Thursday, May 4, 2017
Conn. 41 to Guilder Pond
13 miles
We were going to take a day off today before moving on up to our next section and another shuttler, but Hudson wisely recommended that we consider slackpacking the Taconic Range section including Bear Mountain, Mt. Race and Mt. Everett. He said if we were going to slack anything, it should be that area up to and including Jug End. That would be 17 miles. I liked the idea of slacking a hard section, but didn't think I could do 17 miles in a hard section. So we decided to do 13 miles to Guilder Pond and that would cover most of the Taconic Range. Plus, if we waited until Friday to do it, we would be doing a very hard, rocky section in the rain making it more dangerous. Good advice, Hudson.
Conn. 41 to Guilder Pond
13 miles
We were going to take a day off today before moving on up to our next section and another shuttler, but Hudson wisely recommended that we consider slackpacking the Taconic Range section including Bear Mountain, Mt. Race and Mt. Everett. He said if we were going to slack anything, it should be that area up to and including Jug End. That would be 17 miles. I liked the idea of slacking a hard section, but didn't think I could do 17 miles in a hard section. So we decided to do 13 miles to Guilder Pond and that would cover most of the Taconic Range. Plus, if we waited until Friday to do it, we would be doing a very hard, rocky section in the rain making it more dangerous. Good advice, Hudson.
We started out at 9:00 with temps near 37 but it warmed up to around 62, making it a beautiful hiking day.
The 13 miles seemed like 16 because of tedious rock climbing down Bear and up Everett. The whale-back rock slabs on Mt. Race were reminiscent of New York. We were rewarded by some beautiful views along the way.
The 13 miles seemed like 16 because of tedious rock climbing down Bear and up Everett. The whale-back rock slabs on Mt. Race were reminiscent of New York. We were rewarded by some beautiful views along the way.
Bear Mountain is the highest peak in Connecticut at 2,316 feet. On top of the mountain is a pile of rocks providing an observation tower. I lost my P-Style somewhere on Bear Mountain after I was interrupted in the use of it by someone coming. I stuck everything I had in my pockets, and after the coast was clear, mysteriously my P-Style was gone. After looking for what seemed like a long time, I reluctantly had to leave it behind. In case you don’t know, a P-Style is an apparatus that allows women to pee while standing and without dropping her pants. I really missed it.
The northbound descent into Sages Ravine is so rocky and steep that an alternative route has been provided for foul weather. We didn’t use it.
The northbound descent into Sages Ravine is so rocky and steep that an alternative route has been provided for foul weather. We didn’t use it.
A highlight of the day was reaching the Connecticut/Massachusetts border after crossing Sages Ravine Brook. Yeehaw! Our first state completed. 50.7 miles of Connecticut.
Then we faced Race Mountain with a steep drop-off on one side and Mt. Everett—the second highest on the A. T. in Massachusetts. (The first being Mt. Greylock.)
At 6:00 we reached Guilder Pond, 9 hours to complete 13 miles. We were disappointed with our time but sure glad we were slacking and it wasn’t raining. At 2, 042 feet, Guilder Pond is the highest body of water in Massachusetts. It has a privy and a picnic area, but camping and swimming are not allowed.
We went to Econolodge in Lee. It turned out to be a poor choice although the reviews said it was very good. Plus it was really too far away from the trail. We ate dinner at McDonald's, not a good choice either.
We went to Econolodge in Lee. It turned out to be a poor choice although the reviews said it was very good. Plus it was really too far away from the trail. We ate dinner at McDonald's, not a good choice either.
No comments:
Post a Comment