Date: 2013-10-11
From: Mount Greylock

To: Rte 2 - North Adams
Miles today: 6.6

Breakfast at the Bascom Lodge starts at 8:00. I was up early and took some photos of the views and read some of the inscriptions, many of them quotes from Henry David Thoreau. Better known today for "Walden," he wrote enthusiastically about Greylock, impressed by the physicl beauty of the area."The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." There were only two of us in the bunkroom overnight, and two for breakfast. My companion was a woman about my age, a landscaper playing hooky from her business. Her work crew this year wound up being all women, three of them 28 years old, plus herself. She tried hiring young men, since the jobs sometimes require physical strength, but they wouldn't work unless you watched them constantly. We share an interest in the small things that can be observed and photographed while hiking. Just going from view to vista to overlook, after a while they get to be fairly similar to each other. Also, just focusing on doing the miles you can miss a lot. I was on the trail at 9:00. I started out in a fleece and jacket but quickly warmed up and put them back in my pack. The descent going north is steep and rocky. I used the poles to spare my knees and took my time. There were more hikers than usual on the trail, and I paused for conversation a number of times. Section hikers, even if they are experienced, are often interested in what it's like to try a through hike. I met one group who all work for the same employer, they've been hiking during vacation for about 20 years. The original plan was to start at Katahdin and section hike southbound, but they sort of got stuck in the White Mountains, just too much fun and they would do the same thing year after year. I carelessly started without bringing water with me, on the grounds the book said it would be available at several points within the first few miles. There was none visible and my mouth got a little dry. It was cool and I hardly broke a sweat, so not a problem. Eventually at the lower elevations there was plenty of water and I treated enough to fill up two 500 ml coke bottles.Reaching Rte 2 in North Adams, I took a BRTA bus to Pittsfield and then took a taxi to my car. I was having a series of senior moments, had the directions wrong and didn't know what bus I needed, but the drivers were very helpful and everything worked out OK. Just standing around waiting with my pack, a number of strangers came over to start conversations. There are a lot of people who take a friendly interest in hiking and specifically hiking the AT. Driving home, I stopped for dinner at the Tributory in Winsted, CT. In keeping with the hotel hike motif I had filet mignon, thick and tasty, wrapped in bacon, with some good-tasting stuff on top and brown (or black) bread underneath to soak up the juice. The waitress was very concerned to ask whether they got it cooked right - I asked for medium - maybe most people go for rare. It was just right. At home I caught some flack about the hotel hike, why did I bother to bring the tent, sleeping bag, cooking gear, etc if I was just going to traipse from motel to B&B to Lodge? Of course if you work it out in terms of dollars/mile it's probably as bad as owning a boat. On the other hand, while eating dinner at the Bascom Lodge I met a couple my age, fairly well off but the wife was into horses and they own two of them. Apparently horses is even worse than a boat.