Date: 2017-06-10
From: Mark Noepel Shelter

To: Sherman Brook Campsite
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

As I was leaving, Mark Noepel Shelter, a man was coming in.  "Are you Iris?"  "Yes, do I know you?"It was The Gatherer.  He thru hiked the AT last year.  This year he was hiking the Long Trail, starting at Salisbury CT.He had seen my entries in the shelter logs and had made a point to catch me.  The Gatherer was full of information about the trail and his experiences last year.  We hiked together for a short time as we ascended Greylock. He was from this area.  He strongly encouraged me to walk through the mud. He said this would limit the damage to the trail. I continued to try to avoid the mud. Many times I was unsuccessful, as this was mud season. Some people refer to Vermont as VerMUD.He mentioned a pond was coming up and went on ahead.  I stopped for a food and water break.  A few minutes after the break, I came to the very lovely pond with a nice place to sit.  So sorry I did not take my break at the pond.   At the top of Greylock, is a monument and the Lodge.  I was later told the Lodge is often booked full.  I purchased a Coke, used the flush toilets and washed my hands.  What a delight to have clean hands!  I joined The Gatherer and Too Tall in the cafe.  I recharged my cell phone.  The Gatherer had just finished Eggs Benedict.  Too Tall ordered breakfast.  I expected to be starving when I saw his breakfast, but I was not.  My stomach was quesy.  So after my phone was charged, I moved on.  The Gatherer stayed 3 hours.  I asked a ranger for directions to the AT.  "Are you north bound?" "Yes"  "Go up hill and veer left at the monument."  I hiked to the left of the monument and missed the trail.  I asked some hikers who were sunning themselves for directions to the AT.  They were hiking the Long Trail.  I told them The Gatherer was hiking the Long Trail, too.  They said they were with him.  He knew they were there.  Andrew walked with me to the turn off for the trail.  A few more feet was a fork.  I took the right and ended up feet below where Andrew and the two girls were sunning themselves.  The view was spectacular.  So I went in a small circle and came back to the turn off for the trail.  At the fork, I took a left and passed the Thunderbolt Shelter and parking lot.  It was Saturday, so I met several people on the trail.    I hiked through Williamstown MA, home of Williams College.  Too Tall and Stovetop stayed the night in this town.   I stopped at Sherman Brook Campsite, 2.5 miles from the MA-VT border.  There were two men set up on the tent platform closest to the trail.  As I was setting up my tarp on a tent platform I heard whooping, so I whooped back.  It was The Gatherer and friends swimming in the nearby river, also the water supply for the town.  Andrew spotted a dead rat floating near where they were swimming.  They set up camp at the last tent platform.  I chatted with the girls for a while.  Two men came to the campsite.  I invited them to set up between The Gatherer and me.  The younger man wore a head net.  At the time, I thought this was a bit excessive.  Boy, was I wrong!  The younger man had a fire in the campfire ring between my tarp and his tent.  I went to sleep early and woke when it was dark.  For a minute, it looked like my tarp was going to be engulfed in the fire, but it was an illusion.  All was good.