Date: 2012-08-02
From: Williamstown, MA

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Judy fixed us another great breakfast. We talked to Tom and Judy and then had to pack up and move on down the road.THANKS TOM AND JUDY FOR THE GREAT HOSPITALITY! WE ALL HAD A GREAT TIME AT YOUR HOUSE! We headed for the start spot and the picture shows you what we found...a totally impassable road which was blocked by huge rocks and trees put there by Hurricane Irene. So from then on it just was an exercise in frustration trying to find out how to get where we needed to be. Finally with a Vermont map given to us earlier by Boots (a section hiker friend of SOS...THANKS for the HELP, BOOTS!!)we got it figured out but by now it was too late to start a 20 mile day (there was no other place to get off). So we decided to zero and figure out where the pick up point would be tomorrow. ATM (who is good at this) and SOS used the map and the GPS coordinates...by now we had driven a ton of miles! We stopped in Dover to try and get a room for Friday night. We found a nice place and made a reservation.SOS here:Once again planning came to naught because of weather, but this time it was last years weather, that threw a monkey wretch into our plans as you can see by the picture above. Trail Mama and I were in Maine last year when hurricane Irene went through New England. We sat out the hurricane at the Hilton Garden Inn Auburn Riverwatch in Auburn ME before we headed back to our home from an extended road trip to PEI (Prince Edward Island) and Nova Scotia. We saw the Great Falls in Auburn Maine from our hotel room go from picturesque to raging overnight.As a result of the hurricane, much of the AT was closed to hikers in VT, NH and ME last year.Last year, we had to alter our planned route through NH and VT and even go further south in MA to get to Pennsylvania to get home. We saw hurricane damage everywhere caused by raging overflowing rivers. The National Guard was everywhere working to restore normal travel to the area. The little used road we picked to get to the start point had suffered irreparable damage and resulted in us having to find a new way to the start point. As Trail Mama said by then, we had no choice but to zero the day, since this hike had nothing short of 20+ miles to have a start and pickup point. This led me to the decision that the start point would be flip flopped for this section of the hike and I will start at VT state road 9 and hike to Stratton - Arlington Road - 21.4 miles that will not be easy.I will not be alone in those miles because I know many of you are praying for me each day. I also know that God has called me to do this. I will accomplish the physical task set before me to honor HIM and focus more importantly on raising the awareness of HIS youth camps in Indiana and how they have changed lives in the past, present and will in the future.Eleven years ago today, God blessed trail Mama and I with our first precious grandchild, Megan Brianna Haley. She arrived with a full head of blond hair and within a year and a half was speaking in whole sentences. She has the same name as youngest daughter Megan and her middle name is given to honor one of Jeff's friends, Brian Hiltunen - who I shared what an incredible person he was in an earlier blog. I am very proud that Megan Briana calls me Opa. I will cherish the memories she has already given me and look forward to the memories she will make for me in the future. I will share with her how important it is to have God in her life and how going to church camp can have powerful influence on her Christian walk. Happy Birthday Megan Briana,from Opa and Oma. Road Name of the Day: VALENTINE ROAD - This is for SOS who was born on Valentine's Day!