Date: 2008-08-12
From: Gifford Woods State Park, MrsGorp's Excellent H.H.

To: Half mile south of Lakota Lake Lookout, VT
Miles today: 11.7

I slept great once again at Mrs Gorp's home. It's a very nice post and beam home. I stay on the third floor so I don't get in the way too much. :-) I stripped the bed sheets, packed up the rest of my stuff into the pack and took everything downstairs. Larry had coffee ready. It was the coffee he drinks and it's much weaker than my coffee, I made a pot of mine when the first one was gone. It was MUCH better! :-) Mrs Gorp made some egg sandwiches while I went up to the second floor and took a shower. I wanted one last shower before heading out into the woods. I knew it wouldn't do much good....it was just a mental thing. ;-) I got the truck loaded and Mrs Gorp rounded up some tools I would need to replace the table at Minerva Hinchey Shelter, then we headed out. We drove down some gravel roads, then past a farm and onto a dirt road, through a locked gate [MrsGorp has a key] and right up to the shelter. I couldn't believe it! We didn't have to carry anything. :-) I went right to work on replacing the table. I broke the old one apart and installed the one Mrs Gorp and I made yesterday. It didn't take too long. Mrs Gorp went to work cleaning out the fire pit, sweeping the shelter, checking the privy, checking the spring and hauling away any garbage that was left behind. When we were both done, we signed the register. I didn't have my red pen or smiley faces when I walked through here the other day. I turned the truck around and we headed out of the woods and towards Gifford Woods State Park in hopes of seeing Queen Diva and Hopeful...and maybe even Circuit Rider and Sherlock. We drove through, but they were all gone. I thought they were going to be around for a while doing some trail magic for hikers walking through. We found a couple [GMC folks, husband and wife, Dave Blumenthal and Lexi Shear PCT ¢04] who were doing some trail magic and they said Queen Diva had left for Gorham, NH this morning. Guess we missed them. :-( I had a couple sandwiches for lunch that Mrs Gorp had made me, then I got ready to walk. Mrs Gorp said she could slack me 2 1/2 miles to River Road if I wanted. I WANTED! :-) I took off walking and stopped long enough to take a picture of a waterfall. I was walking north on the Appalachian Trail and feeling good! Waterfall on stream near Kent PondI came to a couple that was walking my way. They heard me and stepped aside to let me by. The guy asked if I was Stumpknocker. I said that I was. Turns out they have read my journal and recognized me. Their names are Kenny B and Golden Red. We stood there and talked for about 10 minutes before I walked on. Mrs Gorp was slacking me and I didn't want her waiting too long on me. I really enjoy meeting people through my journal. It was great talking to Kenny B and Golden Red...just wished I could have stayed and talked longer. :-) I came up to a sobo by the name of Sambo. He was funny because he was embarrassed...MrsGorp put him up to saying; "Stumpknocker, you're a legend".Sambo was so shy that he couldn't look me in the face when he said that. We all know that it's Mrs Gorp that is a true legend...she's been hiking this Trail since before I was born. Ha! ;-) She really has been around the Trail a long time. She hiked the Trail the first of her three times all the way back in the 70's. I walked over the new Thundering Falls relo that has a boardwalk. It's a nice relo over the old road walk. It now goes by a very nice waterfall that's just a few steps from the Trail. I stopped and got a picture of that, then walked on to River Road and found Mrs Gorp there waiting on me. Thundering FallsShe knew the guys that were working on the Trail, so she went and talked to them while I finished getting all my stuff ready. New handicapped accessible boardwalk over the headwaters of the Ottauquechee River near River RoadI had my new shoes, but decided not to take them now. I'll get a few more muddy miles out of the pair I've been wearing ever since I walked through Harpers Ferry, WV. I just didn't have the heart to sink those beautiful new shoes in all this mud right now. I'll get them in NH and start wearing them then. I thanked Mrs Gorp and gave her a BIG hug for all the help AND for coming out and walking about 150 miles with me. She is great company...even if she does make me walk in front and knock down all the spider webs. :-) I started a steep ascent called Quimby Mtn. I worked up a sweat even on a cool day like this. I was near the top when I ran into a sobo by the name of Slot Machine. We talked a bit and I asked about the Lookout Cabin. He thought it was locked up. I continued on and on the descent of Quimby, I ran into two more sobos by the names of Duster and Honey. They were in a hurry, so we didn't talk long. I stopped by Stony Brook Shelter intending to sign the register. The register was full. :-( The shelter was okay, but it was a huge mud pit all in front of the shelter....it was a real mess! I walked on and came to an aluminum extension ladder in about 1/3mile. It was there so the hikers could get down a 10 foot drop off. I kept walking and got to Chateauguay Rd after a 1,300 foot descent. Bear Walker was there cooking his dinner. He's a sobo and said he's glad to be out of the big mountains. We talked about 25 minutes before I walked on and started climbing the next hill. He said he thought the Lookout Cabin was locked. That's two hikers that said they thought it was locked, so I decided not to head there for the night. I was walking along and spotted a nice soft a flat piece of ground to set my tent up on. It had been threatening rain for the last 1 1/2 hours, so I was glad to stop. I set up the tent and crawled inside. I saw lots of moose poop nearby as I was setting up the tent. I ate the other two sandwiches and the brownie that Mrs Gorp had sent along with me. They were very good! She piled on the roast beef. :-) I'm laying in my tent and it's almost dark and just cool enough to really feel nice out. I see Mrs Liteshoe was very harsh with what she wrote about in my guestbook to my ol' buddy Chief. Mrs Liteshoe....lay off that poor ol' boy....he's MY friend! I know he has flaws...lots of flaws, but he's MY friend and I am here to defend his honor! (Well, maybe he doesn't have much honor...but try being nice to him anyway) ;-) Mrs Gorp....I'll never be able to repay you for all your kindness and all you have done for me. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!....you ol' legend you! :-) Another great day on the Appalachian Trail. :-)