Date: 2005-07-26
From: Dalton, MA 83 Depot St

To: Bascom Lodge, Mt. Greylock, MA
Miles today: 17.0

Redwing:   Happy Anniversary to us! We've both confirmed that there is not better way to spend it this year than out here on the AT. Again, we went to the local diner, Duff's and Del's for breakfast, this time with Handyman. We decided to sit in a different booth toady, one without, "Sit, Relax, Gossip" written above, marking it as the booth for the locals. We packed up for waht looked to be a comfortable hiking day, and said our goodbyes to Origami, Handyman, Patch and our host, Tom.    The hike was broken up perfectly. At just over the seven mile mark, we came to "The Cobbles", rock outcroppings (marble) that overlooked the town of Cheshire. Two miles later, we walked into Cheshire, right past an ice cream shop (of course we stopped). We had lunch there as well. We're trying to add lunches to our diet, instead of just granola bar type snacks all day long. This usually consists of bagels or tortillas with cheese (which lasts a couple days in the pack, even when it's hot), peanut butter (which is heavy, but worth it for the taste and the energy) or hummus (which we can buy dried, and just add water to make).   After Cheshire, we began our climb up Mt. Greylock. The total climb was 2,500 ft, and it brought us above 3,000 ft elevation for the first time since Shenandoah National Park. Greylock is the Massahcuesetts high point and is covered with hemlocks right up to the last few feet. It smelled like Chritmas trees! At the top is Bascom Lodge, an old Inn that hosts hikers and families looking for a weekend getaway. Many years ago, Greylock used to be a place for downhill skiers, who would hike their skis up the mountain, for one fast run all the way down. The lodge provides meals in their restaurant and has an amazing view. If you climb to the top of the MA war memorial nearby, on a clear day one can see the White Moutnains of New Hampshire to the north, all the way to Connecticut to the south, Upstate New York to the west, and Massachusetts tot he east.    We'd love to say that we spent our anniversary living large in the accommodations of the beautiful lodge, but we opted for the hiker hostel in the converted garage to save money. Maybe another year... (and in case you hadn't read, we did have a nice stay in Salisbury last week, in honor of the occasion). We received a maildrop at the top of the moutnain (advice for future thru hikers: get your box at the top of Greylock, not in Cheshire where you'll have to carry the weight 2,500 ft). With each box, we get printoffs of our emails, and any snailmail that has come our way, via my sister who coordinates it all for us (thanks again, Amy!). It has become a fun tradition to read letters together with each maildrop. It was a treat to actually pick up the box on our anniversary date, and thus receive the several anniversary cards packed inside in a very timely manner!   On our anniversary day, our thought of the day has been "A cord of three strands is not easily borken". We've seen this thought from the book of Ecclesiastes to be true. Even in just two years of marriage, success in our relationship relies on more than the two of us. We really need Jesus to be the third strand that unites us and makes it strong. We love the way that being on the Trail allows us time for thought and reflection, much more than when we're at home. Too often, when we're busy, our minds get on good thoughts and then get side tracked without being able to wrap it up, or have the thought stick with us. We love the time the the trail allows us to finish our thoughts, and to enjoy times of reflection.    Our hiking company this evening is Fig and Just Visiting, a couple of southbounders, and Thumper. O'Conner is here as well. We've heard about her often as Thumper's hiking buddy, but it's good to finally meet her, along with her boyfriend who is here to visit. We're not necessarily all that social, since we're engrossed in our mail from home, but we're here with everyone in the community room, enjoying the view as the sun goes down, and there are strong, cool winds blowing through the screens that may bring a storm in later.