Date: 2018-07-14
From: The Lookout

To: West Hartford, VT
Miles today: 19.6

The mice were active in the cabin last night. One was gnawing or scratching on something in the wall from dusk till dawn. As if that wasn¢t enough to get me up and hiking this morning, a few tiny spiders were crawling over my face. I¢m pretty sure the little arachnids were looking to set up house in my ear. Needless to say, I was up early and hiking by 0600. No need to climb to the observation deck for the sunrise, as thick grey clouds were stacking up along the eastern mountain ranges.The clouds hung around most of the day with light showers in morning and a brief period of heavier rain later in the afternoon. The comfort factor ranged from warm and sticky to cool and breezy. As you might gather from the elevation and grade data, there were lots of ups and downs today. None of the climbs or descents were too remarkable on their own, but there were several short steep climbs that added up. Most of the hike was a series of steep ascent, a meadow, a descent, a pasture and a road crossing. Rinse and repeat. Other than the steep climbs and some overgrown meadows, trail conditions were perfect today. There were very few roots to deal with, and even less rocks. Most of the trail was either covered in leaf-mulch or pine straw. Mostof the lush undergrowth was missing today as well.The trail resembled a lot of what I remember from the southern states. Except that there is plenty of canopy now. Large patches of raspberries atop most of the hills offered a few tasty treats for the picking. Speaking of food, lately I have been re-supplying with three days worth of food and then stretching it to 5-7 days (supplementing as needed). I am able to stretch it out by dropping into a deli, staying at a hostel, etc. My last re-supply was in Manchester Center. I blew through the bulk of the food in the first two days, but have been stringing the last day out since hitting the Peak Lodge atop Killington. There were two farmer¢s markets along the route today. I planned to stop at the Cloudland Market for lunch and get some snacks to go. The market sits less than a 1/4 mile off one of the roads that the AT crossed today. It would come about 13 miles into the hike. As it turned out, I did not need to stop at the market. A little over 10 miles into the hike the trail crossed a stream and then a road. What¢s that I see? Could it be? When I saw the bucket on the far side of the stream I tried not to get my hopes up. More often than not, a cooler or other cache in the middle of the woods are only filled with empty cans by the time I get to it. Not this time. There were about a half dozen cool sodas in the bucket marked ¢Share The Magic¢. I downed a Sure Fine Lemon Lime, left the empty can in a second bucket, and stepped out on the road. I was thinking that the soda was just what I needed to get me up and over the next climb to the market. Four hikers were walking up the road just as I was crossing. I decided to wait for them to get to the trailhead before moving on. They had just come from a farm house 100yds down the road. The house was just recently bought and occupied by a young couple who completed a SOBO Thru Hike in 2016. They had set up their back porch for hikers to relax and they had a refrigerator stocked with goodies for sale. I stashed my pack in the tree line on the far side of the road and made my way down to Loon and Firefly¢s Place. I kicked off my shoes and grabbed a couple of hard boiled eggs from the fridge. That would go perfectly with the cheese I had left in my food bag. For dessert I had a homemade chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich and a Starbucks Mocha Frap to wash it down. Loon was busy mowing the grass and Firefly was in and out looking in on their baby (seems they have been busy since finishing their hike). I grabbed a Snickers Bar and Gatorade for the road and put some money in the change box. Thanks Loon and Firefly! That should do me until New Hampshire. As I was walking back up the road I passed an open field with two turkey hens. When I stepped into the field to get a pic, 6-10 chicks took to the air headed for the tree line. It was either that or a pheasant that happened to be laying low in the same field. I got a pic, but the resolution is not great.After crossing several more hills, fields, roads, and streams the trail hit a road that crossed the White River and began to pass through the small town of West Hartford, VT. The town was hit hard by flooding from Hurricane Irene in 2011 and has yet to fully recover. Just across the bridge was a barn with an AT symbol. Next to the barn was a house. It is the home of the Randy and Barb Hart, friends of the AT. Randy was sitting on the porch and gave me a hoot. I walked over his way and he offered me some Italian Sausage and Peppers, some Macaroni Salad, bread, and something to drink. Turns out they also let hikers stay in the barn (converted into an apartment of sorts). Looks like I¢m staying here tonight. Oh, Barb just brought out Cup Cakes and fresh coffee. Done deal. Magic in the air on the AT today.Peace & Blessings - NSElevation Data:Ascent - 4,370Descent - 6,340Grade - 10.2Weather:Day - 76 / ShowersNight - 62 / CloudyOver The Horizon: Hanover, NH