Date: 2006-07-07
From: Sages Ravine Brook Campsite, MA

To: Tom Leonard Lean-to, MA
Miles today: 21.0

Cell good.Today started off with a climb of Race Mountain and them Mt. Everett. Both were substantial climbs in their own right, but one right after the other was hard. The best part was the views on the way up Everett - I could see for miles and the sky was very clear. The hike down on the north side of Everett was pretty steep, not as bad yesterday's climb off Bear Mountain, but it took careful foot placement to succeed. I was sort of in a hurry today, as my son and daughter-in-law were meeting me at the bottom. I ended up taking an extra hour getting to them due to the difficulty.When I met them they had some good news for me. They informed me they are expecting their first child. I am very happy for them, I pray it goes well.They also took me to Great Barrington to pick up a mail drop. We then headed a place called Mom's Cafe for lunch. We had a good time together, and I loved seeing them. Thank you, Chris and Kathleen, I loved seeing you. I am also very happy for you, and look forward to the addition to our family!After they left I hiked another 11 miles to this shelter. The hike started through a mosquito infested swamp - they were everywhere, but my repellent worked well once I re-applied it.Then the mountain climbing started, and I climbed out of the valley and headed up into the mountains again. The hiking went well, and I arrived at the shelter about 7:30 pm.Today I ran into Bill E. Goat, I haven't seen him since Virginia. I may have referred to him as Billy Goat then, but it's the same guy. Yesterday I ran into Afterburn who I also hadn't seen since Virginia. I've heard this would happen...run into people who you haven't seen for miles. This really is a traveling community, and we all go ahead and behind the pack from time to time. I wonder who will be in the pack when we climb Katahdin, I guess it's wait and see.I heard from DieHard, he'll be getting back on the trail in a few days. He's starting slow, and he'll decide how far he'll go depending on how he feels. I wish him luck and hopefully I'll see him out here. Old GoatSue's Note: Chris and Kathleen completely surprised Old Goat and me with their exciting news! The way they did it was delightful, too! They are on their way to Maine for a week of vacation, so they said Kathleen wanted to see Old Goat "in his element" on their way to Maine. We didn't have any idea there was another motive for them seeing Old Goat on the trail. He called me when they left to let me know they made the connection and had a very nice lunch together. He didn't say anything to me about their news (good job, Old Goat!). When I got home from work, I was very surprised to see their car in our driveway¢¦..what a puzzle. They wanted to tell each of us the wonderful news in person. That was so nice! Thank you, Kathleen and Chris! You sure did surprise each of us, and I love the way you did it! :-) After they told me, we bought pink and blue balloons and an ice cream cake (with ¢Baby Cenci¢ written on it) and went to Cindy (our daughter) and Chris¢ (our son-in-law) house to surprise them, too! What fun! Kyle and Natalie (their kids, our grandchildren) saw them get out of the car, watched Chris get the balloons out of the trunk of the car and started yelling ¢Uncle Chris and Aunt Kathleen are here!¢ and ¢Balloons! Whose birthday is it?¢ Everyone is so excited! A very exciting day! Congratulations Chris and Kathleen! We¢re excited and looking forward to our third grandchild in March!