Miles Hiked: 6.7
HoursHiked: 5
I left the shelter this morning with Gassman before the fourteen teenage boys packed up, but it was a crowded morning. We hiked with the next shelter as our goal, but partway through the day we met dayhikers who told us about a beer festival happening in the next town that they planned to go to, and offered us a ride. When I told them I don't drink beer they told us about the pie festival they were going to before the beer festival, and said if we went they would buy us the pie. But when we got to route 7 we decided that we did not want to hitch-hike into Sheffield for the pie, and we weren't very excited about hiking the next three miles to the shelter, either.
There happens to be a beautiful garden center at Route 7 near Sheffield where the trail crosses and so Glassman went inside to ask if we could fill up our water bottles and use their restroom. He came back out beaming and informed me that when he and the owner agreed that it looked like a storm was coming and when Glassman said he was feeling tired about walking all the way to the next shelter the owner, Robin, offered us the use of his hoop-house storage center in which to camp. And he had allowed Glassman to fill up all of our water bottles and invited me to come inside and use their bathroom, which I gladly did.
We set up the tent in the hoop house among boxes of inventory and met two small children who lived next door and were curious about the strangers in their play place. Their parents, Jackie and Brian, were very generous and took all of our trash, gave us more water, and allowed Glassman to do dishes in their kitchen. In exchange Glassman allowed each of the kids to choose and keep a glass bead that he had made. And then it rained. All night. I was very thankful to be inside and dry.
There happens to be a beautiful garden center at Route 7 near Sheffield where the trail crosses and so Glassman went inside to ask if we could fill up our water bottles and use their restroom. He came back out beaming and informed me that when he and the owner agreed that it looked like a storm was coming and when Glassman said he was feeling tired about walking all the way to the next shelter the owner, Robin, offered us the use of his hoop-house storage center in which to camp. And he had allowed Glassman to fill up all of our water bottles and invited me to come inside and use their bathroom, which I gladly did.
We set up the tent in the hoop house among boxes of inventory and met two small children who lived next door and were curious about the strangers in their play place. Their parents, Jackie and Brian, were very generous and took all of our trash, gave us more water, and allowed Glassman to do dishes in their kitchen. In exchange Glassman allowed each of the kids to choose and keep a glass bead that he had made. And then it rained. All night. I was very thankful to be inside and dry.
Ice Gulch
Steps on the trail, through Ice Gulch
View
Housatonic River
Glassman and berries and a blaze
The tent inside the greenhouse storage
Campo Di Fiori greenhouse
Ben and I pseudo-hiked through Ice Gulch with Laura a few summers ago. That's possible, right? It' looks familiar and seems like it's the right place.
ReplyDeleteGood recollection! I would guess you are right, because Ice Gulch is very near to Monterey, MA, where the Farm is. It is a fantasticly beautiful day hike. So cool that you've been there. And if you were on this stretch of trail there is no such thing as psuedo-hiking. This is a hard section of trail, so you were for sure hiking! :)
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