Date: 2005-10-08
From: Hemlocks Shelter

To: Salisbury, Connecticut
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: light rain

It rained last night, hard, all night, and was still raining when I woke up. I resigned myself to being drenched all day, packed up my stuff, and set off up the trail.I have to say, however, that I was mostly counting my blessings. The fact is, I have had great weather throughout my hike, with very few days where I've been drenched. I have also been concerned about finding water, due to almost drought conditions, so we really need this rain for water sources to be replenished. Last night, for example, the brook which is the normal water source for the shelter I stayed at was bone dry.It is also important, as part of my overall outdoor experience - for Scouts as well as for my search and rescue work - to be able to deal successfully with all kinds of weather, and to make sure that I, and my gear, are up to the challenge.So off I went, and before long was squishing down the trail with everything from head to toe sopping wet.It made things especially interesting at Bear Mountain - a rock climb of the sort I've come to dislike but with the added attraction of doing it in a torrential downpour. It was like they said, "Hey, that's not hard enough enough for ol' Private Longhaul. Cue the guy with the high volume hose." So while I'm trying to scale bare rock faces, grabbing on to roots and branches, the water is cascading down the path onto my head, and onto my face whenever I dare to look up. It was fun! Fun, alright.. yes, siree...But I perservered and eventually reached Salisbury. In the process, I also completed the first of five states in my last section, leaving Massachusetts and entering Connecticut.. By the time I reached Salisbury, I was a pretty sorry sight. But that did not prevent me from trying to get a room at the first (and it turned out, only) Inn in town.Bear in mind that Connecticut is the wealthiest state in the U.S. and that,according to my guide book, Salisbury is "an upscale village and antique center". Ah, yes, there's the White Heart Inn now. Clearly a first class B&B-type establishment with enough quaint for a lifetime. Fresh flowers and just baked bread perfumed the air as did the unmistakable scent of old money. For the priviledged few, rooms here start at the low,low price of choke,er,cough, oh, ah, bad cold. The annual gala (and THE place to be seen) is Salisbury's Harvest Festival which, as luck would have it, started today so things were jumping. The rain, however, had put a damper on the outdoor festivities. The ever so gracious Inn was able to accomandate the entire affair indoors though it was a bit crowded. This not withstanding, of course did not stop Ol' Private 2nd Class Walter M. Longhaul from marching right on in. There I was, proceeding through the foyer and across the tastefully appointed lobby to the reception desk, dripping water onto the beautifully polished hard wood floors, squishing with each foot step, complete with the aura of five-day hiker stink eminating from my person, hair uncombed and an unkempt beard, but with a really big smile on my face, the result of having completed my hike for the day and finally being out of the pouring rain."Would you happen to have a room available, my good man?," sez ol' Private Longhaul to the bespeckled gentleman behind the counter, a slight frown on his face as he saw me approach his clearly upscale sanctuary."Well, I believe we are full, but let me just check, Sir," sez he as he consults his computer screen. I was impressed with how well he managed to hide his disappointment when he reported back that they were, indeed, full. I inquired about possible cancellations, but he informed me of their 10 day advance cancellation policy, which means people don't bother informing him if they weren't coming, but he is obliged to hold their room for the first night. Oh well... he did suggest that there was a small B&B just down the road, but he assumed they were full also, it being the Harvest Festval after all. I seemed to remember from the guide book that there was a lady in town who took in hikers, so I bid the clerk good day, and withdrew from his admiring gaze. Okay,maybe that gleam in his eye was the unbridled thrill he felt as I made my way out of his fine establishment, but, no matter. Finding hot food was my next priority, and then I would resume my search for accommodations.Within an hour, I had had a hot meal, located Mrs. Maria McCabe, and she came to the restaurant to pick me up.She charged me only $30 for a private room, with a TV with cable (CNN!), and within another hour I had had a hot shower, collected my laundry, and we were off to the grocery store and laundramat. Just before we left, another hiker showed up - a really nice Louisiana guy named Pops, and he joined us on our errands.We did carryout Chinese for dinner, and had a really good time of it.   Both Pops and Maria have a wonderful sense of humor so there were lots of laughs and every thing was warm and dry - a perfect end to a very wet day.Pops was suffering a bit from shin splints, so he was going to zero the next day. I was tempted to, but the forecast said the rain should be moving out, so I decided I would push on - unless it was still pouring the next morning. They were already talking about flooding, as some areas had already gotten 6-8 inches of rain, and one place, 12 inches.With 14 miles today, I'm up to 80 miles, and one state down, with a daily average of 16 miles. I'm gettin' there!Stay tuned, Longhaul------------------------------Sent via PocketMailEmail Anywherewww.pocketmail.com