Date: 2014-07-27
From: Seth Warner shelter

To: Melvin Nauheim
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

In which I get a proper Vermont welcome.Last night was a ridiculous night! Not because of the dead silence of the forest interrupted by the pitter pattering of rain drops on my tent or the rumbling of thunder but because of the insane mice and rodents! They were running up and down my tent all night long...and I do mean ALL night long. I didn't sleep a wink. My tent was set up by a downed tree branch so those little buggers were running up and over my tent, hopping on to the tree branch, continued running up the tree and evidently down my paracord to my food bag. It sounded like they were knocking food down to the ground then running a reverse course to the food and hauling it away into the shrubs, then repeat. Little did I know until the morning that those darn mice were indeed enjoying the contents of my food bag during their romping. They ate a half dollar size hole in my food bag and enjoyed two packs of granola bars. At least they had good taste and went for the dark chocolate peanut butter bars! Evidently they made themselves at home in the shelter also.I didn't get hiking until 0830 after I went to get more water. Thunder was already rumbling in the distance, which is where I hoped it would stay. I began hiking through a very beautiful and increasingly dark forest. The forest was again still, the sky was grey as far as I could see and the birds songs were absent. Eventually the forest became as dark as night. I contemplated getting out my head lamp but resisted after the heavens opened up with a down pour like I haven't seen out here yet. It down poured and it thundered and yes, there was mud everywhere hence a proper "Vermud" welcome. There was no avoiding it. The mud was invasive and pervasive. My shoes and feet quickly got wet and muddy. I put on my rain gear however, that was just cosmetic as I likewise was soaked to the core.Eventually the rain lessened before lunch time at the next shelter. I attempted, with minimal success, to dry out my feet and clothing at the shelter while I ate lunch. I enjoyed my long lunch and waited for Nubbins to arrive. Then we continued on towards the long, steep, mossy, stair descent into Bennington where we parted ways. It was a real knee buster and I'm glad to have that behind me. I said my good byes to Nubbins and Lee then continued up the other side of the mountain with thunder rumbling yet again in the distance. The rain was gently falling again. The walk along the river and rocks was beautiful.I got water on my way up to the shelter. There were already two other people here and a steady stream of hikers stopping in to sign the register and take a brief break. The camping sites were limited so I made the best of a spot and set up my home for the night, cooked dinner and settled in just as the skies opened up again. I'm grateful for the brief reprieve in the weather in order to get set up. Two of us are camping and 4 are in the shelter. People again! Yay. The first 105 miles in Vermont are shared by the Long Trail, a trail that runs the length of Vermont to the Canadian border, and the Appalachian trail, so there are more people are out hiking. I've enjoyed talking with the many hikers I've run into lately. It's good to see people on a daily basis.My toe is throbbing a little bit this evening. My tent is on a slant so I've positioned my foot on the incline. The rain is coming down hard and the dirt is splattering on my tent fly and occasionally bouncing up into my tent. Thunder is over head again. Day two of rain and thunder.