Date: 2003-07-14
From: Belter's Campsite 

To: Laurel Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a weird day. Dirty Bird and Fidodido got up and left before we did. A few minutes after they left, Dirty Bird is yelling to us from a hill, about 50 above our campsite. Hotdog had walked up there last night to check out the view, since there was a trail from our site leading up there. It didn't dawn on us until later that the AT went that way. That's a bummer, because the trail out of the camping area went slightly downhill, then the AT climbed up to the view (Belter's View) which was very near our campsite. Oh well. I guess it's a good thing I'm trying to hit all the white blazes. Or maybe it's just a thing.Somehow Hotdog and I either walked extremely fast, went through a time warp, or the trail wasn't as long as all of our information said it was. We knew Prospect Mountain was over 6 miles away, so when we took a break at a vista, we both thought we were 1 to 2 miles south of Prospect. However, about a half mile later, down the mountain, we saw a sign that pointed up the trail we'd just come down: "Prospect Mt 0.6". No way could we have gone that far already! But that's what the sign said. Then, when we reached US44, which was 10.5mi from our starting point, we figured we'd only been hiking for about 4 and a half hours. That was way too quick! I'm thinking there was some re-route or something, but there were no signs of such, and all of our collective trail information said the same thing. Maybe that's why we went about 2 miles farther than planned today.For several miles today, we walked along the Housatonic River. I like walking along water, especially if it's flowing well. The river, as usual for this time of year, was low, but that was cool too, as I could see all of the rocks that would be hidden with higher water. We passed Great Falls, which were pretty neat, but would be awesome when the water is higher!There were a lot of great views today: Rand's view, Lion's Head, and Bear Mountain! The climb up to Lion's Head was a bit steep, especially at the top, but the view that I saw as I took those last few steps was just awesome! It was almost a 180-degree view, and the skies were mostly clear today. Just gorgeous. When I arrived up there, there were about 8 kids running around, more interested in their "secret blueberry patches" than the view. When they left, along with their chaperones, it was quite peaceful there. I wish I could stay all day. One more to add to the "revisit" list.About 3 miles after Lion's Head, we reached the summit of Bear Mountain, which is Connecticut's highest peak, but not it's high point. There is a huge rock cairn on top of Bear Mountain. It is probably 20' high, but that is about 1/3 of it's original height when built in 1885. It provided an awesome perch to view the mountains and valleys around. Kyle, a ridgerunner was enjoying the view when we arrived, and we all sat on the rocks staring at the horizon. It was just beautiful! Again, I could sit there all day! But it was time to move on.We had planned on staying at Sages Ravine Campsite, but since we apparently made good time before lunch, we decided to continue to here, Laurel Ridge Campsite. Sages Ravine is near the Connecticut-Massachusetts border, so I've finished another state! That's 10 down and 4 to go! Sages Ravine was beautiful too. Water rolled down moss-covered rocks and logs, and formed small falls. Or it formed pools in the deeper areas. It was around 6pm when we were there, but it seemed much later in the dark ravine. The mosquitos didn't care what time it was.In Connecticut and Massachusetts, hikers are supposed to stay at designated campsites or shelters (lean-tos). The campsites have everything a shelter does, except... the shelter. They have privies, and water sources, and usually designated tenting areas. This camping area has tent platforms, which are built up from the surrounding ground and packed with dirt and rocks to form a solid area to tent. There is no one else here, that I'm aware of. The tent pads are spread out, so I'm not sure we're alone. Not that it matters.The trail is so diverse! Every day I do the same thing: walk on the AT. But every day, it's different. I walked through one of my favorite areas, a pine forest. The ground was covered with soft pine needles, and there were huge boulders here and there. They looked like they'd been dropped at random in this forest. It was just very pleasant to walk through.I am excited to be in New England. I'd never been to CT, and have been to parts of eastern Massachusetts, but not the west. I've never been to Vermont or Maine and only to New Hampshire to ski, so this is all new to me. The trail is getting more beautiful as I walk north. I can't wait to see what the next 2 months show me! It's almost overwhelming, thinking about all that I've seen. And I know I've missed a lot too. That's one thing about a thruhike, I go past each part only once, so if I miss something, it may be gone forever. I'm trying to enjoy each thing I do see though, and trying to look around more. It's not easy, when the footing isn't level, but I'm trying.