Date: 2009-08-26
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: Little Rock Pond Shelter
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Highlight: SAW MY FIRST MOOSE TODAY!!!Jeff, the owner of the Green Mountain House, took me back to the trailhead in the early morning. Future thru-hikers: definitely stay there in town. What an oasis! In the parking lot at the trailhead, I started a conversation with an 80-year-old man who came up to me and started talking about how youth in this country need to get out and hike and, moreover, to get in touch with the real sense of nature. He has been living in Vermont all of his life and he was just so proud of his mountains ¢ and the garden that he nurtures in his backyard. I then hiked to the top of Bromley Mountain, a ski resort in the Bennington area. The wind was howling at this point and whispy clouds were flying by at 50 mph, so I decided to seek refuge in the shelter at the top. While there, I struck up a conversation with two older men, who were out doing a mini-section (3 miles to the top of Bromley and 3 miles back down). Later on, after eating my lunch, I talked with a family who had come to visit the area and they were asking me all sorts of questions about my thru-hike. The rain poured ALL DAY LONG and I was left trudging through the muddy terrain. At one point, I slipped on a tree root and my feet went flying into the air, my hands fell behind and I thought that I snapped my wrist again. I'd say that I have to be more careful, but I'm honestly watching each and every step. Slipping and falling has become almost a daily occurrence, so I'm getting used to the idea of me potentially breaking a bone. Okay, maybe I shouldn't have said that. Knock on wood. Later on in the day, as I was listening to my iPod, I saw the backside of a moose directly in front of me on the trail. As I was singing at the top, I heard the loud thuds of hooves moving and I looked up and here was this monstrosity of a moose jumping through the woods. Impulsively, I tried to run after it, but it was already way into the forest. Climbing up and over Baker Peak at 2,850 ft. was tough due to the rain. It was sheer slated rocks that one would have to climb at a 45-degree angle, climbing with hands ¢ not trekking poles. As the rain lashed against my face, I made sure that I did not slip, for I would have slid down the rock face 30-40 feet without stopping. Just below this, I saw Highway Man, a Chinese thru-hiker in his mid-30's. He had been so fed up with the rain that he decided to set up his tent and had been sleeping at the time that I passed through. Unfortunately, he had a nasty bout with the lyme and now he has an infection in his feet. Argghhh. The sun set early and, as I arrived to Little Rock Pond, it was dark as can be. I heard a beaver slap its tail against the water several times to let me know that it was swimming in the water. I kept night-hiking a bit further until I reached Little Rock Pond Shelter, whistling to Irish tunes of James Galway in the process. Splice, who I hadn't seen since Boiling Springs, PA, Tex, a SOBO from Texas, and Jungli were all in the shelter. The air temperature was getting close to freezing, so we quickly ate and then bundled up in our sleeping bags.