Date: 2005-08-05
From: Stratton Pond North Shore Tenting Area

To: Lost Pond Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

12:36pm - Hangin' AroundI got off to an early start yesterday morning from Stratton Pond. I tend to do that on town days - it never hurts to have some extra time in town. Before I made it the half mile on the blue blaze back to the main trail, I saw Thunder heading my way. "Where you headed?" I asked. "Into town," came the reply. Sorry - not on this trail. I helped him regain the correct direction toward Manchester Center.Though the walk was easy, there's always a hitch. One stretch along a woods road was severely lacking blazes. I actually backtracked at one point figuring I missed a turnoff. I hadn't; it was just a third of a mile of trail that didn't have a single white blaze.Shortly thereafter I passed a southbound LT hiker named Mike who was out with his father, Jim. I spotted a familiar patch on Mike's sleeve. "So," I asked, "do you do orienteering?" He was indeed a member of the Central New York Orienteering Club. The red and white flag on his shoulder was a dead giveaway.I reached the road crossing just before the Mad Chapper, so we hitched in together. We got a very crowded ride from an authorized escort vehicle. The Chapper asked what that meant. "Wide loads," was the two word answer.It was a fairly typical town stop - pizza lunch, laundry, resupply. I also bought a new pair of shoes and mailed them ahead. I figure that the Manchester Center is likely to have the best selection of any of the upcoming towns, seeing as how it isn't lacking in retail outlet stores. I somehow lucked into a ride from the post office to the library to check email, which was a good thing. Had I known how far away the library was I would never have gone there. After a final stop at the Ben and Jerry's stand, I hitched back, getting a ride off a former LT thru-hiker.I only hiked slightly under 2 miles to the brand new Bromley Mountain Shelter. I had met several hikers in town and we agreed on this as a rendezvous. I noted my dissatisfaction with the town's movie theater's lack of matinees in the register, set up my tent, and gathered some firewood. As I dragged my final load towards the fire ring I heard a rustling in the brush. I was being followed by a grouse. I sat down and watched him wander about. He wasn't afraid of me; I think he may have been curious. He pecked away at the ground less than two feet away at times. When he finally waddled off, I followed for a bit. We talked, though the conversation was a bit onesided. Finally, after devouring a mushroom, he went off into some thicker brush. We had hung out for half an hour or so.As darkness crept in I started to rustle up my dinner. As I was doing so, I heard voices approach. Thunder, Vapors, and a female LT hiker named Jaybird walked into the shelter. The expected crowd was now present.We had a good fire last night. Oh, it wasn't just the flames. As anybody who has ever gone camping to describe for you the magic that can come from a fire circle. You'll hear lots of stories, but you'll never find an explanation. There's just something about the way those dancing flames illuminate the dark woods that causes strangers to bare their souls. There's a special bond shared among hikers; secrets can be told that close friends may never have heard. No, I'm not going to tell you exactly what transpired last night. Instead, I'll let it slip into the vagaries of memory and the realm of imagination. This way, the fire will burn forever the embers will refuse to fade.