Date: 2004-08-16
From: Mount Algo Lean-To

To: Hartford, CT
Miles today: 16.2

We're at the apartment of one of County's friends tonight, a spur of the moment decision. We knew he lived in Connecticut, and he had offered us a place to stay while we were in-state, but we hadn't really thought we had the time. We don't have the time. But after yesterday, the thought of real life was too tempting. Electricity, running water, maybe a grocery store, television. We passed Kent this morning a town .5 off the trail, without going in, so felt pretty proud of that, then did seven miles to the next shelter where we stopped and cooked lunch. I ran into Mississippi Mule there, someone I camped with way back before I met County. He'd taken a month off because of an injury. We also climbed down the ledges, more White Mountain esque rock climbing. I didn't do so badly, although I still think I'm about the worst at it to ever hike the trail. The afternoon was beautiful--five miles of flat terrain through fields and along a river, sometimes with vast pine forests alongside. There was some climbing also--there's been more serious climbing since entering Connecticut (we had our first one thousand foot climb since Virginia yesterday) but it's still significantly easier than rocks without cease or the kind of up and down climbing we did in New York. Later in the afternoon it started to rain, which first started us thinking about having County's friend come pick us up. It was weird rain, and beautiful; it was pouring, but there was still yellow light everywhere, as if it was a perfect sunny day. Every minute I expected it to break out into sunshine. So we got to a road a mile from our destination shelter and decided to check the book, just to see if there was a town nearby where Wade, County's friend, could come pick us up. There was one in either direction. So we called Wade on County's cell phone--he sounded excited to come pick us up, even though it was spur of the moment, but the phone cut out just as County was giving directions to where we were. So we needed a place with electricity, and the minute the phone died, a pick-up truck drove by, we stuck our thumbs out, and he stopped for us. He was going to Sharon, one of the towns, which was perfect for us. We got to the town's one gas station at about eight-thirty, used their phone to call Wade, and he promised to come get us. We heard a pizza place fifteen minutes away was open so we decided to wander down there and get some pizza, but it turned out to be closed on Mondays. We were left with the gas station as our only hangout locale--the gas station that had the prominent "No Loitering" sign. "Police take note" it read. But the attendant was kind to us, we bought some sandwiches and then sat outside. The gas station closed at ten though, and then we were left in the dark in a little yuppie town, hoping upon hope that Wade would find us and the cops wouldn't hararass us. To make things worse, I had the sudden urge to go to the bathroom, thanks to the town food I had just eaten. I tried to restrain myself but finally succumbed to nature's call and went behind the dumpster. You're not truly a homeless person until you've pooped under a pizza box behind a dumpster. But Wade's car finally came looming out of the dark, rescuing us from a night in the clink or, worse yet, a night behind the dumpster, and we ended up safe and sound at his apartment, with all the conveniences of modern life, including peanut butter icecream with chocolate syrup and South Park.