Date: 2008-07-22
From: Green Mountain House, Manchester Center VT

To: Peru Peak Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

Rainforest tap dancing on the slippery roots Green Mountain House to Peru Peak Shelter: 10 Miles We got up later than we said we would and then me and ATV went to breakfast at this AWESOME place: ¢Up For Breakfast¢ in Manchester Center, VT. We got the ¢Hiker¢s Special¢ and it was definitely filling. Vermont has some bad-ass maple syrup, I must say. It must be all the rain. We walked to the other side of town and couldn¢t get a hitch. I finally found a place I thought would work for sure, right next to a parking lot and a convenience store. Someone had to be going out of town and could give us a ride! Nope! We stood there forever. I ran into the store to pull some money and after getting a hundred bucks I found out I have $3.83 in my account. Let¢s see how far that gets me! Finally this awesome couple gave us a ride. They have lived in Manchester all their lives and they give hikers rides all the time. I can¢t remember their names right now but I hope they will email me and tell me so I can put them in. I have a picture of them by their truck in case you¢re wandering just who they hell those people are standing g next to the truck. As a matter of fact, you can probably guess that if anyone is driving or standing next to a vehicle in a picture, they gave us a ride and should be held in the highest of regards. As soon as we got on the trail there was magic. A group of schoolchildren and their teacher drop off sodas and sandwiches at the trailhead. It¢s an awesome thing to do, too bad me and ATV were still overloaded from the ¢hiker¢s special¢ to do anything about it. There was a camera there too but it was out of film so I took a picture for them in case you¢re wondering what the hell is that guy doing with a can of orange soda? I threw the orange soda in my pack for later and headed up the hill to Bromley Ski Resort. We could see Stratton Mountain from one of the vistas although it was soon to be obscured by clouds as we would be enveloped once again by rain and thunder. Vermont is starting to really irritate me with all of this rain and mud and muck and slippery roots and rocks. I¢ve done my share of Charlie Chaplins and a full-on Buster Keaton over some of the rocks on my way to Peru Peak Shelter. Before I get to that; nearing the top of Bromley, we came to this clearing that looked kind of weird and overgrown. I couldn¢t figure out what it was until I saw the pipes and nozzles. We were on a ski slope! It was only a beginner ski slope but it felt like a Black Diamond with a 60-pound pack. We got to the top and we had been on the ¢Run Around¢ slope of Bromley Mountain. I took some video at the observation deck and I got a shot in a ski lift. Then I hauled Pack for Peru Peak and I haven¢t seen ATV since. He said he was going to take a leak and then that was it. All of the trails here are full of mud and muck and vain attempts to stay out of it. Every few yards there is a huge mud puddle or mucky, leafy mud that sinks in to your ankle if you aren¢t careful. When I got to the Peru Peak shelter, I needed to rinse off my legs something fierce. The gaiters worked as advertised and my socks were clean! Snickers was there with Pack Animal and another guy who was doing the Long Trail as well as Drew, a guy who had passed me earlier that day. The rain had been on and off all day and I was wet; but not too wet. I got set up for the night. The water came from a fast moving brook right next to the shelter which means MOSQUITOES! I left the Orange Soda in the stream so I could give it to ATV later. I decided to sleep in the shelter, even though it was going to hurt, I didn¢t feel like finding a couple of trees and the rain was going to pour tonight so I laid down my meager pad and resigned to suffer on the hard, wooden floor. ATV never showed and after a little guitar music, I went to bed early.David AKA ¢Mister Gentle Spirit¢ Website http://www.wbafinc.org Photos: http://www.photobucket.com/brotherproofVideos: http://www.youtube.com/WBAF1