Date: 2004-09-02
From: Tucker-Johnson Shelter 

To: Wintturi Shelter 
Miles today: 18.9

View from the LookoutStart: Tucker-Johnson Shelter @ 0917Finish: Wintturi Shelter @ 1916Miles: 18.9Weather: Perfect Conditions, sunny and low 60¢sBreakfast: Vanilla CIB, Chocolate PoptartsLunch: Turkey Sandwich, Hard Boiled Egg, Potato Chips, Cookies, Grape JuiceDinner: Turkey sandwich, hard boiled egg, potato chips, cookies, appleTrail Conditions: Lots of PUD¢s, not too muddy todayAnimals: Chipmunk, Snake, Pig, Porcupine, Birds, SquirrelPeople: Freebird, London Len, Mr. T & Flint, Chicago Rob, Acorn, Celtic.Last night got cold! Wowsers. It dipped into the high 30¢s, which when you only have a silk bag liner and a nylon bivy cover and long johns for sleep wear, makes for a drafty night. But nonetheless I survived and have a few more hairs on my chest to show for it.It was a truly gorgeous morning and I cruised along at a slow pace. I stopped at Gifford Woods State Park and visited the flush toilets and unloaded some garbage. I am down to only one day of food so my pack is very light, only about 15 pounds.I ran into Freebird, chomping into a fresh sandwich, along the shore of Kent Pond. Mountain Meadows Lodge, just up the way, sells delicious lunches to hikers for only $5.00. I bought one for lunch and another for dinner tonight. ¢The Mean Posse¢ (Mr. T, Flint, London Len, Chicago Rob) all rolled in too. I saw them in passing at the Bird Cage, so it was nice to finally chat with them. One of the lodge employees has a potbelly pig as a domesticated pet and it was tooling around the spacious lawn. The pig was absolutely hilarious. Freebird and I coaxed it into coming to where we were and we played with it a bit. It was just too weird to be true. Miss PiggyAfter one and a half hours of loafing we all started moving on. The climb up Quimby Mtn. was fairly steep and the last big climb of the state. There were no viewpoints on the summit so I just went on down and everyone else rested up top. I got to Stoney Brook Shelter and was dismayed to find out I had only covered 9 miles and it was 3pm. I still had 10 to go. So I had to kick it in to make camp before sundown.The last stretch was loaded with PUD¢s and seemed to never end. I got in a rather pissy mood. That changed, however, when I got to the "Lookout" ¢ an observation deck atop a cabin. It offered a 360-degree view of Vermont and you could see the Whites. It was the best view since Wayah Bald. Inside the cabin a bird was frantically banging into the closed windows in an attempt to get out. I cornered the bird, caught it in my camera case, and let it free outside. That made me feel good. Helping out and good views. View from the LookoutThe shelter tonight is a nice place. There is a SOBO named Celtic and a NOBO section hiker named Acorn, who thur-hiked in 1996 and is from Okemos, MI. It is going to be another chilly night, however, is very pretty as it is a full moon and the stars are out. Flint and Mr. T lent me use their silk bag liners for the night so I have three of them on. I do believe I¢ll be plenty warm tonight¢¦.well warm enough to not die. But if I do freeze I¢ll be one good-looking meat Popsicle!One Year Reflection