It is about 3.5 miles to Glen Brook shelter and we kept it moving steadily. There are some nice look out spots along this section that look east where we were able to star gaze and see the lights of the homes and cars far below us. We arrived at our destination about 9:30pm and set up camp. We had both hammock campers and tent campers on this trip. Once camp was set and our food stored in the provided bear box we all turned in for the night. The Scouts all did a great job hiking and navigating in the dark.
The next morning dawned bright and sunny, and we were all up by 7:00am. Breakfast was cooked and camp was struck without any fuss. The Scouts all know just what to do and go about their camp chores with practice and efficiency. We were back on the trail by 8:00am and heading south.
The trail starts climbing up Mt. Everett pretty soon after leaving Glen Brook shelter. We shed some layers at the parking area for Mt. Everett Reservation and continued up. The going is fairly smooth and soon the views are everywhere. We all stopped to take pictures and enjoy the early morning sunshine. Looking down into the valley you could see the fog laying in the low spots. It was cool!
The going down Mt. Everett was slow due to all the freshly fallen leaves. There were many slips but luckily no one fell. Once down it was right back up, climbing Mt. Race. We enjoyed a nice break and the 360* views from the top here as well. It was a beautiful day, bright sunshine and warm, especially for mid-November.
The trail goes along the ridge with a long drop only feet away. It provides spectacular views along the way looking east into the valley and over the twin lakes in Connecticut. We all enjoyed walking the edge.
After leaving the ridge the trail descends through mixed hardwoods and eventually takes you through Sages Ravine. We stopped and had lunch before making the final push into Sages Ravine and up Bear Mountain. We crossed into Connecticut and filtered water before the climb. The last time I hiked this with the scouts it was pouring rain at this point, so the sun and warmth was nice. We made the climb up Bear Mt. and stopped to enjoy yet another view. I had commitments for the next day, so needed to hike out to my car at this point. The rest of the group continued on south toward the Riga Shelter and eventually back to route 41. It was a nice hike on a very nice section of the Appalachian Trail and I am sure we will be back to hike it again.
