Day 140
Start: The Hemlocks Shelter
End: Beartown State Forest, Benedict Pond
Miles Hiked: 18.3
Miles on AT: 1538.3
Follow my journey on Instagram (@jenbrownhikes) for more updates!
I mentioned the mushrooms on the AT in an earlier post, but they really started to stand out in MA. When hiking the AT, it can be easy to lose yourself in the monotony of the green tunnel. Everyday, you pass by hundreds of trees with green leaves, most of them looking the same until you temporarily reach a spruce for forest or maze of rhododendrons. But, with such a seemingly unchanging backdrop, it can be easier to spot the small, subtle differences on the trail.
There have been so many mushrooms of various sizes, shapes, and colors. Bright orange, ducky red, wood brown, even purple! I’d never seen so many types of mushrooms in my life. I guess a lot of life can be like that, depending on the lifestyle that one chooses to live. Everyday may appear the same on the surface. We go about our daily routines: go to work, come home, cook dinner, scroll through the Internet, crawl into bed, wash, rinse, repeat. But, if we pay close enough attention to our lives, we can find the brightly colored mushrooms among the green leaves. We can appreciate the small wonders, triumphs, and joys, making our daily lives just a little brighter.
Today was a longer mile day, but with a long flat walk in the middle. On my first climb of the morning, I could see where I was headed in the distance, to the ridge right across the valley. In between, I encountered a bunch of surprises.
First, I was struck by the beauty of the farmland and fields that I had no idea existed in MA. I crossed a beautiful boardwalk lined with colorful wildflowers and landed at the place where the last battle of Shay’s Rebellion was fought. The trail is still showing me so much of American history, it’s great! I hadn’t thought about Shay’s Rebellion since high school (which is probably when most people last thought about it), so I was happy to be reminded of our ongoing struggle against taxation.
When I reached the road, I found a cooler of cold drinks and a trail angel named Pokey. He offered me a ride into town, but I had already planned to have lunch on the trail. He also let me know that a local woodworker had just dropped off a bunch of handmade hiking sticks for hikers, so of course I had to pick one up. After cutting it down to size (with a conveniently provided saw), I was on my way.
I had lunch in a field in the sun. The weather was perfect and the temperature was just right. An older woman whom I had said hi earlier passed by and we had a longer chat. She must’ve been in her 70s and had always dreamed of doing the trail, so she was doing a week of day hikes to get as much done as she could. It was only day 2 for her, but she was already so inspired and invigorated by the trail experience.
I think that it just goes to show that you don’t have to complete the whole trail to get something out of it. Just taking that first step towards accomplishing a huge feat can do wonders for your outlook on life and what you feel is possible.
Once I got up the mountain on the other side of the valley, I could point to where I had started the day. I love being able to see my daily progress. It really puts into perspective how far my little footsteps are taking me.
Right before my last 2 or so miles to my campsite, I took a break at a parking lot with a full water cache. Just a few minutes later, none other than Pokey arrived to check on the water and give me Intel about camping at the lake. He took my empty Gatorade bottle from earlier that day and gave me a full, cold one plus a GoMacro bar. Trail magic twice in one day by the same guy, wow! Pokey loves helping hikers and it really shows.
An hour later, I reached the park with an hour or so worth of light left. Families were out fishing, enjoying the lake, and cooking out. Again, I felt proud to be an American where we all could enjoy the beauty of nature safely with our friends and family. A couple of kids even went into the lake even though it was cold enough for me to have my puffy on. I, of course, stayed dry.
As night fell, I set my tent up and used the ~real~ bathrooms, fully equipped with running water and electricity (wow!) The night was quiet and I didn’t see any other thru hikers come in. But, it was the perfect end to a wonderful day
And that’s day 140.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.