Date: 2005-06-29
From: Crystal mountain Campsite

To: Mark Noepal Lean-To
Miles today: 9.0

Awoke this morning to find the campsite enclosed in a thick fog, everything was wet and dripping. Had breakfast, took a deep breath, and dived back into the wet and cold hiking gear ¢ even the boots and socks were wet. Packed up a very wet tent and it felt that the backpack was heavier by at least six pounds!   Got underway on a good trail and, although the fog got better, everything was still wet, damp and drippy. There were some stony and rocky bits, but otherwise it was a good trail to the Cobbles. No vistas here today, just a fog filled valley and hazy mountains.   Pretty soon I was hiking through the still empty streets of Cheshire ¢ too early for the ice cream shop to be open. Got some sodas and water and had a coffee and muffin at the Shell Convenience Store ¢ uncomfortably conscious of my very wet clothes and moldy smell. I leave a damp spot every time I sit down! Got a photo of ¢The Big Cheese¢ a monument to a huge block of cheese given by the people of Cheshire to Thomas Jefferson, and then prepared for the major climb up to Mount Greylock State Park.   The profile shows an altitude gain of almost 2000 feet over a couple of miles, at a regular and smooth rate. That was not the reality! It starts off slow across meadows ¢ I love meadows ¢ crosses Outlook Avenue, and then there is a very steep ascent up the start of the mountain proper over maybe half a mile. It was very tough, but well graded and I was able to keep plugging along. Then it gets easy again, it still goes up but at a much easier rate.   Two SOBO flashed past me, the #2 man explaining that they were attempting 17 miles in 4 hours. To each their own. Then I met Moosie SOBO ¢ but he is NOBO realy ¢ slack packing. His son is Goldilocks [carries a guitar] I talked to him about the possibility of hiking in Maine in September ¢ which may be a distinct possibility for me because I will be off the trail for all of August. He told me that September in Maine is just perfect, until it snows!   After that it was not long before the rumble of thunder was heard, and sure enough the rain started again. I think I just caught the edge of this storm; it was nowhere near as bad as yesterday¢s weather.   Arrived here in the early afternoon. Had a moment of panic when the trail for water led to a dried up streambed. But the blue blazes went down further along the bank to a nice stream and pool. My Aqua Mira is all gone, so I am now using bleach as a purifier.   It has continued to rain on and off so I have rigged up a line inside the shelter and have hung out the gear in an attempt to get it dry. I have semi-erected the tent in the loft in hopes that it will dry off somewhat.   Had a quick visit from Hell Boy [he likes fires] and a very young Beast [he did two consecutive 30 mile days] on their way up to the hostel at the summit. No cell signal here.   It was a day of just putting one foot in front of the other ¢ wet, damp, drippy, slippery, and moldy smelling. This is a nice shelter. I have good water and the gear is drying. We will see what the evening and the night brings.Thought for today ¢      Just concentrate on the step hat you are taking