#5

I came upon a random rock ... passed a garden snake ... found a flock of wild turkeys and listened to Canadian Geese call as they flew overhead...

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#6

... I also came to a beautiful mountain top field with a stunning view, named "Billy's View."

This is the point in the day when things started to go a bit sideways.

The shelter I had intended to stay at was half a mile off the trail. Most hikers scoff at those sites and move on. I ... well, I tend to enjoy them so following the blue blazes and headed towards my stopping point for the evening.

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#7

Arriving at the shelter I got the creeps. I can't point to anything specific but I'm a trust your gut kinda gal so I decided to follow the blue blazes back a half a mile to the trail. Now having walked two extra miles for the day (first into town and now a round trip to a shelter I decided not to stay at) I was off to Falls Village, where a breakfast place offers free tent spots to hikers...

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#9

... A detour sign. To get to Falls Village all I needed to do was cross that bridge behind the sign (you can see part of it in the bottom right corner) but the text below the detour sign stated that the bridge was closed to pedestrian traffic and to follow the detour signs.

So close but yet so far! If I could just walk across the bridge then I might have been able to eat supper in town. Two "real" meals in one day on the trail ... unheard of ... and so it remains, since I found myself road walking for miles.

After the first mile, I was annoyed ... by the second and third I was just plain mad. My knee was hurting and the sun was beginning to set, yet I was walking on a road that had no shoulder and endless blind turns. How "unsafe" could the bridge be since I almost got run down by a passing, not to mention speeding, Porsche? By the fourth mile I was angry and constructing a letter in my head, "Dear Connecticut Chapter of the AMC..."

By the time I reached the end of the "detour" (which left me nowhere near Falls Village) it was dusk and the sun was setting fast. Annoyed that I didn't simply disobey the sign and cross the bridge (it was open to cars, just not foot traffic) I pulled out my map in an attempt to locate a place to camp for the night. After a nineteen mile day, finally, luck was on my side. I found Belter's Campsite on the map which was only six-tenths of a mile up the hill from me. It was a steep hill too but I wasn't going to complain ... I just wanted to set up my tent and collapse for the night. Which, thankfully upon arrival, is what I did. No dinner, bear bag hung, tent up by headlamp and tucked into my sleeping bag ... only to have the wind kick up and drop a tree branch on my tent (no kidding!). It was a small branch, so no damage. I checked for more but all seemed secure, and it was. Oh well, I survived ... and today was a MUCH better day. Thank goodness for that!

Till next time ... rollin on,
Yahtzee



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Connecticut...

Shortly after leaving the Glen Brook Lean-to (well, 6.8 miles to be exact) I left Massachusetts and entered Connecticut.

Rollin on,
Yahtzee

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Nature's beauty...

I thought this was pretty. The acorns, leaves, dirt, rocks and light. It reminded me that one need not always scan the horizon for beauty ... Sometimes it's right there at out feet.

Rollin on,
Yahtzee

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Albino caterpillar...

I don't recall ever seeing an all white caterpillar before. This little guy was doing his best to hurry across the trail. Smart, since it stood out like a sore thumb ... maybe why you don't see many of these. I'm sure a bird, or other hungry critter, could spot this from a mile away.

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Guilder Pond...

At 2,042 feet Guilder Pond is the highest body of water in Massachusetts. Since the shelter I stayed at last night was dry it's also my water source for the day. I'll spare you the close up shot ... but thank goodness for filters since this water give a new meaning to pond scum.

Rolling on,
Yahtzee

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Things I saw today ... Sept. 23, 2010

The fall colors are beautiful, amazing to walk through...


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What I'm doing right now...

All tucked in (before 7pm - sad but true) and about to read a bit before sleep. I'm thrilled to be back in my tent after spending the past weekend, Monday and Tuesday resting my knee in hotel rooms (and on the bus). It's funny, when I first started this trail I had trouble sleeping in my tent ... now I can't imagine being more at home anywhere else. Granted, it's a beautiful evening outside. I'm sure I'd be singing a different tune if it were snowing or storming outside. Luckily, it's not ... so it's onto reading.

Happy Trails,
Yahtzee


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