Date: 2003-06-25
From: Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to 

To: US41/Undermountain Rd (680')
Miles today: 16.4

Aloha! Ahhh... thank goodness for roosters! At least the two-legged human hiking kind. Thanks to that particular rooster I'm sitting comfortably in a lovely full-size bed in the air-conditioned White Hart Inn. A wonderful New England Inn. Sure beats a hot, muggy and buggy campsite.   Before getting here though I had to get through the day. Another beastly hot day at that. To ensure that I did better than yesterday, I was up and on the trail before 6:30a. I said my alohas to the Ridge Runner (only to go back five minutes later and do them again - forgot my pole's mud baskets) and headed out to beat the heat. Rooster had taken off 30 minutes earlier never to be seen by me again until I arrived at the hotel 3 hours after she did. Youth!   I had decided to forgo breakfast this morning in order to get out early and take advantage of a country cafe located .2 miles off the trail 5.5 miles into my day's hike. Glad I did. The blueberry pancakes were just the things to energize me UP and over the next climb that lasted for 2.5 miles. I need all the help I can get on UPs. I've pretty much decided that blueberry pancakes should be a daily diet but I can't seem to find anyone to cook them for me. Ain't that always the way?   Prior to arriving I met up with Spot, another northbound thru-hiker, who joined me for breakfast. At the age of 52, Spot is on his fourth thru-hike of the AT. Last year's hike is the only one that was not completed and that was due to a stress fracture of the foot around the 1700 mile mark. You'd think by that time that any and all fractures you're going to have would have happened. Guess that's not the case. Anyway, he's doing well on this one and moved right on out from me.   Spot and I met up at the hang glider viewing area. Up until recently this was used as a hang-glider launch site and faces Lime Rock Park where Paul Newman and other celebrities have sped their cars around a classic 1.53-mile racecourse. There was one car on the racetrack that I could see but it wasn't racing. That would have been fun to watch during a much-needed break.   Along the hot and sultry way, the AT hooked up with a River Trail which was converted to a handicapped-accessible loop trail using part of the AT and an old racetrack near the town of Falls Village. There's also a nature trail located nearby that provides insight into the areas' history. The stone ruins I passed were actually part of a pre-Civil War plan to turn the town into a giant industrial city. A stone canal would have channeled water from the Housatonic to power the village's dreams of grandeur. When the crowds gathered for the opening of the canal in 1851, the walls leaked. The builders had failed to place mortar between the rocks, and the project eventually died, leaving Falls Village the quiet backwater town it is today.   Not long after my stroll down the AT River Trail I crossed an iron bridge over the Housatonic. The bridge was built by the Berlin Construction Co. of CT in 1903. This is the same company responsible for having built the other iron bridge we've already crossed over the Swatara Creek way back in PA. They do an excellent job. Another no rust and well maintained single lane bridge.   Not long after crossing the bridge I came to the Great Falls that gave Falls Village its name. Because the power plant below draws most of the river's water, the falls appear "great" only during heavy rains or snowmelt. In '96, a bull moose that wandered down the trail tried to negotiate the sluiceway near the dam, but fell in. Luckily workers from the plant managed to rescue the poor thing. For days the moose attracted throngs of villagers and day-hikers as it munched on river plants and other vegetation. Eventually the poor animal died - from a brain disease that affects moose. {sniff} Due to all the rains of late, the falls are running quite strong. I tried from numerous places to get a picture that would depict the full impact of the falls but never really could. The viewing area set up for observers does nothing to give the viewer the full sense of the falls' power. All other places near or on the trail were obscured by tree canopy and such. Pity, it really was a spectacular falls.   From that point on my hike went UP and UP and UP. For 2.5 miles it went UP only for me to reach the top and drop down and down and down. Before I began the full down though I reached my planned destination - at 1230p. Way to early to sit around a buggy shelter/campsite .5 mile down a steep mountain. It was an easy decision to continue to town. Heat be damned! I was going for a shower and air conditioner!   That's how I came to arrive in Salisbury, CT. A perfectly pristine little New England town, complete with a white steeple church. I love this little town. It's only about three blocks long but full of character. Part of their claim to fame is that Revolutionary War leader Ethan Allen, famous in Vermont history, studied here for a short time in preparation for entrance to Yale University (which he never attended). He later moved to the New York area that eventually became Vermont. Funny what things make a little town big.   Since my arrival I've done little more than shower, chat with Mauka and Makai, who are also staying here to beat the heat, check out the town (no laundromat), and stuff my face with deli sandwiches, potato salad, carrots and hummus. All the stuff you don't get on the trail. Now I'm stuffed and tired. Rooster crashed out hours ago in preparation for hitting the trail early again tomorrow. I'm about to do the same. It's an even bumpier and hotter day planned for tomorrow but if all goes well I will walk into Massachusetts tomorrow afternoon saying aloha to my now second favorite state, CT. Wuhuu!   For now though, I really do need to close this down. Seeing double. I'll see you again tomorrow but in the meantime, do sleep well. I know I will.BSandTs: enough sweat to make me think it was raining again!AandPs: a dull ache running from the bottom of my right big toe through the arch and slightly beyond when pushing off on a climb using my toes. Probably should stop that, huh.MandGS: it's hot!...waah!Critter count: 8x chipmunks, 6x squirrels. It was too hot for even the critters to come out and play!