Date: 2006-07-16
From: Stewart Hollow Brook L.T.

To: CT4 (Cornwall Bridge CT)
Miles today: 4.1

Today I wish I wasn¢t on Trailjournals. I¢m ashamed to say I only got in four miles. Well, let me see if I can explain things.First when I awoke everything, and I mean everything, was damp or wet. My sweat soaked shorts didn¢t dry a bit overnight and the air was so saturated you were engulfed in morning fog with the hot sun trying to break through.I wanted to experience a new town so I decided to have breakfast in Cornwall Bridge¢¦only four miles down the trail. I walked in a mile to town with Snickers, another guy I had just met.   We did get confused at the bridge and had to ask a person at the gas mart for directions¢¦¢It¢s across the bridge and around the corner¢¦like it says in the book¢¦duh¢Snickers couldn¢t figure out why his water filter didn¢t work any more and there was an outfitter in this small town. The book says it has been the home to celebrities. But the reason I went in was to have breakfast at the town store/deli. Snickers finds out that his filter is dirty and only needed to be washed out¢¦duh!I bought Snicker¢s breakfast which ended up being an early lunch for me since the guy behind the counter was too busy to make eggs and hash browns.I decide since it¢s hotter than yesterday, it might be a good time to hitch back and shuttle the SUV. I¢m out on the porch, sitting at the picnic table talking to the locals about the best route to take. Three attractive middle aged women are out here having ice cream or something and they start quizzing me about my snap on head lamp which leads to what I¢m doing out here¢¦yada yada yada. One, who just opened an art gallery in the next town, says that if I¢m still here at four, she will give me a ride since she has to go that way. Wow! I take her up on it and decide to check into the motel down the road since it will be too late to hike when I get back.I spend the afternoon watching Kathy Griffen reruns in my air conditioned room. My ride gets delayed and tells me to meet her on the store porch at five.While I¢m sitting there at six (she doesn¢t show) doing nothing, this guy comes in; points to where I¢m sitting and says, ¢Save my lucky seat while I go buy my lottery ticket.¢ I quickly move over and he comes out smiling and sits down beside me. He starts slowly rubbing out the numbers and I make the mistake of asking him to explain how the game works. He only gets his money back and next thing you know both of us buy tickets. (Do you see where this is going?) Well I have a new friend and we get to chatting and the next thing I know David is putting his hand on my arm and squeezing when he laughs. One of his gay friend¢s stops by to say hello¢¦I could tell because he had on too much eye make up. Somewhere along the line the topic turns to gay sex and he pretty much admits he¢s trying to pick me up. I told him it just wasn¢t my thing and we part amicably as I head back to the motel room (without him, I want to make that clear.) Turns out David has an antique shop somewhere nearby. But the real star around town is Sam Waterston, the actor who plays the prosecuting attorney Jack on Law & Order. They say he raised his kids at a house nearby and casually walks into the store all of the time. He even did a benefit where he dressed up as Abe Lincoln and they sold tickets for $100. Supposed to be a ¢cool dude¢¢¦unpretentious. I was hoping he would walk in while I was there, but no such luck.Well my ride doesn¢t show; I call and she says she¢s waiting for her brother to return the car but she is definitely still going¢¦I tell her I can go anytime. She never does show and I don¢t call and bug her anymore. I wished she would have just let me know she had changed her mind so I would have not wasted the whole day. I could have gone ahead and hitched.So the plan is to just hike on in the morning even though everyone at the store is talking about record heat.Had your fill of my hiking journal yet?¢You¢ve done too much to me¢¦don¢t you be touching me¢¦go back and touch all those women (fellows) you met¢¦¢