Wednesday, 8 June

Last night Bob and I ended up sharing the shelter with three ladies, five total in the shelter. A younger girl came in right before dark. There was also one tenter nearby. The rain started about eight and it was raining lightly when we fell asleep. The rain did come down hard overnight but had stopped by dawn. The Wiley Shelter has one of those take a book, leave a book libraries.

Bob and I started our short day with a one and a quarter road walk because a bridge across a stream is out. After turning off the road we entered Connecticut for the first time. We still go back into New York before finally leaving New York in about five miles. Next up was Ten Mile Hill. The good news is that it is not ten miles but it was a 500 foot climb over a mile, then back down to the shelter where the Ten Mile River joins the Housatonic River. The guides recommend that you do not drink the water from either river because of heavy metals. Nice! Fortunately there is a small stream about a quarter mile away flowing into the river that can be filtered.

On the way down Ten Mile Hill Bob and I met a trail crew adding a stone step to the trail. We thanked them for their work. At the shelter we met one of the ladies from last night. She is staying in the shelter. With over an inch of rain forecast overnight, I have opted for the shelter so I do not have to packa wet tent in the morning. Bob has set up his tent nearby since he feels he will get a better night’s sleep there.

Another hiker came in, pitched his tent, took his tent down and moved into the shelter, then packed up and went up the trail to a campsite. A young man with a guitar sat and talked with us for about thirty minutes. After taking out his guitar, we asked him to play and he said he does not play for people and headed into the woods. Three recent Purdue grads stopped, chatted and left.

As we climb into our sleeping bags it is still sunny and calm. Rain is supposed to start after midnight.