We were up early this morning. We were packed up and on the trail just after 6:30am this morning, and it was already warm. We knew the day would be a hot one.
Not long after starting, we came across a group of 3 hikers looking at something just off the trail. As we approached, they pointed it out… timber rattler. It was another very dark one, and coiled up just off the trail. It never rattled though, meaning it wasn’t feeling threatened. We took a few photos and were on our way. After another climb we reached a small break in the trees where we got a glimpse down onto Limerock Park, a 1.5 mile road course race track. As we hiked the next few miles we could hear the cars, as there were events at the track today. It’s a bit odd to be hiking through the woods while being able to clearly hear a car race occurring just below you through the trees.
As we reached the bottom of the first ridge, it was time for some flat hiking, but unfortunately a lot of it was open fields and road walking, putting us out into the sun. We took a short break at the hydroelectric plant just outside of Falls Village, CT where they had a shower head off the side of one of the buildings so we could cool off.
As the day went on, it only got hotter. We stopped for lunch at a spot called Giant’s Thumb… a giant stone piece that looks kind of like a thumb. We were informed by a few other thru- hikers that there would be some trail magic ahead, as a friend of one of them (Pocahontas) was planning on meeting her. This gave us some additional motivation for that stretch.
The trail magic was real, and it was very nice. We were able to get some extra liquids in us, which was important today. We also got interviewed for a documentary, which was pretty neat. Keep an eye out at www.thruATdoc.com for details. Maybe we’ll be famous someday.
The end of the day was a long hike up Bear Mountain… the final piece of Connecticut. We have actually hiked this mountain before, on our second ever backpacking trip 5 years ago. We were going southbound at that time. We hung out on top for a while, just enjoying the spectacular view. The breeze was nice, and made the air feel cooler. It was difficult to walk away from the summit.
Luckily we only had a mile to our planned stop for the night, but the first part of it was a very steep and rocky descent. I remember climbing up those rocks years ago, and I remember not being happy about it. They were just as trying to climb down. We reached the campsite, and had to search for a bit to actually find a spot. There are quite a few people out here tonight, including weekend backpackers and thru-hikers. We grabbed the last tenting platform, which is a nice raised wooden platform so we’re nice and level tonight. We’re also officially in Massachusetts, and we passed 1500 miles today. Only 4 more states to go.
