Date: 2011-07-11
From: (94) Sharon Mountain

To: (95) Brassie Brook Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: clear sky

I did not sleep last night, as I was constantly engaged in battle with the mosquitoes. At first there were not many, but as the night wore on more and more arrived until the inside of my tarp was a buzzing swarm of angry blood suckers. Killing them all was hopeless. I tried building defenses, like trying to cover myself in my sleeping bag, but its 15 degree warmth was too much for me. Then I tried using my Tyvek ground cloth as a blanket. It was cooler, but the mosquitoes could get under it at its edges. Several times I left my tarp to sleep in the woods, but the trees were full of the pests as well. Around 2 a.m. I heard the yelping of a pack of coyotes at the base of the mountain I was on. Their presence sent a chill up my spine and I shortened my hiking poles to a good clubbing length should an attack occur (I no longer carry a knife of any sort). I hoped that the hikers at the campsite I had passed earlier were alright. Around 4 a.m. I was able to use my sleeping bag to cover myself from the mosquitoes, as it was soaked in my sweat and therefore no longer retained heat. Unable to fight my drowsiness, I drifted in and out of consciousness while the mosquitoes bit my exposed parts over and over again.When the sun rose at 5 a.m. I took to action and packed up, the entire time being bit. My body, face, and especially my feet which had found their way outside of my bag, were covered in pink bumps, and I was irresistibly itchy. I started hiking while eating, brushing my teeth, and taking my Lyme Disease meds as I walked, hiking poles tucked under one arm. I still got bit, but much less since I was moving.Hiking near a flourishing river, I heard a loud thundering and walked off trail towards it to discover a massive and powerful waterfall! It appeared that the entire river was spilling over the rocks, a place called Great Falls. Itchy and with no one around, I ditched my shoes and clothes and jumped into the icy water where I swam around the falls and even caught some crayfish for fun. After getting out and dressed, I spread my sleeping pad in some grass by the water¢s edge and dried out in the sun. My day was certainly looking better!Back on trail, I listened to more audio books while hiking (I have gone through an enormous amount of books that I will someday list, the current one being ¢The Count of Monte Cristo¢ by Alexander Dumas). My sleep deprived body was weak, and I needed constant rest stops. Eventually I reached the outskirts of the town of Salisbury Connecticut, where I ran into Smooth. Together we hiked into town, resupplied, and ate. I went into the outfitters as well, but was disappointed to find that they did not carry bug netting or deet. I am screwed... it is imperative that I think of some solution for the mosquitoes, and soon!My last stop in Salisbury was the town hall, where I sat inside on a bench by a wall outlet to charge my phone and iPod, while reading some pages that I had torn out of an old magazine several days before. Then I filled my water in their bathroom and hiked out into the scorching hot day. I arrived at Brassie Brook Shelter shortly after, for a total of 18 miles. It was surrounded by other campers, but I only shared the shelter itself with an older guy named The Professor. I went to the supposed water source for the area and found that it was a muggy looking brook. Always an advocate of water that won¢t kill me, I ran south back down the trail to a spring I had passed earlier and filled up. On the way back I talked to Captain Planet who was working on a 25 mile day. He is planning on doing a smaller day tomorrow so I will likely see him (and Smooth) again as I hope to start increasing my miles. My body still suffers from the Lymes induced weeks off, but I have friends to catch before I rest.Back at the shelter I hung my tarp from the ceiling and draped it over my upper body like bug netting. I pray it works. At any rate, I have decided to aim for free hostels and housing to escape the bugs from here on out until I reach Dalton Massachusetts, where there is a Wal-Mart and surely netting.