A Night of Fireworks to Celebrate the Fourth

We were able to do a 21-mile day in order to make it into Dalton, MA, so we can watch fireworks.  They are going to shoot them off tonight at 10 p.m. so it will be a late night for us, but so be it.

Pond, Pancakes, and Coffee

We spent last night at Upper Goose Pond, which was just amazing.  Chilli was able to score a ride in a pontoon boat and was able to swim in the pond from the boat. There were many hikers there and we had a blast.  And, of course, there is the pancake and coffee breakfast.  I think most of the hikers were eating four to six pancakes each.  I did eat one, but no syrup. I thoroughly enjoyed the coffee, though.

Heat, Humidity, and Hiking

We have had some really high temperatures, which combined with high humidity has made for some shorter days and drinking at every water crossing we hit. The heat and humidity just really drains us. Even when drinking liters of water the body just becomes drained very quickly. The oppressive heat also makes it hard to breathe so the only thing to do is to just start very early, drink way more than you think you need, and use a wet bandanna on your forehead and the back of your neck.

Getting Ready for Vermont

We have had some decent climbs, which are getting us ready the mountains of Vermont. We will be tackling Mt. Greylock in a couple of days and I cannot wait.  I loved the hike up to it back in 2012, so I’m looking forward to being there again. I’m just praying that there aren’t crazy storms this time.  The last time I was there I got into Bascom Lodge and the ranger stationed there said that if the storms didn’t clear I would be staying in the emergency shelter. But the storms did clear and I was able to move on.

Massachusetts Trail Magic

We have had more tail magic in this state than any other. Yesterday we ran across a farm stand where we purchased fresh eggs and had hard-boiled eggs for breakfast. Later in the day we came across a cooler that Jim W had put out with some ice cold Gatorade and ginger ale. There were also some snacks.  It was so hot that the ice cold refreshments were just amazing. Thank you to all of the trail angels out there who think of us hikers trying to make miles on such oppressively hot and humid days. I haven’t heard of any hikers suffering from heat stroke yet, but it could be because of all the trail angels.