Hawkwind's journal and musings

[Hawkwind]

So...my mom started this little tradition for the women in the family when she turned 40. She and her best friend started doing a physical challenge around the time of their birthday. My mom has done some pretty cool stuff since starting that tradition with her best friend and before knee surgery took her down and out of the gym at 60.

I picked up the tradition. And Gypsy and I often schedule a kick-ass hike/climb for our birthday challenge.

Well...this year I wanted something just a little bit different and all the way to the gym today my stomach was in excited knots. I felt like a kid heading to the candy store. I just knew I was going to get at least one PR and I knew just which one I wanted. I could freakin' taste it!

So...without further ado here is today's work:
Week 4 - Day 1

Squats
set 1/6r - 135#
set 2/4r - 140#
set 3/4r - 145#
set 4/6r - 150# (Hooyah! Body weight! A PR for me!)

Zerchers (conventional)
3 sets/6r -145# PR!

Zerchers (bottom up)
set 1/6r - 85#
set 2/6r - 90#
set 3/6r - 95# PR!
*And I have the freaking bruises on the inside of my elbows to prove it.

Leg Press
Blew them off today so I could go for a couple more PR's.

Romanian deads
3 sets/6r - 150#
SL good mornings
set 1/6r - 85#
set 2/6r - 90#
set 3/6r - 95# PR

Hip adduction
set 1/8r - 150#
set 2/8r - 155# PR
Hip abduction
set 1/8r - 150#
set 2/8r - 155# PR

Machine calf raises
3 sets/15r - 120#

Machine back extensions
3 sets/8r - 145# PR

Machine abs
3 sets/10r - 50#

What a way to celebrate the start of another year! Hellz yeah! I have now broken all but one PR I ever set prior to my first surgery seven years ago. Freaking took me long enough!

For those curious:
My heaviest leg press was 200#
My heaviest dead lift was 160#
My heaviest bench was 80#
*And no...I have not tried to go beyond those. On the leg press I just did not see the need and I usually work between 150-170#. On the deads I'm cautious about going higher due to an old back injury and on the bench work...I blew my left shoulder decline benching a couple years ago and I am just plain being a wuss about going heavier. I'm happy, my training is to support my backpacking and health so it's all good.

[Hawkwind]

Week 4 - Day 2

Pull ups/palms in - 6r
Pull ups/palms out - 6r

WG reverse lat pull downs
set 1/6r - 60
set 2/6r - 60 *Forgot to move the pin down.
set 3/6r - 70

V-grip rev. lat pull downs
set 1/6r - 60#
set 2/6r - 70#
set 3/6r - 80#

Face pulls
set 1/6r - 30#
set 2/6r - 40#
set 3/6r - 50#

BB Mil press
3 sets/6r - 22#

Alt. Arnold presses
set 1/6r - 8#
set 2/6r - 10#
set 3/6r - 15#

Push ups
3 sets/6r

Machine vertical bench
set 1/6r - 42#
set 2/6r - 54#
set 3/4r - 66#

No direct bicep work today.

CG Bench
3 sets/6r - 22#

No ab work today.

I think next week it's time to go back to the gym for my upper body work. I cut things short and knocked a few exercises out since I had a ton of running to do that was unplanned for.

[Hawkwind]

Quabbin Gate-11
08-12-07


Even though I didn't sleep well last night I was up early today. I once again had most of my stuff ready so that all I had to do was eat breakfast, toss my pack in the truck and go. I was checking my e-mail in the studio while having my coffee when I spotted movement out the east window. I looked up to see a juvenile red-tailed hawk sitting on a branch outside the studio and shortly thereafter an adult glided down past the youngster.

I watched them both for a few minutes. Seeing one hawk makes my day...seeing more than one leaves me feeling like the day is going to be fortuitous or especially blessed for me. That was good. I would need all the help I could get today as my sleep has been off kilter and my body is starting to retaliate a bit.

So I finished up my coffee, grabbed my pack and my CD player and headed out in the Blazer listening to German on my way out to Gate-11 off route 202 in Pelham. I was so focused on the CD I nearly drove past the gate!

I pulled in and got the 'choice' spot at g-11. Sweet! That meant my truck would be in the shade all day. As I got out another red-tailed hawk sailed over head and landed in a branch to watch me as I loaded up and settled my pack on my hips and shoulders. Aight...three hawks in one morning. Today was just going along swimmingly. (It turns out that hawks would be hunting right overhead throughout most of my hike today.)

My plan of the day was to head south to the g-10 intersections and figure out just where and how that trail I was on last week dumped me in the middle of the woods. It had rankled me all week long and I was determined to find out just where I went 'wrong'.

As I trekked along listening to the wind whisper through the canopy I got to thinking. I've been hiking the Quabbin quadrant by quadrant, alone and with Gypsy or with Kate and Ray for a couple years now. I'm almost done. I have a couple short hikes and a couple more gates to go and I will have completed my hikes of all the areas available to the hiking public. As I've been going along on these hikes I've been photographing wild walls, foundations, ruins, rare flowers and wildlife as well as writing up a log of each hike. All with the express purpose of writing about hiking the Quabbin. Today I realized that it's about time to start writing my book and as I gazed up through the tree canopy the title to my book came to me...and so did the opening paragraph.

I meandered my way down past where I had turned off last week...according to the map if I kept going west and then swung around at the bottom of a long hill I was on I should find myself heading north again and should be able to pick up the other side of the trail that dropped me. Not long after I passed the east side of that trail I heard voices coming up the trail in front of me. I turned a corner and was shocked to see two guys out hiking along.

The older of the two immediately spoke up...in shock to find another hiker out and about! We stopped and talked and they had somehow missed the trail that I was looking for. They had a map and I confirmed their location for them and told them to avoid the next right turn as it would drop them in the middle of the woods. They were heading back up towards g-10 where they had parked and had forgotten their water in their truck so they were rather happy to be forewarned about that nasty little trail.

At that point when I learned how far they had already hiked without water I asked them if they would like some water as I had two extra water bottles with me today. They were grateful of the offer and wise enough not to turn it down. The older of the two had been hiking the Quabbin for years and he rarely went as far as they had today without water with him. So after chatting a bit about various wildlife sightings we've collectively had they headed out and so did I.

So once again...I am out hiking and run across men close to my age that are not home on a couch in front of the tv. Okay...I know, I'm being a smart-ass. My friends are correct. There does appear to be men out there that get off the couch and move that are in their 40's. I'm still convinced they are a rare breed though!

It wasn't long after that I found the intersection that I had been looking for and swung down it to find out just where that other trail was supposed to end. It didn't take me long to figure out that for some reason the trail was not being used very often by the DCR in their rounds. So that meant that there had to be some sort of re-route due to a wash-out or something.

Something turned out to be a rather large beaver pond that took over the road. I had two choices. Turn around and go back, or find a way below that pond. Sometimes Gypsy and I have found that we can just trek through the shallow water along the flooded road bed. That was not an option today and as I studied the area to find a route through I realized that Gypsy and I had been here last year when it was not so flooded. The area had grown up quite a bit. The road on the other side of the beaver dam was pretty much non-existent.

I had to climb up part of a rather large downed pine to get up to higher ground. Luckily I had made sure to bring both of my trekking poles. I had one strapped to the face of my pack, so I reached back and pulled it out of the strap so I could use both poles to balance and help me find footing in the deep marshy brush I was heading into. First I made my way out to where the road was now part of the dam so I could get a clear idea of where I had to head to find my way over to the road beyond the marsh.

I recognized the general direction Gypsy and I had come in from last year, but it was wetter and more grown up. There was no other choice...well there was, I could swim over to the trail. But I decided I would rather do some bushwhacking through the marsh instead. That proved to be a bit easier than I expected. I only had my foot go under water once. Pretty good for such a wet area with low visibility when it came to footing.

Finally back on the trail I headed up the hill and within 5 minutes found exactly where I had been 'dumped' last week. I was happy to know that I had figured out that little mystery quite correctly and also happy to know that I had also made the correct decision to back track verses taking the north loop.

This time I was doing the loop though so I kept trekking along. The trail has really grown up quite heavily and in one spot I was amazed to see an absolutely huge downed tree. I took some time to really check out the area and what I believe I saw was the result of high winds. Possibly damage from a small tornado earlier this year as there was a 'row' of large uprooted trees near the one that had caught my attention. They (tornados) are much more common in the area than most New Englanders realize. The weather people like to call them 'micro-bursts' around here instead of tornados. But when you see the damage...they remind you of tornado damage, albeit not always as wide spread.

I decided that a rock out cropping that was revealed because of all the downed trees would make a great spot to stop for lunch and relax a bit. Thanks to my lack of sleep I was beginning to feel just a tad bit light headed. After lunch I pulled out my map. It was decision time. I knew I wasn't far from one of the g-11 intersections that went down to the water or up to g-12. From g-12 you can take route 202 back to g-11 if you so desire. There are a couple loop choices as well. Gypsy and I have done both.

Even after eating and resting I was still feeling a bit too light-headed, so I decided the wisest course of action was to trek down to the water and then head back up the long hill to g-11 and my Blazer. I am going out hiking again tomorrow with Gypsy...so shortening up a hike today wouldn't cost me much in trail milage in the grand scheme of things.

As I got down towards the last intersection I decided to swing over to where Purgee Brook meets the Quabbin...and then I heard voices and boats. Lots of them. I decided that I was quite happy with my solitary hike and didn't want to pick up any chatty hikers so I turned it around and took the less used trail down to the waters edge. I ended staying back a bit as there were so many boaters in the area as well as people thrashing around in the woods and I just plain like to stay out of sight when that many people are around. Being a chick alone in the woods can be risky enough as it is. I don't like to advertise that I'm alone if I can help it. And in the section I was in it's very easy to come ashore and in fact you can come ashore at the Purgee Brook inlet.

I headed back up the hill after waiting a few minutes out of sight at the intersection to be sure that I was indeed hiking back up to my Blazer alone. The wind was kind enough to pick up as I was heading up that hill (A very long uphill.), so it made the climb rather pleasant in spite of the rising afternoon temps. About half way up I heard voices, turned a corner, and a couple about my age came trekking along. We all just passed with a nod and a "hello" and once again I was alone on the trail. I passed no one else on the way back to my Blazer. Just me and the wind and the occasional call of a hunting hawk and the trill of song birds.

Today's hike was a bit short for me at a little over 7 miles, but I 'found' my book title as the wind whispered to me, found the trail that dropped out on me, had my way marked by tiny chipmunk sentinels along the stone walls, and didn't jump even once as snakes moved out of the way.

Best of all I was 'visited' quite frequently throughout the day by my favorite birds of prey. Ah yes, before I forget, the phantom of the Quabbin once again eluded me. One of these days I'll see a moose. The bear was not around today either and I was quite happy not to find sign of bear this week as the black berry bushes are very heavy with this summer's crop and bears love berries!

[Cougar]

Hi Amy.
I love reading your journal.
Yesterday was my longest hike thus far...12 miles! Feet were really sore.
We saw several women hiking alone. I know you hike alone too. I have read and heard so much about not hiking alone and how dangerous it could be.
Do you carry anything to protect yourself? Don't you get a little scared out there?

We are thinking about hiking Half Dome in Oct. We can hike to the top, camp and return in the morning.

[Hawkwind]

Originally Posted by Cougar

Hi Amy.
I love reading your journal.
Yesterday was my longest hike thus far...12 miles! Feet were really sore.
We saw several women hiking alone. I know you hike alone too. I have read and heard so much about not hiking alone and how dangerous it could be.
Do you carry anything to protect yourself? Don't you get a little scared out there?

We are thinking about hiking Half Dome in Oct. We can hike to the top, camp and return in the morning.

Thank you J.

12 miles is awesome! Your feet will get used to the longer mileage before you know it. Hiking Half Dome sounds like fun, especially with an overnight!

If/when you hike alone regardless of being a man or a woman you need to take a couple extra precautions. I always leave word with a couple friends/family members of where I'm parking my Blazer, how long I plan to be out and how many miles I'll be attempting.

You need to be aware of the weather. I have a cell with me now and I always have my compass, map, first aid kit, an extra set of clothes (Or just shirt and socks when I'm using my hydration pack), plenty of water, a tarp for protection, and even a bit more food all for 'just in case'.

I tend to be a bit more cautious when I am out alone when I hear people coming. I will stop and listen to be sure that they are hikers and not ruffians out raising hell in the woods. I have been in situations where I had to get off the trail and lay low for a bit until trouble passes by.

I'm not scared when I'm out there. I've been out in the woods by myself quite often since I was about 13. My dad hunts and took all of us out and taught us outdoor skills. I started to trail blaze on my own and with my horse when I was 13 and would often load my pack and take off for a day alone.

I travel with titanium tipped trekking poles and they can be used in defense situations. Although the best defense is to avoid confrontations whenever possible.

I am experienced with firearms and carry a small knife...but quite honestly I would probably not have time to reach a gun or my knife where I to run into trouble. The trekking poles are available immediately and not everyone is smart enough to realize that just because you are not standing there with a knife or gun does not mean you are unarmed. There are actually places that offer trekking pole self-defense courses for women in particular.

At this point I only do day hikes alone. I tend to stay away from multi-use trails and choose trails that have a bit of a challenge to them as it cuts down on the chances of running into non-hikers.

Were I to head out overnight I would also check trail conditions ahead of time and I would probably 'stealth' camp. Meaning no fire to draw attention to myself and well off the trail so that no one stumbles upon me in the middle of the night.

The lone hikers that run into problems are the ones that don't check conditions before heading out and don't plan for 'just in case'. Anyone can get injured on a trail, with or without a hiking partner. So it's always good to let someone know where you are headed and to be prepared.

Yesterday the two men I met on the trail had gotten thrown onto a different and longer trail then they had planned on due to another trail dropping out. That can happen no matter where you hike. Their mistake was to accidentally leave their water behind in their vehicle. Luckily they ran into me and I was able to give them my extra water. I guarantee they will not forget their water again on a hot summer's day anytime soon!

[Cougar]

Thanks Amy, good info.

[Cougar]

I forgot this.

OK, what are zerchers?
Also, I hike 1-3 times a week. I am wondering if it is still a good idea to work my legs at the gym. My legs are pretty sore after my hikes, but I miss working them at the gym. My legs look the best they have in years, I can actually see the two seperate muscles in my quads.

Thanks,
Jennifer

[Hawkwind]

You are welcome Jennifer.
There is a video of zechers here: Reference Videos

I prefer them over front squats as I was having a tough time with the barbell hitting my trigger points on the fronts squats and making me light-headed. Only problem I have now is some bruising on the inside my elbow due to going heavier and because I have really fair skin that bruises easily.

Bottom up zerchers are when you set a rack so that you have to squat down and come up with them, lower them back down, step away/stand up, and then squat back down and do another rep. Both types have really helped me on the trail this year as far as helping to keep me flexible and strong.

As for training legs and hiking...the best advice I can give you is to listen to your body and go from there. This is the first summer out of the past 4 that I have been able to keep up with a heavy leg day in the gym and my hikes. I prefer to 'save' my legs for the trail. So if my legs start to get too tired and sore on the trails...I cut back my leg work in the gym until my backpacking season slows down again. I also judge my leg days in the gym based on how much trail time I have before and planned after. I have a killer hike planned for Friday of this week, so I backed down a bit today on legs in the gym.

[Hawkwind]

Week 5 - Day 1

Squats
set 1/8r - 150#
set 2/6r - 155#
set 3/8r - 160#


Zerchers (conventional)
set 1/6r - 95#
set 2/6r - 100#
set 3/6r - 105#

Zerchers (bottom up)
set 1/6r - 95#
set 2/6r - 100#
set 3/6r - 105#
*Still got bruises today, even going lighter on the conventionals.

Leg Press
*Blew them off today

Romanian deads
3 sets/6r - 95#
SL good mornings
3 sets/6r - 95#


Hip adduction
set 1/8r - 155#
set 2/8r - 160#
Hip abduction
set 1/8r - 155#
set 2/8r - 160#

Machine calf raises
*blew them off today since I have that elevation hike coming up on Friday.

Machine back extensions
Set 1/8r - 145#
Set 2/8r - 150#

Machine abs
*machine in use...will do m-ball jack-knives tonight.

Red = Up from last week.

Notes/musings:
Since I have a long hike/climb on Friday I backed a few things off and took a few things out. I made my 'point' to myself last week on a few of my lifts. That's good enough for me. No reason to kill myself during my hiking season.

Anyhow...today I noticed the old school lifter keeping tabs on me while I did my squats. He's a pretty nice guy from what I can tell so I decided I would just go introduce myself when I was finished and while he was between sets since he takes a bit longer break between sets than I do.

Come to find out...Mark...was Mr. 6 for Six Flags before the new CEO took over. (Rissa met him when he was in costume the first year she worked.) He was a marine and is still a fire fighter and is in fantastic shape. Think an older slightly slimmer Frank Zane. He was pretty funny. He said to me, "I've been watching you, I hope you don't think I'm a perv or a stalker of some sort. But you work pretty hard and you never have a spotter. I just want to make sure you are okay when you lift." I laughed and told him that I had noticed he was keeping tabs on me and that I had noticed he works pretty hard himself and that it was pretty cool to have an old schooler in the gym. Come to find out he also used to do some of the area bodybuilding shows. (I remember them from way back myself.) We talked lifting and military for a bit and then I boot scooted out of there. Jeez...ya never know who the heck you might be training next to that's for sure.

And today I was very happy because the wolf pack was not in my way crowding the squat rack. No one hung around...I had it all to myself right through my r-deads and as I was leaving the gym...in comes one of the wolf packs. What great timing today.

[narcsarge]

Nice UP's there Hawk!

Pretty cool you have a "peer" that is capable of helping out in case you need it. Great work there Young Lady!

[Hawkwind]

Originally Posted by narcsarge

Nice UP's there Hawk!

Pretty cool you have a "peer" that is capable of helping out in case you need it. Great work there Young Lady!

Very much so. There are a couple trainers that could probably handle spotting me. A few of the college kids possibly. But most of the people there...I doubt would have a clue. Thank you. I'm very happy with this summer's work!

[Hawkwind]

Week 5 - Day 2
Chest/tri

DB bench
set 1/8r - 25# *Actually...I inadvertently grabbed a 30 and a 25...
set 2/8r - 20#
set 3/8r - 15#

Bench
set 1/8r- 45#
set 2/8r - 50#
set 3/4r pause 4r - 55#

Machine flyes
set 1/6r - 50#
set 2/6r - 60#
set 3/6r - 70#

CG bench
3 sets/6r - 45#

Machine tri/inner setting
set 1/6r - 50#
set 2/6r - 55#
set 3/6r - 60#

Felt like I had a little energy left...so I decided to get some shoulder work in:

Alt DB press
set 1/8r - 20#
set 2/8r - 15#
set 3/8r - 10#

Machine shoulder press
2 sets/8r - 20#
*That's it...too gassed to do anything else. I should have gone with my initial thoughts/plan and just done the bench and tri work.

So after today my thoughts are...if I'm gonna work on my bench then I'm going to have to put a third day back in for my back/bi/shoulder work.I haven't really pushed my bench work in ages...I am wiped out today. I wanted to just go home and take a nap after leaving the gym today. Quite honestly I'm a bit stunned at how wiped out this left me.

[Cougar]

Hey, I tried this on the bosu ball. I put it round side down. I only used a 15# bar, but it was awesome!

[Hawkwind]

You are just trucking along there lady! Kudos!

Mount Greylock - East
Gould's Trail up - Cheshire Harbor- Old Adams - Silver Fox down
08-17-07

Gypsy and I headed out across state early this time. We had a long ride up Route 91 to Route 2 and then down Route 8 to find the back roads into our chosen trail head on the east side of Mount Greylock between Adams and Cheshire. The ride out was enjoyable. Especially when we finally were out on Route 2. There are a couple places we love out that way, like the 4 state tower and the hairpin turn. And the temps had cooled off. We did bicker a bit about the weather. Gypsy had read that we might have t-storms and I had read that we would have clouds. So I told her to stop jinxing us!

We stopped quick in Adams for a sausage and cheese biscuit for me and don't we go and miss our turn. Gypsy figured it out nice and quick and I tried to find an alternate route back. I did find one...but it looked like it could be pretty sketchy as most of it was dirt road. And one never knows what more than 5 miles of dirt road is going to be like! So we opted for going back to find Route 8 as we had originally intended.

Then I forgot to tell Gypsy that we wanted West Mountain Road which is off West Road...we had to turn around in a driveway to go back a half mile or so for the road. I really have to learn to tell her all the roads we need. I have such a bad habit of just sort of expecting her to read my mind! Good thing that she is such a good sport!

We arrived at our trail head in good time in spite of those two little wrong turns and we were absolutely breath-taken with the view of the top of Greylock from the parking area when we got out of the Blazer to don our packs. It is the first time we have ever been able to see the War Memorial at the top from our trail head. And we also were a bit stunned at the view up. We had planned on a strenuous hike with some pretty serious elevation gain in a short time. But for a moment there the reality of what we were about to commit ourselves to left us speechless and stunned.

Gypsy said something to me as I stood there taking it all in...and all I remember saying back to her was, "Hey! You wanted elevation today! We're gonna get some serious elevation!" We also noticed a bulletin posted for hikers. Come to find out all roads up to the top of Mt Greylock, the War Memorial and Bascome Lodge were closed in March of 2007 and will remain closed until sometime in 2009 as the state repairs the access roads to the top. So at this time Mount Greylock is only open to hikers! It's a dayumed good thing we both brought extra water with us today. With Bascome Lodge being closed that meant we would not be able to refill our reservoirs at the top as we have in hikes of Greylock past!

So after picking up an updated map of Greylock and making sure our packs were secured for the day. We hit the Gould Trail up. Now when we had discussed this hike I had wanted to start at the Gould's Road end of the Gould Trail which is below 1,500 feet. But Gypsy wanted to start at a spot that would actually bring us into a better position for a loop back down on Cheshire Harbor Trail and is at 1,500. So to make things up to me for picking a different trail head she promised to add the Silver Fox Trail loop (which would drop us below the 1,000 ft mark for a bit) if we/she were feeling up to it when we got back down to the lower end of Cheshire Harbor.

The trail up was steep right off the bat. I had to take it easier than I would have liked to as I've been having a spot of trouble with my asthma. Not enough to need my albuterol, but enough to make me cautious about keeping my heart-rate in check and to keep checking to be sure my lungs stayed clear. (I only hacked up mucous once on the way up. Pretty darn good for choosing to go up albuterol-in-my-system free!) I was worried it would slow us down...and what slowed us down more were stops to photograph a multitude of cool plants, and old growth trees, water ways, rock formations, and such. At one point about mid-way up we took a break and another hiker passed us.

We took a side trail to the Peck Brook Shelter and falls which is about half way to the summit on the trail system we chose for the day. It was one of the nicest, neatest shelters we've encountered for the area and the falls were beautiful. We spent some time playing in the water. Or I should say I played in the water. I took my Teva's off and hopped in to cool my feet off. We were not really hungry yet so we figured we would wait to have lunch at the summit.

One thing we noticed as we hiked. It looks like they have recently re-surveyed the trails and many spots have obviously been repaired. At one point as we drew closer to the summit we even found a long section of trail with snow/weather fencing securing the trail edge. Something we do not often run across. And as we drew closer to the junction that would bring us to the AT...we could hear the trucks and machines for the road crews. Right off Gypsy said she hoped that we were not going to hear all that noise while we had lunch at the top and for a while it seemed like we just might.

We were pretty darned happy to set our feet on the AT...that meant we were minutes from the summit. And when we finally arrived were the trail opens up to the summit behind Bascome Lodge we were ecstatic to find that the park workers had not locked up the composting toilets! That may seem like a small thing. But believe me...on the trail finding a clean privy, composting hut or sani-can is a very nice bonus and keeps one from having to trek into the woods when 'nature calls'. (Hey...I dig enough holes in the woods throughout the year on my hikes...composting huts are da bomb!)

We headed up to Bascome Lodge and it was rather sad to see it all boarded up. It's really a rather nice lodge and when you walk in there always seems to be an aire of cheerful relaxation. So we kind of missed being able to take our break in the lodge. We headed on over to the War Memorial and said, "hello" to another hiker that was taking a break along the wall and airing out his pack and supplies by the looks of things. And the whole place was quiet and serene. We couldn't hear any of the equipment from our spot at the Memorial. I've never been up Greylock and found it so solemn and serene. It was wonderful and actually very appropriate for the Memorial.

Gypsy and I decided on the stairs at the base of the Memorial on the South side. It was cool, windy and cloudy. Our tech-wear actually dried in no time flat thankfully as we were pretty well sweat soaked from that climb. While we ate a couple other hikers came up from the AT heading north and another guy hauling camera equipment and looking for a view of Adams came up from the Bellows Falls trail. We pointed him in the correct direction.

We had watched the swallows swooping through the air snagging bugs for their lunch, saw a lone vulture kiting out on the thermals between the mountains and walked around the quiet summit to take in the peaceful view, but with the addition of more hikers we decided to head back down the AT and pick up the Cheshire Harbor Trail back down the mountain.
The going down was pretty steep in places and we had to go easy much of the way due to loose rock. We passed a family on the way up at one point and spoke with them for a few moments before heading on. We arrived at the trail junction of Cheshire and Old Adams at 3 PM and decided that we did indeed want to add that trail loop in to hike for the day. We knew it would give us about 3 more hours of hiking time. Old Adams is a multi-use trail and follows along a contour line so we were able to pretty much boot scoot along. The challenge was Silver Fox. It drops down steep and quick and runs along one side of a gorge between Greylock and Cole Mountain.

It was actually a beautiful area and we noticed that the leaf litter was barely disturbed. I was thinking that due to the location of the gorge between the mountains that it doesn't get the hard rains as much as some of the other areas of the mountain that are more exposed. We were most of the way down when I slightly twisted my left knee and had to start 'babying' it a bit. A short while later I hit a hidden 'hole' in the trail and really did the knee in. I made it down the last of the steep section by going down sideways. It brought back memories of having to do that years ago on Mt Madison in New Hampshire...for a similar reason.

When we got down to the end of the trail we actually had a bit of a climb back up the old dirt road that would bring us back to the trail to the parking area where the Blazer was left. That area left a little to be desired as there were quite a few multi-use trails and the signs sort of dropped out a bit. We did find out way back and arrived at the Blazer at 6PM. Not bad at all. Shortly after we stepped into the clearing from one side the hiker we had first seen early in the day stepped out into the clearing from the trail we had taken up.

We said, "hellos" and as he checked his map he grumbled, "darn, the trail brought me to the wrong parking lot!" Gypsy and I looked at each other quick. That was exactly what we had worried would happen to us! I asked him where he was parked as he started to head to the road to yellow-blaze it back to his vehicle and when he described the parking lot up the road that we had passed I stopped him and offered him a ride up. "One hiker to another." He had put in as many miles as us and it can be pretty irritating to find that a trail gets skewed toward the end and drops you a mile or more from where you want to be.

On the ride up we talked footwear and hikes. He had just gotten back from visiting family in New Zealand and getting some hikes in with them and was 'warming up' on Greylock for some hikes in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine in the coming weeks. He had a blister on one heel and I offered him covering and meds from my kit. He laughed and said he would take care of it from his kit when he got back to his car. Yep...you know you are a hiker and have met a hiker when both of you carry moleskin and blister cream in your pack!

We dropped him off and headed out, south on Route 8 to Route 9 and home down 116 to 181. We stopped so I could get some plain double cheeseburgers at a McDonald's in Lanesboro and they totally fricked up my order! Now tell me...how the hellz do you mess up 2 plain double cheeseburgers??? They did it...and I didn't bring it back because as we were standing in line Gypsy and I noticed that they screwed up every order while we were there! We won't stop there again. Oh...btw...it's the first time I've had McD's in close to a year!

9.75 miles or so. From 1,560 to 3,491. Back down to a little below 1,000 ft and up to 1,560 at the parking area and Blazer. We had a great hike and it was awesome to be back on Greylock again. Gypsy and I just cannot seem to get enough of Greylock. And with the summit closed off to everyone but hikers. It just might be worth doing a second time this year. The Pocumtuck Trail is on the list for 'very soon' though so we'll see!