Dalton, MA - that's right Massachusetts!

So let me tell you a little bit about my time in New York. It was hectic to say the least but fun-filled. Got up really early in the morning and went to everybody's favorite NYC weekday destination - the Today Show in Rockafeller Center. I got to actually shake hands with hosts Meredith Vierra and Matt Lauer. Martha Stewart was doing a segment and Meredith came over and brought us a taste. Then Matt saw our very ghetto sign and read that we had traveled along the AT and talked with us a few minutes. Very cool. Let me also tell you that I am wearing hiker clothes that have travelled all the way with me so I was not in my finest. After that, we walked around the city a bit and went to where Hobbit's daughter works - Murray's cheese. We got a personal tour and I got to check out how cheese is aged in the cheese cave and lots of sampling. Bought some cheese for the trail and then went to grab a slice of NY's famous pizza. We were all pretty tired by this point so we headed back to the apartment and rested for a bit. Rather my friends rested and I went, hailed my very first taxi on my own and tracked down my shoes at a shipping center in the Bronx. Go me. Had more trouble finding my new pack - eventually found it at a Fed Ex center in Manhattan. I had the pleasure of carrying around the large box to the nice restaurant we went to for dinner that evening. Nothing like synthetic clothing and a big cardboard box to make restaurant folks welcome you in. Actually this place was great and the food was outstanding. I even tried lobster for the first time and it was all it was cracked up to be and more. Mmm good! Hobbit was kind enough to treat me and I am ever so thankful!

5/24/07 20.4 miles to Kent, CT Took the early train from NYC back out to Pawling, NY. I even found my way around the city on my own. I am pretty proud of that as it is a very confusing city. One member of a trail angel family came to meet me at the station to pick up my stuff so I could do a slackpack to their house later that day. They call themselves Mac and Cheese - String is the daughter of the macs. They are the greatest family and I so enjoyed meeting them. They open up their home to thru-hikers and help them out, feed them, let them shower, give them a place to sleep that is not on the trail. Anyways, Cough Drop (from earlier in my hike) wanted to come say hello as he was passing through so we spent about 15 minutes catching up while he drove me to the trailhead. Him and his mother were headed to the beach for the weekend. It was so good to see them if only for a brief moment. Got back on the trail and it felt good to be back in the woods. The city was fun but a bit too chaotic for my taste. I love the simple rythmn of the trail, it is now a part of me. Today was incredibly hot and humid. Little did I know that tomorrow would be worse. But I kept trucking and eventually made it to Kent, CT. Mr. Mac picked me up at the trail head and took me to their house. Met back up with Tau there and had a wonderful dinner with Mr. Mac and String. So nice to have conversation and wine as we watched the sun disappear on their deck. What a pleasant evening. It was definitely a nice transition from the city back into trail life.

5/25/07 26.3 miles to a campsite near Great Falls. Had a bit of a late start this morning but it started out wondefully. Watched the sun come up via my bed on the sofa in the covered porch of Mac and Cheese's home. What a great way to wake up. Had a nice breakfast with the family and then off to Kent. I had to wait for the outfitter to open to replace my broken trekking pole. I had an enjoyable time people watching in downtown Kent, a small New England town. The outfitter apparantly broke down on the way to work so it was late to open. Luckily they had the piece I needed and it was covered under warranty so free - free is always good! Got a ride back to the trail by a nice Irish woman. That's where my late start came in - on the trial by 9:45 am is not always a good thing when it is supposed to be 95 degrees with 100% humidity. Holy cow it was warm. I was crawling up the mountains. I am not sure how I did so many miles with the heat but I just kept trucking. Took several breaks to soak the feet and even cooked dinner before moving on. I walked until past dark. It was at least cooler by this spot. I heard thunder and lightening in the distance so I thought I would have to go all the way to the next shelter but luckily it blew over so I camped in a nice open field under the stars. It was actually my first official night on the trail by myself. Scary a bit but empowering.

5/26/07 28.5 miles to MA 7 and Corn Crib. Another long day but it was a teensy bit cooler and a with a touch of a breeze. My appetite has started to be affected by the heat. I barely ate my dinner last night and I barely choked down the oatmeal this morning. This is not such a good thing when you are pulling down so many miles. My body is not happy with me. Burning too many calories and not inputting near enough. I am also really tired of most of my food. I guess I need to rethink some things the next time I am in town. Hiked six miles and came to Salsibury, CT. I met some folks having a yard sale that filled up my water bottles for me and chatted for a bit. Nice folks. Onward over the many mountains. Climbed Lions Head, Bear Mountain and Everett. Now Everett, not to be confused with Mt. Everest, felt like Everest on the way up due to the very steep climb. Saw all kinds of people today as it is Memorial day weekend and a very scenic area with lots of road access. Stopped and chatted with some but mainly kept moving. When I was about 3 miles from my final destination for the day, something major happened. Holy blood-sucking mosquitos batman! I hit the infamous Massachusetts mosquitos. These things were insane - probably 200 of them swarming me at once. I had heard about them but never dreamed they would be like that. I ran through that mile section in no time at all but it felt like forever. They got a bit better after that but not much. I probably got 50 bites, most of them around my armpit. Why do they like that area so much? Anyways, got to the road and was pretty excited about staying at the Corn Crib and I heard they had icecream for sale. Well the place was closed for the evening. I should have known but I guess I was being hopeful. I decided to still crash there as I was exhausted. Ended up sleeping in the greenhouse. Really neat place, wish I could have met the owner. Really need to figure out the food situation as I had trouble with dinner again tonight.

5/27/07 14.6 miles to Upper Goose Pond Cabin. So today I hit my lowest point on the trail. I am writing this a day later and things are much better but yesterday was definitely the hardest day for me so far. I got up just really exhausted. Doing these kind of miles over this terrain is just not a smart idea. I guess the combination of miles, heat, bugs, and not being able to eat caught up with me. I should have realized it was coming. I got on the trail really early but my heart was just not in it. My blisters on my heels also had come back with new shoes and I am losing the same toenail that just grew back. It was not my morning. I got about 6 miles to the first shelter and met this great family. I must have looked a mess. We got to talking and they were heading out a mile down the trail and heading home. They offered to take me a bit farther down the trail if it would help me out. This is called yellow-blazing, something I did not want to be a part of on the trail, but today was not my day. I decided to jump ahead about 12 miles and then hike 7 miles to this really great cabin called Upper Goose pond. I figured 15 was more doable than 27. I plan on coming back and doing that section when I finish but doing it today might have been hike ending for me and I am not ready to leave the trail. I guess I just felt that I needed to be at that cabin, it was a weird feeling. Thanks so much to Jessica, Brian, Eli and Wyatt (and Emma the dog) for helping a very weary hiker. They dropped me and already I felt a bit better. It was still a tough hike for me to get there (8 miles roughly) but I made it. Tau was there and also feeling sluggish. I told her what happened. Mainly I was still trying to justify it to myself. Took my shoes off and just relaxed. I jumped into the pond, bathed, swam a bit, canoed, sunbathed, read, journaled and made some new friends - the caretakers Mike and Penny. It was exactly what I needed. I am still a bit upset with myself that I skipped a few miles but in the long run, if it gets me to Kathadin, I am okay with that. Sometimes you just need to listen to your body.

5/28/07 21.1 miles to Dalton, MA. Got this morning feeling 100% better, thank God. Mike and Penny made us rasberry pancakes and I was on my way. Tau had decided to stay the night because it was such a great spot. Did I mention I was finally able to eat a full dinner last night and the caretakers even gave us saw fresh veggies to go with it. The food definitely made me feel better, my body was a bit malnourished. Got on the trail and even my feet felt okay. I guess attitude is everything. A little breakdown goes a long way. Made pretty good time today, even got the iPod out and danced a bit down the trail. It felt good to be enjoying my hike again. I guess I lost that a little over the past few days. Got into Dalton and met Tom right away. Tom is a magical trail angel that lets thru-hikers stay at his house. What I didn't know is that he lets you shower and even stay inside on the couch, what a treat! The laundry is closed today so I did a little handwashing. Pilgrim, from earlier in the hike, came to help Tau out and gave me a lift to get some dinner and is going to help me slack tomorrow. What a great guy. So many people out here to help us - it truly unbelievable. I know this section of my hike is going to be different. There are not as many thru-hikers around and the terrain gets tougher. I feel like today is the first day of the rest of my hike. I know I can make it, I just needed to have another award-winning growing experience. Here's to hoping I stay safe, continue growing and reach my dream.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings and again for all the love and suppor t that you all offer thru emails, comments and phone messages. They get me through! More pics later.

Love,
Kentucky Blue