The mosquitos are attempting to sing me to sleep again. It is that time of year in Mass when 4 applications of DEET are just sufficient to hold off the little buggers long enough for me to get into my tent and stay there until morning. There is a barred owl calling as well, and I can hear the crackling of fire from outside the shelter. Whoever hiked in to the shelter after me is trying to smoke the bugs away. I am just hoping they will have died down enough in the morning for a few hours of peace.

Today was a good long hike. Good except for the bugs. I was hiking alone again, as I have for the most part since Pennsylvania. The blueberry-covered summits of the MA mountains are what my mind tells me mountain tops are ‘supposed’ to look like. It just feels like home. I got cell signal this morning and arranged a pick-up Friday from Rog. Either I need to do 22 miles again tomorrow and 12 out on Friday or I get an easy 14 tomorrow and do 20 on Friday—we’ll see how I feel.

Rockhound left a message on my phone. He is 70 miles south of me. My taking the weekend off will bring him within one long day, hmmm…maybe I will take another zero. It’s still light at 9pm , but I am crashing anyway to give myself a chance at doing 22 tomorrow…