Date: 2014-09-01
From: Hanover

To: Happy Hill shelter
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: scattered clouds

September 1--Hanover to Happy Hill Shelter--6 milesThe crickets and peepers are chirping as dusk turns to night. Today's hike was a short 6 miles, but today was a scorcher. Bob and I met Siva and Dexter at a wonderful gelato place in Hanover and thoroughly enjoyed slurping our scoops of exotic flavors. I had a scoop of mandarin orange- almond with chocolate hazelnut and slowly let each bite melt in my mouth. We sat outside and watched tourists and students enjoy the last of Labor Day weekend. As we finished our gelato, Siva and Dexter said their goodbyes. We walked to our car and Siva laid her pack next to mine. Bob had offered to drive our packs to the trailhead which meant we could amble along the two mile road walk, free of our heavy packs. Siva and I chatted as we strolled along Main St then turned and headed for the bridge which crosses the Connecticut and leads into Vermont. Good bye New Hampshire. You are one tough trail but lots of fun. I was looking forward to the pine needle covered paths of Vermont, a welcome break from the rock climbing adventures of NH. The heat of the day slowed our pace and soon we were sweating, stinky hikers. The generosity of Bob's offer hit as we climbed up the steep and sweltering pavement of Elm St. "I'm going to kiss Bob's feet," exclaimed Siva. We tried to distract ourselves by admiring the neatly landscaped yards and quaint architecture of the homes we passed. And the irony of the street name did not escape us. We did not see a single Elm and, in fact, saw little shade. Finally, we reached the trailhead. Bob handed us a bottle of water which we guzzled down and then we were off. Or, oof, I should say. Our packs were extra heavy with 5 days' worth of meals and snacks. But soon, I adjusted and the unsteadiness left me. The trail was kind with plenty of soft pine needles and rolling ascents and descents. Nothing too difficult. We left the trailhead at 3:38 and reached the turn for the shelter by 5. Not bad. Four miles in under two hours. We dropped our packs at the shelter and gathered our stuff for water and baths. The stream was nearly dry, but we went upstream and found some good pools to gather water. Then we went downstream for bathing. I poured the cold water over me and was reminded of the ALS ice bucket challenge I had done a month ago. I continuously poured water over myself until I had washed off most of the sweat. And then I put my sweaty clothes back on. Eeeuuuuuw. But I still felt refreshed. I left Siva at the stream, washing herself. As I neared the shelter, a booming voice greeted me--"I'm so glad to see you! That was pretty weird to find a shelter with two packs and no one in sight." I explained that we had been fetching water and tried to block his view of Siva down by the stream. Shortly, Siva scrambled up to the shelter, flushed but fully clothed. Our shelter buddy introduced himself to us as Decibel and proceeded to explain that he was nearly deaf. Fine...but I was hoping his vision wasn't so good either. We chatted as we organized our stuff and I set up my tent. Siva went off to find a suitable place for her hammock and took quite a while. "The tree did not want to let me wrap my cord around it so I had to struggle with it." One look at my tent setup told you that I had not had an easy time either. Why is it that the first night is always such an adjustment?After a wonderful dinner of cashew curry that I had dehydrated a year ago for my thru hike, I settled into my tent. It's a warm night and all is still except for the crickets. Darkness has fallen and my eyes are heavy. Life is good!