Date: 2008-07-21
From: Green Mountain House, Manchester Center

To: Green Mountain House, Manchester Center VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Zero in VermontGreen Mountain House Hostel In an effort to minimize my casualty rate and to keep the trails safe from my tumbling body, I have decided to wait out the rain at this fabulous hostel which has only been open for a week by Jeff Taussig and his Wife, Regina. They have set up an entire house for just hikers and have a kitchen, internet and movies (all about Long Distance Hiking of course). Jeff has section hiked the AT and is doing the Pacific Crest Trail now. The house is very clean with laundry and a shower and I am most impressed. Croc Hunter has decided to stay here another day too so we can go see The Dark Night I have also opted to use this day to buy new socks and a pair of Gaiters which I have been waiting to find for hundreds of miles. I was laying down and I coughed and I felt something strange in my nether region. I¢m hoping it¢s not a hernia but I think it might be; at least, it feels like what the doctors are always looking for when they tell you to turn your head and cough. I¢ll just walk it off, it¢ll be fine. (Later) We ran into a few other Hikers at the movies and I got all of my shopping done. SOCKS ARE DARN EXPENSIVE! Pun intended. I tried to sew up the holes in my socks but it just wasn¢t good enough. Some of the holes were too big and then once they got too close to the fire when I was drying them and they got all crispy so they fell apart. I saw these Smartwool Trekking socks with extra padding and I decided they might increase my distance so I went for it. For a while there I was wearing apair of socks that someone left behind at a shelter that only had holes in the heels where I already have titanium skin from old calluses so I wasn¢t worried about it. I brought back a rib-eye and cooked it up. I haven¢t cooked a real dinner in along time. It was delicious. Just as I was settling down, ATV showed his face. I thought he was way ahead of me and he thought I was way ahead of him. I guess that¢s how it goes. It was getting boring just sitting around and watching Jim Rome bust on Michelle Wie and Brett Favre so I got on the Internet and investigated some methods of healing my knee and just how dangerous is that tea-stained water I¢ve been drinking out of ponds and marshes? Some guy fed me a load of crap that Chocolate Milk would hinder my healing and I had to look that up too.I knew I needed to get back out on the trail. Later on three SOBOs showed up, Mango, Greta and this other guy I can¢t remember his name. They were from PA and we were familiar with each others¢ habitats of youth. Mango was originally from Venezuela but went to Penn State so we got along just fine. His girlfriend Greta had spectacular legs; maybe the best I¢ve seen on the trail yet, but I wasn¢t about to tell him that. He¢d lost 30 lbs and would get them back I¢m sure before he came looking for me! We became good pals and I¢m going to ry to look them up when I get finished up in Maine. Maybe I¢ll section with them in PA if the time is right and I don¢t have to be back in SD. We all want to do the PCT though so maybe that will work out. I didn¢t get to bed until 0230 and ATV was still downstairs repairing his thermarest.David AKA ¢Mister Gentle Spirit¢ Website http://www.wbafinc.org Photos: http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproofVideos: http://www.youtube.com/WBAF1