Date: 2019-09-19
From: Cooper Lodge (VT)

To: Minerva Hinchey Shelter (VT)
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

I knew it would be cold last night, I just didn¢t know how cold. I was up near the top of a mountain (the temperature drops as you go higher in elevation) and had my tent on a platform which is usually colder than the ground. I have a space blanket that I will put in the tent under my sleeping pad to reflect body heat and keep cold air from coming up underneath. I did that last night, journaled, then went to bed at 9pm. I woke up cold and had to go to the bathroom, but when I looked at the time it was only 9:45. Maybe I hadn¢t even fallen asleep yet. I curled up in my sleeping bag and tried to think warm thoughts. That didn¢t work, so at 10:45 I put on my puffy jacket (over a light jacket I was already wearing) and went to the bathroom. When I got back to the tent, I arranged the space blanket so that it would be under me and over me.The problem with space blankets is that they don¢t ¢breathe.¢ When I woke up this morning, the space blanket was covered with condensation and my sleeping bag was wet but I was warm.I was the first one up at the campsite. I changed into my hiking clothes with both jackets, my hat, and gloves all on. I made a hot breakfast which was usual but even more necessary. One of the tenters left a few minutes before me and I was the second one out. I took over 2 hours to get ready. Not long after I started hiking, I came across where Sidewinder and his hiking partner had camped last night. They were still getting packed up. Sidewinder told me, ¢I said last night that you would pass us this morning.¢ So they had not made it to the 500 mile mark, but they would do so today. They passed me a few miles later and then I caught up again when they stopped at the first shelter. I stayed for a little while to have a snack and sign the register, and then got going again. I figured they would catch me again shortly, but I didn¢t see them until the afternoon.Even though the 500 mile marker isn¢t a sign that I¢ve completed 500 miles or have 500 miles left, I wanted to get a picture with the sign. I saw a guy sitting beside the trail and asked him how close I was to the sign. We then talked for a little while. He had planned on a thru-hike this year, but didn¢t feel like he was going to make it to Katahdin before it got too cold. He said he would continue to Hanover, NH and then come back to finish New Hampshire and Maine next year.Less than a mile later, I saw a couple of 500 mile signs that hikers had made, and then there was the sign on the tree that I had seen numerous pictures of over the years. I wanted a picture with that sign, and I was afraid I would miss it. However, it was not hard to miss it, especially because there was a little kiosk type thing where you could register. I signed the register and then tried to set up to take a selfie with the sign (I need to work on my selfie skills ¢ having hiked with a teenager, I mostly had her do the selfies). However, then I saw a hiker coming nobo. He took a picture of me (¢be sure to get the rhino¢), and then I took a picture of him (¢be sure to get the kilt¢). He was trying for a 30 mile day today with the intention of getting to Katahdin before it gets too cold and snowy. I did not tell him about the difficulty of the Whites and Maine. He¢ll see that soon enough.Today¢s hike was relatively easy until I got to Clarendon Gorge. The trail was steep going down into the gorge, which my knees did not appreciate at all. There was also a climb coming out of the gorge, but it was mostly inclines rather than steps. My knees would have preferred coming down what we went up and vice versa.At the gorge, Sidewinder and his hiking partner showed up. They both looked hot and tired. It¢s funny how hot it got today considering how cold it was last night. When we got to the gorge, they decided to stay and camp along the river. While it would have been nice to stay and swim in the river, I was about 2.5 miles from the shelter, and wanted to press on to keep on pace with meeting up with Spike¢s Dad on Saturday.There are 3 others at the shelter tonight: a couple of guys using hammocks out for a shakedown hike and a woman who I met at the last hostel (not my roommate). The guys are hoping to come out next year and thru-hike the AT. The woman was planning on a thru-hike initially, although she says she is getting off trail on Saturday because she has done what she wanted and now is looking to go back home and get a job. She says she is hoping to do a ¢marathon¢ tomorrow (26.2 miles) so she asks me to be ¢aggressively loud¢ in the morning so that she gets up early.