Date: 2006-07-23
From: Salisbury, CT

To: Race Brook Falls - Massachusetts - 11th state
Miles today: 11.6

This morning was surely a lot better than a dank, wet, stinky shelter. Bama enjoyed her stay with Maria. Maria had said last night that she didn¢t get up until 9:00 am. She told Bama and Little Wing where the food was and gave them free reign of the kitchen. Bama was up at 6:00 am and fixed herself coffee and went outside to sit on a garden bench to enjoy the early morning and to admire Maria¢s flowers and plantings. The hummingbirds were everywhere! Later she and Little Wing prepared themselves a nice breakfast with eggs and all the trimmings. Thanks Maria!(Directions to Maria's follow)Rain was expected this morning, so they hung around until 10:00 waiting to see if it was going to rain. It didn¢t. The weather has been much cooler than in weeks past and the terrain had been fairly mild compared to some of the soul-busters in PA, NJ and NY. However, this last stretch was reminiscent of PA with lots of boulder scrambling, crawling and butt scooting. At one point rocks were so bad someone had installed a rope so hikers could hold onto it as they worked their way down the rocks. Bama said she and Little Wing had to take their packs off in some places to let them roll down the rocks while they slid down after them. Past Riga Lean-to and Brassie Brook Lean-to and on to the Bear Mountain rock tower (short history follows). Just beyond there, Bama officially passed into Massachusetts at NOBO mile 1492.1 - 682.5 miles to Katahdin! She and Little Wing were headed to Hemlocks or Glen Brook Lean-to, but honestly, they were both so whipped from bouldering that they stopped short at the Race Brook Falls trail crossing where there is a campsite area. This is Bama¢s first time at setting her tent up on a wooded platform. There¢s also a privy, so it¢s not too bad. Tomorrow, they will feel more willing to tackle Mt. Everett which greets them right after breakfast.Directions to Maria's: When the trail reaches Hwy 44, turn left and proceed until you reach Conklin. Turn right until Conklin dead ends at Maria's green house (4 Grove road).BillFrom Wikipedia: Bear Mountain is the tallest mountain with its peak in Connecticut, USA, at 2,316 feet (706 m). The Appalachian Trail climbs to the summit of Bear Mountain; there is no road to mar the rocky outcroppings and blueberry bushes. From the summit the view includes Twin Lakes and cultivated fields to the east, the Catskills to the west, and Massachusetts' Mount Everett to the north, identifiable by its fire lookout tower.A pyramidal stone tower was built on the peak in 1885. The current plaque which was originally on the now-demolished pyramid erroneously calls the peak the highest ground in Connecticut - an honor that belongs to the south slope of Mount Frissell, whose peak is in Massachusetts; it also overestimates the height of the peak.The pyramid and plaque as well as the identification of Bear Mountain as Connecticut's highest peak and misidentification as Connecticut's highest point are the work of Robbins Battell of Norfolk, Connecticut, who became convinced that the Encyclop¦dia Britannica was wrong in stating that there was no point in Connecticut over 1,000 feet above sea level, and had the Litchfield Hills surveyed.Having identified Bear Mountain as the state's highest peak, Battell took out a long-term lease on the land and contracted with mason Owen Travis for a marker, to be visible from the surrounding district. Over the next three years, despite the lack of roads, Travis brought 350 tons of stone to the summit and constructed a pyramidal tower, 20 feet square at the base and 22.5 feet tall, tapering to 10 feet square at the top, building it in the fashion of old Connecticut stone fences, with no mortar. A lightning rod stood another 17 feet above the top of the tower.Over the years, the tower deteriorated and began to collapse. Restoration was hampered by the lack of access by road. In 1972 a private donor had it restored and topped with a cement cap; shortly afterwards, a group of Boy Scouts restored it once again; and finally in 1978, the eastern corner disintegrated and the tower completely collapsed, leaving the plaque in the ruins. In 1982 and 1983 a movement to have the state take over the site resulted in a decision not to rebuild the tower, and the ruins were stabilized and the plaque set into the rubble.