Date: 2004-09-04
From: Melvin Nauheim Lean-to

To: Story Spring Lean-to
Miles today: 17.4

I DID IT! I hiked more today than my past 4 days combined. My stomach is normal and I generally feel good. Today I hiked mostly alone, but that was probably a good thing. Vermont is beginning to grow on me. Today I saw a much more beautiful side to the trail and far less mud. In addition, I actually stuck to my plan today. I¢m stoked!I awoke at 6:30 a.m. I said goodbye to Adrianne (the only one awake) and I hit the trail by 7 a.m., a very early start for me. As I began to walk the air was brisk and almost Autumn-like. It was nice to have the air cooling me and I glided along. The pine would overtake the sides of the trail for short stretches and I was enjoying just how pleasant it all seemed. Though the trail was uphill it was not overly steep. I drifted away into thoughts of the miles ahead. As I walked in a stupor I slipped once but saved my fall. I saw 3 sobo¢s (Tangent, Tag-Sun, & Aussie Brian) early in the morning. Tangent was bubbling, apparently about to meet her husband for the first time in 45 days. We passed with a quick ¢Hello¢ and I continued on in thought. One piece of my morning stretch surprised me. I was walking, thinking of Maine, when I heard a loud rustling in a tree to my left. Then suddenly a bird flew by me loudly. If I¢m correct it was a grouse. All told 3 would suddenly fly in front of me this morning. By 10:30 a.m. I had covered 8.5 miles, and I reached a clearing near the top of a small mountain. There I found Goddard Shelter. The shelter was cozy, a porch jutted out from it into the clearing, and the view off the mountain showed Greylock far in the distance. I quickly decided lunch was in order. There at the shelter I relaxed for an hour, ate a tortilla with pepperoni and hot pepper cheese, and filled in the shelter log with some thoughts. The day was progressing splendidly. From 11:30 to 1:15 I hiked another 4.3 miles. I had a nice time of prayer and then started contemplating ¢the future¢ and my getting a ¢job¢. The fact is I don¢t know what to do, but I have options. Right as I might have begun to stress out I reached the second shelter of the day. There I found crayons¢¦YAY! I colored in the register and soon found I was tired. I woke up 3 hours later. One other hiker ¢Trail Lite¢ had arrived. It was 4:45 p.m¢¦Whoa! I quickly packed up and fought my urge to call it a day. I had 4.6 more to cover according to ¢my plan¢. My last 4.6 began with a steep incline, but I was still 34 asleep. I did not really wake up until the climb was over. When I did I sauntered and enjoyed the surroundings. There are more ferns and moss here in Vermont. A few trees have a hint of color, but autumn is still around the corner. I passed 2 ponds and a couple of seasonal streams, which were of course running after this summer¢s rain. Feeling calm and happy I reached the shelter at 6:45. A quiet sobo on the LT (Long Trail) and a very talkative man with his dog were there. Soon another sobo, Casper, and 3 weekenders arrived. We all chatted over dinner. I had a new type of Ramen: Lime Shrimp (Very good :-) ). Soon all but 3 of us went to bed. As I settled in for the night the remaining 3 of us talked about the religious meanings and stories connected to the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. We had a great discussion which I will spare you the details of. Now I¢m nestled in tight after a productive day. It¢s time for me to sleep, but for the first time in a while I will close with a poem and some thoughts. Will You Get Done?I look at my hike and see I¢ve had fun.Everyone else says: Do you think you¢ll get done?I breathe in the air, it sure does taste great.Don¢t you think your hike¢s running at bit late?I play in waterfalls and dance neath the moonWhile everyone says ¢You should finish soon.¢I saw a chance, and I decided to take itA chance not to stress out about ¢Will I make it?¢A chance to be completely lost in creationTo let myself wander in sheer adorationI plan to get done with no stresses or crying And no matter what I look forward to trying.1)        I love it out here! I hope to balance being ¢productive¢ and still relaxing and enjoying nature.2)        The talkative man¢s dog, Apollo, likes to follow everyone who tries to pee. It¢s quite funny to watch. I almost peed on him!3)        While I feel good, it would be nice to catch other nobo¢s to hike with. I think that ¢Underhill¢ and ¢Knuckles¢ are a day ahead. 4)        I like the word ¢grouse¢; it reminds me of white bathroom caulk. (I¢m a dork!!!)Goodnight, BEATBOX   ttt