Date: 2017-07-11
From: Stealth camp one mile past Cloudland Farm Rd

To: Stony Brook Shelter
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: overcast clouds

1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 12, 17, 19. What am I counting? Hint: Our first seven days on the International AT it was zero. In the first weeks on the AT it was 1 or 3 or 0. Two weeks ago it was 5. But today it¢s 11:00 am and we are one shy of our first 20.Guessed it? It¢s NOBOs. How many northbound AT thru-hikers we passed today. They are starting to be thick as thieves. (Frodo: Okay, I really TRY not to correct Scout publicly, but sometimes it¢s just too hard. I¢m not sure he thought through his use of that phrase. In this case, ¢thick¢ means ¢conspiratorial,¢ not ¢dense.¢ Please forgive me, Scout.) I¢ve run out of my gold AT tattoos. I have 50 more in my resupply box this weekend. Then I¢m out until I get the 600 I re-ordered. That¢s 20 cents a smile. They are more fun than a box of cracker jacks. The trail continues to be smooth as a baby¢s bottom. After six miles we cross US Route 12 and veer off an easy 0.2 miles to a wonderful mountain store. Fresh apple turnovers, chocolate milk, and ice cream ¢ my second breakfast!  http://www.trailjournals.com/j...We cross a stream and, my gosh, there¢s trail magic. Two buckets were left, one full of empties and one empty except for two cans of Mountain Dew. I have not had a Mountain Dew in years. Before there were power drinks like Red Bull there was Mountain Dew, a jolt of sugar and caffeine. As I tilted the bottom skyward, I felt I was reaching with a finger to stick it in an electric socket. ZING!¢Scout,¢ Moose was pointing with the wood hiking pole he¢s carried for hundreds of miles. A turtle! Can anyone identify it? Frodo?  (Frodo:  not a clue.  I'm a MOLECULAR biologist, remember?)  http://www.trailjournals.com/j...  (Frodo again: but it looks like it might be a painted turtle.  Are there red splotches under the edge of the shell? red stripes on the legs? It doesn't look like any of the other Vermont turtles.)20! 23, 28. We¢ve never passed 20 northbounders in a single day.We have a late lunch, but we have 12 miles done and are in a spacious cabin, ¢The Lookout.¢ There¢s a sleeping loft. There¢s a fireplace. Why is it called The Lookout? See the photo. http://www.trailjournals.com/j...On the porch of The Lookout I get to do something important. I have the slenderest of cell phone service. ¢Mom,¢ I begin. This is an important day.  On July 11, 1948, an important pact was entered into. Don and Micky Mann each said, ¢I do.¢ Three years later their first was born. Me. ¢Happy Anniversary!¢ My parents have been married 69 years. I¢ve asked my brother and sister for a photo, since we have no recent photos. (Frodo: a perfect photo from May, from our sister-in-law Jackie) http://www.trailjournals.com/j...  I want to show you where I come from. Dad still jokes, ¢I¢m still on probation.¢ Yes, what a long and wonderful probation it¢s been.¢Congratulations!¢ We get a puzzled look from the northbounders; you are number 30, 32, 35, 37. As we near our destination, Stony Brook Shelter, just a hair¢s breadth under 20 miles, we hit our 40th NOBO of the day. With the one at the shelter, that makes 42. I remember when it was 1 or 3 or none. How many tomorrow?I lie here with a full belly ¢ Mountain House Beef Stroganoff for Two, all consumed by only one (Frodo: Scout¢s first traditional freeze-dried dinner on the AT). I feel like I¢m channeling someone across distance and time. It¢s Jessica, the littlest of the princesses. She¢s wagging her finger at me and shaking her head. ¢Scout, why did you use ¢baby¢s bottom¢ when you could have used ¢baby¢s butt¢? Sorry, Jessica. (Frodo: Ha! Jessica phoned me yesterday to ask me to type faster, since they want to read more about your hike. I had to explain that I¢m not the holdup, usually it¢s that I haven¢t got the entries and photos from you. But I don¢t think she even thought about using ¢butt¢!)¢Night, all!