Date: 2008-08-04
From: Caughnawaga Tent Site, VT

To: 2 miles north of Windhall River, VT
Miles today: 19.1

I woke up at 5am and didn't hear Mrs Gorp moving around yet, so I quietly started my coffee brewing. I wanted to get it ready early so I could lay there and take my time drinking it. :-)That worked out great because I was almost half way done with it before I heard her start to stir.I had a couple Pop-tarts for breakfast and finished my coffee, then started packing up all my stuff.The tent was soaked because it rained hard till well after midnight and everything was messy and wet outside. I really don't like staying around areas like this because the flat spots are nothing but dirt...which turn to nothing but mud in heavy rains like we had last night. My favorite tenting spots are off in the woods, out of site of the Trail and on soft dead leaves and duff. Mrs Gorp had already cleaned her tent off with water when I got out of mine. She washed all the grit and mud off that pup for awhile.We slopped on for another 3 miles to Arlington Rd and sat down for second lunch. I like eating 2 smaller lunches because my energy level stays high all day.I spread out my tent in the grass and dried it out while we ate. That made my pack lighter for the climb up Stratton Mtn. :-)We ran into a sobo by the name of Pockets and talked briefly with him. We ran into an older man sitting down on a rock. He had a full pack and was out for a loop walk in this area.We stopped near the top of Stratton Mtn and drank some nice cold spring water and topped off a bottle, then climbed the last half mile to the summit.I walked just past the caretakers cabin and stopped to take a picture of the fire-tower. I know the 2 caretaker's, but didn't want to bother them. Jean came out and said; "Hello Stumpknocker". I was surprised she remembered my name. We were talking a while and she offer us some coffee or tea, but we were okay. She offered some chocolate and we smiled. :-)Jean had been trying to get me away for some reason. She was acting a little strange, but I couldn't figure it out.Hugh came out and asked if she had given me my package yet and Jean said to Hugh; "Shhhhh, that was supposed to be a surprise".Since Hugh spilled the beans, Jean had to tell me what was going on. Turns out that a friend with a little mind that lives way down in NC by the name of Mrs Jan Liteshoe had arranged to have another friend by the name of Amoeba (who must also have a little mind) , carry a rock that was all wrapped in gift paper, all the way up to the summit of Stratton Mtn to give to Jean, just so Jean could somehow slip it in my backpack so I could carry that rock for what they hoped would be many miles on the Appalachian Trail.Jean wanted to know how I knew it was a rock. I told her that's the best that anyone with a "little" mind could come up with to try and get even with someone who had planned out "the best" Trail caper ever! Seems like Mrs Jan Liteshoe actually got out and walked the Appalachian Trail in '03...and she kept a so-so journal. She was really proud of the fact that she had over 200,000 hits on her journal.Seems there was a good lookin' sobo that year by the name of Stumpknocker who by skill, wit and careful execution had that so-so journal of Mrs Jan Liteshoes go backwards by 3 to 7 hits every time someone clicked on that so-so journal.Word got out and people were going to her journal that year and clicking on page after page just to watch her counter go backwards. :-)Mrs Jan Liteshoe was concerned...VERY concerned! Her world and her hit counter on her journal were going backwards!As I had said earlier, I was on the Trail and walking, but I received the email she sent to Leif and Zipdrive asking them....no, pleading with them to fix the counter that was quickly going backwards.I had them refer Mrs Jan Liteshoe to I. B. DeWit, MY I. T. guy, who informed Mrs Jan Liteshoe that he had just installed a program on the Trail Journal site to catch "self clickers"....those who sit at a computer and click away on their own journal just to make the counter go up.Mrs Jan Liteshoe informed I. B. DeWit that sure, she may have "self clicked" some, but NOT all that much.That's when I. B. DeWit informed Mrs Jan Liteshoe that she indeed had "self clicked" about almost 125,000 times.Mrs Jan Liteshoe admitted she had "self clicked", but there was no way she had "self clicked" that much!This went on for well over a month! Mrs Jan Liteshoe was VERY concerned because people were going to her journal and clicking just to watch that counter go backwards.Mrs Jan Liteshoe was flustered!I finished walking the Trail and wrote in my last journal entry a confession about the bad thing I had done to Mrs Jan Liteshoe.I pulled a caper like that and all Mrs Jan Liteshoe could come up with was to have Amoeba lug a rock all the way up to the top of Stratton Mtn in hopes of having Jean sneak said rock into my backpack, so I could carry said rock down the mountain?Such a small mind! ;-)I decided to carry that rock because I want that rock to sit on the mantle of my fireplace to remind me to "never think small". :-) We said goodbye to Jean and Hugh and walked on.My cell rang and my ol' buddy Chief wanted us to shuttle him and Xmas to the northern end of the Long Trail tomorrow. I told him that would work.We got to Stratton Pond and sat down and ate dinner. It started raining again just as we finished up.We walked on and I saw a porcupine who climbed a tree to get away. I still got a picture of it before we walked on.We walked till almost dark before setting up the tents in some nice, soft leaves. We wanted to get closer to Manchester so we could meet up with Chief and Xmas to shuttle them tomorrow.It started raining again just after we got set up. That makes 3 times it rained on us today, but not once was it an inconvenience....just kept the bugs down and kept it cooler out. (Bet you'd never hear those '03 nobos talk about a nice rain like that) ;-)Hey Mrs Jan Liteshoe....I'm still waiting to see if you can come up with anything better than a rock with writing on it that says; "www dot funfreedom.com" .....a link to your book. :-)Another great day on the Appalachian Trail. :-)