Date: 2018-07-15
From: West Hartford, VT

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 9.9

You know your day is off to a good start when you see a Bald Eagle in flight before 0600. It happened as I was sitting on the Hart¢s porch chatting with Randy and eating breakfast. Just as I was finishing off my bagel Randy pointed in the direction of the White River. The majestic bird came soaring down the river, undoubtedly in search of fresh trout for breakfast. Pretty cool!It was only a 10 mile walk to today¢s destination of Hanover, NH. Two-thirds of the elevation gain were behind me in the first 3 miles of the hike. As has been the case lately, the trail was very soft for most of the hike. By 0945 I reached the outskirts of Norwich, VT. The trail followed Elm Street and then Main Street through the trail friendly town. Elm St. was lined with houses sitting on spacious lots. One of the first houses I hiked past had a cooler full of Cokes for hikers. A couple of SOBOs were reclined in chairs enjoying the refreshments. I grabbed one for the road just as another hiker named Dasha was jogging down the road, without her pack. She was out for three days and her hike was ending in Hanover. She wanted to make it before 1100 so she could watch the World Cup. I saw her a couple of times yesterday and she mentioned that she did not have a tent. She ended up staying at the shelter south of West Hartford last night. She set out at 0430 and stashed her pack at the first road crossing she came to. She would retrieve it after the game. Anyway, she realized she was going to make it on time and we walked the rest of the way together. The AT continued on the road for the final 2+ miles of the hike. It crossed under I-91 and then over the Connecticut River. At the midpoint of the bridge was an engraved stone marking the VT/NH border. Say what? The penultimate state. Oh happy day!The trail continued along the road, entering the town of Hanover, a quintessential New England town and home to Dartmouth College. I had made arrangements to stay with a ¢Friend of the AT¢. I made contact with the person from a list of people who volunteer to take in hikers. Fran is a retired MD of Internal and Palliative Care. She was attending a conference on campus when I arrived and would link up with me when they broke for lunch. No problem. I dove into the Skinny Pancake for a delicious breakfast Slammy and some crepe dessert thingy. All yummy! I popped over to the adjacent pub to say a quick hello to some fellow hikers who were watching the World Cup. Then I met Fran street side and we walked to her car.She was kind enough to take me to her place for a quick shower and laundry during her break. I had given Epic her number and he made arrangements to stay there as well. He showed up the night before and was just getting up when I arrived. Fran took us both back to town when she returned to her conference. Being that it is National Ice Cream Day (thanks for the heads up Dick) we went and grabbed some Gelato (close enough). From there I made my way to Lou¢s Bakery for a cup of coffee. They were also giving out free pasties to hikers (I opted for the Maple Twist). The server was exceptionally sweet and attentive. The original owner of the iconic bakery (Lou) has passed on. The new owner is an ex-Marine (I know, once a Marine...) who attended Tucks School of Business at Dartmouth. We talked about the trail and Dartmouth¢s ¢Next Step¢ program for professionals looking to transition into the business realm. He kept shoving more free complimentary pasties my way until the doors closed at 3PM. In fact, I was still there after closing. Not wanting to wear out my welcome, I paid for my cup of coffee and hit the street. The owner wrote down his contact info for me as I was headed for the door. What a great place in a great town. I worked my way up to campus and hung out at ¢The Green¢ until Fran texted. I told her earlier in the day that I wanted to treat her to dinner as a token of my appreciation for her hospitality. First, she ran Epic and I by the Co-op to pick up some re-supply items. We then ran by her place to put things away before returning to Murphy¢s Pub for a burger. Back at her place now winding down and getting ready for my first few days of hiking in New Hampshire. I¢m in a penultimate STATE of mind.In other words, I¢m PUMPED!Peace & Blessings - NSElevation Data:Ascent - 2,000Descent - 1,890Grade - 7.2Weather:Day - 84 / Partly CloudyNight - 61 / ClearOver The Horizon: White Mountain National Forest