Cornwall Bridge, August 2, 1983

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Aug 2 , 1983 Tuesday (727.2 mtg) From Gonzo!s Appalachian Trail journal

This morning I walked back up the blue-blazed trail .4 miles to the junction with the AT, stashed my pack in the woods, and returned to the Broidrich's for breakfast. I secured a needle and thread to fix my strap and sat down to a wonderful breakfast of four eggs, toast, melon, tea, and two bananas. I also left their home with some water for the day. Very nice people.

With repairs now completed, continuing on brought me to the long steady ascent of Schaghticoke Mountain where I caught up with a hiker on a training hike who had been stationed at Scott Air Force Base near my home town. (His name was Pete Van Why, known as "Tailwind" during his training hike, but during his 1985 thru-hike used the name "The Cheshire Cat"). Dropping down from the mountain I entered into the next state - Connecticut. Ten states down and four to go! I stopped in at Chase Mountain Lean-to. i know this because I recorded an entry there mentioning that I was trying to catch up with Mary Kancevitch, Deborah Taggert, and their dog Kelly, collectively known as "The Three Doberman's". I think it was just a goal for me to get me moving down the trail more than anything. I was not fond of the dog; however, the two ladies were very pleasant natured. To view the entire Chase Mountain Shelter register click here.

Soon after entering Connecticut, the trail bounced back into New York for one last fling and just as quickly dove back into Connecticut leaving New York for good. I picked up some young girls in that New York section who were determined to follow, or should I say "race" me down to the water pump at Four Corners in Macedonia State Park. The group of girls were members of a camp group from Kenwood Camp for girls led by a couple of nice female English counselors. They had all kinds of questions about hiking and what I was attempting to accomplish.

Up the next mountain, Caleb's Peak, I met Alan Savage. I had read his entries in the shelter registers over a thousand miles ago - way back when. Apparently he had quit, but was starting up again with this being one of his first days out. I checked out the view of the river valley below from the peak, and then moved on to the next view just a short few tenths of a mile past. The view from St. John's Ledges was equally good. I picked my way down the steep rocky trail to the Housatonic River Road below, and I soon outdistanced him in an attempt to catch up to "The Three Dobermans," that I had met in Pennsylvania. Somewhere along the four miles of trail paralleling the river, I caught up with them and hiked with them all the way to Cornwall Bridge. One of my favorite memories of this section was strolling through the pine plantation of tall, straight pine trees over a level, quiet, cushiony soft, needle covered A.T. footway. A very peaceful place.

The trail passed directly through the town of Cornwall Bridge at the junction of US 4 and 7. The junction is sort of like a roundabout similar to those in Great Britain in that there is a piece of land around which the lanes travel. In this case it was more of a triangle rather than a circle, if I remember correctly. This central piece of land was like a small park with trees and nice grassy areas. Outside the "roundabout" were located a few business establishments including the liquor store that carried all sorts of imported beers. It was common knowledge by this time in the trip that any hiker passing through that had hiked from Georgia to their store was offered a free beer of their choice. Most people went for the quart can of Foster's Lager, the largest beer they carried, but I had an orange juice instead.

I tried to contact Fred Steinbrecker on the local public telephone nearby, a Shawnee Mountaineer climbing friend from college who was responsible for getting me about $70.00 from the student activities counsel to help defray the cost of my trip, but got no answer. He lived somewhere nearby in Connecticut, I think. I talked with Mom, and apparently told her I had done 25 miles yesterday, and another 25 miles today. It was the beginning of a trend. We talked about upcoming town stops possibly in West Hartford, Vt., Hanover or Glen Cliff, New Hampshire that were coming up. One of the determining factors was if they were within .5 miles of the trail. I did not like to stray far from the route. I may have asked to prepare a package, or at least have handy, my rain jacket, and orange sweatpants that I had sent home some time ago because summer was upon me and I really did not need to have those items. If it rained, it was just a free shower. Wearing a rain jacket at this time would cause you to sweat, and become wet and uncomfortable - more than if you were just walking in the rain. Mom commented about the small rock that I had sent in the last package and I informed her that it was an "official" Pennsylvania rock, just one of the many that I had seen in that state. I stated that due to my 50 miles in the last two days I was now traveling by myself. (notes from Mom) She told me she had just sent a package, first class, the day before, August 1, to Tyringham, Massachusetts - cost $4.50. We talked for nineteen minutes today (cost $6.56)

I camped in the grassy area next to a tree enclosed on three sides by the highway junction. The cars kept me awake for a while, but I got to bed around 10 pm and was soon asleep after another 25.7 mile day.

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