Date: 2008-08-01
From: Great Barrington MA

To: Great Barrington MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

What an awesome day! My parents came out to Great Barrington. It took them approximately 2 hours to come from Connecticut. It was so nice to get a hug from my mother after all of this time. I was careful not to squeeze her too hard but showed her my longing for her in my grasp. My dad looked proud and I was very excited to see him as well. I have been thinking about my parents allot on the trail and have come to love and appreciate them more than ever.Right away my mother and father made it clear that they were here to help and support all of us hikers in any way they could. They took us to the laundry place first and then dropped the crew off downtown for lunch and the library. My parents and I went to lunch at a Mediterranean restaurant. I told some stories about the trail that are not included in my journals and they shared with me all of the things going on at home. Basically they boosted me with encouragement and let me know that everyone was on board with my hike through my on-line journal. I needed to hear that because I told them that the journal was tough sometimes when reaching camp exhausted.We picked the crew up again and headed out to Lenox MA to an outfitter called The Arcadian Shop. I had called Arcadian earlier and asked if they have sleeping bags. I was in search of a summer sleeping bag that was rated for 45+ degrees. Currently my bag is rated for down to 20 degrees. I find myself losing sleep because I am sweating and saturating the sleeping bag. It is extremely insulated and unbearable on hot or humid nights. The drive to Lenox was 30 minutes or so. We spent over 1.5 hours at the store. I purchased a 50 degree bag that packs down to 1/3 the size of my current bag and it only weighs 1 lb. (2.7 lbs. lighter than my current bag!). I also purchased a pair of running shorts. Running shorts are ultra light, they dry quick and prevent chafing.After returning to Great Barrington we again dropped the crew off so they could find dinner. My parents and I went to Brandon Steak House. They treated me to a prime rib dinner with garlic mash potatoes and fresh zucchini. I ate slow and savored every bite.My mother offered for the crew to sleep on our hotel room floor. I knew the others would be interested and took her up on the offer. We picked up the group downtown and moved on to the hotel. Once again we snuck everyone in after dark. The hotel would definitely object to having 5 hikers sleep on the floor. I think my parents enjoyed being in the midst of watching all of us unpack our hiking packs and sort our gear like we do every evening. Everyone let their bags explode and began to pare down the contents. We unroll our mats, unpack sleeping bags, count our food for the coming days and rearrange everything for best efficiency. There was gear everywhere. My parents sat in their bed observing and asking questions about what we used in different situations.The plan is to meet our outfitter at 9am tomorrow morning. He will have 2 canoes ready for us. We intend to eat breakfast with my parents at 7am and then head out on the Housatonic. Spoon is responsible for putting the trip together and is confident that it will work. I have total confidence in Spoon's outdoor abilities and his aqua blaze plan. I have a good amount of canoe experience and am not worried, I can not wait as a matter of fact!   ~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"