Date: 2016-06-02
From: Goose Pond Road

To: US 20
Miles today: 4.3

While yesterday was a long day, today seemed like it was over almost as soon as we got going. Since we¢re headed for Norwich, VT later today, we decided to just do a short hike. Starting from yesterday¢s end point, our options (based on crossing roads) were either 4 miles or 15 miles, so we chose the shorter hike. Although it seemed a shame to waste a perfectly good weather day on just 4.3 miles. And it was perfect, low 60s with no rain. We did a key swap and I dropped Princess off at our finish point (a large parking lot just a few feet from the US 20 trailhead) and she started SoBo. Then I drove back to where we stopped yesterday, parked the car and started hiking NoBo. The auto route between the end points included a 3-mile stretch of a very narrow, hilly, curvy gravel road that was actually one-lane in places so the drive back and forth was almost as tough as the trail. Anyway, the short piece of trail that we did do was mostly unremarkable, except for the ponds. The most impressive was Upper Goose Pond, a large pond that was much longer than it was wide. It was surrounded by forest and quite beautiful. I took a photo, but it doesn¢t do it justice - I couldn¢t find a good vantage point. The AT passes around one side of the pond and then heads up a ridge. There is a cabin that provides bunks for hikers and other amenities, with swimming and canoeing available. The location seems very remote, but in fact I think it was not far from the MA Turnpike and US 20. I¢ve never visited the cabin, but I think it¢s a destination for many thru-hikers. As I passed over the ridge and headed down the steep hill to the road, I passed at least a dozen older hikers. It appeared to be a hiking club and I asked one of the hikers how young someone had to be to join them. He laughed and said that some of them were in their eighties and that the youngest is 55. He said the oldest member of the club is 90, but he only shows up for parties. They were moving up a pretty steep hill and doing quite well, I hope I can do as well when I¢m young enough to join.As I passed the pond, I came across an old stone chimney and a nearby stone with an engraved plaque. The plaque indicated that a club once stood near this point (incorporated in 1909), dedicated to good fellowship and fond memories. In 1981 the club conveyed its lands to the National Park Service and provided a gift to assure that the lands would remain a wilderness preserve. We said goodbye to Jess Treat this morning and after our hike we headed north to Norwich, VT. It¢s located just across the state border from Hanover, NH. We checked into the Norwich Inn, yet another favorite of ours from past years, and linked up with One More who arrived just a few minutes after us. One More is from SC and we met him at the Bearded Woods last year. He attracted a lot of attention last year because of his companion, Jazz. Jazz is a 3-time national champion dog (I¢ll provide the categories later to be sure that I get them correct), and clearly the most perfectly-behaved dog that I¢ve ever seen. Unfortunately Jazz is recuperating from recent back surgery and isn¢t on the trail this year. I¢ve mentioned it before, but One More is hiking this year to finish the last section of his AT hike, and we¢re going to join him for the rest of the way through NH and ME. It works for both of us since he has a vehicle (a little more rugged than our Prius), so now we have more flexibility to stage our vehicles. And he has no problem with slack packing. So it works out well for all. More than anything, he seems like a great guy and quite compatible with us. We spent the afternoon with him here at Jasper Murdoch¢s Alehouse in the Norwich Inn and had an early dinner. We have another hiker from VA joining us on Monday for a week, and One More expects a nephew to join in for the 100-mile wilderness. So we¢re pretty excited about the upcoming hikes. It will be even better if Spartacus and Focus can find time to join in for a bit as well. You can meet some really great people out here.