T+35 The prospects are looking good!

​T+35 (July 3, 2020)

Navigation Report:
Start point: Pine Brook Swamp Shelter (mile 1487.1)
Destination: Limestone Spring Shelter (mile 1498.4)

Travel Log:
9:30 Pine Brook Swamp Shelter (mile 1487.1)
11:25 Sharon Mountain Campsite (mile 1489.6)
11:45 Hang Glider View (mile 1490.4)
1:25 Belter's Camp & Bump (mile 1492.1)
11:50 US Route 7 (mile 1492.8)
2:20 Housatonic River (mile 1493.3)
2:50 Dry Stream (mile 1494.4)
3:05 Field (mile 1494.9)
4:20 Mt. Prospect (mile 1497.7)
4:50 Limestone Spring Shelter (mile 1498.4)

Daily Mileage: 11.3
Total Mileage: 344.1

Commander’s Report:
Today was a big rush from the get go until I dropped off
to sleep. There was 11.3 miles to travel and storms to
avoid. Forecasts indicated rain between 5 and 8 PM,
which I had every desire to avoid. So, considering I
started on the AT at 9:30, that gave me approx.
7.5 hours before the rain. Meaning I need to
keep a 1.5 mph pace (including breaks) to make camp before the rains. Eminently do-able, without any dilly-dallying.

Of course, my dumb ass had to go and start southward at the junction of the shelter trail with the AT. This was all me, I must have had a flashback, because I honestly thought I was headed southbound (like back in March). Made it 0.6 miles before realizing my mistake and turning around and heading back northbound.

The first views coincided with "lunch”. I stopped for my first snack of the day at Hang Glider View. This is an overlook is positioned to watch the goings on at Lime Rock Speedway. There was a single race car on the track today, most likely for practice / evaluation. It's a road track, hence the odd asphalt designs in the pictures.

Lime Rock Speedway

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​The exceeding majority of the hike today was unremarkable. Typical forest, rocks, roots, ups, downs, etc. That said, a considerable chunk of the hike was along the Housatonic River, which provided something nice to look at - even when walking on the shoulder of a road.

Housatonic River

A calm day on the Housatonic

​The trail crosses the Housatonic twice today. The first had a rather new bridge with AT emblems embedded in the masonry, a nice touch.

​This crossing also yielded very pretty pictures of the river as you cross the bridge.

Love that reflection of the sky on the Housatonic!

​About half way between Housatonic crossings is the crossing of a dry stream bed. Clearly the bridge was installed when there was water flowing in the stream.

Bridge over untroubled water (only because there is no water)

Whither goest the stream?

​Just after the "bridge to nowhere", the AT crosses a wheelchair accessible trail. There, you can find this sign. The mileage doesn't match what's in the guide, but that is normal as redirections occur all the time and some become "permanent". Still 2 miles off of nearly 1500...let’s call that close enough.

Georgia is just around the corner □

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​Before crossing back over the Housatonic, the trail passes by a field that I loved the look of, so I took too many pics of it. Here's a couple.

Just north of that, the trail crosses the Housatonic on a newer steel bridge that appears to have been designed in 1952. Those things are going the way of the dodo, so to see one from the 1990's is surprising. (The year was written on the approach to the bridge. Sorry I didn’t catch that, I was playing dodgeball with the vehicular traffic across the bridge.)

Second cross-Housatonic bridge of the day

​Crossing the river puts you in Amesville, a place WAY too proud of never having incorporated.

We see you Salisbury, but screw you - we don’t want your incorporation

​The AT passes another field before heading back up the mountain, of course I had to take at least one picture of it!

Look mom, another field!

​
​After that, its just up and over Mt. Prospect in order to get to camp. At times it was steep, but not terribly difficult going. Thus, us hikers don't earn a real view. We have to work harder for that.

The prospects of getting a good “view” from Mt. Prospect are slim.

​At the top of the "mountain" it became clear that the weather was approaching. You could feel the rain and the rumbling of thunder proved to be quite ominous. Ominous can make for good motivation though, and I let my desire to stay dry drive me at warp speed down the mountain to camp. 

This was ultimately successful as I arrived in camp at 4:50, and had just enough time to set up my tent and chuck my gear in before the storm finally rolled in. Mark that as a successful day in my book!