Date: 2008-07-22
From: Moosie's Excellent Hiker Hostel, Kent on the Trail

To: Near Pine Swamp Branch Lean-to, CT
Miles today: 17.0

My last day at the Moosie's Excellent Hiker Hostel in New Milford, CT. :-( Thanks Mrs Moosie, Moosie and Goldilocks! I had a great time and it was very good to see you all again. :-) I woke up at 6am and started the 12 cup pot of coffee to brewing up this mornings delight! I checked email, then started slowly packing my stuff up....I'm leaving today and will be walking with my backpack again....and sleeping in the woods....with no shower tonight, no Mrs Moosie's smiling face....no insults from my buddy Moosie. :-) I was just going to have cereal again, but when Mrs Moosie got up, she started some sausage links, bacon, blueberry pancakes and eggs. Ummm, ummm, I sure do like breakfast! Goldilocks came out and got a few things to take with him to eat. He only had 5 minutes before he had to leave for work. Mrs Moosie and I sat down and had breakfast together, then I finished packing and stripped the sheets off my bed. I moved the window AC unit to a downstairs window, since I won't need my bedroom for a while. ;-) I was all set...time to go. We headed back up to the trailhead at Kent, CT and once again, Mrs Moosie got a big smile on her face as she dumped me out of the car and drove off. Why do all my friends do that? :-) I started walking north on the Appalachian Trail at 9:30am. It wasn't quite as humid out and there was a nice little breeze out in the field I walked through. I lost the breeze once I entered the woods and I started sweating on the climb up Fuller Mtn. I climbed the 600 foot elevation gain, descended a few hundred feet before climbing another 500 feet up to the summit of Caleb's Peak. I took a picture from there and from St John's Ledges shortly afterwards and could see all the humidity in the air. View from St. John¢s LedgesI descended about 800 feet down a very steep descent and got to River Rd which I followed along the Housatonic River for a five mile flat walk. That was nice! Walking along the Housatonic RiverI stopped at Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-to and ate lunch. It was half the left over calzone from last night...and it was a meal all by itself! I took my shirt off and laid it over a log and watched it drip while I ate. Guess I should have rung it out first. :-) I also had some Dove dark chocolates while I read through and signed the register. I got packed up after about 30 minutes and walked on. It wasn't long and I scared off a small deer which ran down the Trail till it was out of sight. I scared up a small rabbit next. All good things come to an end....and my five mile flat walk along the Housatonic River ended and I climbed about 700 feet up Silver Hill....and started sweating again. :-) I came down off that hill and crossed CT 4. I thought about going into Cornwall Bridge for a soda, but walked on. I got to Guinea Brook and sat down on a rock right in the middle of the brook and took a break and watched the water rush by. I was thirsty for something cold, but I had already passed the big road. I walked on and got to a gravel road. I saw a blue blaze heading towards town, so I got my map out and saw it was about a mile. I stood there thinking about a cold soda for about 2 1/2 seconds before I started following the blue blazed gravel road. :-) I got to a convenience store and saw Siren sitting there. I sat my pack down and went in and bought a 2 liter Coke. That was $1.80 and a 20 ounce Coke was $1.75.....hummm. I came back out and talked to Siren. He said he had put in at North Adams, MA and just called his wife to come pick him up. It was just too dang hot right now and he wasn't having fun. I sat there enjoying my Coke, then filled up all my water bottles because I knew I was going to stay near Pine Swamp Lean-to tonight and wasn't sure if the water came out of a swamp or not. I got ready to walk back up to the trailhead and Siren said if I waited on his wife to show up, he'd give me a ride back. She showed up about 2minutes later. :-) I got that ride back up the hill. That worked out great! I climbed Breadloaf Mtn, then walked by Hatch Brook, then climbed up to Pine Knob, before descending to Caesar Rd Campsite. From there it was another 500 foot climb up Surdam Mtn....lots of little hill to climb in this area. I descended to West Cornwall Rd, then made a steep climb of about 500 feet up the next hill. I had been hearing thunder and the rain started coming down slowly at first. I just kept walking....didn't cover me or my pack. That rain felt great! It started raining harder and it felt greater! ;-) I walked in the rain for half an hour before getting to the trailhead for Pine Swamp Lean-to. I didn't go down towards the Lean-to...I found a flat spot and set up my tent in the rain. I like my tent a lot because I can just lay it out on the ground in the rain, throw my backpack in it before I set it up, then set it up dry in about 2 minutes. I crawled inside and took off my wet stuff and laid there and air dried while I ate some nuts, Fritos, animal cookies and three pieces of Dove dark chocolates for dinner. I drank the rest of that 2 liter Coke and drank a liter of water. There are lots of mosquitoes trying to get in my tent. I think they see food inside, but you can't always have what you want. Ha! :-) I'm lying in my tent writing this journal entry, it's raining lightly out now and it's dark out. The weather man predicted that right today....he said there was a good chance later on today of getting dark out. ;-) Another great day on the Appalachian Trail. :-)