6/29/06 Thursday: Plateau Campsite, Conn to Great Barrington, Mass (21.2mi)

PICTURES:
1. 0838: A more pleasant section of trail before Lion's Head...
2. 0901: Approaching Lion's Head...
3. 0910: Bear Mountain Peak
4. 0922: I had company up top... tough climb for this little guy...
5. 0950: A steep descent down to Sages Ravine but what a wonderful area...
6. 1000: A nice walk through Sages Ravine
7. 1014: Entered Massacheusettes while passing through Sages Ravine..
8. 1042: A lovely section of trail.. a welcome relief from the steep climbs and descents...
9. 1205: Lunch @ Race Mtn with some lovely views.
10. 1208: More views from Race Mtn.
11. 1434: Views from Mt. Everett
12. 1514: Views from Jug End summit
13. 1631: Shays Rebellion Monument

I had a nice quite night camping, thank God it didnt rain since I had to pitch the tent on the dirt and with a little rain the mud would splatter all over leaving the tent coverted in mud... I hate it when that happens...LOL... Anyway I packed up and was out by 0630... I had a nice view within a few miles just past the Riga shelter before it crossing over into Mass. Climbing first up to Lion's Head and then Bear Mountain were the last two challenges in Conn. And they helped take the wind out of my sails early... Once in Mass., I decended into Sages Ravine, a wonderful area, as beautiful and rugged as any seen thus far on the trail... Though highly used, we all knew we were returning to the wilderness after the hills of New York and Conn. I had lunch on top of Race Mtn around 1115, and enjoyed some sun and views before continuing for the day... I passed by the Shays' Rebellion Monument, a tribute to the post revolutionary farmers uprising that occurred near the AT... I had come across Snapper a little earlier and we pushed on to Great Barrington, with the hope of camping on the grounds of a local gardning center... Well, it was getting late and when I arrived at the center they were closed... There were no signs to indicate where to camp so I called some local hotels and got a room in town... We were fortunate to also get a hitch quickly to the Lantern Motel and split the $85.00 cost of the room for the night... The hotel was nicely located near a supermarket and restaurants where we got salads and did our best to dry our gear off... I had the luxury of watching the Red Sox play on the tv... Now this is really living...LOL... We both made calls to our loved ones and turned in for the night...