Date: 2017-08-10
From: VT 9, Bennington, VT 

To: VT 9, Bennington, VT (Catamount Hotel)
Miles today: 0.0

8/10VT 9, Bennington, VT to VT 9, Bennington, VT (Catamount Hotel)0.0 milesTotal miles:  1610.6I was awake and ready to get moving at 5;30, even though there was no reason to be. I was very excited about Becky arriving today to join me on the trail for several days. To stay busy,  I quietly sorted out my paperwork, organizing what I still needed to keep and what I could send home.  I then sorted out my food bag to determine what I would need to resupply for four days.  Homeward Bound was up soon after I was, since he intended to be on the 8:00 shuttle to the trail.  Gravity enjoyed some extra rest and slept on.  Becky's bus was due in at 11:30, and I planned on meeting her at the station.  I didn't want to wake Gravity to get his clothes to take to the office to get laundered,  but there was no way I was wearing my borrowed flowery shirt and leggings to the bus terminal. i do have standards, after all.  Just in case, I pulled my town clothes out of my pile. Fortunately, Gravity soon woke up, and I took our laundry to the front desk.  Pete promised to have it back to me in plenty of time. I spent a leisurely few hours going through my gear. I ate leftover pizza for breakfast. True to his word, Pete had my clothes back to me before 11:00.  I quickly changed and, now dressed in my worn but clean hiking attire, went to meet Becky. The Green Mountain Express bus line appears to be quite an operation. We would take advantage of the fifty cent fare later in the day to get to Wal-Mart for supplies.  For now, the bus was right on time, and I enjoyed a joyous reunion with my wonderful daughter in the parking lot. My glasses were hanging from my strap, and our first hug bent the temples backwards. Luckily, I was able to bend them back. Our second hug somehow opened a sore on Becky's ear.  So, in true Smith fashion, we stood in a public parking lot with twisted frames and a bloody ear. No matter, and we headed back to the hotel.  I got turned around a bit after going to an ATM at the bank, and we briefly walked the wrong way down Main Street. Unfortunately, there were no sticks and woods with which to fashion direction arrows. There is a nifty compass painted on the road at the intersection of Main and Benmont Avenues that I later used to get my bearings. We stopped by the Post Office on the way back to the hotel to get a shipping box. There were a few things I wouldn't need that I wanted to send home. I included my worn out shoes just because. In addition to my new shoes, Becky brought me a replacement belt for my pack, as the one I have been using was tearing where it connected to the pack bag. It might have lasted to Katahdin, but I didn't want to take any chances, so I had ZPacks send me a free replacement belt home so Becky could bring it. With the help of an instructional video on YouTube, I was soon sporting a brand new pack belt. Becky met Gravity, and the three of us walked back to the Post Office and then went to Cilantros, a burrito restaurant that came highly recommended.  I enjoyed a huge seasoned chicken burrito.  We then returned to the bus terminal to catch the Red Line to Wal-Mart. After obtaining four days of supplies, which should get us to at least Manchester Center, we waited at the bus stop for our return trip. We had almost a forty-five minute wait, but the time passed quickly while we talked. I found a shady spot in the grass and sat down to wait.  We returned to the hotel, where we sorted food and worked on packing. After a short nap, we rejoined Gravity and walked to the Madison Brew Company for dinner.  We had a great dinner with good food, good craft beer, and dessert. Becky and Gravity are both in the media buainess, so they had a great deal in common which led to interesting conversation. I had a touch of stomach distress, the first health issue I've had since my blister back in the Smokies. Fortunately, it soon passed, and I was already feeling better by the time we reached the hotel. We were getting ready for bed, when Becky remembered we had purchased Permethrine to treat our clothes one last time. She went to get Gravity, and we took care of that. We realized that this was the last time we would need to take this preventative measure against ticks. It was then time for bed. We will catch the 8:00 shuttle back to the trailhead in the morning.  The first thing will be a steep, two mile climb out of the valley as we climb Little Pond Mountain. Homeward Bound has hiked this part of the AT before,  and it is one of his favorites, with great views and two fire towers to clumb. I'm very excited about being able to hike with Becky the next several days, and we'll get that all going tomorrow.