Date: 2015-08-11
From: Mt. Algo Shelter

To: Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: moderate rain

I was up at 5:00 and made my morning breakfast and coffee. The sky started showing color at 5:30 so I walked over to one of the tents and told them it was time to get up. I didn't know what to expect, whether they still wanted to get up or were just mouthing good intentions. Well, there was a scrampble and soon they were all up and sitting on the picnic table and we all got to see the most beautiful sunrise that I had seen on the trail so far! The sky just kept getting more and more colorful until the sun cleared the sky in a blaze of golden glory. The hikers all thanked me profusely and said that it was the highlight of their hike which would end later on today. I was soon on the trail and quickly passed the Brassie Brook Shelter and Climbed up Bear Mountain. There was a large rock observation at the top. It was a treacherous climb to the top which was about 10' tall and offered a better view than the bottom. The mountain was surrounded by pillowy clouds and looked like an island. It was a wonderful feeling to cross into Mass and I really got the feeling that I was going to make it. With each state there was a feeling of exultation, as if I was a gian't slayer and had just killed another giant! Sages Ravine was one of those surreal places where you would expect a sci-fi movie to be filmed. You wouldn't be surprised if you were suddenly approached by a Unicorn or a tree spryte. Equally plausable would be a Tyranosaurus Rex chasing a hapless herbavour for a midday meal! It was a magical place and I had to stop and take a swim in one of the many pools. I longed to jumb from one of the ledges down into the water below but my shoulder wouldn't take such abuse and may be further injured by doing so. The climb up Mt. Race was very difficult as you are climbing up sheer rock at a very steep angle making progress very difficult. It would have been almost impossible if the sleek rock had been wet. Mt. Everet was equally difficult and the descent was crazy. You go down abut 100' in the space of about 50' and there was a lot of hand climbing which kills my shoulder. At the bottome was trail magic at the Guilder Pond Picnic area. I stopped in for a bit and recieved a trail magic safety meeting form some sobo through hikers. I then pushed on to The Hemlock Shelter and claimed a spot in the shelter with another hiker named Tennessed Jed. At 4 in the morning I awoke to scratching sounds from under Tennessee Jed's bunk and knew that a mouse was at work tearing up something. I called him and he found that the mouse was eating his peanut butter snickers and had been helping itself to his toilet paper. The tp was shredded pretty deeply and he threw out the candy bar. I hiked back for water at the Mt.Everett parking lot and went to town. I spent the day at the library charging my phone batteries and my ipod as well. While there I picked up a copy of The Golden Compass and began to read it while I waited. I also started downloading the first season of "The Legend of Korra" to my ipod. I then picked up some supplies and found a pavilion to escape the thunderstorm that came out of nowhere. Then I found a porch to cowboy camp on behind a home decor store around 8:30 and had set up my sleeping spot when the back door opened and the shop owner came out and we were both startled. The first thing that I said was "don't worry ma'am, I'm a thru-hiker just finding a place out of the rain" and she was instantly at ease and she sat on her bench and we talked for awhile before she had to go. She left me with a pudding cup and a lollipop and I finished getting ready for bed. I walked a good ways towards the trail before getting a ride. There was trail magic as soon as I hit the trail. It soon became so humid and hot that all of my clothes were soaking wet. I talked with some day hikers and answered many questions and was rewarded with a package of turkey jerky and a bag of trail mix. I walked through a gorge that took my breath away! It was so primordial with ancient trees, moss covered rocks and giant ferns. You got the feeling that you might just see dinosaurs walking around or equally you wouldn't be surprised to see Unicorns, tree nymphs and water sprites. I stopped in wonder for awhile in awe before moving on. There were serious climbs and I turned my ankle pretty good which I walked off but mad a short day. It would have been shorter but I went to the next shelter and saw a sign that says that there's an aggressive bear at the shelter. The sign was a few days old so I went to the shelter to see and sure enough I saw a 35lbs bear trundling off onto the woods. Needless to say I wasn't going to arm wrestle it for the shelter as it would likely rip my arm off and slap me silly with my own hand for the effort. I couldn't walk another 14 miles to the next shelter so I turned back and returned to the last shelter less than 2 miles back and wound up here. I started a fire and ate dinner White Rabbit came along whom I haven't seen since back in GA. I was so tired that I didn't visit much after dinner as it was after 8 so I climbed into my sleeping bag and went to sleep.Today was a rewarding experience. I met many south bounders and visited with them. I hiked along some beautiful cliffs of the Twin Lakes. Sages Ravine was stunningly beautiful with a cascading stream with many waterfalls and deep swimming holes. I met a group of teenagers and volunteered to answer any questions about thru-hiking and spent 20+ minutes sharing and answering questions. It was fun and their incredulous reactions when they found that I had hiked over 1,500 miles over 4.5 months. The ascent to Everett Mountain was one of the toughest climbs I have experienced. Before the shelter at the parking lot I visited with 2 more south bounders and grabbed some water a trail angel had left for hikers. I met Tennessee Jed who became my trail angel for the day by sharing 3 pieces of pizza! I'm getting ready for bed.