Date: 2008-06-30
From: Bear Mountian, NY

To: Great Barrington, MA
Miles today: 117.8
Weather: scattered clouds

June 30, 2008    Great Barrington, MASSACHUSETTS    AT Mile 1,508.5    667.7 Miles to Katahdin       Greetings from the Days Inn.    The trail passes about four miles outside of town but I was able to quickly hitch a ride in around 6:00 p.m. It has been a long 5 1/2 day, 118.4 mile hike from Bear Mountain, NY.    It's Great to finally be in New England.   I really enjoy the look, feel, and smell of the wilderness in NE more than in the southern states.    I'm still taking my antibiotics and feeling good with no other effects from tick bites.    After several days of hiking in wet worn out trail shoes I now have several new very painful blisters on my left foot.    It's been very hot and muggy this past week with brief daily showers. The high humidity means we are always wet with sweat and have to take frequent rest/water breaks.    Two mornings ago I spent over three hours in Kent, CT doing laundry, getting food, and stopping at the local outfitters to replace the MonTrail shoes I bought in Damascus, VA 993 miles ago.    In Kent, CT I ate a big french toast breakfast at a very nice sidewalk caf© and got two grilled cheese sandwiches To Go for my dinner that night.    All of my clothes and sleeping bag were damp so I took a lot of time washing and drying them - only to foolishly let them get wet again last night in my tent during an unexpected heavy rain storm. (D'ho...).             The Kent outfitter only had two hiking shoes in my size to choose from. My MonTrail's had no tread left and were falling apart so I bought a &100 pair of Merrell Continuums. Once on the trail I soon discovered they have no cushioning and no traction on either wet or dry rocks.    For the past two days the trail has been almost ALL wet rocks and steep ups and downs. The Merrells had to go.    The first thing I did when I arrived in town this evening was stop at a well stocked outfitter's and bought what I hope will be a much more comfortable pair of Lowa trail shoes. Time will tell.    I also rewashed all of my clothes down the street at the Laundromat, I got a big Subway dinner, and I bought some antiseptic to clean and treat my blisters.    For the first few days out of Bear Mountain, NY the only thru-hiker I saw briefly was Piper Hiker. Again, I had the trail and campsites mostly to myself.    In the past few days I caught up with Apostle and Site See who I know from Virginia. Also I met Chief Daddy and the General, Cast Iron and Six Iron, and Forest Gimp.    I hiked with Apostle and Site See for a day or so. The night before last we got a couple of rooms at the Hitching Post Motel in Cornwall Bridge, CT and had a great time celebrating Site See's 100th day on the trail.    Yesterday afternoon Forest Gimp caught up with us and the four of us hiked to Salisbury, CT. They all went into town for the night. I knew that I was going to do a motel here tonight so I hiked on a ways farther to a quiet campsite up the trail.    Knowing the ways of the trail its very likely that I will see those guys again.   Especially if my blisters slow me down for a while.    A few people have expressed concerns about my pushing forward so quickly. Not to worry.    The hiker creed is to "Hike Your Own Hike". Yes - I really enjoy meeting and hiking with other thru-hikers.   But, I can also feel the pull of Katahdin getting stronger and stronger every day.    Right now "My Hike" is to cover as much ground as I can without pushing my physical limits too far.    Today I did 21.2 miles over three of the biggest and steepest mountains that we have seen in a long time with lousy shoes and painful blisters. And - I loved it.    Just being out in the NE wilderness and stopping to soak in some of the beautiful mountain vistas made it all worthwhile.       So - anytime either the terrain, the weather, or my body tells me to slow down, then I will slow down. My guess is that will happen sometime between here and Hanover, NH - the gateway to the White Mountains.          I guess that's all for now.    I will do another update in a few days.    Katahdin Bound . . .    -Wes-