Date: 2009-09-06
From: Ore Hill Shelter

To: Jeffers Brook Shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: clear sky

Today was a 'positioning' day. I would still make a few miles but all I really wanted to achieve was to resupply and to position myself somewhere near the bottom of Mt Moosilauke. I think of Moosilauke as the start of the Whites proper and from there I hoped to spend the next 7 or 8 uninterrupted days in the mountains.Although there would be opportunities to purchase some snacks along the way I didn't want to be reliant on the huts and so 7 or 8 uninterrupted days would require 7 or 8 days of food. It would be heavy and I would probably curse its over abundance during the early days and then curse its under abundance as those days worn on. It wasn't ideal but then it seldom is; overall I felt that the good outweighed the bad and I was excited about what lay ahead.I headed into Warren for resupply which due to my 'no cars - all walking' (well almost all walking) philosophy required an 8 mile round trip. It wasn't the most enjoyable 8 miles I've spent on the trail but in the end I was happy enough. It's all very well having this super plan to resupply for an extended period of time but it was rather dependent on the resupply options at hand. Warren was far from a big town, it hardly qualified as a small town, village might be nearer the mark. I knew it had a store of some sort but I was more than a little nervous about what I might find. In the end it wasn't brilliant but, being a man of relatively simple needs, and not minding the odd bit of heavy food (heavy food being preferable to no food after all), I think I got what I needed; I did OK. Eight days of food is a lot though, and a lot of food is a lot of weight. It was unavoidable, but it was also an unavoidable evil.Fully loaded I headed off to investigate the Warren "Mystery Missile" which, according to the companion, was, according to the Boston Globe, one of New England's eight most bizarre roadside attractions (I wondered where AT hikers might figure in that particular list of the bizarre - some, of course, being more bizarre than others). It turned out to be an old Redstone Missile from the earlier days of the space program. Apparently Alan Shepherd (the first American in suborbital space and the 5th to walk on the moon) hailed from New Hampshire and somebody thought that it would be a good idea for the children of New Hampshire to have some tangible connection to this scientific and engineering advancements of the space program. As Florida and Houston were a very long way away (look at a map, or try walking the trail if you don't believe me) he thought why not take something of the space program to New Hampshire. And here it is. Bizarre? I don't think so.The four miles back to the trail were a little torturous under my newly acquired load but I managed them and then, after the necessary rest, I set out for Glencliff and the Hiker's Welcome Hostel. I didn't really want to stay there but I was in need of a bit of a wash and brush up. Although I had showered relatively recently, 5 days ago at Gifford Woods State Park, I had not washed my clothes since North Adams, which if I am not mistaken was about 13 days ago (can that be true?), and as I now planned to set out for another 7 or 8 days..... Well, yes, as you can see, I was definately in need of a good scrub.I arrived to find Swift, Chainsaw and Kiltechy relaxing in the sun and another hiker 'What' who seemed to have an exceptionally large belly for someone who had purportedly hiked from Georgia.I did my laundry, had a shower, lounged about, ate ice-cream and pondered my options. Dreamcatcher arrived having slack packed over Moosilauke and it was great to see her again. She had had a fantastic day with clear skies and 360 degree views for as far as the eye can see. I was happy for her and hoped that I would be as fortunate tomorrow.I had done all that I needed to do, the next shelter was only a mile away, the guy with the belly was watching a DVD, Lionking had come in and was playing online poker, this really wasn't my scene. I had enjoyed my brief stay but it was a fine evening and I headed out to spend another night under canvas.