Date: 2005-08-04
From: North of Dalton

To: Mt Williams
Miles today: 19.3

Up and gone by 7:30 this morning. I am going to try to stay ahead of the big "pack" behind me. Some of those folk did slack pack a from the north to the south (Dalton) so I expect to catch up to them soon. I read in the logs that a lot of hikers are planning to slow down some. To a person they all agree, as do I, that this trip will be over soon enough. No sense in rushing it. Also these big groups were not the same type of groups that existed way down south. Most of these hikers are friends and knew each other for a while. By this time these are the people that were going to finish the trail. A few left because of injuries or personal problems however, these were the strongest of the strong and as determined as I, to finish.    I took a nice early lunch break at a sandwich shop just as I entered the town of Cheshire, MA. I had a sandwich and a milkshake, both made on the spot with fresh items. I asked permission from the owner to dry out some things in the sun and to use the water spigot on the outside of the building. It was a nice break. As I moved across town and out in to the fields the sun became unbearable. I was literally waiting in the shade until the sun was behind a large cloud before I would do a section of trail that was out in the open. I met a number of people this day. Two SOBO's named SPF and Great White Leki Hunter. A pair of section hikers named Mad Eye and Big O (a mother and son team) and a NOBO section hiker named Break a Leg. She was traveling with Long Haul and in fact she did break her leg down south. She jumped forward and returned to the trail where she would have approximately been, if she did not leave at all.   I moved on towards Mount Greylock and by late evening and summited what was the tallest mountain in MA (at 3491 feet). There was a War Memorial on the summit that looked like a light house. I thought about staying the evening at the hotel there but decided against it. While there I was talking to some locals when Socks came out of the building. She told me she heard my voice and wanted to say hello. She also said she was able to secure a reservation for a supper meal and that she rented a room for the night. She also told me what was on the breakfast menu and I was so tempted however, the combined cost was a little too much for me. These were tourist rates, not hiker rates.    I ended up for the night just past the summit of Mount Williams (2950 feet). That night I did some math and realized that I should be in the state of Vermont by noon the next day. A quick look at the remaining miles and realized that I had about the length of Virginia to go. It was definitely not the same terrain ahead of me that was in Virginia behind me. I knew there was some rough country "up the trail" but I figured I was a lot stronger and smarter (trail smart) then I was in VA. My backpack weight as well as my body weight was lighter. I had a different diet which was lighter as well. All around I was as ready as I could be plus, also I was entering a part of our country that I trained in for nearly ten years of my military career (I was getting excited to see it all once again). Finally I was a lot smarter on my water and fuel consumption as well.   I was using the "Camel Up" technique once again. I would drink a liter before I left the water source. Then I would carry enough to drink a liter an hour (carrying up to three liters at a time) depending on what was available according to the hiker hand book. Yes at times this did make the back pack a little heavier but due to the scarcity of water, it was something I had to do. As I got further north there was a lot more surface water available but, some of that water I would not let my dog drink. I made my water plan for the day the night before after making my log entry. One other note, I tried to stop drinking as much as I came to the end of the day to prevent the need to get up and urinate during the night. I went with this plan for quite some time, eventually though there was more water (in Maine) then a man could drink in a life time and with the advise of a few friends, I modified the plan once again. More on that when I get closer to Maine.   Note: I noticed that I used the "I" word a lot in this entry. It seemed it was "I" when I walked alone and "we" when I walked with someone.