Date: 2006-06-18
From: Wiley Shelter

To: Mt. Algo Lean-to
Miles today: 12.4

June 18, Mt. Algo Lean-toFirst day in a new state! Woohoo!Fortunately or unfortunately, I have no idea at this time, but for now, I live with it. I thought 12.4 miles would be easy, so I stuck around with Giggles in the morning. Her husband was going to pick her up at the next road crossing for a night in a town. I let her sleep in due to some excitement last night. We had gone to bed and were asleep for a few hours when Guinness started to growl. We both woke up. Then there was a bright light in our eyes. Night hikers. And it was 1:45 in the morning. Wiley sits right on the trail so when they came down the trail, their headlamps shown right in and got Guinness to be a good watch dog. TreeFingers and three others of the boys from the friary. I don't understand the night hike thing. I realize sometimes the heat of the day can be oppressive but these folks don't know real heat. But they were on their way to Mt. Algo. After they figured out the correct direction, we went back to sleep. Or I did. When I woke later, Giggles was up. Having a hard time going to sleep. I told her she has alot of stuff going on, husband, shelter sleeping, worrying about Guinness. Since her hubby was picking her up at ten, she could sleep in the morning. I got up my usual five. I sat and read, got Guinness to go drink water from the spring while her mommy got more sleep. We strolled down the one plus mile to the road. The funny thing about all the handbooks is how they tell us a road name but there really is no street sign at the trailhead. So we had to walk down and hope someone had the street name on their mailbox. Giggles found one and we knew we were on the right road. There was a parking place the opposite way we walked, so we went there and there he was, eating a bagel and reading. He'd been there for ten minutes he said.What a nice guy. Giggles' favorite drink is chocolate milk and he had bought a half gallon along with fresh fruits. We chatted for a while and off I went on my solo adventure again. I got on the 11.2 left over miles at about ten. And it took me almost eight hour to do it.The first hill wasn't bad. Five hundred foot elevation change over a mile. And then the trail followed along the Housatonic River. It must be a popular little hike. Being Sunday there were day hikers and fly fishing going on. There were some new flowers on the trail. I hate it when I know I've named a flower before but can't remember their names. The usual Shasta Daisies and Tall Phlox. But there were little yellow flowers and new white ones. The river trail was nice. In Connecticut, they are very strict about where we can camp. Since the plan is for me to do a few of the campsites instead of shelters in the next leg, I was wondering how well they were marked. I found out they are very well marked and actually have privies and water sources. That made me feel better. The second hill, which is really two next to next as the trail winds, was a pooper. One thousand foot elevation change in one mile. And it was getting on noon. And the temperature was climbing. It was most likely in the eighties and the humidity about the same. The switchbacking went over rocks and scraggly blueberry bushes. As I poled my way up Schaghticoke Mt., my foot started to protest. It does fine as I walk on flat but the torquing and twisting of very uneven ground made for a painful climb, topped with sweat dripping off my elbows and chin.   Mostly deciduous trees on this side of the hill, maples and hemlock. Lots of rocks. You'd think with the sun exposure, there would be more flowers but there really wasn't much. But the interesting thing is coming down off the other side. The primary trees become pines. I think I read these are red pines. Going up, very little water. But coming down, stream crossing all over the place. My foot was crying, so every stream crossing was an excuse to step in and let ice cold water stream over the foot. Finally got to Mt. Algo Shelter. Very picturesque. Walk across a water fall stream. And there it is, sitting in a pine forest.   Noticed a tent set up. No one in the shelter. Lots of the shelters in these areas are walking distance for weekend campers and the tent was not a light weight, so I figure this was a local out camping. I settled myself in the shelter. Someone had left a citronella candle. Nice touch. In a bit, a sound from the opposite side of the shelter. Another camper, who turned out to be a hiker I had been passed by on a few occasions, Marque. Marque is French, with very little English. We had a blast trying to talk. What I figured out is that he's a single guy who was told about the trail and he thought he'd come check it out before he went up to Canada to visit friends. He was zeroing at the shelter. He had walked into Kent, half mile down the next road crossing and bought a tent and was tented on the other side. He is here for only three months so he started at Harpers Ferry and will walk until his time is up. He is totally amazed at the idea of this two thousand mile trail that covers so many states. He decided he was walking too fast to enjoy the scenery so he has decided to slow down. His plan for the next day is to just go to the next shelter, 7.3 miles. And it was time to shut it down. I said my good night and now, I read my trash novel before I close my eyes to the sound of water rushing down rocks, and the smell of pines.Namaste'