Date: 2004-07-22
From: Falls Village, CT

To: Riga Lean-To
Miles today: 11.0

I did not get on the Trail until 9am because, well gee whiz, I hadn't visited them in 8 years; the least I could do was wait until they were awake, eat breakfast, pet the cats, sign the guestbook, take pictures, say good morning to the dogs. Oops, I forgot to give them our new address. Oh, well.I was nearly to Salisbury CN without seeing a single berry and was reconciling myself to the end of my berry streak when two tiny black raspberries came to my rescue, leaping heroically into my mouth to keep the streak going.In town, I started with the post office. My bounce-box was there but a tube of poison ivy medication a friend has been trying to get to me ever since Boiling Springs PA was not. From my box I got maps and companion pages through to Hanover NH. I decided to get the entire rest of the Data Book as well instead of just ripping out the pages to Hanover. That will let me start planning all the way to the end. I also got my fleece top and my big clothing stuff sack as well as my stove and pot, which I had been doing without ever since Pearisburg VA. That will make me a bit better prepared for the colder temperatures as the mountains start getting higher. To compensate a bit for the weight, I left my packtowel, a bandanna, and my small clothing stuff sack in the bouncebox. Still, I think I have added nearly 2 pounds to my load.Then I got two days worth of food including a packet of tortelini in honor of having a stove again, as well as a quart of milk which I drank down outside the store. Finally I went to the White Hart Inn for a slice of quiche served with a really nice salad. Then to a water tap in the cemetary at the edge of town to fill my Platypus, trying not to step on anyone buried there. I wonder, do they mind, laying beneath the grass? Someone drives a lawn mower over them all the time. Hmmmmm.Anyway, back on the Trail I found my load noticably heavier. It will get heavier still by the time I get to the White Mountains. I trudged uphill to Lion's Head Overlook. There, inspired by the selflessness of those two raspberries, a few handfuls of blueberries brought themselves to my attention and politely asked if they could be eaten too. Needless to say, I was happy to accomodate them.I decided to stop at Riga Lean-to instead of going on to the next one just over a mile away. It was hot and late and I was tired. It was the first night I had camped in Connecticut, having stayed four nights in homes, and will be the last as tomorrow I will be in Massachusetts. I decided to tent both for the mosquitoes and because Connecticut shelters have an awkward design with a log placed in front of the sleeping platform. I'd probably break my neck clampering over it in the dark if I stayed in the shelter and had to get up in the night. Once my tent was up I cooked my first hot meal in I don't know when, then ate it hastily before the mosquitoes could devour me. Then I hung my bear-bag from a tree for the first time since New Jersey because Stomach, my relatives and trail notices all warned of recent bear sightings in the area. After that I took refuge in my tent from the swarms of mosquitoes.