Waking at Belters Campsites, Tater promptly renamed the spot “Belters Tick Emporium.” How rightly so. We took out another two by the time we finished breakfast.
We made for Falls Village seeking “second breakfast.” There outside a small café, Tater found a puppy to play with. I was inside waiting on our food when I spotted her exiting with a large tupperware bowl full of water. She cannot help caring for dogs wherever she goes.
We sat near the two elderly women who owned the curious, friendly little puff ball. Forty-five minutes and a breakfast panini disappeared in an instant. We said our farewells, and well wishes, they were lovely women to have brunch with.
The big goal for today was to resupply at LaBonne’s market. A pricy, though well-stocked grocery, I’ve stopped there every year.
Along the way we met a hiker named Zippy Morocco, traveling the whole trail out of a 34 liter Sassafras pack from Yama Mountain Gear. Turns out, he was testing a new iteration of the pack and knows Gen personally. Yama makes some of the finest gear in the world out of Gen’s little shop in Missoula, MT. Knowing I’d talk gear with Zippy for a further six hours, I bid him fairwell and let him pass. Besides, Labonnes. Priorities!
The town of Salisbury has a .8 mile trail from the AT to the center of town, which is much safer than the road. We met two thru’s along this path, who were headed back to trail. They raved about the deli and produce. We couldn’t wait!
I had forgotten how overwhelming resupply in a crowded grocery store can be, after so many days in the quiet, sparsely populated woods. My mental shopping list was immediately vanished at the sight of the myriad shelves of everything a hiker does and does not need. So many bags from Bob’s Red Mill. Should I carry milled flax seeds? Not at $9.85 a bag!
Tater and I huddled up before entering. We figured we would need a total of three days food to slowly mosey our way over Race and Everitt mountains, then down into Great Barrington.
Nevertheless, our eyes were larger than our packs, and when we re-huddled, we realized by what margin. Hiker hunger has yet to hit for me, but she has it in full form. Blueberries, peaches, applesauce, and pudding cups, what the hell kind of distance hikers are we? Hungry ones.
I’ve never been unable to roll my Hyperlite’s rolltop before today, though by strapping the Doritos to the top I got it closed.
“Umm…” Tater held out half a bag of carrots. I found a home for them in a side pocket.
My critical mistake however was not so much the buying of too much food, but rather the timing of its consumption. I downed a Bolthouse Farms “C-Boost” to ward against whatever my sinuses are fighting. Then I chased it with an entire can of Arizona Arnold Palmer iced tea. All of that sugar hit my stomach at once, and like Poor Bear, there was a “rumbly in tumbly.”
Tater spotted the privy first, at the edge of trailhead. I thanked providence, the divine universe, and all gaurdians of the spirit world, as I desecrated the space in a most thorough manner. She kept hiking, and I was grateful.
“I’m so glad you weren’t privy to those sounds and smells!” She rolled her eyes and we continued the long, circituiutous route up to the Lions Head. We stopped and ate here, the view being by far the best we had seen yet. We had been musing the idea of a sexy hiker calender, and thus this photo happened:
We actually overshot the Riga Shelter spur by .3 miles (thanks GaiaGPS for helping us sort that out) and so we doubled back. A hiker named Sidetrack passed us on the way, headed to Bear Mountain to complete a thirty mile day. Bless these thru’s in their 20’s… I have neither the desire or stamina these days.
We reached the Riga Shelter and found our companions, Smooth, Car Jacker, Coolwhip, and Cool Cucumber. This shelter is known for its epic sunrise view, but sunset is pretty stunning as well. We crowded around the picnic table and watched the reds and yellows streak across the farmlands below. Lakes captured the spectrum in full, as small boats rippled across the palette.
What lovely sunset, with so many lovely folks.
Dirty Girl Hikes 