Twig Adventures

Fri Oct 9th, 2020, 0700-1100Pete’s Spring, MA to Mt Greylock, MA8.5 miles, 3600 gain, 1500 loss We were scheduled to meet our ride at the top of Mount Greylock around noon. Given the short distance, there was no need to be on the trail before dawn. It was nice to set out in the light of day and we still managed to catch the sunrise over the Hoosic River. We came out of the mountains to travel along nearly empty suburban streets between the city centers of North Adams and Williamstown. After a mile, we were back in the woods and climbing towards the top. We went up quickly, stopping at several overlooks at Prospect Ledge and Mt. Williams. We[…]

Thu Oct 8th, 2020, 1010-1730Bennington / Rt 9 to Pete’s Spring, MA16.7 miles, 3950 gain,  3950 loss It was time to finish the LT, but with less than 15 miles to go, there was no rush. We planned to hike to the top of Mt Greylock the following day, so we’d camp overnight just past the VT/MA border. A big breakfast was the order of the morning, provided by a lovely local diner. My hiker hunger had started to hit, so I put down 3 eggs, toast, bacon and slices of tomato with ease.  The diner was packed with linesmen, getting ready for a big day restoring and inspecting all the power lines. I pondered how inconsequential electricity was to[…]

Wed Oct 7th, 2020, 0605-1430Black Brook to Rt 9 / Bennington VT, SOBO LT mile 256.421.5 miles, then about 3 miles walking around town, 4500 gain, 5400 loss The barred owl sounded the alarm clock at 5 am. It’s 2 single hoots were the very loud and forceful kind. I knew many of their varied calls, but they seemed to have different dialects around the country. About a week before, I heard a really weird noise that finished with a few familiar notes. I bet many of the crazy noises that hikers report are attributable to such owls. We had some miles to make into town, preferably before it started to rain. A front was coming in. The day started off[…]

Tue Oct 6th, 2020, 0600-1700Peru Peak Shelter to Black Brook, SOBO LT mile 23528.5 miles, 6150 gain,  6500 loss This day proved that big miles were still possible, at least on the AT. We wanted to hike 26 miles so that we’d be able to reach a town for resupply the next. It was also supposed to rain the next day, so it was better to get more of the miles done on a nice day. We met our goal plus some! As always, the early bird gets the miles. I knew this game plan worked and another benefit was that I had the trail all to myself for a few hours. The day started with a climb to Styles[…]

Mon Oct 5th, 2020, 0615-1630Clarendon Shelter to Peru Peak Shelter, SOBO LT mile 206.523.8 miles, 6300 gain, 5000 loss There was a breeze overnight, causing leaves to rain down on my tent, which I mistook as real rain. I was tuned into waking up when it starts to rain, so that I could put my tent flaps down. Hence, I woke up quite a few times for nothing. I also had weird dreams about animals grabbing me in my sleep. I guess my senses were elevated because of local stories. A bear had been grabbing food at this shelter in the past, but Firewood reported that the bear had been shot at the beginning of the hunting season. So there[…]

Sun Oct 4th, 2020, 0850-1630RT 4 / Inn at Long Trail to Clarendon Shelter, SOBO LT mile 182.815.6 miles, 3450 gain,  4350 loss I was super excited to wake up for breakfast in the morning. It was a real breakfast: an omelet with potatoes, toast, juice and coffee. The hall was filled with LT and AT hikers. There were at least 10 of us, including Doug and Steve, a son and father duo we met a few days before. Their mom/wife picked them up from Middlebury gap during the rain so they could stay at the Inn. Incidentally, the Inn’s 2 dinning rooms incorporated large rocks in situ, which was pretty cool to see how the rooms were built around[…]