We had a lot of climbing to do today. Our goal is to get into town (Great Barrington) for showers, laundry, and resupply. Once that is done, we plan to hike on another six miles or so.
The weather yesterday made for some fantastic views this morning. Clouds filled the valley below, creating a sea of fluffy white and floating mountain peaks. I am often a dreamer and a romantic. That said, the clouds tempted to dive from the cliffs, arms outstretched, into the cotton – a thought reminded me of jumping into leaf piles as a kid. For some reason a mound of dried leaves looks so soft and inviting. However, once you’ve committed to the leap, you are quickly met with the reality of the hard ground hidden beneath. As would be the case here. I stayed put obviously. It was a beautiful morning to be on top of a mountain and not on the ground below.
We are starting to cross paths with a lot of sobos (southbounders). Today we met a trio that we really liked. The first guy, a New Zealand native, was giving us a warning for the rattlesnake just north on the trail. Warthog and I were really excited. We haven’t seen a rattlesnake yet. This one was supposed to be quite large too! Well, we all got talking and before we knew it, probably twenty or thirty minutes had gone by. We decided we needed to keep hiking, especially if we stood any chance of seeing this snake. Which, as it turned out, was zero. We never saw the snake. I was a bit disappointed. However, if I had to choose, I would much rather connect with a person and have a good conversation because connecting with people is central to this experience.
We came out of the woods about mid afternoon. Far later than we had hoped. A woman named Rosemarie picked us up. She said she had read an article in the paper this last week about hikers on the AT. Apparently the article challenged its’ readers to “be kind to thru-hikers.” She has never picked up hitchhikers before, but because of what she read, she did. I kind of want to send the author a thank you. Rosemarie was a kind, older woman. She liked to joke around a bit. Nothing at all mean, just small quips. We learned that on Saturday she would be adopting her new dog. Her last one had passed about a month ago. Rosemarie was generous. She went out of her way to take us several miles into town and then a little beyond that to the community center, a place that offers cheap showers and free camping to thru-hikers.
We had been there for maybe five minutes when another hiker was dropped off. As soon as I heard his voice I remembered that I knew him. I couldn’t place his name though. He helped me, it was H2No. He got his name for spilling boiling water on his hands and legs. There was no major damage, just some small blisters. H2No has since been renamed to Clyde, short for Clydesdale. It has something to do with how he plops up the trail. We only camped with him for a night or two. So really, I barely know him. It’s funny how a person sticks in your memory out here. It usually only takes a few minutes or an evening interacting with another hiker for them to be firmly planted in your memory. We are a big community, but often we feel like a small one.
Everyone showered – something that was far overdue. Afterwards, I stayed at the community center while our electronics charged. Wonder Woman went to the laundromat to do all of our laundry. Snow Monkey and Warthog shopped for our resupply. Divide and conquer. While I was there, a concert was held at the community center. It was a man who sings and plays the piano. He covered classic songs. One stuck out. After what seems like days walking in the rain he sang, “raindrops keep falling on my head, they keep falling on my head, but I don’t care because I’m free!” I smiled at the irony. The song is sure to be stuck in my head now for the next few days and definitely the next time it rains.
It was late when everyone returned, 9:10p. The community center had been closed since 8:30p. I would have gone to our campsite, but I had all four backpacks with me. I didn’t want to risk leaving any of them outside of the building. Instead, I sat on a bench and swatted mosquitoes. “Battled” mosquitoes is probably more accurate. I was on the phone with my sister then, trying desperately not to pay too close of attention to the swarm around me. Otherwise I may have lost any sanity I had left for the day.
I was victorious in my war. Little blood was lost by the time the three got back… I think. We walked back to the woods where the community center had tent pads for hikers. Our tent was already set up, but the food still needed to be processed. Boxes had to be broken down, food put into correct packages, I still had to eat dinner. We had a neighbor near us. We were up late taking care of the food. By the time we were finishing with everything it was about 10:30p. We still needed to blow up the sleeping pads. Out of respect for our neighbor, because tent canvas doesn’t block sound in the least bit, we decided to forgo the sleeping pad and lay right on the floor for the night. The wood beneath us was sort of soft because it was partly rotted. It was a decision that I quickly regretted. We had the worst night of sleep on the trail yet, but it was for a good cause. At least we weren’t jerks subjecting our neighbor to their own bad night of sleep. I’ve been on that side, it’s not fun. The thought eased our discomfort some.
-ansel