"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
-Mark Twain
Start: Lee, MA
Finish: Dalton, MA
Today: 19.0 mi
Total: 379.4 mi
We woke up late today. No Whistle got on the trail a bit earlier than us. After eating a couple protein bars for breakfast, we said goodbye to Carver and Miles Supertramp (zeroing today to meet up with friends). At 9:15 am we were on the trail with hopes of doing our longest day ever.
I'm not sure if I had a bad night sleep but I was in a terrible mood today. It's amazing how nature will reflect your mood right back at you. Most mornings I feel hopeful and rejuvenated. I see sun rays filtered through the leaves, carpets of moss cascading off boulders and birds soothing my mind with their songs.
Today, I saw a menacing side to the forest. Tall stumps looked like old men sitting in the distance. Dark shadows were cast on the forest floor. Curved roots in the leaf litter were sinister snakes ready to strike. The dead trees creaking in the wind sounded like harsh shrieks echoing through the valley.
During our first break after the 5 mile mark we met a couple of really nice teachers from Brooklyn doing some day hiking. We hurried on as we're both looking forward to meeting the "Cookie Lady." There seem to be a lot of famous (by AT standards) people and this lady is famous because, you guessed it, she gives every hiker who passes a basket of cookies (for free).
I don't know if it was the smooth terrain, the nice cool breeze or the release of endorphins as we hiked but I was feeling a little better by the afternoon. We caught up with No Whistle at the Cookie Lady and continued hiking on with her to Dalton.
Around the 16th mile I began to feel in a bit of a daze and my footwork became sloppy so I took a break at the trailhead for Kay Wood Shelter and ate some food. While waiting for No Whistle and Heather to catch up I was actually getting chilly. The cooler temperatures and earlier sunsets are reminders that my summer adventure is waning away. Soon we'll be in Vermont and then New Hampshire for our final push through the White Mountains.
~DADDY LONG LEGS
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