Date: 2012-08-23
From: The Bird Cage

To: Upper Goose Pond AMC Cabin
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

I slept pretty well last night at the Bird Cage in spite of some light snoring. After writing my post-it note and dropping a little something in the "retirement" jar, we said goodbye to Rob. He is a great guy, and it stinks that his hand is somewhat being forced in his move. I hope that things really work out for him.Silver Surfer and I retraced our steps to the AT and headed out of town. We intended to stop for juice and muffins, but we missed the store we were expecting to see and decided not to backtrack. We did, however, stop at the lumberyard on the way out of town where the owner leaves denatured alcohol and white gas for hikers to take free of charge. We poked our heads into the showroom to express thanks, and the workers said they were glad to help. I know the "Masshole" reputation probably comes from eastern Mass. (even though I had good experiences even in downtown Boston), but so far I haven't seen it at all. Rather, I have mainly met people willing to bend over backwards to help hikers. It just goes to show once again that you shouldn't believe stereotypes.Today's hiking was easy, but still a bit tedious. The pattern here in western Mass. seems to be deep woods, moderate mountain, then road crossing over and over. I arrived here at about 4:15 PM. The cabin is a bit of civilization deep in the forest. The best part, though, is utilizing the pond, which is really a pretty large lake. We had a bit of friendly competition when the Yale group (yes, yet another Yale freshman orientation group to contend with) returned the canoes. By luck, the southbounders happened to take one canoe while some northbounders took the other. The fact that I am willing to memorialize this story into my journal should indicate the winning canoe team. At dusk, I asked the caretaker if I could borrow a canoe again. She said that she was about to lock them up for the night, but, if I wanted to "help" I could take one of the canoes to the other dock. I asked her how "direct" I had to be, and she just smiled and told me to take as long as I wanted so long as I locked it up when I was done. I can't describe how wonderful it felt to be on the water again on a perfect night. I actually ended up canoeing the entire Upper Goose Pond! I didn't want my ride to end, and I had to finish by headlamp. Aside from my feet and legs being happy that my arms finally had to do some work, my spirit was completely refreshed. And to think, a grumpy caretaker could have just said "the canoeing is over for today," and that would have been that.We caught-up with a few MEGAs who have been alluding us to this point, namely Yellow Shirt, Pawn, Cold Beer, and Patches. We are starting to see the later GAMErs now, some of whom fall into the party crowd. They are having a pretty loud, alcohol-laden party as we speak. How does the saying go? Hike your own hike, but don't make others hike your hike. Unfortunately, I got just about the last spot in the bunkhouse, so I was unable to save a spot for Silver Surfer. I am planning to go 20+ tomorrow, and he is talking about possibly going shorter to accommodate his mail drop, so this might be the end of our hiking partnership.