Date: 2007-09-19
From: Big Branch Shelter, VT

To: Manchester (SuttonÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Place), VT
Miles today: 16.5

We did 16 miles and the usual amount of climbing (1264m up and 1100m down)today. I saw a moose on the trail just ahead as we were passing Peru Peak Shelter. It looked as if it had come up from the beaver pond below, as we came across fresh moose prints a bit further on by the pond. I was talking at the time (!) so it saw us before we saw it and took off into the forest, disappearing from sight before we got a good look at it. I suppose this is not surprising as moose are subject to a "season" therefore are pretty wary of people. We have been told that there is a season for most wildlife - bear, moose, deer, not sure what else. We have passed quite a few beaver ponds in the last day or so and did not see any signs of them. (Maybe there is a beaver season!) Dave thought they were old beaver ponds and no longer inhabited, but the dams looked maintained to me so I thought the beavers might still be in residence. Beaver houses are piles of sticks out in the water and the dams are scrupulously well built of quite big branches laid in the direction of water flow and packed with mud. We went into Manchester and spent the night there at Sutton's place. I had a meltdown on the way in due to unhappy feet and we gave up on the boots and bought trail shoes. You cannot hike on unhappy feet! We had a terrific rush to get everything done due to our plan to move out the next morning. I bought a pair of trail runners (Columbia) then went to see the Manchester branch of EMS to see if they would (could) do anything for me due to having paid $165 for boots I have ended up not being able to use. It is a pity as they are great boots and there are no problems other than the folding problem and (as you who hike know) boots can be terrible in all sorts of ways. Both of us have in the past nearly given up on hiking due to suffering prolonged periods of awful boots. The "boot guru" there (they have specially trained boot/shoe fitters at EMS) gave me a discount on a pair of Merrells (shoes) so that, in effect, I lost only half the value of the boots. So I now have two pairs of shoes and such is my desperation I have decided to wear one pair and carry the other so I can change if I have to. We have a big mailing due to be picked up from the Post Office in Bennington and I will mail on one pair from there once I have decided which I can wear. We stayed at Sutton's Place and when we arrived there was a couple waiting patiently for the owner's return to check in. We had booked earlier, thanks to Lee and his cell phone, so just went in and made ourselves at home (felt a little uncomfortable but did it anyway). That couple are also hiking south and intending to finish about the same time we are. They waited all day for the owner to return and eventually gave up and went to stay somewhere else. We did not get to know them at all, even their trail names, so hopefully we will run into them again sometime. There are not very many of us SOBOs. Turned out the owner of Sutton's place works in a full time job but has no note on the door to say when she will return or any instruction to go on in and make oneself at home. Since it looks like a private home, it is not easy to do this without some authorization. We met Lee at the Mexican restaurant where both Dave and I ordered tamales, but I have to say my tamales were unrecognizable as such and quite disappointing.View from Prospect Rock of ManchesterSutton¢s Place