After a good dinner last night, great conversation with the Whites, I crashed out and slept all night. There is something special about being with familiar faces, wonderful friends and people that just make life so much better. Alan and Blue are my people.

We all woke up early. Alan went for a walk just as it started misting. It’s gonna rain today. Blue was already packed and ready last night. I needed to still sort through all the things my hubby sent, and decide what I really needed and what I could send home. It’s so nice to have options, and being Alan is going back today, he could take my discarded items home to George.

We headed over to Zoey’s Deli & Bakery for breakfast. It is voted the best Deli since 2004 by Michelin. I have to agree, this place was outstanding. We all had different egg sandwiches, which you all know is my most favorite. Zoey’s bakes their own bread, English Muffins, cookies and all things good. What a treat, and how lucky for us, it was right down the street from our motel.

After breakfast, we headed to the Outfitters for one last stop. I purchased some shoe inserts that didn’t fit well and needed to return them. And Blue realized that she left her trekking poles at home, and she’s gonna need a pair. Ten minutes later, Blue has new trekking poles, and somehow I ended up with a new hiking shirt. It all worked out perfectly.

Alan dropped us off at the trailhead in the rain. Looks like Blue is going to get a taste of Vermont mud on day one. No breaking in easy, just douse her with a firehose. And the extended forecasts is for rain showers till the Fourth of July. Oh joy. I had to take a picture of our shoes, because this would be the last time they would be nice and new. Before long, they would be caked in mud, drenched in water and we’d have dirt splattered all over ourselves. Welcome to the Appalachian Trail Blue.

Take a guess what we first had to do as soon as we left the parking lot? Yep, climb up to Bromley Mountain. Bromley Mountain is home to a popular ski resort in Vermont. After climbing 1500’ elevation in a downpour, we arrived at the Ski Patrol Warming Hut. What a great surprise it was to find it open. We went inside and had a nice lunch of tuna, crackers and chips. Yum, what could be better?

It rained pretty much the entire day. But lucky for us, both Blue and I have umbrellas. The temperature was a balmy 65 degrees, which was quite comfortable unless you stopped. We were moving most the day, dodging huge mud puddles, mosh pits and pig pens of muck. Well not really. Our crisp new trail runners were a dirty mess. I somehow had a fern attach to my shoe and Blue, well her shoes are a pale purple which the mud blends in with quite nicely, if I say so myself.

After descending from Bromley Mountain, we had another good climb to do, up and over Styles Peak. Blue was leading and kept saying we reached the top. Nope, not yet. It had many false summits but after an hour or so, we finally arrived. There were no views to take in being we were in the clouds. We ran into some crazy trail runners, who were soaking wet and decided that today was a good day for a run. I’m sure they scratched their heads when they saw us, with our loaded backpacks and umbrellas. At least the runners will go home tonight, take a shower and put some dry clothes on. Unlike me and Blue who are not sure where we are spending the night.

We made it to Peru Peak Shelter where 6 others has staked their claim. It was the same group I’ve been hanging with since Catamount Motel. They were pretty cozy, so after scouting around for level tenting sites, I made the command decision, that we should hike on.

Blue likes her privacy and she was good with heading north. About a half mile up trail is Griffith Lake. It’s run by the Green Mountain Club and has a Privy and several tenting platforms. It was an easy walk on many boardwalks, and we found our place to call Home-Sweet-Home. The rain stopped, just long enough to set up camp, get some brackish water from the lake and hunker down. By the time I was cooking dinner, the rain came back. Lovely.

So today was especially good. I have my hiking partner back. Blue hiked with me last year on the AT for over 400 miles, so she knows what she’s getting into. She has a great attitude, and is a ton of fun to hike with. We are similar pace and that makes it that much easier.

Thank you Lord for providing me exactly what I needed, at the perfect time. These past few weeks were vital for me to be solo, to get into a rhythm and to be with you, one on one. But you also know, that I need people to help me become better, to keep me from falling apart, and to share my emotions, frustrations and feelings with. It is so important that I have a few special people in my life, just like Jesus had. He had his 12 Disciples but then he also had his inner circle. Blue is my inner circle. Thank you my dear one for being such a good and faithful friend! You truly came at the perfect time. What a blessing indeed.

Just like Chef said, at midnight he was packing up. I’m such a light sleeper in Shelters. He really was trying to be quiet and honestly, I may have been the only one who woke up. Chef wanted to make it to the Trailhead. There was a planned shuttle ride at noon and he was giving himself plenty of time to arrive. He left shortly after 1am, and I fell back to sleep. And sleep I did because I didn’t budge till 6am.

There were close to ten hikers in the shelter this morning, getting ready for their days hike. Everyone was heading to town to restock, pick up parcels or get new shoes. I think this has been the toughest week on trail. Not because of the terrain, the elevation or the rocks but the dismal weather and the relentless mud. It is wearing us all out.

Ultra and Mary Poppins were the first ones out and I was left with the men and the boys. None of us were in a hurry. It is ten miles to town and we will get there by lunch. I drank my coffee, had a biscotti with some peanut butter, then headed to the Privy. This is the best part of Shelters. A proper toilet seat to sit upon while doing one’s business. After you’re done, you toss in some wood shavings, close the toilet lid and shut the door behind you. No flushing required.

I headed out ahead of the men. Once I was back on the AT, I immediately traced through the pig pen. The trail was downright, a muddy mess. I looked at my shoes and said, this is your last day. Let’s just walk straight through this disgusting disaster of a trail. And that’s what me and my Brooks did. Norman is lucky that he gets a free ride and hasn’t experienced this kind of filth. Sometimes it’s a good thing to be a monkey, riding high above, without a care in the world.

The miles clicked by so slowly. I had slept okay, once Chef was on his way. But my feet are hurting and I’m running on empty. I think it’s a combination of Vermud, the weather and all the endless rain, and the lack of anything truly remarkable, but mushrooms and Newts. This trail is much more physical than I had expected. Even with the thousands of miles I have walked before, this is different. The rocks bruise my feet, and the mud makes me feel like I’m wearing a brick underfoot. And now I’m dealing with trench foot because my socks are always wet. It’s just no more fun!

The trail meandered through the woods, lots of trees and more mushrooms. The good thing with all this rain is there’s an endless supply of water sources. I’m only filling one liter at a time so that saves weight. The trail turned into a gravel road for some time. It had lots of rocks and pea gravel in between. After five hours, I arrived in Manchester.

The Motel was close to the trail. There was no one at the Front Desk and the Hispanic Staff didn’t speak much English. Jose called someone on the phone and let me talk to her. She told me the system was down so she couldn’t check me in but would send someone over to assist. Hmm, I had all sorts of thoughts going through my head right about now!

After ten minutes or so, Paul shows up and checks me in. He asks for my Drivers License (DL) and Credit Card. When he looks at my DL, and comments on the nice photo of me. I tell him I usually look better than this but I’ve been rolling around in the mud for the past four days. He laughs and proceeds to drive me to the room across the way. I’m super grateful because honestly, I don’t think I can walk another step!

As soon as I get in the room, I take my wet soggy tent out of its bag and hang it outside. Then I get all my dirty laundry together, which is everything I own and put that in a pile. Finally, I head to the shower. I turn on the hot water and wait. It literally was 2-3 minutes before hot water started running. I proceed to stand in the shower and wash all the filth off me, for a very, very long time.

Just when I’m ready to throw in the towel, Jesus has a special surprise for me. When I wonder how I’m going to continue on, walk one more mile, go through another muddy path, my sweet Lord brings me a ray of sunshine named Natalya. Blue is coming to hike with me. Don’t tell her what I’ve been going through because she may turn around and fly back to California. I will break the news slowly, one step at a time, one muddy puddle after another. Oh how misery loves company! Welcome to the Appalachian Trail Blue. This is gonna be fun.

On a serious note, I really needed some talking off the ledge today. I was about as down as I could be and truly asking myself how I was going to continue. Just as my God planned it, Morgan May from Bayside Church shares a verse that cut me like a sword. It’s one I am very familiar with.

“Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31

Just when I thought that I could not go any further, when my feet could not walk another mile, and my legs were not strong enough, and my soul was crushed, that’s when God steps in. You child of mine, you are not suppose to be doing this in your own strength. You need to fix your eyes on me, your Heavenly Father, and let me help you. When you are weak and tired, depend on Jesus. Pass the trekking poles to the Lord and let Him take over. Then you can soar on eagles wings, you can run and not feel weary, and you can walk and not be faint! That’s my amazing and awesome God.

Early to bed and early to rise, gets the worm first? I’m not sure but I was up bright and early. Stops a Lot was giving rides back to the trail at 6:45am. That’s perfect. Today I wanted to set myself up for Manchester on Saturday. I knew it was going to be a lot of climbing and with the mud yesterday, I wasn’t sure how fast I’d be moving.

There were five of us going back this morning, while the others were either staying in town for a much needed Zero or they planned to take the late shuttle. Stops a Lot loaded me up with fresh fruit and an orange bell pepper. That’ll be eaten for lunch, if not sooner. I followed behind Hambone, Mary Poppins and Ultra. Catnap stayed behind me.

The morning was foggy and cool. Perfect temperature for hiking if you ask me. The first thing was a 1500’ climb to Glastenbury Wilderness. I would be in the wilderness for most the day. The problem with the wilderness is they don’t do anything to help hikers out. The river crossings are all natural. No bridges, no stepping rocks placed symmetrical for ease of crossing, no nothing. It’s all left in its’ natural state with minimal blazing, markings or clearing. They even warn you that rescue may take a bit longer due to the primitive conditions of the trail. Sure it looks nice, but it’s a tough stretch to hike.

The great part about the day was there was no rain. The only drops I felt was when the wind picked up and shook the trees. Any leftover dew would land on me or whomever was passing by. The ground was still wet and muddy though. Within a few minutes, my somewhat dry shoes and socks were soaking once again. This is the part of Vermont that I am not loving.

Around 10am I found a clearing that almost had a view. I can tell that the fog is trying to lift, and maybe just maybe, I will have my first day in a week without rain. That would be wonderful. I sat for a bit, ate my gala apple and some nuts, and waited for the sun to show its face. Wasn’t happening so I gathered my pack and kept climbing.

The forest has changed a bit. There’s much more moss on the trees and they are spindling. Mushrooms are popping up everywhere and the orange newts are moving ever-so-slowly. There’s tons of ferns, new flowers, orchids and clover. I haven’t seen clover on the trail till today. Maybe this will be my lucky day.

I planned to have lunch at Goddard Shelter. Ultra was there and when I arrived she warned me of the voracious flys and gnats. They were awful. I know I smell foul but you would think something died here. There were so many flies you couldn’t stop and eat. I shoved my lunch in my mouth and moved on.

Just up a ways is Glastenbury Mountain with a lookout tower. I’m not sure what’s going on in the northern part of the AT, but these tall towers are being decommissioned. This one has the access ladder removed so you cannot climb the tower. Bummer because I’m sure on a clear day, you could see Mount Greylock to the south and Mount Snow to the north. They really know how to take the fun out of climbing scary towers.

The rest of the afternoon was quite pleasant. Most of the climbing was out of the way. All I needed to do was get to camp and stay dry. My shoes and socks were caked with mud but I actually could see a slice of blue in the sky! That is super hopeful because it typically rains in the afternoons. I think I might be dry in my little tent tonight.

Kid Gore Shelter is pretty nice. It is one of the few shelters I’ve seen that actually has a view. It faces the east so I should get a stunning sunrise in the morning. Hambone, Mary Poppins and Ultra have staked their places on the wooden bunks inside the shelter. Mary Poppins saved a spot of her Dad, Catnap. He showed up after dinner. For me, I prefer my tent so I find the one and only spot near the shelter. I’ll be anticipating a lovely sunrise in the morning. Lord, thank you for this wonderful day. I know that you are in charge of the moon and the stars, the sun and the rain. I am so grateful for such a day as this. Sweet dreams, my child. Sweet dreams.

What a glorious night. I woke up at midnight and went right back to sleep. Then up at 5am and out by 6:30am. The Shelter was facing the east and had a nice view of the sunrise. Yes, I saw blue skies and sunshine today. Hallelujah, I so need to dry out.

Vermont is not my favorite state. It’s not even in the running. Without rain falling for the past 24 hours, the trail is still a muddy mess. My hiking time has decreased from 2 miles per hour to 1-1/4 miles per hour. Mostly because I am trying to avoid walking in the mud and messing up my only clean pair of socks. My shoes are loosing tread by the day, but only need to hold on through tomorrow. So I’m trying my best to keep them intact for the meantime. 600 plus miles is a lot to ask for a pair of trail runners especially with the amount of rocks they tackled, mountains they climbed and mud they have traced through.

This morning I saw my first moose droppings. It was a huge pile and I was hiking with Breezy. She said she saw some yesterday and wasn’t sure what critter excreted such a large amount of poop. Now she knows. So what do you do if you encounter a moose, she asked? My only thought was to hide behind a really big tree and hope for the best. They are huge animals and not afraid of much. There were many ponds in the area so I could see why we saw multiple piles of moose poo.

I stopped at Story Spring Shelter. I was hoping to dry out my tent and sleeping bag. It hasn’t rained but the condensation was terrible from the night before and everything was damp. Problem was that the shelter had little sunshine and was waterlogged. It wasn’t the best choice for drying stuff out. Shortly later, I moved along.

The day had some ups and downs and seemed to drag on forever. Another reason I’m not a fan of Vermont are the flies and mosquitoes. You can’t stopped without them attacking you and the darn flies will bite you while you’re moving. I stopped at Kelley Stand Road to have lunch. It’s a dirt parking lot, but that was good enough spot for me. I laid out my mat, took off my stinking shoes and socks, and leaned against a random car. I ate my lunch with the flies and as soon as I put the meat and cheese away, they left. Hmm, maybe I just need to eat tofu? It’s hard to tell what these flying insects go after, but I need to eat more than tofu! After a half an hour, I was moving on.

My next big challenge of the day was climbing Stratton Mountain to the Lookout. It was here, at the Lookout Tower in 1909, that James Taylor conceived of an idea of the “Long Trail“ extending from Massachusetts to Canada. Then in 1921, Benton MacKaye further extended the concept into a footpath linking scenic ridges of the entire Appalachian range – and the Appalachian Trail was born. A portion of the AT is the LT. Much like the PCT uses the John Muir Trail JMT as it extends from Mexico to Canada.

The Stratton Mountain Tower was functional so I decided to drop my pack and climb to the top. The views were spectacular even with the smoke from the Canadian Fires. The haze obscured the mountains but you could see a good distance. I was pretty close to loosing my lunch, as I climbed this tower. It was solid but my fear of heights is something I’m trying to overcome. Maybe not today! I made it to the top, shot a few pictures and a video, then headed back down the long staircase to solid ground.

The last three miles to Stratton Pond seemed like twenty! The terrain was downhill for the most part but my legs and feet were done for the day. Sometimes you just run out of gas and those last miles seem like a hundred. I arrived at the Shelter, dropped my pack and scouted an area to place my tent. Ultra said I should stay in the shelter. There’s lots of room. The fact that my tent was still wet, it seemed like a reasonable option. I’ll give you the verdict tomorrow. Oh, and Chef, another hiker, informed us that he was planning to get up at midnight. This is going to be an interesting night, indeed. Please Lord, help me rest in a shelter with many.

Willows Motel has the best breakfast on trail. Paul and his Dad are from India. They understand what hikers need, want and desire. So when Bear and I walked in, our mouths dropped. There was a fruit spread that you only find at the finest Easter Buffet. Berries of all kinds, peaches, nectarines with plums, dates, walnuts and almonds, all kinds of yogurt including plain Greek, my most favorite. There were muffins, breads, bagels and plenty of coffee and tea along with Coconut Water. Oh my, this is nirvana. I ate to my hearts content and had a second bowl of fruit.

All the hikers I’ve been hanging with, Bear, Stealth and the sisters went back to the trail. Winter Boots flew home to Germany. I’m really going to miss hm. You do indeed, meet Gods’ best out here! I stayed behind and enjoyed my day off. I did pretty much nothing at all. It was exactly what my body needed. Even Norman expressed his pleasure of just hanging around. I booked a ride back to the trail for an early morning departure. And relaxed some more.

My ride arrived Wednesday morning at 0630 and I was back on the trail by 7am. Today is a big day. A new state of Vermont. All I have heard about this state is Vermud. How muddy can it really be? Ends up, like a pig pen! It has something to do with the clay-like soil that doesn’t allow water to absorb. It just clumps up and turns to a mud-like consistency. With all the rain we’ve had of late, it really enhanced the mud making substance. You have no idea what it’s like to walk miles in mud. All I can say is if I was 5 years old, it might be fun. But at 60-something, it’s not a good look!

As I’m making my way down this river of water and mud, I see what I think is a hawk flying fairly low. It lands in the forest to the left of me. I look up and it’s an owl. A big huge owl. He is gorgeous with his big yellow eyes and fluffy owl feathers. I was shocked that he was flying about in the morning. They are nocturnal, hence the reason I always hear them at night. He must’ve been getting ready to nest when I scooted by. What an amazing bird you are.

I made my way to a new shelter that is still under construction. There was a crew of women building the soon-to-be shelter and stacking a rock wall. They had all the hand tools needed to do the job. They work for Green Mountain Club and are employed seasonally. This Shelter is replacing an older one with a new privy and tent sites. It is hard labor and you can tell, these chicks are tough cookies. It’s been raining off and on for the past seven days and they don’t get to go into town for showers or laundry. Kudos girls! Thanks for the hard work.

Today was one of those days that you just have to embrace the suck. After lunch, I ran into Uncle and Pyro. They had camped at the new shelter and stopped along the trail to dry their tent and sleeping bags out. Sure as the sun comes up daily, it started raining. I felt terrible for them. They packed their damp items up, put them inside their packs and were right behind me. I could tell that Pyro was running on empty and told her about the hotel down the road. It’s cheap and they will pick you up from the trail. She pondered the thought, as I continued northbound.

The rain came down for a good hour or two. It was rained hard enough that I put my tent inside my backpack instead of it’s normal spot, in the outside pocket. Poor Norman was soaked and he was ready to hide jump ship and land inside my pack with the tent. This rain is relentless. I had just dried out my stinky shoes to no avail! What’s the point? Mud and rain, and more mud and rain. Oh and trails filled with water and a ton of mud. Just want to make that clear!

If that’s not bad enough, now I have a river crossing. I believe before it started raining, the rocks were above the river. But now, everything is submerged and the only two options are 1. Take your shoes off, or 2. Walk through the river with your shoes on. Guess what I did? Yep, walked on water! We’ll I didn’t actually walk on water because I am a mere mortal and not Jesus. I just walked into the river, shoes, sock and dirty girl gaiters. And you know what, the mud was temporarily washed off. That looks better, until the next mud bog.

By the end of the day, all I could think about was how in the world am I going to clean this mud and muck off me and my shoes? I need a hot shower, and a place to dry off. I headed to Woodford Hollow Trailhead and decide to call it a night.

The best part about today is my wonderful hubby George called me and tells me my new shoes have arrived. And to make this even better, Natalya, aka Blue will bring them with her when she arrives on Saturday. You’ve got to be kidding? That is how my Lord works. He knew that I was going to need some cheering up today and he made a special delivery of a new pair of shoes, much needed shoes, to me on the trail! Originally REI stated that my shoes wouldn’t be delivered till Friday, two days after Natalya planned to leave. That is a darn right miracle in my eyes. Thank you Jesus for your help with this detail that only you could orchestrate.

As I was looking for a place to pitch my tent, Stops A Lot drives up. He calls out Hiker-Hiker and I answer to that. Wanna a ride to town? I’m picking up a couple of hikers, Uncle and Pyro and I have room for one more. I thought for about one split second and said, heck yes, I’d love to go to town. He escorted the three of us to his truck and drove to Catamount Motel. Looks like I will be having a proper shower, a bed to sleep in and a place to dry out. There you go again God. What an ending to what I thought was going to be a wet and rainy night. After eating pizza with the rest of the hiking community at the Motel, I headed back to my humble room. Now I’m all tucked in, me and Norman in a wonderful bed with four pillows. A most perfect ending. And they slept happily ever after…

The weather pattern has definitely changed. It was to be expected. It rained off and on last night. No torrential downpour like the night before, but rolling thunder and damp surroundings. Platforms are nice as it keeps the bottom of your tent off all the mud and muck. But you need to be careful standing on them. They are quite slippery when wet!

I packed up all my possessions inside the tent, had my coffee and reluctantly, packaged up my wet tent last. Once again, I was the first to leave the Shelter, but the rest of the gang were right behind me. The morning stroll was wet, really wet. The trail is a river of rain water with rocks, and sometimes wet boards to walk atop.

There was a climb to reach Mount Greylock, the tallest peak in Massachusetts at 3491’. I remember looking at it last week from atop Mt. Race with Roddie. He pointed it out to me and said that’s where I would be headed. It was a grey day, lots of fog and mist. Apropos for the name of the mountain, Greylock.

The summit of Mount Greylock features the only subalpine environment in Massachusetts. Because of the high elevation and the westerly winds, there is a wide temperature range from winter to summer and from day to night. This summit is the centerpiece of the Mount Greylock State Reservation. Designated in 1898, Mount Greylock became the first state reservation in Massachusetts’ state forests and park system. Established on less than 400 acres, the Reservation has grown to nearly 12,000 acres.

In 1931 construction began on a 93’ Memorial to honor Massachusetts men and women who had died during the World War. The tower’s beacon, possibly the most powerful light in Massachusetts, was intended to shine each night, perpetually, to honor the memory of fallen heroes and to guide aviators in their lone night-time journeys over the treacherous mountain range. Except for a few weeks in spring and fall, when the light is dimmed to avoid confusing migrating birds, the beacon continues to shine each night as a memorial to casualties of all wars.

Being there was no view to see as the fog was quite dense, I opted to head to the Bascom Lodge to eat a proper breakfast. I am down to tiny morsels of food in my sack and only had dried cereal and coffee this morning. I need something warm to get me off this mountain. Lucky for me the lodge was open and I found a way in. They have a breakfast special, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Yogurt with Fresh Fruit, Coffee and homemade Blueberry Muffins. Yes, I’ll take it all. And I did. My appetite ceases to amaze me!

After ravishing all that incredible food, I hightailed it down the slippery slope to Williamstown. The route descended nearly 3300’ over five miles. The down part is hard but the extended milage made it much more reasonable. There were a few slippery spots as my shoes have lost much of their tread, which accounted for my butt hitting the ground a couple of times. Lucky I still have bottom cushion and just got a bit muddy. As I made it to somewhat level ground, the rain started falling. This is a matter of fact. We are getting a lot of rain these past days. Luckily, the road was in sight. A nice couple was driving by, saw this drowned rat and offered me a ride. Without hesitation, umbrella and stinky me, jumped in their car within a few seconds. They drove me the bonus 3 miles to the Willows Motel.

As I checked in and heard the weather report of rain for the remainder of the week, I made the conscious decision to stay put and take a Zero. I haven’t had a Zero since I landed in Urgent Care some 30 days ago. I think I’m ready. Lucky for me, Paul the Owner had a room available and yes, I could stay two nights. Hallelujah I am taking a full day off. And honestly, Norman is relieved. This rain has been hard on him too.

Bear, The Germans – Stealth and Winter Boots with the Sisters, Sparks and Church Mouse (she rarely speaks) along with a couple of hikers I haven’t met, are all basking in the sun rays when they infrequently appear. My gear is hanging out, my shoes are being dried, my clothes washed by Paul and now it’s time to prop my feet up and relax. I just might take a nap.

Bear and I head next door to the Pizza/Greek Restaurant. Interesting combination but the place is packed for a Monday night. I decide to go Greek and get Lemon Rice Soup, Gyro with Beef & Lamb and a Greek Salad. It was incredibly delicious. The kids headed for Oriental Cuisine and booked an Uber. We are all back to our respective rooms before 8pm. Life of a hiker is early up and early to bed. I watch a little Ninja Warrior, training films for the next few weeks and promptly fall asleep before 9pm.

Is there any significance to 40 days? In the Old Testament, when God destroyed the earth with water, He caused it to rain 40 days and 40 nights (Genesis 7:12). After Moses killed the Egyptian, he fled to Midian, where he spent 40 years in the desert tending flocks (Acts 7:30). Moses was on Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights (Exodus 24:18). Moses interceded on Israel’s behalf for 40 days and 40 nights (Deuteronomy 9:18, 25). The Law specified a maximum number of lashes a man could receive for a crime, setting the limit at 40 (Deuteronomy 25:3). The Israelite spies took 40 days to spy out Canaan (Numbers 13:25). The Israelites wandered for 40 years (Deuteronomy 8:2-5). In the New Testament, Jesus was tempted for 40 days and 40 nights (Matthew 4:2). There were 40 days between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension (Acts 1:3).

For me, my first 40 days on the trail have been significant. I have learned so much about myself, but I’ve learned even more about who I am in Christ. It has been humbling, to say the least. I came out here believing I was prepared. I’d been working out, going to the gym, hiking and playing pickleball, but honestly I was not even close, to being prepared physically nor spiritually.

God has revealed that this undertaking of my own doing, is truly his love for me, but also for the people I have met along the way. Each day I have been blessed by a random stranger, some kindness that is beyond measure, and somehow someway I have been able to show the love of Jesus to people who may not known Him. These past 40 days have opened my eyes, ears and heart to just how much love there is if we take the chance to notice one another. Today was a perfect example of our fathers love.

Last night was the most torrential downpour I have ever experienced. Granite, I was inside a tin building which, from what I’ve been told, amplifies the sound tenfold. Even with that being the case, the amount of rain that dropped from heaven above, was in biblical proportions. I could’ve been in my tent, floating down the trail somewhere but Jesus had a better place for me. Ruth, the Cookie Lady, offered this haven to protect me as well as four other random strangers, and of course Norman, shelter from the storm. And it stormed! Rolling thunder and lightening for hours. When Sid and I were at Woods Hole Hostel last year, it was quite like this but ever-so magnified.

Once I got back on trail, I had a few choices to make. Am I going to save my fuel for dinner and not have coffee in the morning or better yet, hope to find a fuel supply in town. As I was walking northbound approaching Cheshire, I met a couple hiking southbound. We chatted for a bit and I mention to them I was looking for an outfitter that might sell fuel. She says there’s one about three miles from trail. Hmm, that’s a lot of bonus miles that I really don’t want to do, but I’d give it thought. They continued on and so did I.

About an hour later, I see the same gal riding up on a bicycle. She tells me that she was sharing with the lady from the ice cream shop, which I’ll be passing in five minutes, my dilemma regarding fuel. Ends up she knows Steve, the Outfitter and when I get to town, he’ll pick me up and drive me to his store, then drive me back to the trail. Why did this unknown woman go out of her way, to help me? Because she is one of Gods messenger’s and just wanted me to know how much I’m loved. That’s our sweet Jesus, and he never ceases to amaze me.

A few minutes later these two trail runners wiz pass me. They stop and want to know what I’m doing, where I’m going, and how long have I stunk as bad as I do? We’ll, maybe not the last question but I’m sure they thought it. Ends up Sue is a Mushroom Connoisseur. She stops and starts filling her mosquito net with Oyster Mushrooms. Oh my, I have seen these all over the trail but had no idea I could eat them. Then I show her different shrooms I’ve taken pictures of and she identifies Good vs Fatal. I get my mosquito net out and now I have mushrooms to eat tonight. Thanks Sue and Sue’s friend.

As I arrive at Noepel Shelter, I share with my German friends, Stealth and Winter Boots, the oyster mushrooms. They have olive oil and spices and before I know it, we are feasting on these beautiful and delicate oyster mushrooms. The bounty I have seem along the trail are now filling my hungry stomach. (And we all survived to eat more the following day.)

The final amazing thing, which I didn’t document is, I pitched my tent on a platform. As I head north, there are fewer places to pitch your tent, and more wooden platforms. These are ideal for free-standing tents which is not what I have. My tent requires guidelines to pitch it and using my trekking poles to make it upright. The positive is that it’s very lightweight, around 20 ounces, but needs ground that I can drive my stakes into. These platforms are not ideal for non-freestanding tents but can be used. I was able to pitch my tent atop it last night. With the rain, it did quite well and the best part of a platform is it’s level. I slept wonderfully.

As I finish off my 40 days and 40 nights on the Appalachian Trail, I am so grateful for the beautiful people I have met along the way. If you ever question human kindness and goodwill, come out on the trail. There is not a day that goes by that I am not blessed with the love and support of random strangers. This world we reside in is much more loving than you could ever imagine. My faith in humanity is greater than ever, if I just humbly myself and receive it. Thank you Jesus for showing your love through these unforgettable moments that you have given me in the past 40 days. How blessed I truly am, and what unforgettable people you have placed in my life. What a wonderful world you have created.

What a night of sleep I had, until midnight. For some reason my mind thought it was time to get up. I tossed and turned, heard an owl hootie hooting, which I haven’t heard in awhile and fell back to sleep. At 5am I was up and started packing.

By 6am, I was ready to vacate my private space when the sky opened up and poured down liquid sunshine. And it never stopped! Hmm, so do I sit in my tent and pray that the rain stops? Or do I venture out for pancakes and coffee? Hard decision, but my belly won out. I put on my rain jacket, left my pack inside my ever so wet tent and walked up to the Cabin. There were a handful of hungry hikers all waiting for b bvtheir breakfast so I put my name in the cue. I had a cup of coffee and we all talked about the weather.

After a bit, I received my fluffy pancakes with lots of butter and syrup. I don’t know what it is but pancakes just taste better when you’re camping. They were delightful and the coffee was good enough for a second cup. Eventually I needed to brave the storm and pack up my soggy tent. I headed back out to my wet world, pulled my pack from inside my tent and decided that Norman was going to ride inside the pack today. He’s a bit scared of the dark but he agreed it would be better than smelling like a wet dog!

I packed my tent into its storage bag, leaves, dirt, grossness and all, then ventured out. There’s a saying on the Appalachian Trail, “No Rain, No Pain, No Maine”. Well today was the fulfillment of the rain part of this equation. Like it or not, a big part of backpacking is enduring the ever-changing elements. And rain is never an overlooked part of the East Coast experience.

I had to backtrack my .5 miles to get me on the AT. Them bonus miles add up. Once on the northbound trail, I was embracing my underused umbrella. It is a vital piece of equipment that I bring and hope I never have to use it. It’s like insurance. Today, the insurance paid off. Everyone else were wearing ponchos, or rain jackets but I had my tank top on and a good umbrella. It keeps me relatively dry, but doesn’t do a whole lot of good for the outside of my pack. The inners are fine. Norman and all my gear is nicely tucked away inside a trash compactor bag, and that thing is impermeable to rain! It’s bomb proof.

The plan was to make it somewhere where the sun was shining and I could dry out my tent. Not looking so good. I made it over the one and only climb of the day and after that, it was trying to avoid major puddles, swollen creeks and slippery rocks and leaves. Those leaves are my biggest nuisance. By noon, I made it to October Mountain Shelter. And the rain had not ceased.

The Shelter was the only reprieve I have had all morning from the rain. When I arrived, the kids from Germany and US were sprawled out. I placed my soaking wet pack inside the shelter, pulled out my lunch and proceeded to dry out. Once again, the talk was where are we headed towards tonight? There’s another Shelter 9.5 miles north, there’s a town 12 miles north that has a hotel and then there’s camping in the woods. The other backup plan is to stop by The Cookie Lady’s place and make a decision.

I took off once Uncle and Pyro showed up. I wanted to give them space in our very crowded shelter. The trail was engorged with water by early afternoon. There was no point even trying to keep my shoes dry, so I just started walking through the mud and muck. Before long, the kids passed me up as they were all headed to the Cookie Lady’s place. Save some cookies for me, I pleaded.

Once I arrived, I understood why this was the talk of the trail. Ruth, the Cookie Lady took over where Mrs. Wiley left off. Mrs. Riley ran this place for nearly 30-40 years, baking cookies for hikers and growing blueberries. She has been a status symbol of all that is good regarding the AT. When her husband passed, her daughters knew Mom could not continue and decided to sell the place. That’s when Ruth came in. Long story short, Ruth is much like Mrs. Riley. They both have degrees in nutrition, love to sew, grow vegetables, and berries and have a heart for hikers. I think I will stay!

Ruth shows us around, explains the history of the place, gives us a mason jar full of hibiscus tea and a wooden box of homemade cookies. This place is getting better by the minute. We are escorted to the Hanger, an airplane hanger that Mr. Wiley used for his plane, which is now converted with foam mattresses. I’m thinking this is my home for the night.

I proceed to unload my pack, which everything is thoroughly soaked in water, and hang it from any spot imaginable. As I’m drying stuff out, I notice a Tail-Dragger Plane overhead. He’s pretty low, and before I know it, he is landing on the strip of grass to the east of me. This is wild. Maybe he’s the owner, the husband?? Before I know it, Ruth, the kids and the husband are outside questioning the pilot. Ends up he read somewhere that this is a landing strip and evidently he randomly lands on unauthorized runways. Ruth is scratching her head as this has never happened before. They bid the pilot farewell and hope that this is a one and done kind of thing! Crazy happenings on the AT indeed.

After all the excitement is done, I head back to the porch with Ruth and the hikers. Ruth makes us an amazing chili, rice with vegetables dish that was hearty for this rainy day. I couldn’t have planned this better. The sun comes out, my gear is dryer, I have a proper bed to sleep upon, and my shoes, well I can’t have everything. They are still wet, but that’ll keep me humble. It was another incredible day on this magic strip of wet, soggy dirt, that leads me to Maine.

Slept pretty good in my tent. But Norman started snoring and I was ready to kick him out. I think he’s congested. There’s a lot of things blooming and his allergies must be causing him issues. I take Benedryl to help me sleep, and maybe that’s why I have no sneezing or hay fever. But this poor guy, rides around exposed to all the elements daily and never gets a chance to hang from a tree.

The campsite was a flurry of activity this morning. There are some early risers in this bunch. Most of us were packed up and hitting the trail by 6am, including me. All I can think about is getting to Goose Pond and relaxing the afternoon away. No big miles, just an easy peasy kind of day.

I was on high alert looking for Mama Bear. I saw a big pile of fresh bear scat but no signs of Mama or her cubs. She’s probably heard that Norman is riding shotgun and is hiding out. I guess that monkey is good for something. I shouldn’t put him down so much because in reality, he’s the only partner I’ve had who is still with me. He doesn’t complain, doesn’t eat much and only snores a bit. Or maybe that was me snoring and I blamed it on Norman. He’s a good companion, snorer or not.

After my little break, I was ready to get this show on the road. There were quite a few boardwalks today. Some were better than others. The one thing I can say about Massachusetts is it’s about the flattest hiking I have done. There are a few climbs but then there’s a lot more roly poly hills. It makes for easygoing days along the trail.

I hiked with Poncho and Strawberry Shortcake for a bit today. We stopped at the infamous Trail Stand. It’s more like a small shed. I opened it up, and inside is a retro-looking refrigerator packed full of soda and ice cream. Hmm, breakfast? Sounds good to me so I had a Ginger Ale with Strawberry-Lemonade and an Ice Cream Sandwich. It hit the spot. Much better than any kind of oatmeal. On top of that, they had Wi-Fi so I was able to publish my blog. I tell you, this AT is where it’s at. If you are lacking something, it’s your own fault because everyone wants to help you out. The girls and I sat, had our breakfast and got back to hiking.

The rest of the morning was mostly in the green tunnel. Lots of forests, trees and ferns. I scared a couple of White-Tailed Deers. Those deer are much bigger than our Black-Tailed Mule Deers. At least twice the meat on them. Good eating indeed.

I made it to the junction of Goose Pond. The girls continued on towards another pond about four miles north. There was a dog that was following Poncho because she fed it. He was a bit scared and a lot hungry. He had a collar and obviously was someone’s dog but the someone was nowhere around. The dog continued north with Poncho and I headed to Goose Pond.

Within five minutes or so, I met Maggie, the Caretaker of Goose Pond Cabin. She was looking for the dog. I told her where I saw him and she was grateful. She had a pocket full of cheese and a leach so the dog would be reunited with his owner. Good news for all concerned.

I made it to Goose Pond Cabin, found a place to pitch my tent and headed to the beach. As far as I can tell, it’s a lake! The body of water is huge. It even has an island in the center and a canal that connects Upper Goose Pond to Lower Goose Pond. There are Pontoon Boats, Kayaks and Canoes and a SUP being skippered by a gal. It’s a very serene lake or pond, whatever you want to call it.

Today is a chill axing kind of day. I arrived around lunch and have no intentions of leaving till tomorrow morning. The best part is they serve free Pancakes and Coffee in the morning. What a deal. I hung out on the dock and talked with the locals, played with their dog and ate their potato chips. Well they offered them to me and it would’ve been rude to turn them down.

The rain has arrived and I’m back in my tent. It’s a perfect day to relax in my tent and be sheltered from the rain. I think I’ll take a nap. So glad I’m not waking in this. Perfect day to take a Nero, and an afternoon off.

Oh glorious sleep. I think it has to do with a couple of factors. I was exhausted yesterday. When I entered my room, I turned on Family Channel – Hallmark and promptly fell asleep. Such riveting stories but I already knew the ending. I slept way past my wake-up time.

I was pretty much already packed, had a ride lined up and was back on the trail before 8am. Not bad for a town stop. The morning walk went through some pasturelands, and had a couple of rocky climbs that overlooked the Housatonic River and valleys below.

Once I crossed the highway, I saw Gasket. He looked like I felt last night, exhausted. Gasket was ready to head back to Town, and get a room for the night. I totally knows how he feels. Some days I am full of energy and tearing to go, and other days I am spent by noon. The incredible sleep I had last night, kept me moving.

I had a little climb up to Benedict Pond. This is a local hangout for the neighboring area. It is a good sized pond, more like a lake with boulders and frogs croaking. I met a nice couple from South Point, England, Caroline and Ian. They were visiting cousins nearby and went for a stroll to the lake. Caroline had lots of questions regarding my excursion. We talked for a bit about trail life, what in the world do I eat out here, and if I’m afraid? These are the typical concerns that most people have. I showed them my lunch, salami, cheese and a big dill pickle. Ian wanted to know where the bread was? I thought to myself, I do need to find some good artisan bread.

I retrieved my snack bag and they went to find groceries. The pond was pretty, the day was nice and I ate my lunch. There were dragonfly’s all over the pond, and butterflies landing on the rock beside me. The bullfrog was out of sight but you could definitely hear him over the birds. He was croaking like he had something to croak about!

After lunch, I started my afternoon push to camp. I wanted to get a few more miles in so I set my goal for Shaker Campsite. In Massachusetts, they have required areas to camp at. There are Shelters, which I’m not a big fan of, and primitive camping with Bear Boxes and Privy’s. This site even has platforms to put your tent on top. I haven’t tried that yet, so we’ll see.

Around 6pm, I arrived in camp. There were quite of few people already set up. Both platforms were used, and most the sites were spoken for. A hiker told me about a site above the picnic table. Perfect, I’ll head over yonder. It was just what I needed. I built my home and went to get water.

I met Poncho and Strawberry-Shortcake. They are flip-flippers like me and started just a couple of days before I did. And they are females. I haven’t seen many women out here since C2T and Braveheart left. Poncho pointed me to the creek and we talked a bit later.

Shaker Campsite has quite a bit of history. 1762, the Shakers came to this area and lived in communal homes. They grew in numbers and by the 1800’s, there were close to 100 Shakers. They were farmers, tapped close to 5000 trees and produced Maple Syrup. They built a 5-Story building for growing, packaging and selling seeds. In fact the rock wall that still stands was most likely a small barn. My tent is sitting on top of it. Sadly, the Shakers slowly left to other places, and by 1858, the last of the community members had sold their properties and moved elsewhere. It seems that they were an important part of this rich history and their memory is still alive.

I made my dinner, Backpacking Pantry’s Chicken Pad Thai. This is my most favorite version of this meal. It even comes with peanut butter packet and fresh peanuts. I was only missing bean sprouts. I probably could find some in all the ponds I had passed by today. Next time.

Well that wraps up another day on the Appalachian Trail for me. It’s nice to be sleeping near others, knowing if Mrs. Bear comes, I’ll have some backup. From reading my FarOut App, there’s a Mama Bear with two cubs in the area. I’ll keep an eye out and let you know if I see or hear them. For now, I’m signing off.