Summer 2019 Hike- Day 26- US 7 Great Barrington, MA to North Mt Wilcox Shelter

Date: July 11
Total Miles Today: 13.5

Total Miles this Summer: 316.2
Total Trail Miles: 1116.6

Advocado let me know the  ropes course is a bit harder wearing a backpack.

He set up his tent (elsewhere) and while he went a short distance away to make a deposit...he heard something rip open his tent zipper. He ran back and a bear had pushed through his open tent door, grabbed his pack, and was knawing on it when he ran up yelling. The beat ran off...and his pack still has the scars. 

Breakfast sandwiches, soda refills and fully charging our phones before we hit the trail. Best McDonald's ever...I'm loving it.

Next we went to the Price Choppers grocery with our packs in the cart. A friendly fellow asked about our hike and i gave him a few details. Not one to miss an opportunity....I also said 'we are just grabbing some food and then we have to find a ride to the trail." He volunteered to take us.  sweet!

After Tom dropped us, we had miles of valley walk before we climb the next mountain.

The trail followed the Housitonic river for a bit, which is beautiful and pristine...except for the PCBs that render everying inedible and undrinkable.

Daddy tax on those bagel chips. ...whoa...those are good. We are in New England, taxes are higher....give me more.

Then we climb. I'll skip the standard comments about rocks, etc. Thankfully it was reasonably cool. Which means that every thread of clothing I'm wearing is soaked completely in sweat, but it's not dripping too much.

Eventually, we made it up the climb. To be greeted by another climb.

Advocado got a replacement phone at the post office yesterday, so there are many things to download when there is a signal.

There was an easier way down, but she had fun and is still alive.

This is the AT.

And sometimes the AT looks like this. We make good time on these sections.

Per request, a picture of me. 

It was a hard day, just not feeling like sweating, getting swarmed by biting flies, eaten by mosquitoes and climbing mountains. Sure, I know that sounds fun, but sometimes it wears on you.  Advocado and I were both grumpy, tires and ready to be doing something else. Then we rounded the corner to this overlook, and cold winds were ripping across the mountain. Just what we needed, when we needed it. Thank you Lord. We took a break, I made some salami and veggie wraps, and things were much better. 

Redneck passed us and said "Updog told me a big storm is going to hit about 9pm (in 2 hours). Uh oh...I checked my weather app...we gotta go!

So...back to the grind...climb...climb fast or climb in the rain.

Thirsty. Out of water. Best option was this stream running off of a beaver pond.  Do I trust my filter? The water isn't that brown...I'm thirsty, this will have to do.

Pretty impressive pond.

Oh look! There is the little fellow that built it. 

We raced the rain, and a few drops hit us as we hiked down the blue blaze trail to the shelter. We made it...dry. Except for the sweat that soaks my clothing every day.  Perhaps I should have slowed down and gotten free laundry service.