START LOCATION: Shaker Campsite
FINISH LOCATION: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
TODAY'S MILEAGE: 9.9
TRIP MILEAGE: 1,539.0
MILES TO GO: 640.1
The mosquito legion retreated by the time I awoke at 5:50 AM. I had a
blister to treat, so I spent 20 minutes on that. During that time, the
skeeters realized I was awake and regrouped. They are manageable
though. I didn't realize the siege I'd be under later in the day.
There was a really cool group of southbounding sectioners from
Connecticut tenting with us at the Shaker. They gave us coffee and
told us about the mysterious animal that was roaming around their tent
and sniffing last night. We couldn't figure it out, but probably not a
bear. Smoke and I didn't hear a thing. As always, we were dead to the
world. At 8AM we said our goodbye to our fellow campers and headed in
the direction towards Maine.
The hike out of Shaker takes you 3 miles through pastures, woods and
swamp at relatively flat elevation. I took a few pictures along the
way and fell a little ways behind Smokestack. As I passed through this
overgrown field, I felt a sharp pain in my right calf like I was
stabbed with a piece of broken glass... A hornet sting. I cursed him
out a bit as he went on his way. He was tough... He stung me through
my wool sock and synthetic liner. I shook it off and kept hiking...
It's all part of the fun.
We had a big climb after the Main Road near Tyringham, MA. The weather
was cooler and slightly less humid but man that uphill soaked us in
sweat regardless. After the crest we found a spring and loaded up.
While I was there we were attacked by deer flies and mosquitos. To put
the icing on the cake for my morning battle with biting insects, I
found an attached tick on my inner thigh. They all want a piece I
guess. That little tick left me uneasy... He was tiny and I didn't
know how long he'd been there. If it's been over 48 hours I have to
watch for Lymes disease symptoms. Let's cross our fingers... But, only
every 10th deer tick carries Lymes disease, so I'm hopeful I'm ok.
We had a 4 mile push to the Upper Goose Pond Cabin. The UGPC is an
Appalachian Mountain Club sponsored rustic two-story cabin. There is a
rotating set of caretakers that work 4 day stretches. They provide
bunks, privies, spring water, a gas stove, a wash area and a pancake
breakfast. That was all cool, but what was really awesome was the dock
and canoe provided on the shore of Upper Goose Pond. Smoke and I
planned on having lunch there and pushing another 9 miles to October
Mtn Lean-to. But, we looked at the hiking days coming up and realized
we had problem. To meet my family in Arlington, VT on Tuesday we
needed four 19+ mile days. This would destroy us. However, there was
no good road to get picked up earlier between there and Bennington,
VT. So, to get picked up in Bennington, all we needed was 13 mile
days... Way too short. This left us a great option... Stay put at UGPC
and enjoy the amenities. I called my dad to confirm the Bennington
pick up and we were good to go.
First order of recreation at the UGPC... Swim. My god, the water was
fantastic. It reminded me of swimming up on Rangeley and
Mooselookmeguntic Lakes in Maine growing up. It was a perfect thing to
do on a warm day after hiking 10 miles. Next was the canoe... Smoke
and I took the canoe out and explored the pond. As we rowed, Smoke was
blasting T-Pain's "I'm On A Boat". His arms were spread wide on the
starboard bow. I was wishing I'd brought my nautical-themed pashmina
afghan. But, it was fun anyway.
Back at the cabin, a few more people had rolled in. The caretakers,
Flatlander and Mama Lipton, were telling stories from their 2003 thru-
hike and some of their other adventures. Really sweet and kind people.
Smoke and I made dinner nice and early and I know I'll be in bed by
8:00AM. It'll be great. Tomorrow will be a wet day, finally. There's
an 80% chance of rain which normally would be a bad thing. I don't
care... After this drought, bring on the rain!
-natedog
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