7/17/01
After a rough night with my cold (coughing and pain in my chest) I moved downstairs to try not to wake the dozen other hikers sleeping in the upstairs bunks. Around 2 a.m. I heard the sound of raindrops hitting the trees outside so I went out to retrieve clothing and towels hanging on the lines since everyone else was still sleeping soundly. This morning Kathi got up around 6 a.m. to start preparing the pancake breakfast that is included in the $3.00 donation made for staying in a bunk at the cabin. She had already agreed to let me cook the pancakes for the group, at my request (I miss cooking in the kitchen!), so I got up at 6:30 and joined her in the kitchen. Soon I was flipping six pancakes at a time on the griddle on the gas stove. A pint of fresh blueberries and two gallons of pancake mix made for a yummy breakfast as hungry hikers made their way downstairs to the group table. After cooking for an hour I sat down to eat a dozen pancakes, then Phantom and I quickly put on the backpacks to get the hiking started. It was still raining lightly with cool temps when we left the dry warm cabin at 8:10 a.m. Our plan was to do a 20-mile day into Dalton, MA, so we were going to hike, rain or no rain. It was a gorgeous morning to be hiking in the rainy woods. The dark hemlock forests were even darker than normal and the water glistening on the prolific fern forests gave the woods a surreal tropical feel even though it was quite cool. With only light persistent morning rain we covered a lot of miles fairly quickly.
We stopped for lunch at the October Mtn. lean-to, ten miles from the cabin where we started. It was an interesting lunch as the shelter and picnic table under the roof overhang were littered with porcupine poop that was very fresh. Porcupines have done a lot of damage to the shelter, eating the wood where hikers have sat and deposited salt from their sweaty bodies. I must admit that this was the first time I've eaten my lunch while staring at Porky turds all around me. Phantom and I both wrote a funny entry in the shelter register about our little lunch break before resuming the afternoon hike. Two quick miles brought us to a road crossing where the legendary cookie lady, Marilyn Wiley, normally brings fresh cookies out to thru-hikers who stop by her house to visit. Phantom and I eagerly made the .1-mile side trip to the farmhouse. We were greeted by a barking dog as we made our way onto the covered front porch where we found a hiker register and a water spigot to refill our water containers. Marilyn was, unfortunately, out of town, but her husband Roy appeared from the house and chatted with us for a while. Roy appeared to be in his late 70s or early 80s and was a hoot, talking about old girl friends and drinking as he reminisced about his youth with us. Soon he brought out the last of Marilyn's cookies for us to share and we were on our way back on the trail.
The next 10 miles were easy hiking with just a few bumps and mostly flat terrain to Dalton, MA. We stopped briefly at Warner Mountain to pick fresh wild blueberries. This has become a daily routine since entering New Jersey. After stuffing 200 or 300 berries into our hungry mouths, we moved on to Dalton. We entered town around 5:30 p.m. The trail goes right through this quaint New England town. Another trail legend, Tom Levardi, was home on his front porch when Phantom and I approached from the sidewalk where the trail runs right past Tom's house. Tom has been a friend to thru-hikers for 28 years and has been letting thru-hikers spend the night tenting in his backyard or sleeping on his covered front porch. Tom eagerly welcomed us to his porch and asked if we would like a soda and some ice cream. What do you think our answer was? Tom left for a few minutes as Phantom and I read the trail register and relaxed in rocking chairs on the porch. Minutes later he returned with a serving tray! On it were two large ice cream sundaes complete with fresh berries, whipped cream and a cherry on top. In addition to this beautiful work of art, the tray had two large pieces of fruit pie!! What a fantastic treat! Now I know why the man is a legend on the AT! We happily ate everything and enjoyed a cold soda while talking trail talk with Tom.
After our dessert "appetizer" we walked into town to meet Condor at 6:30 for dinner. The three of us went to Benny's family restaurant where I polished off two Samuel Adam's lagers, a large Shepherd's Pie and a basket of garlic bread. Now that the main course was completed, we were off to the Shamrock Irish pub. There we enjoyed more malt beverages and it was time for, yes, you guessed it, more food! I had a dozen buffalo wings with blue cheese and celery. Then I finished a huge plate of nachos deluxe for Condor, who couldn't knock a dent in them (his hiker hunger hasn't kicked in since he only started his northbound journey at Harper's Ferry). Finally I felt full and we called it a night. Phantom and I went back to Tom's house and quietly set up our tents in the plush green grass in his backyard. After 20 minutes with my headphones listening to the Boston Pops doing a live performance on the radio, I promptly turned off the radio and fell right to sleep. Yet another FANTASTIC day on the AT. They keep getting better and better and the Massachusetts hospitality has been unbelievable. Today's stats: low 57, high 68. Drizzle and light rain, a.m.; partial clearing p.m. Today's mileage: 20.6; cumulative mileage: 1,550.3.
