Date: 2008-08-16
To: Manchester Center, VT
Miles today: 96.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Just took my first shower in 11 days...ah...here's the update from the fantastic Green Mountain House...NH 120 (Soccer Fields) - Happy Hill Shelter - Day 40 - 441.2 - 447.7 - August 10thCool half day today...slept in til' 8, then went back to the Co-Op to finish resupplying. It's funny the things you do on the trail...today I washed my socks in the bathroom at the store. Anyway, I hung out around town and campus til' 3:30 before heading out. I enjoyed a calzone and fries while watching the Olympics on TV. Dartmouth is to Hanover as UGA is to Athens. The big difference is that Hanover is much more ritzy than Athens. Oh, and it definitively isn't Southern. At all. I did enjoy chillin out on the Dartmouth Green (huge grassy Quad) and drying my socks. The three-ish hour hike from Dartmouth to the shelter was fairly benign except for the constant thunder and occasional shower. I'm going for another 20 miles tomorrow...we'll see...considering my wet boots and mud and the poor weather forecast, it might be somewhat difficult...only time will tell.Happy Hill Shelter - Wintturi Shelter - Day 41 - 447.7 - 468.1 - August 11thThe good today: I'm 20.4 miles further down the trail and there were some blackberries along the trail. But...it rained ALL DAY. Lighter at times, but steady for nearly all 10.5 hours I was going today. The hike also had no great views and was a series of 500' hills that were extremely annoying. Everything is now wet (except for stuff sack items), and another one of my poles is broken. I'm getting a good pair of Leki's in Manchester Center. Probably one of the two most miserable days out here so far...completely broke my spirit and had me thinking very negative out there today...hoping for better (could it get worse?) tomorrow...2 SOBOs and 4 NOBOs in the shelter today.Wintturi Shelter - Churchill Scott Shelter - Day 42 - 468.1 - 489.8 - August 12thAnother case of lowest of lows and highest of highs...today was an awesome day in spite of having only one good view all day. It was sunny and warm most of the day and it is always fun to hike in good weather like today (minus the sprinkles for about an hour). I really had little trouble with today's hike and found myself not even paying attention to how many miles I was going. On top of that, I got some big time Trail Magic from a local couple (and their two year old) who set up in the state park along the trail and had burgers, homemade beer, and pie for hikers. It was truly a great dinner 5 miles from the end of today's hike and capped off a very nice day on the trail. What a 180 from yesterday. Tomorrow, I'll be hitting the highest point on the AT in Vermont (close to Mt. Killington). I should get there mid-morning when the weather is best...I'm excited! In the shelter tonight is me. Just me. Oh, and it seems as if I'm right in the middle of the crossing point ("The Bulge") of the big chunk of NOBOs. I've been running into NOBOs like crazy the last week. As for NoCar and Stretch, they are in Rutland, 1.9 miles BEHIND me. However, they get up way earlier than me and will be in front of me again before I wake up...maybe...Churchill Scott Shelter - Clarendon Shelter - Day 43 - 489.8 - 504.4 - August 13thPretty chill day today...Stretch and NoCar ran into me just a couple of miles into the day today and we hiked together the rest of the day. We had a perfect view on top of Killington this morning and then had a nice hike into the shelter. There was trail magic about 4 miles from the shelter with a cooler of Coke and candy bars. Then it rained. Again. The shelter tonight has some scattered newspapers from the last 2 weeks, and the cover on every single one has to do with flooding in this area. I'm running out of ways to explain how much it has/is raining. Anyway, just one NOBO section hiker with the 3 of us tonight. 16.9 on the menu for tomorrow. Stretch and NoCar are headed into Danby to get a mail drop and are also bringing back hot dogs for dinner tomorrow! They'll probably still beat me to the shelter because of how early they start (and I think they're a bit faster than me too). Hopefully the rain stays away tomorrow so we can grill those dogs!Clarendon Shelter - Big Branch Shelter - Day 44 - 504.4 - 521.3 - August 14thWell, we had a dry, warm, sunny day today. Regretfully, I woke up today with EXTREME ankle pain. Today was the most physically painful thing I've ever done. I would have been on crutches at home. I don't know how much longer I can last with this much pain. I don't know if I slipped yesterday or what, but it feels just like it has in the past when I've really hurt it. My saving grace today was a hot dog dinner from Stretch and NoCar at the end of the day. I'm going to elevate the ankle tonight and see if I can give it a go tomorrow., I'm hoping it is better tomorrow and is just temporary spasms in my ankle and nothing serious...we'll see...Big Branch Shelter - Bromley Mtn. Cabin - Day 45 - 521.3 - 534.8 - August 15th After elevating my ankle on a big rock from the fire pit last night, I wasn't feeling great when I woke up. However, many Advil later, I got going for the day. I took it real slow to begin with and the ankle got better as the day progressed. By the time I got to Bromley, it was ~70%. Hopefully a day of rest tomorrow fully heals it. Tonight I'm staying at the cabin at the top of Bromley Mtn. and its ski slopes with Stretch, NoCar, and Handyman (NOBO). Tomorrow, its 3 miles to the highway, then a hitch to town to resupply, go to EMS and relax at the Green Mtn. House. NoCar and Stretch are not stopping in for the night, so they'll be ahead again. I'm excited about my first shower in 11 days, cleaning my clother, and getting a cooked meal!Bromley Mtn. Cabin - Manchester Center (VT 11/30) - Day 46 - 534.8 - 537.8 - August 16thAnkle felt great this morning, so I decided to give it a full go down the mountain to the road. I went great. The ankle is getting close to 100%. Thank God. Visited around town today after hitching in and got my resupply, lunch, poles, shoes, and food to make Chicken Parm. at the House tonight...hmmm....this place by the way is AWESOME...I'm sure it will be full again tonight...we'll see...I'll be in Massachusetts Tuesday and Connecticut next Sunday...hopefully the ankle stays good and I can keep rolling along...I'm sitting at the one-quarter mark of the trail right now!!!