August 9

The Shire

After some easy hiking this morning, we eventually made it the 3 miles or so into Dalton, Massachusetts.  The trail goes right through town.  We hitched rides to the far end of town to a shopping center.  We arrived in shifts, and resupplied at Walmart.  Then we went over to Old Country Buffet for lunch.  That was great.  We headed back into town.  Tink and Samson called it a day, and set up camp with a bunch of other hikers at a local's house.  Tom Lavardi's house is right on the trail in town, and he let's hikers camp out in the back yard.  I was in need of a fuel cannister, and he had one there that I was able to buy.  The rest of us headed out down the trail through town, then off into the woods again.  Slims and Apache got into town before Rainbow Eyes and I.  We all planned to meet up at the church hostel in Cheshire.  This is another place where the town goes right through town.  On our way down the sidewalk, a block away from the church, a local guy on a bike stopped to chat with us.  He was a former thru-hiker, and runs a small gear store in town.  After a good, long conversation with him, we walked toward the church.  At the house next door to the church, an older man was in his yard, and started talking to us to.  He and his wife have lived here for years, and they have been very active in the local hiking club, doing maintenacne on the trail.  Cheshire is turning out to be such a friendly town.  We got set up in the rec hall at the church.  Then a few of us headed down the street to the local pub for some comfort food and a brew.