What a difference a day can make. The intense heat and humidity subsided today plus the trail was mostly good, making walking enjoyable. The steep descent from the summit of Bear Mountain at the end of the day hurt my left knee, but it seemed to recover afterwards. My day started at 6:15am when I donned my wet duds from yesterday. In three miles, I got water from a small spring at the Belters camp site and in another 2 miles reached US Hwy 7 where a chap gave me an apple and an orange. I crossed the Housatonic River and walked another mile to the turnoff to Falls Village. At the post office, I picked up a food box I'd I mailed from Boulder, repacked my food bag then headed back to the trail at the local hydroelectric plant. The folks at the plant have an outdoor shower that hikers can use. I showered with my clothes on to rinse out some of the accumulated salt. Dripping wet and much refreshed, I set forth on a 700-foot climb to Mount Prospect. A cool breeze helped keep me from overheating. Past the peak, I descended gradually past a wonderful view of the countryside (see photo). At the bottom of the descent, I reached US Hwy 44 near Salisbury, Connecticut. Is this where Salisbury steak originated? I ate lunch in a cemetery then headed uphill towards Lions Head. I took a bypass trail near the summit to avoid the rocks. Then on to Bear Mountain, the highest point in CT. The ascent wasn’t difficult except at the top. The descent was hard on my knees. My reward was the Sages Ravine campsite a mile later - in Massachusetts. The camp featured a stream with splashing pools and great camp sites. I met Ridge Runner, Kelly, at the campsite. What a fine place to end a wonderful day. Today's miles -19.9. Total miles -1506.0.
