Date: 2006-09-12
From: Goddard Shelter

To: Stealth Site N of Stratton Pond
Miles today: 20.0

Best day lately for miles, but then I walked from 6:30 in the morning until 5:30 in the evening. Maybe cause it was a pretty uneventful day, but I did get to listen to Imus in the Morning and then my MP3 music carried me through most the afternoon.The roots were back and there were many wet and muddy places today. Twice, my right boot sunk in the mud overtop where I thought I was stepping on a mud covered rock or piece of lumber. The elevation change, on the other hand, wasn¢t too bad today.I drop in Kid Gore Shelter for a snack and again five miles later at Story Spring Shelter. The latter I run into Scorch. She says Hannah took one of the back roads into town somewhere along the way.The sickening event of the day was passing this SOBO idiot hiking naked. I don¢t know why these nudists can¢t stick to their colonies. This happened once before during my shakedown hike in ¢02. It might be different if they had ¢something worth displaying¢¢¦and it¢s always some old guy¢¦never a young babe. You just hope they get bit or stung by something in their ¢not so privates.¢ I did not give the guy the courtesy of a hello or even a nod¢¦I just shook my head and kept hiking. (Now the only exception might be ¢Hike Naked Day when everyone is expected to hike with minimal clothing so it would be no surprise)This raises the issue of how much clothing do you pack on a long distance thru-hike. (This guy was no long distance backpacker) One must ¢weigh¢ everything and decide if it¢s worth the added ounces. I have started carrying an extra pair of shorts and t-shirt. You may recall this paid off early in my hike when I was able to come to the rescue of another hiker who literally had his only pair of shorts stolen from a dryer at the motel. It was hot and he would have been miserable hiking in his rain pants.Many guys ¢go commando¢ by not wearing any underwear under their shorts. I do that only when I hike in a swim suit with a mesh insert. As Kramer says, ¢I like to protect my boys.¢ Speedo swim trunks work great as underwear for me¢¦like Pategonia underwear, they dry quickly; weigh almost nothing and you barely know you have them on. I get no chaffing at all with mine. What¢s more, you can swim and get in and out of your bag in them without offending anyone since they are technically a swimsuit.I was planning on tenting at Stratton Pond Shelter but The Green Mountain Club owns it and imposes a $5 fee¢¦something about ¢helping to control the use¢ I think was their reasoning. Personally, I be;ieve one should be able to hike the entire AT without having to ¢pay to stay¢¢ in a shelter or tent site. There was a whole bunch of hikers at the shelter itself and they said the caretaker was away so there wouldn¢t be a fee today.So I chat with the group for a minute and head to the spring to make water. Then the sign asks tenters to go around the lake to tent because the closer sites are too muddy. I walk most of the way around the lake¢¦hopping rocks, wet boards and mud. I get to thinking why would I want to go a mile off the trail to camp and have to walk all that way back to get to the trail in the morning. I decide to turn around and head back, hook up with the AT NOBO and start looking for a stealth site.I pass one SOBOer who says he really hasn¢t noticed any tent sites. It¢s not too long before I spot a nice somewhat level spot close to the trail. The ground is moist and there are a lot of leaves to make for a soft bed tonight.For dinner I have Spam (foil pack) and Ritz crackers¢¦I must have been hungry cause it tasted pretty good.The weather is supposed to change to cooler and rainy tomorrow and contine through the weekend. When I get to Manchester Center tomorrow (around noon) I¢ll hitch back to my ride that I left in the parking lot near the AT and Lee MA. I may just drive home to Ohio to take in the Farm Science Review; get my stove and some Mountain House meals before driving up to Monson to do the Hundred Mile Wilderness.