Day 87 Massachusetts

I didn’t sleep great last night. Tyler texted at midnight that he was sick and throwing up again. It’s very good that he was inside and not out in the woods. Being 10 miles from the nearest road I was quite nervous about getting sick myself, so my sleep was disrupted. 


I got up around 5:30 and decided to start hiking out quickly so that if I get sick I will be as close to a road as possible. 


I climbed the highest peak in Connecticut, Bear Mountain and was surprised by how beautiful the hike was.




The climb down from Bear Mountain was steep but short. I slipped once on some rocks and skinned by knee. At the bottom of Bear Mountain I crossed out of Connecticut and into Massachusetts. While Mass isn’t my home state, it feels pretty much like being home. The hike now feels much more familiar and somehow shorter. We still have almost 700 miles to go, but I’m much more familiar with the terrain and forests. 




The hike through Mass goes through the Berkshire Mountains, beginning with Mt Race and Mt Everett. Again I was surprised by how beautiful these hikes were. 





After Race and Everett I dropped down to low elevation. The trail went through some fields, old softwood forests, and boardwalked over some swamps. 






The mosquitoes were horrible so I hiked as quickly as I could into town. I made it to my shuttle driver around 12:45 after hiking 17 miles. 


I’m staying in Great Barrington. Once I got into town I grabbed a burger and a milkshake then checked into the hotel. I don’t feel sick at all and don’t expect I will get sick at this point. However, I’m a solid half day ahead of Tyler and about 30 miles ahead of Spencer. To give Tyler time to recover I expect to take Sunday and Monday off from hiking. 


The original plan was for Ashley to come see me Saturday night and Sunday then leave Monday. I really don’t want to risk spreading what Tyler has to her, so we will wait until Sunday afternoon before she comes down to make sure I don’t develop symptoms. 


Good night,

Walker 

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