<--Previous  Up  Next-->

Finerty Pond Finerty Pond Off to a really late start. Spent the morning drying out gear from the disaster the night before. Tent and fly draped over the stair bannister - check. Cloths laid out - check. Cook gear laid out - check. Boots and socks and empty pack in the sunshine - check. Even the non-bagged items in the first aid kit, the paracord, the bag with the PUR in it - soaked, drying, check. The caretaker Joanne and her friends were really terrific folks. Four hours, a breakfast, a long register entry and read, and a lunch later - stuff still more than damp. Everything still mostly soaked, but I have to make some miles. The stay over in Great Barrington ate a day I can ill afford. Looking over the itin, I'll make the Big K in mid-October. The Companion says they often close the mountain by October 15. Beware of ponds. Further along the trail, met up with Rover and Raindrop, southbounders. Beautiful afternoon at Finerty Pond, sitting by myself for an hour - contemplating a beauty I am powerless to adequately describe. The air was cool, with a gentle breeze. Puffy clouds hung in the sky. Almost goose-bump cold. Enough to chill, but not have the teeth chatter like maracas.