Date: 2017-08-25
From: Mark Noeppal Shelter

To: Williamstown, MA
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Waking up on the side of a mountain is almost as cold as going to sleep on the side of a mountain. Cozy in my hammock but takes some convincing to get up and get moving. Motivation this morning was to be able to hang out with the pack before they headed out since it would be the last time I would get the chance. Breakfast was the usual fare with a lot more banter. We also had 2 sets of mother/daughter on site with us last night and this morning. Pretty amusing addition. Best friends from college that have started meeting places with their 10-year olds to take them on adventures. They were thrilled to have a female hiker so their girls could see that we exist. When the guys departed, I dawdled for a bit longer to chat with the moms - work, gear, hiking, my cat (one of the women is a vet), their dog (who fell asleep in my lap last night). If it hadn't been for my goal of up and over a mountain, I would have walked with them for a bit, but I think I would have been a little frustrated with the pace.Finally around 9:30, I set off to get up to the top of Greylock. He's a hell of a climb. I'm certainly glad I got half of it done yesterday. Once you get a mile from the summit, you start crossing the road that people can drive up to the top on. You cross again at 0.75 and at 0.4. Each section feels straight up. When I hit the top, clouds were rolling in and it was even colder (3,400 feet up, sooo....). I took some photos and popped into the dining area for a burger. Ran into some SOBOs, shared some info, and started contemplating my plan for the day. 7 miles didn't feel like enough to sleep outside on. 10 would put me down the mountain, in a room, with a shower, and done. I watched more clouds blow around and accepted my new plan.Down, down, a little up, down, one more up to a finally overlook spot. From there, I could see my destination. Williams College buildings pop up between rows of trees and Williamstown sprawls next to it with North Adams neaby. I hear a shower calling. I stopped to make a couple calls and secure a room at a pretty reasonable rate for 2 nights. Off I go - down, down, down, down...the mountain seems to never end. Recently put in switchbacks save my knees and ankle a little bit but the pain starts to cut thru. I'm liking the idea of getting off this damn mountain more and more with every step. Suddenly,  the rocks stop and the ground levels out. Cross one road. Hit another and the white blazes throw me out into civilization. I walk past houses, see people out walking their dogs. I stop to sign my final AT register for the year. A mile and a half down Route 2 gets me to my motel. I've had a shower, 3/4 of a 12" pizza, applied fresh Icy Hot to calm my legs, and am thinking about what I want to do tomorrow in North Adams (Mass MoCa and eat food). The mountains are outside my window and they'll stay there for a while, reminding me that there is more to accomplish. Until next time...Ps: For those that know my fears for this trip, the numbers are - Ticks: 0; Bears: 2 sightings; Serial Killers: 0 (that I know of); My back: the part of my body that held up the best.