Date: 2015-07-10
From: Great Barrington, MA

To: Shaker campsite, MA
Miles today: 17.6

Morning would arrive too soon after Yoohoo and I stayed awake too late watching a movie. As hard as it was to unravel ourselves from our warm cocoons of sheets, we were up at ~9:00am and enjoying a quick breakfast in the lobby. For me it'd be 2 bowls of Fruit Loops, a bagel with cream cheese, a cup of coffee, 3 cups of OJ, and a cup of apple juice. After returning to the room for the next ~30 minutes to finish packing up or gear, we were soon walking the streets of Great Barrington heading for the trail some ~4 miles away. With little room for calls to pull over, plus a lot of construction in the downtown area, we had to walk close to ~1.5 miles until we found a parking lot just off the main road to post up in and throw out our fingers. Doing our walk to this point, I spent the time telling Yoohoo all about my previous experience in raising alpacas. He seemed to be very interested. After no more than ~10 minutes, a man on his way to work pulled over in his truck with its dog fur-covered interior and transported us the final few miles to the trail. Sounding very interested in possibly opening a hostel-like service near the trail in the future, we gave him a few pointers on what to and not to worry about.Finally beginning the trail just before 11:00am, we knew our goal for the day should be somewhat limited. We decided on a campsite just under ~18 miles away. A slow but enjoyable day would follow as Yoohoo and I took our time, took more than enough breaks, and were even joined by a couple hikers later in the day. After the first mile of flat, swampy forests where I smashed my share of mosquitoes, blood staining my arms in the places they once occupied, we hurried along trying to gain elevation where we hoped they'd withdraw. We soon reached June Mountain and took our first break, only ~3 miles in. A flat rock drenched in sun overlooked the large ridge we had spent the following 2 days traversing, rising sharply on the opposite side of the valley we had just climbed out of. Just under an hour passed before we managed to persuade ourselves to move again.Not long after, we reached the highest point of the day atop East Mountain. We continued along slowly and steadily, helping pass the time by chatting about this and that. After reaching Benedict Pond, drenched in golden rays from the already setting sun, we sat along its bank and rested again. We were joined by Rabbit, a Cambodian who had just finished stepping knee-deep into mud after the log he stepped on rolled, as he pouted about wanting to always be clean despite hiking the trail. Following close after was Miles, the third one I've met on the trail, just returning to the trail after a week off to his home in Connecticut. We all seemed to hit it off quickly and would spend the last few hours of the day hiking together, exchanging stories, discussing Minecraft (I sat that one out), and coming up with different AT-related horror movie scenarios.As we reached Bearmountain Road, Miles scored the last Gingerale in a cooler of trail magic, littered with melted M&M's and soda cans. We said he could enjoy it since he reached it first, but he selfishly shared it with Yoohoo and I as we passed it around taking sips. Past the Ledges, Mt. Wilcox South Shelter, and Mt. Wilcox North Shelter, we reached Shaker campsite just after ~7:30pm. A full house awaited us consiting of a few thru-hikers, section hikers, 1 of the 2 Massachusetts ridge runners, and a large group of teenaged kids with adults who I assume are part of an outdoor-based program for mentoring kids. A quick dinner of 2 pop tarts and Snyder's pretzels would follow after the less demanding pace of today left me feeling not very hungry. Yoohoo, Miles, and I would also build and enjoy a small fire, the first I've built in months, to help ward off the mosquitoes. I would retire to my tent roughly an hour later for the desire to get horizontal once in camp is hard to ignore for long. It's currently nearing 10:00pm and voices of teenagers talking and frequently cursing fills the air just outside of my tent. I let out a decent fart which they seemed to enjoy.I can also report that today was the first day I didn't suffer from any foot pain in weeks. Whether from the soft shoe insert I purchased in town yesterday, fewer miles, the slower pace, or a combination of the 3, it was definitely a refreshing experience rolling into camp not wanting to cut my feet off. Let's hope this trend continues. A rather uneventful day today, but sweetness has a way of waiting around the next corner.Here's to the power of rest, meeting a Cambodian on trail, and fire-toasted pop tarts.