Post #12-CT

  After Anita helped me slack pack for half the day, we had to say goodbye to each other as I headed back into the woods and she headed for home.  I had a relaxed couple of zeros (off days) and my soul and soles were grateful.

I also said goodbye to New York; I’m going to miss all those delis that were near most road crossings, but I will not miss the rocks. With new shoes on my feet and homemade granola in my food sack, I entered Connecticut. When I asked four teenagers and their dad, all from Connecticut, why it is called “the constitution state” nobody knew! That can be our trivia question for this week.

  This past week I’ve spent a lot of time hiking alone.  I occasionally would see a few section hikers but I saw only one thru hiker.  I seem to be between thru hiker bubbles.  Several of the guys I have hiked with at times over the past few weeks have taken some days off due to medical/injuries: Ironheart, Cowboy, Grimm, and Fly by Night.  Others, like Viking and JERM, have a faster pace than yours truly.  The strong NOBO thru hiker bubble that is south of me will soon catch up to me.

The weather had really been dry for the past several weeks; prior to my hike with Anita when it rained one afternoon, I think it had been three weeks since I had any rainfall where I was. Many springs and small streams have dried up. Thankfully, the AT app that I use does a really good job of identifying reliable water sources, which has allowed me to continue to carry only one liter of water. I am mindful of how far it is to the next water source and occasionally will carry extra water at the end of the day if the campsite that I’m heading for doesn’t have water.

Twice this past week, after I got camp set up, we had early evening thunderstorms. On each occasion I was able to catch runoff water and filter it for my potable water. Neither of those campsites had a good water source; the water that came from the hand pump well was rusty and the other site’s small stream was nearly dry. I also used the rain shower to give myself a sponge bath and to wash out my sweat soaked shirt. Control your imaginations, I wasn’t running around the woods buck naked; I had my shorts on. Although, on a separate occasion I had to make some additional noise and avert my eyes while the couple that was bathing scurried to the bank to hide themselves.

A kind stranger gave me a ride in to Salisbury, CT where I re- supplied. And once again I repeated the mistake of shopping when hungry with the same results: I bought twice as much food as I really needed. When will I learn? The blessings for the day were a quiet courtyard with tables and chairs where I could enjoy my Grinder (that’s Connecticut speak for a sub), got to wish my mom a happy birthday, and I was able to get my camp set up before the skies opened up.

Finally, by the end of the week I had ascended the highest peak in Connecticut and then entered the second largest cranberry producing state on our nation’s birthday. The only way for me to celebrate was to listen to the musical “Hamilton.”

Serve up those cranberries.