Wolf Bird & Sherpa's Adventures

Miles today: 16.8
Total miles: 761.3

It was so nice to sleep in today. I still woke up early at 6 something but enjoyed drifting in and out of sleep until almost 9. Blondie and I left the shelter by 10 and had an easy day ahead of us. We were headed to RPH shelter 16.8 miles away for one reason: pizza. A couple pizza place actually deliver pizza to the shelter since I guess it’s pretty close to a road. The promise of pizza convinced us to do a bit of a shorter day.

The day went by quickly and easily and we were at RPH shelter by 5, even with our late start and many breaks. The shelter was actually more like a cabin. It had a door and windows and actual bunk beds, a yard, and plenty of chairs and picnic tables. Two guys, Buzz and Timeless were also at the shelter. Buzz is a southbound thru hiker from Germany. A ton of Germans hike because I guess there is some german documentary about the ATthat has convinced many to come. Timeless is from MA and is just out hiking a section for three or so weeks.
Together we looked up the pizza menu on my phone and called to place our order. We had to wait 45 minutes and were all pretty freezing as the sun went down but pizza was worth it! About an hour later two pizza delivery boys come walking up to the shelter carrying stacks of pizza. It was a hilarious sight. These two 16 year olds kids bringing food and four starving hikers jumping to their feet running to meet them. After some minor issues with paying we finally secured our pizzas. I ate mine sitting in my sleeping bag since it was so chilly. We all got larges which turned out to be large even for hikers. I had leftovers for three days. As evidence of how much hikers like food, I texted delta to come for pizza even though he was 17 miles away at 3pm. He came anyway (after hiking the whole day before that) getting there in the dark at 930ish. Pizza. It’s a powerful tool.

Miles today: 21.2
Total miles: 744.5

Not too much notable stuff happened this morning and early afternoon. Blondie and I took many breaks but still made pretty decent time. The trail crosses a road right by a garden center at mile 17 or so and we got there by 4ish. They sell snacks and sodas to hikers and even allow hikers to shower there. I enjoyed a coke AND dr pepper while Blondie showered. I didn’t shower because I didn’t want to be cold with wet hair (and because I’m gross obviously). We set out around five for the last few miles to the shelter. We first passed the Appalachian Trail train station. It only runs on weekends and only at two times but a lot of people use it to get into the city. Unfortunately I’m not going into NYC since I took so much time off already but it was cool albeit a little eerie to see the totally empty station.

We got to the shelter at 6 something and had the place to ourselves! And it was a big shelter so it felt luxurious. We went to bed excited because we have a short easy 16 miles tomorrow and are allowing ourselves to sleep in.

Miles today: 17.3
Total miles: 723.3
It was a nice easy day today, complete with a five mile flat section along the Housatonic River. It was so enjoyable: the air was crisp and leaves were falling to the ground as I walked beside the river glistening in the fall sun. There were sections with rolling fields and bales of hay and trees changing colors in the mountains in the distance.

Before getting to this serene setting I had to descend a hill. As I was nearing the bottom by the river, a dog came barreling up the hill full speed at me. It didn’t slow down as it got to me and was jumping up at me and baring its teeth. Its owners down below yelled “you can kick her!!” which I definitely did not. But I did try to fend her off with my poles as she lunged toward my face. She wasn’t biting but her visible teeth and relentless jumping was slightly terrifying. Her owners caught up and apologized and I found out the dog was a Rottweiler Doberman mix, which made me realize part of the reason she was so terrifying. In reality she was just an excited puppy but she caught up to me twice more in the day and each time I was slightly scared shed bite me. My luck with animals lately is not the best.

I hiked with Blondie all day. Or more like I hiked behind him as he sprinted and then waited for me every now and then. Our plan was to go into Kent CT at the end of the day for dinner and then after dinner go back to the trail and walk 0.3 to the next shelter. We’d heard Kent isn’t the most hiker friendly. In fact, the laundromat has banned hikers. Granted, the reason is that one thru hiker stripped naked to wash his clothes there, but still. As soon as we got to the road into Kent we ran into a family that was so Connecticut. They were wearing polos and khakis and one even had a sweater draped around them. And this was for a walk in the woods they were doing. Blondie and I talked to them and they were really friendly but it was just funny how different the people seemed from other towns we’ve been to. At the road we also met a thru hiker I haven’t met yet. I was super excited because she was a girl–there are no other girl hikers around, I miss my shuffle. Anyway, her name was Mosey and she was pretty quiet and shy and no where near as excited to meet me as I was to meet her.

Blondie and I walked into kent and passed the fanciest looking buildings which we deduced belonged to a fancy boarding school, the Kent School. A lot of people stared at us. We started worrying a little about going into town. BUT THEN. The best thing ever happened. This woman holding a covered plate approached us and asked if we wanted the plate. She lifted the cover to reveal a plate full of brownies, cookies, and chocolate covered strawberries. She said she thought we could use the calories and gave us the plate. Our opinion of the town immediately changed and we devoured the entire plate. The rest of our stay in town wasn’t too eventful. We resupplied and got dinner at a pizza place where we watched some football and relaxed. We headed out for the shelter around 7 as it was getting dark and set up our tents an went to bed.

Miles today: 19.8
Total miles: 706
Today I was planning to meet my sister and her girls for lunch in Falls Village CT, about 12 miles from the shelter. The boys wanted to go into the first town the trail crossed, Salisbury, about four miles from the shelter. So I said bye to them as they went to get food and I did my best to get to Falls Village by 1.

The rolling hills and trail were easy and I made it to Water St in Falls village by a little after 12. Since we planned to meet at 1, I walked another 2.5 miles to a different road crossing. Once there, Lisa actually drove right by me walking along the road. She stopped and picked me up and her and the girls did a great job tolerating my I’m sure unpleasant hiker smell.

We got lunch at a little cafe, one of the only businesses in the tiny town. It was so great to see them and hear about what they’ve been up to and tell them stories of the trail. I’m so lucky to have family that will drive hours out of their way just for a quick lunch. It was a definite morale boost and I’m so grateful for it.

After lunch, they dropped me off at the trail and I quickly ran into a couple I’d met way back in Rutland VT rigt before I had to get off trail for my knee. It was good to see them, but I won’t be hiking with them as they are going very slow in order to coordinate timing for a train to a wedding they are going to in a week.

I got a text from Cool blue that him and Wolf bird are in Kent already. What?! That’s at least two days hiking away, close to the NY border. He said while they were in Salisbury, a woman whose husband is a vet on NYC, offered to drive them and Mabel to Kent and give Mabel free surgery to fix a ruptured cyst on her leg. Mabel’s leg looked pretty painful and gross so I’m glad she’s getting it fixed. But this meant the boys were done hiking until after they get back from Chicago. So I won’t get to see them before they leave, but oh well. I’m sure once they are back in a week and a half they’ll catch up to me quickly.

The rest of my hiking day was uneventful. I got to the shelter to find Blondie (who didn’t go with wolf bird and cool blue) and Grub. grub is another Southbounder I haven’t seen since Rangeley Maine. It was so great to see him–it’s crazy how even though I didn’t hike very much with him seeing him felt like a reunion of long lost friends. He actually just got back on trail after ten days off sick with giardia. He skipped a section of Vermont and MA so he wouldn’t be super far behind. Later in the evening the three of us were joined by a flip flop hiker named Sun Driven. He was quite the talker and as such I learned a lot about his life. He told some funny stories but did keep me up a bit past my bedtime with all his talking. It was worth it for the entertainment factor though.
A good part of today was discovering the trail is now easy enough and I hike fast enough to be able to take a couple hour lunch break and still put in a twenty mile day before 6 pm.

Miles today: 18
Total miles: 686.2

Wolf Bird made us a great breakfast this morning of scrambled eggs and mushrooms, English muffins, coffee, and orange juice. We hung around all morning and got back on trail by 11 or so. We said goodbye to Andrew and his friend jimmy and thanked them for their incredible hospitality.

We had three mountains to climb today. As much as I hate uphills, I kind of enjoyed the way the mountains broke up the day, giving me tasks to accomplish. Cool Blues shins were hurting him so I went in front of him, rather than bringing up the rear as I’ve been doing with the boys without shuffle to go last. I hiked behind Wolf bird and Blondie all day. Or so I thought. I was behind them but couldn’t seem to catch them. Usually they will break every couple hours or at least for lunch, giving me a chance to catch up. But today I couldn’t seem to catch them. Mountain after mountain went by and still no sign. I was hustling too since we got such a late start and had to go 18 miles. I figured they were also hustling so I took my breaks alone.

All day it looked like impending rain but luckily it never did. We hadn’t discussed exactly which shelter we were going to at the end of the day. There are two right near each other, 1.2 miles apart. As I got close to the first one I was really hoping Wolf Bird and Blondie had stopped there for the night. I was tired and it was getting late and I just wanted to stop. But of course upon getting to the shelter I found it empty. I sucked it up and set out for the next shelter. On the way there a deer sprinted out of the trees across the trail in front of me scaring me to death. When I finally got to the next shelter around 6:30, I was surprised to find it also empty. Had wolf bird and Blondie gone on?? How come they weren’t there? I texted Blondie and Cool blue (wolf bird lost his phone of course) and found out blue was at the previous shelter. I told him to come to the one I was at. A little while later he came , along with wolf bird and Blondie. Apparently I’d been in front of them all day with no idea. They’d stopped for lunch at a shelter way earlier and I’d walked right by (the shelter was a little off trail). Somehow I was walking fast enough they didn’t catch up to me. I was glad to see them though and it was nice of them to come to the next shelter–they’d already gotten out their sleeping bags and such at the earlier shelter but packed back up to come to me.
It was a nice fall day made even better by completing yet another state! We crossed over into our fifth state Connecticut today.

Miles today: 7
Total miles: 668.2

Today my plan was to go the 7 miles to town, resupply, get some real food and then see how I felt and either try to stay somewhere in town or hike eight miles to the first shelter out of town. Since the boys had spent yesterday in town already, they were passing right through and headed 23 miles. Perhaps one of the most frustrating parts of hiking alone without the boys is something surprising: cobwebs. Since I hike slower than the boys, I am behind them and don’t even think about cobwebs. But hiking without the boys means I am the first one on the trail in the morning. Which means all the cobwebs that spiders have built overnight are fresh and I walk into them. Constantly. At shin level, thigh level, eye level, getting on my arms and legs and worst of all, in my face. It’s even worse when I’m sweaty and they stick to me even more. It’s just a small thing but it was SO nice this morning to have the boys back and be rid of this nuisance. I woke up with a sore back and as I walked I just couldn’t get my pack to sit right so it didn’t hurt. About an hour into hiking, Cool Blue passed me and asked how I was. When I told him my back was bothering me he said I shouldn’t put rocks in my bag. My jaw dropped. He didn’t. Oh but he did. When I was changing this morning the boys snuck a rock in my pack. I made Blue take it out and felt instant relief. It was SO heavy. I was so annoyed but also have to respect them for getting me good. The next few miles to town felt a lot better without lugging that rock around.

Just outside of town, I caught up to the boys and they announced they were coming to town with me! Wolf Bird was meeting a friend who might take Mabel for a week. Wolf bird and Cool Blue are going to Chicago for a week or so (blue for a wedding, WB for the adventure). They might hitch there or ride the rails (illegally ride trains…). I don’t know. Anyway, I was happy to hear I’d have company in town.

We tried hitching for a while and it seemed like no one would stop. Then a car actually turned around to go the opposite direction to pick us up. The driver, Bob, said he’d actually picked up and hosted an AT hiker a couple weeks back. And who was this hiker you ask? Our very own Shuffle! She’d stayed with Bob and his wife, family friends of hers, when she went through Great barrington. Small world! He even offered to let us stay with him. What a great guy.

Once in town we ate and resupplied and Wolf birds friend Andrew came and met us. He offered his place if we wanted to stay. The idea of showers and beds and avoiding a storm that was supposed to come this afternoon convinced us to accept his offer. We’ve had a great day relaxing and are all clean and smell fresh. Cool blue even cooked us dinner and we had ice cream for dessert. It’s been a great stay but we are heading out tomorrow and need to make some miles!

Lately I feel like I need to rush. I am at least a week behind the next Southbounder and there are very few behind me. I don’t like hiking completely alone so I hope to catch up to more people. Not sure if that will happen or if there is even really a “group” to catch or if its mostly just individuals alone. When the boys get off trail, Blondie will be the only one near me but he may be able to walk way more Miles than me so we shall see. Connecticut is coming soon though and then NY shortly after. I like all the state borders–it helps me feel like I’m making real progress.

Miles today: 21.1
Total miles:

I had a long day ahead of me to get to the shelter I wanted to. I wanted to get to the Tom Leonard shelter because it was only 7 miles outside of Great Barrington MA, where I planned to resupply. It’s always easiest to get as close to town as possible the night before in order to maximize time there.

This was my longest day yet and just my luck, it was unseasonably hot. It was a hot and sticky, unbearably humid 90 degrees out. Hiking was miserable even when I set out at 830 am. Unlimited delicious pancakes and coffee at the cabin before I left did help alleviate some of my misery. But boy did I sweat so much that day.

The terrain thankfully wasn’t too tough but I did have quite a crazy encounter in the early afternoon. The trail wandered through some farms and then a cow pasture. There was no fence separating me from the cows but they were mostly too busy eating and seeking shade to care about me. To exit the cow pasture I had to go over a barbed wire fence using a step ladder type thing they’d set up. But on the other side of the step ladder on the OUTSIDE of the fence was a gigantic cow!! It was directly where I needed to step and the cow was just standing there blocking the way, staring me down in what I interpreted as a very menacing expression. I don’t know how much the average person knows about cows but I realized I know very little. I had no idea if cows get aggressive and if it would trample me or if it’d be scared of me or what. All I knew was it was giant and scary and I didn’t want to mess with it. I waited for a while and finally it lost interest and moved a little. I made my move and went to climb the stepladder over the fence. But the cow noticed and started walking toward me! I freaked out and ran across the street and up the hill and luckily it didn’t follow.

I was still recovering from this experience, following the trail up a hill and rounding a corner when a loud rustling in the bushes and trees made my heart nearly stop. It was another frickin cow!!! But behind a tree. And far from its pasture. I have no idea why it was just hanging out hiding in the woods. I slowly walked by, only a foot or so from it silently hoping it wouldn’t attack me. Just when I got safely past I looked up ahead to see THREE MORE COWS blocking the entire trail up ahead. Once they heard me they all stopped eating and looked at me (evilly of course). They just stared and blocked the way, as if they were challenging me. They were so giant and I had no idea if a bull was secretly hidden among them. I was terrified. Then, one of the three mounted another cow and the two of them started walking toward me as one. I freaked out and turned to get away only to find out the cow that had originally scared me behind the tree was now on the trail blocking my escape! I was trapped in both directions! There were thick woods on either side so I had no way out. I was positive I was going to be trampled by cows. I tried to walk a little bit in one direction but the cows didn’t move and were just glaring at me. I was scared the male would attack me for interrupting his mating. I resorted to getting out my trail mix and holding it out in my hand and then throwing it on the ground in an attempt to lure the cows out of my way. They didn’t even react. I took some photos as evidence for after I was trampled. Finally I mustered the courage to try to walk past them. As I neared them they kind of moved out of my way. I was so nervous and speed walked by, only inches from them. Then as I made my escape one of the cows (with a tag on his ear that said Jevon, so I assume thus his name) started following me! Jevon seriously started trotting up the trail and I was flipping out he’d come kill me. There was a hill up ahead so I was able to climb it better than he was so I finally got away. I don’t think my heart rate went down for a good 15 minutes after that experience.

The rest of the day was not nearly as eventful. Just hot and long. I didn’t pass anyone all day until my last hour or so. I was kind of lonely and got in a bad place mentally because I was so hot and tired. The thought of town tomorrow with real food helped me stay optimistic. Also Blue had texted me to stay at the Tom Leonard shelter because they’d left a surprise there for me (I assumed they’d stayed there the night before). I was curious to see what it was.

I got to the shelter and there was no one else there. And no surprise to be found. I cooked my dinner and changed etc and then read for a little. Believe it or not I’ve yet to spend a night completely alone on the trail. As it grew dark and no one else arrived, I figured this would be my first night alone. To be honest I was a littler nervous and scared. A huge storm was rolling in and I just felt super alone especially since I hadn’t seen or talked to anyone all day.

Then, as I was reading in bed and about to go to sleep, the boys showed up! It was my surprise! They’d only gone five miles that day and spent the day in town (entering using an earlier road crossing) and so now weren’t ahead of me anymore (except I’d go into town tomorrow to resupply so they’d regain their lead quickly). I was so happy to see them and even more happy when Blondie gave me a McChicken and fries and Blue gave me candy and cookies and Wolf bird gave me grapes. Can you tell I cherish my food?

It was nice to have company during the huge storm and I went to bed looking forward to town in the morning.

Miles today:
Total miles:

After blogging from the library in Dalton, I returned back to Tom Levardis house to find the boys there. They’ve been hiking with a replacement they found for me–a guy called Blondie from Toronto. The three of them said Tom was cooking dinner for them and he kindly invited me to join them as well. We had such a good meal–salad, pasta with sausage, and the most melt-in-your-mouth corn on the cob I’ve ever had. It was great to have a home cooked meal. Tom also told me he had extra room in his house so I got to sleep in a nice big bed in my own room rather than tent in the yard. I was so grateful for his hospitality. After dinner we watched Blazing Saddles, did laundry, and went to sleep in our comfortable beds. It was a great and much needed unplanned stay in town.

In the morning the hospitality continued when Tom made us coffee and had fresh donuts and bagels for us. Since the boys had slackpacked yesterday they were technically 19 miles ahead of me. Tom drove them to where they left off the trail 19 miles south and I walked up the street from Toms house which the trail followed into the woods.

As I left, it started raining. It was that terrible combination of rain and humidity that made me feel gross and sticky even when the rain slowed up. I trudged through the rain for a few hours and finally it let up around noon. At one point in the day the trail went over the Mass Pike on a sidewalk overpass which was a strange experience–not quite the wilderness one imagines associated with the AT.

My destination for the day was Upper Goose Pond. It was a long 20 miles to get there and then a 0.5 side trail. I hate side trails that are more than like 0.2 miles because the mileage doesn’t actually count as part of the trail. I may be the laziest thru hiker. But I was willing to make the 0.5 detour because of how great I’d heard Upper Goose Pond was.

It lived up to its hype. It was a big red cabin with a front porch, a living room with a big fireplace and a bunk room with real beds and mattresses. It is right on the pond and has a dock, from which I watched mist rise and enjoyed the complete silence and serenity.

There was quite the cast of characters at the cabin. First there was Brett, a guy who has been farming through WWOOFing for the past couple years. He hiked from NY and once he gets to Dalton has no idea where he’s going or what he’s going to do. He may WWOOF in NY or MA. He carries everything he owns on his back. Then there was Sarah, who I later found out wrote a book that she is super proud of and declared “is the best book on tea you will ever read. Ever.” I hadn’t heard of it but apparently it was on NPR and such (here is a link to it if you are interested: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0143118749). She had travelled to china and India to research for the book and later in the night one of the guys at the cabin bought her book on his kindle and she read a chapter to us. There was also a group of four guys in probably their 50s. They were out for eight days–one in their group has hiked the entire AT section by section from GA to MA. The rest of the group were less avid hikers. They were very friendly and interested in my thru hike and asked a lot of questions and advice. The caretaker of the cabin (it switches every single week) was a woman named Bambi who, it turns out, is from the town right next to me-Framingham MA. Small world yet again. Later in the night Delta showed up. A girl he’d met in a town in VT has joined him hiking south indefinitely. Her trail name is Beet. It was an interesting crew and I enjoyed the change from the typical shelter experience.

Miles today: 17.7

Total miles: 620.6

I can’t believe I walked almost 18 miles today. I actually just calculated it several times to make sure it was correct. The day was so easy and the miles just flew by. I feel like I only walked maybe 6 miles. Hooray for easier trail!

I’d planned to get to Kay Wood Shelter tonight, which is about 3 miles past Dalton. I got a text from Cool Blue this morning that said to stop by Tom Levardi’s this evening. I looked in my book and Tom Levardi is a guy who lets hikers camp in his yard for free in Dalton MA. I figured the boys must be staying there and maybe slackpacking for the day (this ended up being the case). I didn’t want to really stay in town and wanted to get more miles in so I figured I wouldn’t see the boys.

But then I surprised myself and got to town by 2:30. I didn’t know what to do! Since the day was so easy, I considered trying to push an extra shelter, making my day almost 30 miles. I really want to try to do a 30 so this seemed like a good opportunity. Buuuut, if I did that then the following day I wouldn’t get to stay at Upper Goose Pond Shelter. I’d been hearing about Upper Goose Pond since Maine. It’s a shelter with real bunk beds and a porch and a canoe and is right on a nice pond and the caretakers make hikers pancakes every morning. I didn’t want to pass one of the best shelters on the trail, so that 30 miler idea went out the window.

I then considered going with my original plan and going 3 more miles to the shelter. But that seemed pointless to go put myself in the woods alone when I could stay at Tom’s for the night and see the boys and also still be able to stay at Upper Goose pond the following night. And then, considering the idea more, I figured I may be able to find a way to shower or do laundry in town. Done deal.

So, here I am, at the library in Dalton MA. I just showered for free in the community center and get to do laundry tonight at Tom’s house. And I think the boys will probably be back from hiking soon. And if I want real food I have it at my fingertips. And Upper Goose Pond tomorrow! Good decision, I think!

Miles today: 5.2

Total miles: 602.9

I woke up this morning excited because I was having a visitor!!! Miss Emily Peterson, kind soul that she is, drove all the way from Boston to come visit me. That is 2 and a half hours driving. She is the best and I am so grateful she came.

I spent the first part of the morning blogging and resupplying at the grocery store. At the store, I ran into Delta again, so we hung out loitering on a bench until Emily came. Emily and I went to brunch, continuing our Sunday brunch tradition from our Boston days. We had some delicious food and caught up about our lives. Then we drove by Williams College to creep on the campus and college kids and then we headed to where else but Friendly’s for some post-brunch ice cream. I am apparently a regular there because they recognized me and said “back again?!”. Ugh. We enjoyed our sundaes and then said our goodbyes. It’s two days later and I’m still happy from her visit–it is such a morale boost to see familiar faces.

With a full stomach, I headed up Mount Greylock, the highest point in MA, at about 2:30. I was expecting a real tough climb–it’s the biggest climb we’ve had since maybe NH? And definitely the biggest since getting back on trail/feeling out of shape. The first day out of town always sucks too because you have a full supply of food so your pack is super heavy. However, the climb was not nearly as bad as I was expecting. The first hour or so was kind of tough, but that was the majority of the climb and once it was over, the remaining hour and a half or two hours was pretty easy.

On the way up, I passed a guy who had thru-hiked in 2006 and was out for the weekend. He warned me about a man staying in a shelter up ahead who he said was the craziest person he’d ever run into on the AT. Great. He said to try to avoid him at all costs–he’s been hanging out at the shelter for two days so probably will still be there. That shelter was where I was considering heading for the night. My other option I had been considering was the summit of Mt Greylock. I’d talked to a northbounder in North Adams who said he stayed in some abandoned shelter near the parking lot on Greylock that you aren’t supposed to stay in. This off-limits shelter became my new number one choice because I did not want to stay with a crazy person.

Once at the top of Greylock, I immediately found the shelter the NOBO had told me about. The doors weren’t locked and it was a nice, sturdy stone building with a big fireplace in the middle. It had signs that said no camping, emergency overnight. I probably would have stayed there even if there hadn’t been a crazy man up ahead, but now I could claim this an ‘emergency’ if a ranger or someone tried to kick me out. Right after that, I ran into Delta at the summit. I convinced him to stay with me in the shelter–he wasn’t too hard to convince as he’d been told about crazy man too.

The summit of Greylock is kind of like Mount Washington in that there is a lodge up top and there is a road to the summit. It was far less crowded than Washington, but still, it’s weird to climb a mountain and then see all these people who drove up. 

It was cold up top so we warmed up in the lodge and even got to charge our electronics. We hung out and ate, chatted with some folks in the lodge. Then there was some poetry reading that started at 6pm. It was very random, but there was a full room of people. Also they had a great local beer selection they serve Weds-Sun 5-7 and since I came on a Sunday at 6ish I took it as a sign I was supposed to get a beer.  This morning I sure didn’t think I’d be on top of Mt Greylock drinking a beer at a poetry reading, but that’s what I was doing.

I took in the awesome sunset with views of the Berkshires all around. I don’t get to see many sunsets because I’m usually in the woods with no clear view through the trees, so I especially cherish the opportunity to take in a good sunset. Delta and I made our way to the shelter as it was getting dark and cooked our meals and went to bed.

We got up early to watch the sunrise and it was amazing. I am definitely causing eye damage with all this looking at the sun, but it is so worth it. The sky was such a deep blue and the horizon such a rich orange, with clouds blanketing the valleys below. It was silent and cold, but I had brought my sleeping bag with me to the overlook so I was nice and toasty as I watched the sun emerge over the mountains in the distance. I wish I could start every day like this.