Something strange happened today. Of all the people camping around us, we were the first to get up and moving. I guess it’s only fair to point out that Norvegan is hiking with her brothers for a few days so they don’t have thru-hiker urgency. And Baby is hiking with Elizabeth (aka Mummy) for a few days, so no thru-hiker urgency there. And then there’s us, no thru-hiker urgency there. But there was morning pee urgency of old man which trumps thru-hiker urgency. (Notice I mentioned Trump and piss in the same sentence and let it slide—a hint of growth? Or just apathy?)
Fact of the matter is, we nailed it this morning and were the first out of camp at, (drum roll please) the early hour of 9a. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. How are we getting slower? Bunny has been trying to get me to get up at 5 to do all the chores so everything is ready when she wakes up at 7:45. I guess I need a little more obedience training.
Connecticut is surprisingly hilly. We stopped short yesterday of our mileage goal because we had already climbed over 4000’ for the day. Today was just as hilly. It’s kind of like death by a thousand cuts/hills. No one hill is fatal, but add them all together.
We stopped at Pine Swamp Brook Shelter for a snack. I offered to let Bunny go get water, she declined. After I made the extra half mile round trip, Box Turtle came into the shelter, followed by Norvegan and her brothers. We all discussed possible destinations for the day and commiserated about the lack of camping options in the 15-17 mile range. Bunny and I decided that we were going to head to Falls Village, grab a bite to eat, and then decide from there.
Water snakes emit a foul, musky odor if they are scared. Rattlesnakes shake their rattle when they are upset. Copperheads emit the smell of cucumbers when they feel threatened (if you smell a salad while hiking, tread lightly). Bunny also has a similar reaction when she gets frightened. She emits a strong smell of feces that lasts until the next shower and load of laundry.
Why do I mention these facts? Because after passing the summit of Mount Easter, two of these things happened. B had just passed us after we had warned him about an hornets nest ahead (according to Guthook). Bunny was only a minute behind him passing the tree with the nest. No problem. Another 50 feet down the trail, Bunny slammed on the breaks. I thought that we had told him the wrong location of the nest, but then I caught a whiff of feces followed by the sound of a rattle. I can say with confidence that the smell of feces travels faster than the speed of sound of a rattlesnake.
This was the biggest rattlesnake (girth-wise) that we have seen to date. Rattlesnake sightings now outnumber bear sightings on our journey. I thought we were getting to the northern edge of their range. I will be happy when we get far enough north to only have to worry about bears, moose, squirrels, and the occasional Russian spy making big trouble for said moose and squirrel. (Note to self: remember to remind Bunny to stay away from moose up north. They all admire David Copperfield and try to do magic. Yes, they are always trying to pull a rabbit out of their hat.)
The final couple of miles of climbing were above a racetrack in the valley. We had heard them a lot last evening and it was deafening today. It gave us a little more incentive to speed up and get to town. Once we got down to the flat section of trail next to the Housatonic River, Box Turtle caught up with us and told us he had ordered pizza delivery in town and suggested we call in and get delivery to the same location at the same time.
Our food was supposed to be delivered at 5:30 to the package liquor store. Instead, the minute we got to the road leading to town at 4:45, a pizza delivery guy was waiting for us. There was also trail magic going on at the same location. Two women, Liz and Concetta (from Long Island) had just completed a 15 mile out and back over the last few days. They were giving away a lot of leftover and extra stuff they had.
Just yesterday, I told Bunny that I was about out of toothpaste and had run out of powder. Once again, the trail provides. Bunny also grabbed us a couple of energy bars and a dehydrated meal. Box Turtle and b were also getting food and incidentals they needed.
We had our food that was supposed to be delivered with Box Turtle’s food in town. He didn’t get his, so he walked on into town. We sat down at a picnic table and started to eat. We saw Baby and Mummy ahead trying to hitch a ride. We motioned them over to have some pizza. Mummy was upset and trying to catch a ride to get back to NYC early because something was wrong with a friend. She was most upset because she was going to have to wait until morning to get back to the city.
While we were talking to them, Norvegan and her brothers arrived. I offered them all pizza before I remembered why Norvegan had gotten her name. She’s a vegan from Norway. However, her brothers are not. Between everyone, we were able to kill it.
Bunny and I headed into town to set up camp at Toymakers. After overeating and sitting for a while, two things happen: your legs get stiff and your body gets tired. When we got to the cafe, we found Nonna and Freeman already set up. We were afraid that we wouldn’t catch them again before Nonna left the trail. The Norwegian crew came in and set up camp as well.
When in a new town, first order of business is to eat. We had already done that. Second is laundry and shower (most important after a rattlesnake encounter) but that’s not available for another few days. Next option, hit the liquor store. Nonna and Freeman bought a 12 pack and we all sat around talking about trail experiences and politics. These are both safe trail topics since we are all of the same mind out here.
It was getting dark (hiker midnight) so we all were getting ready to turn in. We were a bit concerned because Baby and Mummy hadn’t shown up yet and Baby’s pack was here. They showed up just after dark to set up camp. These youngsters have too much energy—this is the second time this week they’ve been out past dark.
EFG