Date: 2005-08-09
From: Thistle Hill Shelter

To: Sunset Motor Inn Hanover NH
Miles today: 14.5

One of the hikes last night was quite inconsiderate (in my rather prejudiced view). She had to share a cook stove from one of the other hikers for some reason. The first hiker took forever to finish her supper and finally did so as it turned dark. That's bedtime for hikers. But then the second one started on her supper! With her little headlamp on, sitting six feet from me in the shelter, she cooked, ate, and cleaned up. It took forever! Totally silent and dark except for her noise. At last she crawled into her bag, then she proceeded to start reading a book using her little head lamp!!! I'll bet it was at LEAST 9:30 before I got to sleep! Can't handle these late hours...Up at 6:10 and gone by 7:10. Another sunny, windless day in the upper 80s, so hiking was a chore. The first five miles were largely downhill to West Hartford. That's an important spot because my second box was mailed to the P.O. located there. I retrieved my box. Unfortunately, that also means you stuff all that food into your backpack, promptly increasing the weight by ten pounds. Just when the pack was getting a bit light! Also because there was a long uphill climb with questionable water, I went to full water (four liters), so my pack was at max weight for the long haul up the mountain out of West Hartford.Enjoyed lunch by myself (well, except for the dozens of mosquitos) at the prettiest shelter yet: Happy Hill. On the way I passed about fifteen teenaged girls out for an overnight hike with their five or so adult chaperons. I continued on my way with my overloaded pack and finally came to Norwich VT. At that point I was onto pavement for the next 3.5 miles. You might think that pavement would be great after the rocks and roots of the trail, but actually it's hot on pavement and there is no mercy in pavement on your feet and, especially, knees. I crossed over the Connecticut River into Hanover NH and walked through the Dartmouth College campus (Dartmouth is one of the Ivy League schools). I had already learned before arrived by asking questions what to do in Hanover, so I caught the free bus in the downtown and road 2.5 miles out of town to the Sunset Motor Inn. A wonderful place to stay! My room overlooks the Connecticut River.While here at Sunset I ran into Pogo and Princess, the Pokie Puppies, and single woman Slow & Steady. Pogo and Princess and Slow & Steady had zeroed yesterday, and Pokie Puppies (or at least Mr. Pokie Puppy) will zero tomorrow at the same time I do. I also met a new NOBO thru hiker named D.A. He's a retired assistant District Attorney, and is using his new retirement to hike. He's zeroing today as well, so I may see a bit of him in NH this next week.My feet hurt more today than they have in a long while. Tells me I'm much in need of a day off the trail for a sabbath. The combination of seven days hiking without a break, max weight, and too many miles on pavement have all come together to form a perfect store of foot weariness. I also think I have a blister developing on the heel of my left foot, a foot that hasn't had a blister since day two.Hanover is a pleasant community which the hikers love. Of course, most thru hikers are recent college or grad school graduates, so they resonate with a university town like this one.So I take a much needed shower (the folks here will wash my laundry for me free of charge tomorrow after doing the motel's laundry), turn on the AC for some wonderful cool air, and climb into a bed with fresh linen. Must be paradise! The one down side to all this is that Hanover is at a paltry 400' altitude. I trust you know what that means when I head out of here on the AT on Thursday! Gotta eat some more food in that pack!!