Date: 2005-06-09
From: Hemlocks Lean-to

To: East Mountain Retreat Center
Miles today: 16.4

Trail Day 10 - East Mountain Retreatdaily miles 16.4 on ATI thought I had slept alone in this peaceful hemlock glen, but in the morning, as I packed, a crew of ten Outward Bound girls and their leaders bounded up the hill to the shelter, rounded it and ran back down to their campsite. Morning workout, I guess. I had not heard a peep from them, so I was astounded. One invited me to come with them for a dip in the pond, but I declined. Just not my scene. The trail led over a ridge and down to Jug End Road. I met Bamboo Bob and his wife, Just Visiting, on the way down. We chatted and they warned me that I should stop at the second road, take a drink and apply DEET because I would enter mosquito hell and I would not want to stop for several miles. Blue Jay had told me that the Jug End Swamp held as many mosquitos in two miles as there are in all of Maine. That was an exaggeration, but not by much. As I flew over the boards layed down on the dark muck, I looked over my shoulder to see a cloud of mosquitoes keeping pace just above my pack. I had sprayed so much DEET that only a few landed on me, but the DEET did not stop the gnats from buzzing my ears. I was relieved to emerge into the light of the road. I know that if I had faltered or slipped in that dark swamp, the bugs would have been all over me.I detoured at US7 to hitch into Great Barrington. I needed water purification tablets, a pair of cushy socks, and a sandwich. I found them all in short order, made some phone calls and hitched away from a hot supermarket parking lot to the trail. I faced 5 miles of climbing to the next shelter. A young man wearing blue jeans and carrying a plastic bag stepped out of the shadows of the trail and pointed out to me a mileage sign. He said he saw me walking on the highway and then he asked, "Do you have any food?" He was not a hiker; he was a vagrant on the trail. As far as I was concerned, he was trouble. I gave him a power bar and watched him walk south for awhile to make sure he did not follow me. At the next road I asked a resident working on his driveway if he had seen the man. He had seen him, and in fact, had given him water. He remarked that the man seemed to be checking out his house. I replied that he was not a hiker and to watch out for him. I have met few vagrants on the AT, but I am sure it is hard for the locals to tell the difference between hikers and vagrants, and they cause a bad impression for all hikers.I reached the shelter at 5:40 and was ready to call it a day, but it was a dirty shelter with a poor water source, so I checked my guidebook and found there was a hostel only 3 miles away. I would not arrive until 7 pm, but it was well worth the late arrival because of the shower alone.The East Mountain Retreat Center is not heavily visited by hikers because it is a mile roadwalk from the trail. It is a non-denominational silent retreat for individuals and groups. I was the only visitor there. Reverend Lois Rose welcomed me and showed me the hostel. I showered, washed clothes and cooked on a hot plate. I slept comfortably on a futon on the floor that night. The charge was only $13 and it was much better than the shelter I left behind.