Date: 2005-06-21
From: Wintturi Shelter

To: Hanover, NH; Dartmouth College
Miles today: 26.2
Weather: clear sky

Today sucked and I am pissed right now. I am even madder because it would have been a great day but instead it was horrible. It was a bad day because I forgot my whole cooking set, which included my stove, cook pot, lighter, potholder, cozy and can opener. I didn¢t realize this until I was 12 miles into the day. I didn¢t even have enough food as it was and now the little food I had (Ramen & tortellini) was no good because I couldn¢t cook.My plan for the day was to try to make it 20 miles to Happy Hill Shelter. The terrain had been really tough lately so I woke up extra early today in hopes of making it. After forgetting my cooking stuff I had a couple options: 1.        Get to Happy Hill Shelter and hope someone was there and I could use his or her cooking stuff. Well, I got there but no one else was there so if I stayed I would have to eat my food uncooked. 2.        Even though I was exhausted I decided to push on to Norwich, VT where I heard there was food. It was another 4.5 miles away but I needed food. I was like a car on empty except somehow I got energy from somewhere and was hiking over 3 MPH. On a good day I usually do 3 MPH.I got to Norwich and found a grocery store to eat at. It was actually really good and it was the highlight of the day. Afterwards I figured I would try to find a place to sleep. I was going to in the town park but it was too exposed so then I decided I would walk towards Hanover. It was 1.5 miles away so I was hoping to put up my tent somewhere in the woods. So the sun was setting and I keep walking on pavement. About a half hour later I am at Dartmouth College in Hanover. No woods!I followed the white blaze but I thought I was going into the woods between towns? Did I go the wrong way?I am confused. Now its dark, I¢m at Dartmouth. I don¢t have my companion book to give me details on the town and my cell phone battery just died.On top of that I talked to my Mom before my phone died and she told me the 1-800-Collect # is now charging over $7.00 a minute when I call!On top of all that the flies were all over me today; black flies, horse flies, mosquitoes and even house flies. I am sick of this. Maybe that¢s why I was able to hike so many miles because I couldn¢t stop or else they¢d be all over me. I am not exaggerating!When I stopped for lunch and ate my last piece of beef jerky, my last five Pringles chips and a scoop or two of peanut butter, they just swarmed my belongings and me. I had hung my t-shirt on a nail and I am not kidding I had about 20 houseflies on it; the same with my bag and trekking poles. I would try my best to shoe them off me but it¢s a never-ending battle. I don¢t think they bit me as much as annoyed me today. It was really bothersome and even demoralizing to have a swarm of flies on me all day. And then, the black flies kept flying into my eyes and ears. I would be going down the trail as fast as possible trying to escape them and then one would fly in my eye and I couldn¢t see. Not fun.Oh by the way, I was using 100% deet but the flies don¢t care.The day could have and should have been nice because the skies were blue and I hiked over a bunch of hillsides covered with wildflowers of every color. It was so nice and peaceful except and a big except, the flies were following me and attacking so I couldn¢t just lie down and enjoy it all.I also forgot to mention yesterday that I saw my first moose. That was exciting. I am even more excited to tell Hane and Ella tomorrow.So it¢s after 10:30 PM, I have been up since 6:00 AM and I have walked the distance of a marathon. I have actually walked a lot more than that because I have walked allover campus in the dark trying to find a good place to sleep. I am on a little hill behind a dorm, I think. There is a lot of activity despite school being out of session. Hopefully no one finds me.