Date: 2005-08-08
From: Baker Peak, VT

To: .2 miles south of Winhall River, VT
Miles today: 21.6

21.6 miles today.2 miles south of Winhall River, Vt. I was really tired last night from being up later than normal the 2 previous nights at Mrs Gorp's. I slept very soundly and woke up feeling great. I almost always sleep really well when I stealth tent away from anyone else...I like quiet!!! I woke up at 5:30 and brewed my coffee and had breakfast. I got packed up and started walking at 6:40am. I think I forgot to say in yesterday's journal that I got your message at Lost Pond Shelter Frogcaller. Hello back to you. :-))) My first climb of the day was up Peru Peak. I walked down to Mad Tom Notch and was getting water out of the hand pump when the first nobo of the day walked up. His name was Mad Chapper. My second climb was up Bromley Mountain where I met Lightening, a nobo, on the way up. I stopped in the warming hut and signed the register, then walked down Bromley. I passed by the shelter because it was getting close to lunch time and I was planning on hitching into Manchester, Vt to eat. I got close to the trailhead and Jax, another nobo said someone was cooking hotdogs for the hikers at the trailhead parking lot. I didn't talk to Jax long...sorry Jax, but you said they had cokes!! ;-))) I got out to the trailhead and met Sensei '98 who was cooking the hotdogs. I only took an ice cold coke. I was going into town anyway, so I figured I'd leave the hotdogs for the hikers that weren't hitching into town. I started getting some nobos names when a car pulled up and asked if anyone was going to town. I hopped in and was eating lunch by noon. Socks rode into town with me. I had met her last November when Hippie and I were hiking through NY. She's doing a nobo thru hike this year. Good seeing you again Socks. I wanted to eat at Laney's or Sirloin Saloon, but they both opened about 4pm. I didn't feel like waiting all afternoon, so I went into Friendly's and had a reuben, fries and a salad with another coke. I left and went to the Price Chopper and resupplied with enough food to get me to Bennington on wednesday. I even bought a cheese danish for breakfast that weighed over a pound. I also went to the shoe store and bought me 2 new pairs of socks...hear that Mrs Gorp??? Now you can't make fun of my toes sticking out. Ha!!! I got out to the road to hitch the 5.5 miles back to the trail and the second car picked me up and took me to the trailhead. I'm tellin' ya, this new streamline hiker look is getting me rides much faster. ;-))) Sensei was still there although he was out of hotdogs. We talked about half an hour and he made me take another soda with me when I hiked back into the woods at 2:30. Firefly and her boyfriend were sitting around where Sensei was and a guy I met on March 8th when I was in Amicalola Falls in Georgia to see Moosie and Goldilocks off on their hike. His name is Chunkster. Hey Moosie and Goldilocks, I told him that you two were summiting Katahdin today and he sends his congratulations. I guess I send mine too. ;-))) Good walk, now you're fellow thru hikers. Woohoo!!! I stopped by Spruce Peak Shelter and saw where John Galt and Dr Dolittle along with Maggie the trail dog had been by earlier in July on their Long Trail hike. John, you haven't changed any...you wrote about how tired you were. :-))) I ate an early dinner while I was there, just so I didn't have to carry the food on my back. I had that soda Sensei gave me too. I left there and ran into 3 nobos slacking. Lightening Rod and a father, son team. They told me their names and the name of their team and it was too much for my brain to process so quickly, so I'll see if I can't get their names at the next shelter. Not long after they went by, I saw a good friend coming up the trail. It was Circuit Rider and Sherlock was right behind him. It was great seeing you guys. I just wish we could have talked longer. They had a ride waiting on then at the trailhead that was going to take them into the Sirloin Saloon for steaks. They were doing a 29 mile day to eat there. I always knew you could move if you wanted to Circuit Rider. ;-))) Maybe I'll see you both in January to go snowshoeing. I hiked on and found a nice, soft flat spot a couple miles before I start climbing Stratton Mountain. I guess I'll save that climb for tomorrow since I'm only planning on going to Glastenbury Mountain for tomorrow night. One of the questions I get asked alot is; Why do you keep walking the A.T??? If you've been reading my journal lately, the answer is there. It's all the friends I run into all the time. 99.9% of the people out here are really good people...then you have the other .1%, right Dewdrop?? ;-)))