The day is cloudy with an 80 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon. Currently the temp is in the upper 70's with a moderate amount of humidity, quite comfortable compared to the weather of the last several weeks.
The shuttle driver arrives at 8 AM, and I am sitting outside the hostel waiting for her when she arrives. I load up and we start the hour-long drive down to Cheshire, and I get to enjoy the beautiful scenery on the way.
Around 9:30 I am on the trail and heading north. The trail first takes me through the town of Cheshire, notable for a huge wheel of cheese gifted to Thomas Jefferson in 1802. As soon as I pass out of town I immediately start climbing toward Mt. Greylock.
The climb Isn't too strenuous except in a couple places where it's rather steep. I just plod along, enjoying the beautiful weather and the occasional breeze through the trees.
I am taking a break when a woman who is about my age passes me and we talk briefly. Her name is Righty and her husband's name is Lefty and they are accompanied by another hiker named Awkward Silence, both of whom is behind us. She is really nice and I hope I get to catch up with them because they sound like a lot of fun. I pass her about a mile of the trail and we chat a little while longer.
The hike up to the Greylock Summit is uneventful and only takes a few hours. It's really hot and I am gushing sweat, sucking down an entire three liters of my water. I am completely out of water now, but as I approach the summit I come out on a service building that has a water spigot labeled for drinking water. I go ahead and fill up my water bladder because the rest of my hike today is downhill, and it's only another three and a half miles to the next shelter.
The trail emerges into a beautiful open bald on top of Mount Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts. A gorgeous tower memorializing Massachusetts war veterans towers over the bald, which is encircled by hiking paths.
From a vantage on top of the summit I can see more than 180 degrees. A sign details the names and locations of peaks and points of interest. To the southeast I can see the direction of the Connecticut River Valley, and to the north I can see Mount Snow and the area in which I will be hiking in the week to come.
The view also affords me the site of darkening storm clouds building on the horizon. As a result, I don't dawdle and instead continue my journey, hoping to make it to the next shelter before the rain starts.
The hike down from the summit offers some brief but beautiful glimpses of the valley. The trail is becoming significantly rockier as I descend, and I am thankful the rain holds off.
I pass several southbound hikers who hike with the ease of thru hikers and I exchange pleasantries with one of them, who confirms they started from Katahdin early last month. I am so excited to see them. There is going to be a lot more people on the trail for the next month.
I reach Wilbur Clearing Shelter by 5 PM. The shelter tent platforms are empty, and I descend to the shelter to check it out, considering staying inside. When I arrive, I see the shelter is inhabited by a woman. Her name is Meal Mode, and she was the very first hiker up The Hunt Trail to Katahdin when it opened for the season May 31st!
I prepare my dinner as we talk about trail life. I've decided to set up my hammock, as the shelter is a little stuffy in this humidity, but with the chance of rain, I decide to wait a little while, figuring that if a rain passes through, I can wait it out in the shelter.
30 minutes later, hiker after hiker arrives, and soon the two of us are propelled into setting up our camps, as the campsites are quickly becoming claimed by the arriving throng.
Soon there are at least 15 people camped out, all of which are thru hikers. I have not seen this many people in one campsite in years. This definitely must be the bubble, although several hikers remark that there are many people still in the Harpers Ferry area.
I retire to my hammock at 7:30 PM, thunder rumbling to the west, and as I am getting ready for bed, I realize that this is the first time in over a month that I'm not getting swarmed by mosquitoes! As a matter of fact, they're are no buzzing insects at all.
The one thing that's bugging me is muscle cramps. My feet are cramping, as are my calves, quads, and even my fingers. I lost a ton of fluid today, and thought I hydrated appropriately, replacing my electrolytes four times with Nu'un tabs, Liquid I.V., Scratch, and EmergenC. I also eat a lot of salty snacks throughout the day. But I can't even take off my socks without my toes cramping painfully.
I am getting tucked into bed when the first raindrops start. The temperature has cooled off, and I am looking forward to a long night's sleep.
Today's Stats: 11.3 miles, 3,270 feet gain
Trail Stats: 1,596 miles, 310K feet gain
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