Monday, August 10 3:45 pm 18.0 trail miles 22.2 mi total (Entry written Aug 11)
AT 1505.8 Riga Shelter → AT 1523.8 US Route 7/Great Barrington Holiday Inn Express
Weather: Hot and sunny, HEAVY rain during last 3.2 mi of road walk in
Trail Conditions: One of my favorite days in recent memory – rugged, rocky, rooty terrain with built in steps in certain sections, with some INCREDIBLE views
My Condition: Feet VERY sore after long road walk, but feeling great physically and emotionally.
Wasn’t phased at all when it started pouring – I just kept walking and singing along with my music as the wind whipped, thunder cracked, and waves of rain hit me as cars drove right past. I had a blast, and my pack needed the rinse. Like pre-soaking dishes, it was my pre-shower soak!
GREAT day of hiking – tough, but great worthwhile vistas welcoming us into Massachusetts. Tried hitching in, but no cars stopped for me. Puddles, Hummingbird, and Blue were still about 3 miles back when I reached the trailhead, and Puddles got them a ride with the first car she tried hitching with. I need to stay closer to them! Called around to see about hiker rates in town, but dropped it as Jinx said he got a room if we wanted in on it. Turns out the room was limited to 2, however, so we were on our own to find a last minute place. Jinx is definitely looking for a party experience, extending his town visit in Salisbury yesterday and hitching straight here today with Tall Tats, a thru hiker from Pittsburgh. Hike your own hike, but that’s definitely not the experience I’m personally looking for. Ate at the brewery and amazed the waitresses with our food order – she couldn’t believe how much food we got, and was even more amazed when we finished all of it! Finally caught up to Wild, who joined us at the restaurant. He called me the most spoiled hiker on the trail hiking with 3 women, and I wouldn’t disagree, they’re all pretty great! Definitely in the best possible situation for hitchhiking, when I actually stay with my trail family. Taking a zero Tuesday to rest up and resupply.
Post Trail Analysis
This was my longest walk into town all trail at a little over 4 miles. The weather was quickly rolling in, so I walked and continued attempting to score a ride to no avail as I went. The sky opened up, at which point I gave up on the hitchhiking attempt. It was a lot of fun, despite getting soaked to the bone. This was a time I didn’t even bother getting my rain gear out – it was a hot day and I found the deluge to be quite refreshing. The harder it rained, and the more the roads turned into a river, the bigger I smiled and the louder I sang along to Jock Jamz radio. Almost the exact moment I finally arrived at the hotel, a truck pulled up and Blue, Hummingbird, and Puddles hopped out. Normally, Blue is in charge of the bookings in town. She is confident, assertive, is able to get military discounts when there isn’t a cheaper hiker rate available, and typically is near the front of our hiking pack in her eagerness for a town day. Unfortunately, we were left high and dry scrambling for a last minute hotel room in town. Fortunately, Blue worked her magic at the hotel across the road and we were able to secure a room for a reasonable rate. She texted us that she got a room and asked that we bring her pack. We crossed the street, and realized that we had forgotten her pack. Puddles took my pack and wore it on her front, and I ran back to grab Blue’s. Really enjoyed my town stay, but it’s not necessarily the most hiker-friendly town. By that, I mean there’s really only one affordable shuttle option, one budget-option hotel that was pretty strict about their 2 occupant limit, and the outfitters in town are set up for tourist sports (skiing, biking, cabin living) rather than what we’re used to seeing. That being said, we really enjoyed the fancy post office, the co-op grocery shopping experience, and the colorfully painted sidewalk crossings. Tonight was also the first head-to-head ice cream eating competition with Hummingbird, and she demolished me. It wasn’t even close. She was done with hers and I still had probably a third of mine left!
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