Date: 2013-08-30
From: Campsite Along Trail

To: West Hartford Village Store, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today's miles for Miles: 11.9Total miles for Miles: 957.4------------------------------Today's miles for Side: 0Total miles for Side: 694.3----------------------------- While I was eating breakfast this morning, a backpacker appeared out of nowhere behind me and surprised me. I had camped just off the trail on a woods road. Apparently he had camped further down the woods road than me and neither one of us knew the other was there. Met Goodnews Tom today. He's out spreading the good word while hiking south to Harper's Ferry. He's an elderly gentleman and says he may not make it - he misses his wife. How sweet. He alerted me to trail magic soda ahead on the trail. There was one can left when I got there and I left it for the next hiker since I was planning on stopping at a store a little later. Later in the day I met Wizz who got that can of soda and he thanked me. Encountered two Green Mountain Club volunteers who were setting up to work on completing a staircase up a steep section of trail as it left a road crossing. I was standing looking up the half done staircase wondering how I was supposed to get up the top of the uncompleted part when one of them said 'M'am, the trail is over there. These stairs aren't completed yet.' Whew! They are putting in the staircase to move the trail off private land. I thanked them for the work they do for us.Crossed many roads today. Had two nice views of the mountains. As I came down the last hill before Cloudland Market, I ran into trail magic -four gallons of cold water and a cooler filled with bananas, snack bars and some other treats. Again I left them for others since I was going to the market. I was only able to get ice cream and a locally brewed soda. Sat out on their porch and dried my feet, socks and shoes plus the clothes I was wearing. Charged my phone while I was there. Then headed back down to the road for a banana from the trail magic cooler.The trail was hard for me today again. I was just so exhausted and sweating like crazy. Every uphill was hard and there were many as the trail was a bunch of ups and downs. Made it to the town of West Hartford where the trail goes right through town. Went into the Village Deli for a burger and fries. Enoch, who I had met at Green Mountain House, joined me for a burger. A number of other hikers filed through the deli. Word was that you could camp two stores down behind the sign store and a bunch of hikers were already set up there. I saw a list of trail angels on the bulletin board and decided to try to see if someone could put us up for the night. On the third call a wonderful trail angel named Betsy said she would come and get us to stay at her house. What a kind, kind thing to do. Paying it forward for kindness her son received while hiking the trail years ago. Had a shower and Betsy threw our clothes in the wash. Betsy and Bill have their basement set up with inflatable mattresses to accommodate us hikers. Time for a restful sleep. Tomorrow we'll be slackpacking from where Betsy picked us up to her house, which is on the trail. Thank you Betsy and her husband, Bill. I have so much to be thankful for and to pay forward myself.