Date: 2004-07-09
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: North Woodstock, NH
Miles today: 165.1

6/29/04 TuesdayThis was a short hiking day, but I went into Manchester, VT, to run some errands so that took up most of the day. Just a few miles after starting out I came to the next shelter (there are a lot of closely-spaced shelters in VT), and it was a beauty. Enclosed, with a door and glass windows, it had a wood stove inside. Oh to have been there last night. But then I wouldn't have met the nice section hikers.A few more miles and a hitch got me to Manchester Center, where they have not one but two outfitters. I went first to EMS to get the tips of my hiking poles fixed (for free), and then to Friendly's for lunch. I then walked to the library, but their computers were booked so I just squeezed in a little time on one. Back to the centre of town, where they had the most amazing bookstore, and better yet, a free Internet computer. I caught up on my journal, read a little, and then went grocery shopping. By this time it was six o'clock and some angry clouds were starting to gather overhead.I got a ride to the Trail and hiked on to the next shelter, only two miles away. It was full, with a bunch of section and Long Trail hikers, as well as Iodine, another thru-hiker. MoonPie had packed in some Guinness, and I'd gotten a beer from one of my hitches, so we shared them all around.6/30/04 WednesdayThe Trail went up Bromley Mtn. right away (the shelter last night was already halfway up). Part of the Trail at the top followed a ski run from the summit. I wonder what hikers do in the winter when they have to hike on the ski run?The summit had a firetower, though once again the wind was blowing hard, and I didn't stay up there for long. There were some good ups and downs, with a great vista from Styles Peak, and an even better one on Baker Peak.There are even more than the "usual" host of shelters along this section, so most of them called for a break. I swam briefly in the river at Big Branch Shelter, and when Mouth and Tarzan showed up I hiked with them for a while, until they got off at a road crossing to pick up a mail drop.I ended at a shelter which is supposed to have a caretaker and a fee, but no one was there so it was free! I met my first southbound thru-hiker there, Pilgrim, and we talked for a while until dark.7/1/04 ThursdayI had a long day planned, but I still didn't roll out of the shelter until 8:30. Soon after leaving I came to White Rock Mtn., which in one section has an amazing "city" built out of rocks piled on top of one another. Walls, buildings, and gateways make up this "city", which covers an area nearly 50' square, and the Trail runs through the centre of it. I remember this from when I was here two years ago, but it's changed since then; people must always rearrange the rocks. I did a little rearranging myself where I thought fit, and having added to the urban planning at White Rocks CLiff, I headed on.Clarendon Gorge has a rickity suspension bridge crossing over it, and wonderful swimming holes in the river below. After spending some time there I went down the road a bit to get some ice cream at the Whistle Stop Cafe, where I also yogied a ride to run an errand to get a surprise for tonight.I got back to the Trail, and it started to CLIMB. Clarendon Gorge is at 860', and the next shelter, one mile later, is at 1390'. These are the foothills of Killington. A few rises and falls later, the Trail rose sharply from 1870' to 3500' in two miles. Yowch! A gradual rise along the ridgeline and a final rock scramble brought me to the summit of Killington Peak, over 4000' (the Trail doesn't go over the peak; it tops out at 3900'). I'm staying in Cooper Lodge, a stone hut near the summit, with wind howling and thunder rumbling ominously in the distance. The surprise I got in town was a bottle of wine to celebrate four months on the Trail, and I shared it with the others in the shelter.As a historical note, Vermont was named "Verd-mont" atop Killington in 1763 - French for "Green mountain."7/2/04 FridayOvernight it stormed, and it was brilliant - yellow flashes of lightning lighting the lodge through the windows, and a constant roll of thunder throughout. Very impressive. I woke up early to climb the summit again in order to watch the sunrise, but the clouds were so dense that only once in a while did I catch a glimpse of the red horizon.At the bottom of the mountain I went to the town of Rutland, where I resupplied, and then went back to the Inn at the Long Trail, an Irish pub on the Trail. I had a few pints of very good Guinness, and lunch, and some television. Finally I dragged myself back on the Trail and hiked on.Shortly I came to the Maine Junction, where the Long Trail and the AT split. I turned east, and started heading across the mountain ridges instead of along them, so big ups and downs once again. The Trail passed through a campground, and a man and his daughter who were camping there invited me into their site for sodas and snacks. Tarzan came along, and he was invited in as well. We all talked for about an hour, but I had to keep going. I hiked another few miles and camped, since the shelters were starting to be spread far apart from each other.7/3/04 SaturdayThis was a long day, because of the spacing of the shelters. I got up early and headed out. The terrain was steep up and down, up and down, and repeat.Along the way was The Lookout, a private cabin which the owners allow hikers to use, and which has an observation deck on the roof. I climbed up, and (for once) the air was clear enough to see the White Mountains, including Mt. Washington in the distance.I still had far to go, so I spent the rest of the day hiking. Finally I got to the second shelter, 25 miles from where I'd started (see, the shelters are far apart). There were Mouth, Jaywalker, Brick House, and section hikers Aussie Charm and Six-Two. I'd last met Jaywalker and Brick House in Harpers Ferry, so it was good to meet them again. I've been wanting to talk to Brick House about her favourite book, which is also my favourite book: Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace. We talked into the night and finally went to bed at dark.7/4/04 SundayThis was a shorter day, and very relaxing, which was a welcome change after yesterday. The Trail passed through the town of West Hartford, VT, where there was a diner. I ordered two separate breakfasts (of course, I'd already had breakfast at the shelter before leaving). Everyone else showed up, including Tom from Israel, who'd been camped along the way, and after much food was consumed we went across the street to where there was a rope swing into the river. We swung, swam, and jumped off the bridge into the water, and finally left to keep hiking.After another eight miles we came to Norwich, VT, right on the VT/NH border. Mouth has family here, and they let us camp in their back yard. We showered, did laundry, and hit the local country store for ice cream. Then we went across the border to Hanover, NH (a mile away) for dinner, and then we saw Stepford Wives - the first movie I've seen since being on the Trail. We all wanted to see Spider Man, but it wasn't playing in town.There wasn't anything else going on in town for the Fourth of July, so after the movie we went back to the house and had our own party.7/5/04 MondayI hiked out of town, beginning the thirteenth of the fourteen states which make up the AT. It began pouring, and not only did I get wet from the falling rain, but there were a lot of field crossings, and the wet grass soaked my shoes and legs. The rain meant there were no views, but the miles went by quickly.At a road crossing twenty miles from where I'd started, Mouth and I got a ride back to Norwich so we could stay another day in town. Everyone else had taken a zero day, so they were still around, and MoonPie had arrived, and Leprechaun, a CT Ridgerunner, was also there on one of his days off work.We all went out for Indian food, and saw Farenheit 911 - a very depressing movie. When we got back to the house we didn't talk much, and soon turned in for bed.7/6/04 TuesdaySince I started in town again, Mouth and I got a ride back to where we'd left off yesterday. Today was clear and sunny, so it was nicer than yesterday, but we started out with a steep climb up Smarts Mtn. I think it's named that because if you had any smarts you'd go around it instead of over it. There was a firetower on top with a great view of the Whites, and while I was up there I ran into Tarzan again.Mouth, Tarzan, and I stayed in the shelter just before Glencliffe, NH, tonight. We have some of the hardest terrain coming up soon: Mt. Moosilauke and then the White Mountains. I'm looking forward to it, but I know it's going to be hard work.7/7/04 WednesdayWe hiked into Glencliffe to resupply, and ended up getting sucked into the hostel there. We didn't stay overnight, but we did watch three movies on the VCR. While there we ran into thru-hikers Bonnie and Clyde (genders reversed), and section hikers Fiddlehead and Lambswool.Finally we left to climb Mt. Moosilauke. The climb up wasn't bad at all, and at the top I hung out a bit with Mouth and Tarzan. We'd been hoping to see the sunset, but it was getting too hazy, and we wouldn't have seen the sun. We walked down to the next shelter in the dusk, and fuond it packed. Two Outward Bound groups, Bonnie and Clyde, Fiddlehead and Lambswool, and two other long-distance section hikers I've been following for a while, Pace and Verde (who claim they didn't intend their names to be "Green Peace"). The Outward Bound groups were camped, so we all crowded into the shelter.7/8/04 ThursdayIt stormed overnight, and we were now faced with a challenge: the north side of Moosilauke is very steep, and everyone recommends it not be attempted in the rain. Well, we didn't have a choice, so we prepared to head off, but we all planned to meet in North Woodstock, eighteen miles away, to share a hotel room.The descent was indeed steep, and in fact the rest of the day was treacherous and slippery. I fell several times on wet rock, but didn't do anything worse than bruise myself. I finally got to the road crossing just before dark, and in the rain, and found there to be very little traffic on the road into town. After an hour, Mouth, Tarzan, Bonnie, and I finally got a ride.We didn't waste time with showering or drying off, but went straight to the brew pub to meet Clyde, Pace, and Verde. Much food and many drinks were consumed, and we eventually made it back to our room to squeeze seven people into it.7/9/04 FridayWe all gathered in the local coffee shop in the morning to discuss our plans. It was still raining, so we decided to stay another night to avoid dangerous rocks, and to hopefully get good views. We spent the rest of the day eating and checking email. It turned out that Rainbow Bright, Unfinished, and the Wrens were also in town, so we hung out with them for a while as well.