Date: 2014-07-26
From: Hanover, NH

To: Rutland, VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

After stopping briefly in Hanover to resupply I crossed into the beautiful state of Vermont. Almost immediately there was trail magic EVERYWHERE! The trail runs through Norwich, VT right after the bridge connecting the two states. As hikers walk through the town on their way back to the woods people have left coolers of sodas and water, containers of cookies, tubs full of travel size toiletries, etc. along the way specifically for hikers. It was a joyous welcome to Vermont that brought a huge smile to my face but slightly slowed my pace that morning as I stopped at every single one! A real thru-hiker never turns down food, especially free food.That day you run through the sleepy little town of West Hartford, home to Randy and Linda Hart. Their home sits just feet from the trail and they have been welcoming hikers since 2001 for some trail magic. You can't miss them. As you walk towards them they start ringing a bell and waving. There is a cooler of water, sodas and beer on the front porch. You can charge your electronics, top off your water and even stay in a bunk room over their garage if you want. Linda gave us popsicles to help us cool off from the heat while we ate our lunch. Then the real fun starts. The trail passes over a bridge directly across the street from their house, where by the way another cooler of trail magic with chips, candy bars and more beer waited. I had been hearing about that bridge for about a week. Linda said she has been jumping off there since she was 10 years old when there was an even higher bridge there. I just had to give it a go. Linda advised getting up there and jumping right in, not giving yourself time to think about it and psych yourself out. I didn't listen... Once I was on the bridge the water looked dark and swirled ominously. After about 20 minutes of telling myself that I would be okay and working up the courage I finally made the plunge. It was awesome! I immediately wanted to go again. Bridge jumping is fantastic! I have been telling every NOBO I meet to make sure they jump. The journey just wouldn't be complete if this vital stop was missed!The next day thunderstorms moved in. Rain poured down but luckily the trees made great umbrellas most of the time. The lightening was a bit unnerving but luckily kept it's distance. Now that we are in Vermont the trail is not just in the woods. It also travels along the edges of rolling pasture and farm land. Wildflowers and mowed hay abound. Really lovely to behold. The times hiking through this you get a bit more wet so I was hiking faster and making moves towards treeline again. People had told us about the secret shelter for weeks and that had been the planned destination for the day. Even though there was a shelter closer I made my way the extra 2.6 miles. Once I got there I was so happy I did. It is not really a shelter at all. There is a wonderful little cabin that is privately owned that hikers are allowed to use. It was like a dream home with four walls, a roof, real windows, a door and even a cute little front porch. The perfect place to dry out. On top there is a lookout platform you can climb up to that offers great views of the valley below. During a break in the storm I climbed up. You could see the next wave of the thunderstorm rolling in over the hills. It was miles wide and foreboding with lightening streaking out in jagged streaks. Made me very appreciative of the Pete family for being so hiker friendly and hospitable in the use of their cabin. The storm raged on until late afternoon the following day. We hunkered down there and put out pots and cups to collect the rain for drinking water. It was cozy, warm and dry. With enough food in my pack I saw no reason to leave. Instead I read, ate and slept most of the day away. I took the time to sweep out the cabin, knock down some cobwebs and gather up trash that other inconsiderate hikers had left so it could be packed out when we left. It bothers me how much trash there was (we hiked out 2 gallon sized bags worth). That is the type of thing that might make the family decide not to let hikers stay there anymore. The few ruining something for the many. I wanted to leave the cabin better than when I found it. The clouds rained themselves out in the night and we woke to blue skies and cool breezes. A lovely day for the 17 miles in to Rutland to resupply.I'm still love going the trail, the people, the beauty of nature and the whole experience. Wouldn't trade a minute of it for anything in the whole world.