Date: 2007-08-31
From: Thistle Hill Shelter

To: Cloud Pond Over Look
Miles today: 13.7

mi.13.7sleep shelter/cabindest. Cloud Pond Over Look. day 50 Well I couldn't sleep as good as I thought taking dayQuil. But it did give me a chance to finally get caught up with my journal and read the first 2 chapters of my book. A funny thing I forgot to add from Hanover. I was in the book store, which didn't have a good selection, and I asked a woman there shopping that looked like she was an avid reader if she knew any funny books. She said she really didn't. I couple minutes later she walks up with a copy of "A Walk in the Woods." I said thanks, but not thanks. I really can't stand that book. I want to read it when I get back. But everyone not hiking asks me about it. Pretty funny though at the time. I decided on the clasic comedy Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. I got a good early start today. Jared was up early making noise and got everyone up. The good part about that was by 10:30am the time I started yesterday, I had already logged 5 miles. It is so much more relaxing to get an early start. That gives you so much more freedom to stop and relax and enjoy yourself. I will say that over the last couple days I have seen more switch backs than I seen the whole time. Not a bad thing at all. They are actually really well placed. I have also been going through a lot of fields. Today I was also in 2 fields that the trail went right through as farmers were mowing them. A huge change from what I seen before. I was walking along to and stopped to cough and blow some snot rockets. A couple yards later I walked over to a dip in the trail. I saw 5 or 6 full grown turkeys. Really cool, but they scattered before I could get a pic. A little while later I was stopped just after a road crossing next to a stream on a bridge. When from no where some cows stolled up from across the field. They looked unamused as I took a pic of them literally on the trail with a whiteblaze right behind them. The trail went through the cow field. I was going to get some more water there, but I really didn't want to drink cow field and road runoff water. The trail has steps over the fence that you use. This was an electric fence. It took all the will power I had not to touch the fence to see what would happen. I think if I had been hiking with someone I would have. Someone to knock me off if the current was too much for me. I did touch it with my trekking pole. Nothing happened. I was hopping for a spark or 2. Today I also had a lot of fresh wild food. I think most people just run right by them. But I had black berries, grapes, and apples. No way I am going pass those up. I rolled into the shelter at around 2:30pm. The plan was to cook dinner and fill up with water then hike on to a cool lookout I heard about to camp. This time I learned my listen though. I went and looked for water first. Didn't find any. I was a little worried. So I read the registry. Some people stayed, and some left. Firework checked in and said he was pushing on to more water. Other people stayed here, so there must be water. I went back and followed the dry stream bed down. About 20 yards or so down was a flowing stream. The second place I filled up even had a small fish. Some people my disagree, but I actually like seeing living things in my water sources. Here for instance Oi saw a small fish, water spiders, and a small salamander. Those and usually frogs means to me that the water is pretty clean. Things like that usually don't live in bad water. So I filled up and fixed dinner. Which was a lot of toralline. 2 batches worth. Great with some chz, mash potatoes, stuffing, vegg oil, and spices. Before leaving a drank another liter and carried out 3 liters the place I was shooting for was a dry camp. I will say I love the ease and instantness of the steri-pen. I must have treated 7 liters there. Before I would have been concerned with using all my chemicals, not now and the water tasted great. The lookout was 4.6 miles away. I left at 4pm which would make for a 6pm or so finishing time. I was walking and the pain on the top of my foot was getting worse. It started earlier today. I think out here it is either one thing or another. I sat for aa couple minuted and thought about it. It was from the tongue of my shoe. To save weight they were really thin. I stuffed my bandana in it and it seemed to help some. I think tomorrow I will try a piece of my foam pad. If golite would have only added the extra half oz or so. I walk right by an EMS in a couple days. I'll ask there and see if I should switch it out or not. Other than that they are still working out fine. I was walking along and pasted a sign that said .1 to the lookout. I remembered the northbounders saying it was the second lookout. So a kept going. Then I remembered they said it was only .1 off the trail, I don't think they made the conversion from northbound to southbound. So I turned around and walked the .15 to the lookout. It turned out to be the one I wanted. I met a guy hiking a section the thru hiked a couple times by the name of freebird. Great guy to talk to. He mentioned he didn't have enough water to stay. I still had most of mine and offered him some. We asked the day hikers here and one gave us their water bottle. Another yelled up to freebird that she would empty her bladder if he had anything to put it in. It was pretty funny. She ment her water bladder btw. I northbounder by the name of bunks, I think was here. I was talking about how I was low on food and might be pushing it to get to Rutland tomorrow. It is 17 or so away. She said she has tons of candy and gave me a bunch. Her and freebird also told me about a store I will pass along with a great deli. I can get into town then. So problem solved. I also think I am going to take the blue blaze, whichup until 2000 was the AT to the Inn at the Long trail. A historic place where the AT meets the Long Trail. The last 100 miles through Vermont are on both. Bunkers took off for points north. The cabin where we are staying is an old 1 room cabin with a loft. The best part is on the roof there is a deck. It ios really shady looking. It looks like something 2 drunk rednecks would make on the weekend. It has great views off all around though. We were sitting uop there when a northbounder by the name of Big B came up. We put together a great snack. I amde choclate pudding, freebird put in herseys darks cholcate, and big b put in cookies. A great dessert with a great view. Later one big B opened up a small box of wine. Great way to finish the evening.