Date: 2006-09-09
From: Mt Greylock

To: MA2 Williamstown MA
Miles today: 6.3

Wow!...what a screwy day, but as I¢ve said before, sometimes things just have a way of working out for me.I was up before dawn and took my stuff downstairs to pack up so as to limit my disturbing the others in the bunk room.. I was on the Trail by 6:30. I slept so-so...I sleep much better in my tent.Even though I didn¢t put in a lot of miles today and it was mostly downhill, it wasn¢t so easy. First, the downhill is some of the steepest and sh!@$est on the AT. I think it was in here somewhere that I got a sore knee today.Oh yeah, in case you were wondering when my ADD would set in, I walked the wrong way on the ¢blue trail¢ on Mt Prospect for at least ten minutes. And, ¢how could someone follow blue blazes when they¢ve been following white ones for a thousand miles?¢ you ask. I often just put my head down and follow the beaten path ahead¢¦not the way to hike the AT.It was sunny and hot when I reached MA2. MA2 is a long stretch of businesses that connect the towns of Williamstown and North Adams. It is here where Charlie and I said our goodbyes in ¢03 when that steep downhill I was telling you about finished him off.I could have sworn the Friendly¢s we ate at was to the left. It wasn¢t. I found out after walking two miles the wrong way when I finally stuck my head in a Vet¢s office and asked for help. Geezuss!!! am I pissed at myself...anybody got a gun?So I find Friendlys and eat thier three egg breakfast. The big breakfast we used to eat in ¢03 is no longer on the menu and the $4.99 special is not available today since it is Saturday. The waitress is friendly this time but doesn¢t listen to a damn word I say¢¦and brings the coffee out with the orange juice and water¢¦and no ice on the side. I still leave her a nice tip cause she smiled at me.It¢s hot and I¢m looking for excuses not to hike. There is a laundry next door to Friendly¢s so I do my wash. I remember the OSU Texas game is tonight and check out one motel close by¢¦but they want $99 for a room. No way! I then look in the guide book and call this out of the way ¢fifties¢ place and The Indian says she can give me a room for $50.So I hitch to The Villager Motel and get a ride with this cool young man, Evan, just out of high school. We have a nice chat and he goes out of his way to drop me off one block from the motel. He goes on to his job at a pizza house. Thanks Man!I forgot to mention that one of the reasons that helped me decide to stay in town tonight was the weather forecast. They said it was going to rain. And it did¢¦the thunderstorms started in the mountains in early afternoon and down in the valley by evening, In fact, I had walked two miles into town to Williams College and was using the library¢s internet when the electricity went out. It was off at least an hour and a half. I had a nice chat with the friendly librarian who had been there ten years...not in the library...had been on the job for ten years. Williams is probably the best small college in the country and one of the most expensive¢¦very exclusive.After the storm I go back to my room; order a pizza and watch The Buckeyes kick The Longhorns¢ ass. It was Evan who took my pizza order and man was it delicious!BTW, things have cooled down dramatically...I was even a little chilled walking back to the motel.Even though I screw things up and get lost from time to time, I seem to get lucky when it comes to staying in towns.