Appalachian Trail

Mt. Greylock and Williamstown, MA

5.06. Magic and I left Cheshire about 4:45 AM in the dark, my first time to hike with a headlamp. It was a short experience, because the sun soon peaked over the horizon and the morning birds started their symphony--woodpeckers too.

I was dreading the day, because Mt. Greylock, at 3,400+ ft, is the tallest peak on the A.T. in MA. It was not that bad, in fact the descent into North Adams was the hardest part of the day; very, very steep and lots of slippery leaves to slide on. Took me forever to get down that mountain.

I need gaiters, because when wearing shorts with nothing to shield the top of my boots, they collect everything; leaves, dirt, etc. Hard on the socks too. I read about The Mountain Goat, an outfitter in Williamstown who lets hikers camp behind the store, and I hitched into town from the trail intersection with MA 2. A very nice young woman gave me a ride; first time I've been picked up by a woman.

It was a good news, bad news story. The bad news was that The Mountain Goat had no shorty gaiters, only the long-legged type. I called another store in North Adams, but the woman who answered the phone, did not know what gaiters were--nuff said.

The good news is that, John Bryan the owner let me camp behind The Mountain Goat store. I slept on the bank of the Green River about 25 yards from roaring rapids that put me to sleep in minutes. And there was a picnic table there, so eating dinner was a treat. AND there was a laundromat next door. I washed clothes and slept in clean garments. It was great!

5.07. I got up at 6:00 AM and took the opportunity to rearrange my pack; sent more stuff home and repacked other things. The laundromat opened at 7:30 and I took my sleeping bag over and fluffed it up in the dryer. Convenient, because it rained last night and the bag was wet on the edges.

Williamstown is a very pretty place. It is dominated by Williams College and the campus seems to snake in and out of every street. It has the feel of a college town. I like it.

Went to the post office at 8:30 and the library at 10:00 where I am now, updating this log.

Back on the trail when I leave the library. Don't know how far I will get today, but probably not past the Seth Warner shelter, seven miles away and a 2,000 ft climb.

I'll be in Vermont tonight.

Slackpack Cheshire to Dalton

5.05. Tom drove us to Cheshire and we hiked the ten mile stretch back to Dalton (in reverse and without packs). Unbelievable experience to hike without thirty pounds on my shoulders! So this is what hiking is all about, I thought. Not bad. I flew over the terrain like I had wings on my feet.

Of course Magic was ahead of me, and out of sight within an hour. When I walked into Dalton, I was confused by the street signs and I flagged down a car to ask the driver directions into the town. He said, "Straight ahead, you want a ride?"

Aha, my chance to beat Magic, I thought, but he was already in the library when I got there.

Tom made dinner tonight; pasta and meat sauce, salad and ice cream for dessert. I ate like a horse.

We went to bed early, because we are leaving at 4:15 AM in the morning.

Dalton, MA and Tom Levardi

5.04. It was very cold in the Kay Wood shelter last night. I woke up at 6 AM, got up...and went back to bed. I got up at 7 AM...and went back to bed. This shivering scenario was repeated two more times, until 9 AM, when I managed to keep my feet on the floor. It was hailing when I left the shelter, but the swirling little pieces of ice soon dissapated and my walk into Dalton, MA, only three miles away was uneventful.

There is a famous trail angel in Dalton who lives right on the AT as you enter town from the south. His name is Thomas Levardi and his hospitality is legend. Tom keeps a water hose in his front yard for thirsty thru hikers, and he allows them to camp in his yard and to sleep on his porch. I was on the lookout for his house, because I knew that Magic stayed there last night, and I was hoping to do the same tonight. When I got to the house, the first thing I saw was Magic's pack on the porch. I knocked on the door, but there was no one at home, and I parked my pack on the porch and headed for the library and post office. (I signed the trail register so they would both know I was in town.) I did not expect to see Magic; I assumed he was shopping and whatever, and that when he finished his business, would probably be on his way to Katahdin. I spent an hour at the library and then walked about two miles to a major shopping center with a WalMart, a Barnes & Noble and a major grocery store. It was after 5 PM when I got back to Tom's and I was surprised to see that Magic was there. Tom soon came in and told me I could stay for the night.

The three of us went to an All-you-can-eat Chinese restaurant and then Tom drove us to a nearby mall with an EMS store. Then it was back to the house where I spent a very restful night on his porch. The next morning Tom treated us both to breakfast at the local deli only a block away. Then he drove us back to EMS, because I had forgotten to check on something I needed last night. An incredibly accommodating man, and a pleasant one.

I told them I had a maildrop waiting in Chesire, only ten miles up the road and Magic, who wanted to rest another day, suggested that we go to Chesire and get my mail, and then slackpack back to Dalton where we would again spend the night at Tom's. Then we could resume our Northern hike in the morning from Chesire. Only one hitch. We needed two rides to Cheshire; one today, and another tomorrow morning. Tom to the rescue. He took Magic and me to the Chesire Post office this morning; I put my mail in his car and then Magic and I hiked back. And Tom will take us back in the morning to resume our hikes. What can you say?

Tom has hosted thousands of At thru-hikers during the last twenty years and I can see how he developed such a stellar reputation. I have met some very nice people the past month (as I've written about), but my time with with Magic and Tom has been the highlight of my hike. They are special people.

Tomorrow, on to Maine.

Kay Wood Shelter

5.03. I passed the nine mile shelter, and went on to Kay Wood; 18 miles away; a world recored for Bear Meat. I was inspired by Magic, but the relatively flat terrain helped too; no serious mountains to climb today. I would have made it to Dalton, but I ran out of daylight.

Magic

5.02. I left Tyringham at 6:30 AM amid overcast skies, but a warm temperature; wearing shorts and SS tee. Misty rain started a couple of hours later..rain...stop...rain...stop. I held off donning rain gear for about three hours, because of the heat, but when the tempo picked up, I had to suit up. Temperature started to drop about the same time. I walked into Upper Goose Pond Cabin at 12:30 PM, looking forward to building a roaring fire in the famous fireplace, but the cabin was closed and the caretaker was not around. I wimped out and decided it was too far to the next shelter; I did not want to camp out in the rain, and I stayed at the cabin, because it has a big porch that I could sleep on out of the weather. Later I discovered the front door was unlocked and I knew I could sleep inside if it got too wet or too cold.

At 6:35 PM, I heard a noise and looked up to see another hiker walking toward the cabin. It was Magic Dinsmore, the lead dog on the 2004 Appalachian Trail. Magic left Springer Mountain, GA on February 16th and he is leading the pack; he estimated the closest hiker to him is about 100 miles behind. 1,532 miles in 2-1/2 months! I was awestruck; this is Rock Star quality, my friends. I told him I was honored to be in his presence. Then I peppered him with endless questions about everything I could think of. He very patiently answered everything I threw at him. Here's the topper; he did the same thing last year! Yep, back-to-back thru hikes. I said, "Are your nuts?"

Magic left the next morning at 7:00 AM and left a half-hour later. He was bound for Dalton, MA, 21 miles away. I was bound for the next shelter, nine miles away.

East Mountain to Tyringham, MA

5.01. I left East Mountain at 7:00 AM and walked into Tyringham at 4:30 PM; 13.5 miles today. It is hot; I would pay $100 for an ice cream cone. I stopped here because there is a pavilion next to the volunteer fire house and the community allows thru-hikers to camp there. A beautiful little town, but nothing commercial here, except the post office. It was a warm night with a light breeze and I slept good on the picnic table.