Date: 2005-08-15
From: Tom Leonard Lean-to, MA

To: Sages Ravine Brook Campsite, CT
Miles today: 21.0

21.0 miles todaySages Ravine Brook Campsite, Ct.I'm in Connecticut!! I didn't wake up until 6am. It rained alot last night...sometimes very heavy with lightening. I slept good, but just wasn't ready to get moving. I started thinking about coffee and that got me going. I stuck my stove outside the tent and started the water boiling and ate some cherry cake donuts I had packed out of town. I packed up and was walking at 7:30. My first climb was up East Mountain. It was nice with the darker, wet forest. I had been walking for about 3 miles when I heard a crack and looked over about 30 feet off the trail to watch a big branch break away and fall. My next climb was up June Mountain, then I walked down to the Housatonic River. It was a nice walk along the river. Most of the way was 10 foot high corn plants on the opposite side of the trail from the river. The only problem was that the trail was really overgrown and everything was dripping wet, including me. I got to Rt 7 and walked .1 miles west to The Corn Crib. It's a roadside vegetable stand and they sell plants too. I was there for the corn and they had some they had just picked. :-))) I microwaved 3 ears and took a soda out under a gazebo and ate the corn. They were delicious!! I went back in and got a couple plums, a big peach and a pint of Berkshire ice cream. The plums were ok, but the peach was one of the best I've ever eaten and the ice cream was very good. I went back in and got another peach and 2 apples and filled my water bottles. I headed back to the trail after about 1 1/2 hours. I was walking onto the trail when a car pulled up. A nobo got out by the name of Dandy. He said he's been off the trail for 4 days and just now getting back on. I hiked on and started getting attacked by mosquitos. Today wasn't too bad because the mosquitos and deer flies were out, but those little gnats that dive bomb your eyes all day were gone. I passed the monument for Shay's Rebelion, but kept moving because of the mosquitos. I got to Jug End Rd and started climbing The Jug End. It's about a 1000 foot climb and was the steepest I've climbed in a while. I passed over Mt Bushnell and walked by Glen Brook Lean-to and Hemlocks Lean-to without stopping at either one. When I got to a picnic area just before climbing Mt Everett, I stopped and cooked an early dinner. The sun actually came out for about 5 minutes, so I layed out my tent hoping it would dry. It didn't. :-((( I climbed Mt Everett next. Hey Christy (my grandaughter), you can tell your teacher that Grandpa Stumpknocker climbed Mt Everett today. ;-))) Let's see if she knows the difference.... I walked back down that mountain, then up Race Mountain. There is a nice ridge walk for about 15 minutes along the top of that mountain. I thought about setting my tent out to dry in the breeze, but decided to just wait until I got to Laurel Ridge Campsite just a couple miles away. I finally came up to the one and only nobo I saw hiking on the trail today. His name was Gavin. When I got to the campsite, I heard a bunch of kids that were camping, so I kept on walking. I was going to stop there so I could be in Salisbury, Ct for lunch tomorrow, but I'll just get into town a little earlier. I ended up crossing into Connecticut and got to say hello to Pamela. I walked along Sages Ravine about a half mile to the campsite and set up my tent for the night. Four states done and only 10 to go!! I made it through the whole day without falling....Woohoo!!! ;-)))