Date: 2015-07-13
From: Cheshire, MA

To: Seth Warner Shelter, VT
Miles today: 22.4

I finally managed to get to sleep last night around ~12:30am and would toss and turn as snores echoed through the hollow rooms. I was able to utilize an eye mask that I scored at an earlier trail magic, helping me to sleep once light began pouring into the room before 6:00am. I got up at 7:30am to find Rabbit already ready to go. He would soon leave and I'd see him again a few hours later. Yoohoo, Huey, and Wilson would gradually get up soon after and we'd take our time getting ready, leaving the church a little after 8:00am.We made our way down a street before veering into a short wooded corridor and exiting in a cornfield. A 5ft swath has remained free of corn allowing hikers to pass through. We hit the next road over and followed it to a nearby Dunkin Donuts. I enjoyed an egg, sausage, and cheese sandwich with an Oreo iced coffee. I also grabbed a few snacks from an adjoining convenient store in order to get me a few days before I need to resupply. Back to the trail at 9:00am, we'd begin the ~2,400ft climb over the next ~8 miles in a 5-man caravan. Insisting that we wouldn't stop until reaching the summit, we would fall a mile short when we hit Rockwell Road where a handwritten sign promised trail magic a hundred feet away. We were soon hanging out with Vultron again who spoiled us a bit yesterday. This would be his last round of trail magic so we were happy to run into him again. I enjoyed another Dr. Pepper and chocolate brownie, the perfect amount of energy to cover the remaining mile to the summit.We soon exited into a big clearing and were greeted by the large war memorial tower sitting at the top of Mt. Greylock - the highest point in Massachusetts. It was also our first 3,000-footer (3,491ft) since northern Virginia, hundreds of miles ago. As we approached the tower and the awesome view beyond, we saw several handgliders preparing for action. Moments later as I stood along the cliff overlooking Adams, MA below, a handglider approached the edge, ran a few steps, and leaped over the edge as the wind lifted his craft upwards. A crowd of visitors formed including tourists and locals alike to watch the handglider gracefully turn and circle around the summit. Some time later the other 2 handgliders would join in and it was neat sitting and watching the 3 rise hundreds of feet above as they circled. Views of the Green, Catskill, and Taconic Mountain ranges could all be seen on the sunny though hazy day; I can only guess what kinda view they were able to enjoy as they hung below their crafts.We then retreated into the Bascom Lodge that sits off just below the summit where we'd all enjoy an overpriced lunch in a place that takes advantage of tourists ($2.50 for a can of Coke - an official new low for me.) After we ate and as the lodge filled with hungry visitors, we retreated back outside where we would enjoy a ~20-30 minute siesta along a rock wall under the warmth of the sun which is often hidden from us as we trek through an endless green tunnel. At 1:15pm, just over an hour after reaching the summit, we finally persuaded ourselves to return to hiking.From here it was mainly downhill into North Adams, MA, but we first had to pass over Mt. Williams and Mt. Prospect. On Mt. Prospect we took a break to enjoy a view overlooking North Adams, but thunder began overhead. I looked at the radar and saw a couple isolated storms rolling our way and arriving in minutes. With nowhere to go in order to escape the rain, our only option was to just continue on downhill. The next ~2.5 miles passed quickly as we double-stepped it down ~1,900ft into North Adams. By the time we reached town and no rain had fallen, I checked the radar again and saw that it had weakened and dissipated. However, a couple more rounds were in the area and heading our direction. I suggested we head just under a mile off trail to an Oriental Buffet where we could get our eating on as well as avoid the potential rain. It didn't take much persuading for everyone to agree.The Oriental Buffet was very nyeh with limited options, but at least it was fairly cheap. I will say this is the first buffet I've ever been to that doesn't allow free, unlimited refills. Instead we were given 3 refills. Normally this is fine for most people, but as thru-hikers it was a bit of a pain to sip slowly to insure our drinks lasted the entire meal. Either this has always been their policy or they've been taken to school by too many thirsty hikers over the years. With full bellies after my first (and hopefully last) day of having 3 town meals, we waddled back to the trail to finish the remaining ~7 miles to tonight's shelter. Wilson would end up getting a hotel room because although he started off hot this morning, he eventually wasn't feeling it and decided to get a shower and good night's rest instead.The next ~4 miles would pass under labored breaths as I climbed uphill, continuing the avoidance of mud via jumping on rocks, roots, and boardwalks. I eventually retreated into the woods for a deuce over a fallen log and felt much better. Yoohoo, Huey, and I continued cruising and would soon reach the Massachusetts/Vermont border. It's crazy to know I began with 14 states looming ahead, but now only have 3 more states to knock out. It was both Yoohoo and Huey's 100th day on trail so they were extra pumped. We sorta accidentally left Rabbit behind in town when he went into a grocery and we were offered a ride back to the trail. Oops. He made it into camp, though, and in good spirits. The AT runs concurrent with the Long Trail which runs the length of Vermont. It was the trail that would ultimately inspire Benton MacKaye to propose the idea of the creation of the AT. We cruised into the shelter around ~8:30pm, pitched our tents, refilled our empty water bottles, and quickly got horizontal in our tents. Today was pretty much our intro back into the mountains that will only become more rugged as we venture towards New Hampshire, and I'm happy to say that even with a day of breaks, meals, and a nap, the guys and I still covered ~22 miles and reached Vermont. Not too shabby.Here's to the return of spruce-covered peaks, standing atop Massachusetts, and entering the Green Mountain state.