Date: 2008-07-23
From: Near Pine Swamp Branch Lean-to, CT

To: Maria McCabe's Home in Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: light rain

It was a sticky, damp night. It was raining pretty hard when I first got into my tent last night and it rained lightly some overnight. I heard it start raining steady again about an hour before I got up for the day. I decided to eat my Poptart at 6:30am. I wanted to get started early enough to get to Mountainside Cafe for breakfast. I had 6.3 miles to walk there. My clothes were soaked from walking in the rain late yesterday. One of the most difficult things for me is to put on nasty wet clothes in the morning. It's a mental thing because I always know that it's not going to be all that bad. :-) I got everything packed up inside the tent, then got out in the rain and took the tent down and packed it up. I started walking north on the Appalachian Trail at 7:15am. It was raining hard and it felt really good. I had been a bit sticky overnight, but this nice rain was cooling me down. There were no bugs biting, I had a few hours to walk and I knew I'd be having a good breakfast and lots of coffee. :-) I had to be more careful on all the wet roots and rocks while I climbed up Mt Easter. I was climbing the next hill when I ran into Cahoda. The rain was slowing down and I think she was checking her map when I caught up to her. I told her hello from Trillium (see Trillium, I remembered) and we walked together for about 10 minutes. I was walking a little faster, so I told her I was heading into the cafe for breakfast and if she was going to stop, I'd see her there. I walked past Sharon Mtn Campsite and the old hang glider area. There was a ramp there in '02 when I walked by where people would actually run off the end of the mountain with a hang glider attached to them. Guess it's a good thing to be attached to a hang glider if you had to run off the end of a perfectly good mountain. :-) The rain had stopped and it was dripping from the trees. Some biting bugs came out, so I had to constantly check my arms and hands for mosquitoes and yellow flies. I got some before they got me, but some got me before I got them. :-) I saw a horse fly buzzing around my legs, so I stopped and he landed right next to another horse fly that was already biting me right behind the knee. I got two with one smack and some of my blood came out of the one that got me. I started thinking about those whiny '03 nobos and how they complained about the little bit of rain that year....at least it was cool when it was raining and the bugs weren't biting....and the springs were running just fine. Bunch of whiners, they want everyone to feel sorry for them. ;-) I kept walking and started hearing some cars in the distance. I walked by Belter's Campsite, then up and over Belter's Bump before heading down to the road. I crossed into a corn field and came to the Mohawk Trail about half a mile later. That little side Trail takes you to the cafe...I LOVE that little side Trail! :-) I took my backpack off on the front porch and saw Bound sitting inside. I went in and met Love Boat sitting with her at a table for six, so I joined them. Pretty soon, Pack Mule came in and joined us, then Cahoda. I ordered coffee and water, two eggs over easy, bacon, homefries, rye toast and biscuits. I was happy! :-) Mike came driving up with his brother, GT1. I knew Mike lived in the area and was taking about a week off Trail when he got into CT, but I really didn't expect to see him. He was even all cleaned up and in blue jeans. :-) He met some of his family there and sat with them. Mike has become a good friend out here on the Trail this year, so it was good to see and talk to him again. Mr Bones and Stubbs showed up....in a car. They have family that lives 10 miles away and have been slack packing for a few days. Gumby and Sherlock showed up next. (not THE Sherlock...the one I know so well that eats more than even I do) :-) What a great morning to see so many friends in one place....and the coffee was excellent! I was going to order a sandwich to carry for the next 10 miles I still had to walk to Salisbury, but Mike had a car! And he was willing to take my pack to Salisbury! So I just ordered another breakfast exactly like the one I had just finished! (hey, I wasn't going to carry my backpack for the next 10 miles, so I had no place to carry a sandwich, and a guy could starve to death out here) I was actually the first hiker to leave....and I ate a lot and drank lots of excellent coffee too! :-) Mike asked where I wanted my pack dropped off and I told him Maria McCabe's home. Mike grew up two doors down from Maria, so he knew her well. I drank a liter of water and walked off with just my hiking poles. I'm still having trouble walking this danged Trail in the wrong direction....everything comes at me backwards. I got to the flat walk along the Housatonic River first. Then the old iron bridge. Handicapped Accessible Trail in Falls VillageI see why it must be hard for someone coming to the States from Australia. They have to feel some of the same feelings I'm having walking north on a Trail that's meant to be walked south. :-) I stopped at the falls near Falls Village and took a couple pictures. I was walking on and it struck me....I know why it's called Falls Village now! Great Falls of the Housatonic RiverI made almost a 1,000 foot climb to the summit of Prospect Mtn and walked near that elevation for the next four miles before descending to U.S. 44. Rands View. Can¢t see Bear Mt today because of the cloudsIt had started raining hard while I was descending that mountain. I remembered seeing Maria's place on the next road somewhere, but couldn't remember how close it was to the Trail, so I walked to Conn. 41 and headed towards Salisbury. It was early and the rain felt great ('03 nobos take note). The rain slowed after I started walking to town, so I got out my ALDHA Companion and found her address. I walked up to her back door and rang the doorbell...no answer. I rang it again....no answer. I sat under the porch for a while, then rang the doorbell again...no answer. I decided to walk to town and get food for dinner and resupply, so I got my rain jacket out of my pack (it had started raining again and even though I was soaking wet, I thought I would look more sensible in town if I was wearing a rain jacket while I was walking in the rain), I started to walk out from the porch and an extremely close lightening hit, so I sat down and started reading an old newspaper. :-) Maria came out and said hello. She had fallen asleep and didn't hear the doorbell, but the loud thunder woke her up. That gave me an idea for a new doorbell! ;-) It was good meeting her. I said hello for Mrs Gorp and for Hammock Hanger. She didn't recognize either one of them until I told her their stories about when they had been here, then she remembered both of them. We were sitting on the porch taking when Catfish came walking up. I didn't recognize him at first because he was really wearing his rain jacket in the rain. I'll have to try that sometime. :-) It was good seeing him again. I hadn't seen him since Mother Nature and Smokestack forced me to go into Wind Gap, PA for breakfast one morning. I remember resisting at first, but you don't argue with Mother Nature! ;-) I got my shower and washed all my wet clothes in the shower with me. Catfish went to a laundromat. I just don't understand why some people insist on laundromats. ;-) I walked into town and bought dinner and resupplied. I wanted to send in my journal, but there is no Verizon service in this town. Catfish has AT&T and they just put a tower up, but no Verizon. :-( We hung around downstairs talking for a while, then I went up to my bedroom for the night. It was a looooong day! I LOVED IT! Another great day on the Appalachian Trail. :-)