Date: 2016-06-01
From: MA 23

To: Goose Pond Road
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Today seemed like a very long day, and in fact it was. We used the key swap strategy with only one intermediate point and the first segment was about 11 miles. That¢s an unusually long stretch for us so that made it seem longer than it was. I¢m not sure if it was the terrain or what, but I was moving pretty slowly and barely did 2 1/2 mph - a draggy day. I can average close to 3 on simple terrain, but throw in rocks, roots, steep ups and downs, and I slow down a lot. But the terrain was interesting, it changed continuously and there were some very pretty spots. I did the long segment NoBo and didn¢t see very many other hikers, so I really had that sense of being ALONE in the forest, listening to the birds and chipmunks rustling in the leaves. It¢s a really unique feeling. I have lots of time to think about random things. And I¢ve found that every day a different song pops into my head and I spend a boatload of time singing it over and over in my mind trying to come up with a full chorus of the lyrics. Sometimes I worry that I¢ll concentrate so hard on a particular thought or song that I¢ll lose focus on where I¢m putting my feet - and suffer disastrous consequences.The ¢Ledges¢ was a highlight today. After climbing a bit, I found myself walking along the edge of a dropoff, not a cliff exactly (there were some trees below), but close. And at one point, there was a great view of the adjacent ridges and valleys. Now that the trees are fully leafed there aren¢t as many views as earlier in the year, so it¢s a premium moment when a real vista opens up. Another highlight today was Cobble Hill near Tyringham, MA. For some reason, I don¢t remember this area from previous years, so it seemed new to me. It seemed like an older forest and the trail was very well-maintained. There was a side-trail to the summit that I almost took, but decided that I needed to press on since Princess was waiting (don¢t keep a princess waiting). There were also several very picturesque ponds. They seemed very isolated and still, and the sky reflections in the water were so stunning that it was hard to break off and get back to hiking.The second segment of our key swap was much shorter, thankfully and we headed back to Jess Treat¢s in Sheffield for a second night. We¢re moving on tomorrow, so we had dinner with Jess at Cafe Adam in Great Barrington. We learned that it¢s a third location for a very good restaurant and we enjoyed some interesting and unique dinners, as well as a good pinot noir. Not inexpensive, but a definitely worth it. We really like Jess and enjoy having the opportunity to spend a little time with her. Two years ago when we first descended on her, I was just starting my recovery from Lyme and she was great. I zeroed here for 4 or 5 days. She was really sensitive to my issues and helped me get by. As usual, it¢s great to see her and we¢re glad that she¢s doing well.We¢ve decided to do a short hike tomorrow and then move on to Norwich, VT where we¢ll meet up with One More at the Norwich Inn. One More has been hiking in VT and is going to join us for the rest of the way to Katahdin. Another friend from back home in VA is also going to join us for a week. He¢s going to join us for the John Muir Trail in September and he¢s trying to get ready for that. No better place than the Whites for that. So after the hike tomorrow, we¢re headed for the notorious New Hampshire mountains. Even though I¢ve been there a couple of times before, there¢s still that level of anxiety about how difficult they are. But for the time being, I¢m anticipating the brewpub at the Norwich Inn, one of my favorite spots. It¢s a chance to add to my growing repertoire on Untappd. PS: I did meet one interesting hiker today just after I started this morning. She was very friendly and outgoing and announced that her name was Gypsy. She said that she had a travel camper and she was in the process of doing 1 mile of the AT in every state that it passes through. She said she had just started hiking from a pond a few minutes up the trail (Benedict Pond I believe) and that she planned to go back and have a swim there before moving on. A new slant on AT hiking that I haven¢t heard of before.