Back on the Trail – Fox AT Thru Hike – Day 91

Today I woke up at 4:30 central time, so 3:30 eastern time, to catch my flight back to Hartford. Unlike the trip home, there were no flight delays. I checked all my posts, stakes, etc. in a shipping tube, which came out first on the luggage carousel. The shuttle driver arrived just in time. This was what made me most nervous, as I had paid the full fee upfront.

The shuttle driver dropped me off at the trailhead and my fuel tank remained right where I left it. You can’t fly with fuel cans, so a cache was my solution to the waste of launching one and buying new ones. After riding for 10.5 hours, I started walking at 2 pm with a goal of 12.5 miles.

Leaving Salisbury CT and entering Massachusetts, I faced three big hills in those 12.5 miles: Bear Mountain, Mt Race, and Mt Everett. Bear Mountain is 1500′ higher in elevation than Salisbury. It was a steep climb, preceded by a more gradual climb to the Lion’s Head lookout. Both provided great views and views of the city.

After Bear Mountain I hiked through Sages Ravine. The trail followed a stream for a long time with that boreal forest feel. On a warmer afternoon, I would have been tempted to stop and take a dip in a deep pool. Unfortunately the pleasant walk along the creek did not last long and the hills resumed. Passing the Laurel Ridge campground, I walked up the more gradual slope to Mt Race.

At the back of Mount Race, I met a couple of hikers and one seemed… less than okay. They asked me how far I was going. I replied that I wanted to get to Hemlocks, but the climb to Everrett was daunting. One explained that they definitely couldn’t make it that far since they were out of the water. At that time I was worried about his safety. I asked for their water bottle and emptied mine into theirs.

By the time I got to Everett at the shelter, it was 8pm and it was a complete blur. In my exhaustion, I simply ate some snacks and climbed into my sleeping bag.

• Breakfast: cereal, waffles, bagels, sausage, fruit.
• Dinner: Pop tarts
• Snacks: metrx bar, fig bar x1, cereal bar x2, trail mix, Nature Valley chewy protein bar
• Known today: Bull
• Days without a ramen bomb:
• Today I am grateful for: Good flights

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