Date: 2003-09-01
From: Happy Hill Shelter, VT

To: Stealth Camp North of Hanover, NH Co-op
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: clear sky

Today I finished Vermont and started New Hampshire. Twelve states done, two to go. Last night no one else showed up, so I had the entire shelter and camping area to myself ¢ first time I had had a shelter all to myself during my AT hike. I read the novel until 8:30 last night and then turned my light off. Shortly after, I heard a loud howling coming from the woods. It sounded like a pack of coyotes had gotten some other animal, maybe a deer. The noise died out in less than a minute but made me wonder if I might be next. I quickly discarded the thought and went to sleep under a clear sky and cool (55o) temperatures. I woke at 6:00 to an overcast sky and a very comfortable 59o tent temperature. The thought of rain crossed my mind. I dozed off and on for the next half hour because there was no hurry to get up since I had only planned a 7.3 mile hike to the next shelter (resupplying on the way in Hanover, NH) for today. But at 6:30 I heard the patter of raindrops on the forest canopy and sprung into action in an attempt to keep all my gear and tent dry. Since I had chosen to pitch my tent close to the shelter and there was no one in the shelter, I quickly put on my boots and moved all my gear from inside the tent into the shelter. (Note that all my gear and food and backpack fit inside my tent except my hiking poles, my alcohol fuel, my pot, and my boots.) Next I pulled the 5 tent stakes, collapsed the tent without removing the tent poles, rolled everything up, and carried it into the shelter. This all took less than 2 minutes and I had a dry tent. It rained moderately while I was packing up and having breakfast in the dryness of the shelter. I was hiking at 7:45 with raingear on, in light rain and 55 o temperatures. It was quite comfortable and the hiking was on smooth trails in pine and hemlock forests. By 9:00 the rain had stopped and I took off the raingear, hiking then in shorts and a tee-shirt. 55o is a great hiking temperature. At 10:00 I hiked by the Norwich, VT common where they were getting ready for their 10K Labor Day road race. The thought entered my mind that it would be interesting to enter and run in hiking boots, but that thought was quickly discarded and replaced with my current incremental goal to reach Hanover, NH. I hiked on, crossed the Connecticut River into New Hampshire at 10:20, and reached Hanover, NH center at 11:00. I stopped at the Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) building, got some info on places to eat from ¢Charity¢ (who had just been diagnosed with Lyme disease and has to take some time off to recover). I also got internet access on some University Macs which didn¢t like Yahoo email very much. I did succeed in sending one email with ¢On the Trail Again Status.¢ I then enjoyed a very large second breakfast at Lou¢s Restaurant comprising a 3 egg omelette with everything, toast, 2 orders of home fries, and coffee. It was all I could eat and will hold me until dinnertime. When I came out of the restaurant at 1:00 the sun was shining and I sat on a bench in front of the post office writing postcards. I dropped them off along with 2 days of journal notes. While there, ¢Jester¢ (who my family met at Rt 20 in MA), ¢Moose Munch¢, and ¢Movin¢¢ stopped by to say hello. They also told me that the Hanover Co-op was closed on Labor Day. Rats! Now I have to hang around here today and resupply first thing tomorrow morning. So I hiked out to the Co-op (which is on the AT going out of town) to verify it is closed today (it is) and to get the hours for tomorrow (8 am ¢ 8 pm). I have set up a stealth camp off the AT in the woods just beyond the Co-op. I am now back at the DOC (0.5 miles back) writing this. I hope to get internet access on one of their computers, will have dinner in town, tent tonight, resupply in the morning, and head north again. It is 4:00 now.