Date: 2013-06-21
From: Sharon Mountain Campsite

To: Bear Mountain
Miles today: 20.0

The mosquitos were waiting for me outside of my tent, so I packed up all I could while still in the protection of the screen netting. I was on the trail by 6:45 after dousing myself with some of Walker's bug spray. Today's hike was a mixed bag, including some climbs, waterfalls, fields, and road walking. Overall I've enjoyed the AT through Connecticut... it feels as though the trail maintainers care about their trail and the signage is good.I walked for awhile with Walker, and then we said our goodbyes. He was in pursuit of a deli .4 miles off the trail in Salisbury, and I had a plan to meet Easy Rider (a.k.a. my dear husband John) at 5 p.m. near the CT/MA border. 20 miles to cover, so I had to keep moving. I reached the summit of Bear Mountain, the highest peak in CT, by about 4. I thought the side trail I needed to take to meet John was right near the summit, but with the help of a group of Boy Scouts who were carrying a detailed map I learned I needed to backtrack a half mile down to catch the appropriate trail. I still made it to the meeting place by 4:45 and Easy was waiting there.I apologize in advance for my wordiness with the following section, but I want to explain what I'm doing next. When I started seriously considering an AT hike several years ago, I thought I'd plan it as a section hike. I set a goal for myself that I wanted to put a major "dent" in the miles by the time I was 55. When I asked for a leave from my job, my original intent was to hike the southern half of the trail and then piece out the rest.Anyway, as I started planning, I realized I could cover most of the miles, but not quite all, in my time off. I'd already completed the Vermont miles, and if I hiked through Massachusetts I could omit those two states (242 miles) and hopefully reach Katahdin in time to return to school. I hiked through MA last summer (starting at Bear Mountain, CT) so I checked those 2 states off my list. Rest assured, I have followed every one of those stinkin' white blazes through both of these states.Friends and family knew my plans, but as I fell into the rhythm of the hike and the wonderful bubble of hikers surrounding me, I started to dream that maybe I could make it through all 2,184 miles of the trail at once. The reality is that I just don't have the time... Easy's having his hip replaced on July 31, I want to visit my dad who's at home recovering from a stroke, and school in-service starts the third week in August. In a perfect world I would have liked to have gone all the way to Maine with Tommyhawk, Goat, Foxi, and Flip. We had a great 6 week run together (miss you guys). I'm incredibly grateful to have this gift of a window of time and good health, however, so I want to (hopefully) finish this thing up.I'm spending the weekend with Easy regrouping and prepping for my 2 final states, New Hampshire and Maine. I'll start hiking in NH on Monday. At Bear Mountain today I crossed the 1,500 mile mark, and along with the 242 miles I've section hiked I'm at 1,742 miles total.I guess I'm no longer a true thruhiker, although I certainly feel like one. As you might imagine, certain people have teased me without mercy (Goat, Starman, Tommyhawk, Flip, and Oz to name a few) about my section hiker status. At Woods Hole Hostel Neville mentioned the term "lasher" (long ass section hiker), or "flasher" (freakin' long ass section hiker). Hey , it is what it is. I can certainly live with the 1,944 mile "lasher" status!So on Monday I'll resume my hike at the NH border on the bridge in Hanover. I have no idea who's up ahead or what to expect. I'll continue getting up in the morning, putting my pack on, and walking, which is the brilliant strategy that's served me well to this point. Stay tuned... the adventure continues.Today's highlight: topping 1,500 miles!