First, thank you all for the great information already provided. It's so valuable to a newbie like me.
Secondly, I was wondering if someone could help me with information about the MA section, which I'm planning to do later this month. The trickiest part of my planning so far has been the beginning and end: where to park initially when northbound, and then how to get back to my car from Williamstown or North Adams?
Here's my itinerary so far:
1502.9 CT-MA border --> 1509.8 Glen Brook Shelter (6.90 miles)
1509.8 Glen Brook Shelter --> 1524.1 Tom Leonard Shelter (14.30 miles)
1524.1 Tom Leonard Shelter --> 1531.2 Mt. Wilcox North (7.10 miles)
1531.2 Mt. Wilcox North --> 1545.2 Upper Goose Pond Cabin (14.00 miles)
1545.2 Upper Goose Pond Cabin --> 1554 October Mountain Shelter (8.80 miles)
1554 October Mountain Shelter --> 1565.8 Dalton, MA (11.80 miles)
1565.8 Dalton, MA 1579.7 --> Mark Noepel Shelter (13.90 miles)
1579.7 Mark Noepel Shelter --> 1586.3 Wilbur Clearing Shelter (6.60 miles)
1586.3 Wilbur Clearing Shelter --> 1597.5 MA-VT border & back to town (11.20 miles)
What do you all think? Two likely changes might be East Mountain Retreat Center instead of Tom Leonard, and Bascom Lodge instead of Mark Noepel.
Hope you'll bear with two other questions:
1. What's the people traffic like in MA late May (especially in light of Memorial Day)?
2. What's the bug traffic like in MA late May? What's my biggest nuisance this time of year: mosquitoes, ticks, flies, or...?
Thanks again.