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[at-l] Pittsburgh in New England #2...



Day Two - Notch Road (north of Mount Greylock) northbound to Mill Road -
10.3 miles...

Weather - cool and overcast in the morning - steady cold rain from about
noon on...

I left motel about 6:45am to scout out route to Mill Road.  Returned about
8:00am and headed out with both vehicles to Mill Road, leaving one.  Picked
up Cosmo Catalano (sp) about 9:15am and headed to Notch Road.  Started
hiking around 10:00am...

Most of the trail throughout the hike is rocks, roots, and mud - and add
fallen leaves into this mix for the first few miles.  Footing was at times
treacherous.  Cosmo has spent many hours working on the AT, and is very
familiar with this particular stretch of trail...

The beginning of this hike has some steep descents, and is very slippery.
We were very diligent with every step.  I am surprised that I stayed upright
throughout the day...

We entered North Adams with a residential road walk, and ate lunch near the
Route 2 crossing from 11:30am to Noon.  We reentered the woods after a short
residential roadwalk, and a walk up a residential driveway.  The steady cold
rain started at this time.  The trail ascended gently for about two miles,
following Sherman Brook, a gorgeous cascading stream.  I stopped near the
Sherman Brook Campsite for an extended break.  I was cold and wet, and put
on my fleece.  At this point I was very unhappy with the cold rain.  This
and the continual ascent was zapping my energy.  After hiking a bit, the
fleece was warming me up too much, so off it came.  I chilled again, and put
the fleece back on.  This continued for a bit - fleece on - fleece off -
fleece on - fleece off...

Because of the rainy, slippery conditions, the bad weather blue blaze looked
good for ascending Eph's Lookout.  Cosmo spoke of the hand-over-hand rock
scramble, and I opted out.  Eph's Lookout is a boulder strewn mountain top,
with blazes on the rocks, and with a few cairns here and there.  It has the
feel of going above treeline.  I became very chilled while out from under
the canopy, and put my fleece on for good.  I had never worn fleece before,
and am very, very glad that I remembered to bring it along today.  It may
have literally saved my life, or at least prevented a rescue - hypothermia
was not far away at any point today...

The rest of the hike had little elevation change, but many PUDS.  It was
just a matter of putting your head down and placing one foot in front of the
other.  There were a few interesting LARGE boulders, and one beautiful fern
field.  Somewhere in there we unceremoniously entered Vermont.  Here the AT
becomes the LT/AT.  For the next 105.1 miles the AT follows along with the
Long Trail (LT).  The LT predates the AT...

Cosmo was ahead and hwas to spend the night at the Seth Warner shelter.  I
hiked in to the shelter to say goodbye.  Also at the shelter was Gary from
Fairfax (AT-Ler) and a section hiker named Bill.  Gary had apparently had a
wonderful shuttle from Mrs Gorp a few days previously.  He said something
about a great personality and continuous smile...

Skyline was waiting in his warm truck when I finally hiked out.  We drove to
Notch Road to get my van and then drove to a AYCE Chinese buffet.  We were
smelly and muddy and hungry - and we did some damage...

pittsburgh


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