Belter’s Campsite 1495.4 to Sages Ravine Campsite 1510.4 (15 miles, 485 total miles)
This morning was quite breezy, and I was the last one of the group to be packed up, but not by much. Jedi waited for me, and we hiked to the Mountainside Cafe together, just off the trail.
It was a mile and a half there, and it had been my first time hiking with Jedi in a week. I was very happy to be hiking with him again, and we told each other funny stories of the things that had happened during our time apart.
We found Baked Potato at the parking area where he’d spent the night, and said hi to him. He was going to meet us at the cafe in a few. The day was perfect for hiking, overcast and breezy with no humidity to be felt. It was a nice change from the past several days we’d had.
My feet and ankles were hurting almost immediately, so I knew for sure I was going to do the shorter planned day instead of the 22 to the shelter that mostly everyone else was going to do. Quarter Tank and Wizard would be at the campsite as well, so I’d have some company.
The Mountainside Cafe felt very Connecticut to me, it was cute with chalkboard signs and was a farm-to-table restaurant. Jedi and I joined everyone at one big table, and I ordered wheat pancakes with blackberry compote and an iced latte. Halfway arrived a little after us and also ordered pancakes.
While we were waiting for our food, the Cult started talking about some mysterious messages Neon had sent. I had no idea what they were talking about, but they said I’d see. My phone was plugged into the wall, so I didn’t have it on me.
I knew they had a group chat that I wasn’t part of, not being an official member. I’d told Neon I was ready to be, after my time apart I had come to that conclusion, but I hadn’t solved the riddle they’d given me as their pitch to join about a week prior.
Unfortunately, I found out what had happened when they all became upset for a minute. Workboots, one of the Cult members, was getting off trail because of family issues and they weren’t sure if he’d get back on. I could tell it was hitting them hard.
It was bittersweet, because what had happened was that they’d started a new group chat with me in it, to officially make me the 12th member of the Cult. I was very happy about that, but it was sad that a member was getting off trail at the same time it happened, so it wasn’t a celebratory atmosphere.
Everyone still seemed to enjoy their breakfast, and Wizard and I got to talk flip flopping some more. He said he’d had some struggles with not feeling like a thru hiker and trouble fitting in when he hiked in 2017, which I can understand.
I feel very fortunate I’ve been brought into the group and felt like a thru hiker early on, but that was in part due to my former experience on the trail. I’ve always gotten lucky out here, too, and sort of fit in naturally where I haven’t always in the outside world.
However, I definitely feel sad that I didn’t get to meet with and join the Cult from the very beginning, and have one trail family for 2000 miles, instead of 800 or so. Wizard suggested to get SOBO’s phone numbers and try to make a flip flop group so I can have a family already set up on the southern half.
He also suggested skipping the Long Trail and going straight down south a little early to avoid the cold in the fall. Talking with him has been invaluable so far, because there just isn’t a ton of info out there for flip floppers, which is part of why I am blogging this journey.
After breakfast, it felt much cooler outside, and we got hiking to keep warm. Jedi, Halfway, and I hiked together back the side trail way we’d come, and everyone else took the road walk back.
I got a chance to talk with Halfway and get to know him better. He hiked a few hundred miles of the PCT with Jedi previously, and I thought it was pretty cool that they were hiking together again on another trail. I hope that happens for me on either of the other Triple Crown trails. Halfway has also hiked the entire New England Trail, and has family in the area, though he currently lives in Seattle.
After a couple miles of road walking on and off, we crossed the Housatonic River for a third time since starting CT, passed Great Falls (an old dam), and started up the climb to Mt. Prospect.
I managed to keep up the whole mile climb, which was quite steep, and I hiked hard to do it. I was really enjoying the company and having someone else around to pace me again. We went through pine forest most of the time, and at the top there was a small view.
A half mile descent later, we came upon a sign attached to a tree proclaiming the 1500 mile marker. As we were getting ready to take pictures there, Neon, Speedgoat, and Riveter hiked up as well, so we were able to get some good group photos together.
We all hiked on, and I ended up at the back of the group with Riveter, and another hiker named Free Solo behind us. Free Solo was the one that had sold his guitar to Jedi. He had an accent of some kind, and seemed like a kind soul.
Riveter was another hiker in the Cult I’d not spent that much time around yet. I had a good talk with her, getting to know her as well. Her sister is Speedgoat, and she was doing van life for a while with her significant other before coming to the trail. It was nice chatting with her, and I told her a bit about myself, too
We got some water at a stream ahead, and the others realized we’d only done 5.6 miles and it was already quarter after 11. I only had 9.3 to go, but they all had the remainder of 22 miles to go.
Ahead, they all hiked hard, and I only kept up for a little bit, then fell behind on the next uphill. I put on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban on audiobook (one of my favorites of the series) and knew I’d be hiking by myself the rest of the day.
It was a little sad, but the miles I’d done with the group were great and I was very pleased to be an official Cult member. On the descent into the Salisbury area, I saw Free Solo had fallen on the many rocks that were around and had banged up his face a bit.
He was bleeding, but a nice day hiker just happened to have a full medical kit and a car she could take him into town with. Free Solo remained cheerful, “the trail provides”, he said simply.
There was about a mile of easy road walking and field walking before I arrived at the parking lot before Lion’s Head. I was reminded it was a Saturday when I saw the parking lot full of cars. I was very glad when I saw a random privy set up near the parking lot, too.
It was quite a climb up to Lion’s Head. It was 1200 feet in 2.5 miles, and it took me over two hours to do it. I’d slowed down from hiking by myself, and because my feet hurt. I was thinking I’d probably benefit from shedding some weight in my pack. When my food bag is full, that’s when my feet swell and hurt a lot more.
I got to the Riga Shelter for lunch just as Jedi, Speedgoat, Halfway, and Riveter were heading out. I chatted with Jedi for a few, and said bye till tomorrow when I’d see them in town.
The shelter was on an exposed ridge and it was very cold and windy. I laid on the shelter floor for a bit with my feet elevated on the wall, and talked with a NOBO hiker named Camel who was having some tooth pain and taking a zero there.
After a lunch of cheese, tortilla chips, a Larabar and some RX peanut butter, I got back on the trail at 3:00. I only had 3.4 miles to go, but there was one more mountain to climb, so I was figuring on getting there around 5:30.
There was some nice ridge running through mountain laurel tunnels, and the trail got rocky coming up to Bear Mountain. I’d hiked Bear Mountain on a day hike with my best friend Ashley a couple years ago, so I recognized the summit when I got there.
There was a large structure of rocks built as a wind blocker/viewing area, I think. I took in the view for a few minutes, then hobbled back to the trail. The descent was very steep, and I took my time traversing the many rocks as I went along.
I crossed the Massachusetts border .3 before the campsite, and relished the feeling of another state completed. Now I was in my original home state of MA. I got to the campsite at 5pm, and found a site and waited a little bit for Piñata to arrive, who’d decided on the shorter hike during the day. QT said hi; he’d camped with Wizard at another site due to the rain. I talked to Baked Potato on the phone, and he’d had a much better day as well, which I was very happy to hear.
It rained lightly most of the evening, and it was very chilly. The day had been totally free of humidity and bugs, so I was very happy with the weather overall. It had been a much better day than yesterday, and tomorrow I’ll get to sleep in a bed again and do laundry in Great Barrington after another 15 mile day. Things are looking up again.