Date: 2003-07-02
From: Dalton, MA (1200')

To: Mt. Greylock, Bascom Lodge (3491') 
Miles today: 17.0

"Oh what a difference a day makes!"Aloha! It really is true, one day can make all the difference in the world. I feel almost reborn. Well, reborn may be overstating it a bit but I do feel much better. The cold is still lingering but not nearly like it was yesterday. It's looking good that it will be 90% gone by tomorrow. Fingers are crossed.I did, and still do, feel good about hiking today. I wanted to hike. Strange I know but there are times when you really don't want to be where all the little luxuries are. You actually want to be on the trail hiking. That was my mood today. I just wanted to hike... so I did.Again there's not a lot to tell you about the trail except that it went constantly UP. Ok, there was a short down hill section into Cheshire but otherwise all we did today was hike UP. For the last 8 miles the trail went nowhere but UP. We all know how much I love the UPs too. It was long and UP and ended at 3491'. Almost made it to 3500'. This is the first time since Virginia that we've crossed the 3000' mark. It only gets bigger from here. Wuhuu! I think.I was trying to think of the exciting things I did on the trail today but there really wasn't anything. Besides my end point - here. The only other thing to tell you about is M.G. Another fascinating older woman.I met M.G as I rounded a corner about to begin another constant ascent. She was sitting on a large boulder looking quite comfortable and content with her full size pack-wearing poodle beside her. She was a surprising sight but a delightful one. As I walked up she called me by name and told me quite a bit about myself that no one out here knows. She mentioned my hometown of Beeville, TX, my father's profession, and the fact that we had emailed before I started my 2001 hike. As she mentioned these things vague memories faded in and out of my head. I do recall chatting with someone and that that person was a former teacher in my hometown, after I had departed. We chatted about many of my parents' old friends. Such a small world.M.G., Myasthenia Gravis, an autoimmune disease affecting 200K in the US, is a 70 year old woman walking in memory of a friend that passed away of this deadly disease. She has taken on the disease's initials in honor of that friend. Almost makes you want to cry. If you're interested in learning more about the disease or where you might make a contribution, see www.curavac.com. M.G. was formerly known as Kanickanic and will return to that name once this adventure is complete. Touching huh. You can also find out more about M.G. by reading her journal also posted on www.trailjournals.com.We chatted about a variety of subjects for the better part of an hour before deciding to move on. Her destination was the next shelter where mine was three miles further to Mt Greylock's Bascom Lodge. Before departing though we worked on repacking her pack due to a pronounced tilt to it. I don't know if it really felt any better once we were finished but it looked more comfortable. She was far to nice to say otherwise so I'll never really know.On my way to here I crossed Saddle Bald Mountain. At 3,238', this mountain is the state's second highest peak and the AT¢s first 3,000-footer north of North Marshall in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. It was the beginning of the bigger UPs to come.From there I huffed and I puffed and I huffed and puffed my way to Mt Greylock. I had debated staying at the last shelter to chat longer with M.G. but the bugs were driving me nuts and I had heard that the sunset is awesome from Mt Greylock. And it was pretty between the cloud bank.Mt Greylock is topped by a war memorial, paved road, and Bascom Lodge and sits at 3,491' atop Massachusetts' highest peak. A stone tower, crowned by a globe lit at night, is a tribute to the state's war dead. You can climb the 89 steps to the top for views of the Green, Catskill, and Taconic mountain ranges and surrounding towns. The mountain has inspired literary giants from Thoreau to Hawthorne. Herman Melville could see the peak from his writing desk at nearby Arrowhead and was struck by its wintertime resemblance to a white whale. (I hated that book!)The lodge offers private rooms, a hikers bunk room and a cheap hostel of sorts. (The hostel was not offered to me for whatever reason. Nor to the other female hiker staying here. One male hiker is in it. Humm...)When I first arrived I was invited to join the other lodge guests for dinner. The decision was made within two shakes of a lamb's tale... you betcha! Joining Timber and four other guests it was an entertaining dinner with lots of good food and great company. An excellent way to end a long UP day and to begin a long pleasant evening and night.Other hikers here tonight are two "new-to-me" folks, Timber (29) and Pile-up (23). Both are young and moving. Timber is out here adding to her miles while her former thru-hiking husband is off doing his part for the war effort. She begins a week trailcation tomorrow with her father. That should be fun and restful. I look forward to her catching up and flying by me again in the future.From the dinner table to the monument viewing area - time for the sunset. Sunset, Long Island with the low cloud bank I didn't have much faith in a fantastic show but it was still gorgeous nonetheless. Colors to make you ohhh... and ah.... While awaiting the big event we were joined by a couple from Long Island. They were interesting. He never could quite get the idea that what he was seeing was the sunset. We knew we were in trouble when he asked where it was as it was peeking out from behind the cloudbank at the horizon. He really just didn't seem to get it. City folks... they really do need to get out more often. Oh wow... I almost forgot to tell you about the Cheese Monument in Cheshire. It seems Thomas Jefferson was so impressed by a huge block of Cheshire cheese created by his Cheshire partisans that he put it on exhibit in the newly built White House's largest room, now called the East Room. It was the cheese, not later exhibits of mammoth fossils that gave the room its historical nickname of the Mammoth Room. Jefferson shared the cheese with his Cabinet, the diplomatic corps, White House servants, and the citizens of Cheshire. After six months, there was still some left. There is now a monument commemorating the "big cheese" in Cheshire. Pretty cheesy, huh.Well folks, that's really about all I can think of right this minute. I'm exhausted and can barely keep my eyes open. The lodge is quiet throughout so I should probably head off to bed. It would certainly be better than sleeping in this chair. You take care and have a great day tomorrow. I have no doubts that mine will be the same. Every day out here is great at the end of the day.BSandTs: sweat, sweat and more sweatAandPs: arches, arches, archesMandGS: sweat, arches and long UPs..waah!