Date: 2007-09-01
From: Dalton, MA

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 102.9

I've reached the 700 mile mark from Katahdin and took a resupply break this morning in Kent,Ct   Connecticutt has proved to me much more interesting and diverse than I had expected.   Many hikers do the "Connecticutt Challenge" and try to get all 44 miles of the state done without spending a night in the state. Well, I've spent THREE nights here and loved every one! A beautiful old inn in Salisbury was the perfect rest and rejuvenation I needed, and the other nights' camping were lovely.   The rocks and cliffs, gentle sloping fields and temperate woods have been delightful. I'm seeing old plant friends every day, including Cardinal Flower, Blue Lobelia, and Rattlesnake Plantain. The northern species are fading. I haven't seed Bunchberry for the last 30 miles or so.I've resumed hiking with my companion "John". I was puzzled why he had gone ahead on Mt. Greylock. I kept singing, "Are you going away with no word of farewell?" While walking solo I had plenty of time to feel all the feelings about that and explore my "stories" about the situation. Although I was sad, I accepted that he had no responsibility to hike with me, nor even tell me why. However, I was perturbed by his entries in the shelter registers that I passed. He wrote that he had enjoyed hiking with me and would miss me. "So why did he zoom ahead without a conversation?", my sad self asked. I didn't say that I didn't want to hike together! I HAD said that if we want to keep hiking together that we needed to agree on how to talk about things that bothered us. Did he get that mixed up with rejection?Well, it didn't really matter now because over the next two days he had walked a 15 mile distance between us. That's a whole day for me. Unless he stopped and waited, we would not meet again. What I realized I missed most about hiking together was the simple joy of sharing the beauty. I resolved to keep my spirits up and not waste this amazing journey pining for a companion. I decided that I could have others to share with. I called my mom and described the lovely boardwalk through a wet area just north of the Tyringham, MA road. That was great! Hiking solo would be fine again.Not long after that, who should come along but a Southbound hiker I had not yet met. We fell in together and walked 'til almost dark, arriving at my new destination for the day - Shaker Campsite. I balked when I found it overcrowded with noisy youth. I decided to just keep going. I kept walking into the night, not stopping except when I lost the trail. I found it again and kept going.At 9:30 p.m., I was spent and felt disoriented with the night walking. I plopped down next to the trail, sleeping on my mat with no tent. I woke up ready to go before sunrise, packed up and moved on. Before I knew it, I came up on the sign for Mt. Wilcox South Lean-to. I had heard from a Northbound hiker that "John" had aimed for that shelter. Would he be there? He was in the shelter asleep! I decided to leave a note then go ahead. If he wanted to hike with me, he could catch me. Alas, he woke up, saw me there, and greeted me happily. Why had he gone ahead, then? He explained that he had interpreted my request as a rejection. Boy, what a miscommunication! We resumed our southbound journey together, educated about the need to stay in conversation and not make assumptions about what someone else is thinking. I was grateful at that moment for Radical Forgiveness and how it had helped me love myself having my feelings, explore my beliefs and stories, then invent possibilities. I had hiked 28 miles the day before!I had realized a new level of stamina. And I had my trail friend back. Well, this Kent, CT library is closing. Time to go!Mssnlgnk