Dalton, MA
Today went much better than yesterday though getting a bed and going swimming really was a lot of fun so I am thankful for my low energy yesterday. The morning started with a pankcake breakfast made by the caretaker of this shelter/cabin. This was key as I was still running low on food and needed to get calories wherever I could get them.
After that the trail out of there was rooty and rocky trail but rather level so I had a comfortable hike.
We passed withing .1 of the "Cookie Lady's" 
house and stopped by to say hi. The guide books speak highy of her as she often gives out cookies and it is a blueberry orchard where one can pick their own blueberries. When we got there all we found was a water spigot, a register that for last couple months is filled with entries that say "Sorry I missed you, thank you for the water.", and bushes heavy with unripe blue berries. We wrote one ourselves and then headed on.
At Kay Wood Shelter I meet the The 2 Ladies From Pennsilvana. They were a pleasure and 
McGyver intially planned on staying only long enough to get water and read the register but we ended up staying at least and hour they were so nice to talk with. They both worked at the same elemantry school, one a a guidence conseler and the other a special needs teacher. I feel like I am awash in teachers, the two ladies from PA, Tripe from Goose Pond, and McGyver. They heard of my food predicament and feed me a Luna bar and cookies.
Finialy we worked ourselves free as we still had 3 miles left before Dalton. We did the rest of the day quickly.
Dalton is one of those few towns where there are choices where one wants to spend the night and where all of them are good. The first one is Tom Lavardies house. The guide said he let people tent on his lawn and use his water though when we gt there he was letting people stay inside and was serving dinner. Although we weren't spending the night he did serve us dinner and we and we spent about and hour after chatting about this and that. I gave him a lot of advice on a computer he was going to purchase soon.
My plan however was to stay at the Birdcage, a hostel that is advertised only by word of mouth. The trick is going to a gas station Rob owns and asking whomever is working about the Birdcage. He then comes by a takes you over to his house which is a excelent hiker hostel. He has spare clothes for when you do laundry, drinks in the fridge, beds with sheets, a phone with free long distance, and lots of useful info. For some of the others there is also big TV.
One question I have asked most hiker hostel providers is how they got started. Most aren't thru-hikers and some don't hike at all. Almost everyone tells the same story of a hiker on a rainy day asking if there was a place to spend the night in town and then the word of mouth spreading and soon being bewildered at the hundreds of hikers.
One last note about this town, from what I hear Dalton is where the paper mill that makes the paper for money is located. If I get a chance maybe I can get a tour. :)
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