Date: 2009-07-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 47.0

Dear readers,Vermont has welcomed me with open arms. Weather has been fabulous and mosquitoes haven't been nearly as bad. Temps have been very comfortable, in the 60s and 70s most days. Nights have been a bit chilly, though! Three nights ago it was freezing! It was a flashback to March. My hands were numb, I had every article of clothing on my body, and I was still cold. Was it really July 13th!? Luckily, it only lasted one night. I was wondering if FedEx could overnight my hat and gloves to the Goddard shelter for me. We were also camping at 3400 ft which didn't help. We built a nice big fire to help warm us up though! It was the first fire we've had in over 500 miles! I wish it hadn't been necessary for warmth, but it was still nice... And apparently there's a heat wave going on down south?! I can assure you we're not getting any of it. It's been a bit muddy, too, but after other things I've had to deal with out here, mud isn't so bad. Sometimes I feel like a pinball bouncing off rocks and logs as I hike to avoid the mucky middle of the trail. I think we've all been victim to the "I look like a solid foot placement [rock or log] but as soon as you put weight on me I will sink, submerging your foot in ankle deep mud." It sucks, but at least my new shoes are very breathable and dry really quickly! (but of course, they don't look new any more).The terrain is definitely starting to get difficult again. A 20 mile day does not feel as easy as it once did (in Virginia). We are now constantly surrounded by pine trees, and there have been a lot more lakes. It's beautiful and definitely feels like what you'd expect from "northern woods". I've reveled in the changes. The sweet smell of pine isn't something my senses have experienced since Roan Mt. in TN and Clingman's Dome, NC. Back then, the smell took me mentally back to Christmas at home. Three days ago, when the scent hit me for the first time, I was mentally transported back to my hike on Clingman's Dome 3+ months ago. The scent-memory correlation for pine has been re-conditioned. I hope the sweet smell of pine will always remind me of my thru-hike from now on. Also, we've been seeing a lot of moose tracks and poop! Exciting! Yup, we're definitely nearing Maine! Yesterday Gangsta and I celebrated our 4 month anniversary of being on the trail AND our 6-weeks-til-summit day according to our tentative plans. We are on a 5.5 month pace exactly.Also exciting was that my first morning waking up in Vermont, I heard my first loon! If that's not a sign of entering the north, I don't know what is. I didn't find out until later what that crazy bird I had heard in the morning was - it reminded me of a whippoorwill, but knew it wasn't. I'm looking forward to hearing it again and knowing it's a loon.Since entering the more drastic elevation changes of Vermont my appetite has dramatically increased. It is apparent that I am eating way more than I have been due to increased calorie burning. Ya know how I know this? I bought what I would consider a very "normal" amount of food upon leaving Dalton, MA 4 days ago, and well, lets just say I had to ration my food like never before. Not once did it cross my mind at the grocery store that I was not getting enough. In a desperate attempt to ration but also fulfill my body's caloric needs and desires I was left with one pop tart and one granola bar this morning for our 10 mile hike into town. Gangsta offered up some trail mix which I hungrily accepted, however, a part of me felt like I should deal with the natural consequence of being hungry for a few hours to teach me a lesson. I compromised and only took two handfuls of her trail mix and was still, very hungry. Unfortunately, we could not get a hitch fast enough to get me to McDonald's in time for breakfast (I was hiking by 6:15am- can you tell I was excited for town? Or maybe just real food?) so I made a beeline for the pizza place followed by a pint of Ben and Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie ice cream (amazing!). The man that gave us a hitch saw my hiking skirt and asked if I put on dress clothes to go into town. I jokingly replied "only when I'm trying to get a hitch..." He laughed. Hairy, dirty legs aside, Gangsta and I have yet to have a difficult time hitching. Must be because of the OR Expressa skirts we're rockin'... which we LOVE! It's super comfortable and of course, super cute. It's nice to have some feminine flair amidst a world of body odor, hair, and dirt. Since entering Vermont, the AT has joined with the LT for about 100 miles. Shelters are definitely more crowded with two long distance trails merging. Many LT hikers appear to be more novice and their ridiculously heavy and huge packs never cease to provide us entertainment in the evenings. It's cool to realize how far we've come since Springer (metaphorically, not physically), because well all know that was us, once, too.We've been hiking on the same schedule as Mr. Right and Plunger for the past week or so and have been thoroughly enjoying their company and getting to know them better. Currently, we're all indulging in the wonderful hospitality of trail angel, Rosalie and her family. Rosalie is a mother of current thru-hiker, Rainman (he's a few days behind us). She has been following my trailjournal and contacted me with the invitation to host myself and fellow hiking buddies as I approached her home town. It is once again a shining example of trail magic and the kindness of strangers that exists out here on the Appalachian Trail.Vermont has been so great to me thus far. It's made me realize how much of a mental struggle PA,NJ, NY, and CT felt at times. Those states simply weren't that exciting. It didn't help that weather was bad and the ticks/mosquitoes horrible. Oftentimes, the trail felt more like a job- it was just what I did. I compare it to the boring middle portion of a book that you need to suffer through in order to get to the exciting conclusion! The sky yesterday was the bluest I have seen it on the trail. It reminded me of the skies out west. The views have been incredible - with the help of fire towers! The hiking has been enjoyable, with tough but rewarding climbs. The days have made me feel happy to be alive and happy to be living outside. It's days such as those that remind me how quickly these last 6 weeks will pass. Life is good and I know it will only get better as I head north. 540 miles to go. Lets hope the nice weather sticks around. It sure makes things wonderful.Happy Trails, Wags