Date: 2017-06-14
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: Green Mountain House Hostel
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: few clouds

I was one of the first awake. I took down my bear bag and headed for the privy. There was a line for the privy when I came out.   It was a bit of a challenge to have breakfast with so many people in the shelter. It was hard to stay out of the way and still eek out a space for me to fix breakfast and sit and eat.     I left with a few people. There were some small blow downs and other needed trail maintenance on the trail. There was plenty of work for the caretaker when he/she showed up.     Today I was going into the town of Manchester Center and then to the Green Mountain House Hostel. The instructions in AT Guide for Green Mountain House Hostel were: Hikers with reservations hitch to town, resupply, then call for pick-up.When I arrived at V11, the road into Manchester Center, there were many hikers, some trying to hitch. I stood on the north side of the road since town was to the west. I stood a few yards before the turn into a parking area, to allow the drivers that were going 50 mph, time to see me, slow down and have a place to pull off. After having a few cars pass me, I saw there was a young man at the turn off also hitching. I am a 58 year old woman who does NOT look threatening. I truly want the best for everyone. I am more likely to get a ride than a 20 something man with a beard. I walked back to the man that was hitching. I suggested we stand together. I explained I wanted to give the driver a little distance to slow down and pull over. So we stood together. We chatted a bit. I told him about hearing voices when I was very dehydrated.   A few minutes later, a car stopped and picked us up. It was a 16 year old girl driving, with her mom in the passenger seat. I piled in first, followed by the man. They started asking questions about the trail and hiking. They were not avid hikers, though they had hiked a few day hikes. The man picked up the conversation, asking them questions about the area. Where was a good place to eat? He needed new shoes. Where was a good place to buy shoes? I wanted a face net because of the gnats. I had not realized the gnats were pretty much gone today. They drove us to Mountain Goat Outfitter (?). There were big signs on the plate glass windows stating they had recently closed. So they drove us to a Footwear Outlet Store, a two story building with a few other stores adjacent and a McDonalds across the street. I went inside. The saleswoman said they did not have a face net but perhaps I would like some new hiking pants. I felt disgraceful trying on new clothes on a body that had not been washed in 5 days. None of the pants had the large pockets I am so fond of. My backpack does not have pockets on the hip belt. I realized I left my cap in the car, never to be seen again. So I purchased a new cap. I walked outside.  The man I hitched with was outside, sitting on a bench, putting on his new shoes. A little girl and her mother came out of the store. The little girl showed off her new shoes to the man beside me on the bench. He showed off his shoes to her. Off they went.    He asked me what I was going to do next. I explained the store did not have a face net, so I was going to the other outfitter in town. He said I could have his. I was shocked. "What will you do about the gnats?" I asked. He said he would just deal with them. I was overwhelmed. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, I accepted his face net. My next step was to call the hostel. My car was at the hostel. I offered him a ride once I got my car. He declined.   I called the hostel. Jeff arrived about 20 minutes later. The hostel appeared new, newly painted and very clean. There was a large communal area and a full kitchen with a full sized refrigerator. Upstairs, I was given my own room! What luxury! I exploded my pack all over the room. The men from Stratton Mountain tower were here. There also was a couple that wrote a recently published book on section hiking the AT, complete with reviews of the hostels. Unfortunately, I do not remember the name of the book or the people.  I had a nice dinner at a quaint local restaurant, with lace curtains. It had local charm. The customers appeared to be locals. It was not convenient for people without a car.When I returned, Jeff wanted to have a group meeting. So the Stratton Mountain tower men and I gathered. He told us to check daily for ticks. If we did not have someone we were willing to show our privates to, we could use our phone to take a picture of areas we could not easily see. Jeff also emphasized that going north, there was no water between Bromley Shelter and Peru Peak Shelter, 8 miles according to AT Guide. Jeff said it was 10 miles. In my mind, I down played it. I had walked further than that without water. No big deal.  I discussed with Jeff that I wanted to hike to Killington/Gifford Woods State Park. He suggested I could hike there, stay at Yellow Deli and take the bus back to Green Mountain House. I would arrive in Killington on Sunday, after the bus left. So I would need to spend the night at Yellow Deli. Yellow Deli is free, for a donation, run by Twelve Tribes spiritual community. I am a committed Christian. I did not feel comfortable staying at the Yellow Deli. So I arranged to drive my car to Gifford Woods State Park and have a shuttle from there, back to the trail at V11. Two days later I realized I could have hiked to Gifford Woods to arrive on Monday and taken the bus back to Green Mountain House for $12. Instead the shuttle was over $50.