Day 116: Adventures in Boondocking. And a Mountain.

Walmart

Some Walmart stores allow boondocking. Others do not. According to the internet, Dalton’s Walmart allows overnight stays in their parking lot. But when we got there, all the lots just outside of Walmart’s main lot had signs stating that overnight campers would be towed and fined. So, we found a sunny spot on the fringe of the main lot well away from any shoppers’ cars.

We recently discovered that if you ask the store managers at the no-camping Walmart’s in advance, they will let you camp one night if you park on the edge of the lot and are discreet about it. They won’t officially give you permission, but they will tell you with a wink that no one will care if you don’t call attention to yourselves.

But after an hour, a big RV pulled in near us, pulled out their camping chairs, cracked open some beers, and started doing repairs on their rig while a half dozen visitors came and went. It had all the hallmarks of the kinds of behaviors that lead to the midnight knock. And if they got the knock, they looked like the sort to point us out to the cops. So, I pulled up my maps and started looking for alternatives.

Plan B: Tom Livardi

On my walk into Dalton yesterday afternoon, I’d passed a house decorated with all sorts of AT paraphernalia, so my first thought was to knock on their door and ask if I could park on the street out front. FarOut informed me that Tom Livardi, a well-known trail angel, owned the house and allowed thru hikers to camp in his backyard.

But when we drove up to his house, we found that his street wasn’t wide enough for on-street parking. So, I parked next door in a commercial lot before walking up to his front door to ask for suggestions about where we could go. Tom happily agreed to let us park in his backyard, but the spot he pointed at was sloped and right next to some tents. Meanwhile, the owner of the commercial lot had showed up to give us the boot. Until he met Northstar.

Northstar worked her charm, and by the time I got back to the van the guy had agreed to let us park there if we left before 8:00 am when the place opened up. I think if I’d left Northstar alone and she had time to push a bit, we’d be staying in his guestroom. The guy took a picture of our license plate, “in case something went missing in the building,” and told us to tell the cops that “Dennis said it’s okay” if they showed up to roust us in the middle of the night. I envisioned a lot of ways all that could go wrong, but by then I just wanted to go to sleep.

Heading Out

I got up early to beat our 8:00 am deadline, stopping by Tom’s house to fill my water bladder with the supply he leaves out for hikers. I noticed that he’d put out breakfast for the tenters along with some other goodies. Incredible.

I moved the van to a vacant lot across the street from the ice cream shop, and left Northstar and Gus sleeping. Gus showed no signs of wanting to get out of bed after his 19 miles yesterday, so I gave him the day off.

Goals

My goal for today was climbing Mount Greylock, a 2,000-foot ascent of Massachusetts’ highest peak, enroute to a 17-mile day with 4,800 feet of total climbing. I haven’t had that big of a climbing day since central Virginia. I looked at today’s climb as preparation for what’s coming in Vermont and New Hampshire.

My other goal was to score a room at Bascomb Lodge at the Greylock summit. I’d called and emailed them yesterday but hadn’t gotten a response. I wasn’t optimistic, but you never know.

My final goal was to find a nice coffeeshop in Dalton or Cheshire. The van’s batteries were drained this morning, so I’d had to skip my morning tea. But both towns relegated the AT to side streets away from the main drag and any potential chai lattes. Brutal.

A PUD in the Long Green Tunnel

Dalton and Cheshire are separated by about eight miles of long green tunnel, one 800-foot-high PUD, and a saw-toothed descent. Not the most exciting terrain, but at least it put me eight miles closer to Katahdin.

Cheshire’s Moment of Pride

To make up for the less-than-inspiring hike from Dalton, Cheshire offered up a concrete replica of a 1,235-pound block of cheese the town had gifted to Thomas Jefferson in 1802. I guess it’s been a while since something noteworthy happened here.

Even better, they had a Dollar General just a few steps from the trail. Incredibly, the Dollar General had no 1,000-pound cheese blocks, but I was able to procure a chocolate milk, Gatorade, and a bag of chips and eat them on the sidewalk out front while contemplating my impending climb.

Southbounders

I’d passed at least eight southbounders on the hike from Dalton to Cheshire. In general, I’ve found southbounders to be friendlier than northbounders. Maybe they’re fresher and still full of residual excitement after hiking New Hampshire’s White Mountains. I try to match their enthusiasm and listen to their stories about what’s next for me.

This morning, one of them solemnly warned me that my hike was about to get “horribly difficult” and that I’d “probably hate it.” I replied that I don’t really mind climbing and that I was looking forward to getting above the tree line, and to see Fall colors in a month.

He smugly persisted with his message of doom, so I took his cue and warned him that he was about to encounter some of the more mentally tough parts of the trail – mosquito swarms, spirit-crushing humidity, and 1,500 miles of uninterrupted long green tunnel. I probably went too far. He suddenly looked crushed as if he’d just realized he already eaten his tasty dessert and now only had a plateful of bland mashed potatoes left.

Climbing Greylock

Fueled with sugar, caffeine, and the satisfaction of ruining a SOBO’s hike, I started the six mile climb up Mount Greylock. The ascent had some steep spots but nothing too punishing. If anything, the climb was a little boring, with very few views past the trees. My legs were still relatively fresh when I finally reached the summit. I’d averaged a respectable 2.4 mph on the ascent.

I checked in at the Bascomb Lodge, discovered that they were booked, and was informed that overnight parking was prohibited on the entire mountain. Then Northstar texted to let me know she’d been delayed waiting for the Progressive claims adjuster to call.  I almost decided to hike another six miles down to North Adams and meet her but decided to pace myself.

While I waited, I climbed the memorial tower, took in the views I’d earned, bought some overpriced snacks and drinks in the Lodge café, and battled the horrible Wi-Fi in the lobby. She appeared in no time, and we drove back down the mountain to North Adams for another night of Walmart, this time with the winking approval of the store manager.

Daily Stats

• Start: Dalton, Massachusetts (Mile 1577.3)
• End: Mt. Greylock (Mile 1594.3)
• Weather: Overcast, cool, humid. Mid-afternoon drizzle.
• Earworm: Whip It (Devo) – hey, I don’t ask for these things.
• Meditation: Lk. 12:27-31
• Plant of the Day: Wild Thyme
• Goal: Summit Mt. Greylock
• Best Thing: 2,000-ft climb
• Worst Thing: Rain