Date: 2011-07-28
From: Mt Greylock

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: clear sky

Seth Warner Shelter. 7/28. Total distance 13.4 miles. After a short day and a good nights rest, my knee felt a lot better. Still, I was careful to not push it too hard. Going to the third shelter would have required a 20 mile day which I knew would be a disaster. So I opted for the second shelter from the top of Mt Greylock. Breakfast wasn't served until late so I didn't get going until around 9. I could have cooked a trail breakfast but I couldn't pass up the chance to have a big breakfast before hitting the trail. After breakfast, I gathered everything together and started my day's hike. The trail leading out of the lodge area was a little tricky to figure out but once I got on the trail everything was fine. The descent from the mountain went all the away back down to under 1000 feet of elevation. It's sometimes bugs me when that happens. I worked so hard to get up to the top of the mountain and now I've wasted all that effort by going back down to where I was before the climb. Such is trail life. At least the view from the top of the mountain was very rewarding. Once I got to the bottom of the hill, I was back in civilization. I needed to do a quick resupply to get myself to the next resupply point which was a planned mail drop. Before I could do that, I needed to finish the peanut butter and Nutella that I had in my food bag so I could buy more. I decided to have lunch just before going to the grocery store so I plopped down on a bench and made lunch right in front of the store. I really felt like a homeless person at that point. While I was there, a young couple came up to me and asked if I needed a ride back to the trail head. I would have taken them up on their offer if I was done with my resupply. As it turned out, they had been hiking but ended up getting Giardia which forced them to get off the trail. After a week of recovery, they were just getting their energy back. Usually, this illness comes from improper water treatment or contamination of either food or water. Bottom line is that one must be careful to avoid acquiring this disease. After eating lunch, I went into the store to get food for the next couple of days. While in there, I saw another young couple doing their resupply. It was "Kermit" and "Caro" whom I hasn't seen since the shelter just before Atkins, VA. They had gotten ahead of me then took 10 days off to visit family. Many times, one establishes a relationship with someone then because of hiking habits, they don't see each other for weeks. Something then occurs, like the person up ahead taking time off from the trail, which reunites them. After talking about our adventures since the last time we met, I headed for the register, got checked out and went to the bench to pack everything in my backpack. "Kermit" and "Caro" came out to do the same but they had bought a pint of ice cream to eat first. That sounded like such a good idea (of course it's a good idea, it's ice cream!), that I went back into the store and bought a pint for myself. After eating it, I headed for the trail. The cool event for the day was finishing Massachusetts. I now had 3 states to go. That really got me excited. I was closer to completing the journey. It was a very good feeling. It was fun hiking in Massachusetts because of the royal treatment I got from "B" and her two friends, "Seeker" and Elfe. I will always be grateful for their kindness. It was exactly what I needed ro get me out of the mental slump I was in going into that state. Once I got to the shelter, I did my normal routine of pitching the tent, getting water for the evening meal and cooking. While getting water, I met "Road" who was hiking the Long Trail. This trail extends from southern Vermont and follows the length of the state and finishes at the border of Vermont and Canada. As we talked I found out that he thru-hiked in 2009, the year I did my first section hike of the AT. I asked when he started and found out that he started the same day I did. As it turned out, we were both at the same shelter on what was my second night on the trail that year. We didn't meet back then but it was very cool that we were both there in 2009 and here we were, at the same shelter this evening. I cooked dinner and had great conversation with the folks at the shelter. Hiker midnight was upon us before we knew it so we all headed for bed.