Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Slackpacking 20 Miles

Today we had the treat of getting to slackpack for the third time on our trip.  Keith's parents took us and dropped us off nice and early, and because we were returning to the hotel tonight, we were able to leave our backpacks in our rooms, and only carry a small daypack with the essential snacks and water bottles.
It is so very nice to walk with no weight on our backs, so we decided to hike a bit farther than normal, and cover 20 miles.  Another positive for the day was the fact that a cool front came through, and the high today was only about 80 degrees - sweet!
At lunch, we arranged to meet Keith's parents at a park at about the halfway point into our hike, and they brought a cooler with our lunches we had packed.  It was so nice and cool in the shade, that we actually came close to getting chilled.  This was a nice change from the past several weeks!  There was a chipmunk that totally entertained us the whole time.  We kept tossing him leftovers, and at one point, he picked up this huge corkscrew noodle and was attempting to eat it, but it was slippery and it was really cute watching him trying to hold on to it. 
Along the hike, we passed two nice ponds with beaver dens in them.  It was a rather unevenful hike, just a beautiful hike through the forest, with several big climbs in the morning, but the afternoon being a bit easier.  We hiked out of the woods about 6:00, and the Geraghtys pulled up 2 minutes later - perfect timing!
We went back into Great Barrington and had a wonderful supper at a Diner owned by a Greek family (always good food!).  We are packing everything back up tonight, and will hit the trail again in the morning.  It's been a really nice stay here, and a wonderful visit with Keith's parents.  We will be sad to see them go, but they are meeting us again when we reach New Hampshire, the first week of August, and we will see them again, mid-September, at the end of the hike at Mt. Katahdin!





















No comments: