Date: 2005-06-23
From: The McConaghy's - Sherman, CT

To: Caesar Brook Campsite
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: clear sky

Miles hiked today : 14.413.6 AT miles 0.1 mile of side trail + 0.7 roadwalk mileI woke up this morning at 5:30 a.m. and packed up a few things I hadn't packed last night. I slept very well on a day bed last night and only woke up once to use the restroom. Amusingly, the clock on the microwave read 4:00 a.m. and, when I woke up for the day, I felt as if I'd slept much longer than another 1.5 hours. It turns out that the clock on the microwave is approximately 2 hours slow. Rob made each of us a blueberry pancake for breakfast and then shuttled us back to Kent. Thank you so much, Rob, for allowing my friends and I into your home!Opa and I were dropped off in front of a breakfast restaurant at 6:55 a.m. while Bones was shuttled back to the trail. We had to wait a few minutes for the restaurant to open, then went in for another breakfast. To my delight, Turtle and Streetfighter walked in and joined us. It turns out that they'd gone into NYC for a day and had been trailing us for half a day for a few days. Sadly, Turtle informed me that she was only hiking to Cornwall Bridge before skipping 108.8 miles north to Mount Greylock to work on another section of trail she missed on her 2003 thru-hike.After breakfast, at 8:00 a.m., Opa and I set off to the hardware store to purchase a new battery for my compass-altimeter-watch. When I'd been there yesterday, I was told that the batteries had just arrived in the order, though they hadn't been unpacked. Today, a different employee told me that they hadn't received any, though after double checking, they found the battery. Yay! Now I'll know what time it is without asking Opa each time we stop for a break.Opa and I hiked together the entire day today and began the roadwalk back to the trail at 8:30 a.m., returning to soil at 9:00 a.m. At 10:35 a.m., I took a 15 minute snack and rest break at relatively viewless Caleb's Peak. The temperature was in the low 70s, though the steep climb had definitely heated me up. Opa and I often sing together, belting out whatever tune comes to mind. Today he taught me an old Irish folk song called "7 Old Ladies." Quite the amusing song and we sang it a couple times while going uphill. Needless to say, it probably wasn't the best rendition ever performed.Moving along, I descended steeply down to a flat section of trail along an unknown river. While descending, my feet slipped from under me and I landed, without incident, on my butt. Cha-ching, fall #20. The current in the river appeared to be very strong and, despite the temptation to go swimming, I stayed on dry land. At 12:15 p.m., I stopped for lunch and had pb&j sandwiches on rye. After eating, I was so sleepy, that I took an 1.5 hour nap using my rolled up fleece jacket as a pillow. At 2:30 p.m., Opa and I headed out.I had another steep climb up Silver Hill, followed by a steep descent to CT4, where I took a 10 minute rest break at 4:05 p.m. Continuing on, I climbed steeply up Pine Knob and reached Caesar Brook Campsite at 5:25 p.m. Up to this point on the trail, I'd not used any bug repellent and had been hesitant to use DEET, though the presence of mosquitos upon my arrival broke my resolve. I applied DEET to my arms and then went to fetch water for Opa and I.I treated my water with Aqua Mira and while waiting for the treatment to finish, I set up my tent and sleeping gear. Once my water was ready, I set to the task of cooking dinner. While my noodles simmered, I ate triscuits with pepperjack, yum! After dinner, I returned to the brook for more water and then journaled before settling into my tent to read.I heard from Frenchie, via e-mail, and she isn't too far behind. So, I may be seeing her before too long. Tomorrow is a full day at 16.2 miles followed by a short trip into Salisbury for mail and breakfast on Saturday morning before I head into Massachusetts that afternoon. It feels like some of these states are flying by.Bedtime at 9:00 p.m.