Date: 2010-08-03
To: Mt. Greylock
Miles today: 0.0

We continued hiking after that super "shell station" breakfast ( never realized how easy it is to use a curb as a table) .  Our hike that day took us to Mt. Greylock and Bascom Lodge.  That's a story we won't write about here.  We returned to Cheshire to the Mason Hill Hostel Farm.....two unheated not electrified cabins........5 bunks in her fabulous barn with library, a real bathroom, laundry and kitchen.....and an outside shower if you so choose to use it.  The town isn't much but it has a p.o and a bus service to surrounding towns.  There is an ice cream shop which was not open as we arrived early into town.  The shell station has Good Whoopie Pies!!!!!! I think it's Wednesday ....I don't keep track of the dates ....just the fun....will let CB do that .  We are now eating cheese crackers and a pound of grapes at the Sherman Brook campground under humid conditions.  Must be about 100% humidity and close to 95 degrees. Rocks are slippery ... More like sweating due to the humidity.  As we were heading back to the trail after resupplying in N. Adams two cars stopped to offer us rides at the same time and we weren't hitching.!!! Angels everywhere. Due to the heat I decided to hitch up my skirt to my ice breaker briefs.  Just a great look!  I looked like a hunched back court jester CB said. Two miles from the Vt border!!!!!! Onward! We saw On the Loose and Braids.  Braids going back to veterinary school.  Some truly nice gals out here this year.  Coin Volta and Jolly are gone.  Red hat still here.  Bear blaze (H2) still here.  Scat Tracker is a gal I just met and she has a great sense of humor.  HD momma still out here too.It's Thursday and have just met a SOBO school teacher named CoolShoes.  We had showers early this morning but skies aren't clearing as we leave camp around 6:30 .am.  Heading to the Seth Warner shelter for a snack and maybe I can catch a quick nap.  I laid down on the shelter floor and was out cold for a out 45 minutes.  Why can't I do this at night? On to Congdon Shelter.  Wet wet wet. Think we travelled about 12 miles in the showers and muck and mire. There was a bad weather trail we took as thunder and lightening were near.  We ended. our day around 6 with sunnyskies.  We saw a few beaver ponds, bogs, log boardwalks galore, and a dam we had to cross via log boardwalks. VERMUD is living up to it's name.  Not sure I mentioned this but mud greeted us within 20feet after crossing the Ma/Vt border.  Any one going north or south take the side trail at the Harman Hill register box and get a new type of trail magic! The last 1/2 mile to route  9 was major gigantic rock steps. Looked like Bob Peoples was applying his magic. Biscuit and Frisbie are gonna like this!!!!!! Maybe! We got a ride immediately in to Bennington by a BoyScout leader. We grabbed a quick gourmet lunch and headed to the post office to pick up resupply box.  Got a motel room, took showers and did laundry.  Bennington has life-size fiberglass moose that artists have painted....terrific pieces of work.  We ate again!  This time we hit the brew pub on Main Street and filled up on beef ribs, Cole slaw, onion rings and lots of water.  We had special fries for an appetizer with  pineapple juice and diet coke.  Stop in at the Wild Russian Girls bakery if you ever get a chanceSaturday - breakfast at Full Bellies was more than we could handle.  We packed up then CB headed for Hannafords for a few items.  I went to the p.o. today to mail some cards.  I then went to the library to wait  for CB. On his errand to the store he was offered a yellow bike to use for his errands. Seems the gentleman ran a hostel!!  We left around 10:00 and found Henry's deli. We were sitting  on some milk crates eating again when a former hiker asked if we wanted a ride back to the trailhead. Of course!  We never refuse a reasonable offer. We are stealth camping along a wet path tonight with stars overhead.  Night all.  DtSunday 8/8/ 10A quiet day on the trail.  Both of us slept poorly so we moseyed along seeing many mushrooms.  We went to the Glastenbury  Lookout and had 360 degree view.  Quite wonderful as we had clear blue skies- just like a blue bird's color.  Ponds were everywhere with beavers making the best of the flora in the area ( not sure whether trees considered flora). Tonight we are stealth camping on semi level ground.  UglyTuna is back on trail - he looks pretty thin.  He has also cut down on his daily mileage.  Was I ever glad this day was over as I laid my head down for the night. Stealth camping has become the norm with us. Shelters are noisy, bug Infested or dirty. Our little tent has been pretty clean for the most part and no mice or other rodents have chewed on it as yet.CB has become quite adept at finding water from springs.  Water from the beaver ponds has not been a part of our water supply. Too suspect for health issues even with filtering.We have found the trails here to be pretty well maintained. GMC head of trails is Dave Hardy, my cook when I was manager of AMC Cardigan Lodge in Alexandria,NH. We are meeting SOBO's now.  Almost half have been females. Good luck on their trek south.Wed. we were at the Green Mountain hostel in Manchester Vt.  run by a great guy, Jeff Tausig. It's one of the " must places" to stop along the trail.  Clean, neat friendly and very reasonable.  He shuttles too!  Check out the Ben and Jerry 's in the freezer!!Friday the 13th. We are off Peru  Peak and now in Danby,Vt.  Of course we are eating!!! Hitched from trailhead and got a ride instantly.  It's gotta be because of the grey hair.  Stealth camping again in a beautiful forest east of Wallingford, Vt. Saturday moving slowly but out of camp by 7 am. We hiked out to the Whistle stop restaurant in E. Clarendon Vt for an early lunch.  A few other hikers got there before us and were depleting the food supply.  To top off lunch we had ice cream. Great day for hiking with huge puffy clouds overhead.  Stealth camping tonight in the Green Mountain Wilderness at  Lottery Road where GM trail is rerouting/rebuilding trail.CB's back still bothering him. I called the Damascus police dept today and reported animal abuse of a dog we. saw in Damascus, Va. at trail days. Tuesday I call them back to hear of their findings of the animal control officer.  Police must be called before the SPCA. Sunday 15th Got a call from Peewee and as of Monday afternoon he will be back on the trail as a Sobo. It will be good to run into him again.  Hoping his knee holds out this time. We heard from Too late and Too Soon and it looks like they may be off for good this year also.  Darn ailments becoming a pain in the butt. Unfortunately Miss Pinky Jones told us she is heading back to Australia due to injury. She has had some trouble with her joints and especially her hip and has decided to come back next year and doing the trail again!