Date: 2015-08-08
From: Campsite North of Stony Brook Shelter

To: Stealth Camp at 1727.3
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a really nice day in many ways. But given that I started hiking around 6:30 am and stopped at 5:30 pm, I don't seem to have made a lot of progress.I had a great night's sleep, with cooler temperatures and my warmer clothes. I kept my two shirts on most of the night, used the sleeping bag as a quilt the whole night and I was comfortable throughout. The hiker whose name I don't know got up at 5:30 and by the time I got out of the tent he was about to take off. I was all excited about not having to clear the spider webs and then... He turned Southbound. Doh! I could tell it was a gorgeous day with clear blue skies, but the first couple of hours I didn't clear the woods and never actually saw or felt the sun.I got to a dirt road and heard voices and thought it was just campers, but it was trail magic! Nancy and her husband (didn't get his name) were serving breakfast sandwiches as part of the Green Mountain Club Trail Magic Weekend. They also gave me hot water for tea, and best of all, swapped my almost empty gas canister for their much fuller one. I had been forgoing tea because I thought I was going to run out before Hanover, so this was really welcome!(I had meant to get a new one in Lake Placid, but when EMS didn't have my shoes I left without checking on the canister).The next point of interest was The Lookout, a privately owned cabin with a viewing platform on the roof. The owners very generously leave it unlocked so hikers can use it. The view was spectacular, 360 degrees of green mountains. I also drank my coke and chatted with the only two other people there: two local guys who were out for a weekend hike and planned to stay there, even though it was only 11. My feet are too sore to stomp-crush a coke can, so I asked if they could do it for me. Not only did they crush it, they also insisted they'd pack it out for me! Thanks guys!I left around 11:30, having gone less than 7 miles in 5 hours! I didn't really have a plan as to where to camp tonight, but this was really slow progress. I should add that the terrain was not easy, it reminded me of the roller coaster with all the ups and downs. Though there were far fewer rocks here, my knees were not particularly enjoying the ups and downs. On the bright side, both Achilles' tendons felt better today than yesterday. At rt 12, 5 or 6 miles further down the trail, there is a farm store that sells pies and ice cream. I thought I might have lunch there but it was getting too late and I got too hungry. So I stopped at a wood road that turned out to be infested with mosquitoes. At some point I had three of them on my leg, right next to each other! I'm happy to announce I dispatched all three, ha!When I arrived at the store, I had a blueberry muffin, a local blueberry and lemon soda and I split a carton of blueberries with Tortoise, who was there also. We sat outside in the shade and chatted with Patches and Sam, two section hikers. I went back for ice cream and when I came back outside, Shimmy was walking up! I hadn't seen him since Elkwallow Wayside in Shenandoah NP and had been thinking about him and where on the trail he might be earlier today. We caught up for a bit before I left to get a few more miles in. It was great to see him, and just to see a familiar face in this new (to me) bubble.There was some more roller coaster type terrain coming up, and my plan was to get water at one of the streams and then just stop at any decent spot. Fortunately there were plenty, despite the hilly trail! I found a flattish spot off the trail and am here all by my lonesome. I had trouble hanging my bear bag (something I've gotten pretty good at, if I do say so myself!) and I can hear a lot of animal activity, so we'll see how restful a night it will be. (They are all small animals. Chipmunks and such. At least that's my assumption and I'm not getting out of the tent to check!)My plan is to hike a shortish day tomorrow and camp a few miles short of Hanover, then go in early Monday and hang out in town for however long while doing town chores before hiking out. We'll see if that's what will happen!Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?