Friday, September 27th, 2019
It was our final day on the Long Trail and the dreary, cold, and wet weather from yesterday was swapped out for glorious, glorious sunshine. Our shoes were wet sponges, but we only had 10 more miles to the Vermont-Massachusetts border.
We passed a scenic beaver pond that I recall passing in the opposite direction two years ago while hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Shortly afterwards, I took a break by a dirt road parking lot to lay out in the sun and eat the remains of my food bag. Not a crumb was left behind. Just as we were getting up to return to the woods, a parade of 10+ Mini Coopers came driving by.
We pushed our way to the border and were relieved when we finally reached it. Long Trail thru hike… DONE!
The Long Trail was complete, but we still had about 4 more miles to get to the town of North Adams, Massachusetts.
When we got there, we walked towards Williamstown and each grabbed a pint of ice cream, a chocolate cupcake, and a coffee to consume against the side of the store like a bunch of hobos. It felt so good! So good to stuff our faces. So good to lay out in the warmth of the sun. So good to be done!
We wandered around the quaint town of Williamstown in search of a reasonably priced motel with a laundry facility. There was either no laundry available or the prices were jacked up for the upcoming weekend.
We were thrilled to find Willows Motel, which was right in our budget and had all that we needed. We ditched our belongings, paid the local dispensary a visit, then returned to the room to air out our gear, shower, and toss in a load of laundry. Then we sat through a ‘Jaws’ marathon before heading to the restaurant next-door to eat Italian food.
The adventure was still not over though. Now all we had to worry about was how the hell we were getting back to Maryland. Our only mode of transportation was by thumb.
10.0 miles (16.1 km) + 3.9 miles (6.3 km) = 13.9 miles (22.4 km)
Jump Ahead to Tales Between Trails: Massachusetts to Maryland Part 1
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Stubbs Rambles On 