Date: 2018-07-05
From: Cheshire

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: clear sky

Which Way dropped me back in Cheshire and headed to Burlington for a few days. It was 0745 by the time I started walking out of town and began the 8-mile trek to Mount Greylock. It took WW and I 30 minutes to drive to the summit yesterday. It would take me four hours to hike it today. The path was mostly in good condition and the 2,500 foot elevation gain was on an easy to moderate slope. However, the heat and humidity brought on a torrent of sweat that quickly soaked my clothes.I met another SOBO thru hiker about halfway up. This gal, Freebird, was more sociable than the last SOBO and we stood in the trail chatting for a few minutes. I took her picture and then she took a selfie of the two of us using her camera. Closer to the summit I came across a couple of groups of day hikers. All of them were friendly and seemed happy to meet an AT Thru Hiker.The 93¢ Lighthouse Style Tower marked the summit of Mount Greylock. The tower was built as a War Memorial in 1939. It was lunch time when I reached the summit. As luck would have it, the Bascom Lodge sat less than 50 yards from the trail. I ordered a BLT and shared a table with a section hiking couple from London. After I finished eating I went outside to retrieve my pack and start hiking again. There was an elderly woman sitting on a bench next to my pack. She also asked if I was thru hiking and offered some words of encouragement. Meeting genuinely friendly people seemed to be the theme of the day. The 6-mile descent from Mount Greylock to MA Route 2 (Williamstown/North Adams) was broken up by short climbs up Mount Williams and Mount Prospect Ledge. The latter offered an excellent view of Williamstown. I made it to town at about 3:30 and walked .6 miles west to The Trail House Restaurant. I had stopped by there the day before to check it out and had already decided I would be stopping there for dinner. I am glad I did. I was the only customer at the dining area. A sweet young lady named Nicky took my order and offered to fill up my water bottles. She then brought out a complimentary order of naan bread and some delicious honey butter. Nicky was so friendly and seemed genuinely interested in my hike. I also chatted with the manager, Melissa. The restaurant is new and she wanted it to be hiker friendly. I showed her my AWOL Guidebook and Guthook app and suggested that she get the Trail House listed. There is a grocery store right next door and a new hotel is opening across the street. I told her with the location and great food/service, the hiker grapevine would take care of the rest. Speaking of great food, Nicky brought me the best burger I have eaten so far on the trail. She asked me more about the AT as I ate. I told her that one of the neatest things about the trail was the terrific people we have met along the way. As I was finishing my meal and ready to pay, Nicky came over and told me the meal was on her. She just got added to the endless list of Trail Angels. Melissa offered to have her cook, Dan, give me a lift back to the trail. We had a nice chat on the short ride back to the trail head.It was close to 5PM when I started hiking again. I hoped to make it 7 more miles to the next shelter. First, I had a 1,500¢ climb to the top of the Rock Garden. A steep boulder field was at the top. I was once again drenched in sweat. Moving north along the ridge, I came to a sign indicating that I was entering Vermont. Wow! This point also marked the Southern Terminus of Vermont¢s Long Trail, a 273 mile path that runs through the state. The AT shares the first 105 miles in Vermont with the Long Trail (LT). While the AT is a more popular trail, the older LT was the original older inspiration for a long distance foot path through the Appalachian Mountains. A few miles further I finally reached the blue blaze trail leading to the shelter. It was at the 1,600.2 mile mark. It dawned on me that I had just hit an AT milestone trifecta¢highest peak in MA, Vermont, and the 1,600 mile mark. What a day!With early morning thunderstorms in the forecast, I opted to sleep in the shelter. Four LT Hikers shared the shelter with me. I was confident that the mosquitoes would much prefer the fresh blood.Peace & Blessings - NSElevation Data:Ascent - 5,720Descent - 4,450Grade - 9.0Weather:Day - 91 / Mostly SunnyNight - 71 / ThunderstormsOver The Horizon: Stratton Mountain, VT