People You Know: New England Trail – Day 4

See you in the morning.

Around 5am, groggy, I snoozed the alarm; a pair of barred owls kept me awake for a while. Between their discussions, I was able to close my eyes a little longer. Tired as I was, it was great to share space with several species of those nocturnal birds and even see one in flight while retrieving my bear bag. This would be my shortest mileage ride day. Shortly after a marathon. Easy, easy, right? So I took the opportunity to move at a slower pace.

My neighbor at night had already packed his bags for the day. We exchanged pleasantries while I munched on a cereal bar and asked how far the other one planned to go.
«It was nice meeting you, I’ll see you soon when you pass by.» Having said that, they took the main path heading south. I took a moment to do some stretches and fill up my water bottles from the stash at the tent site (thanks, trail angels!) before heading out.

A dip in civilization.

Surprised to see the temperature rising, the first two kilometers were easy. I planned to stop at a convenience store in Tariffville just off the road to restock some essential items. When I reached a road junction about 3 miles away, I saw the person I camped with trying to find llamas on the other side of the busy intersection. We crossed together, encountered blue blazes again, and hiked up to the ridge. Crossing several MTB trails, we ran down to follow the river to the city. They asked if they could join my stop to which I responded, the more the merrier.

Pinnacle Rocks later that day. A rare photo of me taken by someone other than me!

Luckily we arrived just as the store opened. The cashier asked where we were going, I talked a little about the NETWORK and how it goes through the city. It was a small resupply; but I bought a few more things for dinner, snacks, and of course a Diet Coke. I was able to unload some trash and chat with a gentleman in town. I had some friends who had won three Triple Crowns but didn’t know much about the New England Trail. I loved feeling like I was in the city on the AT for a moment, where people knew what they were doing, but couldn’t imagine spending so much time in the woods.

Along the way.

My hiking partner for the day, determined to keep up the pace, kindly told me that he was grateful for the time he spent with me or the knowledge he learned from me along the way. It works both ways as I was also grateful to be able to share some miles with someone as I was really hoping it would be a solo adventure. They hadn’t walked a very long day before, but I’m always happy to support anyone who (reasonably) pushes their limits. We never really know what we are capable of until we try. I was entering familiar territory climbing Pinnacle Rocks. From the top, I saw Hublein Tower (next destination) in Talcott Mountain State Park. I had been there before and, fingers crossed, I would find some water in the building at the top.

The stunning architecture of the Hublein Tower atop King Phillip Mountain.

As we got to know each other a little, I suggested the name of a route ‘Midnight Gospel’. Given the topic we had been talking about all day and the pashmina scarf that characterized them, they reminded me of the host of the podcast turned animated series of the same name. I think it’s stuck! The descent into the park was easy and I began to see more hikers. Coming from the north, the climb up King Phillip Mountain to the tower was long in comparison, although well leveled. MG was starting to feel the mileage so we planned to take a break at the top.

Party rhythm.

After a good run the day before, my feet were starting to bother me again. Despite keeping them clean and bandaged, the warm-up of the day meant swelling and pressure on the already tender blister sites; They seemed to keep reappearing. Once we reached the top, we lay down on the grass to rest and charge some electronics. Unfortunately, the tower visitor area was still closed, so the search for water on this dry section of the trail was still ongoing.

Everything in me was screaming to hurry up, but moments like these are a reminder to slow down and enjoy being out there. Talk to people, take off your shoes, touch some fucking grass! The sun was shining and the breeze felt amazing. With 10 miles to go, I got moving again around 3 p.m.

I’ve passed this sign more times than I can count!

Caught up in a conversation about our own mortality on the way down, MG – ironically – almost tripped over a dead raccoon. I called the local environmental protection agency to report it, but I guess the trail likes to keep things interesting. Coming across the reservoir I drive often, I ran into one of my co-workers who barely recognized me as he was prepared. It was fun to pass by so many hikers and walkers as it is a popular spot. People who had no idea they were on a National Scenic Trail probably questioned what we were doing and smelled a whole lot better than we did. I chuckled thinking that at that moment I could smell a hiker from a mile away. We finally found a water source and enjoyed a flat mile and a half to another busy road.

Here I go again.

On the other hand, it became clear that we would soon be separated. An exposed road during the heat of the day would cost anyone a lot. MG began looking for a place to spend the night; They had walked about 20 miles with me that day and I was so happy that they felt so accomplished in it. Suddenly I was still on my own, moving quickly through glacial rock fields with some nice views. Immediately afterwards, we returned to another paved road from the reservoir fighting through crowds of gawking people. They probably thought I was homeless, although I dropped a good chunk of change to look this way. Thank you so much.

Some of the many glacial rocks scattered along the trail.

There was a good stretch of walking between sections of trail ahead. I felt out of place among the beautifully manicured gardens of Farmington’s town mansions with my small backpack. However, I was rich in the sense of being lucky enough to spend a week doing something I love. Winding through each neighborhood, the sun began to set and I began looking for a place to spend the night. Just before nightfall I located a secluded spot not far from another small peak I had climbed earlier.

The sunlight dissipates at the end of a «cold» marathon day.

The night was calm, but I found myself uncomfortably out of water, with just enough to get me through the night. Although this was an «easy» day, the previous miles were catching up with me. I was sore and tired but I had good service so it was nice to be with friends. Less than 100 miles to go; so close but so far at the same time. As I fell asleep, despite the aches and pains, I overwhelmingly determined that today was a good day.

The numbers:

Start time: 7:12 am
End time: 20:04
Distance: 26.4 miles
Ascent: 3710′
Descent: 3685′

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