Date: 2014-07-08
From: Riga Shelter

To: Sheffield/Jess Treats
Miles today: 18.0

Beautiful sunrise and view of twin lakes in valley below. I got on the trail early with 3 big mountains to climb today. Bear Mtn was the first and I faced it right out of the gate. It reminded me of the Adirondacks with the trail going straight up and involved a lot of rocks. There was also a lot of stunted fir trees covering the mountain blocking the view of the mountain and caused one false summit after another. There was an added bonus today of blueberries. Great views were far and few between on the top and the haze was a problem at times. After Bear Mtn I headed down into Sages Ravine which marked the CT and MA border and would involve me surpassing the 1500 mile mark! When I got to the bottom of the ravine I was again faced with another ford and this one was a little longer and stronger but wasn't a problem. The water here however was really cold for some reason and by the time I got to the other side my legs were aching but it still felt good and refreshing. The trek out of the ravine was long but there was a good grade which made the going easy. On top there were more blue berries and this time some really great if not precarious views. You had to walk along a ridgeline that was on the edge of the cliff with a several hundred foot drop off right there! Let's just say progress was pretty slow at that time given the wet and slippery rocks. While walking down the mountain I had several near falls despite the caution I took but was able to avoid any mishaps. The climb up the next mountain - Everett was terrible with several wash outs, poor markings and lousy footing. My clothes were once again soaking wet and I don't know why I even bother to put on dry ones in the morning. I finally made it to the top and ran into several groups of kids from Graylock Camp hiking. I took the time to answer all of their questions which were many before their counselors moved them on. It was great to see them being introduced to the outdoors but I was concerned about how poorly they were outfitted with equipment that clearly did not fit them and were very uncomfortable. Hopefully it won't deter them from coming out again. Coming off Mt. Everett was down right dangerous with steep slids and drop offs. I'm glad I'm typing this now about a week later as it confirms that I did live through it. Again several near falls but after what seemed like forever I got to the valley floor. I was once again fortunate to be a beneficiary of Trail Magic from Dottie who provided ICE COLD WATER at Guilder Pond. This definitely renewed me as I continued on to the last mountain. Throughout the day I was constantly texting back and forth with my niece Julie as we tried to arrange for her to meet me on the trail and hike with me for a day. I was so looking forward to her company and hoped we could make it work. Soaking wet and dragging butt I made it to Rte 7 where there was a nursery/garden center. I finally got cell reception to call Jess to have here come pick me up and take me to her hostel/home. While waiting I went into the center and enjoyed the air conditioning and bought some cards. Shortly afterwards I got picked up and when arriving at the house Julie called and said she was on her way - hurray! I quickly showered and got my laundry done and waited for Julie, Darren and the girls to arrive. Once there we were off to Great Barrington which is a really cool posh town with some upscale money and lots of shops and restaurants to show for it. We then headed back to the house where Julie and I readied for the next day's hiking.