Start: Falls Village, CT
Today was great day!! We took a shuttle from Great Barrington to where we left the trail in Falls Village at 9:30 and started hiking at 10. Right away we saw some gorgeous waterfalls! There was a beautiful stealth camping site right beside the falls, but it was way too early to stop. We hiked up and over Prospect Mountain and out to a field with a beautiful field of mountain ridges in the distance. We reached Cobble Rd. in Salisbury, CT, which was 8 miles away, in 2 hours and 55 minutes! We sat on a bench that was just off the road at the entrance to a housing complex and ate lunch and dried our feet out. We then continued on for the 3 climbs that were coming this afternoon. The first was right away and was 400 feet. At the top, we ran into Miles Supertramp who we met back in PA. He is an awesome guy and we really enjoy talking with him. We caught up a bit and then climbed about 500 ft. up Lions Head. There was a stunning view from the top. The climbs are starting to have some playoffs in New England! After Lions Head, there were 2 miles of gradual climbing before we reached the 500 ft. climb up Bear Mountain. This climb reminded me of some of the climbs in the Whites because it had a lot of ledges and the trees were dwarfed as we reached the summit. The climb was just much shorter than those in the Whites. At the top, there was a rock observation tower. We sat there for a while enjoying the view from the highest point in Connecticut. We walked down a very steep .4 miles descent and then a gradual descent of .4 miles in to Sages Ravine and into Massachusetts. Sages Ravine is beautiful! We can hear the streams flowing and we are camping at the campsite which is full of the deepest greens and richest red pine needles. We did 15.1 miles today and I feel great. The time off definitely helped my feet and now I'm ready to get some miles in!
Having such a pain free day allowed me to really pay attention to my thoughts and to the beauty around me. So many times today I felt so lucky to be out here doing this with Brian and to be experiencing these moments with him and with the trail. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow!
End: Sages Ravine Campsite, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
July 29-30, 2012
Start: Great Barrington, MA
The plan was to hike out on the 30th, but my toe was still oozing and hurting the night of the 29th so we decided to take one more day. Up until now, I've taken a day to let my foot rest but have hiked out before it was fully healed. I keep having to take off after every few days of hiking, which is becoming very frustrating. I thought if I took off an extra day and then hiked with the new boots and the toe sock liners, my toe will be better shape! Tomorrow, we will hike and I'm excited to get out there. Sitting in town for more than a day makes me feel stagnant.
End: Great Barrington, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
The plan was to hike out on the 30th, but my toe was still oozing and hurting the night of the 29th so we decided to take one more day. Up until now, I've taken a day to let my foot rest but have hiked out before it was fully healed. I keep having to take off after every few days of hiking, which is becoming very frustrating. I thought if I took off an extra day and then hiked with the new boots and the toe sock liners, my toe will be better shape! Tomorrow, we will hike and I'm excited to get out there. Sitting in town for more than a day makes me feel stagnant.
End: Great Barrington, MA
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Saturday, July 28, 2012
July 28, 2012
Start: Inn at Iron Masters, Salisbury, CT
The one good thing about our injuries is that we tend to coordinate them with the really bad, rainy days! It poured almost all day today. We started the day in Salisbury, but the plan was to go to Great Barrington, MA to stay while my foot heals (since the hotels are much cheaper and we are able to stay in the middle of the town). We got some awesome trail magic today! Originally, we planned to take a shuttle to MA, but my high school bio teacher is spending the weekend at his cabin in MA and offered to pick us up and bring us to Great Barrington!! How awesome!! He picked us up and we enjoyed a great lunch talking about the trail, all of our hiking experiences, and just catching up. It was an awesome way to spend the afternoon!
Just a side note about Mr. Wenk... He isn't your typical teacher. He's that kind of teacher that you remember forever. The kind of teacher that creates memories you remember for a lifetime. In fact, he is the reason I love hiking. As a high school senior, he brought our class on a 17 mile, overnight hike (on the Long Island Greebelt Trail). Since that trip, I have loved hiking. Wenk, I know you're reading this so thank you. Not just for driving us today and for lunch, but for teaching me lessons in and out of the classroom and for giving me the opportunity to have experiences that have changed my life. You are the best!
Tomorrow, we will take another day in town. I am hoping to be back on the trail on Monday... I miss the rocks, the climbs, and the filth!
End: Great Barrington, MA for the night but our hike will start from Falls Village, CT
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
The one good thing about our injuries is that we tend to coordinate them with the really bad, rainy days! It poured almost all day today. We started the day in Salisbury, but the plan was to go to Great Barrington, MA to stay while my foot heals (since the hotels are much cheaper and we are able to stay in the middle of the town). We got some awesome trail magic today! Originally, we planned to take a shuttle to MA, but my high school bio teacher is spending the weekend at his cabin in MA and offered to pick us up and bring us to Great Barrington!! How awesome!! He picked us up and we enjoyed a great lunch talking about the trail, all of our hiking experiences, and just catching up. It was an awesome way to spend the afternoon!
Just a side note about Mr. Wenk... He isn't your typical teacher. He's that kind of teacher that you remember forever. The kind of teacher that creates memories you remember for a lifetime. In fact, he is the reason I love hiking. As a high school senior, he brought our class on a 17 mile, overnight hike (on the Long Island Greebelt Trail). Since that trip, I have loved hiking. Wenk, I know you're reading this so thank you. Not just for driving us today and for lunch, but for teaching me lessons in and out of the classroom and for giving me the opportunity to have experiences that have changed my life. You are the best!
Tomorrow, we will take another day in town. I am hoping to be back on the trail on Monday... I miss the rocks, the climbs, and the filth!
End: Great Barrington, MA for the night but our hike will start from Falls Village, CT
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
July 27, 2012
Start: Inn at Iron Masters, Salisbury, CT
So the storms were not nearly as bad as they predicted in this area last night. I was happy to be in town though. I was in pain with my foot for most of the night. The worst pain yet and I wasn't even walking! This morning I decided it was time to go to the doctor. The blisters that are all over my right pinkie toe are infected! The doctor gave me some antibiotics and asked, "Are you planning to continue this hike?" The obvious answer was, "Yes !" He smirked, obviously knowing it would take more than a few infected blisters to take an AT hiker off the trail, and said, "You need to rest these feet for a few days." I was feeling a bit frustrated by this, but hopeful that the few days rest and the toe sock liners with the new boots will make for a pain free second half of our trip. Once we got back to the hotel, we relaxed for a bit until the BEST part of the day. My best friend, Christina, and her husband, Chris, came to visit us! As soon as she got out of the car, the first thing I noticed was how "Incredible" (that's the name of the perfume I wear at home and she had it on) she smelled!! The four of us and No Whistle went to dinner at the Black Rabbit. It was amazing to spend time with Chris and Christina! Thanks for coming to visit us you two!
Tomorrow, we will be going into Great Barrington, MA to stay while I heal. As beautiful as northwestern Connecticut is, it is really expensive. Great Barrington has less expensive hotel rooms and more things in town. We will take a taxi back to Falls Village to hike, hopefully on Monday.
End: Inn at Iron Masters, Salisbury, CT
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
So the storms were not nearly as bad as they predicted in this area last night. I was happy to be in town though. I was in pain with my foot for most of the night. The worst pain yet and I wasn't even walking! This morning I decided it was time to go to the doctor. The blisters that are all over my right pinkie toe are infected! The doctor gave me some antibiotics and asked, "Are you planning to continue this hike?" The obvious answer was, "Yes !" He smirked, obviously knowing it would take more than a few infected blisters to take an AT hiker off the trail, and said, "You need to rest these feet for a few days." I was feeling a bit frustrated by this, but hopeful that the few days rest and the toe sock liners with the new boots will make for a pain free second half of our trip. Once we got back to the hotel, we relaxed for a bit until the BEST part of the day. My best friend, Christina, and her husband, Chris, came to visit us! As soon as she got out of the car, the first thing I noticed was how "Incredible" (that's the name of the perfume I wear at home and she had it on) she smelled!! The four of us and No Whistle went to dinner at the Black Rabbit. It was amazing to spend time with Chris and Christina! Thanks for coming to visit us you two!
Tomorrow, we will be going into Great Barrington, MA to stay while I heal. As beautiful as northwestern Connecticut is, it is really expensive. Great Barrington has less expensive hotel rooms and more things in town. We will take a taxi back to Falls Village to hike, hopefully on Monday.
End: Inn at Iron Masters, Salisbury, CT
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Thursday, July 26, 2012
July 26, 2012
Start: West Cornwall Road, West Cornwall, CT
We woke up at 6:30 this morning to a bad forecast. There was already a thunderstorm going on outside and the forecast was calling for more storms with high winds, hail, and thunder and lightening. The meteorologist said there would be a clearing in between the two storms so we decided to put some miles in. We packed up and got a ride to the road we started at, pack covers and rain jackets on. We started with about a 500 foot climb during which we squeezed between two huge boulders. It was a fun climb. No Whistle and I hiked together again while Brian was way ahead. He was so fast... It must have been the Red Bull he had with breakfast. I hear that stuff gives you wings. We had a lot of slight ups and downs today but the trail was kind. It usually provided gradual inclines and even some soft pine needle covered dirt. The only hazard were the wet rocks. No Whistle fell and the rest of us had many slips. After about 6.5 miles the trail came down to the road. We had a half mile road walk and then 1.5 miles on relatively flat ground into Falls Village. We had a package waiting for us at the post office. I had ordered us some toe sock liners. Another hiker recommended them to us saying they really help with the blisters, especially between the toes. I am excited to try them out because today was still a hard day on my feet. A blister formed under another blister on my right pinkie toe, so the top of the blister is raw skin. My left pinkie toe is covered in a blood blister. Ouch!! My whole right toe is a swollen, oozing, painful mess. The new boots definitely make a difference, but the blisters just need to heal. Once we were into Falls Village we decided to eat at the Falls Village Inn. Delicious!! We checked the weather and saw that the storms were still headed our way, even with tornado warnings. It was time to call it a day and find a hotel after 9.6 miles. Our super awesome waitress offered us trail magic! She drove us to Lakeville, CT to the Inn at Iron Masters so we didn't have to pay for a taxi. Thank you trail angel! We are now safe, dry, and showered and the storms are starting. Severe thunderstorms are always better watching from a dry, safe place!
End: Falls Village, CT
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We woke up at 6:30 this morning to a bad forecast. There was already a thunderstorm going on outside and the forecast was calling for more storms with high winds, hail, and thunder and lightening. The meteorologist said there would be a clearing in between the two storms so we decided to put some miles in. We packed up and got a ride to the road we started at, pack covers and rain jackets on. We started with about a 500 foot climb during which we squeezed between two huge boulders. It was a fun climb. No Whistle and I hiked together again while Brian was way ahead. He was so fast... It must have been the Red Bull he had with breakfast. I hear that stuff gives you wings. We had a lot of slight ups and downs today but the trail was kind. It usually provided gradual inclines and even some soft pine needle covered dirt. The only hazard were the wet rocks. No Whistle fell and the rest of us had many slips. After about 6.5 miles the trail came down to the road. We had a half mile road walk and then 1.5 miles on relatively flat ground into Falls Village. We had a package waiting for us at the post office. I had ordered us some toe sock liners. Another hiker recommended them to us saying they really help with the blisters, especially between the toes. I am excited to try them out because today was still a hard day on my feet. A blister formed under another blister on my right pinkie toe, so the top of the blister is raw skin. My left pinkie toe is covered in a blood blister. Ouch!! My whole right toe is a swollen, oozing, painful mess. The new boots definitely make a difference, but the blisters just need to heal. Once we were into Falls Village we decided to eat at the Falls Village Inn. Delicious!! We checked the weather and saw that the storms were still headed our way, even with tornado warnings. It was time to call it a day and find a hotel after 9.6 miles. Our super awesome waitress offered us trail magic! She drove us to Lakeville, CT to the Inn at Iron Masters so we didn't have to pay for a taxi. Thank you trail angel! We are now safe, dry, and showered and the storms are starting. Severe thunderstorms are always better watching from a dry, safe place!
End: Falls Village, CT
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
July 25, 2012
Start: Fife and Drum Inn - Kent, CT
What a great day!! We left the hotel at 9:30 and started the mile walk to the trail. About half way there, a car pulled over and asked us if we wanted a ride to the trail. Of course we gratefully said "YES!" When they dropped us off, they offered us grapes, cherries, cookies, and cold drinks. We each took some grapes and cherries since fresh fruit is hard to come by on the trail... TRAIL MAGIC.. Perfect start to the day! We started climbing right away. Brian was WAAAAAY ahead but No Whistle and I hiked together for the day. It was a lot of fun hiking with a friend. We stopped 3 miles in and ate some snacks. We then climbed to Caleb's Peak and ate another small snack. The trail took a steep descent to follow along the Housatonic River for a nice flat 4 mile section. We took a short break at Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter and then continued on. We hiked another 3.3 miles to Silver Hill Campsite for a short break and to pump some water. We were warned by some southbounders not to stay at Pine Swamp Brook Shelter where we had planned to spend the night. They said it was extremely buggy and not a great shelter. We took a look at the map and decided to hike another 5.6 miles and stay at the Hitching Post Motel. We left the campsite and continued to encounter numerous PUDS (pointless ups and downs as they are known as on the trail). No Whistle and I found ourselves joking about how the trail should be going down in elevation according to the profile map, yet we seemed to be endlessly climbing. Finally, the trail began it's final descent. On the way down, we saw a family of wild turkeys. We reached the road where Brian was waiting and called the motel. They came and picked us up and brought us back to the motel where we showered, did laundry, and ate pizza. The pizza place doesn't normally deliver this late, but the sympathetic waitress felt bad for hungry hikers. Thank you!! So what word do I use to sum up a day of trail magic, hiking with a friend, 16 miles, a shower, laundry, a bed, and pizza... AMAZING!!! My feet do hurt as I write this, but it makes me feel hopeful that it took 11 miles for them to hurt instead of 3 miles!!
End: West Cornwall Road- Hitching Post Motel
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
What a great day!! We left the hotel at 9:30 and started the mile walk to the trail. About half way there, a car pulled over and asked us if we wanted a ride to the trail. Of course we gratefully said "YES!" When they dropped us off, they offered us grapes, cherries, cookies, and cold drinks. We each took some grapes and cherries since fresh fruit is hard to come by on the trail... TRAIL MAGIC.. Perfect start to the day! We started climbing right away. Brian was WAAAAAY ahead but No Whistle and I hiked together for the day. It was a lot of fun hiking with a friend. We stopped 3 miles in and ate some snacks. We then climbed to Caleb's Peak and ate another small snack. The trail took a steep descent to follow along the Housatonic River for a nice flat 4 mile section. We took a short break at Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter and then continued on. We hiked another 3.3 miles to Silver Hill Campsite for a short break and to pump some water. We were warned by some southbounders not to stay at Pine Swamp Brook Shelter where we had planned to spend the night. They said it was extremely buggy and not a great shelter. We took a look at the map and decided to hike another 5.6 miles and stay at the Hitching Post Motel. We left the campsite and continued to encounter numerous PUDS (pointless ups and downs as they are known as on the trail). No Whistle and I found ourselves joking about how the trail should be going down in elevation according to the profile map, yet we seemed to be endlessly climbing. Finally, the trail began it's final descent. On the way down, we saw a family of wild turkeys. We reached the road where Brian was waiting and called the motel. They came and picked us up and brought us back to the motel where we showered, did laundry, and ate pizza. The pizza place doesn't normally deliver this late, but the sympathetic waitress felt bad for hungry hikers. Thank you!! So what word do I use to sum up a day of trail magic, hiking with a friend, 16 miles, a shower, laundry, a bed, and pizza... AMAZING!!! My feet do hurt as I write this, but it makes me feel hopeful that it took 11 miles for them to hurt instead of 3 miles!!
End: West Cornwall Road- Hitching Post Motel
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
July 24, 2012
Start: Fife and Drum Inn - Kent, CT
We woke up at 7:30 am to the room and bed shaking. The train had just come through town, although it felt more like an earthquake. I was hopeful that my feet would feel better and my new boots would do me good on the trail. I got up out of bed and I had some pain in my feet. I decided to take a walk with Brian in town to see how my feet felt in my boots. I taped up my feet, put my boots on, and went for the walk. I realized that although I have hiked in worse pain, another day of rest would really help. We went back to the room and No Whistle said she was going to zero too. We all walked in town and enjoyed the morning. At 12 we had lunch at The Villager and then went back to the room to relax and put my feet up. We relaxed for the remainder of the day until we went for a walk at dinner time. Waking down the street, I noticed I was walking much more comfortably, faster, and without a limp! Very excited for tomorrow's hike!!
End: Fife and Drum Inn - Kent, CT
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
We woke up at 7:30 am to the room and bed shaking. The train had just come through town, although it felt more like an earthquake. I was hopeful that my feet would feel better and my new boots would do me good on the trail. I got up out of bed and I had some pain in my feet. I decided to take a walk with Brian in town to see how my feet felt in my boots. I taped up my feet, put my boots on, and went for the walk. I realized that although I have hiked in worse pain, another day of rest would really help. We went back to the room and No Whistle said she was going to zero too. We all walked in town and enjoyed the morning. At 12 we had lunch at The Villager and then went back to the room to relax and put my feet up. We relaxed for the remainder of the day until we went for a walk at dinner time. Waking down the street, I noticed I was walking much more comfortably, faster, and without a limp! Very excited for tomorrow's hike!!
End: Fife and Drum Inn - Kent, CT
Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka
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