View Full Version : Just finished ny/ct border to great barrington
Just finished my first overnight section trip on the AT. We did ny/ct border to US 7 great barrington, 70 miles 4.5 days. Weather was excellent, a little afternoon rain on monday and some heavier rain monday night, but it was no problem.
Water sources on the trail were all in great shape. Plus a few trail magic coolers were layed out. stayed in kent, ct the first night on the church's backyard across from the outfitter, just had to ring the bell and ask the pastor, they were giving out cheeseburgers at the outfitter for dinner for the town's sidewalk sale. Also the wine/beer shop in town is giving out free beers for hikers with any purchase. they gave me a harpoon summer ale. met some nice thru hikers, sky, ryan, mouse, countrymouse and shadow, and flapjack.
pine swamp shelter was very buggy, and we were warned.
the limestone spring lean to was very nice, but it was .5 mile off the trail and very steep down, the next morning we saw a few folks waking up after stealth camping in a beautiful field .2 past the side trail to the shelter, I recommend doing that.
WingedMonkey
08-03-2011, 13:33
You were out for 4 days and needed all that mooching and trail coolers to make it? You recommend stealth camping in Connecticut?
You must have learned a lot from this site.
:rolleyes:
Sarcasm the elf
08-03-2011, 13:48
You were out for 4 days and needed all that mooching and trail coolers to make it? You recommend stealth camping in Connecticut?You must have learned a lot from this site.WM, do you ever post anything positive?...Redworm, congrats on your multiday. It's a great section and I'm glad you had a blast.
Thanks for the report, redworm. How are the blueberries this season?
Congrats, redworm. We all started somewhere. Did you happen to meet a German couple, Too Tall (the guy) and Good Grip? They started in Pawling last Thursday.
WingedMonkey
08-03-2011, 14:10
My bad: Anyone that wants to camp any where they want on the AT in Connecticut, please ignore all the signs and all the rules and just do it. And while you are at it have yourself a nice campfire too.
My bad: Anyone that wants to camp any where they want on the AT in Connecticut, please ignore all the signs and all the rules and just do it. And while you are at it have yourself a nice campfire too.
:sun Is it that you don't know how to post something nice? The guy had a good experience on a first-time distance hike and was gracious enough to report back in after seeking advice here, and this is the best you can muster? There inevitably will be some neg-heads, it seems, on any DB of any size. Have you appointed yourself to be one of them, with no option to change?
WingedMonkey
08-03-2011, 14:28
Driver if you feel the need to go to name calling I suggest you read some of your own post on that.
mikeford
08-03-2011, 14:30
You were out for 4 days and needed all that mooching and trail coolers to make it? You recommend stealth camping in Connecticut?
You must have learned a lot from this site.
:rolleyes:
You don’t need God—to hope, to care, to love, to live. Do you put that on just to try to hide the fact that your just a miserable grumpy old man? All I do is see you complaining around here and putting people down. Since when are you the AT police? I hope you enjoyed your time Redworm and can do it again soon!
Yes I did meet that german couple about two minutes into the hike and didnt see them again on the trip.
in response to winged monkey, I didnt need any of the handout's, I was well prepared, they just happened to be there, am I going to turn down free cheeseburgers and water? every thru hiker I met over the weekend talked about stealth camping as no big deal. is this wrong?
the blueberries were not around at all, although I didn't look too hard, I was able to get about 5 ripe blackberries.
WingedMonkey
08-03-2011, 14:43
Thanks redworrm, I knew you could speak for yourself. Glad you enjoyed that section it was one of my first about 20 years ago.
Yes camping anywhere but at designated sites is not legal on the AT in Connecticut., and neither are campfires even at approved sites.And they hire ridge runners to enforce it, (ridge runners have no enforcement powers but call in on the radio). You probably met some of them at Sages Ravine campsite, they maintain it also. Section hikers or thru hikes stealth camping along that part of the AT will just make the state put in more rules to control us.
Let me know when you do the section north of Great Barrington, I might be up there by then.
Driver if you feel the need to go to name calling I suggest you read some of your own post on that.
So it's name-calling to push back on your negativity? I wasn't the first in this thread, nor was I the last. I guess we're all bad people to ask you to clean up your act.
As for me, I do at times fight back when attacked, as on my cell-transmitter/Pinkham thread. I'm not one to lie down for abuse. Happily, I'm usually able to steer clear of the small number of hateful people and trolls here, but don't mind, now and then, addressing their behavior. If you insist on behaving like a troll, you should expect now and then to be confronted on it, like it or not.
every thru hiker I met over the weekend talked about stealth camping as no big deal. is this wrong?
the blueberries were not around at all, although I didn't look too hard, I was able to get about 5 ripe blackberries.
Winged Monkey is right about CT Stealth camping. It sounds like, though, the Limestone Stealth sites was in a far-flung location - I'd bet ridge runners come down as far as the shelter and no further, so it's probably about as stealthy a stealth site as you could find. Better, though, to stick with the established sites, which are plentiful.
As to blueberries - there's tons of them from mid-July to early August on the higher summits, Lion's Head, Bear, Race and Everett, all along the side of the trail. You must've been too busy looking up at the views and ahead on the trail to see them. I'm hoping to get out and enjoy them soon, before they shrivel up.
Blissful
08-03-2011, 15:53
I recall the hike down to Limestone was a bear, but hey its the AT and there were plenty of tent sites once you made it down there.
Sounds like Kent had the welcome wagon out for hikers. So much for the negativity on other threads. Hope the PO guy was nicer. :)
Trillium
08-03-2011, 16:00
redworm, I enjoyed your report. I have backpacked Salisbury to Great Barrington. Now I want to do NY/CT border to Salisbury. Sounds like you had a great time.
Sounds like Kent had the welcome wagon out for hikers. So much for the negativity on other threads. Hope the PO guy was nicer. :)
Am just re-reading Barefoot Sister's Walking Home - they note the negativity of the laundromat proprietor but report a good experience in Kent otherwise. There's a bad apple or two in every barrel - best to dwell on the nice, tasty ones. :)
Blissful
08-03-2011, 16:08
I liked Kent too, except the first time I was there NOBO and the outfitter did not know what a fuel canister was. The second time SOBO the postmaster was downright mean. Even the other postal gal stared as if wondering how he could be treating me like that (kind of wished she was handling my business). But other townsfolk were great and the Chinese restaurant loved my business and my pack.
I'll have to give the Chinese place a go next time out there, Blissful. Thank you for the tip! :)
WingedMonkey
08-03-2011, 16:48
the next morning we saw a few folks waking up after stealth camping in a beautiful field .2 past the side trail to the shelter, I recommend doing that.
If they were on the trail only .2 mile past the turn off and you could see them waking up in morning as you passed they weren't stealth camping, they were lazy camping. A true stealth would not be seen by you and would be gone early before any trail runner could catch them. Not camping in plain site in that field. A wonderful place for a rest break if it still has those big logs there to sit on.
Rightfoot
08-03-2011, 16:50
Redworm: Glad to hear that you had a great trip. This is a nice section to start hiking. I ate in the Chinese resturant there in town this spring. I remember that the owner was a gal named Christine whose last name I do not recall but I believe it started with a "Z". The food was good and we left with a bag of egg rolls on the house. We had a hiker friendly experience and would go back again if ever in the area..
the folks in Kent were very friendly, everyone we met. the outfitterstaff, the liquor store and the pastor.
If they were on the trail only .2 mile past the turn off and you could see them waking up in morning as you passed they weren't stealth camping, they were lazy camping. A true stealth would not be seen by you and would be gone early before any trail runner could catch them. Not camping in plain site in that field. A wonderful place for a rest break if it still has those big logs there to sit on.
I just realized that they camped in the Rand's View field. Definitely not stealth! I'd mis-read it as being down in the hollow south of the shelter. They're lucky they didn't get rousted by a trail-runner. Bet the view was great in the morning though.