Date: 2014-08-08
From: Norwich, VT

To: Manchester, VT
Miles today: 0.0

First, a summary since The Whites:7/30: "Hikers Welcome Hostel", Glencliff, NH (m 398.7)Crossed HWY 12 south of the Kinsman Range and got a lucky ride from "Legion" who helps run this hostel; he took most of my pack and let me slack-pack Moosilake.7/31: Hexacuba Shelter, a hexagonal shelter on Mt Cube (m 413.5 or 1771 if you count backwards)Did 14.7 miles and met "Rickytickytock"8/1: Trapper John Shelter (m 425.5)Ice Cream man's house8/2: "Tigger's Tree House", Etna, NH (m 430.3)Nero'd into friendly Hanover.8/3: Happy Hill Shelter (m 448) in VT, my 3rd state!8/4: South Pomfrot Rd sneak camp (m 464)8/5: Stony Brook Shelter (478.3)8/6: Nero'd into Killington and a re-supply before a stop at the Long Trail Inn; stumbled the 2.7 miles up to Pico Camp (492.1)8/7: Clarendon Shelter (504.7 or 1680.6)8/8: Greenwell Shelter (513.5) and a warm re-union with "The Kid" and "Chickenfat" then a hitch on Rt 7 from two Rainbow Gathering folk into Manchester Center to get my replacement pack.8/9: A night at the beautiful Green Mtn House hostel may turn into a zero, as I am ahead of schedule and my feet hurt. It's hard for me to stop, however, especially in a tourist/outlet-filled commercial capital like this and with a fine run of weather upcoming.A few pastoral settings aside, VT isn't much softer on the feet than NH, at least here in the Coolidge Range. Rocks and roots still prevail, but without the huge fractured slabs and bottomless bogs of Maine, and certainly sans the elevations of NH. It is very nice on the eyes, with a comforting mix of northern forest and cultivated landscape. It's not as hard to fathom, now, that every tree on every hill from here to the Atlantic has been chopped down not just once, but twice, and twice have the woods returned to take back the land. Lumber booms and busts track the European geography of the lower half of New England.VT is a culture-shock, however, populated not with farmers and woodsmen as much as tourists and those who live off them. The people, reputed to be more liberal, are less hospitable than those of NH and ME. Dozens, if not hundreds, of cars passed me while hitching yesterday. I must exclude present company from this, however; Jeff, owner of Green Mountain Hostel, is selfless in regards to us hikers. (He updates his trailjournal page with daily pics of his guests, btw.)I am in fact taking a zero here in Mancs, in order to re-supply for 5 days to the VT/MA border, to update this blog and take care of some other bizness, and rest! It's cheaper to stay here ($25) than the alternative lodgings, though more expensive than a shelter up on the mountain ($0, typically, though those maintained by the Green Mountain Club charge $5 or $8).Jeff is running me back north to Bromley Mtn. (or to Mad Tom Notch to be precise) so as to minimize my hitching "cheat" and to check out the views and to mostly find out who the hell Mad Tom was. Speaking of "cheating": I started off being a relative purist, and I remember carefully avoiding "yellow-blazing" out of Munson. (That is, take one road into a town, and a different one, down the trail, back out of it.) Some purists insist on maintaining a continuous footpath along the AT, so that e.g., a NOBO I met in Andover insisted on crossing the hwy to pick up his path which had exited the woods on the opposite side of the road the prior day before turning around, crossing the road again, and entering the woods northbound. I soon abandoned any such aspirations, and in fact "yellow-blazed Andover itself, "skipping" Mt Wayah and 7 or so miles of white blazes. Most AT thru-hikers appear to be like me, but few talk about it. One accomplished hiker even told me to be quiet about this topic, but over 2200 miles, a few blazes, miles, and even mountains are likely to be missed, and even more (than the 2186.n) are likely to be added to one's overall walk. In any case, I hope to walk back south to the famous Stratton Pond Shelter by tonight--Stratton Mtn was originally conceived of by Benton MacKaye as the northern terminus of the AT--and to be approaching the Massachusetts state line in 4-5 days.