Despite the detour, they make it to camp with daylight to spare. But this night Neal and Rob are forced to pitch their tent since the Happy Hill Shelter burned down the summer before. Frequently a secluded party spot for students from nearby Dartmouth College, the rumor is that Happy Hill Shelter met its demise during one such gathering. Unfortunately, the area around the shelter is close to a water source. Normally this is a blessing, but the small stream is stagnant these days, and that means mosquitoes.
Insects are one of the banes of thru-hiking.
The mosquitoes in Vermont and New Hampshire seem to resemble small birds, and the tiny, swarming blackflies of Maine are infamous for driving many a hiker close to insanity. Always at the end of a day, dinner is of primary importance. Rob fetches water, however near or far away its source may be, and Neal cooks and cleans up. Only six miles of hiking the next morning and the pair are in Hanover, N.H. Home to Dartmouth, Hanover is a fixture to hikers. I'm class of '72.