Date: 2005-07-15
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: clear sky

Miles hiked today : 16.914.7 AT miles + 0.6 mile of side trail + 1.6 roadwalk milesI woke up this morning at 5:30 a.m., packed up, and was on the trail at 6:10 a.m. with Opa. Right off the bat, I had a 731 foot climb up to the summit of Mount Cube. I reached the summit at 7:10 a.m. and was rewarded with an amazing view of low laying mountains bathed in clouds. There was a side trail to the north summit of Cube Mountain and I headed down it, though turned back after 0.2 mile because the trail kept descending and I didn't see it ending anytime soon. At 7:25 a.m., as I returned to the AT, I misstepped on a slippery rock and landed on my left hip. Cha-ching, fall #27.At 8:00 a.m., I had descended to Brackett Brook and stopped for 10 minutes to gather and treat 2 liters of water. Continuing on, I reached NH25A at 8:55 a.m. and at 9:40 a.m., I reached Cape Moonshine Road, which leads to the Dancing Bones Eco-Village. The data book had listed the roadwalk distance to Dancing Bones as 1.0 mile, though there was a sign on the trail listing the distance as 1.4 mile. At 10:05 a.m., after walking down a long gravel road, I arrived at Dancing Bones Community.As Opa and I walked up to the main building, we were greeted by a well spoken young boy, Quinn, who I later found out was 4 years old. His mother, Cheryl, came out of the building to greet us and spent quite awhile telling us about Dancing Bones and even gave us a tour. There are 10 people that live on 44 acres, and while they are still attached to the utility grid, they've implemented composting toilets and have built 2 large greenhouses. Interestingly, the greenhouses are currently being used for office and living space. The place is called Dancing Bones because the gentleman who purchased the land and deeded it into a community trust 7 years ago is a big fan of "circle dance." "Circle dance" is an event where the participants alternate dancing style based on the music being played. After the tour, we were offered showers and use of the washing machine, though Opa and I decided to hit the trail. We ate lunch out of our packs and were fortunate to receive a ride back ! to the trail from Cheryl's husband, Chip, who had just returned from work. I was definitely not looking forward to walking back up the long gravel road.I was back on the trail at 12:00 p.m. with 8.2 miles to Glencliff. I reached NH25C at 1:20 p.m. and continued on to the summit of Mount Mist, arriving at 2:05 p.m. I was happy to see that I'd covered 5.5 miles from Cape Moonshine Road and stopped for a 10 minute water and rest break. 1.0 mile later, I reached the point of the AT where only 400.0 miles remained to the summit of Mount Katahdin. I reached NH25 at 3:30 p.m. and 5 minutes later, I was in Glencliff at the Hikers Welcome Hostel.The Hikers Welcome Hostel is owned by Packrat, though a gentleman named Fat Chap was on site to greet us. We were told that there were sodas and such available for sale and were informed that the hostel operated on he honor system. I walked over to the post office to pick up my maildrop, which had dinners and my cold weather gear. Yep, the temperature, on average, has been in the 80s for the last several weeks, but I've got my cold weather gear for the White Mountains, which I'll be entering tomorrow. Apparently, at times, the Whites have the worst weather on the planet and it can snow there any time of year. After picking up my maildrop, I returned to the hostel, showered, and then caught a shuttle to the grocery store in Warren.On the way to Warren, Fat Chap pulled over to show us a naturally occuring rock formation called "The Old Man of the Dam," which looks like a chiseled facial profile. As we got closer to Warren, we saw the mystery missile, which is a decommissioned, hollowed out 30' tall missile standing in front of the town church and grade school. At the grocery store, Opa and I ordered sandwiches and a pizza, then shopped during the 30 minute wait. I purchased my usual town faire of chocolate milk, orange juice, cola, and ice cream, as well as breakfast and lunch items to supplement my maildrop.Back at the hostel, I consumed my pizza and chocolate milk, then started a load of laundry. I journaled while watching "Mallrats" and really wish that Michael could have been here to watch it, as it is one of his favorite movies. I received an e-mail this evening from Papa Harrington stating that Michael and Sean are back on the trail as of the 13th. I'm happy to hear that they're back and hope that they catch up to Opa and I.I saw some amusing DOC signs today, such as a mileage sign that included the distance to Rome and another that indicated a viewpoint off to the right with the warning "Beware of Tourists!" I'll miss the amusing DOC signs once they're gone. Tomorrow morning, I'll mail some items home, after which I'm headed up and over Mount Moosilauke and into the White Mountains.Bedtime at 11:50 p.m.