Date: 2005-06-26
From: Hemlocks Lean-to

To: Benedict Pond
Miles today: 18.6

Miles hiked today : 18.618.3 AT miles + 0.1 mile of side trail + 0.2 roadwalk mileI woke up this morning and was packed and hiking with Opa at 6:15 a.m. The trail began with some minor up and downs and after hiking 0.8 mile, I reached the 1,500 mile point of the AT. At 6:38 a.m., I heard a loud commotion in a tree, turned to look, and spotted a porcupine! Unfortunately, it was too far up for me to snap a photo, though it was fascinating to watch it climb. Moving on, I hiked until I reached MA41 at 8:10 a.m. and took a 10 minute break.As I passed through a pine forest near Hubbard Brook, I was swarmed by mosquitos. I had little choice but to apply DEET and keep hiking. Fortunately, DEET works quite well. At 8:59 a.m., I passed a marshy pond and saw my first live, wild turtle of the trail. Before I could snap a photo, it dove into the water to hide. At 9:40 a.m., I arrived at US7 and, when looking down the road, I thought I saw the sign for a common fast food franchise. I headed toward it, though it turned out to be a truck dealership. Heading back toward the trail, I stopped by a garden store for water and was pleasantly surprised to find that they sold ice cream and cold drinks. As the temperature was already in the low 80s, a pint of ice cream really hit the spot. I ate it while sitting in a gazebo and chatted with Opa. After an extended break, I returned to the trail at 10:50 a.m.My pack had been sitting in the direct sun and my thermometer read 101.6 degrees, though back in the shade, the temperature dropped back into the mid 80s. I reached Homes Road at 12:00 p.m. and stopped for a 20 minute cool down break, after which removed my shirt before hiking on.I had only 3.5 miles to go to the lean-to, though it was up over a steep 665 foot climb and I had to ration my water. My platypus ran dry about an hour before I got to the lean-to and I didn't touch my spare liter of water in the event that the water source was poor. I arrived at Tom Leonard Lean-to at 2:15 p.m. and found Shades of Blue on site. He detailed the misery of the descent to to the mosquito infested muckhole, so I didn't bother going down.Minutes after I arrived, some new faces showed up, one of which was Day Tripper. I'd been following her trail journal since before either of us began the AT, so it was nice to meet her. Although she's a thru-hiker, she had been doing a southbound section hike to southern MA, but changed directions again today and is doing a 48 mile northbound hike to Dalton. That's not a typo. She and her current hiking partner, Traction, had already hiked 6 miles and were planning to night hike to make it back to the Birdhouse in Dalton tomorrow morning. Wow! Kindly, Day Tripper went down to the water source before moving on filled up Opa and my water bottles.For lunch, I ate a granola bar and a delicious granny smith apple with peanut butter before journaling at 3:30 p.m., during which Opa took a nap. I'd earlier raised the suggestion that we hike another 4.0 miles to Benedict Pond, which has swimming and campsites available. Opa wanted to take a nap before deciding, so I waited to see what he wanted to do.After journaling, I headed to the privy and crossed paths with a yellow racer (snake) on my way back. The encounter was without incident and back at the lean-to, I found Opa packing up. I quickly packed and we set out at 4:30 p.m. sans shirts, due to the heat.Even with a 610 foot climb over 2.0 miles, the 4.0 mile hike to Benedict Pond went very quickly. I arrived at 6:00 p.m. and looked in the data book to find out where the campsites are. It turns out that there is a $12 non-resident fee to camp near the swimming area, so I decided to pitch my tent just off the AT and Opa followed suit with his hammock. After setting up my sleeping gear, I walked over to the pond, which actually looks like a lake, and took a dip in my capilene shorts while waiting for my water to purify and Opa joined me. The water temperature was perfectly cool without being chilly, though it was a bit shallow at a depth of 1.5 feet. It might have been deeper further out, though the ground layer was very mucky and threatened to "steal" my Keens.   When I loosened some of the ground layer, up came a stinky smell, which Opa called "pond gas," otherwise known as "swamp gas." After the smell dissipated, I was able to sit in the water and relax until it was time to make dinner.After dinner, I returned to my tent to escape the mosquitos and to finish journaling before reading. The high pitched noise of the mosquitos is unbelievably loud. While I was sitting in the pond, I could easily see their massive numbers skimming across the water. As I lay in my tent, I'm thankful that I've got a protective layer, otherwise there might not be anything left of me in the morning. All in all, today was a good day and I'm happy to note that I've not had any blister pain for 2 days.Bedtime at 9:25 p.m.