Date: 2018-06-28
From: Undermountain Road - Salisbury, CT

To: The Rendezvous at US 7 - Great Barrington, MA 
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: overcast clouds

What a day! It was full of milestones and adventure. Without a doubt, the highlight of the day was at the end of the hike when I crossed US 7 and ran into the arms of Which Way. But, the way to that moment was a 20 mile rainy day hike, across two states and five amazing peaks of the Taconic Mountains. Which Way started her day in Hazleton, PA, after an adventurous night of her own. She may want to talk more about that on tomorrow¢s Zero Day post. It would be about a five hour drive for her to make it to our rendezvous point just outside of Great Barrington, MA. Of course, I wanted to get there as early in the day as possible. The only issue was getting up and down those five peaks in the rain. It had rained most of the night and was storming when I got up at 0430 to check the weather. The hourly forecast called for a 100% chance of rain between 6AM and 10AM, then the chances dropped no lower than 85% for the remainder of the day. I almost called the hike off, but decided to go for it. It is not that I mind hiking in the rain, but I knew that the terrain would include some stretches along open rocky ridges, ledges, and steep drops. First, I didn¢t want to be caught in a lightning storm on top of one of the peaks. Since I had been struck by lightning when I was a kid (I know, that explains a lot), I rationalized that the chances of it happening again were low. Work with me here. The bigger concern was hiking across rain-soaked rocky ledges and down steep rocky slopes. I knew that I would be in a hurry today to get to WW, but didn¢t want to risk ending the hike on a hard fall. I tossed the options back and forth in my head for a minute and then decided to give it a go. I could always change my mind going up the first peak. In the end, I just couldn¢t sit still. Plus, while Salisbury is a quant little town, Great Barrington was a better option for a Zero Day. So I got up, packed up, and went to the kitchen to cook up some breakfast. Maria provides hikers three eggs, a banana, orange juice, and coffee, but said she does not come out from her beauty sleep until 0900. When I walked out the door at 0600 none of the other three hikers staying at Maria¢s had stirred. The rain had subsided a little as I walked about a mile along the 2-lane road to the trailhead. For the first time in three days, I passed a deer that was munching on a roadside bush. I have seen at least one deer a day on 70 out of the past 75 days. Only the squirrels and chipmunks have a better showing. The rain picked up just about the time I hit the trail. It grew progressively stronger as I ascended Lion¢s Head Mountain, the first of five peaks. Not too far up the trail I passed a misplaced sign indicating that I was at the 1,500 mile mark. Actually, I hit that milestone late in the hike yesterday. The sign was outdated by a couple of years when the trail was 1.7 miles shorter. Nonetheless, I took a picture and moved on. The 800¢ climb up Lion¢s Head was over two miles, making it relatively easy. At first, the trail did not have too much standing water and I was able to avoid most puddles. But as I approached the top, where there was less vegetation and the trail became rockier, a steam of water was flowing down it. By now, my shoes and socks were squishy wet and the stream of water was flowing down my spine. Invigorating! At the summit I continued along rocky ledges for a bit and then started a small decent. One down, four to go!Riga Shelter was 150 yards off the trail about 3.5 miles into the hike. I decided to pop in to stretch and see if any other hikers were around. I passed one tent and crossed a swollen stream as I neared the shelter. Ghost, Lucky Boy and two flip floppers who started at Delaware Water Gap were inside the shelter. They were just beginning to stir and seemed a little astonished that I had already hiked up from town. Ghost and Lucky Boy indicated that they were hiking on shortly. Good, someone to recover my body if I fall. Plus, it was nice to know I wasn¢t the only lunatic on the mountain today. The rain started to ease up a little as I stretched and we talked. Ghost pulled up the radar and said it looked like some drier air was moving in. Hmm, answered prayer? It was another 500 feet of elevation gain to Bear Mountain, the highest peak in Connecticut. Although the rain had stopped, the rocks were still slippery wet and the trail was under water in spots. A giant rock cairn at the top of Bear Mtn served as a marker indicating that I had reached the highest peak. The cairn was erected in 1885 by a masonry named Owen Travis. The AT meandered along rock ledges, passing several would-be views. Then came a very steep and rocky drop. At one point, I had to toss my hiking poles down and face the ledge, clinging to a jagged edge or tree root and feeling below for a good foot hold. Needless to say, it was slow going. The trail entered Sagas Ravine, winding just above a torrent of rushing water. The rock slabs were mossy here and the tree roots were slick. Obviously, finding a good spot (jagged edge or crease in the rock) is important. But, I¢ve also learned that, like in downhill skiing, shifting my weight downhill makes the descent a lot easier. It is counterintuitive to lean forward. But, putting my weight on my heals (putting on the brakes) inevitably results in my feet sliding out from under me. Momentum also helps to prevent falls. So, the tricky part is finding just the right amount of forward momentum to keep from slipping, while avoiding a hard crash. I fell several times today, but they all were a result of me losing focus on what seemed like a relatively easy spot. Usually, it¢s feet up, poles flying, and me landing on my pack. Although, I did splat face first late in the day on a flat section, tripping over an obscure root. The trail crossed the raging steam further down the ravine on a footbridge. Just on the other side was a sign welcoming me to Massachusetts. I made the final four. Woo-hoo! No time to celebrate. A 1000¢ climb up Mount Race lie just ahead. More rocky ledges at the top, but an easier decent. The trail was lined with blueberry bushes, scrub oaks, mountain laurels and some dark green stunted pine trees.Then came the grueling climb up Mount Everett. It involved traversing my way up a steep rock slope. Generally, I found the best footing where the water flowed down the mountain. This is where I could find the best foothold as I looked for a small pit in the granite to plant the tip of my hiking pole. It would have been a challenge on a nice day. It was borderline treacherous on a wet day. A few spots were so precarious that wooden steps were bolted into the rock. I noticed a few of the steps discarded to the side and nothing but broken bolts in the rock. I thought, ¢must be careful with the steps too.¢ The rocky top of Mount Everett sits on the Massachusetts and New York border. At the top are the four foundation pillars of an old fire tower. I sat on one of the pillars, took off my drenched shoes and socks and ate my lunch. Everett made me think of Mount Everest, the tallest peak in the world. Over the first 1,500 miles, the AT has ascended over 313,000 feet! That is the equivalent to climbing Mt Everest from sea level 10 times. Oh, and the descent is also over 313K, making it twice the feat. Back to Everett though. It was about 1PM and I still had over 11 miles to go. After lunch and a quick call to check on WW, I put a pair of dry socks on under my still damp shoes and started down the mountain. It felt good for a minute, but soon I was splishing and splashing again. The initial decent wasn¢t too bad. After a mile or so the trail crosses Mt Everett Road into a parking and picnic area. Trail Angels had left several gallons of water on one of the picnic tables. It wasn¢t really needed today, but certainly was appreciated. It was a short ascent up the final peak, Mount Brushnell. From the top, the trail continued along a ridge. The sun was actually peeking through the clouds now, allowing for some partial views of the valley to the east and south. At the northend of the ridge was another rocky ledge called Jug End. Heavy rain moved in again and continued on and off for the rest of the hike. The final decent into the valley got tricky from Jug End. I ended up on the ground more than once, but managed to get through it without any scrapes or bruises.Once the trail hit MA 41, the trail flattened, traveling in and out of swamps, pine forests, and pastures as I crossed the valley. My WW was within reach now and about four miles out I picked up a jog-walk-jog pace. A couple of small hills and a few road road crossings to go. The rain stopped about a mile out. I was at a steady jog now. Over some railroad tracks. Just a quarter mile left. As I ran through the final field I could see her getting out of the vehicle to meet me. I crossed the road and ran 50 more yards into her open arms. Together again at last! Peace & Blessings - Next StepElevation Data: Ascent - 4,470Descent - 4,480Grade - 7.9Weather:Day - 74 / Heavy RainNight - 62/ Mostly CloudyOver the Horizon: Mount Greylock, MA