NH,VT & MASS- Part 4

Dates ........ Friday Sept 29, 2000
Miles ........ 16.5 miles
From ........ MA Crystal Mountain Campsite
To ............. October Mountain Lean-to
Weather ... 26 degF AM, clear and cold - warmed in PM to 60's

Dalton, MA

On the trail at 8 AM, it was very cold. I warmed up quickly as I hiked through the woods with clear blue sky overhead. I came across a large blackberry patch heavily laden with fruit. Whenever I came across these succulent treats I could not resist them. I picked a handful and dropped them into my mouth - they were tasty and delicious, though they were frozen solid.

On the outskirts of Dalton I met a trail maintainer, his daughter and grandson. The old timer had the AT in his blood, you could tell. His pretty daughter was a nature lover and the little grandson had a sparkle in his eyes that said "future hiker here." Maintaining the trail was a family affair. I thanked him for his labor and told him how distinctly better the trail was in Massachusetts than it was in Southern Vermont, then went on my way.

I met a northbound hiker coming out of Dalton. He told me of a good bagel and coffee shop in town. I followed his advice and directions, ordered a bagel, bacon and egg sandwich and coffee to go. While that was cooking, I went next door and ordered a couple of subs; roast beef and tuna for dinner and tomorrow's breakfast. Then I called home and walked the rest of the way through town. Dalton is a quaint little town where everyone seems to know everyone else. They are friendly, many greeting me with a smile and wave. Over the river and to the end of Depot Street, the trail returned to woods and a steady but gradual climb up Day Mountain.

I met a northbound hiker coming out of Dalton. He told me of a good bagel and coffee shop in town. I followed his advice and directions, ordered a bagel, bacon and egg sandwich and coffee to go. While that was cooking, I went next door and ordered a couple of subs; roast beef and tuna for dinner and tomorrow's breakfast. Then I called home and walked the rest of the way through town. Dalton is a quaint little town where everyone seems to know everyone else. They are friendly, many greeting me with a smile and wave. Over the river and to the end of Depot Street, the trail returned to woods and a steady but gradual climb up Day Mountain.

Mt. Greylock MA (3491') , Mt Williams to right, Greylock's long ridge left.

On top of Warner Hill I ran into the girl again, along with two other women and an injured dog. It was a clear view back to Greylock Mountain. I took a picture of the mountain and its long ridge. As I prepared to resume hiking I spotted a green snake on the grass near a rock and photographed it. The ladies wanted no part of the cute little creature. When the trail came out on Pittsfield Road, I took advantage of a warm grassy spot in the sun to rest for a few moments, and then pushed on to the October Mountain Lean-to.

Making the October Mountain shelter would leave me a very short hike tomorrow. I could meet my ride home at mid-day. I hiked through a muddy forest of mixed hardwoods and pines. It felt good to be nearing my des-tination and a ride home. At the lean-to, I filtered water and hung my food bag from the steel bear-proof cable they had rigged between two large trees

Nitta, the girl I had met earlier came along. She became friendlier and more talkative as the evening wore on. She was from Israel and thought the AT beautiful, though she questioned her desires to continue in the face of colder weather. A trail runner happened by and took a few moments to chat with us before donning his headlamp and continuing, his bobbing yellow light fading off into the black of the forest night.

Nitta was hiking alone and expressed no fears of the trail or the people along it - after all, she was from the war-torn and terrorist prone Middle East. Nothing along the trail posed a threat to her, except bears. And this particular shelter had signs warning of Black Bear problems and the register was full of comments about sightings, raided packs and lost food. After I ate a filling and delicious tuna sub for supper I made sure there was no food left in my pack and clothes, burned the sub wrapper, and turned in for the night. We chose to sleep in the easier to defend upper roof overhang. Previous occupants had left a supply of large-sized throwing rocks there.

Nitta in front of October Mountain Lean-to.

It was a good thing we took every precaution. Just before the clear, cold dawn, a black bear tried to get our food. Through a dirty and hazy Plexiglas window I could make out his big black form moving about underneath the food storage cable and heard him and clawing the tree to which it was fastened. I debated whether to get dressed and try to get a picture and decided I did not want to get that cold and that close to him - I would take a picture if he came closer to the shelter. He did not. In the morning I saw the fresh paw prints in the dirt and claw marks in the tree bark. Nitta slept through it all. Just as well. I did not want her to worry needlessly. My last night on the trail, I was really disappointed that I did not see one single moose in three weeks and 300 miles of hiking through moose country.

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