Date: 2008-08-01
From: Somewhere near N Adams, MA

To: Sucker Pond, VT
Miles today: 12.1

I'm in Vermont! :-) It's really starting to feel like this walk is getting close to being over already. Seems like I just started this walk about 7 months ago today...wait, I DID start this walk 7 months ago today! :-) I had my coffee this morning...after I boiled some water for Mrs. Gorp. We set our tents up with the doors facing each other just to make it easier for me to get her coffee ready for her and hand it to her in the morning. :-) I had some Danishes while I enjoyed 24.4 ounces of very good and strong coffee. We were a little slower getting started this morning, but were walking north on the Appalachian Trail just before 9am. We had about a 1,800-foot climb right off the bat. I stopped at Pete's Spring and filled up a couple water bottles and then kept climbing. We came to 4 guys going our way...2 dads and 2 sons. They had just walked about 2 miles off Trail because they missed a turn blaze on the AT.Bet they will keep a closer eye on those white blazes from now on. :-) I got a picture of Mrs. Gorp climbing all the rocks going up the Pine Cobble. We stopped at the Pine Cobble side trail and sat down to dry out after that morning climb. It was just after 11am, so I decided to go ahead and eat my lunch while everything dried. I was all dry except that dang micro fiber, quick drying shirt I've got...it was still damp. I really do need to start looking for a quicker drying shirt of some kind for summer walking. We stopped to talk to Gabe, a sobo who was all worried about the mosquitoes in MA. He has been hearing from the nobos all about the ferocious mosquitoes in MA. I really am starting to think that there may be more whiny nobos than just that '03 bunch...you know, the ones that complain incessantly about "The Wet Year". ;-) Anyway, I told Gabe not to worry too much about the mosquitoes because this has been one of the least buggy years yet.... AND that he has already walked through Maine in June! The nobos don't know bugs till they've done that. :-) He walked on feeling better about what he had coming and Mrs. Gorp and I walked on and crossed into VT about 10 minutes later. It's really starting to sink in that this walk is almost over. :-( I think I only have about 590 miles left. We took a few pictures and even got one of some sticks left in the mud that spelled out Vermont. Circumstance came walking up just as we were getting ready to leave. I took a picture of him and we walked on to let him be alone and reflect on what he's done so far Circumstance enters Vermont! It really feels good to be in these New England woods. I've noticed a difference to them for the last couple days. I like it up here! :-) We passed by the side trail to Seth Warner Shelter without stopping, and then passed a gravel road called County Rd before starting an 800-foot climb to the summit of an unnamed mountain. We stopped on some flat rocks at the top of that climb and dried out again.I like stopping and drying out...I don't stay soaking wet all day that way. I ate a few snacks and we walked on. There's some pretty muddy stretches that we walked through today, but I had thought it was going to be much worse with all the rain we've had lately. (It IS enough to send my ol' buddy Chief on home to his recliner if he was up here though) :-) We crossed Roaring Branch, then climbed up to the summit of Consultation Peak. There was a nice breeze there and I thought about staying and sleeping there, but Mrs. Gorp knew of a place she wanted to check out a little farther north...so we walked on. :-) We found a place near Sucker Pond about 1/10th of a mile off the AT and we set up our tents there. Mrs. Gorp is always soooooo happy at dinnertime! I had been thinking of having a hot meal since I have my stove, but I ended up having another cold meal of Thai Chili Tuna on a bagel, a can of sliced pineapple and a Skor bar. br> I took some pictures of Sucker Pond, took a bandanna bath and crawled into my tent. I saw there was a nice glow on the horizon over Sucker Pond, so I got out and took a few pictures just before total dark. I didn't think I had any cell service because I didn't have any bars showing. I was holding the cell phone taking pictures and the dang thing rang and startled me! It was my ol' buddy Chief and he said, "Helloooooo? Wut do ya want?" I said; "Chief, you called me." (he had been drinking a few in celebration of his upcoming walk on The Long Trail) He slurred on for a while, and then put Xmas on. I listened to him slur his words for a while, and then he put Ed on. I listened to him slur his words for a while, and then he put Liteshoe on. I think she was sober.... but she did ask me when I was going to walk The Long Trail. I told her I was on it right now. (and I thought that someone who wrote a book about The Long Trail would know where it was.) ;-) Liteshoe went on talking and telling me how cute I am and what a wonderful hiker I am and how she admires me more than anyone else in the world. She said something about me being so tall and handsome and just filled with wanderlust. It was just about then when I heard her holler at Chief to pass her that bottle of Jim Beam again. :-) She was trying to make me jealous because they were all enjoying a big dinner and drinks, but I was tented near the shore of a Vermont pond and listening to a loon.... and I was as happy as I've ever been. :-) I turned my cell phone off and enjoyed the rest of the evening. :-) Another great day on the Appalachian Trail. :-)