Angels and Other People (and where they dwell)

Upper Goose Pond, Massachusetts
Here is the caretaker of the cabin who kindly provided us with a pancake and coffee breakfast following our night stay in this cabin operated by the Berkshire Chapter of the AT.

Becket, Massachusetts
The Cookie Lady provides rest and home made blueberry cookies at her blueberry farm where you are also welcome to pick.

Dalton, Massachusetts

Tom's house was one of the first hostels we stayed. The trail runs right past his house, (which is how Tom became so familiar with and to the trail). For years he has been welcoming hikers into his home with enormous meals, ice cream sundaes, laundry service, transportation, rescue, and all around support. We also slack packed for the first time thanks to Tom. The hiking poles in the yard were left by other thru hikers. Tom uses them to mark his house for the hikers.

Vermont's Green Mountains
This hostel was a surprise stop. We were not planning to stop in this town, however, we then heard about a somewhat "secret" hostel,(not listed in the trail books but welcoming none the less),and spur of the moment decided to hop off the trail here. It is not an official hostel; the couple, Chris and Arla, who own the house just let hikers stay in their barn for free. Word of it spreads by mouth only; that way they get some hikers, but not too many. It's a pretty creative space.

This is Zeus, a southbounder we met at Chris and Arla's.
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This is Chris, one of the people who owned the house - really nice.

And this is Arla with puppy, Marley.

Puppy Marley is the sad story. He was so very sweet and over the few days that I knew him, I grew very fond of him. Marley had already been returned to the shelter several times by a variety of different owners. Arla and Chris only had Marley for about a week when he got hit by a car and died. I was devastated. Lion King, What, Dehydra, Mark Trails, Jonathan and I stayed to help bury him. We found out later that after a week without a dog, Arla and Chris went back to the same shelter they had gotten Marley to look for another puppy. There were only two puppies that day and one was identical to Marley, only female. This puppy was approximately the same age as Marley and had been found in approximately the same area. Arla and Chris believe they have Marley's sister.

Rutland, Vermont
The Back Home Again Cafe where we stayed and worked with The Twelve Tribes.

One finds the most beautiful sense of community amongst the people of the trail.

~ Madeline and Amy