Date: 2013-09-19
From: Somewhere in Massachusetts 

To: Cheshire, Ma
Miles today: 16.3

My objective for today is St Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in Cheshire. Father David Raymond is the priest and the church has two small rooms in the annex where they allow thru- hikers to stay for the night. There are no bunks or shower. But, we can find shelter from the cold. Well, I had to hike until about 7:30 to make it to St Mary's. It was dark, Father Raymond was gone and all the doors in the big church were tightly locked. So, I left my pack and trekking poles on the porch of the rectory. That's where the priest lives and it is attached to the church. I left Father Raymond a note telling him I would return later.My next objective was to find some good chow. I had no idea which way to go but, Cheshire is a very small town. So, I picked a direction and struck out. After walking two blocks, I came to the Cheshire Police Dept. I walked right in and there sat five cops. What surprised me was that such a small town had so many policemen. I figured it would be like Mayberry. You know, where Andy and Barney ran the whole show. I kinda gathered that this was the whole police force and they were having a meeting. When I walked in the door with my "homeless bum" uniform on, they all stopped what they were doing and just stared at me. I felt very uneasy. In fact, I stuttered when I said, "I'm hiking the AT through your town and I was wondering if you could direct to a decent restaurant. They all just stared at me with deadpan looks and two of them said, "No." I didn't know what to say. I said, "No?" Then one of them said , "Well, you said decent. We don't have any decent restaurants." They all laughed and I did too. Yep, they got me good. Then, they told me there was a pretty good restaurant a few blocks away. I thanked them and I couldn't get out the door fast enough. Why am I sooo nervous around cops??? Guess I have a guilty conscience.When I walked into the restaurant, the waitress and the chef were leaning on the bar. There were no customers in the restaurant. I thought, maybe the cops weren't kidding. I sat down at the bar and asked, "How long have y'all been waiting for me?" The waitress said,"A long time". I said, "Well, I got here as fast as I could". They both laughed. I ordered a ham and Swiss cheese sandwich with fries and a Miller Lite. While they were preparing my food, a lady and two other couples came in. Wow, I brought them luck. The lady sat at the bar two seats down from me. She placed her order and ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio while she waited. She asked me if I was hiking the AT and I said yes. She told me she wished she knew more about the AT since it came right through her town. She asked me where I was staying and I told her I was hoping to stay at St Mary's. She told me what a wonderful man Father David was. I told her I was hoping to meet him.My food arrived and it was delicious. The lady's take out order arrived and she paid her bill. She got up, walked over to me and gave me a big hug and wished me good luck. What a nice thing to do and I was a total stranger. Regretfully, I didn't even get her name. What a sweet lady!After finishing my meal, I headed back to St Mary's. There was a man walking his Golden Lab in front of me. When the dog saw me, he turned and lunged at me. Not in a threatening manner but, playfully. The man turned quickly and said, "gosh, you scared the heck out of me". I apologized and told him I was a hiker hoping to stay at St Mary's for the night. He told me Father David was a wonderful man and I would really like him. Then, he asked where I was from. I told him Myrtle Beach, SC. He said, "You've got to be kidding". Then, he said, "I played minor league baseball for The Myrtle Beach Hurricanes". Then, I said, "You've got to be kidding". He told me, "Let's go and help you get into the church." When we got to the church, Father David was still out. The man told me he would get me in. And, if he couldn't, I could spend the night in his home. He called his wife and told her about my predicament, She gave him a phone number of someone who had a key. He called them and he chatted with them for a minute. Then he told me the guy lived a block away and he was going to see him. About 10 minutes later, he came back with the man who had a key to the church. He unlocked the door, let me in and showed me where I could sleep and the bathroom. I thanked both gentlemen vehemently and told them goodnight. I placed my air mattress and sleeping bag on the floor, turned out the lights and let the sandman take me to sleepy town in this big old church all by myself. What a day! My only regret is that I cannot remember the names of either of the men who helped me. But, God bless them both.Over and out for now,Sandman69