[at-l] Ken Knight writes!!!

[kahley7@ptd.net (kahley)]

Foreworded for Ken!
You can write to Ken at krk@speakeasy.net



My adventure continues. It has had ups and downs literally and
metaphorrically. Lots of them. I suppose that in a morbid way the "downs" 
are the more
interesting to some people but I think I will try to dwell more on the
"ups."
The hiking through MA. has been slow. Granted I have taken some short days
so I could spend time going to a baseball game between the Pittsfield
Astros and the New Jersey Cardinals (I think). The game, in an old wooden
stadium called Wacona Park (sp), was a lot of fun and I am glad I went. 
This is
the last year the team will play there and I gather no new team is going to
fill the space left when they move to Syracuse, NY.. I had another short
day when I spent the bulk of the day, after trying and failing to get an
oversized cap on the SWA hydration bladder repaired (the big cap where you 
pour
water into just snapped off one day while I was filling the bladder I
think at Finerty Pond), at Upper Goose Pond. This is a lovely spot with an AMC
cabin that has plenty of bunkbeds, a lovely pond you can swim or canoe, and
serves pancakes for breakfast. I had a great time there just relaxing and
chatting with people. Of course, I had had some some "downs" as I tried to
get there like the SWA equipment failure. I had some more "downs" as I
spent time being lost near Finerty Pond. Lost is too strong a word since I was
always able to find the trail (after about half an hour of trying) but it
is really poorly marked in that area and a local day hiker (former AT 2000
miler) got lost in exactly the same spot.
But, to keep focusing on the "ups"... The climbs up Jug End, Bear Mtn. Race
Mtn. and Everett Mtn. were rocky and tough. I am very glad I had them as
ascents and not descents. Going down the backsides of the mountains was hard
enough with the large rocks (and the large rock ridges were slow going
too). But, the views on these mountains were exquisite and I met many good
people along the way. Among those good people were Spur and Ready who I
crossed paths with at the summit of Bear Mountain at the rock tower (which 
used
to be quite a bit larger than it is today and commemorates the fact that
Bear Mtn. is the highest point in CT, at least they thought so at the time
though there is a higher point in reality and Bear Mtn. is simply the highest
wholly contained in the state mountain). I also met other people I had
bumped into at Harpers Ferry or in MD back in late June like Mountaingoat and
Hipbone and a couple days later on (during a day that was destined to lead
to a really crummy day) Rambunny and Honey and Moon crossed my path.
I will mention the crummy day in passing. I spent the night at Belters
campsite just south of the US 7 and Conn. 112 intersection with the AST. Nice
campsite exept I could not find the privy and then I could not find my way
back to my backpack. This happened in the morning and I got myself
completley screwed up and honestly and truly lost. I could not find the 
campsite
trail I could not find the AT and I kenw they couldn't be far away. Worse I
could hear the major roads down the minor mountain but could not get to them
and I have the scratches and such to prove that brush is dense. I spent
some five hours being lost until a southbound hiker named Indiana answered my
calls for help. We found each other and he led us back to the AT though by
a different route then the one he took to get down to me. That cuased us
some trouble and we had a fair bit of uphill bushwhacking to do to reach the
AT, but we did it. My five plus hour ordeal was over and I thanked Indiana
several times. I would have offered him some Magic Cookie Bars if he had
given me the chance, but as I was retrieving my backpack from the campsite he
zipped on by never to be seen again.
The incident is certain a freak, but it shows that even a hiker who should
know better can do something completely stupid. I certainly did. I was very
unhappy and frustrated. And that came upon some frustration from the day
before with following the AT as it traveled along some highways and biways
here in CT. The trail just isn't as well marked as I would like when it
follows roads. I think overblazing on roads is a fine idea. At least I got to
see some nice views though like Rand's View and the Giant HTumb. Too bad
the region's taxi services are so lackluster though. I'd love to do a
slackpack today while I wait for an A16 bug bivy but I'm afraid I wouldn't 
be able
to get back to Salisbury from say Cornwall or US 7/Conn. 112. Car services
here just stink.
I will continue on though. I will push ahead and try to get some good
hiking in. I will, damn it, have a string of days where I don't have route
finding troubles or anything like that. I can't explain why I've had so many
problems on this section when I had so few (with a couple notable exceptions)
last year in Virginia.
I'm leaving out a lot but this has gotten rather long. I did, I think, see
the Barefoot Sister blow by me but we were all in hiking mode and really
did not exchange greetings. Besides, unlike several others they don't know me
even though we were all at the RUCk last January.
I'll have more to say later on and then, of course, when I do finish there
will be my journals that everyone can read. WHen the hiking has been good
it has been quite good. It is just that when it has been bad things ahve
been really rather lousy. Ups and downs as I said...


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