Date: 2004-08-21
From: Finerty Pond

To: Gore Pond, MA
Miles today: 21.5

Rain. Got wet ! Rained most of the day. Stayed wet most of the day . Ugh!I had just fallen to sleep when the first thunderstorm rolled through Finerty Pond at 10:30 pm. Thunderstorm number 2 arrived at 12:30 am and number 3 rolled passed through 2:30 am Each time, I noted the arrival of the thunder and lighting, put my earplugs back in, rolled over and went back to sleep. At 4:45 am, my mental alarm went off, knowing that my plan for today was to get in some serious mileage. But when I listened to the sound of the rain hitting my tent, I immediately went to Plan B (roll over and delay hitting the Trail until later).At 6:30 am, I woke up again, and it was still raining hard outside. I thought seriously about going to Plan C (roll over and forget hiking entirely for the day) but decided that doing so would never get me to Williamstown in time for me to take an important conference call on Monday afternoon.So, at 7:30 am, I hit the trail wearing only sandals, swim trunks, a sleeveless polypro running shirt and my ¢Bumpo hat¢ with its extra wide brim. I¢ve learned that if it¢s raining, I am going to get wet¢so I might as well get little in the way of clothing wet along with me. At 10:30 am, I paid a visit on the ¢Cookie Lady¢ who has a reputation for baking fresh cookies for all AT hiker¢s every day. Her reputation is well-deserved! As I sat on her porch enjoying a respite from the now slackening rain, she appeared with a small basket of hot oatmeal raisin cookies, a miniature can of diet pop and a smile big enough to warm any cold, wet hiker. After chatting with her husband about their blueberry crop and filling my water bottles from their spigot, I headed off again hoping I¢d soon see the end of the rain. But no such luck.By noon, another thunderstorm came rolling through the trees and the trail was alternating between a river (going up and downhill) and a lake (when on the flats). In some places I was sloshing through water over my ankles for hundreds of yards at a time. Thank goodness for sandals¢nothing could have been better to wear on my feet on a day like this. Around 3:00 pm, I arrived in Dalton, Massachusetts, a true ¢Trail Town¢ since the AT literally goes right through the center of it. Just as I arrived the rain finally stopped. As I came down Depot Street, I stopped to fill my water bottle and chat with Tom, the owner of a place known as ¢83 Depot Street¢ who allows hikers to sleep on his front porch if they needed a place to crash (I also chatted with a SOBO who had been there for the past 24 hours waiting for the storms to pass. He was obviously in no rush to push on.)My next stop was the Dalton Laundromat, where I was offered a washcloth and a towel and the use of their bathroom to freshen up-- something they do to welcome all AT hikers. Having slipped on mud and fallen twice earlier during the day, I spent some time scrubbing-off in their sink, and put on the cleanest clothes I still had. I emptied everything else into three dryers, fed 10 quarters into each one and then headed next door to Palace Pizza to get some dinner. I should actually say dinners (plural), because I devoured a lasagna dinner plate, (including salad, vegetables and garlic bread) as well as, a small sausage and mushroom pizza. Nothing like ¢carbo-loading after a long day¢s hike¢By the time I repacked my warm dry possessions, it was nearly 5 pm and I again headed for the hills, intent on camping at an established campsite about 4 miles outside of town. Unfortunately, I was so intent on getting myself in gear, that I completely missed the turnoff for the campsite and kept right on going. Just as darkness was setting in I realized that I was nearly 2 miles beyond my intended destination, so I donned my headlamp and was able to locate a suitable place for my second night of stealth camping in the woods. The spot I found was on high ground in a grove of pine trees. Today if you add in the detours and side trips, I have done over 22 miles, which means I have averaged 20+ miles per day for the past 2 days. This is quite remarkable since the weather has been anything but conducive to good hiking conditions. (I don¢t know if you¢re impressed, but I am.)Now, I need to get some shuteye because although tomorrow will be a short day in comparison to the last two, I¢ve got a 2,500-foot climb to the top of Mount Greylock ahead of me. It should be fun.