Day 56: Nero in Becket/Lee

Summary 
June 20th

NOBO mile#1549.7

Tolmann’s daily mileage 1.6

Tolmann’s total mileage 526

Slept pretty well in the bunk room. Rover is a bit of a snorer. Nice to be indoors. Hard to regulate temperature, though, so either hot or cool. 

I woke up in sync with Joy, the caretaker. Went to the privy and laid back down, while listening to the rattle and hum down in the kitchen. After a time, I got back up and offered my help with the breakfast prep. Joy said she had things in hand. I checked my phone for reception again and had no data service. I spent the next few minutes working out my plans for the day. I had a itch to zero at the cabin, take out a canoe, and hang at the beach. But I was feeling some pressure to resupply, focusing on lunch fixings. I knew there was town access only 1.6 miles up trail, and a motel to cleanup in and charge my rechargeable battery (I’m hearing a strange version of the Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha: “to charge the rechargeable batt’ry”)…

So that was the plan, a nero up to Lee. 

I also learned from Relentless that the “Cookie Lady” was only 11 miles ahead, and she reminded me that camping was allowed there, so I refigured my multi-day plan to include a stop to camp there tomorrow afternoon. 

I took my time getting ready, figuring I wouldn’t be able to check in until the afternoon. In the end, everyone had left except No Rush, who, true to his name, was dawdling some. I had said goodbye to Rover, who seemed hopeful we’d sync ourselves back up again. 

Joy seemed determined to make sure No Rush didn’t pull another zero with her, so she told him to put on his pack and suggested he and I hike out together.

Surprisingly, he did as he was told, commenting that at his pace he’d fall behind quickly. And he did. I didn’t even have chance to wish him well. One minute he was right behind me, the next time I turned to say something to him, he was gone. I hope he didn’t turn around and go back to the shelter. 

There’s not much to say about the hike this morning, except the weather was very nice. Before I knew it the traffic noise of RT 90 was coming through just ahead, and the path dropped rapidly down some switchbacks, and I was at the infamous Appalachian Trail footbridge across the Mass Pike. I was seriously considering trying a FaceBook live video, but the traffic noise was pretty loud, and I hadn’t researched how to do it ahead of time (I’m sure that FB has made it a single push button thing, and someone will give me instructions! For a computer/UX guy, I am surprisingly technophobic! Especially around cell phones). 

I did post some FB timeline photos, so I’m not completely out-of-touch!

A short walk brought me to RT 20, and the Berkshire Lakeside Lodge. The office was closed mid morning, but I called the number on the door of the office and made sure there was a room available. Then I started walking toward the Big Y in Lee. Google maps told me it was 4.7 miles away. That’s 1 1/2 hours of road walking. One way. 

I have only tried to hitchhike a couple of times in the past, so I’m hesitant to do it. But it only takes a little road walking to lower one’s inhibitions. The second car picked me up. A very nice gentleman named Andrew out to speak to local Toastmaster’s clubs. He’s a volunteer for Toastmasters; though I’m blanking on his title, he travels around and gives inspirational talks. We had a pleasant visit while my 1 1/2 hour trek became 10 minutes of air conditioned comfort. 

Thanks, Andrew!!

Then it was dealing with the overwhelm in the Big Y, trying to focus on getting what I needed, including lunch, and being distracted by the things I would like to be eating. You know what it’s like to go grocery shopping when you’re hungry? Yeah, it’s like that on steroids. 

I wish I’d taken a little more time to research the area, because there were more shops just a little down the road, including a Dunkin Donuts. <sigh>

But after eating a fruit salad and a stromboli at the supermarket’s dining area, I started the long walk back. Except the hitchhiking success on the outbound trip lowered my inhibitions even more. So as soon as it looked like there was room for someone to pull onto the shoulder, I stuck out my thumb. 

No joy. 

Walk up the road a ways. Hmm. No good place for anyone to pull off. Walk some more. Dang! 

After a few failed attempts, and a fair amount of walking, I reached a fairly awesome place for folks to pull off, and tried again. Score! The generous driver was a gentleman who had dropped his 10 year old daughter at Tanglewood for a violin master class given by BU. The gentleman had spent years in Singapore and had returned to the States married and with two daughters. Another very pleasant visit, and then I was back at the motel. 

The office was open, I checked in, then sat by the pond eating Bugles and drinking chocolate milk whilst noodling on the uke, waiting on my room to be turned over. 

Then it was calling Debbie, making plans for a slack pack with son Jon over Greylock and a post-hike visit with Deb and Jon on Friday. This family visit thing is addictive!! 

Ordered pizza in for dinner. Watched about 20 minutes of an atrocious film called Ghost Rider on Syfy channel. Called Debbie again, since I had caught her earlier up to her elbows in fresh strawberries making jam. 

Enough with the boring details of town day. Tomorrow it’s 10-ish miles to reach the Cookie Lady (no, MathWorks peeps, a different Cookie Lady), and (hopefully) a campsite in her yard. 

Stay tuned…