Date: 2009-09-04
From: Etna-Hanover Center Road

To: Kent, Connecticut: Cooper Creek B&B
Miles today: 286.5

Hello Friends,We are updating after a close to month long stretch of not updating. We have not had access to a computer as we have been getting into towns after the library has closed or on weekends, but we are still here! Here is a synopsis of our last 3 states; Vermont, Massachussets and our current state Connecticut.Vermont:This state began and ended with incredible trail angels.... the fields of flowers and rolling hills it was a beautiful state, here are the notes I took while hiking thru.8/15/09: Hiked thru Hanover having delicious pizza then capping off the town hike with ben and jerry's. We had a 2 mile road hike after that to Vermont and had some trail magic before we went back into the woods (some watermelon and chocolate banana bread) delicious and refreshing on a hot day. We made the hike to Happy Hill shelter with full packs which were made further heavier by the wine and smores we packed in. We shared smores with the North Bounders and our friend Rock Plopper (a fellow southbounder whom we later found out got struck by lightning while hiking one of the mountains in Vermont and has gotten off the trail, our love and prayers go out to her! We miss you Rock Plopper and wish you a full recovery.)and drank wine with Ron and Kim to celebrate our enterance into Vermont. The North bounders are nervouse about the Whites, we are excited about easier trail coming up. The wine was good "Love my Goat" wine was the label on the bottle, a red sweet wine and it went well with toasted marshmellows and graham crackers. Anya had a glass and a half of wine and was tipsy. She went to bed without brushing her teeth because she said she likes the taste of wine in our mouth and so will brush her teeth in the morning. The northbounders were appreciative of the smore's and so was rock plopper who helped me tend the fire; we both ate alot of marshmellows.8/16: waking up from Happy Hill Anya remembered that Lindy who we met in the 100 mile wilderness had left us her phone number and told us to call her when we got to Vermont. I looked over my notes and it said she was by rte. 12.We got in touch with Lindy (whose daughter "Castle" is hiking the trail on a flip flop hike) Lindy was amazing and offered to slack pack us and our friends Ron and Kim. We all hiked 4 miles, Linde took our heavy backpacks and gave us light ones that we put water and snacks into and told us that we could all stay and have dinner at her house tonight! We did our first slack pack, taking a little too much time at the swimming hole we came a bit short not finishing our miles but Lindy and her husband were kind enough to pick us up 2 miles short of our destination. They fed us an AMAZING!!! Dinner, topped with a scrumptious banana cake, and in the morning popovers and fruit before she dropped us back at the trail head. Thank you Lindy, you brightened all of our moods!8/18: after hiking for 2 days and hearing all about the Inn at Long trail we decided to stay there for the night getting out of the rain. It did not live up to what others had said about it, overall a decent place, we didn't have welcoming service for dinner.8/19: Due to rain and Anya's suggestion we took a zero while Ron and Kim hiked on, and did a work for stay at Home Again Hostel. Nice place, religious group who were interesting but not pushy with a very nice restaurant they run. Anya really liked the Twelve Tribes group, I thought they were nice but felt a little out of place.8/20: Slept at the Gorge to catch up with Ron and Kim 17 miles tired8/21: Lots of rain, hiked thru it, 12 miles, slept at the rock pond shelter.8/23: resupply in Manchester Center after a hitch and breakfast with Ron and Kims friend John. We said goodbye to Ron and Kim who were going to take 2 days off with there friend (so far we haven't seen them since, we must be keeping a day or so ahead of them)Anya and I went to EMS to figure out Anya's foot issues and as we were at the checkout we briefly spoke with Jim who is a Long Trail hiker. On our way out he gave us a ride to the Mt. Goat backpacker store as it was pouring rain out to switch out Anya's Pack (Anya had called Osprey and got a new backpack to replace her old one that had a broken zipper.) Jum then invited us back to his condo to stay the night and have dinner! Jims condo is a beautiful place, he had hurt his knee hiking the long trail and he offers us his leftover hiking food as well as giving us a shower and laundry and shuttle back to the trailhead and a comfortable bed. Jim makes us feel right at home, he's retired from owning marinas in New Jersey and seems to really be giving back with his projects and travels, he is funding a church in Samba, Africa. Anya and I feel lucky to have run into him and have been offered trail magic like this out of the blue. 8/24:   Jim Brought us to the post office and gave us doughnuts on the way. Anya and I hiked to a vista on Prospect Peak 5 miles in and enjoyed the view for a while. We then hiked to the shelter of Stratton Pond where Goonies Girl drew us pictures in Anime style (she is a 10 year old girl out with her father for a week, her father seemed a bit scattered and unprepared for the trail, but she was having fun) A group of Yale freshmen on orientation also stayed at the shelter.8/25: wanted to go 20 miles, went 15 to Kid gore shelter.8/26: 19 miles, we felt good till the last miles which were muddy and messy and Anya felt poopy for the last couple miles.8/27: 17 mile hike into MASSACHUSSETS!! ending up at the shelter 1/2 way up graylock, met genius today and didn't know I had met him before. AMC trail maintainers gave us a bunch of extra food, Hurray. We were running low on snacks now we have great lunch and snacks. Genius is rummored to be a theif living on the trail and a fellow south bounder light weight said he was wearing rock ploppers radio around his belt, have to take precautions.8/28: Big day today 20 miles, we hiked to Dalton, Mass. to stay at Tom Lavardis house. Tom runs a free hostel out of his house for hikers and even cooked dinner for 10 some hikers that were staying at his house. We zero here on 8/29 and enjoy a southbound community for the first time since Monson. There are 7 other southbounders staying here, Hungry Creepster and Someday who we had met before and who Anya had been in contact with Someday before we even started our trip. Brotucky, Peeps, Genius(who was a northbounder and became a southbounder) and another couple who we haven't seen since Tom's and they took another zero there to heal up. Lightweight was also in Dalton but stayed at the Bird-Cage (another free hostel in Dalton.) I go out that night and talk to Genius, he is a potentially rough character as it seems he is penniless and is yet somehow still hiking the trail, but also seems like an o.k. guy, we are just keeping our wits about while around him as he is a potential loose cannon.8/29: we hike to goose pond cabin, a donation cabin with a caretaker who cooks you breakfast in the morning. 20 miles and we finish the hike doing some night hiking with our headlamps. We get in tired but its worth it for pancakes in the morning and coffee and mattresses at this cabin which is a nice break from the shelters and tenting.8/30: hiked to a shelter that we stayed at with Hungry Creepster and Someday and Light Weight, Anya was having shin splints so instead of doing a 20 mile day that we had planned we did a 16 mile day. It was a fun night, we got in early to the shelter and put on a puppet show that we filmed starring Hungry Creepster's broken dilapidated boots. Had a nice fire and Southbounder comradery.I stopped keeping notes here but here is a short description of the rest of the trip to now.we continued thru Mass. on the we had to hike into Great Barrington as we had a package sent there and Anya repicked up her orthotics, Great Barrington is a cute New England town. by the time we got a hitch out of town it was getting late so we went 3 miles further and then found a place to camp in the forest.We were behind the southbound group and wanted to catch up so we hiked 22 miles into Connecticut and night hiking to catch up to the group, this is our biggest day yet. We met a recent college grad from Connecticut named Steven on top of Bear mtn. who we chatted with for a while and who was a really cool guy.The next day we hiked into Falls Connecticut for a great breakfast and then had to take a 2 - 2.5 mile roadwalk detour which was hard (it can be really difficult and painful to hike on Asphalt with your pack, It is less forgiving than the earth and not as good with our hiking shoes) Anya got a blister on the bottom of her foot and as we had planned to do 19 miles so that we would only have 10 miles to hike into Kent to celebrate our anniversary at the Bed and Breakfast we did 15 miles instead and camped with Hungry Creepster, Someday and Genius. Genius gave Anya some balm for her feet which was nice of him.Today 9/4 we celebrated 3 years of dating eachother (it's amazing that Anya and I still get along :-).) We got a ride into town after only going 2 miles as Anyas blister from the road walk on the bottom of her foot was really hurting her. Mary who runs the B & B picked us up, let us shower and then dropped us off in town where we spent the day resupplying, eating good food, meeting up with the other southbounders who hiked in, and buying stuff for Anya's feet which included a new pair of shoes that should be more forgiving, 2 new socks that the guy gave Anya and some Foot glide and blister care pads that are seeming to work (at least the blister pad works that anya bought and is wearing on the bottom of her foot.) We needed a restfull day to renew our spirits, we had been hiking for 6 days straight since Dalton Mass. Connecticut is nice and I like the trail here. We celebrated tonight with bringing back sandwiches and artichokes and bean salad to the B&B with "Smoking Loon" wine (Anyas trail name is Smokin' Loon so the wine is in honor of her.) to drink and toast to our anniversary and pints of icecream for dessert. Life is good and we are lucky to be alive and to be on the trail.To more days to come and to figuring out how to deal with the discomforts and pains of some days so that we may experience the magnificence and gratitude of other days.Love to all and peace be the journey.Joshua (Mtn. Yogi)Anya (Smok'n Loon) and Joshua (Mtn. Yogi) Sobo 09'