Date: 2013-08-01
From: Stealth camp above Dawn Hill Rd. 

To: Russ & Tanya's House, Fall's Village, CT
Miles today: 15.4

I slept okay in my illegal campsite, but I was eager to get up and get moving. The mosquitoes started in on me as soon as I crawled out of the tent. I pulled out the DEET and started coating my arms. There on the inside of my right bicep was a tiny seed tick. Uh-oh. I plucked it out, and fortunately it came out in one piece. I looked closely at the spot. I'll have to keep an eye on it. I pinched the tick between my fingernails with vengeance. It was an overcast day, and the bottom looked like it could fall out of the sky at any moment. I got to a road crossing, and it warned of a potentially dangerous river crossing/fording coming up shortly. There was a road-walk bypass. I didn't know if anyone was around, and I don't really like the idea of having to ford a river or take my shoes off this early in the morning, so I decided to do the road walk. It promised to only be .5 miles, but I swear it was at least a mile. We I got back on to the AT, I could easily see where I would have crossed the river, and it looked much more like a rock hope. Oh well. Lesson learned. The trail nice enough. I tried to hike as quickly as possible, because I wanted to be sure to be in Falls Village in time to meet up with my friends. So I plugged along. I stopped by a little creek to eat a quick lunch, the buffalo chicken wrap I'd bought the day before in Kent. I felt like I was playing food-poisoning roulette, because it was pretty slimy, never mind the fact that it hadn't been refrigerated for over 24 hrs. Flatfoot came along about then and we hiked through another "Lemon Squeezer" type of rock formation. Fortunately, there was no rock face to scale on the other side.It drizzled on and off all day, coating the leaves and grown in a moist coating. It's been a while since we've had rain, so it was actually a welcomed change. But the temperature was quite cool, so I never stopped for long. The air had a smell of freshly sliced cucumbers that had been sprinkled in salt and were just starting to rendered their water. I wondered what it was. It started to rain heavier and heavier. Several thru-hikers passed me. They were headed to the Bearded Woods Hostel. It sounded like there would be a fun group there tonight. I'm thrilled to find myself in my current bubble. As I was coming down a hill to the Housatonic River, I heard someone behind me. It was Shady. He was hiking with an umbrella. If I only dared to be coordinated. By now the powdered dirt had turned to a thick paste. The thick paste turned into splattering mud. The mud puddles couldn't be avoided.I got down to the road and a truck pulled up. It was Shady, Green-blaze and several others. They were headed to the hostel, but they asked if I wanted a ride to Falls Village. I thanked them, but said that I was already wet, so I'll get that stretch out of the way. Even soaking wet, I was in a buoyant mood. The scene before me took my breath away. There was a corn field with high, green stalks. Behind it was a tall mound of a mountain covered in dark trees and hemlocks. Steam or fog or clouds billowing white against their darkness. The sky was grey and the rain was coming down in soft sheets. I just stood there and watched the mountain and clouds stew. It was a long 2 mile walk into town. The scenery was beautiful, the trees were huge and the trail was pleasant enough, but I was ready to be warm and dry. My feet slipped around the inside of my boots. I could feel them pruning up. I walked into town around 5:00 pm. I had planned to meet Russ at the Falls Village Inn between 5:30 and 6:00, but as soon as I saw it I knew it was far too classy of a place for a wet, dirty hiker. I checked my messages, Russ was running late. Hmmm.... The only other place open was the package store. I went inside hoping they might have something to eat. Only liquids. I grabbed a small bottle of scotch. Outside I shed my wet socks and boots, put on some tall knee socks and Crocs. And I put my green down jacket on. It was cold. I fished a baggy of crushed Cheezits out of my food bag and I cracked open the bottle of scotch. I took a swig and looked over. There was a truck with a guy in the passenger seat. He looked at me and smiled in appreciation. I raised my little bottle. The very friendly proprietor came out and apologized, but I couldn't drink my liquid warmth in front of his store. I'd have to move across the street to the benches in the middle of the village green. I said okay and thanked him for being so kind about it. I gathered up all my stuff and took it across the street and laid it out on the bench. I tucked the scotch into my boot to make it a little less conspicuous. Two seconds later, it started to ran. I pulled my rainjacket on and took my stuff under the nearby tree. So there I sat, huddled, wet and dirty. I'd take a nip from my boot and then pull out a handful of crushed cheezits from their bag. My hand would come out covered in bright orange cheezit crumbs which I would lick off. Pitiful. Absolutely pitiful. In the meantime, the porch of the Falls Village Inn started to fill with fine folks fine dining. They sipped their chilled white wine out of their frosted glasses. I'd lift my boot to my mouth. I got the stink eye from the wait-staff. Just livin' the dream. I was so happy to see Russ and Tanya pull up. They whisked me away. We ate real food, and I slept in a real bed. To feel human.