Date: 2015-08-10
From: Happy Hill Shelter

To: Stealth Camp North of Trescott Rd
Miles today: 10.8

Ah, town day! You'd think I would not be all that excited about town day, given that I just spent 5 days on vacation, but you'd be wrong. Especially such a hiker friendly town as Hanover, New Hampshire. First I had to hike 6 miles to get there though. It seemed shorter than that for a change, because the last 2.5 miles is a road walk that makes it feel like you're already there. When I exited the woods in the town of Norwich VT, the first thing I saw was a cooler full of sodas at the first house. Trail magic! I took a coke for later. A few houses down the road, another cooler! This one had watermelon (hit the spot!), some pastry (didn't try) and dog treats (aawwwww!). What a nice way to say goodbye to Vermont! I walked past the wine store and the yarn store (not open yet or I might have taken a peek. Not that i should have touched any yarn in my sweaty state!) towards Hanover NH. The Connecticut River is the border and there is a VT-NH sign that is part of the bridge. Sadly there were no other pedestrians around, so I couldn't get a good shot. The low sun (it was still before nine) didn't help either. Before I crossed the bridge, a woman pulled over and asked if I was a thru-hiker and wanted to give me a gift certificate to a place in town before she realized she didn't have her purse with her. It was a nice gesture all the same and set the tone for my Hanover experience.As I was walking into town, I got asked if I was thru-hiking three times and every single person was really nice. Then I ran into three southbound hikers and as they passed me, one of them asked if I was Airlock! I don't think I've been recognized since Tennessee, so that was fun. He complimented me on the journal and said he lives for trailjournals until he can thru-hike. Thank you, southbound section hiker whose name I never did get!The next person to ask me if I was a hiker was a nice lady who also pointed me to the local coffee shop (we were right in front) where I ordered a large latte. Somehow this qualified me for a free muffin. I was really starting to like this town! Another guy struck up a conversation when he found out I live in Northern Virginia. As it turns out, he grew up there. I tried to charge my phone while enjoying my latte, but the outlets didn't seem to be working, so I decided to move on. The local community center lets hikers shower and do laundry so I figured that would be my next stop. Before I got there though, I heard my name from across the street: Shimmy and Old School were sitting in front of the Art Center where there was a long built-in bench, with outlets! So I chatted with them some while charging the phone before making it to the community center. Both the Art Center and the Community Center are named for the Black Family or a Black family member. Must be nice! In general, Hanover looks like a town with plenty of money. The high school and library, both of which I passed on the way, looked pretty spiffy too. The people at the community center were super friendly also and showed me where to go. I was expecting a locker room, but it was a small room in the basement with one washer, dryer and shower, pretty much exclusively for hikers, or so it seemed. I can tell you it was all much appreciated! I also met Bookie, a nobo who I had not seen before, and we chatted a bit while my laundry was drying and hers washing. Right now I seem to run into more sobo's so it was nice to meet another nobo.All cleaned up, I decided it was time for lunch. There is a pizza place in town where hikers get a free slice, so I started there and had a slice while chatting with Tor Tia (who can't spell tortoise), Autobahn and a hikers whose name I got and can't remember. Due to a misunderstanding on my part, I ended up with two slices, one of which I packed out for dinner. I didn't feel like more pizza for lunch and went back to the main drag to see what looked good. On the way there, a street vendor of one kind asked if I was hiking and gave me a bottle of water. Damascus has the moniker 'friendliest town on the trail', but Hanover can give it a run for its money!For lunch, I ended up at a somewhat too dressy place for a hiker, but since I was clean and smelled relatively good, I figured it would be ok. I also sat at the bar (no white table cloth) where I had mussels with fries on top and garlic aioli (isn't aioli always garlic? Those are the profound things I think about while hiking!). It was really, really good and the rolls to mop up the mussel juice were maybe the best part. Oh, and I had a glass of cider to wash it all down. A very un-hiker-y lunch, but totally an Airlock-type meal! The cherry on top of Hanover, as far as I am concerned. By now it was past 2 pm and I still had to resupply. The grocery store (food coop) was conveniently right on the trail on the way out of town, so that was easy. I did somehow end up with way too much food, and I wasn't even hungry when I shopped! No idea what happened, but I better eat a lot the next few days! I had a vague plan to hike to the first shelter, which is less than a mile out of town, but it was only 4pm and too early to stop. I knew I wouldn't make it to the next shelter, another 9.5 miles out, so I figured I'd just find a spot in between. I somehow ended up not too far from a road, though there is no access nearby and I can't figure out where the road is exactly. But I can hear the occasional traffic.Tomorrow should be an interesting day, as there is apparently a 100% chance of rain. Naturally this happens when I and all my clothes are nice and clean! But, I have had such glorious weather in Vermont, I can't really complain about one rainy day. Fingers crossed it really is only the one day!Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?