Hot Hot Hot in Connectachusetts

There's only 52 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Connecticut and 90 miles in Massachusetts so visiting these states will be short. In this section I'm following the Taconic Range and the Housatonic River through the river valley.

The weather is turning hot on me now. There's a heat dome over the eastern United States that's driving temperatures towards 100 degrees. This is less than ideal conditions for strenuous hiking.  

6/20 Pine Swamp Brook Shelter to Salisbury, CT  - 17.1 miles

I got an early start out of the shelter this morning hoping to get to the campground at a reasonable time to recover from yesterday. I haven't had a shower in three days and I'm mighty stinky.

The weather calls for sunny and cooler conditions. This is most welcome news after the sweltering weather we had the last couple days. It's actually pretty overcast rather than sunny, but there's a nice cooling breeze. It makes for great hiking conditions.

In Amesville I cross the Housatonic River on an iron bridge near a hydroelectric plant.

A short distance later there's a large waterfall behind a dam that looks like it's part of the hydroelectric plant. It's pretty impressive with a huge amount of water passing through there.

The big mileage event for today is crossing the 1500 mile mark. The end of the trail keeps getting closer.

At lunch time I stop by a spot called Rands View. There's a very peaceful vista across a huge wild meadow dotted with clusters of trees here and there. It's very picturesque and my snapshot doesn't do it justice.

Since I got an early start, there's a relatively short distance left to go before I meet Angelika near Salisbury. What a difference having better weather makes for covering the same amount of distance. 

6/21 Salisbury, CT to Sheffield, MA - 18.7 miles

The forecast for today is in the 80s and the nice breeze we had yesterday will be gone. It shouldn't be too hot today, but not quite as nice as yesterday. On top of it all, it will be a longer day with almost 19 miles to cover.

Angelika dropped me off at the trailhead and I set out to get these miles behind me. I'm summiting a number of peaks today so I'm going to need to pace myself.

First up is Lion's Head. I meet a group of Boy Scouts at the summit who are preparing themselves for a trip to the Philmont Scout Camp in New Mexico. There's a nice view at the top.

Some more down and up and I'm on Bear Mountain. This is the highest point in Connecticut according to the sign. It's Saturday so there's a few day hikers enjoying the summit as well.

Now down Bear Mountain into Sages Ravine. There is a nice stream with some small waterfalls and campsites here.

This is also where I cross the border into Massachusetts. I've only been hiking in Connecticut for a few days, so that ground got covered fast. The sign on the Connecticut side is a little ad hoc. The Massachusetts sign has a much more polished look to it.

From here we climb Laurel Ridge up to the summit of Mount Race. The ridge is aptly named with mountain laurel growing heavily on both sides of the trail and in full bloom. I stop for lunch on Mount Race which has great views along the ridge leading to the summit.

After lunch, I continue descending Mount Race then heading up Mount Everett. It's another steep rocky climb, but the last one for today so I can look forward to heading mostly downhill after this. There's not a view at the summit, but there are still the cement piers for a firetower that used to be up here.

The climbing is done, but I still have a little over seven miles to go today. On my way down Mt Everett, I run into a through hiker I met a couple of days ago named Vortex. He's at the side of the trail and almost completely naked. All he's wearing is a bandana draped over his loins held on by some parachute cord. He tells me he was bitten by a tick in his armpit and asks me to look to see if he got it all out. It looks OK and I check him over to make sure there aren't any more. He tells me he's naked hiking. I don't know if it's because he thinks there may be more ticks in his clothes or this is just something he does. I really don't want to know, so I wish him good luck and get the heck out of there.

The last few miles go fairly quickly and are mostly uneventful. The last mile and a half or so I am set upon by clouds of hungry mosquitoes. I move along quickly to try and outrun them which is probably why the last miles didn't take too long.

It's been a long day. Angelika is waiting for me at the trailhead when I reach there around 5:00. We head back to the campground for dinner and to get my backpack ready for an overnight. It's looking like even hotter weather coming in the next few days. 

6/22 Sheffield, MA to Mount Wilcox North Shelter - 15.3 miles

From Sheffield there are a few climbs to negotiate. East Mountain and Mount Wilcox are on the agenda today. There's nothing notable to mention about the trail today.

Along the way I met a group of college students on summer break training to be camp counselors. They were learning wilderness skills and how to handle various scenarios they might encounter. While chatting with them a bit I learned they were from all over the US. One girl was from Durango, CO which is just over the border from where we live in New Mexico. Another girl had spent time in New Ipswich where we used to live in New Hampshire.

When I got to the shelter there was already one occupant, Wyatt the trail runner. Wyatt has a great job working for the State of Massachusetts. He basically hikes the trail and camps at the shelters four days a week. He makes sure everything is clean, picks up any trash, notes any maintenance issues at the shelter, clears minor blow downs, and makes sure everyone is aware of and following the rules. He's a pleasant guy and I enjoy chatting with him.

I tell Wyatt the story of the naked hiker I met yesterday and he informs me that June 21 is International Naked Hiking Day Who knew? Apparently Vortex did. He was the only one I met though, and no naked female hikers...a disappointment.

6/23 Mount Wilcox North Shelter to Lee, MA - 15.9 miles

Somebody turned the steam bath back on today. When I got up early in the morning everything was damp inside and outside the hammock. Everyone else was sleeping in, so I made my breakfast and got packed even before Wyatt the trail runner was out of bed. 

The trail was mostly uneventful. There was a climb up Cobble Hill with a viewpoint at the top.

Cobble Hill was followed by a welcome discovery of an ad hoc AT Trail Stand at the road crossing. This was a really appreciated sight on such a hot day. Temperatures are in the 90s today with crazy high humidity. A cold Gatorade and a couple of ice pops really perked me up.

There was another climb up Baldy Mountain followed a bunch of small ups and downs with lunch somewhere in the middle. There was some level walking next to Goose Pond where I passed the site of an old social club. Only the chimney remains now.

After this point it's up and over a pedestrian bridge to cross the Mass Pike. Angelika met me at a parking area just past here.

I'm drenched in sweat again head to toe. Angelika has the air conditioning going in the van that feels like heaven. We're off the visit our friends Paul and Mariko tonight and take a rest day at their place tomorrow. The timing is good because tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter than today. 

6/24 Rest Day

With the weather forecast calling for temperatures close to 100 degrees and high humidity, it's good fortune we planned a rest day today to go and visit our friends Paul and Mariko. They are excellent and generous hosts. We enjoyed great food and great conversation together. We also got a few errands done like taking the van in for it's 7500 mile service and catching up on bills.

6/25 Lee, MA to Dalton, MA - 18.9 miles

It's time to get back on the trail after a little rest and recovery time. We left Paul and Mariko's early in the morning with breakfast to-go (Thanks Mariko!). It's a rather long day today, so I wanted to get an early start. Temperatures should be in the 80's today, so much more comfortable than the last couple of days.

There's a little climbing to do at the beginning up Becket Mountain and Walling Mountain, but the rest of the trail today is pretty flat and uneventful. Passing Finerty Pond I'm noticing that there are much more large bodies of water along the trail now than I've seen in the past.

I meet a couple of trail maintainers along the way. We chat for a bit and they tell me to be sure to stop by The Cookie Lady's house on the way. This turns out to be the highlight of the day. The owners of Blueberry Hill Farm allow hikers to camp on their property and offer free cookies and cold hibiscus tea to anybody who stops by. The have a nice shaded porch where you can rest and enjoy your treats. I sat for a while and had my lunch with one of the owners and three young southbound section hikers. It was a nice break and a chance to cool off half way through the day.

The rest of the day was mostly uneventful. I had to wait for a while to let a long freight train go by before crossing the railroad tracks into Dalton. Angelika was waiting for me in Dalton at the appointed spot. We did a couple of errands and then headed to the campground for lunch.

The weather for tomorrow looks cooler still. I'm hoping for great hiking conditions.

6/26 Dalton, MA to Mount Greylock Summit - 17.0 miles

When we got up in the morning, it looked and felt like it was going to rain. The forecast says there's only a slight chance and the temperatures will be in the 60s today. That's a big change from the last few days.

Angelika drops me off in Dalton where I left off yesterday. There's a little more walking through town before heading back into the woods. 

After a little climbing at the beginning, the trail leveled out and I passed Gore Pond. I snapped a picture since I mentioned yesterday it seems there are more bodies of water showing up on the trail now than before.

A little further on there's a view at The Cobbles outcrop of the Hoosic River Valley and Mount Greylock in the distance. That's our destination for today.

Next is descending down into the town of Cheshire, MA. The trail goes through town for a couple miles or so. Along the way there is an unusual monument that catches my attention. I really like a good cheese, so this big wheel of cheese was right up my alley. Apparently the town made a gift of The Mammoth Cheese to Thomas Jefferson after he was elected President.  

It's hard to top a mammoth cheese, so the rest of the hike went pretty uneventfully. After leaving Cheshire, the trail climbed steadily about 7.5 miles to the summit of Mount Greylock. This is the highest point in Massachusetts. There's a monument and a lodge at the summit, but everything is socked in when we arrive. Maybe we'll get some pictures in the morning.