Buffet overload!

Day 92 - 7/20/10
I'm going to stop trying to wake up early and from now on just get up
when I feel like I can. It's not worth setting an alarm when you just
go right back to bed every time it goes off. And usually I'm moving
around by 7, so I'm done with alarms.

I left the church at ten past eight and immediately started a long
incline up to Greylock. The first mile or two were steep, but after
that it wasn't too bad. I took a break a little past Mark Noepel Lean-
to, finally finishing a bag of trail mix I've been carrying since
Deleware Water Gap (the PA-NJ border). Thank god because I'm so tired
of the stuff. No more of that for a while. While I was there a SOBO
past named Easy. Nice guy from S. Carolina. He stopped and talked for
a bit then headed onward. Crazy to think he's just getting past the
600-mile mark, then again he's also done with the hardest part whereas
I am not.

I left there and maybe a mile or so later I was getting up around 3000
feet. I could literally feel the temperature change, the air getting
cooler. My arms were now cold from sweat, not hot from it like they
have been as of late. This made me really happy and excited for those
higher elevations that are to come further north. I made it to the
summit of Greylock around 11:30, and there's a lodge and restaurant up
there so I stopped in for a snack and took another break. At the top
is a large Memorial for veterans, I want to say WWII, but I'm not
certain. I went inside and there was this really awesome quote on the
wall, so I recorded it into my voice recorder, but unfortunately I
dropped it in some water later in the day and now it isn't working. I
wanted to put the quote on here too, but I can't remember it. Oh well,
you'll all just have to go up there and see what I'm talking about.
Maybe the recorder will come back from the dead tomorrow or something.
We'll see.

After Greylock it was mostly downhill into town. Just as I made it to
Phelps Ave. I passed a group of SOBOs, 4 to be exact. Four! That's the
first big clump I've seen traveling together. I find it really exiting
crossing paths with these guys because you can exchange information
about future towns, shelters, restaurants, etc. And it's just neat to
see them because they really are a different breed of hiker. NOBOs are
where it's at though. I was soon at route 2, and as I was about to
walk into town (North Adams) for some Chinese buffet a lady was
pulling out of her driveway and asked if I wanted a ride. Ah, yes! Her
name was Lucy and she drove me over to Oriental Buffet, which
fortunately also happens to be right next to a grocery store.

I ate a lot, three big plates worth, plus a few sodas. It was good
stuff, nice selection and quality, but Ming's in Waynesboro is still
#1. It can't be beat. I actually didn't finish the 3rd plate, and I
was still stuffed. It made my grocery shopping experience tough, but
in another sense it was easier because everything I looked at was
unappetizing so I didn't overpurchase for once. I only resupplied for
a couple days because there's a town coming up I made a hostel
reservation in and it has a bunch of grocery stores. The walk back to
the trail felt really long, much longer than the carride with Lucy. It
was only 3/4 of a mile too. I guess it's one of those relativity type
things. Anyway, I was hurting bad from the full stomach, and with a
heavier pack it was even worse. On top of that the trail goes uphill
out of town. I stopped about halfway up by this brook to fill up on
water and that's when my recorder fell in the water. I was upset, I
had just bought new batteries for it in town less then an hour before.
Nothing I could do about it though. Fingers are crossed that it'll
work by tomorrow.

I made it to the campsite (Sherman Brook) a little past 6, considered
hiking on to make it across the border, but decided against it because
my stomach hurt too much. Plus my feet hurt a bit from the new boots.
So I stuck around here, setting up my tent on a platform. This
campsite is pretty decent, there's a good water source not too far, a
privy (very few campsites have these), and a bear box for my food.
It's only 8pm now but I'm very tired and want to make it an early
night. Tomorrow I will DEFINITELY be in Vermont. Woohoo!

Total miles: 1584.7