Date: 2007-08-03
From: Hanover, NH

To: Moose Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0

The 6:00 am wake-up call from the desk of the Hanover Inn was not necessary. Dick and I were already awake if not yet ¢up and at ¢em.¢ It was not long before we were showered, packed, and enjoying a muffin with coffee on a bench in front of ¢Lou¢s Restaurant and Bakery¢ on Main Street in Hanover. Dick and I left had Boston around 4:30pm yesterday and made our way to Hanover in time for dinner at ¢Molly¢s Restaurant,¢ and then to early (10:00pm) bed. Our day on the trail was great (but tiring!). It was sunny and very warm, but the woods were a good 10 degrees cooler than the ambient temperature in the fields through which we passed. Along the way, we encountered ¢SOBOs,¢ and we were advised to carry water from the creek 212 miles south of the shelter because the spring at the Moose Mountain Shelter was just about dry. We enjoyed lunch at the creek, followed by a nap, and then we started up South Moose Mountain carrying our water. For you New Yorkers, let me put this in context for you. Today¢s hike would be like walking from Grand Central Station to Battery Park and back, and then, just for the heck of it, to walk to the top of the Empire State Building. I found the hike up Moose Mountain to be very taxing, and I had to stop a number of times. I had not anticipated having any real difficulty, so this afternoon was a bit humbling for me. Was it the extra ten pounds I am carrying (no, not in my pack, mind you, but on my waist!)? Or is it possibly the lack of conditioning? Is it the 62-year-old age thing (finally) catching up on me? Or is it possibly the effect of too many cigars on too many nights? Or perhaps it has to do with some unrealistic expectations that I would simply be able to pick back up where I left off? More than likely, it is a combination of all of the above. One thing is for sure: I am going to need to pace myself better in the future. We arrived at the shelter around 3:30pm; just a few minutes after ¢Monkey¢ and ¢Cocoa¢ had arrived. They are a young couple from Pittsburgh who left Springer Mountain, GA (the beginning of the Appalachian Trail) five months ago today. The two of them are delightful company - very genuine, very pleasant people. Yesterday was their fourth wedding anniversary. They are going to be staying in the shelter with Dick, while I am going to pitch my tent about 40 yards away. Doing it this way, Dick will be able to use my ¢bug bonnet,¢ which from what we have heard will be very helpful here, as the flies and mosquitoes are ¢prevalent.¢ By 5:30pm we had finished dinner and then pooled our rations with our shelter mates so we could enjoy dessert. ¢Monkey¢ and ¢Cocoa¢ provided the lemonade, and we provided the chocolate chip cookies purchased at the Hanover Food Co-op. We have a fire going now, and there may be a storm brewing for later, but ¢Frankly, Scarlet, I don¢t give a damn,¢ because I am going to be asleep before dark ever arrives. I doubt that I will be awake long enough to see if there are any stars out tonight. Today¢s hiking has taken a lot out of me, and I am fading fast. So, the sun sets on my first day back on the AT, the score is AT: 1 - Bumpo: 0. But, tomorrow is another day. G¢night.