With the WiFi I was also able to find a walk-in clinic in nearby Pittsfield, and a plan began to be formed.
After eating breakfast at the hotel, John and Sherri took Stick and me to a Price Chopper grocery store so that we could resupply for the next few days.
Next, they dropped me off at the urgent care clinic, then John and Sherri took Stick back to the trailhead south of Great Barrington.
I was able to see a doctor soon after I arrived. She said a blood test would be needed to confirm Lyme disease, but the results would not be known for several days.
She also wrote for me a prescription for Doxycycline Hyclate, an antibiotic. I could start taking them now if I wished, she told me, or I could wait until the results of the test were known. I didn’t like the idea of taking medication without a diagnosis, so I decided to just fill the prescription and carry the pills with me, but not take them until I learned of the test results.
John and Sherri made the long drive back from dropping off Stick, arriving soon after a pharmacist filled my prescription.
By now it was nearly noon, so in order to not spend much more time off the trail, we stopped for a quick lunch at Subway in Great Barrington. Then John and Sherri returned me to the trail.
Rain began to fall while we were still in town, but it quit by the time we reached the trailhead.
I attempted to thank Sherri and John for their kindness and generosity, but that couldn’t be done adequately. Driving from Indiana to Massachusetts, putting Stick and me up in a nice hotel, buying dinner for us, as well as for Dory and Splat, then shuttling us around this morning. These extraordinary acts of caring from special friends were just what I needed at just the right time.
