had the same idea. There are a bunch of tents spread out across the mountain. I kind of like it. Except for the snoring. But my headphones will take care of that.
We just heard a sound that could have been a B-52 Bomber crashing into the mountain. Lots of rustling in the tents after that one. What was it you'd like to know? No idea. I'm open to suggestions.
The AT goes right through their yard. Such kind people!
I'm looking forward to tomorrow's hike. I am getting up at 5:00 am to retrieve my bear bag. It was my first time putting it up completely by myself and I must say...a chipmunk, bear cub, small rodent and anything else that wants that bag can probably get to it. I DID try. And I DID put it up. But I must put it up during the daylight hours next time. This dark business is for the pros. I need to dust off the ole backpacker skills. So, I must take it down before these people...these SEASONED hikers see my mess. I only hope nothing actually DOES get the bag. Then I'll have to hike 1.8 miles back to North Adams. And as much as I truly adore that little sliver of American heaven, I must move forward. So no critters in the bear bag.
Punky Shire
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