Date: 2003-09-17
From: MA 2

To: MA 2
Miles today: 4.0

I got up early today determined to fit a weeks worth of activity into one day. I knew that I wanted to hike some, so the first thing I did was hit the AT. Originally my plan was to hike all the way up Mt. Graylock, but the road crossings allowed for either a 1.5 mile hike or a 12 mile hike, so I went for Plan B. Plan B had me hike hard up the mountain about 1800 feet before returning to the car with calves quivering and lungs burning. The trail was really pretty, but a bit creepy. Like yesterday, I ate a ton of spiderwebs, indicating that no one had been on the trail yet today. The problem is that at this point on the trail, at this time in the season, all the north bounders and all the south bounders, (NOBO's and SOBO's), have passed through. And being the middle of the week, the chances of running into another day hiker are pretty slim. 99% of the time I am more comfortable and at home in the woods then I am in town. That has been one of the interesting side-!effects of this trip! But, today was strange. As I hiked further up, I felt more and more vulnerable. I love being alone in the woods....just not today. I am usually one to listen to my instincts, so I cut my hike short...hiking four miles instead of five or six.I headed back down the trail and grabbed the car to go up Mt. Greylock. I really wish I was hiking the whole way up here, but time is not on my side, so today I am a regular tourist! Mt. Greylock is the highest point in the state, and it is fabulous! Up at the summit they have a tower that has been erected in memory of those who died serving our country. To do a little penance for driving up there, I climbed to the top of the tower. Now, it was only 80-something steps.....not a lot, all things considered....but they were up this little tiny spiral staircase. I knew I was afraid of heights, but I didn't know I was this afraid! I am on a perfectly good staircase and I am holding on for dear life!! The view was amazing, but I swear I didn't breath again til I was back down. Once my heart calmed down, (I know...I am such a baby!!), I headed over to the Lodge. There are instructions for thru hikers to check at the front desk for messages. I didn't have any messages, but I did have the pleasure of meeting Greylock, a thru hiker from earlier this summer! He and his wife did 800 miles of the trail before a family emergency called them home. He works there at the lodge, and he is wonderful! We caught up on some trail news and as I was leaving he pressed a Snickers Bar into my hand. Can you see how thoughtful people are out here?!! This simple kindness touched me so much, and reminded me how lucky I am to be traveling in the same circles as people like Greylock. After Mount Greylock came the real reason I chose not to spend the entire day on a hiking trail....the Clarke Art Institute! This is a museum that both my parents had been to and highly recommended that I visit. We are pretty serious about art in my family and I was dying to go check out what is one of the best collections of Impressionist Art in the country. I spent over two hours gazing at Remingtons, Homers, Monets, Renoirs, Pissaros, and Degas. It was wonderful! I learned all kind of neat stuff, (did you know that the term "Impressionism" was coined by a bitter journalist in an art review?), and thoughorly enjoyed myself! Into every hike, a little art must fall! :)I finished my day with a large helping of gratuitous violence and an even larger helping of good-looking men in the form of a movie called "Once Upon A Time In Mexico". It's not great cinema, but it was a nice diversion from trail life! So much for my day of mixed media. Tomorrow I am off to meet Bumpkin and then we head to Maine!Love, Anna aka Mud Buttwww.trailjournals.com