From: Danby

To: Hanover
Miles today: 0.0

7-30After finally getting to Danby we found we needed just a little cash AND OF COURSE BY time WASN'T WORKING AND THERE WAS NO ATM MACHINE IBC TOWN TO TRY GETTING CASH WITH OTHER CARDS. We MET A LOCAL Carolyn WHO ASEELLS ANTIQUES IN Danby WHO OfFERED TO DRIVE US TO THE TRAIL HEAD. wHICH WE ACCEPTED AND WHEN IT WAS all said and dine she drover Pi a couple miles to the closest ATM and let me use her phone to get some of our finaces in order and then drove us to the trail head. Hiked a rolling up and down from Danby to Greenwall shelter. Stopped along a pond and took a refreshing skinny dip.Very nice!Dinner was rice shichen and veggies.We hiked 7 miles to the closests shelter where the hikers there at first kind of ignorede us but by the end of the evening we had already made friebnds.7-31Travel about 14 miles from Grenwell Shelter to Secret shelter Lots of toufght little climbsIt was wonderful hiking thru the pines, listening to the 9 sec warbler (wintwr wren), soaked our feet and heads in cold mountain stream.hit some trail magioc of sodas in a STREAM and sodas and beerat the Secret shelter. Pretty much kept pace back and forth all day with grasshopper, steve, life advnturuer and (V8?)I walked hard todaY AND GOT MY FIRST BLISTER. Its not too bad but tomorrow we climb our first Real mountaion here, Mt. Killington. I'm not looking forward but its a good tester for the rest of the trail. Dinner was an incredible hikers stew of beef green beans, carrots beans cream suace and cheese.8 1Woke up very sore in my quadranceps, probably from all the down climbing. Spent the morning climbing up 2100 feet up to Killington mountain 3870 . It was a tough litle climb mostly due to the how sore I was plus my lovely little blister. W spent the day hopping back and forth between Life Traveler, Steve rizzo, Grasshopper and Denali. Once we topped out on Killington, we all meant up and decided to head another 7 miles to Gifford wooods State park to split a campsite.Since Pi has already done this hike, he decided to take a short cut down the mountain,Sherburne Pass to pick up our maildrop at the Inn, hitch into town for some beer and goodies and a campsite. The rest of us kept hiking but due to our paces spread out quickly but met back up at the park around the same time. I already have gottten into a pretty good hiking pace about 2 miles an hour alittle faster downhill.Camped at the park typical pak setting, but had a nice evening with a fire and chili for dinner.8-2Got up and took a wonder 75 cent shower. I feel two pounds ligher. Hiking about 12 miles today to an over look shelter where hopefully we willl have a bright sky tonight. Well the 12 miles turned ut to be 15 and the first mountian ws a kicker, 1000 feet elevation gain in about .3 of a mile. Everyone from young Steve to Grasshopper thought it was pretty tough.We all perserved and went up an down all day until 7 pm when we reacghed the cabin with roof top ob. Deck. Preet cool 360 degree view! Saw lots of moose poop and tracks but not live ones yet.My feet are just soooo tender. My legs are not having a hard time getting used to the routine but feet are. I vve got lots of blisters that at night seem to clallouse over so I m not too concerbned its at the end of the dya whn stepping on a root or rock just the worng way ....It is very cool lush and green. I hearits very hot and dry in MD. I ve seen lots of slananders chipmunks and Red squirrels heard lots of wrens, verrys and thrushes and dwls. Those at shelter included us, Life traveler, Grasshopper, an d few new aquaintances, Gorilla, Sandwich and Denali mde it up. It cool and breezy tonight anad I think I be comfortable sleeping. Pi and I ahv e both been sleeping really well. Soioryy to be jumping around so much I m just trying to think of al the things that sticck in my mind topday. One thibng I kept thinking ad sI approaches another false summit where you thinkl you have reached the tyop an dhte trail turns alittle to reveal that it goes onand up is that this ios really hard and we are not even in the really hard stuff in NH.Well we passed a sign today in the morning that saikd Kathdin is 487 miles away. Cool I broke the 500 mile mark.8 3This mornning I woke around 6 am and went out to pee . The mountains that we sticking up last evening, were now surrounded in mist and barely sticking up. The sun was a red orb looking more like an eyeless Jupiter than the sun. It was gonna be a hot hot day.And it turned out to be hot and humid which made our 15 miles that much tougher. We were planning on hiking past the shelter Thistle hilll but just as we stopped in for water a rumble of thunder decided it for us. Although it was hot we did have some breezy stops that kept us going.We just heard that there is a new store about 4 miles down the rail that serves breakfast so we are going to jet out of here early tomorrow go get some breakfast and then hike another 11 miles into Hanover. Sweet.Its only been 4 days and I already into the swingof things, My legs feel good. Hiking feels good. My feeet are still a bit tender. Actually I've got quite a few BIG blisters, but once I get going and the endorphins kick in I don't feeel them. I guess its the same as any other athletic sport.Went through everything from swampy buggy forests to pine forests to wildlflower meadows and cow pastures. As soon as you got alittle tired of the scenery it changed. Tonite our shelter mates are a young couple with a german shepard. Seem nice enough, but maybe just alittle too cool We ll see. 8 4Nice night with no rain but something maybe a squirrel was messing around on the metal roof and occasionally something big would drop down on it and BANG!!Woke up to cooler breezier temperatures. Everyone, Pooch, Tom Dooley, Radar he came in late and the two of uss all decided to get up early to try to get to West Hartford in time for the breakfast in the only food place in town. Food has already become one of the main things on our minds these days.Hike trhough some great mountain meadows with wildflowers almost as tall as us. Also ran into some great blackberry patches. It was a rolling hike but as we got into town we had just missed breakfast and had to settle for yummy sandwiches. Ran into Pooch Tom Dooley their dor Roxie and Radar. Took a long break before getting ack on the trail. Pi and I were lagging behind everyone else aswe were taking our time and my feet were starting to complain.Got into Hanover only to find that the motor inn where our maildrop was sent had no rooms available, the other hotel in town was a rip off $250 night, another inn outside of town was full and the hostel was closed. We met up with Radar and another hiker Tom B and found another place a private home that took in hikers for whatever you can donate. The woman, Karen, picked us up, drove us to the store for beer, drove us to the inn to pick up the mail drop and then to her house where she had a pop up camper shaped like a teepee and another RV that would be our homes for the night.We ordered pizza and dined outside in the yard looking out over the mountains. Karen had her first beer ever! The popup camper was absolutley groovy. Pop you would love it!8 5Karen drove us back to town for a giant breakfast at Lou s. Once we get into our maildrop we ll stop at the food coop for any other needed items then its off onto another 12 or 15 miles north of Hanover.   Photos coming soon We will be in Glencliff Another town with Access by the 8th or 9th Look for more stuff then.