Day 144
Start: Mark Noepel Shelter
End: Williamstown, MA
Miles Hiked: 9.6
Miles on AT: 1599.6
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Town day! It was still exciting to wake up to a town day even though I had been in one just the day before. But, at least I would be able to sleep in a bed tonight.
But, before I could, I had to tackle Mt. Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts. I started out without a rush, knowing that I had less than 10 miles ahead of me. The trail was nice and gradual, a little muddy in places, but with wooden boards to mitigate any potential damage the mud puddles could do.
A lone, quiet cabin sat overlooking a small pond near the top. When I reached Mt. Greylock, I was surprised to see a huge stone tower with a glass globe perched on top. It was a war memorial, with stairs leading all the way to the top where I could see the surrounding mountains in all directions. The day was slightly cloudy, but I could still trace a good chunk of my previous days’ path.
Back at the bottom, I stopped for a snack and chatted with a few day hikers. Day hikers are generally always intrigued by the trail and the notion of hiking such a long distance at once, and these two ladies were no exception.
After chatting and finishing my snack, I headed on, ready to reach town but with still a good number of miles ahead of me. The forest was cool and piney, with day hikers interspersed here and there. At Mt. Williams I took in one of my last mountain views before town and started descending.
The descent was long, made even longer by my dislike of descents, but I eventually made it to the bottom. I emerged from the trail into a quiet neighborhood and walked the road until I reached an info sign with 4 coolers stocked with goodies for hikers. Trail magic! Apparently the AT volunteers in the town of Williamstown really love their hikers because the coolers were full of cold drinks and all the best hiker snacks, plus an assortment of first aid items.
While I sat in the shade and enjoyed my cola, a SOBO walked up and joined me. As is par for the course, we talked about the trail, what to expect from either end, and whether we would finish in time. He had also taken a good chunk of time off and was worried about timing, but I assured him that I had seen a good number of SOBOs in the past few days, so he wasn’t that far behind.
A hatchback pulled up beside us and out popped a woman. She had come to restock the trail magic. Her name was Renee and was actually a well-known trail angel in the area. She offered me a ride to the grocery store and I gladly accepted. I had already called the motel where I was going to stay and they agreed to pick me up from the store to bring me to the motel. What a hiker friendly town!
After my resupply, at least 3 people offered to give me a ride as I waited outside of the grocery store. It was astounding. I had never experienced so many people being willing to help on trail. Eventually, I made it to the motel and was ready and content to do absolutely nothing. After a shower, I got something to eat and then dug into my pint of Ben & Jerry’s while reveling in the feeling of lying down on a soft bed. It was heaven!
And that’s day 144.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.