Date: 2016-06-10
From: Bascom Lodge

To: Congdon Shelter
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: clear sky

Greylock's best view faces east, so Chris and I decided last night that we needed to wake up and watch the sunrise, so at 5:15, we were up and threw on all our warm clothes and ventured out into the windy morning. We sat in the lee of a stone wall and watched the clouds turn pink and orange. The sun was mostly covered, but it was nice to watch the sky. We headed back inside and I went back to bed for a bit. Since breakfast wasn't available until 8, we had a relaxed morning, capped off with fresh muffins and eggs Benedict for me. Then we saddled up and left. We stuck together over the descent down until the turnoff for Wilbur Clearing Shelter, where I powered up the climb. Chris and I parted ways and said goodbye; he's an extremely kind man and I hope I run into him again. I headed over one more ridge of Greylock and descended steeply down into the town. The day was gorgeous as I came out onto the road in the hamlet of Greylock. I found signs there for a house that lends out bikes to thru hikers to explore the town and run errands. I was planning to just hitch until I saw that the house was a block away and I saw Gadget, Spidey and Magic sitting there. I walked over and found them sitting in the shade of a shed, recovering from eating too much breakfast. I dropped my pack and took a bike and my food bag and rode into town. I felt very virtuous and earth-conscious riding over to the stop n shop. I bought my groceries and rode back to the house, where I met the house's owner and thanked him for the service. I ate the fried chicken I had just bought and headed back out on the trail into town. I crossed over route 2 and the Hoosic River and back up onto the trail, which began climbing consistently up to the Vermont border. I passed Duck and struggled up with my heavy pack through a rock garden to the intersection of the Pine Cobble trail. This was a special moment for me. Exactly one year ago, on June 10th 2015, I began my hike of the Long Trail from the Pine Cobble Trail, and followed it over 270 miles to the Canadian border. For the next hundred miles, the trail is going to be review for me, the same path I walked exactly a year ago! This was quite a coincidence, and it made me very happy to think that I was back here exactly one year ago. I moved on to the border and found the big sign marking the southern terminus of the long trail. I was home, back in my favorite state, and back on the trail I know well. A day hiker came by and was able to take my picture, which made me happy. With my late start and my heavy pack, I was pretty tired, but I knew I wanted to make it to Congdon shelter. I moved tiredly over the miles, but the weather was nice and I was motivated by all the people I was passing: I wanted to get there before them. When I rolled into Congdon Shelter, I found Nascar and Gadget already there, as well as a Long Trail hiker named Pickle. I set up my stuff on an upper bunk and hung out before dinner, setting everything out to dry in the sun. The log book had unfortunately been replaced, so I couldn't see my entry from a year ago, which would've been my first. Spidey and Magic were a while in coming, but showed up and took spots in the shelter. But in addition to us there were probably three hammocks and four tents around, filled with section hikers and flip floppers, among them Popeye and Olive Oyl, whom I met at Eckville Shelter. We had a very nice evening, Gadget and I have a similar sense of humor (which tonight involves poorly singing a lot of Creed songs). Pickle somewhat annoyed me by refusing to hang her backpack on a nail and taking up two mouse hangs for her pack and her shoes, leaving the rest of us to hang out food on one (I made another to ease the load). She then proceeded to hang a bear bag about two feet from the shelter at head height. Ok. I'm back in Vermont!