Date: 2004-09-02
From: Kelley Stand Road

To: Goddard Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: few clouds

With a long day of driving ahead of Ben and Tyler, we were up early today, by 6.00am, grabbed a cup of coffee at McDonalds, and were back at the trailhead on Kelley Stand Road before 8.00. It's given a big boost to our efforts this year to have them along with us and they have been great company as always. Ben returns to his work as a paramedic. With Tyler it's less clear but he remains determined to get involved in a political campaign team in Ohio. Politics is something he discusses with great maturity, he just seems a natural for that kind of thing.   'Thistle' and I also had a big day ahead of us but we soon realised we were up for it. Today's profile has been generally uphill but it didn't seem to matter - we were well-rested, well-fed, humidity was low, and the terrain has mostly been good.We stopped for a break at Stony Spring Shelter and for an early lunch at Caughnawaga Shelter. It was built in 1931, making it one of the oldest on the AT, and it looked it. It is small, but now has a very distinct lean both to the right as you look at it and also backwards into the slope behind. This was, however, a very fine spot, a good creek alongside running down the hill, into a pool of water containing lots of waterboatmen. They were almost impossible to see, but with the sun directly overhead and shining through a break in the forest canopy, you could see their shadows perfectly on the surface of the water, magnified to 2-3 times their actual size and the perfect way to see the circular pads at the end of their legs that allowed them to walk on the surface (see photo library).   Time was very much on our side today for at this point we had already done more than 8 miles. Our main climb came later when we went up Glastenbury Mt (3,748 ft) but the terrain remained easy and we reached the firetower and shelter there by 4.00pm. All in all, we have done 12.5 miles today with about 2,700 ft of climbing and still feel as good as any day so far - perhaps the legs are coming just as our hiking trip nears its end. At the firetower we clambered up several flights of steps to be rewarded with a magnificent view of the Green Mountains all around. Stratton Mt stood out to the east, and we could even see Mt. Greylock in the distance to the south-west.Two other hikers were already in the tower when we arrived. One of them we knew immediately! It was 'Flying Bear' who we met last year in New Jersey. He had mentioned then that he was writing a book about his trail experiences, and he told us now that he had a publisher for it and it will be called "Trail Magic" (BTW his real name is Scott Hills).We settled in at the shelter close by and then returned to the tower to enjoy the view as the sun set. What was most noticeable was the wind when you climbed up beyond the immediate tree-line. It was absolutely perishing! We can expect a pretty cold night and we have tried to prepare accordingly. Both 'Thistle' and I have come with the thinnest possible sleeping bags this year, one-season bags, after over heating in our Cats Mieow bags last year, but we have found the bags to be cold on some nights this time round. Tonight, I am in bed wearing long johns, town trousers, two pairs of socks, a tee shirt and my fleece and beanie hat.