THE GRAND OLDE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS!

A few nights ago there were no signs for AT shelters, so our hikers passed Stewart Hollow and Stoney Brook. It was raining and dark and they had no idea where they were going to sleep. They wound up staying at Silver Hill Campsite which was nicer than they expected. Open camping is not allowed in Connecticut, so it was quite fortunate that the Campsite had a cooking pavilion with a tin roof and a little loft for sleeping. The two brothers were glad to find a roof over their heads, especially given the heavy downpour. There was one other older man camping there from Penobscot near Bar Harbor, Maine. His son went to Harvard Law and is now on the legal team for the LA Dodgers. He was quite familiar with McGill.

The next day Jack and Chris wound up at the Limestone Spring lean-to. There was no one else there. They were able to hike 19.1 miles that day. The following day, their last day in Connecticut until after the hike, they were able to hike about 26 miles. They hiked 3 big mountains: Bear, Race, and Everett. They crossed into Massachusetts. They met a guy from Amsterdam who had started cicyling in Punta Arena, Chile and intended to continue north along the coast. However when he got to Peru, he had to stop cycyling due to a battle/skirmish because the Peruvian government had sold rights for farming land to an oil company and there was a skirmish over the road. As a result, he decided to head to NYC and hike the ATC to Maine.

In addition, our hikers walked by the site of the battle Shays' Rebellion. Simply put, as I am not a historian, it was a battle between private U.S. citizens in the western portion of Massachusetts and the government because many poor people were being unduly burdened by debt repayment.

As they turned into town it was touch-and-go finding a place to stay. At last, they were graciously given shelter on someone's porch and bona-fide resupply in a nearby town, Greater Barrington, Massachusetts. In thanksgiving again for safe haven and rest through Divine Providence. It's back on the trail north!