Date: 2011-07-16
From: Home, Day 3

To: Wilber Clearing Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

(In which I return to the trail and reach the highest point in Massachusetts)My father makes breakfast for me, my sister and Lemur, waffles on which we put butter, real maple syrup and whipped cream. Lemur, never having tried whipped cream on a waffle, eats his first several without it before finally giving in and copying us. "Wow, that really does taste better," he says. "Now you've spoiled regular waffles."Papa Portrait drives us back to the trail, Lemur to Dalton and me ten trail miles further to Cheshire. I wave goodbye, not knowing if I will return home before finishing or not, and get back to walking. The trail is uphill almost all of the seven or so miles to Mt. Greylock, but planning a short day to ease back into things, I have plenty of time to go slow and take breaks.I eat lunch in the shelter before Greylock and catch up with Longtime, whom I have not seen since Virginia. He had been hiking with his daughter Click!, who is now hiking with a friend for a few days before they meet back up. "I think she wasn't happy hiking the number of miles I was pushing her to," Longtime admits. " 'Dad,' she says, 'I can't hike your hike.' But I can't hike her hike either; it's just too slow." Like many hiking partners, the constant pressure to match paces so as to reach the same spot every night has resulted in tension with one party feeling held back and the other party pushed forward.The story reminds me of another piece of advice for potential thru-hikers: when planning a trip with hiking partners, the more freedom and flexibility each partner has the better. Shared gear (especially a shared tent) and the expectation of always stopping at the same spot together every night can put a strain on even the strongest relationships in my observations. Always having the accepted option of hiking one's preferred distance makes actually matching pace with someone else a choice rather than an obligation, and gives each party the opportunity to get some space when they need it.On top of Mt. Greylock I meet hikers I haven't seen since Georgia, Jessie and Amanda, and learn that Shenanigans, whom I haven't seen since Springer, passed me while I was off trail at home. I'm disappointed to have missed him, and would consider pulling a few big mileage days to catch him if I didn't have a friend planning to come hike with me on the trail for a few days. I walk up the stone tower for the first time (it was closed for winter the only other time I was on the mountain), and feel once again disconnected from the trail. Home and rest are both good, but I'm glad not to have stayed away from the trail for longer than I did.I stop at the shelter after Greylock and Lemur shows up shortly after, having plowed through his 20 miles at a less leisurely pace. He plans to try to do 30 tomorrow to start catching up to Wakarusa, so tonight may well the last time I see him this hike (though having thought this several times before, I know I can never be sure).Up next: An early breakfast in town with Lemur, and then entering Vermont, the third-to-last state.* * *Discussion Questions:Is Portrait a reliable narrator? What events might he be misrepresenting or omitting throughout the course of his journal, and why?Who do you think is his intended audience for his journal? How should this affect our interpretation of the text?What are Portrait's motivations for hiking and for writing? Are his actions consistent with his stated intentions?