Appalachian Trail: Falls Village CT

June 2004

April 27, 2004

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Falls Village CT

April 25. I left Kent, CT late Saturday afternoon and walked the Housatonic River for about 6 miles until I came to the Morgan Stewart shelter. Surprise, surprise! It was full of young women; four of them out for a weekend hike. They were all spread out with food, pots and pans, stoves, clothes, backpacks, and sleeping bags everywhere. "Where do you want me ladies?" I asked.

They politely, but I'm sure disagreeably, scooted around and made a space for me on the end. They were very nice about it and I tried to stay out of their way. I unpacked dinner and walked away to eat. And I generally stayed outside the shelter until bedtime. By then they were all tucked away in their sleeping bags. I left at 7:00 AM the next morning (Sunday) and continued hiking along the river for another 16 miles until I arrived in Falls Village, CT at 4:30 PM. Stopped in West Cornwall for lunch, but it was uneventful.

The forecast was for two days of rain and as I entered the Falls Village area I spotted a state trooper parked in the Regional High School parking lot, I walked over and asked him if he would arrest me if I slept under the overhang leading to the front door. He grinned and said that would set a bad precedent, but he went on to tell me about a park on the edge of town, and he said I could camp there. He volunteered to radio his comrades and tell them not to bother me during the night. A nice guy.

I walked through the park and into town, because it was still early and I wanted to locate the Post Office where I was to pick up a bounce box the next day. (A bounce box is mail that I forward to myself. I didn't need everything Annice sent to Pawling, NY and I forwarded some of it to Falls Village; that saved having to carry things I didn't need for a few days.)

I spotted a small eatery "The Toymakers Cafe" and I walked over to check it out, but it had closed at 4:30, only minutes before I got there. I stood on the porch pondering my next move when the door opened and a lady said "Are you a thru-hiker?"

"Yes," I said.

"Come on in," she said.

Ann and Greg, the owners were there alone, cleaning up and they told me to sit and enjoy. They opened the coffee pot for me and I sat and chatted with them for a couple of hours. They said that Falls Village is the smallest town in CT and it is populated by writers, some who live there full time and others who commute from NYC on weekends. They have a Post Office and a library--a magnificent Gothic building--open three days a week. The cafe is open four days a week. There is also a liquor store with snacks and a dog who is afraid if you walk in with your backpack on. Also a bank and an upscale restaurant and pizza parlor. A very laid-back town. When it was time to leave, Greg asked me where I was staying and I told him I was camping out in the park. He said "Camp out in our backyard." I spent the night under my tarp in a grassy area behind the restaurant. More nice people.

April 26. It rained all night, but my little tarp performed admirably and I emerged dry with only a few wet spots on the sleeping bag.

I went to the Post Office and forwarded the bounce box to a town in MA, because I thought I had enough food to get by for another 3-4 days.

Then I walked to the Falls Village Town Hall to look for a local map. The AT maps, although very good at displaying the details of the Appalachian Trail, do not include much information on surrounding areas. I got into a conversation with Mary Palmer, the Falls Village Town Clerk, and she told me about Sue Spring, formerly the town clerk of nearby Salisbury CT. Sue Spring, 65 years old aka Mama Lipton hiked the AT last year. Before I knew it, Mary called Sue and 15 minutes later Mama Lipton walked through the front door. We chatted for about 1/2 hour and she was very interesting and encouraging; I'm glad I had a chance to meet her. Sue has become a local celebrity and she has an AT presentation with visuals which she gives to various fraternal and civic groups. She took a 5 MB digital camera on the hike and apparently got some spectacular shots.

I returned to the cafe to pickup my backpack which I left on the front porch. When I walked up the steps the front door opened and Ann handed me an enormous cup of coffee for the road (they were not open).

I left Falls Village in the rain and fog and after walking for 2-1/2 hours in increasingly dismal weather I ducked into the Limestone Shelter and spent the night. It was only 4 miles from town, but I didn't feel like hiking another 8 miles to the next shelter.

4-27. The Limestone shelter has a tin roof and it rained cats and dogs last night. I slept like a baby, the best sleep night I have had on the trail. I did not get up until 7:45 and I felt guilty for sleeping in, but the sun was out and the birds were singing. Life is good.

I ate breakfast and discovered I had mis-judged my food inventory yesterday, and I decided to stop in Salisbury CT and stock up. I'm writing this from the Salisbury library. I'll tell you about Salisbury in the next post.

April 27, 2004 in The Hike | Permalink