Date: 2017-06-21
From: Vanessa's House, Salisbury, CT

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

6/21/17, Vanessa's Place, Salisbury, CTMiles hiked: 1182.1, Miles to go: 1007.7Zero Day. Yay. I haven't taken many Zero Days. Usually, if I Nearo into town the day before, I have all my chores done and, by the time the Zero rolls around, I am itching to get back on the trail. This time was different. I devoted the day to taking care of my ailing feet. First thing this morning, I went to the pharmacy and got my prescription filled. Most of the rest of the day was spent sitting on the back deck at Vanessa's soaking my feet in Domeboro solution and keeping them elevated the rest of the time. My feet are definitely feeling better today; but, another day off of them was definitely called for. We did go across the street and resupply for our next leg of the hike.Tomorrow we will cross into Massachusetts. It is looking like four days before we can resupply. At about 2 pounds a day, I generally don't like to carry more than three days of food; but, there appear to be fewer opportunities for stopping at delis for the next few days, so we will have to carry a little extra weight. We are also moving back into real mountains again, so the added weight is not welcomed. We got a text from Sitting Bull that he, Hoops, his brother Krampus, and Ramsey Bolton would be stopping in Salisbury for lunch and resupply, so we walked back to the grocery store and visited with them. I also heard from Shenaniguy, who is about a day behind us, that he had just met Hummingbird. If you recall, Hummingbird hiked with us, along with Ramsey, Hoops, Sitting Bull, and Krampus, through TN and Southern VA. I haven't seen him since Marion, VA, and hope we get to meet up again. It would be fun to get the old group back together for a day or two. The rest of the day was spent hanging out and resting our feet. I am a bit concerned about hitting the trail again tomorrow; but, I can't just hang out in Salisbury any longer. This town is pretty expensive! I worry that if my feet don't get better fast, I may be forced to go off trail for a week of rehabilitation. It's amazing how fast this whole thing came on and serves as a reminder of how easily you can get knocked off the trail - even with less than 700 miles to Katahdin. We are definitely in New England now. Salisbury has that classic New England feel - white picket fences, white churches with steeples, and graveyards with tombstones so old and weathered that you can no longer read many of them. Many of the tombstones in the graveyard next to Vanessa's have flags and plaques marking the graves of soldiers from the Revolutionary War and the French and Indian War. My friend Sue Miltenberger, who apparently is the only one who has been able to convince the TrailJournals captcha application that she is not a robot, posted a question on my Guestbook page about what I carry in my pack, so here goes: For shelter, I carry a 20 degree down quilt and a silk sleeping bag liner, an inflatable pillow, inflatable sleeping pad, small ground cloth, the Jacks R Better Bear Mountain Bridge hammock and a 10' x 11' silnylon tarp. For clothing, I wear the kilt, a wool shirt, wool boxer briefs, Tilley nylon hat, watch, wool socks, synthetic sock liners, gaiters, and Keen Targhee II boots. I carry a pair of nylon pants with zip off legs, extra wool socks and liners, a synthetic tee shirt, synthetic boxer briefs, a synthetic puffy jacket, light wool long john top, Vivobarefoot camp shoes and Goretex rain jacket. For cooking, I carry a Pepsi can alcohol stove, 900 mL titanium pot, insulated plastic cup, 10 oz plastic bottle of denatured alcohol, titanium windscreen, anodized aluminum spork, and Bic lighter. In addition, I carry two 1 liter Smartwater bottles, and a Sawyer Squeeze water filter and squeeze bag. I also have a food bag with 3 - 4 days' to worth of food. I carry a toiletries bag with toilet paper, trowel, wet wipes, and alcohol gel. Another toiletries bag has toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, Dr Bronner's soap, nitrile gloves, Desitin cream, and Gold Bond powder. In addition, I carry a small first aid kit, a small repair kit with duct tape and needle and thread, a head lamp, a small multi tool, SPOT tracker, wallet, two bandanas, small compass, small sitting pad, small thermometer, sunglasses, bug spray, headnet, iPhone, and raincover for my pack.Finally, I carry an electronics bag that contains charger and cords for my iPhone, Mophie external battery, iPod Shuffle, headphones, and Kindle reader. What you carry in your pack is a result of personal choices and everyone's pack is different. You have to find that perfect balance of weight, cost, and comfort. Ultralight hikers are willing to sacrifice comfort (and sometimes safety) to carry less weight. Some hikers are doing this whole thing on a shoestring budget and have to carry heavier, less expensive gear. Some hikers like comfort and carry a lot of extraneous stuff. I've never weighed my pack, but suspect it's somewhere around 30 - 35 lbs with food and water. I am by no means an ultralight hiker; however, there are many people with much bigger packs than mine. I am always looking at what I have in my pack and comparing it to what others carry, trying to eliminate any weight without giving up too much comfort. The one cardinal rule out here is that you never mess with someone else's pack. What you choose to carry is your business. Sue - I hope that answers your question. If anyone else has questions or comments, you might try convincing the Guardian of the Guestbook again that you are not a robot. Some people seem to be getting through occasionally (at least I assume Sue isn't the only one left out there). Now, on to Massachusetts!