Date: 2004-08-12
From: Cloudland Shelter

To: Happy Hill Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: light rain

0.9 off trail miles8:30 a.m. Left my cookpot out to drip dry last night and found a giant snail in it this morning, making himself at home. Another job for bleach.Tried out the open air privy here -- nice to have a view!Have been feeling rather unmotivated to move, as my left foot and right knee are giving me some pain through the night, and worry me during the day. Maybe the new boots will help. The Asolo rep is sending them to Hanover.So... I've made it this far through snow, hail, 93-degree weather, humidity, mosquito swarms and mud, and without suffering from poison ivy, West Nile virus, Lyme disease, being struck by lightening, heat exhaustion, broken bones or even a sprained ankle -- despite teeth-grinding snaps, crackles and pops of joints during the occasional fall or ankle roll -- amazing the abuse that the body can take! The challenge ahead is the White Mountains, hiking above tree line for the most part, and so the magnificent vistas tempered by rapidly changing weather conditions and the threat of hypothermia for underprepared hikers. At the Hanover, NH, post office, I plan to retrieve several layers of clothing from my bounce box and my sleeping bag from another box. Being able to stay warm and sleep through the night will enable me to make the miles ahead. I'll also have to abandon my beloved polka-dot hiking dress to the bounce box -- no place for cotton in the Whites. I've had some interesting feedback from folks on my attire, though. Everything from Riva Queen's dubious, "Well, THAT's a look!" to a British hiker's "You look very smaht." to Tinkerbell's "Can I take your picture?" to Rick's "That's brilliant! No chafing!" It's turned out to be very practical, too, since I can pee standing up without indecently exposing myself to fellow hikers. And on the hotter days, the damp cotton acts as a refrigerator. I want to have it on when I reach Katahdin, and send the picture to the lady at the Salvation Army in Erwin, Tennessee who sold it to me. My mum says that wen I'm done hiking, I should mount it on the wall, like a kimono. I'm also considering turning various bits of my hiking attire -- bandanas, handkerchief, the Mapdana, the dress -- into a quilt...7:30 p.m. Cute little dollhouse of a shelter tonight, with room enough for eight -- Barbie's Dream Cabin. Another rollercoaster hiking day. During the last mile, I found myself counting my steps to see how many steps I take in a mile, but my finger abacus stopped working when I had to remember whether I was at 1500 or 2000. The brain stops working around 3 p.m. each day.Stopped in West Hartford, VT, today to get a bacon cheeseburger, onion rings, Dr. Pepper and coffee at Rick and Tina's Country Store. Had planned to spend a couple of hours on line at the library, but it's closed on Thursdays. (Wingfoot, take note.) There was a beautiful old clapboard church there that looked deserted, but still had intact stained glass windows -- would make a fantastic hiker hostel, if anyone out there is on the lookout!Found out today that all of the clear plastic tubing slung around and between the trees along the trail are for tappling sugar maples for syrup! Apparently, syrup tapping has to take place during the period when nights are below freezing and days are above freezing -- or at least this is what young Friar tells me. He's in the shelter tonight along with Poppins and Skippy and two SOBOs, Jolly Rancher and Kodak (who just took my picture).The droppings I saw the other day ARE moose! Trail registers describe several moose sightings.