The Bascom Lodge atop Mt. Greylock serves a very nice breakfast, but not until 8:00 a.m., which did not seem to fit with an over-30 year old thru hiker’s schedule, at least not ours. Still, the sunrise view from the lodge porch was so captivating, we had a tough time pulling ourselves away, even after their coffee and our honey buns were long gone. But we did, and took in some final views to the east before we started our hike downhill.

The six-mile walk to Massachusetts Avenue in North Adams had some steep sections, but we were glad to see an AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) trail crew hard at work rerouting the trail with some new switchbacks. By the end of the summer this part of the trail will be about three minutes longer, but much easier on the knees. Keep up the good work, kids!

A key part of the day’s plan involved lunch and a re-supply as quickly as possible, with the target being a Price Chopper grocery and an AYCE Chinese buffet, both the same 7/10 mile off the trail. We were the first through the doors at the buffet, did some serious damage, especially to the chicken wings, made a short detour across the parking lot to hook on to the Wi-Fi at Friendly’s, and then picked up four days’ worth of food (and not a single granola bar more!). On the way out the door, a man stopped to tell us about a short cut back to the trailhead, which X used as her chance to yogi us a ride back to where we had gotten off. Total time: two hours, 47 minutes; which won’t get us a post hike job with a NASCAR pit crew, but allowed us a full afternoon of hiking.

Four miles uphill and north of town, we had an emotional entry into Vermont, our 12th state. We were so psyched when we reached the next shelter, we weren’t ready to quit, so we made it a long day on to Roaring Branch. The water flowing from the pond has a slight color to it, but is much better than it would have been before the recent rains. Tent space is at a premium and we are one of three couples, both camped and cramped, here for the night, with our companions all getting started on the Long Trail today. The local frogs sound like they will keep us entertained this evening, and with the cooler temps, the mosquitoes don’t seem to be a problem tonight. Camping in Vermont. Doesn’t that have a nice ring to it???