Daily Miles: 17.4, Total Miles: 1,695.3 It was a beautiful morning working my way around the rest of Little Rock Pond. In addition to hardwoods, there are more stands of tall pines and firs the last few days. I took a nice break at White Rocks with cool views of the surrounding area. Up and down all day, 4,000′ vertical, along a mostly shady trail with lots of good water access. I am now within 500 miles of the finish…

Daily Miles: 19.0, Total Miles: 1,637.0 Late start due to the holiday yesterday and I needed to pick up my resupply box. First one in line this morning. Rained hard from yesterday afternoon until early this morning so happy to start off dry from the motel. Pete, the motel owner, got me back to the trailhead. A few light showers in the morning and the trail was wet and muddy for the most part. Boardwalks in places helped a bit….

Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 1,618.0 A lazy, quiet, zero holiday in Bennington VT. I did manage to find a breakfast restaurant open on a holiday morning and then strolled to the edge of town. The downtown area was quite deserted. Caught up with family, watched a movie, laid prone and took a short nap. The forecast is for rain this afternoon and lasting until early morning, my good weather window is closing. Hopefully not a wet start tomorrow.

Daily Miles: 18.4, Total Miles: 1,618.0 An eat and run out of Williamburg MA and back to the trail. Steady climb got me to the Vermont border, 11 states down and 3 to go! This is also the southern terminus of Vermont’s Long Trail and I met my first hiker intending to thru-hike this trail. The Long Trail overlaps with the AT for about 100 miles. Another sunny day, probably the best weather on this leg of the trail. The…

Daily Miles: 9.6, Total Miles: 1,599.6 As I left the shelter this morning, I passed by the campsite with the distressed beagle. While barking, the beagle clawed holes through the mesh screen of the tent – the master was not happy. A good uphill push got me to Mt Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts at 3,491′, and the state’s first wilderness park. Opening day for the lodge and thinking of maybe breakfast but they weren’t yet ready for business….

Daily Miles: 21.5, Total Miles: 1,590.0 I got an early start and a nice downhill walk before being stopped by a long train at a RR crossing just before entering Dalton MA. Crossed the Housatonic River once again and strolled through the small town of Dalton on roads and sidewalks for a few miles. Tempted to stop for a snack but not much opportunity, may be better up the trail. Just after leaving town, up and over North Mountain with…

Daily Miles: 20.5, Total Miles: 1,568.5 It started raining as soon as I got out of my tent this morning, sprinkles until mid-morning then cleared up. All the moisture made the exposed tree roots, which cover much of the trail in places, extremely slippery. I walked by several ponds today with the largest being Goose Pond. Water was fortunately plentiful and I was grateful on a warm afternoon. I had to break out my headnet for a few hours when…

Daily Miles: 20.0, Total Miles: 1,548.0 I got a ride back to the TH with Joe, a local shuttler. A clear, warm day combined with over 4k vertical feet made for lots of sweat and frequent water refills. Good viewpoints today of the Berkshires, Massachusetts countryside and farms. I passed by several lakes and over boardwalks through marshy areas. Leapfrogged today with Casper and two other northbound thru-hikers – they started in mid-February. Just before I got to the Shaker…