Date: 2017-07-30
From: Schaghticoke Mountain Campsite 

To: CT 4, Cornwall Bridge, CT/The Hitching Post Motel
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: clear sky

7/30Schaghticoke Mountain Campsite to CT 4, Cornwall Bridge, CT/The Hitching Post Motel14.3 milesTotal miles:  1478.4Note:  I uploaded all photos up to and including today.Today began bright and early with a change in plans.  Gravity and I were discussing the day, when we realized that the town of Cornwall Bridge was an easily accessible 14.3 miles away and included both a motel and a grocery store.  I looked back in my journal entries and determined that it had been eight sweaty days since our last shower. So we decided against making a resupply pit stop in Kent and headed for Cornwall Bridge instead.  The day was as beautiful today as yesterday, although a tad warmer.  The trail off of Schaghticoke Mountain was as rocky as the trail up had been. Honestly, I would not be surprised if the percentage of rocky trail in Connecticut rivals or even surpasses the percentage in Pennsylvania. Perhaps people tend to focus on one aspect of a state. In PA it's the rocks, while in Connecticut it's the scenic, flat trail along the Housatonic River.  Trust me, however, Miss Connecticut earns her credibility as a state with some truly challenging trail. I worked my way up Caleb's Peak and was rewarded with a very pretty view.  It was while I was headed to St. John's Ledges, a very steep rocky descent to the Housatonic,  when a southbounder said those magic words that are music to all thru hikers ears, "Trail Magic ahead." He told me a fellow was grilling cheeseburgers for all hikers at the parking lot at the bottom of St. John's Ledges. He said he didn't know how long he would be there, and added the caveat to be very careful going down the ledges as they are almost vertical in places.  He warned me to take my time and be very careful. I hiked as quickly as I could to the ledges and found him true to his word. It was slow, careful work going down the rock faces, and I often found myself clinging to craggy handholds as I worked my way downward. Two thoughts kept going through my head.  One was, where in the world are my Coping Stones?  The second was, Death/Cheeseburger?  I was afraid I would get to the parking lot in time to see this unknown Trail Angel's tail lights disappear in a cloud of fruitless dust. The desire to postpone death or injury won out, however, and I took all the time I felt I needed to descend the ledges. Did I mention that Connecticut isn't all flat? I was further delayed by a black snake that I disturbed at the foot of the ledges. He was none too pleased by my intrusion on his domain, but we parted amicably enough after I took his photo . I finally reached the parking lot and met my latest Trail Angel, Tinkerbell. Tinkerbell, who looks as much like the Disney character as I do, is a section hiker who comes out several weekends a year to grill burgers and provide other goodies to hikers.  He is a very friendly, funny guy who can also grill a first-class cheeseburger. I feasted on my burger and also enjoyed cookies, an orange, and Gatorade. Gravity was close behind me and got in on the action as well. Thank you, Mr. Tinkerbell, who is a true gentleman and trail angel, even if he doesn't believe my claim that I was at Comiskey Park in 1979 for Disco Demolition.  I really should have kept my ticket stub. After thanking Tink once again, I hiked quickly along the next several miles of trail, which run alongside the Housatonic River.  These miles are billed as some of the easiest on the trail. It may be ironic, then, that I took the hardest fall of my trip (pun intended) when I stumbled over a root and performed a very awkward attempt to regain my balance before giving into the inevitable and falling quite hard on my right side. Fortunately, there was no.harm done, and I was soon back on my way. Me and my hundreds of new found friends. The gnats along the Housatonic are almost legendary. I was literally swarmed by hundreds as I walked along.  Gnats don't bother me much. The animal I most fear on the trail is the deer tick, and I regularly apply Permethrine to my clothing and spray on deet at least once per day. Mosquitos are another concern. Gnats don't bite, sting, or spread disease. Like a lot of life's problems, they are simply annoying.  I was fascinated how they kept up with me as a walked.  It was almost kaleidoscopic as they surged back and forth around my face.  Sometimes one would land on the lense of my glasses, and I would see how long it would stay.  Few actually landed on my face, and I just pretended it was some new form of performance art and hiked on. After leaving the river, the last few miles of trail went steeply up and back down to Highway 4.  Gravity and I walked the additional 1.5 miles to the motel (no luck hitching). There are no restaurants in Cornwall Bridge, so we stopped at the Citgo for dinner. I quickly added dining on a gas station cheeseburger to my bucket list (right after savoring good whiskey), and it wasn't all that bad. I also got two ice cream sandwiches and a large Gatorade. We then completed our walk to the motel. I took that long-delayed shower and changed into my town clothes. The motel personnel will wash our clothes tomorrow. I have them in a white trash bag and considered leaving them in the office to get washed first thing in the morning. No joke, they smell so rank that we are afraid they might get thrown out as garbage. The general store opens at 6:00 in the morning, so I will drop off our clothes in person in the morning when we go for resupply.  It's been quite a day, and I must admit that a bed and air conditioning at the Hitching Post Motel is not a bad outcome. Back on the trail tomorrow to start getting all smelly and dirty again as I near Massachusetts.