Date: 2006-09-12
From: 3 miles North of Hanover, NH

To: Thistle Hill, VT
Miles today: 18.5

I woke up at 7am after a very good night's sleep. I heard something trotting towards me and laid there listening. I think it must have been a coyote or a fox because as soon as it saw my tent, it was gone. I couldn't get out of my sleeping bag and roll over to look in time to see the critter. I was packed and walking at 7:25am. One of the nice things about being a former coffee drinker on the Trail is that I can get packed up and leave pretty quick now that I don't waste all that time sipping a nice hot cup of coffee in the mornings while I lay in my tent getting ready for another day. :-))) I didn't eat any breakfast because I was only a few miles from Hanover, NH where I planned on having a sit-down breakfast prepared by someone other than me. :-))) It was supposed to be in the low 30's this morning, but I don't think it got quite that cool out. I ran into a nobo by the name of No Pain about 30 minutes into my walk. He was just packing up and getting ready to walk. I talked to him a few minutes. He said we've met before, but I didn't remember him. He also said he's just taking it easy and he doesn't care whether or not he makes it to Katahdin. I met the first sobo since I've been back on Trail. His name was Combat and he was tented in the woods just before Hanover. I walked into the food co-op first and resupplied. I sipped on a cup of coffee while I shopped. Life can be so trying out here on the Trail....tisk, tisk. :-))) I bought roast beef for today, salami for tomorrow, some cheese, bread and snacks. I repacked all my supplies, then walked to town and sent in my journal entries and checked my email before walking across the street to Lou's. I eat there almost every time I walk through Hanover. They always have a very good breakfast. I had a three egg vege omelet with cheddar cheese, homefries, toast and bacon...oh yeah, and three more cups of coffee. :-))) I walked out of town with a full belly and a happy stride. :-))) I crossed into Vt at 10:40am. I stopped in the middle of the bridge and took a picture of my hiking poles on the Vt side of the border. While I was walking across the bridge into Vt, I was looking at blue skies with a 5/8th full moon still pretty high in the sky. I passed a couple young girls that were out for two days doing a loop trail, then I walked by the side trail to Happy Hill Shelter without stopping. The leaf catching game has officially begun. I had a leaf make it too easy for me to start this year's quest for the most falling leaves caught in mid air. My official count is 1 leaf, but I'm sure there will be many more to follow. :-))) I came up to Podunk Creek and saw two guys that are out walking north for a week. I was walking through West Hartford and said hello to a guy that was on his front porch fixing a fishing pole. He asked if I had enough water and I said that I could use some. I went up to his house, got water and sat on the front porch and talked to him for a half an hour. His name was Jim and he even gave me a banana to eat while we talked. I walked on and saw Rick and Tina's Country Store is closed and up for sale, then I stopped in the library and used the computer to check my other email account. When I left there, I walked across the new bridge that's been built to replace the old iron bridge. It looked like they were removing the old iron bridge over the White River. I stopped at 5pm and sat on a log and ate dinner. I had Boar's Head roast beef piled on high, Swiss cheese and a bunch of cabbage that I had packed out...yep, I packed out a head of cabbage. :-))) I also had a ginger ale that I carried out of town. When I was done with that, I walked on and passed by the side trail to Thistle Hill Shelter without stopping. I kept climbing the hill until I got a little past the summit before I found a nice, soft spot for my tent. I remember one of the reasons I like walking through this area of Vt so much....there isn't much underbrush and you have a better view of the forest. Lots of choices for a stealth tent spot too. :-))) It's dark out and I can hear a few deer running away not far from the tent. I guess my headlamp that I'm using to write this spooked them. There's also a couple other smaller critters running around. Not sure what they are, but one ran into my tent before taking a detour around it. Lot's of stuff moving around me tonight....that's unusual.