Date: 2011-07-20
From: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter

To: Salisbury CT
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: haze

One of "B"s friends, "Seeker", who thru-hiked in 2010, wanted to come out and do trail magic for me and anyone else who was with me. I arranged for her to meet me in Falls Village. At that point, I didn't think anyone else was going to join me even though I told them of it. I was interested in meeting "Seeker" since she had thru-hiked last year. Trail magic is always a welcomed treat. Also, I planned to met another one of "B"s friends, a German lady named Elfe. She was to pick me up, feed me dinner and put me up for the night. I was looking forward to that too. I really thought I was being pampered today. I got up, packed, had breakfast and headed down the trail. The terrain was a little easier than yesterday even though there were some steep climbs. The hardest thing is the rock scrambles because it puts a lot of stress on the body, mostly the knees. Like yesterday, the trail came out of the mountainous area down to the river again. The hike was so easy that I made it to Falls Village much earlier than I told "Seeker" I would be there. I thought I would get lunch at the Toymakers cafe. Unfortunately, they were closed. They were only open Thurs through Sunday which I didn't notice in the guide book. I ended up sitting under a tree in front of a church and taking a nap. "Seeker" and I agreed to meet at the post office because it would be the easiest place for us to both find. Once she got there, we got my gear loaded into her car and we took off for a grassy spot along the trail. She had seen a couple of hikers wandering around the town so we figured a spot along the trail would be the best way to get them some goodies. The trail followed a road that goes in front of a power plant. There is a shower that hikers can use so pulling off in front of the plant was the best spot. Well there's nothing like trail magic to bring hikers together. "Stinkbug", "Molehill", "DD", "Tea" and "Ladypants" joined me in enjoying the trail magic. There were drinks, fresh fruit, cookies, yeah, some great food for all. We all sat around chatting for a while then it was time for everyone to get going. "Seeker" told me that she would be willing to do more. All I had to do was call her. After I got going, I started thinking about how far I had to hike to meet Elfe. It was time to speed hike. I needed to hike 7.7 miles in about 3 hours. I took off up the hill as fast as I could. I maintained that pace all the way to the road crossing and met Elfe there. I was worried that a 7pm meeting time was too late but she told that it was the earliest that she could meet me because of her schedule. After showering, I helped prepare dinner by cooking the meat on the grill while she prepared a salad with fresh produce from her garden. She also made potatos and I cooked corn on the cob right on the grill. It was a wonderful meal. We ate on her porch even though the mosquitos were everywhere. After dinner, she served me ice cream. I was full and very satisfied. We sat and talked awhile. Then I headed for the guest room for the night. As I went to sleep, I thought about how blessed I was to have friends like these. With the heat, hiking was beginning to be difficult mentally. Today I was definitely rejuvenated by the loving efforts of "Seeker" and Elfe. I will always be thankful for them and their hard work and sacrifice.