Date: 2007-09-21
From: Carpark on Vermont Hwy 100, VT

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter, VT
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: clear sky

This was our longest day yet at 21 miles. Melville Nauheim is 1 1/2 miles before the road to Bennington and we decided (Dave and I) to camp there and go into Bennington early the next day (Saturday). This would enable us to deal with our maildrop by 2pm when the PO closes. Lee made bookings for us at the Autumn Inn and we planned to meet him there since he felt strong enough to do the whole 23 miles in one hit. Actually he admitted that it had something to do with the pulling power of a Big Mac . . . . we can't understand this at all, but each to their own. Hikers stop by for a Big Mac in ManchesterMy shoes are going great guns. Dave is wondering if he should have shoes too, but I think you do not know what problems you are buying into by changing footwear and better to do it only if you absolutely must. I must ring Salomon who should have received my boots by now. Hope they had their noses held when they opened the box - and hope the boots did not arrive moldy since they were wet when I mailed them! We passed over Glastenbury Mountain today and it took ages and ages to reach the top. It is a long slow climb - excruciating I think is the right word as you keep thinking you are there but it goes on and on, and then on . . . . There is a lovely shelter (Goddard) just after the lookout at the top - really the best one we have seen on the whole trail so far. It has a small covered verandah out the front and there is enough room to be reasonably comfortable - and a spring about 50 feet away. I am always surprised to see these springs right at the top of the hills. It is a pity it is not the right time of day to stop as this would be a good place to stay. The downhill was as long as the uphill and Dave kept saying (as we climbed up and up) to remember that on this downhill leg the ups are just part of the down! Well, that is one way of looking at it. Climbing was 1318m (down 1238m) as appears to be the norm on this part of the trail. Am I getting fitter? I think you always go as fast as you can, so you are always at the limit of your fitness. Therefore you never feel fit!View from Glastenbury Mountain (photo by Hopeful Hiker ¢ 05)Melville Nauheim Shelter is pretty old as shelters go and is infested with mice. We discovered this quite quickly when one ran across the ground sheet I had just laid out so we pitched the tent for the night. This does not necessarily mean no rodent problems - we have a small hole in one side of the tent where something thought it could find dinner. Also the water source there is a bit dodgy. We regretted not staying at the very attractive but strangely named Hell Hollow Brook about 2 miles back. In the morning we sorted out our gear with the intention of reviewing what we could mail on from Bennington. I want to mail the extra shoes, and we are considering mailing our tent and keeping the tarp only for the next couple of hundred miles. This is part of the original plan as we are now past all the NOBOs and most demand for shelters will be from section hikers. Also, we are getting past the main mountainous areas into more benign country with more towns at shorter intervals. If we do that we will be carrying emergency shelter as opposed to routine accommodation - I say "emergency" but at home we use tarps routinely so it is not really "emergency". Goddard Shelter photo by Vegematic - 07