7.10.12 - Pancakes, and Tom Levardi

Got a great night of sleep last night at Upper Goose Pond Cabin. I only remember waking up once or twice last night, and before I knew it, it was 5:15am and I was ready to start the day! I quietly got out of my bunk and made my way out of the cabin with my gear to assemble my bag. I got everything ready to go, then waited for the caretaker to wake up and make pancakes. They were ordinary, but great. I even got seconds, and coffee too. Great way to start the day!

I helped clean dishes with Golden and Runner, then we hit the trail. I got ahead of the others and hiked on to October Mtn Shelter where I had lunch. It's been getting to me not having over half of the day's planned miles done by lunch, which once again happened today. Need to get an earlier start. That's the problem. Hiked on by myself after lunch and went to "The Cookie Lady's" house where we got free cookies and blueberries from the patch on the land. Hung out for a little, then back to the trail by myself again. I wanted to bust out the remaining 10 miles and it was already after 2, so I threw my iPod on and just went! Good tunes got me going at a good pace. The terrain was pretty good too, which helped me get in around 5:10pm. I found Tom Levardi's house right on trail in Dalton, Massachusetts. Tom had been hosting hikers for 30+ years now! He never thru-hiked, but loves the trail and helping out hikers. Some others were preparing dinner when I walked up. Funny how about 3 hours earlier I saw these hikers at the Cookie Lady's place helping mow lawn, and there they were. They had come by car. Me, by foot!

I met Tom when he got back from slack packing some hikers, which included Keeper. Good to see him again. Before I knew it, I was eating burgers and hotdogs that Tom bought for us. Then Jeff Davis, who I started with on Springer Mtn in Georgia, grilled some chicken and offered me some. I didn't even need to grab a bite at a local restaurant. I got showered and dropped my laundry in a pile with the other hiker's clothes. I left to go grab a beer with Keeper and G-Bird, who wanted to go get food. When we got back, the laundry was done and folded! This guy is amazing. Like the Bob Peoples of the Northeast!

Ended up doing another 21 miler today. Body a little sore as usual, but luckily no chaffing issues. The cooler (80's) weather is to thank. I'm camped out in the back yard at Tom's place because there was a full house, but it's nice and cool out. Looking forward to Mt Greylock tomorrow! I think I saw it looming in the distance today while I was hiking!

On a side note, got a really great email from an old coworker today that really motivated me. It was not only hilarious, but also accurate and true. Wanted to thank you for that. Hopefully we can chat soon.