Date: 2003-09-09
From: Great Barrington Mass.

To: Tom Leonard Shelter
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: broken clouds

start Great Barringtondestination Tom Leonard ShelterMy favorite motel is Holiday Inn Express. I just love those fresh cinnamon rolls. Well, sorta fresh. A trip to the outfitters which was closed today sent us to the hardware store for fuel. As I was filling my fuel bottle a lady walks by us and asks us if we want a ride out to the trail. Mudbutt and I look at each other in amazement. Trail magic!! It turned out to be a trail maintainer called Mother Nature. She made our whole day much more enjoyable by her kindness. Neither one of us were looking forward to a long hike down the side of the road. We jumped into her vehicle and was on the trail in no time. The trail took us past fields of corn, almost ripe, but not quite. I again exercised much restraint by not grabbing a few ears for supper tonight. Just as we thought the trail was going to be level all day, we start to climb up East Mountain. The woods look like a moncromatic painting, just browns and a few greens, of course against the backdrop of a beautiful blue sky it looked wonderful. Like walking into a painting, where everything is painted just so. It is strange but the rocks here just don't seem to be so intimidating. We found a nice rock outcropping for lunch, then Mudbutt went ahead while I thought I was going to get a nap. However, my bladder decided differently, and I spent the next several hours enduring spasms while I hiked. Then I got a blister on my left heel. A blister, mind you, after 1100 miles, I get a blister. I stop and duct tape my heel and push on. Several times there was scat on the trail, big scat, and more than once I smelled an animal off the side of the trail. No, it was not myself that I smelled! I got to the shelter and opted to set up my tent on the platform. It took some ingenuity, but I got it set up, facing the east. With clear skies, a full moon and a shot of Mars, it will be terrific. I only hope I can stay awake long enough to see it! I make a trip down to the privy. It is like the Taj Mahal of privies. There is a padded seat, cracked, but padded, and a old paint can with a lid with a full roll of toilet paper in it! Oh my, the finer things in life where we least expect them!! After composing several emails, it was late enough that the moon was just peeping over the mountain. There were some clouds that were in front of the moon as it came up, giving me a grand view of a moonrise. With the clouds rimmed in bright light as the moon rose up behind them. Mudbutt came and joined me and for a while we talked and marveled that you could see shadows from the glow of the moon. On her way back to her tent, she came across a slow waddleing animal. It was a porcupine!!! I hurried over with my headlamp to try and catch a glimpse of him. Sure enough,there he was moving slowly through the trees. I knew not to get too close to him, especially since he had his best side facing me. What a treat!! It just doesn't get any better than this. Wait!! I just heard an owl, and in the distance a coyote!! What an incredible array of sights and sounds! I am once again reminded that the Bible tells us that the living God gives us richly all things to enjoy. Ist Timothy 6:17 What a rich night I have had!total miles 6.4