Date: 2016-07-05
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Catamount Motel, Bennington VT
Miles today: 11.4

Day 21 - We awoke at 5:20am and hit the trail at 6:15am. We were the first out of the masses of people staying at the shelter. We started our first climb almost immediately. We are finding that there was no change in the trail (yet!!) from what we had in Massachusetts...rocky, rooty and boggy. An example is shown in the attached picture. The problem is you have to watch every step and that slows us down.One group of young thru-hikers passed us by like we were standing still, but other than them there aren't many thru-hikers around. After passing by several boggy ponds we began a steep 1000 ft drop to Vermont Highway 9. Our plan was to call a taxi to get into Bennington VT where we had a motel reservation. However, we'd been having problems getting cell service recently so as we began to descend, we started checking our phones for cell coverage...there was none!! So then what? We could hike the 5+ miles to town or we could try hitchhiking to town or we could "yogi" a ride to town. "Yogi" is a term we learned on the PCT. It basically means to get something we need without asking for it. The genesis of the term is uncertain but is most likely comes either from Yogi Bear conning picnicers out of their food baskets or from a thru-hiker whose trailname was "Yogi" who was particularly talented in getting what she needed from perfect strangers without asking.We started to yogi midway through our steep 1000 foot descent when we met 2 day-hikers coming up. The descent was on narrow steps of random granite blocks set into the mountain side. It was so narrow that when we met the day-hikers one of us had to step aside to let the others pass. In doing so, we exchanged pleasantries and got the inevitable question "Are you thru-hiking the AT?". Spider gave the usual description of our 500 mile section hike but added to the end that we were getting off the trail in Bennington for a day of rest but were having problems getting cell service to call a taxi. What would most people do in this situation? Offer us a ride... and they did. They said if were still in the trail-head parking lot when they returned from their short hike, they would take us to Bennington. Notice we never asked, so it comes across as their idea...that's a "Yogi"When we got to the trailhead parking lot at 2:45pm, the young thru-hikers who had passed us were all there enjoying some Trail Magic in the form of soft drinks and cookies left by a Trail Angel. Also a lady stepped out of a motor-home and handed Spider a Klondike ice cream bar. Wow!As we rested eating our treats, the Trail Angel showed up to retrieve his ice chest. Of course we talked about our hike and Spider happened to mention our cell phone dilemma. The Trail Angel offered to give us a ride to town¢¦ a double Yogi day!!On our drive to and through Bennington, our Trail Angel, Steve, pointed out various eating spots. We also discovered that we had meet a thru-hiker several years ago, trailname Don's Brother, who was a friend of Steve's...small world!!Steve dropped us off at our motel at about 3:30pm. As ET showered, Spider walked 5 blocks to the Post Office and picked up our resupply box. Thanks Sally! Upon his return, Spider had his shower then we relaxed in our air conditioned, bug-free room¢¦ Ahhhh!!Dinner was at a local microbrew pub¢¦ sure tasted better than freeze-dried!!Major Milestone: We passed the 1600 mile mark in our hike of the AT