Date: 2007-06-16
From: Dalton, Massachusetts

To: North Adams, MA
Miles today: 23.4

Today Plod and Mr. Ed got up at 5:20. They considered that sleeping in since the restaurants do not open until 6:00. They wanted to take advantage of a chance for a meal that they did not have to prepare. Invisible Man left at 5:00. He likes to hike before the heat of the day has a chance to arrive. It is so unusual for Mr. Ed to find hikers who are even more "Type A" than he is. He describes Plod and Invisible Man as "top of the line" when it comes to hiking. Mr. Ed and Plod ate breakfast at Duff's. Of course, they ordered the biggest breakfast offered. That consisted of eggs, pancakes, sausage, home fries, toast, and 3 cups of coffee. I tease Mr. Ed about how much and what he eats, but I realize that he is eating what his body tells him to eat. Fats turn to energy which he needs plenty of to maintain the pace he continues to churn. He reminds me of a pregnant woman who has lost total control of her body. The little alien inside tells her what it wants, and she has to obey its every whim.The hikers walked to Cheshire by 10:30. They stopped at a convenience store and had (guess what-ice cream!) As they were leaving, they ran into Tapper. Mr. Ed had not seen her since the Shenadoah. Mr. Ed was so impressed with her ability to walk big miles each day. She will walk to Delaware tonight.Plod and Mr. Ed left Cheshire which is 950 feet in elevation. They climbed most of the morning to ascend Mt. Greylock, elevation 3,491 feet. Greylock is Massachusetts's highest peak. A stone tower crowned by a globe lit at night is a tribute to the soldiers from the area that gave their lives for their country. If you climb the 89 steps to the top, you can see the Green, Catskill, and Taconic mountain ranges. Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Melville are just a few of the literary figures that were inspired by the mountain. While climbing the mountain, they could see very little due to the heavy vegetation. They arrived at the top of Greylock by 2:00, and they finally got to see the surrounding areas. The views were amazing, but flies threatened to eat them alive. They did not spend much time at the summit. They planned on camping at a lean-to, but they changed their minds and decided to travel to North Adams and spend the night at the Redwood Motel. They are taking a zero day tomorrow. Mr. Ed needs to soak and rest his feet. Plod says his body needs a rest. Mr. Ed said he was hungry since Plod would not stop for lunch. While waiting for Plod to get ready and while talking to me, he ate 1/2 box of fig newtons, Plod's Pringles, 2 honey buns, and 4 beers. He kept telling me how hungry he was. Bottomless pit, hollow leg, anything that describes someone who can eat and eat describes Mr. Ed right now. My daughter said that his body had consumed all plague, all cancerous cells, and that he should live to be 90. I don't know about that, but I know that he has never consumed so much food in his life. When Plod gets ready, they are going out to find some place to eat dinner. All of the food consumed before was just a snack.They are only 4.1 miles from Vermont. They traveled 23.4 miles today and are at mile marker 1,577.7. Katahdin draws near!