Date: 2008-08-08
From: Sugar Hill Rd, MrsGorp's Excellent Hiker Hostel

To: Lottery Rd, MrsGorp's Excellent Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 8.3

I wanted to start today's journal out by thanking Hammock Hanger for doing a great job on posting my journal and pictures while Mrs Gorp came out and walked 140 miles with me....Thanks!!! :-) Mrs Gorp got up before me and made MY coffee!! I know I can't get too used to that. :-) It was great to walk downstairs though to a whole pot of coffee! It wasn't just any coffee either....it was "Stumpknocker's Special French Roast Blend", sent all the way from Dallas, TX by Nancy and Bob Baker at White Rocks Coffee House . Mrs Gorp and I stopped there on our way out to San Diego, CA earlier this year when she abducted me for a cross country bicycle ride. I have been out of that coffee and hadn't ordered any because I went cold when I gave up carrying my stove back in Pearisburg, VA back in May of this year. Mrs Gorp brought out some coffee along with my stove when she met up with me to walk from Tyringham, MA back to Wallingford, VT...and I realized just how much I missed my morning coffee!! :-) I had been thinking about whether or not I should continue carrying my stove now that Mrs Gorp is back home. I had almost made up my mind to leave the stove until Mrs Gorp showed me a box that Nancy and Bob had sent to her. It had 6 pounds of "Stumpknocker's Special French Roast Blend" inside it when I opened the box!!! There was a note from Nancy and Bob telling Mrs Gorp to treat it like Trail Magic and pass it out to whoever she thought would like it....I raised my hand!! Mrs Gorp said I could have one pound to carry out. :-) Looks like I'll be enjoying coffee on the Trail again for the rest of this walk to Katahdin. I feel GOOD!!!! :-) A great big THANK YOU to Nancy and Bob Baker in Dallas, TX and another great big THANK YOU to Mrs Gorp for giving me a pound of it!! :-) Okay, on to today's journal; Mrs Gorp also made me two egg sandwiches for breakfast and since my ol' buddy Chief told me not to leave Wallingford for the 3 1/2 hour drive up to the north country to pick him and Xmas up until I heard from him about noon or 1pm, I decided to go for a little walk. Mrs Gorp took me out to Lottery Road and I walked about 8 miles back to where I had gotten off the Trail yesterday. She dropped me off and I started walking south on the Appalachian Trail at 8am. I walked through a small field right off the bat and through soaking wet weeds and deep mud....so much for trying to stay dry today. ;-) I saw some very large moose tracks within the first half mile. I was walking as quietly as I could, but never did see the moose. I walked through more mud and flowing water in the Trail...mostly early on the walk today. I came up to Wookie and Freefall, two nobos that I hadn't met yet. We talked a while before I walked on. I passed by the side trail to Clarendon Shelter without stopping. I was sad when I realized I forgot my smiley face stickers for today's walk. :-( I was slacking and not even carrying any water since I knew I was only walking 8 miles today. I ran into Left Field next. He said Zack would be coming by soon. Just before Left Field left, he asked me if I heard a weather report for today. I said yes; a 90% chance of rain and thunderstorms today. He smiled and high fived me. :-) I'm thinking he was happy that there was a 10% chance that it wouldn't rain for a change. Ha! I saw Zack just before I got to VT 103 and he looked a little confused because I was walking south. I told him I'd had enough, I was giving up and walking back to GA. He didn't believe me. ;-) I crossed VT 103 and ran into Mike. He had just taken a big fall coming down the slick rocks and his hand a bleeding a little. He said nothing was broken, so he was okay. I crossed the suspension bridge over Clarendon Gorge, then made a 700 foot climb up those slick rocks that Mike had fallen on. I came across Piddler next and stopped for a short chat before walking on. Clarendon Gorge Suspension BridgeI stopped by Minerva Hinchey Shelter, the shelter that Mrs Gorp maintains. I was even sadder when I realized I couldn't sign in at "her" shelter and leave some extra smiley faces in the register. I couldn't even sign in because I couldn't find a pen. :-( I walked on and ran into Spider in just a few minutes! Boy, it's nice to walk south and see everyone who's near you on the Trail. :-) I just got started climbing Bear Mtn when I ran into Nyquil and his dog, Patty. I was climbing Bear Mtn and ran into Stubs and Mr Bones. Mr Bones said he wanted to sit down and talk to me about the way I walk through the 100 miles of The White Mountains in NH. I only walk in with two days of food and I eat very well...but it's all in the timing of hitting the right places at just the right times. :-) I could explain it here now, but I'm already getting sore fingers from typing, so I'll talk more about that when I get into the Whites. I ran into Forecast and Aggie right near the summit of Bear Mtn. It really was fun to walk south and see everyone today! :-) I descended Bear Mtn and saw Mrs Gorp just as I got to VT 140. She parked at Sugar Hill Road and walked down to see the damage from the flash flood when the beaver dam broke loose. We walked up to where the trucks were and saw parts of the road gone and lots of high water marks in the woods. Flash flood damage to Vt. 140There were about three places the road was washed out. We took some pictures and walked back to her car at Sugar Hill Road. My ol' buddy Chief called and said they had just walked 1 1/2 miles to get out of the woods and I could come pick them up now. I went back to Mrs Gorp's house and took a quick shower, got in Xmas' car and headed out in the rain for the 3 1/2 hour drive up to northern VT. I pulled into Jay Pass and saw Xmas and my ol' buddy Chief. They both got great big smiles of relief when they saw me. I asked what in the world went wrong with their walk on The Long Trail and Chief said you wouldn't believe how muddy it is out there in the woods. I said; "What?" Chief said; ¢It was horrible, simply horrible!" I said; "I know, I walked 8 miles this morning while I was waiting on your call". :-) They had enough...they wanted to head south and go home, so we went and picked up some food stashes that we had made in the woods a few days ago, then got a motel, so they could get two food drops from local PO's at Johnson and Jonesville in the morning. I was busy talking on my cell when my ol' buddy Chief's wife called. They hadn't told her yet, so Chief walked outside to talk to Carlene and explain the situation. When my ol' buddy Chief walked back in the motel room, he said; ¢You know Stumpy, I think maybe Xmas and me will go down to the southern end of The Long Trail and walk for a while". Carlene had told Chief not to come home till he was done walking the Long Trail. In fact, that was the last thing she told him before he left for this walk. WAY TO GO CARLENE!!! :-) My ol' buddy Chief and Xmas both had a new outlook on walking...THEY HAVE NO ALTERNATIVE!!!! heheheheheI mean.....poor ol' Chief, doesn't Carlene know how wet and horrible it is out on the Trail right now? I feel your pain!! ;-) They dropped me off at Mrs Gorp's home and left for North Adams, MA with plans on taking two zeros before they brave the wilderness again. (Wasn't my ol' buddy Chief one of those whiny '03 nobos I keep talking about? Well, yes, I do believe he was!!! Another great day spent hauling my ol' buddy Chief and Xmas' behinds around so they can walk on the Appalachian Trail part of the Long Trail. :-)