Date: 2005-05-15
From: Riga Lean-To

To: Sharon Moutain Campsite
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: moderate rain

Yesterday was a mental-down day, today was the opposite extreme! The day didn¢t start out that way. It poured last night, so I pack up a wet and muddy tent, flicking as many of the attached slugs as I can locate. No slug is getting a free ride in my pack if I can help it! Thankfully it is not still pouring as I pack up.An hour down the trail, I get into the first argument I¢ve had on the trail. A section-hiker out on a day-hike approaches me from the opposite direction. ¢Are you Southbounding,¢ he asks. ¢No, I am Northbounding.¢¢Well you¢re heading south,¢ the man states.¢No, I¢m heading north.¢¢I hate to tell you this, but you are going the wrong direction.¢We go back and forth like this for several minutes, getting out maps, pointing at landmarks; he even follows me to the road crossing he was dropped off at. There is no convincing this man! Never once in the four months that I have been on the trail have I got up and started hiking in the wrong direction! I am quit irritated now, and I end up walking away. He never did listen to me, and he continued south. ¢Bless your soul, because you are going the wrong way,¢ he shouts after me!It starts to rain lightly, and doesn¢t let up for a few hours. There has been a railroad derailment near the trail and a section is shut off due to a lumber spill. Two train cars are on their sides. A reroute is flagged with yellow tape.Later in the day I encounter the directionally challenged section-hiker¢s partner (they do a key-swap half-way). I tell him all about our argument, just incase the man decides to cover up his mishap!Again, I drop down into town today. Salisbury is just a half-mile off the trail and I need food and bug spray. Tis the season for mosquitoes, and now that I¢m armed with repellant and afterbite, I can handle it.I am treated to some wonderful trail magic in town. I stop a lady, Linda, and ask where I might find fuel. She offers to take me to the gas station (2.5 miles away), and then extends her generosity and invites me to her home to shower and do laundry! The best trail magic there is!So I get a short break and get to visit with Linda and her husband John. A couple hours later, I am clean, my clothes smell like soap, I have fuel and girl scout cookies, all thanks to Linda and John! Exactly what I needed after my off-day yesterday. John drops me off back at the trail, and I hike for two more hours. One more Yale group on my way to Lion¢s Head¢what a view! Just past Lion¢s Head, there is another unnamed overlook. I am snapping pictures when a local catches up to me. Just in time to ID the peaks of the Rica Range! Bear Mountain, Race, and Everett are tomorrow¢s climbs. She also points out Mt Greylock, MA highest point on the Massachusetts/Vermont border. It is over 100 miles away, but on this clear day it sticks out like a sore thumb on the horizon.Just when I¢m about to burst from scenic overload and meeting wonderful people, I stumble across the Rica Shelter. One of only a handful of shelters that has a view! It is such a scenic spot I must stop. It also faces east for a sunrise enjoyed right from the sleeping bag! I planned to go 1.2 miles further to the next shelter, but this is too good to pass up.Why hike today, what you can put off until tomorrow?