Date: 2014-09-07
From: Trapper John Shelter

To: Velvet Rocks Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: scattered clouds

My socks and shoes were still wet in the morning, but I had plenty of alcohol fuel and would be resupplying soon. So I decided to dry my socks over my stove, which worked very well. As they heated, you could see the steam rising from them. I also found I could remove my insoles from my shoes and dry those as well. That only left one problem, as soon as I put my feet in my shoes, my socks would be instantly wet again. To solve that, I put my dry socks on, then inserted each foot into a gallon ziplock bag, then put my feet in my shoes. I tucked the excess plastic bags into my socks as I folded them over and the system worked great. I just had to remember to stop every few hours to air out me feet otherwise sweat and moisture would build up inside the bags.Today I hiked over Moose Mountain - I don't know exactly how many times I had been there before, but it was certainly the most familiar spot on the whole Appalachian Trail. I came across North Peak first, but it didn't spark any memories. I did recognize the intersection of Wolfboro Rd and the trail and South Peak I remembered pretty clearly.I had heard the shelter had moved from the location I had last seen it. It was now on a short loop trail on the ridgeline between the peaks. At first, I just walked by, but about a tenth of a mile later, I realized that I should at least stop and put a note in the logbook. I dropped my backpack and doubled back to the loop trail and followed it to the shelter. If anyone is up there later this year or early next year, perhaps skiing this winter, make sure to look for my entry on 9/7/2014.I stopped on South Peak for a lunch break and it was busy. Lots of people coming and going - I supposed it was the perfect Sunday afternoon for a hike. The weather was great - nice temperature and sunny. I found raspberries up there and spent a few minutes picking them. One the way down Moose Mtn the trail crossed through a field and there were tons of blackberries, which I of course stopped to eat. Somehow snacks you find seem like that much more of a special treat than the ones you pack. I also found wild grapes which tasted great too. I thought I found a cherry tree as well, but the fruit was smaller than I would have expected and though it was the right shape, I figured I better not risk eating it if I wasn't sure.After the fields, the trail entered an old pine forest with really big trees that blocked out nearly all the light. There was no undergrowth and you could see quite far through the trees. The path was nice and soft and covered in pine needles and very easy walking. The trail so far had looked fairly similar through Maine and NH, but these sections were distinctly different. It was nice to have a change of scenery.I arrived at the shelter and there were two older guys already in their sleeping bags. There was also a big tarp not too far down the trail that had a note attached. The tarp belonged to the Dartmouth Outing Club and had been set up for orientation weekend. It said if the school group wasn't using it, hikers were welcome to camp under it. I thought that was perfect as I didn't need to pitch my tarp and didn't have to risk listening to any snoring in the shelter.