Date: 2009-08-18
From: Winturri Shelter

To: West Hartford, VT
Miles today: 16.4

Today was simply a great walk in the wilderness of Vermont. Maybe more of life should be "segway", or the walk between two coasters. Although, today's hike was like a roller coaster in the sense that I was up and down 300-500 foot hills all day long .... tops called stuff like Thistle Hill, Arms Hill, and even Bunker Hill.But after yesterday's revelation that this was just a segway, I decided to just take a stroll today. And I'm glad I did. It turned out to be a very scenic walk. I walked through pine forests, pastures, meadows, fields of golden rods, etc .... and it just kept changing all day.About half of the tops of hills today were fields with great views of the surrounding countryside. Lots of pictures today! Awesome scenery today! No challenges, no place to be, just hike until it feels right to stop.Of course that place to stop would be at a Deli! I got to West Hartford, VT about 5 pm. The Trail goes right through the town. Right on the trail is West Hartford Village Store, complete with Deli. Ham sub .... good!The girl behind the counter lets me know that Steve, owner of Hartford Sign Company, lets hikers camp behind his place! Bonus .... thanks Steve. So that's where I'm at right now. And glad too! About 20 minutes after I set up my tent, it started raining.So what did I think about on the leisurely hike today? How my hike can be compared to my school years. Georgia-North Carolina was grade school. Everything was new .... the whole school thing plus socialization. Had to learn everything .... basics. I had to learn the hiker vocabulary, and even hiker math! I had to learn how shelters work .... like learning which room to go to and where to sit. And of course, how to interact with other students (hikers). And everyone is doing these things with an eye on how everyone else is doing their thing.North Carolina-Tennessee is like middle school. Everyone has the school thing down. Now just figuring out where I belong in this whole system. What kind of student/hiker am I? Learning curve is fairly steep, but confidence is gaining.Virginia thru New York .... High School. Got the school thing down. I know the system, how to hike the A.T.. Still learning stuff but feeling comfortable and know who I am as a hiker. Now there's more energy left for socialization. So I could socialize a lot more while still staying focused on my school work/hiking.N.Y. to Vermont (after my July break) ... college undergrad work. All the faces are new. But I still know the school stuff/hiking. Now I'm still socializing but focused on the work/hiking.That's where I stand right now. A student with a Bachelor's Degree in hiking. In the segway to graduate wotk.Tomorrow I enter New hamphire and my work toward earning my Master's Degree begins .... New Hampshire and Maine University ..... that's where I'm going to grad school .... first 500 level course, the White Mountains!Doctorate's you ask? That's earned by doing a second long distance hiking trail like the Pacific Coast Trail, or the Continental Divide Trail. Nope, I don't think so. At least not for a while. I do really like the "real" world, believe it or not, and look forward to getting back to it.Great day today - Hanover, New Hampshire tomorrow! Just like starting a new school program ... a little nervous. I've heard/read so much about how tough the White Mountains of New Hampshire can be!! I guess we'll see how much I like to climb!