Date: 2016-07-10
From: VT 12 - Mile 1,724.1

To: NH 120 - Hanover, NH - Mile 1,747.7
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I was surprised today. What I experienced today is what makes the AT special and while it should never be taken for granted I should know better than to be surprised. I know the rain forecast set my expectations for a day that I'd need to grin and bear. A highlight I knew I'd work for today was leaving Vermont and entering New Hampshire. Must say that I've loved Vermont. The first surprise was how dry the trail was. It poured last night. I finished hiking yesterday through a field of waist-high grasses. The trail was so narrow that the grasses completely covered up the trail so every step splashed rain all over me. I assumed this morning's hike would repeat yesterday's finish, but it didn't. Today's hike began with a wide trail. The trail returned to being primarily dirt-based instead of yesterday's trail that required selective foot placement to safely navigate wet rocks and tree roots. I appreciated being dry. Then when it began to rain I noticed the tree canopy absorbed the rain so I heard it but didn't get wet. Okay, so that only lasted an hour but it was a good hour as the first climb wasn't too difficult. Then it poured. Total soak. My glasses had so much water on them that it was difficult to see where I wanted to step. I briefly took my glasses off but that didn't work. I began consistently stepping in mud, but this is Vermont - the state on the AT known for its mud. I dealt with it. AT hikers routinely say "No rain. No pain. No Maine!" So don't fight it, embrace it. Admittedly easier said than done, but I really did feel that I was getting the day I expected when today began. The pastures returned a few times. They came as soon as I was starting to dry my clothes and trailrunners as a result of body heat. I walked up and found my first Southbound thruhiker of the day. Kirby was happily sitting on a log and was wringing out her socks. I met a total of ten Southbound thruhiker a today. Each was young and energetic and amazingly happy hiking in the rain. The pastures contained many flowers. Their smells were strong at times. Then, I noticed treats along the trail. Wild strawberries and not just a few of them, a lot of them. I nibbled on them. They were small but they were tasty - and I didn't have to carry them. Filtered light can really make the greenery along the trail be mesmerizing. Periodically, I find myself having to stop and take a moment to recognize how gorgeous my surroundings are. This afternoon's surroundings were unique. I walked for half to three quarters of a mile through endless birch trees. They lined the trail. They were 20 and 50 yards beyond the trail. They were high above me and in the valley below me. The white birch trees stood out against all the surrounding greenery in a unique way that astounded me. Very unique and very special.The highlight of the day came at the end of the initial downpour early in the morning. I crossed a swollen brook. This was the first that had a steel rope available to hold on to when crossing on the boulders. I came up the embankment to a paved road. A pick-up whizzed by but then it stopped a few hundred yards down the road and quickly came back to me. I approached and was greeted by Dick Beatty, a guy a few years older than me who said he previously hiked. He asked if I'd like a ride down the street to get a cup of coffee and get out of the rain. Understand just how soaked and disgusting I looked and yet he went out of his way to welcome me into his truck. Pretty incredible. I asked Last Chance, who completed the AT earlier this year, about his AT experience. His response was that it restored his faith in humanity. Unexpected acts of kindness from strangers. The AT - always full of surprises.