Salisbury, CT (USA)

The temps dropped into the 40s last night and the morning was clear and crisp - not quite Autumn but almost there!  Got up very early, packed up the car and left the hotel.  I picked up breakfast at McDonalds (0635) and got a gas fillup at Shell (0645) in Great Barrington.  Used US-7 to reach MA-22 and drove to Jug End Road (a nice gravel road).  I arrived at the AT Trailhead (near the NY-MA-CT border) and started SOBO at 0715.  Immediately, I was faced with one of the most challenging climbs I've hiked in a long time. Actually, I’d heard complaints from other hikers about this section and it lived up to its notorious reputation. In the first mile, I climbed over 1000 feet across steep, slippery rocks. I hoped that the ridge would be flatter but that ended up being a series of boulder scrambles for several miles. One nice thing about being up high, though, was the amazing views of all the surrounding area - I could clearly see Mount Greylock, which was almost 50 miles away. Along the way, I passed six other hikers (mostly weekenders like me) but didn’t really talk to any of them. There was a gentler climb near the end of the section - that part actually reminded me of a hike on the PCT in the PNW. Eventually, I reached my turnaround point, the parking lot at Mount Everett Road near Guilder Pond picnic area. I quickly backtracked and made good time on the way back to my car. I passed four more hikers (all SOBO Thru hikers) and talked to a couple of them. I enjoyed the views again and somehow got down the cliff side without falling (yikes). In my car (after about 8 miles) by 1055. The best part of the day (and the entire weekend) was that it never got higher than 60 while I was hiking. Feeling pretty good after almost 40 miles of hiking this weekend, I pointed Nessie toward home.  I was on the road again at around 1100 and took Jug End Road to Undermountain Road (MA/CT-41).  From Salisbury, I used US-44 and the Taconic Parkway to get to I-84.  There was lot of construction in NY (I almost witnessed a huge tractor trailer accident).  To pass the time, I had three hours of telcons on the way...  Stopped for a break in Middletown (NY) and continued on I-84 to Scranton.  I used I-81, I-83, PA-581 (traffic) and US-15 to reach MD.  For the first time ever, I was able to take a break at the Maryland Welcome Center near Emmitsburg!  I continued on US-15 to I-270 and then used I-495 (lots of traffic at the end, unfortunately) to get home (arrived at 1830).  Digging the gas mileage in the Outback - didn’t need to stop for fuel at all! Thinking the Friday night to Monday afternoon model is worth repeating... AT Today = 3.90 miles / G.T. AT = 1466.86 miles