Date: 2023-07-27
From: Sages Ravine

To: Sherman Brook Campsite
Miles today: 87.4

Google Photos Photo AlbumDay 43Sages Ravine to Great Barrington, NHAT Mile 14.0Miles hiked 14.1I eventually got some sleep but was awakened by the patter of rain on the tent. So, I was up and packed in a hurry. On the way out of the campsite I stopped at the stream to filter some water. Good thing I heeded Pizza Handz' assessment of the trail ahead. The first part of the hike was indeed in a ravine. It was dark and spooky but also pretty neat. Then it was time to go up Race Mountain. It would not have been a fun hike in the dark. The climb up Race Mountain was fairly steep and rocky.. On the way up I passed Mountain Goat. At the top was a group of scouts out for the weekend. I was in a bad mood from the antics of the kids the night before and thought these were the culprits so I wasn¢t my usual cheery self when they greeted me. However, I did remain civil. The views along the mountaintop were spectacular despite the fog. The trail hugged the edge of the cliffs in several places so one misstep would have spelled disaster in a major way. The trip down the other side involved some climbing and a couple of butt slides along with a few unplanned foot slides courtesy of my well worn shoes. On the way down, Mountain Goat told me these weren¢t the kids making all the noise the previous night. The guilty group was a YMCA youth group. After a bit of comfortable hiking it was time for a very long, fairly steep uphill grind to the top of Mount Everett. Mountain Goat was there taking a break and talking to a couple who lived not far from his home in Canada. It was my turn to take a short break while they all left. The climb back down was not as hard as the climb up. I passed the scouts again while they were taking a break and apologized to them for my curtness.  Soon I was doing some flat hiking, passing a pond and crossing several streams.  Then the thunder started. Next up was Mount Bushnell where the Far Out comments said this was a bad place to be in the rain. Fantastic.Now I was pushing harder than I wanted to get up, over, and off that mountain. The echoes of the thunder across the valley were growing louder which spurred me on. Now the special effects included flashes of lightning. Finally down off the mountain it was about 5 miles to Great Barrington. The trail would have been perfect for a leisurely hike on a nice day. Today, it was dark and spooky. Kind of like the Wizard of Oz. I thought I heard voices a few times and got the feeling I was being watched. The wind was howling, the lightning was flashing, and the thunder was shaking the ground. I could hear it raining but the forest canopy was so thick that the ground was still dry. I was practically running. Then the rain won and I was wet. The hike went through fields and marshes and crossed a couple of roads. Finally, the rain stopped when I got to a road crossing. I took out my phone to see where I was and it was so wet it was useless. Then the rain started again.  Along with all of Mother Nature's pyrotechnics. Strangely, there was this massive tent-like structure in a field across the road. I clawed my way up the roadside hill to get under its cover. I messed with my phone until finally giving up and stuffing it in my backpack. Back in the rain for the finishing kick through knee deep water and pig sty-ish mud. Several times I stopped to spray off on my exposed skin and the mosquitoes landed in the freshly sprayed insect repellant and bit me anyway. Didn¢t they watch the TV commercials? A final push across a stream, er, field and I was at Highway 7. Now what? I didn't know which way to go. I just knew it was a little more than 3 miles to town.  I saw a business across the road and decided to ask for directions. About 3 steps into the parking lot a car pulls up beside me and asks if I needed a ride into town.There I was, soaking wet and muddy. I pointed this out to him and he said that¢s all the more reason I needed a ride. Turns out he is a hiker and drives to where the trail crosses the road when he gets off work to see if any hikers need rides into town. I lucked out.On the way into town we talked about my hike and his section hikes. He asked where I was staying and I told him I¢d planned to camp at the community center. He asked if I was sure or if I¢d rather stay at a motel. We stopped at the Travelodge and there were no vacancies but the guy told me he thought there might be rooms at the Holiday Inn. The driver took me to the Holiday Inn where for a lot more money than I wanted to spend I got a room.  Words can¢t describe how good that hot shower felt. After showering I got out all my wet stuff and hung it out around the room to dry. Fingers crossed the storm didn¢t damage my camera which got wet through the ziploc it was stored in. Now it was time to eat.  I walked over to McDonald¢s in the rain and ate a couple of burgers and some fries. I called Robin on my way over tot he store to get some snacks. I got enough snacks to get me through the evening and the next day. Back at the motel I finished cleaning my stuff then ended up eating all of my snacks. Back over to the store for more snacks. I found something to watch on TV then fell asleep.Day 44Great Barrington Community CenterAT miles 0Miles hiked 4.7New shoes and hiking clothes day! Weird but I didn't sleep well in my hotel bed last night. I woke up every hour. I got up early and went to the hotel laundry to wash and dry my clothes. Afterwards I went to eat the complimentary breakfast. The pancake machine is a technological marvel.  After eating. I packed my pack and left it with the front desk while I walked into town to get my new hiking clothes from the post office. There was a shoe repair/hiking boot and shoe store. They were very knowledgeable of hiking footwear and soon had me in a new pair of hiking shoes. I couldn't wait to throw the old ones away.  I got back to the hotel, changed clothes, performed the ceremonial disposal of my old shoes, and headed to lunch and grocery shopping.McDonald¢s was convenient so I went there for lunch. My buddy Jose was also there so I joined him and we talked about our lives in the real world. After lunch we went to the store together then Jose went to the community center to workout and swim. Besides being retired from the Army, Jose is also a boxer and had recently taken time off the trail to fight in a match in Jacksonville, Florida. I charged my phone and used the not primitive facility while I waited for my ride to finish work. I may camp here instead and head out in the morning.  Jury's still out.There was a huge tent in the center¢s parking lot with chairs and tables underneath. The mosquitoes weren¢t so bad there so several of us sat around out of the sun talking. Silver Back had hung his hammock under the tent. A guy in a blue car named Pokey came over and started telling us about the trail, describing it almost foot by foot, rock by rock, tree root by tree root. He spent a lot of time shuttling hikers in the area and helping them out.After Pokey left I went over to the community center to wait for my ride to get off work so I could head back to the trail. I fell asleep at the community center waking up when they were getting ready to close. It was too late to head out so this became my first zero. Jose and I headed over to the camping area to pitch our tents then over to the picnic shelter to hang out with the other hikers. I was kinda disappointed I¢d missed my ride back to the trail and commented on this being my first zero. Gucci, a young hiker who¢d seen me sleeping in the lounge said that the way I was sleeping I needed a day off. No Rush joined in after finding out this was my first zero day and said I needed to start taking breaks or I wouldn¢t finish the trail. He put it this way: ¢How many days a week do you work?¢  Me: ¢Five or six.¢  No Rush: ¢Not seven. That¢s because you need a day or two off every week to recover. I¢m pretty sure you¢re working harder out here than you do teaching school.¢ Point well taken.The mosquitoes were out in full force so it was off to my tent to take refuge. Jose arranged a shuttle for us back to the trail in the morning and we made plansa for breakfast then I called Robin, ate a snack and went to sleep.Not so fast. Sometime in the middle of the night I thought I heard Jose heading past my tent on the way to the woods. Then I heard this voice from outside my tent quietly say, "Pardon me sir, may I have a moment of your time?" Now I wondered if I was dreaming. Then he walks away and I hear him at another tent. Odd. Then I'm sure I hear a dog growling but I don't remember seeing a dog. Am I dreaming this? Am I dreaming that I'm dreaming this. If I was awake I went back to sleep. If I was asleep then I continued sleeping.Day 45Great Barrington to Benedict PondAT miles 10.3Miles hiked 10.8Ok. So I wasn't dreaming. The main topic of conversation in the morning was, "Did some strange guy come to your tent last night?" And there was a dog sleeping in one the hikers tents. I hadn¢t noticed Spiccoli camping there the night before. The guy in a hammock next to No Rush said the guy was looking for bug spray. No Rush gave him some and the guy took a bath in it. It's important to add that the mosquitoes where we were camped were no joke.Jose and I packed up then went to a coffee shop for breakfast. They were closed but he had befriended that owners who let us in a gave us each a cup of coffee. Then we went over to McDonald's for breakfast. After eating we hurried back to the center to meet our shuttle ride back to the trail. We got back to the center at the same time we were supposed to leave so we scrambled to get our gear loaded up. It looked like we were going to have a nice day. Our ride dropped us off making sure we knew which way to go and wished us well. There were some other hikers just getting to the road and they were happy to get a ride into town. Jose and I hit the trail and in no time were swallowed up in a cloud of mosquitoes.I was sporting my new hiking ensemble to hopefully be able to better deal with the mosquitoes. Although there was a black cloud of the buzzing bloodsuckers I only suffered one bite. Jose, on the other hand, was getting lit up as his sun shirt was no match for the probing probisci of these evil insects. About an hour into our hike the day turned from sunny to overcast and in no time it was, of course, raining. Oh joy! Nothing to do but swim on.  Spiccoli, his dog Lucy, and his hiking buddy Furious George wearing shorts and tank tops, ran past Jose and I spraying each other with Off while wildly slapping at mosquitoes. Jose stopped for a break and I continued hiking. Thankfully, the rain stopped after about two hours. Pokey was at a road crossing having just dropped off some hikers. He gave me a cold Gatorade before he leftAbout an hour later I came to a creek crossing and stopped to filter water and take a break. While I was resting Jose caught back up and we took off together. By now the rain had stopped and the sun was out bringing on the humidity and the reserve squadrons of mosquitoes.Soon we came to a road intersection with a big sign announcing trail magic 600 steps down the road. It was lunch time and I was hoping there would be something good to eat. Around 440 steps later I saw a little building in a nice grassy area off to the side of the road. I wasn¢t one to quibble over 160 steps so I didn¢t mention the disparity to the kind trail angels, Marc and Sue when they welcomed us. This turned out to be the Great Barrington Hiker Chappel. Marc and Sue Serra had purchased the property and were in the process of creating a space for hikers. The chapel was built from trees that were blown down in a tornado as a memorial to three students who were killed in the same tornado.Marc cooked up an awesome egg sandwich and Sue had prepared some otherworldly cookies. There was also an assortment of drinks and snacks. Spiccoli, Lucy, and Furious George were there when we arrived and they were covered in insect bites. There was also a SOBO who gave us a preview of what to expect up north. Marc was fixing ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches on toasted bagels which along with the fruit and other treats made for a good lunch. We sat around sharing stories when Miracle, Sunshine, and Proof arrived. Proof you may recall was the hiker with a tremendous appetite. I¢d not seen him since Duncannon. They had also been destroyed by the mosquitoes. Proof, however, had been doing his part to eradicate the pests as he was hiking with an electric flyswatter. Genius! Shortly after Pokey also arrived.  Miracle, Sunshine, Proof, Jose and I had planned to hike to the next shelter which was a 2 to 3 hour hike from the chapel but there were storm clouds forming in the sky and rumbles of thunder off in the distance. Pokey said he didn¢t think we could make the shelter before the storm rolled in but that there was a state park a bit over an hour away and that he thought we could get there before the storm.Hoping to beat the impending storm we expressed our gratitude for their kindness and generosity and headed out. Maybe 20 minutes later we were being pelted by big ol' cold, fat raindrops. Then the wind kicked in and the intensity of the rain picked up and soon we were wading up the trail. While it was nice and sunny out I¢d taken my camera out of the ziploc while taking pics. Once it started raining I didn¢t have time to put it back in the ziploc and hoped that the camera case would be enough to protect it from the rain.I was the first to reach the side trail to Benedict Pond where I quickly found the thankfully unlocked, warm bathroom of Beartown State Forest. Soon, Jose, Miracle and Sunshine, and Proof joined me and we found the camping area and set up our tents. I'm not sure what the others did but I went back to the camp bathroom to get warm and cooked some ramen and chicken, ate two honey buns and my leftover biscuit from breakfast. By this time it had stopped raining but the wind was insane.  I cleaned up my mess then changed out of my wet clothes and headed to my tent where I basically passed out.Day 46Benedict Pond to Upper Goose Pond CabinAT Miles 17.5Miles hiked 18.4The rain ended last night and it got really windy. It made for good sleep. I woke up early and hung my wet clothes and shoes on the fence by the beach to let the wind and sun work their magic while I ate breakfast. Bad news. The rain from yesterday made my camera inoperable.Miracle, Sunshine, and Proof got out about a half hour before me. My stuff finally dried and I headed out while Jose was still drying his stuff out. Although the trail was wet and muddy, at least the mosquitoes were not as bad as in the past couple of weeks.The destination for the day is the Upper Goose Pond Cabin, a historical fixture on the trail.Nothing spectacular happened this day.  The trail was really full of tree roots with occasional rocky sections. The last 5 miles of the trail were fairly smooth passing a couple of big ponds (lakes) so I made good time. However, the closer I got to the cabin the worse the mosquitoes got.I finally arrived at the cabin just before dark and somehow Jose was already there. He showed me around and I chose to sleep in my tent rather than the crowded bunkhouse.Shortly after Jose's tour, Sue, the caretaker, gave me and the just arrived Miracle, Sunshine, and Proof the official tour of the camp. They had a lot of rules that they seemed very strict about. Chief among the rules was never, ever, go in the caretakers room.After the rules tour we set up our tents and cooked dinner. I talked to Robin and Raina a bit then went to sleep.  It got pretty cold during the night and I ended up sleeping in my puffy.Day 47Upper Goose Pond Cabin to Northern Cookie LadyAT miles 10.2Miles hiked 10.7One of the highlights of the cabin stay is the blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Caretaker Sue said she starts serving them at 6:30 sharp. There were a lot of hikers at the cabin and limited seating so I figured I¢d let the line die down a bit before showing up. Silver Back, another hiker, and I showed up around 650 and Sue seemed a bit put out that she had to make more pancakes so brought out 9 pancakes and said what we don't eat we should take with us for the trail. Silver Back and I looked at each other like, "Is she serious?" We took 3 each thinking she would make more if other hikers came in. Nope. Several other hikers came in asking about pancakes and she told them they were too late. Really?I took a few moments to look at the lake then headed out for the Northern Cookie Lady figuring to grab a couple of cookies then hike on about 5 more miles. I stopped for a morning break on top of Beckett Mountain. Proof passed me and as I was leaving, Miracle and Sunshine showed up. We hiked together eventually catching Proof. To pass the time we played some made up game where we guessed random stuff until we figured out the category of what the person was thinking. It worked. It seemed like in no time we arrived at the Cookie Lady's house.The house is actually located on a blueberry farm and this Cookie Lady is Cookie Lady 2.0. The original Cookie Lady passed a few years ago and when the current owners of the farm took over they all wanted to continue the tradition. We were greeted by Cookie Son who showed us where the homemade cookies were and brought jars of homemade lemonade. They have a deal where if you pick a bucket of blueberries they will fix you dinner and allow you to camp at the farm. Silver Back was there picking blueberries. Jose had disappeared somewhere. So, I became a migrant worker and earned my burger, chips, fresh salad, and pea soup.  Very delicious. We were sitting around talking to a SOBO about what was coming up when Cookie Son started baking pizza in his recently finished homemade pizza oven for the first time. It took him a few tries to get it right but he kindly shared all his "rejects" with us hungry hikers. Wasn't long before hiker midnight was closing in so we all retired to the airplane hangar for the evening. Good thing we slept there as the sky unloaded sometime during the night.Day 48Northern Cookie Lady to Father Tom¢s CampsiteAT miles 19.2Miles hiked 22.0We all got packed up, filled our water bottles and were ready to roll when Jose showed up followed by Roadrunner, Coyote, and Banana. We all were happy to see each other with everybody fist bumping and talking about a million words a minute. It was like a family reunion. Coyote told me all about his trip to New York City and Roadrunner told me all about his Lyme disease. They were staying for cookies and Jose asked me if I'd like to meet his sponsor. He told me I would be amazed at this guy's farm and his tribute to military veterans. Curiosity aroused, I said "sure." His sponsor¢s farm was only a half mile down the road. Jose had already told him about me and since I was a veteran he said I could come. Entering the farm, or should I say, compound, I was immediately cognizant of how neat and orderly everything was. Jose took me to a barn-like structure and said this was the museum. It was. Around the lower walls was a timeline of 9-11. There were very large information posters of all the U.S. Special Ops units along with timelines of major engagements in Afghanistan. In the center of the room was a table with photos and bios of specops personnel who were KIA during various operations. Then his sponsor, Eyal Shapira, came in with his little dog, Pugzee, and introduced himself and gave a brief explanation of his farm then told us to go down to the memorials and look around then come back to the museum. There was a memorial to Seal Team 6 with two Chinooks, along with other memorials listing the battle info and U.S. casualties. This was a very somber place. We returned to the museum and were soon joined by Eyal. We had a great conversation that ended with an open invitation to return anytime. I was awestruck by his patriotism and love for the U.S. military. Easily the highlight of my hike and time well spent.Back on the trail I was off to Chesire to camp at Father Tom's campsite.  But first, I had to pass through Dalton, MA. The trail went through the middle of town. Miracle and Sunshine and Proof were at a trail angel¢s house so I stopped to visit with them. The trail angel told me about a sandwich shop I was going to pass. I stopped there for a cheesesteak and fries. Easily the best cheesesteak I¢ve had outside of Philly. I saved half the sandwich for dinner and hiked on.I arrived in Cheshire before dark thanks to four miles of fairly smooth trail and a bit of trail running. This campsite is maintained by the town in memory of Father Tom who used to allow hikers to stay at his church. After he died a parishioner donated money to the church on the condition that hikers wouldn¢t stay there anymore. Ouch! Well, Fr. Tom had done so much for the hiking community as well as the community of Cheshire that locals purchased a lot and created a campsite just for AT thru hikers. The caretakers stop by daily to make sure everything is clean and works.Silver Back, Miracle and Sunshine and Proof, Roadrunner, Coyote, and Banana were all camped there as well as other hikers I didn¢t recognize. I was expecting Jose to show up but he never did. I found out he didn¢t know where the place was and walked right past ending up camping at a church. We planned to meet for breakfast the next day before heading up Greylock.Day 49Father Tom¢s to Sherman Brook CampsiteAT miles 16.2Miles hiked 17.7I woke up early knowing I had to pick up a package from the Williamstown post office and an Amazon drop at a store near the post office. I joined Jose at the Dunkin Donuts for breakfast before heading out of town. He had camped behind a local church the night before.  After eating we set out for Mount Greylock, the highest mountain in Massachusetts. We both expected a grueling hike. The beginning hike was through some fields. We got some nice pics. The climb up was surprisingly gentle and an all around nice hike. I saw a sign for trail magic but somehow missed the excellent trail magic on the way up. Jose told me all about it later.The views from the mountain top were spectacularly amazing. I noticed some hikers just dropped their packs while they looked around but there were so many people there that I wasn¢t sure if this was a good idea. I climbed up the tower wearing my pack and was rewarded with even better views than from down below. It was a very clear day and I was able to see mountain ranges in Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Jerzee got there and was impressed that I climbed the tower wearing my pack.I went over to the lodge to see what they had in the way of food and beverages. Limited, overpriced fare. I got a soda and went over to the picnic tables to eat lunch. A youth summer camp group asked if they could sit next to where I was sitting. Of course. The counselors and I got to talking and they asked if I could talk to the kids about what an AT thru hike is. They were very attentive and full of questions. As I was getting ready to leave they thanked me and wished me luck on my journey.I was hoping to make it to Williamstown to pick up my quilt and meals from the post office and also my camera batteries from the Amazon drop box. If it was smooth hiking I had a chance. Every step down the north side of Greylock told me I was not going to make it. The trail was not smooth and the going was painfully slow. With a half mile to go it began to look like it was time for Plan B (which I hadn't figured out yet). It was at this point that I ran into a local hiker who was full of questions. I had asked him how far it was into town and so had decided I would have to hike through town to the next shelter then hike back into town the next day (Plan B).  After a couple more minutes the guy said, "I'd like to drive you into town." I told him it wasn't necessary but being a section hiker he understood how hiking logistics work and insisted on helping me. He got me to the post office before it closed then took me to my Amazon drop. After picking up my Amazon drop he took me to the grocery store which was basically on the trail. Once again the trail provides.I sorted out my package, donated my sheets and comforter to the Goodwill box, bought the rest of my resupply and headed out. I¢d hoped for dinner but there wasn¢t anything in the store. The trail went through town but didn't pass any eating places either.Bad news on the camera. The new batteries made the problem worse and it appears the last storm may have fried the motherboard. Disappointing. Trying to decide whether to have it repaired or to buy a new camera. I rolled the camera up in my quilt to protect it from further damage.The hike out of town seemed long but in no time I arrived at the campsite. It was packed, making it difficult to find a good tent spot. Silver Back was already there. Just after I set up Roadrunner and his tramily showed up. By then tent spots were really tough to come by. The Sherman Brook campsite was situated at a place on the trail that saw a lot of traffic. It was the campsite after the SB terminus of the Vermont Long Trail (VLT). There were both Long Trail hikers and AT hikers of all descriptions: SOBOs, NOBOs, section hikers, and weekenders all at this one site. There was no Verizon service here and word is that that will be the norm through New England where apparently ATT rules the cellular world.It was nice having my warm quilt back. I had my best sleep in days.Hiking the Dream!Please email comments to:bobshike2023@gmail.com