Date: 2010-08-10
From: Hanover, NH

To: Trapper John Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: few clouds

10 August Tuesday ¢ 16.7 to Trapper John ShelterI knew as soon as I walked upstairs that the dog was going to bark at me and wake everyone up. I couldn¢t stand the wait anymore so I got up the nerve to face Layla. My choice of going upstairs also made my choice clear to everyone in the whole house. Layla, in fact was awaiting my arrival by the door in the laundry room. A couple of barks later and I¢m sitting at the table with Barbara while she¢s feeding Miles in a different color of polka dots this morning. I¢d heard my first sounds of loon¢s howling in the night by the nearby lake. Barbara made me coffee and fussed at the dog who kept trying to take my camp food that I was sorting through. I guess I should have done this downstairs but I just wanted to talk and be friendly with my hosts! I needed a trash can also. The dog stared me down and I couldn¢t help but reciprocate at one point to see what¢d happen. Layla growled at me when I didn¢t break eye the showdown first. I couldn¢t move from the kitchen table without the town crier.After 3 cups of coffee Bob woke up. I really had to use the bathroom again but Linda seemed to always be in the one downstairs. Not because she was there a lot, but just by my luck here she was there when I really needed her not to be! Sofia came to drop off Miles the baby before the other Dr. Van Hoff gets off work. Bob Van Hoff (Lish¢s uncle) helps me identify my bird feathers. The falcon feather also can be found on Turkey¢s! I was correct on the black one, a turkey vulture, and the small stripped one is a Bard owl.I wanted to leave at 9:30am and at 9:10am Barbara could sense my restlessness. I think we were both eager to end the stand off between the dogs and I. Tree, Hot Foot and Stretcher aren¢t leaving Hanover any earlier than 10am from what we¢d discussed earlier. The ride back to Hanover was pretty neat. I learned that one must have ¢snow tires¢ to drive in this area of NH. No chains are used. October is the month to switch your tires. Miles is coming along for the ride back and he starts screaming not long after 9:45am in a thirty minute drive. I tried unsuccessfully to calm him down by brushing his hair. I tried keeping the pacifier in his mouth but it kept falling out. My fingernails are pretty dingy. In all the fuss I didn¢t take a shower. I¢m hairy and constantly smell bad so I can¢t imagine what these people would like about me. Miles isn¢t comforted by me at all.The sense of relief rushed over my face when we finally arrived at the DOC. I really like Barbara and Dr. Jack and the whole family. They¢re wonderful and I really appreciated the kindness that they showed me in their house. It¢s an incredible honor to have been invited and treated so well. That said, I was glad to be back on the AT. I¢m always glad to be home! Especially after having a great nights sleep on a comfortable bed and warm food in my belly! I would have loved to staid there with Barbara and to see if I could win the heart of Layla. I bet I could. Not many dogs can resist my kindness and incredible ability to scratch itchy spots. I really wanted to be back on the trail with the Worx though. I didn¢t want to lose the band of merriment I¢d joined in so many adventures through Vermont!On the way out of town I check my phone and I have a message from Stretcher. It states that they¢d been ¢kicked out of town by the Dartmouth campus police¢. They walked to the first shelter. I¢d learn later that they¢d stayed in the basement of the DOC and got busted sleeping on the couch at 3am. I was thinking they¢d been thrown out for something more serious, but that¢s not in their character.The trail leaving town was treacherous! The previous night rain left some kind of super slippery root lubricant everywhere. All the roots were slick like they¢re covered in butter or oil. The signs are bright orange with black letters. Dr. Van Hoff, Jr. told me that the DOC sponsors a 50 mile marathon over Moosilucke from Hanover? Some guy hiked the whole 50 miles in 11 hours. He cashed water long the trail before the race and ate only sugar and salt the whole way.I passed Rock¢n¢Roll and Cowgirl early on. They informed me that the Worx is behind me at the last shelter. It¢s at least 10:30am so they must be close behind. Kumquat is ahead. I caught her at Trescott Rd when she must have heard me cussing loudly about not finding the trail by the road crossing. I was embarrassed at outburst she¢d overheard when I passed her at Etna-Hanover Carter Rd. I met a SOBO at Mink Brook where I discussed how to use the punch code lock on the men¢s locker room door at the DOC for a free shower. He told me there weren¢t any water sources from the foot of Smarts Mtn. to the other side in the valley below it. This would turn out to be false information.The climb up Moose Mtn. wasn¢t hard at all. Nothing compared to Trapper John¢s surrounding area. I sat at Moose Mtn. until Kumquat arrived. She read her book while I updated my journal. Kumquat informed me that the gang went to Etna. Jokingly I wrote in the shelter register, ¢Heard you guys went to Etna. See ya in Maine! - Skippy!¢Tree, Hot Foot and Stretcher arrived not long after Kumquat moved on. They were hurt that I¢d desert them. I have to make Trapper John shelter tonight at least. It looks as if it might rain again! The climb up from Moose Mtn. was extremely hard. I was drenched in sweat. My shorts are soaked with water. The others are bitching about chaffing problems but they refuse to use my Vagisil. We sort of play with that as a semi-joke about bitching and whining, but I¢m serious. They¢re retards for not using something that works so well. I tell them about an info commercial for hikers I¢d been imagining.¢Are you Vag¢n?¢ asks one hiker to another.The commercial would be similar to the Dr. Scholls ¢Are you Gell¢n¢ commercial.We fill the darkness starting to surround our field of vision and it¢s getting late. The effort required to hike up this mountain feels like my head is going to explode. Stretcher and Hot Foot would later complain about not getting enough oxygen as they scurried up the incline. I was in the lead coming down Moose Mtn. but Tree led up to Holts ledge. The view there is great. We could see the Smarts Mtn. firetower. Holts ledge is also a falcon rookery! I could hear some large birds screeching close by. We debated about going on to Lyme-Dorchester Rd. to the Ice Cream Man¢s house for the night. We eventually decided to quit at TJ¢s shelter.Rock¢n¢Roll and Cowgirl are already at Trapper John¢s and they have their tent set up. Yahtzee isn¢t here and we don¢t know where she¢s at tonight. Kumquat already has her tent up by the shelter. We cook dinner and laugh at Rock¢n¢Roll and Hot Foot¢s stories about Poundtown¢s antics along the AT. Poundtown stayed at a Dartmouth frat house for 5 days while in Hanover.The rainstorm ended our nice relaxing conversation around the empty remnants of fire inside the giant chimney and fireplace. We piled into the shelter and listened as a wonderful thunderstorm rolled by. A tree almost fell close to where Rock¢n¢Roll and Cowgirl¢s tent was located. I knew I¢d sleep well with the tin roof playing the rhythm to my sweat dreams! Cool and refreshingly dry wet weather inside the shelter! This is the life! We listen to Riders on the Storm until the beating rain becomes to loud for the radio speakers.