Slackpacking Gives You The Winged Feet of Mercury

7-14-09 day 42
start: Tom Levarti's House in Dalton, MA
end: Mass. 2 @ North Adams
daily mileage: 23.3
total mileage: 569.6

For breakfast we all went down to this little corner joint called, Duff n' Dells. It was a tasty little indulgence before a big day. Just like the Mayor back in Unionville, Tom gives the option to slackpack. We had a real climb coming up and its a good way to put down big miles so we got on board. Tom even had an array of book bags we could take instead of just empty packs. He drove us up 23 miles to Mass Rt. 2 and dropped us, so we could walk back. Six of us all started together in a merry little band before Carpernter dropped out. He had been feeling chilled and lethargic for a few days and told us he was just going to take a nap in the sun. We made sure he had a phone in case he got in bad shape and pressed on. Its a little scary but his symptoms kind of sound like Lyme disease, he's headed to the doctor tomorrow though, so he should be alright. The push up Mt. Greylock was our first big climb of around 3000 ft. Its a little bit sickening to get to the top and see all the people who drove up, but I suppose their tourism doesn't detract from our endeavor. Our speed without packs coming down and all the way back into Dalton was amazing. Disney got on the phone to work out some med school transcript stuff, got way ahead, and I was even able to run the better part of a mile to catch up for lunch. Slackpacking rules. Back in Dalton I heard the Siren song of the Good Humor truck and ran it down for an ice cream sandwich. For dinner Tom made kielbasa and potatoes, followed by more ice cream. That night Disney, Buckeye, and I topped off the day with a trip to the pub and we exchanged contact info so we can hang out back in Ohio.