Date: 2002-09-17
From: maine

To: georgia
Miles today: 14.0

Nice warming hut here, I sat here and treated myself to my last candy bar. It¢s a ski warming hut in a ski area. Last night I met a nice young couple from Connecticut that were just out for the day hiking up to the top of Mt. Bromley. They were very pleasant people, they have been married for 2 12 years. He said he would like to hike the AT Trail and she kind of gave him a dirty look. Ha, Ha. He says Connecticut is a lot like Vermont, Massachusetts is too.   Up and down and up and down, I don¢t know. I told him I was getting burned out and I might just get on the bus in Manchester and head home. Right tonight and he said, Oh No, the hills there aren¢t as bad as they are here. (chuckling as I said that). But when you see people like that and they are so impressed at what you are doing, it¢s so encouraging, and they would like to do it themselves it gives you a lift and it¢s changed my attitude already. But when you out there in the woods by yourself, them woods can do strange things to ya. Play tricks on your mind. It¢s kind of a strange feeling to know when your out where there is nothing, no town, nothing for 3 or 4 days and all you have is what¢s on your back.   You depend on what ever is in your pack to keep your warm, sheltered, and fed and hopefully dry. My tent has been seeping a little condensation, so I might have to treat it. ¢HEY ROGER, just picked me up. I just got off the trail and onto the highway and by gosh this van turned it¢s turn signal on and stopped, just like the Lord said ¢HEY Pa Kettle, you are gonna get to town today. ¢ He hangs wallpaper and he has a new house he just built and he needs to get in there and get it finished. He is going to take me to the post office and then to the place where I am going to stay. I couldn¢t be luckier today. Kenny Rogers took me right to the post office and I mailed off some tapes off to you of course and some film off to my lovely bride Mary. Then he brought me right here to Suttons Place. Nice big 2 story house, clean, nice guy running it. Name is Frank Sutton and everything is close and it¢s only 4 and I AM A HAPPY CAMPER RIGHT NOW. Just met Brooklyn and he is going northbound. He is doing the long trail to Canada and Cats coming along but he isn¢t here yet. Frank is the guy I am here staying with and talking too, his last name is Sutton. Frank is retired after 29 years as foreign language instructor at a High school.   Nice guy, great house, beautiful house, I feel at home here. Now I am going to get something to eat at the Sirloin Saloon, they have a salad but I am really hungry for some protein. It¢s a little late for me to be eating but I had a lot of running around to do. It¢s 8, but I did my laundry and got stocked up for the next week at the grocery store.   Went to the drugstore and got batteries for my little radio so I can listen to NPR again. All that stuff takes time and it¢s several blocks away, so I had to come back and deposit all my stuff and then head back out to the Sirloin Saloon.   Talked to Frank for awhile. He charges 35 dollars for a room but I don¢t give a sheet, it¢s quiet and it¢s a bed, shower and TV. I know I spent too much Damn Money. But I had a good meal and they had a good salad bar, was nice place. This is a regular New England Yuppie town.   Beautiful old homes and the shops are all colonial style. With Glass panes and all lit up. Very quaint and kind of expensive really. Little mountain stream runs right through it; you can hear it when you are there. There is a guy that has a home right near the waterfall here in town and it¢s very pretty you can hear the waterfall and the stream and see the reflection off of a little pool that is ahead of the waterfall. People must do a lot of reading here there is two bookstores right next to each other.   Made 14 miles today. I am at mile 536.