Date: 2005-07-11
From: Billy's View, CT

To: Sages Ravine Campsite, MA
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

Got up earlier than usual to go into town. Had a nice walk through coniferous forest down the mountain. I hit the road about 9:00, same time it was starting to warm up. Short walk to Salisbury, ran into GG and Happy Wanderer on my way in. Hadn't seen them in a month, and I was wondering when I would catch them. My first stop was the coffeehouse/internet cafe. Got coffee, but no internet. Next, the grocery store. Got some breakfast, a lunch sandwich, and 4 days worth of food. Or shall we say what I think might possibly be 4 days of food. I'm still never sure, as I have hungry days and not-so-hungry days all randomly interspersed. No matter really, since I have several options for hitching into towns if need be. Trying to avoid it, but it's there. Today is sort of a good illustration of why I try to stay out of towns. After the grocery, I found a table in the shade and a chair. So I sat there and ate my fruit, drank my orange juice, and downed a pint of ice cream. Seems I can bring myself to eat that stuff again. Guess the half gallon challenge didn't scar me for life as I had imagined. As I sat there, the parade of hikers drifted through. They all stopped to shoot the breeze for awhile. I strolled over to the post office to pick up my package. Finally got my other camera back from the shop. Maybe now I'll start to take some more pictures. Even though I had another digital for a week, and a disposable before that for a week or two, the last month has been poorly documented. Or one might could say poorer than normal. I'll get back in the groove eventually. Also in the box were some cookies and some old number seven mouthwash courtesy of Aunt Cindy and Uncle Larry, and a little green from Aunt Joyce. Thanks! We'll see which lasts the longest. So after I sorted through everything, sent a package back home, ate lunch, and called the folks, I hit the road. It was sometime after 2. Long stop, but necessary. Took my time going up the mountain after town. Biggest climb in states. Rewarded at the top with a nice view. It was a hot one, near 90, so I sat at the view for about an hour. Drank water, dried off. Slowly made my way up the trail. Had visions of getting further, but ran out of daylight. Just before the border there was a steep, steep rock hopping downhill that took a bit of time to negotiate. All of Jeopardy in fact. Got in to the campsite, settled in, and tried not to get eaten alive by the mosquitos. So, as something dog-sized just circled my tent, or at least it sounded dog-sized and quick too, I'm reminded of a scene from last night. Forgot to mention it at the beginning, so consider it your reward for making it this far. So there I was, laying in my tent at sundown. All of a sudden, I hear a ton of coyotes. Sounded like a whole pack - little voices, big voices. Yelps and howls. Might have mentioned that yesterday. Fast forward to the middle of the night. I wake up and hear sirens down on the road a couple miles away and down in the valley below. Two, maybe three sets of them. Then, I hear the coyotes howling with the sirens. The critters were joining in the chorus, just like it was a big sing-along. This went on for a minute or two until the sirens faded out. The neighbors cut out their racket, and I went back to sleep. Definitely amusing to listen to.