Date: 2005-06-21
From: Salisbury

To: Hemlocks Lean-To
Miles today: 14.1

First day of Summer!   Started out early in anticipation of a long and hard day. A beautiful morning ¢cool and refreshing¢. Passed by the cemetery, but never did see the water spigot that is on the map! A nice and easy ascent up to Plateau Campsite ¢ one rocky down slope section even had a rope rigged from a tree to afford a handhold. Then it was a reasonably stiff ascent up to Lion¢s Head in the cool of the morning. Passing by Riga and Brassie Brook Lean-To¢s, the morning began to heat up, just in time for the ascent up Bear Mountain.      I met a father and son who had just left Brassie Brook and were on the same road as myself. We leapfrogged each other all the way to the top of Bear Mountain, where they took a break, as I moved on. The summit proper is marked by a large observation post made up of piled stones, with a nice marker ¢ the highest peak in Connecticut! The marker says ¢Highest Ground¢, but that apparently is on the flank of Mount Frisel ¢ the summit of which is in Massachusetts.   The Companion says ¢The Northbound descent into Sages Ravine is rocky and steep¢ and my knees were soon attesting to the truth of that statement.   Sages Ravine was great. The brook rushed and gurgles and splashes, and has pools and waterfalls, and I just loved it. It is in a deep and cool ravine, with great hemlocks and old moss covered rocks and the trail tracks along the brook before it finally crosses over, and I was in Massachusetts.      I must admit that I was sorry to leave Connecticut ¢ I realy liked it. The trail was impeccably maintained and I realy liked the cool light green notice boards. It realy helps to know where you are!      Race Mountain proved to be another long and hard slog on the ascent, in what was now a hot, but not humid, day, Taking a break at the top I was able to get a great cell signal ¢ there was none in Salisbury ¢ and retrieved all of my Father¢s Day greetings from my family.   Along the crest of Race, the trail follows a series of ledges with a precipitous drop, straight down hundreds of feet, to the forest floor, on the right. It reminded me of Tinker¢s Ledges, same sort of feeling.      Along the crest I met up with Milo, the local ridge runner, who was doing some maintenance work. He gave me some good info on the trail ahead.      Then it was down off of Race, and a tough and rocky climb up Mount Everett ¢ as promised by Milo. Two of the thru-hikers that I met in Salisbury passed me- both slack packing and sharing the same single day pack of water and snacks between the two of them.      Then finally down off of Mount Everett and past Guilder Pond. Didn¢t see much of it because of the trees, and along here to the shelter. This is a new ¢ 1999 ¢ shelter just 0.1 mile south of an old ¢ 1960¢s ¢ shelter [Glen Brooks], and this one has a loft! It indeed rests in a grove of hemlocks. I like it fine.      So ¢ a 14-mile day ¢ drank four liters of water and was still thirsty, but got here in good time over what I consider to be some difficult ground. So we will see if we can repeat the effort in the morning ¢ and drink even more.Thought for today ¢      It is important to give back!